EverlastVP Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review Everlast Nutrition Vegan Protein Powder.  I am somewhat new to trying to incorporate protein powder into my workout routine, but I've already tried several brands on my journey.  I have to say, EverlastVP is my favorite by far.

Even though this is a vegan protein powder, it's not mandatory that you be a vegan to try it or enjoy it.  I know, mind blown right!  I'm not vegan and I love it!  This stuff not only tastes great, it has a ton of super awesome qualities.

Here's what the website has to say about it:

Product Description

Everlast VP is the ultimate plant-based protein mix delivering a complete BCAA profile using the highest grade blend of yellow pea, rice and hemp proteins to promote lean muscle growth and recovery.

Everlast VP is lactose, gluten, sugar, hormone, GMO and cholesterol free. Plus, it has the best taste of any vegan protein mix we’ve tasted.

• Increases lean muscle mass and strength.
• Increases post workout recovery.

My favorite part from all those details up there?  0 Lactose & Soy.  That's right!  0 Lactose!  If you don't already know this about me (and why don't you?), I have a lactose intolerance.  I'm not completely lactose intolerant to where I can't have any dairy, but milk and I aren't great friends.  Even though I usually mix my protein powders with Almond Milk instead of cow's milk, many of the protein powders themselves still contain enough lactose to upset my delicate little tummy.  NOT EverlastVP though!  I can mix up a nice sized smoothie every morning and feel great all day.  

Speaking of feeling great all day, an EverlastVP smoothie in the morning actually keeps me feeling full all morning.  Those 22g of protein per serving really do keep me going all morning.  In fact, I tried a smoothie before my 10 mile run yesterday and I felt great the entire run.  I usually go for oatmeal or something a little hardier to keep me fueled for long runs, but yesterday I figured I'd go all out on this review and try it out.  I was not disappointed.  I will also be downing one of these on my drive to my half marathon coming up this Saturday.  

And since I'm in the sharing mood, I'll give you my little secret for my smoothies.  My go to smoothie is Almond milk, EverlastVP, chia seeds and frozen bananas.  Yep, that's right, frozen bananas.  I peel and chop them and store them in an air-tight container in the freezer for a few days.  They give smoothies a great creaminess and a blast of coldness without having to add ice.  Amazing!!

Ok, so now that you have all the details, you really should give this stuff a try.  It tastes great, has awesome qualities and is a really good price.  You can also use code KCHESKO* at checkout to take an extra 5% off of the already great deals going on right now.  Here's the link to order: Order Yours HERE

Please let me know your thoughts on it after you've tried it.

Disclosure:  I was provided a sample of EverlastVP for my honest revview.  The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own and were not influenced in any way.  

Disney Marathon

I can NOT believe that my first marathon is almost here.  It seems like I signed up for it so long ago and now it's only 3 days away!  EEEK!!!!!

5-hour ENERGY review

I was given another great review opportunity from Smily360.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE that company?  No?  Well I do.

But on to the review..
This time I got to review 5-hour ENERGY.  This stuff is great!  My husband likes to take it whenever he has to travel at night for work.  It always helps him stay awake on the drive.  I tend to stay away from any of the energy drinks because they make me super jittery, but he loves them.

My favorite part of this particular 5-hour ENERGY is that they teamed up with the Living Beyond Breast Cancer organization.  Through December 31, 2014, Living Essentials will donate five cents from the sale of every specially marked bottle of Pink Lemonade flavored 5-hour ENERGY to Living Beyond Breast Cancer.  More information about that can be found here:  http://5hourenergy.com/lbbc/

I'm a member of Smiley360.com, where I qualify to try brands for free in exchange for sharing my authentic feedback. 

Disney Social Media Moms Invite

O....M....Disney!!!  Look what was in my inbox last night........

You're Invited... To the Most Magical Social Media Conference of the Year! The 2014 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration!

I am beyond excited and dissapointed all at the same time.  To even be invited is a HUGE honor.  But, we're in Florida and airfare out to California is just way too high right now.  So, we can't go.  I was up all night last night trying to figure out if there was any way that we could swing it and I keep coming up with nothing.  SO BUMMED!!  

But, I'm going to start saving right NOW in hopes that I get invited next year.  Because there's no way I'm passing it up twice!

To everyone who is able to attend.....take lots of pictures and I can't wait to hear all about it.  To those who were invited but can't make it....I feel your pain.  Let's encourage each other to save up for next year.  And for those who didn't get an invite....keep your fingers crossed.  Maybe they'll keep sending out invites as the rest of us sadly decline. 

Have a Magical Day!!

Lancôme DreamTone review

SheSpeaks recently offered me the opportunity to review Lancôme DreamTone. Of course I jumped on the chance. Who doesn't like to try new products that have already received great feedback?  So, I chose the fair/light formula and got started.  I've been using it twice a day for about 4 weeks now. Now, I don't think my skin tone was too bad before I started, but it's definitely got more of a glow now.  I also have a small dark spot on my cheek that popped up not to long ago, so I was excited to try it out on it and see the results.  Here are my #bareselfie 's

Before:

After:

My dark spot isn't completely gone, but I feel that it's lighter. I think I'll continue using the rest of the bottle and see what happens!

Disclaimer: I was given a bottle of Lancôme DreamTone in exchange for this review.  I did not receive any monetary compensation and the views in this post are my own.

Day 2

Tonight we rented a movie and snuggled on the couch. It was a nice end to a rainy day.

Day 1

Today I'm thankful for good friends. 

It's been a crazy past few months and to be able to go out to dinner with friends and just have a good time is a wonderful escape. 

Torani Review

*temporarily unavailabe*

I just vacuumed my oven

Yep, you read that right.  I just vacuumed my oven.

Over the many years of having to clean in, around and under my oven, I've never thought to take the vacuum to it.  I've always done it the hard way.  Take a wet rag and wipe out the inside, taking the time to scoop up all of the burnt tidbits that have fallen to the bottom.  Then I pull out the drawer underneath, remove all of the pans that are stored in it, and then dump it into th trash can and wipe it down.  Then I would stick my hand into the dark opening where that drawer goes and wipe out whatever happens to be lurking under there.  Well not today!!

Today I had the vacuum out with the attachment on it going around all of the baseboards in the kitchen and thought hmmmm.....I bet that would work.  So I rolled it on over to the oven and gave it a try.  And it worked really well.  It sucked up all of those tidbits inside, in the drawer and even in that scary opening underneath.  And I didn't have to stick my hand in anything gross!  So, yes, this will definitely be my new method of cleaning the oven from now on.  Just makes me wonder why it took me so long to figure out in the first place!

should have stayed in bed...

So who else has had "one of those days" today?

Had a feeling this morning that I shouldn't leave the house.  Then realized I really shouldn't have. 

Kids spilled milk and apple juice all over the kitchen this morning, we were late for story time at the library, someone backed into my truck while waiting in line at the drive thru, there were no kids at the park for my son to play with by the time we got there, missed our field trip because we had to take the truck to get checked, spent way too much for way too little at the grocery store, and got popped in the face with hot oil while getting the meatballs ready for dinner. 

AND it's not even 5:00 yet.  *sigh*

Crunch

So I don't necessarily "like" to eat at McDonalds. But on the days im running too late to pack a lunch, the $1.99 happy meals are pretty convenient and cheap. Until today....

Thank you, to the guy who thought it was a good idea to throw it in reverse without looking behind him while I was laying on the horn. SMH

New Product Idea

So I have an idea for a great new product.  Wanna hear?

Have any of you tried Avon Bug Guard insect repellant?  I LOVE the stuff!  (And not just because I'm an Avon Rep)
Have any of you tried Coppertone sunscreen?  I LOVE it too! (And again, not just because I'm a Coppertone WaterMom)

Avon has a combo bug guard/sunscreen lotion for kids, which is terrific for those times when they're going to be outside in the weeds, like camping.  However, as anyone who's ever tried to put lotion on a wiggling, hyper 3 year old, it's a little messy and time consuming.
Coppertone has a sunscreen lotion available in a spray can which is perfect for small kids!  No rubbing and my son thinks it's kinda fun to get sprayed!

So here's my idea.....What if Avon and Coppertone joined forces to create a sunscreen/BugGuard combo in a spray?  I mean, how awesome would that be?  Two of my favorite products, together in one easy can!  I would totally buy it!  How about you?

Please note:  To the best of my knowledge, this collaboration is not in the works (but if it is,  WOOHOO).  This is an idea that popped in my head that I thought I would share.  And hey, if any Avon or Coppertone execs see this and like the idea, maybe they'll send me a sample to try. LOL

If you'd like to check out my Avon webstore, please click HERE.
If you'd like more info on Coppertone products, please click HERE.

Disclosure: The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own.  I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Have you seen my new blog buttons on the left?  That's right....I'm both a Claritin mom and a Copperton mom.  How exciting is that?!

Stay tuned for more info about what that really means!

And I'm supposed to sleep where?

Peanut Butter Apple Cupcakes

So peanut butter and apple together in a cupcake may not sound all that great, but they taste pretty darn good! 

I have a TON of peanut butter in the house, so I've been trying to find creative recipes to use it in.  Then I saw a bag of apples sitting on the counter and thought they would go good together.  So I did a Google search for peanut butter apple cupcakes and found this awesome recipe.  I actually ended up cutting back the sugar just a little and they still came out plenty sweet.

I had planned to make a chocolate whipped cream topping for them, but I didn't end up getting to it.  I used a can of milk chocolate frosting from the cupboard instead and it worked out great.  Next time I try them (and yes, there WILL be a next time) I'm going to add in a little more apple and definitely make the whipped cream.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Juppy review

Anyone else have a crawler? 

My daughter started crawling about 3 months ago and boy is she fast!  She has also started “cruising” the furniture and trying to take steps.  But her favorite thing is to come up behind me, pull herself up my pant legs and walk with me.  It was really cute in the beginning, but it got really tiring really fast.   I felt like I was always hunched over (I’m 6 foot tall) trying to hold onto her hands to help her walk.  But not anymore! 

I was recently given the opportunity to review a Juppy baby walker.  When I first heard about it, I thought to myself “hmm…another baby walker.  How different can it really be?”  But it is different!  This isn’t one of those plastic contraptions that you stick your baby into and let her wheel herself around the house.  This is a fabric harness type item with straps for you to hold onto.  You put the baby in the harness, adjust the straps to fit your height, and let the baby walk around with you.  It’s just like when you walk with them holding onto your hands, only it’s much easier on your back!   

I’ve had the chance to test it out for a couple weeks now and I gotta say it’ pretty awesome!  Katy was a little hesitant about it the first couple of times, but now that she’s used to it she seems to like it.  Who would have thought something so simple could be so brilliant!  And it came in pink with her name embroidered on it.  How cute!! 

Please take a minute to go check them out here, on facebook, or on twitter and tell me what you think.  And stay tuned....I'm getting a giveaway set up too!!!

Disclosure:  I was given a Juppy Baby Walker to review in exchange for my blog post.  Any of the opinions expressed in this post are my own.  No monetary compensation was received for this review.

I'm away

Sorry for the lack of posts. I am out of town for a funeral. I will get everything updated next week when I'm back in town. Thanks for understanding.

Let's help The Juppy Baby Walker "Geton the Shelf"

Some of you may already be familiar with The Juppy Baby Walker. The Juppy is the only baby walker that fitsin a purse! Right now Wal-Mart is having a contest for small business ownerswhere the Grand Prize winner will get a chance to sell their products in Wal-Martstores.  Let’s show the Juppy our support by taking a few seconds to vote for TheJuppy. Voting starts on March 7th till April 3rd. Click here to vote. Below is their short video tofamiliarize your self with the product.  If you would like to receive a daily e-mail reminder to vote once a day for The Juppy click here to sign up. Your e-mail will not be used for any other purpose. Thank you on behalf of The JuppyBaby Walker!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/7XwhTdw0JJ0

I have also been given the opportunity to review The Juppy Baby Walker and have to say that it's a pretty great idea!  Stay tuned for the full review and GIVEAWAY!

Birthday blahs

Have you ever noticed how things that don't bug you too much any other day seem to REALLY bug you on special days like your birthday?  You know, the little things like dirty dishes on the counter or dirty socks that got close to the hamper but didn't actually make it in the hamper.  On any other day they are annoying, at best.  But on your birthday they just seem like a big slap in the face.

I woke up this morning thinking "Hey, it's my birthday!  It's gonna be a great day!"  I actually let myself believe that just because it was my birthday, the day was going to be different than every other crappy day full of the same 'ol things.  WRONG!  I got out of bed to a cranky baby, whiney 3 year old and a house that looked much messier than when I went to bed last night.  So, I got a cup of coffee in me and got to work.  And the more I worked, the more ticked off I got.

I walked into the kitchen hoping it would be as clean as I've made it 4 times already this week (and yes, it is only Tuesday).  Unfortunately, it wasn't.  So, as I was standing at the sink doing last nights dishes (because noone seemed to be able to do them last night after the meal I cooked), I started getting getting really angry.  Normally I would just do them and move on, but not today.  Today is my birthday.  Everyone knew that today was my birthday.  They knew it last night.  They knew it this morning.  They've known it all week.  And yet, nobody cares.  Because if they did, they would have cleaned up last night, or at least this morning, instead of sitting around playing on their phones leaving it all for me.  ON MY BIRTHDAY.

Anyway, the day has just continued on in this fashion all day today.  My 3 year old has been saying all week how he wants to go get me a cookie cake with white icing that says "Happy Birthday to Mom" on it.  But nobody has taken him to pick it out or order it yet.  I think that someone ordered one last night, which is great, but it's just not the same.  My son REALLY wanted to go get it for me and nobody took him.  I don't even care about the cake, I've just been super excited all week that he was going to go to the store to get it for me. 

I just don't understand why nobody seems to care.  I know they try, but it's always so half-assed that it just makes it unenjoyable.  My husband even called me from work yesterday to tell me that he didn't get me anything.  And since he rode his motorcycle to work, he wasn't going to be able to get me anything.  But did he think to take his car today?  NOPE.  Rode the bike again.  Gee, thanks for telling me that yesterday.  Now instead of just being disappointed on my birthday I get to be disappointed for the day before too.
And when I asked him to leave work a little early so we could all go to dinner together at a reasonable time he said "Nah. I'll just meet you there.  Then your sister can drive the car home and I'll let you ride on the bike home. That'll be your birthday present."  Um, thanks?!?  What part of "I really want us to all go together" wan unclear?  I know, it's my birthday, why do I think I get anything I want.

OK!  Enough of this "whoa is me" crap!  Time to enjoy the good parts of today & not think about the crappy parts.  I've got a baby who just passed out on my lap and a 3 year old little man who's asking to snuggle on the couch and watch cartoons.  I'm going to enjoy spending the day with the two little people who really do want to spend it with me.
Oh, and I got the BEST birthday seranade from my son this morning.  Every time I think about it I smile.  So yeah, it may not be the best day ever, but I have the best kids ever to make it better.  Thanks for listening to my rant!

Happy Valentines Day

So, did anyone get anything extra special today? Or does anyone have any special plans for the day?

My son is having a couple of his friends over later for a little play date. He's only 3, but he told me the other day that he wanted to buy candy for his girlfriend for Valentines. So it's a good thing she's coming today. But, I'm not so sure she thinks of him the same way. Oh well, I'm not going to be the one who breaks his heart. Especially not today!

Anyway, we are going to bake cupcakes together this morning so he can give them to his friends. Besides that, we don't really have anything special planned. I got everyone a couple small things (candy for hubby, Dumbo movie for bub and a stuffed animal for my daughter). I usually get forgotten, so I'm not getting my hopes up.

Please feel free to share what you are doing/giving/getting today!