I wasn’t blessed in the hair department. It’s thick, dry, frizzy and if I let it airdry, it resembles your average Samoan NFL player’s mane. I’ve known this all my life and so, one of my prized possessions, the one I would run into a burning house to retrieve, has been my flat iron. The other day, my son destroyed my workhorse of a hair straightener, a True Ceramic Pro and so, my husband gifted me with a new Chi Turbo Digital Flat Iron.
While I had done extensive searching on the internet, reading blogs and reviews, he based his decision on a conversation with the salesgirl and a security guard at Target, both agreed that this was the one to buy.
finding chi
I’m so thankful he listened.
all digital and stuff
One of the great features is the digital thermostat. It’s just like how my oven works! Something I’m used to! It was incredibly simple to set the temperature I wanted and it only took a few moments before it was set. With other flat irons, I’ve had to dial up the setting, and wait. I would dab the metal plate with my finger to check if it’s hot enough. I don’t have to live this way.
my hair before. behold.
This is my hair in the morning. Washed, dry, but unmade. My face? Large, pregnant and also unmade.
sleek and straight
Ten minutes of sectioning my hair and taking the hot iron to those sections and this is what turned out. The temperature reset in seconds so I didn’t have to burn my tips on the hot ceramic plates. And the result: GLORIOUS NON-NFL PLAYER HAIR. At least with my new fancy Chi, I won’t be fumbling with my hair. FUMBLING! Get it?! Okay I’m done.
This is a compensated review from BlogHer and LEGO ® DUPLO ®
I never understood what it meant to experience the world through a child’s eyes until I had a child of my own. Since giving birth three years ago, every day has been like living through a lens through a little person who is constantly experiencing his first. Everything I learn to do as an adult pales in comparison to what he learns, my paltry skill-building has no match for the level on which he grows. It has been amazing watching him learn to walk, learn to call me mom, and now, mom-mom-mom-mom-mom.
drawing outside the lines
One thing I have learned is that I cannot force creativity on him. I cannot give him a palette of finger paints and expect that he will create a rainbow. And really, can I expect an active, independent three-year-old to listen to instruction when it’s hard enough getting him to eat more than a plate of dino-shaped nuggets?
With my son’s creativity, I have to just go with it. He bursts out unexpectedly and sometimes I feel like I’m racing to catch up, to latch onto what he says and explore it. The other day he was shuffling his feet across the kitchen floor, moving from one end to the other. Without looking at his mother and father, he said, “I’m a train! Choo-choo!”
If I see him drawing like mad, I ask him if there’s a story there. Sometimes he doesn’t want to talk and I have to accept it and let him work on his own. Artists. Hmmph. Other times he’ll let me know which scribble is Mommy (usually the round one) and which one is Daddy and which one is his cousin who lives 30 minutes away.
When I see him absorbed with his DUPLO blocks and placing them in a hodgepodge of situations that are not shown on the box, I don’t tell him how it should be. I let hi play on his own terms, creating his own world the way he wants to. Unless he pulls me into his playtime and wants me to be the conductor, I am just an appreciative audience member.
When he dances to music and he practically yells, “DANCE MOM! NOW!” I obey immediately. I get up and move with him, performing sillier and wackier moves that delight this little human. It’s so freeing to be with someone who doesn’t judge me either, and who allows me access into his world to experience it with him.
My son is an exuberant child and his constantly growing brain is a gift. I could never have imagined that I would be so lucky to have a little boy who loves life. As his parent, I remind him, “I am on your schedule. I am speaking your language. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”
LEGO DUPLO is offering a $20 LEGO gift card to one Kirida reader! To enter for a chance at this prize, leave me a comment below, sharing how you get creative when stimulating development in your kids. Alternately, you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) December 14, 2009 and will end 8:59 a.m. (PST) December 21, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is valid so I may contact you when you win.
Rules:
1. No duplicate comments.
2. You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
3. You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
4. This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older.
5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
6. You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Aquaphor.
I am a diaper rash survivor. Well, I wasn’t the actual one who experienced the painful red butt bumps, but as a mother, I might as well have been the one suffering through the skin agony. We went through many experiments to heal his skin, doing many non-FDA approved wacky trials. Some were successful like drawing a bath and sprinkling oatmeal into the water. The only downside of that? Scooping gross goops of oatmeal out of my bathtub and never looking at the breakfast option the same way again.
The other day, I was out in the cold, waiting for my bus to arrive, thinking of how I can try Eucerin’s line of healing ointments on my son and whether it would work. The Seattle weather had turned wet and bitter, the wind whipping against me. I doing my impression of Napoleon Dynamite when he calls home for chapstick and Kip refuses even though his “lips hurt real bad!” I reached into one pocket and found a small tube of the Aquaphor healing ointment. I dabbed a bit on my lips and smacked away. It was magnificent to be free of painful peeling lips especially since sunshine doesn’t seem to be making its Seattle cameo anytime soon.
No tears mom! Or frou-frou smell!
That night I used the Gentle Wash and Shampoo on my son. I liked the clean, scent-free suds, as opposed to other kid-shampoos with scents so strong and cloying, it’s like I ran his head through a lavender field. I was still floating on my smart use of the healing ointment as a quick, genius chapstick, that I started thinking how the products could help me.
No Grease Relief
I found the healing ointment to be great for other areas of my large, pregnant body. My stomach, which for some reason is dry and itchy now even though it is under layers of clothing, benefited from a salving massage with the ointment. It gave my skin a light layer of moisture without being greasy. Many pregnancy lotions and oils make me feel like I have dipped myself in a vat of lard. I’m trying to protect my skin, not deep fry myself. Because of this, I have really steered away from products that can very well help me, which is what this healing ointment did for an itchy pregnant lady.
I look forward to tackling future diaper rashes with the healing ointment instead of breakfast gunk in the tub and am really enjoying how my cracked pregnant feet have transformed into supple layers of skin. Anyone who hides her ashy ankles, knees, feet (me, me, and me!) no longer has to worry. A layer of healing ointment keeps those body parts from being mistaken for a man’s or a character from a science fiction movie.
So how could you use Eucerin Aquahor products?
BONUS: By leaving a comment, you can win a $100 Visa gift card, plus an Aquaphor gift basket valued at $118.30!
Join the conversation and enter to win $1000 from BlogHer.com and Aquaphor! To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me what are some of your favorite uses for Aquaphor? - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at Monday, November 16th and will end Tuesday, December 15th. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct. TIME’S UP! THANKS FOR ENTERING! Rules:
* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and over
* Winners will be selected via random draw and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules
This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Febreze NOTICEables.
This is a common scene in my house: I arrive home from work, I set my bag down, keys on the table, and I plop myself down on the couch. Just as I close my eyes to rest before tackling the next task like dinner or bathtime, my nose starts rapidly sniffing and I realize the horror: SOMEONE IN MY HOUSE HAS FARTED. A LOT.
I live with two men, a toddler and a husband, both of whom LOVE to fart. It’s something I have come to accept, albeit painfully. There are times when I am in my living room and suddenly a mutant strain of gastrointestinal wind blasts through my nostrils, and it’s like one of them has farted IN MY FACE.
Because I cannot stop these bodily functions, nor can I stop their enjoyment of farting—my three-year-old loves farting so much, I’m sure he would cup the gas in his hands and stick it in a mason jar so he could whiff it later and my husband? He is a stealth farter, one who dons a post-poot poker face until I’m yelling, “MICHAEL! REALLY!?”—I have other options like Febreze NOTICEables and their array of different scents.
I have been hesitant of using these types of plug-ins, mainly because my history has been marred by the nauseating memories of potpourri. The older women in my family took to this trend like it was an apple pie recipe from Zsa Zsa Gabor, something high class yet simple enough to be within their reach. I remember glass bowls filled with dried flowers and some other horrid combination that I now cannot dissociate from OLD PEOPLE.
So my filter in trying out Febreze’s line of warm oil scents was, “Could this make my house smell like something other than butt?” Another factor that has colored my review is that I’m at the end of my first trimester, so what might be a low dose scent is suddenly like a laser beam, phasers set to Mona’s nose.
I inserted the first Febreze NOTICEables Dual Scented Oil Warmers with the two fresh scents: “Morning Walk” and “Cleansing Rain.” I adjusted the intensity and let it sit there. And I sniffed. And sniffed. And sniffed. It took a while before my living room air started to freshen up, despite the strewn pillows and books and flash cards around. It felt like my living room got a smell makeover, something it desperately needed.
I set the Febreze fresheners in key areas, the bathroom, the living room and the two bedrooms, switching out the scents regularly to discover which ones were members of my Smell Tribe.
There were a few scent combinations that were just too strong for my taste, the seasonal limited edited “Warm Celebration” and “Pumpkin Harvest,” duo just struck me as too intense—too pungent. But that could be my pregnant body talking, the hormones needing a more calming duo like “Lavendar Comfort” and “Gentle Vanilla.” Luckily the variety of natural and fresh and clean smells were just my style—light and powerful and most importantly, fart-eliminating.
I love that each room has a different scent and that they all meld together organically. I don’t think about chemicals, farting, or old people, the aromas in one room are “Hibicus” and “Rainforest,” in the bathroom, “Clothesline Breeze” and “Meadow Songs.” If there’s any place those two scents are most needed, it’s my bathroom. CAN I GET A WITNESS?!?!
It’s amazing how smell transforms a room. I had been focused on the negative smells, the foul odors that my family members are so skillful at producing, that I had forgotten what a pleasant yet simple experience scent can be.
Do you want to win a Febreze Gift basket and a $100 Visa card? Enter here and be sure to check out the rest of the BlogHer Reviews - you have 9 chances to win!
Official rules:
To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me what is the most important thing you do to maintain a clean, fresh home - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at Monday, September 28, 2009 and will end Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct. Time’s up! Thanks everyone for entering!
Rules:
* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
This is a compensated review from BlogHer and the Shell Family of Cards
In 1990, my family and I traveled from Salem, Oregon to Orlando, Florida. Our mission was three-fold: 1) Visit my aunt in Orlando, 2) Visit Disney World and 3) Do not strangle each other on the way to the happiest place on earth.
I remember seeing folded maps sprawled on our dining room table, my father poring over the plan to get our family there. This was all charming in retrospect: the pre-mapquest/googlemaps/GPS options, when all you had to guide you were Rand-McNally guides and whoever was working at the gas station.
On board were my sister Bobbie, brother George, other sister Arlene with her husband, their two boys (one an infant!) and daughter, my mom and dad, my aunt, her boyfriend, two daughters, son and I’m sure seventy-other people from Saipan I’m forgetting. And this was a relatively small group for Pacific Islander standards.
The majority of the group traveled in my aunt’s van, the others were in our family’s red Oldsmobile. We spoke to each other on CB radios, changing coordinates, scheduling bathroom breaks and stops to eat.
My brother and sister fought over who controlled the music. The battle was between Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” and Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again.” My brother kept yelling, “WORD TO YOUR MOTHER!” until my father snapped at him in Japanese, “URASAI!” which means, “Shut up or you’ll have to perform Hari Kari on yourself.” To settle the disputes like this, my father would take over the music and we were all forced to listen to Jim Reeves’ “He’ll Have to Go.” If we were especially rowdy, my father made us sing along. I would close my eyes and replay episodes of the Muppet Babies while my father crooned since none of us had a Walkman to take our minds away.
During the few days to make it through the country, almost all the children came down chicken pox, including me. Luckily, none of the cases were severe; we were treated with Calomine lotion rubs, and baking soda baths in hotel bathrooms. I learned later that other families–NORMAL FAMILIES–canceled their road trips when a member they LOVED got chicken pox. My family I guess didn’t get the Coming to America memo that THIS IS WHAT NORMAL FAMILIES DO.
Our family infiltrated rest areas and ate our island food at picnic tables. My mom brought her own wok and rice cooker to make our meals. We stayed at the cheapest motels; some of them had medical sheets that read “Hospital Property” under the layers of blankets (no joke). We made friends with other traveling kids at the pool, made fun of each other and finally made it to Disney World sans strangulation.
The road trip, as fumbling and bumbling as it was, remains one of my favorite memories of childhood. I wouldn’t have wanted to experience that summer with anyone else as crazy as my own family.
Photo spoiler alert: I’m the one in pink, with the frizzy home perm and arms akimbo. I think I had been watching too much Punky Brewster: I’m sporting a fierce attitude.
Thank you to Shell for inspiring me to take a trip down memory lane! And listen up, for a limited time only, Shell is offering a return of 30 cents per gallon on the first 100 gallons purchased with a Shell Card within a 90-day period. The promotional savings is available at all Shell-branded stations nationwide for those who sign up and are approved for a new Shell Card from June 29, 2009 to September 30, 2009. Check out the official site for more information on the Shell family of cards, great for road trips!
This weekend, my small family and I headed south for a mini-vacation at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA. You might remember that several other Seattle Mom Bloggers stayed at this water park resort when it first opened but I couldn’t join in because I had to work that weekend. NOT THAT I HOLD GRUDGES!
I was eager to spend some time in the company of Shannon, Alexis and Shera, all of whom had boys in tow and were equally giddy to explore Great Wolf Lodge.
After driving over three hours thanks to traffic, we finally arrived. We had a family suite, two queen sized beds with a partition and a pull out couch in the other area. It was perfect for our three-person family. I was immediately impressed that there was a recycling bin inside the room and literature throughout emphasizing their commitment to Project Green Wolf. They are the first and only hotel chain in the U.S. to have all of its properties a Green Seal Silver certification.
We suited up and immediately hit the water park, which my three-year-old exclaimed, “WOW!” And I had to agree. Oh mercy, I can understand why people would drive hours through heat and stubborn I-5 traffic to visit this water park mecca. It is stunning. It was a sprawling lush indoor oasis, complete with towering slides, a wave pool, Jacuzzis, and my favorite—a toddler area. Twenty-four lifeguards are constantly on patrol. They stood in the wet trenches with the other parents, ready to blow their whistles.
My husband and I took turns watching Nathan while one of us ventured to the big slides. Because I was alone, I had to find a group who would take in this 26-year-old mother as one of their slide mates. I found a dad with his two tween girls and tapped on his shoulder and asked sheepishly if I could join them on the Howling Tornado.
He said, “Yeah! The more white the better! No offense of course!”
I smiled at him, but I had no idea what he meant because how could I be offended? I’m not white, I’m Pacific Islander. It wasn’t until we were ready to board the four-seater tube that I realized he didn’t mean the more white the better, he meant the more weight the better. And by the time my rickety brain processed that, I was glad I didn’t open my big fat mouth because that would have been awkward.
We slowly bobbed in the dark tunnel then were catapulted into a huge red and yellow dome and I thought I was in a scene from Willy Wonka. We zoomed up on the curves, from one side to the other, all of us screaming and laughing and “Wooing” until we zipped out the end. The weight certainly did help, which has been the only time that my junk in the trunk has come in handy!
i want to go to there!
My son paid no attention while my husband and I ducked out for our own turns at the slides. The toddler area gave him enough to climb, slide and wade through and with each time down the slide, I knew he was adding to his nap account.
With all the guests milling about, it still didn’t feel crowded. There was enough space for everyone. And the water wasn’t harsh with chlorine. I learned that all the chemicals are computer monitored and there is a very elaborate and scientific system that keeps my eyes from feeling like they had been poke with an open flame. There were life jackets stationed for the little kids, tubes ready for us to schlep up the stairs, a shop with swim suits and swim diapers and a snack shop that fills your tummy so you never. have. to. leave.
But what do you do when you’re water logged and need to be on dry ground? Great Wolf Lodge provides a plethora of on-site activities so guests of all ages can be entertained.
high ceilings, open floor plan
The Cub Club was a quaint and quiet little spot on the second floor that had books and tables for crafts. My husband and son decorated a t-shirt and then my son found some Great Wolf Lodge real estate he was interested in purchasing.
Another big draw was the Magic Quest game. For 14.99 for a wand and 9.99 for a game (including an Ancient Book of Wisdom [printed in 2008!]), five floors of the hotel are instantly transformed into a mystical journey for gems and other puzzles. I was amongst travelers of all ages and was especially aware of this fact when early in my game an eight-year-old told me that I was holding the wand THE WRONG WAY. After I figured out what I was doing, I had so much fun finding the colored crystals and also seeing what exactly I could do with the wand. There are statues, sculptures and paintings all over the hotel that activate when you flick your wand towards it.
The only downside for me was that Magic Quest was not an all-night game (it runs from 9AM to 9PM), because I’m sure that I would have won if I didn’t have to compete against kids! Still, I loved seeing dads reading from the guidebook while pushing strollers and whole families walking along, trying to figure out where to go next. And if you’re like me, you could always ask a kid where they found the blue crystal; they seemed to like helping out bumbling adults.
nathan has the right idea
There’s also an ice cream shop, restaurants, STARBUCKS, Crocs and stuffed animal kiosks, a spa for adults and another one for kids and your own hotel room to collapse in after you’ve visited all those places.
The customer service was phenomenal. When Nathan tripped and sent a filled cup of orange juice across a busy area, leaving a huge orange puddle on the ground, one of the ladies working the ice cream scoop shop swooped in with rags and a big yellow wet floor sign, and on top of that, she gave us a whole new bottle of orange juice even though we had purchased the orange juice elsewhere and we gave her a mess to clean up on a busy Saturday night. We thanked her profusely and she smiled, saying, “Don’t worry, it happens.” I COULD HUG THAT WOMAN FOR HER KINDNESS. I would have, but she quickly took her role behind the counter and I couldn’t reach that far. And again, it would be awkward!
I think the biggest drawback for families is the price of the rooms, which is not cheap. However, I will say that the total cost of our vacation was much cheaper than our recent visits out of state to theme parks. Great Wolf Lodge makes huge efforts to accommodate budget-minded folks. There is a refrigerator and you can bring in your own food and well-stocked cooler if you’re so inclined. There are other restaurants and grocery stores outside the park as well, so you can visit those for more options. Also, the use of the water park is very generous. Check-in time is 4PM but you can begin to use the pool at 1PM and after you check out at 11 AM, you’re free to roam the water park until it closes at 9PM.
Our stay at Great Wolf Lodge was so incredible, my husband and I were already discussing when we could have a follow-up visit. I think that’s the mark of a successful vacation—you’re already planning the next one before you’re even home.
For more pictures please visit my flickr page and also check out some of what my fellowladybloggers have to say.
*disclaimer: We paid for our own rooms, although we received a discounted media rate for our stay. We received the Cub Pass for free, which allowed us to experience the various activities reviewed above. Many thanks to the staff of Great Wolf Lodge for being incredible and generous hosts!
I went to dinner with a friend, whom I will call The World’s Biggest Skeptic. I love her, but she has a tendency to call things out, like openly examining the bedazzled jeans I’ve squeezed into that should have stayed on the rack. She also hates video games, burned after years of her husband playing whatever sport that makes him yell like an irritated panda.
I was trying to explain the EA Sports isn’t a game and there are no mad pandas: it’s a workout. She was still unconvinced by my initial explanation so I continued and here’s what I told her:
It’s cheaper than your latte habit. For a workout program that’s less expensive than a dozen grande lattes combined, it offers a variety of exercises like in-line skating, volleyball, tennis and dancing. I don’t enjoy every latte I have, sometimes it’s burnt or there’s too much foam but with EA Sports Active, I consistently enjoy it. I pick up the remote, secure the leg strap on and thirty minutes later I get a buzz no double tall vanilla latte has ever given me.
You can work out at home. We both have young kids and one of the biggest deterrents to working out are, as I mentioned previously, the work it takes to transport yourself to a work out. With EA Sports Active all you have to do is roll out of bed. It’s easy to work out while my son plays with his books and toys. I don’t have to worry about his screaming in the daycare or how long I have before my daycare hour runs out. And if I do it before he wakes up or after he’s gone to bed, that’s even less I have to worry about.
You are an active participant. The personal trainer in EA sports doesn’t forget about you. I’ve taken a moment or three to drink water or adjust the leg strap and Delilah, the name I’ve given my personal trainer, says, it’s okay to take a break. When I’m not holding the remote correctly, her words will flash on the screen, telling me, hey is your nunchuck inserted correctly? Most likely it’s no, because I am an exercise Luddite and luckily I have Delilah on my side.
No one yells at you. My friend the skeptic and I have both had the grueling PE teachers who didn’t care that we were expected to burst with hulk-like upper body strength despite only given thirty minutes a week to hone our muscles. My trainer Delilah only has soothing words when I’m having difficulty with alternating side lunges or my forehand swing and she totally praises me when I conquer inline skating and FYI: I don’t just conquer, I seek and destroy.
You will sleep better. I have had trouble sleeping in the past, night when my mind races faster than one of those psychics in the movie Scanners. After the first workout, I noticed that I was sleeping more soundly, my body resting instead of pulling me out of slumber at three am so I am wide awake and trolling YouTube for all the R&B videos from 1996.
I don’t know if the reasons were cogent enough to sway my friend, but if she does pick up her own EA Active Sports, I’m going to be at her house in no time, ready to for a fitness match with my longtime friend.
Are you a fitness skeptic? If so, what do you need to win you over? Would a video of my working out for twenty minutes convince you it’s not so bad? Well, then, here you go:
Now that we’ve reached the second half the 30-day Challenge, it’s easy to squash the piercing sounds of The Old Mona, the voice that would say, “Go easy today. You deserve it.” That’s where it starts. I would think, lighten up today, or go ahead and eat the leftover cake that’s in the office fridge, you are entitled. Since working out with EA Active, I have a new voice running in my head. One that says, “You deserve to be healthy, to have enough energy to keep up with your toddler.”
At a work retreat, we were given the most delectable chocolate cake with whipped cream and raspberry topping. I know it was delicious because I had a bite, but ended at that. I did not eat the whole cake, like the Old Mona would. I didn’t want to negate all the work I had invested, making it easier for the Old Mona to say, “Why workout at all now?” I also wanted to fill the interior of the room with my shouting, “I DID NOT EAT THE WHOLE CAKE!” but I’m sure the facilitator would have included an emergency session on how to control our outbursts.
Not only has keeping to a 30-day routine been great for an inherently lazy person like me; it gives me a deadline every day. Every day I contribute to my goal, every day I get closer to a person I want to be. I have seen how my shirts have started fitting better, the tightness around the arms giving room to the body wearing it. Clothing that welcomes a smaller version of me, however slight the change, is a huge motivation for me to keep going.
I’m not cringing at the workouts selected, even though I definitely favor the punching bag over the tennis. Instead of just skipping over alternating side lunges, I give it my whole grunting, sweaty effort. I can’t believe that at 26 years old, I finally understand what my teachers meant by, “You’re only cheating yourself.” Now I can add to that mantra, that if I do not give every attempt at a solid workout, I am only cheating myself, and I am going to wear maternity jeans another day.
I know the old me is a constant force that looms and hovers over, but the more I work out with EA Active, the easier it is to keep that voice at bay. If I don’t work out, then I will revert to my old ways–barely exerting more energy than what it takes to get my body from the doorstep to the bus stop, or a shorter route, from the couch to the fridge. I don’t want to be the woman that sleeps under her desk. I don’t want to be the woman who can’t get through a conversation without yawning wide like a baboon. Every time that I pick up the Wii remote, I get further and further away from that possibility. I like the woman who is sitting here, typing this, ready to tell you that this works.
In two weeks, when I have reached the end of this 30-Day Challenge, I am going to reward myself with something that isn’t food. No celebratory cake or heavy milkshake, I’m thinking a dress, something that will make all the lunges, squats, and laps worth it.
I mentioned in my previous post that fitness has always been an unfulfilled dream, a pitiful little hope that I would shuffle into my other my “maybe someday” files. But in these few workouts with EA Active Sports, I’ve turned into someone else. Someone who actually likes working out, someone who wakes up early to tackle the track and can’t wake to get home to test out some inline skating.
What makes EA Sports Active particularly enjoyable is how easy it has been to incorporate into my life. There are no real obstacles, unlike the gym which takes a fifteen minute from my house, plus the ten minutes it would take to drop my son off at the daycare and calm him down that mommy isn’t leaving forever because she is only wearing sweatpants and what kind of new life and identity can she have with just a ratty college sweatshirt? Then there would be the hour I would spend, spinning away on the elliptical machine and staring at the TV screen above, then a few minutes afterward staring at the machines wondering which part of my body was supposed to go where.
It isn’t a knock against gyms; it just didn’t work for me. Boredom quickly unravels any motivation I have to exercise, which is why I was not excited about taking my unwashed face and worn workout garb to a place I rarely go.
I am not bored with this new system. The exercises are short, with about 18 or so set per work out. There isn’t the interminable groan of doing jumping jacks or push-ups FOREVER. Actually, I have yet to find jumping jacks in my routine, so yay on that. Because I am working out to the 30-Day Challenge, I find a new routine every time I sign on. I have the choice to remove some of the exercises before starting but I never do. I love how the personal trainer builds me up with lines like, “You are owning this track!” and “You are making this look easy!” I love it. And did I mention the trophies! I get a trophy for working out for ten hours total or for making every target. You can keep your medals, Olympic Committee; I get a gold trophy for burning 100 calories!
EA Active Sports has made me super aware of my body during the work outs. The sensors in the remote and nunchuck alert my personal trainer that I’m not doing something right like my form is off or I’ve forgotten to insert the nunchuck back into the leg strap. Messages pop on the screen, telling me where my remote should be facing, or that I’m going too fast. If I become clueless about an exercise, I can simply press a button to watch my personal trainer illustrate what I should be doing so I can follow her moves as I skate, lunge and dance.
Having the ability to work out at home has also eradicated any excuse I have to just lay on the couch and whine about how fat I am, how tired I am, how full of excuses I am. In the time I usually wasted on watching a reality show rerun or superpoking people on Facebook, I am able to make great strides toward my goals, to burn calories instead of accruing them. The small time I spend working out gives me the energy to spend the rest of the day feeling alive.
This new healthy feeling is spreading to other parts of my life. It’s like the more I work out and the better I feel, the more I wanted to keep it up and not negate with say, an entire bucket of macadamia nuts or an epi-pen filled with melted chocolate, even though IT’S DELICIOUS!
I had an epiphany yesterday. In my head of mixed and strange voices, one said, “Mona, if you do what you have always done, you will be what you have always been.” I might have heard it from an infomercial or read it on an office desktop calendar, but it was enough for me to step away from the vending machine and retreat to my desk, where I ate the apple I had brought for a snack. I know that the bags of salty chips make me feel like someone stuck a tube in my mouth and pumped in Om Nom Nom gas, but the bloated, heavy feeling afterward is not worth it. I don’t even tell myself that I deserve it, or that it’s okay because I’m going to work out later. Working out has taught me that everything is a choice and I choose to structure my life so I don’t have to wear maternity shirts now that my son is THREE.
With EA Sports Active, I have found a new energy I didn’t think I could have. I didn’t think I was capable of having that hunger to move, of enjoying how my muscles feel post-workout. It’s like my body has shed its excuses, telling me as I turn on the Wii, “We’re here, let’s do this.”
This spring Volvo took a multi-city tour across America called from Sweden with LOV to showcase its newest vehicle, the XC60. I was paid $50.00 by Volvo and and Blogher to test out this new luxury vehicle and I was eager to see what all the excitement–or whatever the Swedish word for excitement is–was all about.
The XC60 is the newest model and it was the first time I had even been in a Volvo. We were given a history of Volvo and some stories of its loyal customers, like one man who had over a million original miles and still continued to drive his car. Also, I learned that the word Volvo means “I roll” in Latin, and not “shiny car” in Swedish. Did you know that? The more you know!
After a presentation of the XC60’s interior features such hidden cargo space, leather upholstery, and new panoramic moonroof , the guests were offered test-drives to try out a major highlight of the new XC60: the City Safety feature.
Standard with all XC60 models, City Safety is a laser-system that monitors up to 18 feet of traffic in front of the vehicle. If it senses that the driver is not going to stop before colliding, it will engage the brakes to avoid crashing. We were told that it works when the driver is traveling at a speed lower than nine miles an hour. If the driver is traveling between 9 and 19 miles an hour, it won’t prevent a collision but the XC60 will lessen the impact.
At first, I did not want to try it out because I was skeptical. I knew it would be just my luck to be the only person to actually hit something, or somehow I would break the driver’s seat. But after a few rounds of watching other people drive, I was convinced that I needed to see this for myself.
When it was my turn, the lovely woman conducting the test drive explained to me what we were going to do. We were going to slowly drive forward to where the barrier was and the laser-radar would sense that I was going to hit and City Safety was going to save me. So I rolled forward and she told me to press the gas.
“Accelerate!” She said. “Accelerate! Don’t press the brakes!”
I did as she instructed but it was incredibly difficult to follow because I am not used to running into things, especially when I know what is going to happen.
There was a huge disconnect because for the past 10 years that I have been given the privilege of being behind the wheel, I have learned that when my car is going to hit an object that pressing the brakes is the solution! Pressing the brakes is normal reaction and also keeps my insurance rates from skyrocketing.
The car zoomed forward as we approached the barrier and I felt my body tighten. I gripped the wheel and prepared to ruin this beautiful vehicle. The car’s interior filled with the sound of my yelling. And suddenly, the brakes engaged and our bodies lurched forward and we had stopped.
We had stopped within inches, just like she had said. We had not touched the barrier at all.
I was stunned that it had worked and that I wouldn’t have to go home and tell my husband about the whole, “You break it or drive into a metal barrier, you buy it” policy and that my idiocy just bought us a new car.
I can see this having a huge impact in my life because there have been a few times when I have had to whip my head back to warn my son that if he does not stop kicking the back of my seat, I will have to turn the car around and while I am invoking THE MOM VOICE, I tap on the brakes, thinking that all the other cars are still traveling slowly and when I turn back a second or two later, I gasp and slam the brakes to avoid bumping into the car in front of me. It’s happened.
This is how a few moments of inattentiveness–whether it is yelling at my son to please act like a normal human being or casually checking my iPhone to see who just called me while I carelessly think traffic is still moving along—can cause serious damage to my car, the other driver and my sanity.
The MSRP is now $32,995 for the new 3.2 engine, and the T6 engine starts at $38,650, which is not exactly cheap, but I did a random non-scientific survey around my office and several of my co-workers paid a lot more than that for new cars that do not have many of the features like City Safety that come standard with the XC60. Their cars do not have a built-in system that will keep alert them when they’re going to hit the car in front or a monitor that televises what’s behind the vehicle while he/she is parking in reverse.
Volvo did not skimp on protecting its drivers. Many of the standard features are heavy on protective safety, such as an anti-skid system, fog lights, a roll-over protection system, dual stage airbags for the driver and front passenger, side impact protection system and energy-absorbing frontal structure.
For the price and array of standard features, Volvo definitely provides its drivers a luxury automobile that truly comes from Sweden with LOV.
The afternoon gave me a great view of a company that cares about its product and more importantly its drivers.
So I’m interested, when shopping for a car, what features do you look for?
I'm Mona. I'm a 26-year-old full-time working mom of a boy named Nathan (born 2006), wife of a man named Mike and a resident of Seattle. I am originally from a small island called Saipan and I try to stay out of the rain, mostly.
"Kirida" is a Chamorro word bestowed on females, mostly the youngest or the favorite. I am the youngest of five children so you can figure out who the "kirida" was. This is my review blog. You can read my personal blog here: kirida dot com.
