BreakPal Winner!

According to Random.org, comment #1 was the winner!
Congratulations, Ali!
(Yay, funky formatting...?)

BreakPal Review And Giveaway

For this week's Win It Wednesday, I finally have a giveaway of my own :D How special!

I was contacted by Phil Weaver of BreakPal. He offered me a free premium account in order to try out the service and let you guys know what I think. In addition, he is going to give one of you a free account as well!

I admit, at first I was very skeptical... but Phil Weaver and his wife, Liz Weaver, are really onto something. As I mentioned last week, fitness has been on my mind. Sometimes it's hard to find a minute or two away from my son to do anything productive - and when I have a bit of time, I end up here. So once I gave BreakPal a shot, I found that it was something I could really enjoy.

The idea behind BreakPal is extremely simple and quite frankly, I'm surprised I haven't seen it pop up anywhere before. It's simply a widget on your computer. At predertimened intervals, it pops up and you hear "Time to work out! Are you ready?" at which point, you moan to yourself and say "No, I'm not ready, I'm blogging!" But then you see that annoyingly fit, thin woman taunting you and you decide to drop what you're doing and WORK OUT! It then delivers an easy to do 3 minute workout straight to your desktop. Even if you aren't a stay-at-home parent, these desk chair exercises are for you!

The Good: There is a variety of workouts. Whether you're a blogger/stay-at-home parent or a working parent slaving away in an office, Breakpal caters to you. Some of the workouts can be done sitting in your chair. You can choose from:

Cardio

Cardio Kung Fu

Yoga

Simple Stretching

Chair aerobics

Chi Kung

Dance aerobics

I would have to say my favorite exercise was in the Chi Kung section, called "Serving Tea". It wasn't an intense, heartracing fat-burning exercise.. but it was relaxing and stimulating. It's not even so much the workouts that make the program worth my time but the idea behind it. BreakPal helped to motivate me and help me kick-start my fitness challenge. I wouldn't substitute it for a regular workout regime but I would certainly add to my daily routine. It's very beneficial to add a small bit of activity to your day, and BreakPal ensures that you never stay idle for too long.

The Bad: BreakPal is underdeveloped. I'd assume this has to do with the fact that they are a small business. Phil and Liz Weaver are not Internet Millionaires(but I LIKE that. They are real people trying to run an HONEST business). Once more people learn of BreakPal and visit their site, they will have the opportunity to develop their program further. I'm on board to see what comes in the future!

The... Free?: Are you interested in winning a FREE premium account to BreakPal? Here's your chance!

TO ENTER: FIRST, go to http://www.breakpal.com and create an account. Leave a comment here with a LINK to your account. For example, here's mine! http://www.breakpal.com/users/lamere

Bonus Entries! (You must leave a comment for EVERYTHING you do!)

For (1) Extra Entry - Join the Break Pal Facebook Group!

For (2) Extra Entries - Become a Fan of Break Pal on Facebook!

For (1) Extra Entry - Leave a Comment on Liz's Blog (Must leave link to your comment)

For (1) Extra Entry - Be a Follower of this blog!

For (2) Extra Entries - Place my brown button on your blog or website! Must leave link in comments!

For (1) Extra Entry PER DAY - Comment any other post in this blog (Leave title of post in comments)

For (2) Extra Entries - BLOG about this giveaway - you must include a link both to this blog and to Break Pal!

For (1) Extra Entry PER DAY - Follow me on Twitter (@Lamere) and Tweet about this giveaway! Leave the Permalink to your Tweet! You can use this Tweet: Get fit with @Lamere and BreakPal - Win a FREE Lifetime Premium account and start working out today! http://tinyurl.com/ngpntp

This giveaway will end with next week's Win It Wednesday!

Oops.

Hi guys,

I have a review/giveaway pending for you that was supposed to go up last night for Win It Wednesday.

However, I had a short trip to the ER last night so I'm out of commission for a few days and frankly, just don't feel like blogging. So be on the look out for a great fitness-related giveaway very soon!

Body After Baby?

Since most of my readers are other mom-bloggers, I'm sure that body image is a subject to which we can all relate. Finding the time to get fit and stay in shape is something that I struggle with and I am sure I'm not alone.

Prior to getting pregnant with my son, I was your average 18 year old - my self image was not that great. I was convinced that I was "fat" and would whine about it to anyone I met. Still, I worked out and watched what I ate and looking back now, I may not have had a "killer" body... but I sure would kill to have it back now!

It's not really surprising to me that when my 19th birthday rolled around and I found out I was expecting, nutrition and fitness took a back burner in my list of priorities.

I was just excited to start growing and showing. I succumbed to every craving and I took the swelling in my feet and legs and the aching in my back to mean that I should be sitting in bed surfing my favorite parenting community while snacking on the closest chocolate-covered-whatever I could find.

So now, at 20 years old, I feel as if I am living in a stranger's body. Battling Post Partum Depression and taking care of a very demanding six month old leaves me very pressed for time. It's no longer just a 30 second walk from my door to the gym to spend an hour running on the treadmill and lifting weights. Now it's trying to alter my workout routine to fit my son's naptime. I will admit - I have not yet taken action against this beast that is my body mass index.

So, today I'm giving myself a challenge and making a commitment publicly in front of all my readers. Feel free to join me on my weight-loss and transformation journey by blogging your own goals and accomplishments for getting back your body and confidence after having children. If you leave me a comment with a link to your blog, I might feature you.. I'm thinking of starting a "Fit Mom" series in my blog. Let me know if you're interested!

Tune in for this week's Win It Wednesday - I have a fitness-related review and giveaway aime towards bloggers like myself.

My long term goal: Get back to 140 pounds.

My current weight: Between 190-195 lbs!

My current short-term goal: 185 lbs by September 10, 2009!

Here goes... everything!

Introducing... Win It Wednesday!

Instead of spamming my blog with various giveaways throughout the week, I have decided that just once a week I will put up a post with links to all of the fabulous giveaways and contests I can find on the web. Hopefully someday I will be able to replace these links with sponsored giveaways hosted myself!

Good luck everyone!

To Win a 3-Pack of Smartipants Diapers, visit The Cloth Diaper Whisperer. This is their Fluff Friday Giveaway.. I know it's Wednesday... that means you have less than TWO days to enter... so hurry hurry!

Win a Smartmom Jewelry Teething Bling Necklace from Monkey Toes! (And be sure to congratulate her on the new pregnancy! #5 is on its way!)

This one's a little different.. if you have hair like mine, and you find it's impossible to straighten, you might want to enter this one.. I'm curious to try this product. To win a straightener from Ozon Hair, go to Look What Mom Found!

Mmm.. Babybjorn! To win a Potty Chair from Babybjorn, go to Two of a Kind.

To win a $25 gift card from The Baby's Bundle, go to Two of a Kind!

To win a Mommy Necklace (these are great!) go visit Greek Momma - she's the BEST :) Also - if you become a follower of her blog because of this entry, please let me know! Leave a comment here!

Smartipants

So I am finally getting around to writing my Smartipants review!

Smartipants is a 2-piece diaper system. From their website: "Smartipants™ diapers feature our Leak-Guard Technology, keeping moisture contained, and your baby dry. Our diapers are made with “breathable” fibers and are free from any chemicals or irritants. Smartipants™ reusable diapers are designed to grow with your baby from newborn to toddler, babies 7lbs - 35lbs. "

Customer Service: The customer service at Smartipants is great! I haven't had a single problem that I've needed to contact them about, but I have heard terrific stories about how responsive they are. In fact, my Smartipants diaper was free. I won it through a giveaway on Twitter during our #clothdiapers chat one Monday evening (join us every week!)... shipping was super fast, especially considering that it was all FREE! How nice of them. Hopefully I will be able to host a Smartipants giveaway on my site in the future and give one of my readers the chance to win one of these terrific diapers.

Price: Smartipants are $14.95 apiece. For a terrific one-size diaper that will last from birth to potty training, this is a very modest price. I would say it's definitely a bargain, especially considering the value (which is AMAZING).

Fit: I have difficulty with my son and one size diapers. He's a VERY small and thin baby. (13 lbs 7 oz at 6 months) With Smartipants, there was not a lot of guesswork. It was pretty easy to find his size setting, and once I did - no issues! It's super cute on him too!

Absorbency: Li-bug is what we call a Super Soaker. Diapers get changed every 2 / 2.5 hours(this is probably why he stays so thin, haha!) ... Our Smartipants generally last on him for about 3 or 3.5 hours. This is TERRIFIC. When I'm taking him out to the store or somewhere, I usually slip on the Smartipants so I have less of a chance of having to change him.

What makes this diaper unique: The selling point of Smartipants is the patented "Smart Sleeve" - the pocket is open on both ends, allowing the insert to come out on its own in the wash! You know what this means for the average CD mama??! No pee-smell on your hands! You don't touch the insert! You know what it means for me? Eh... nothing, I hand wash ;p .. But it was SUPER convenient when we had an overnight at a friends house and she did my laundry while we slept. The only diapers were Prefolds and Smartipants so there was no icky urine disaster as a result of her not knowing what to do with inserts - it took care of itself!

Overall: I am extremely pleased with this diaper! It is absolutely one of my favorites and usually the first one I reach for! Great value for your money. I have recommended them to so many people and hopefully more of you will want to try them out!

And for the next 8 days, there is a terrific sale going on! 3-pack of Smartipants for $36.95! Head over to www.smartipants.com and check it out!

I'm still here!

Hi everyone, I'm still here, just on a short hiatus!

I'll be back to fill everyone in on my progress with CDs. I have a review for SMARTIPANTS and RUMPAROOZ coming soon, I've tried them both.

Life is just crazy right now - I'm preparing for my first semester as a prenursing student and just trying to get my life and my house in order.

I hope everyone is doing well!

In order to start some discussion, leave me a comment with your favorite nighttime cloth diaper - we're still in disposables for night time and I need some suggestions on how to ease my fears and get started in cloth overnight.

So leave me:

Your favorite night diaper:

How long it lasts (do you have to change it in the middle of the night?):

If you'd like, include a link!