Last weekend a group of some of my friends from class and some of their family members participated in the Muds To Suds in Ferndale.  What a blast.  Here are a few pictures from the event.

 

I think we all had a great time and hope to do it again next year with maybe even some more people on our team.  Thanks to: Jessica Jager, Missy VanderYacht, Corey King and her family, Amy Ritter and her family, my hubby Jeromy, Alison Nolte, Angela Allen and her hubby, and Mandi Hamilton.  What a good bonding adventure!!   By the way it is almost 1 week later and I am finally almost pink free in my hair...just a touch left.  Thanks Missy :) read more →

I am taking sign ups for the next round of classes.
M/W/F 5:15am - full
Tue/Thur 6am
Wed/Fri 9:30am
All classes begin the first week of October and run for 8 weeks.  At the start you will receive a booklet with helpful nutrition/wellness info and every week I will give you a healthy recipe. The 2 rounds that still have space are $130
Let me know if you would like to reserve a spot. read more →

As this round is finishing up it is time to open up sign ups for my next round of classes.  Here is what I have available:
M/W/F 5:15am (outdoor).  choose 2x a week for $130 or 3x a week for $155
or
Tue/Thur 6am (primarily indoor) $130
As always healthy recipes will be handed out each week and at the start you will receive a folder of helpful nutrition/wellness information to help guide you in your healthy lifestyle.
Classes will begin the week of July 23rd and go 8 weeks.  There will be no class on Friday August 3rd and that class will be made up at the end. 
Space is limited in both rounds so confirm your spot by contacting me today. read more →

Don't you just love summer time!  Besides being able to enjoy fresh air and sunshine (well hopefully most of the time), camping trips, running through sprinklers. having campfires and more we also get to indulge in many fruits and veggies in season and being able to buy them fresh and local.   The quality and variety of the local products  really exceeds what you find in a conventional grocery store.  When we do shop at buy fresh food locally we are putting money directly back into the local economy and the produce is fresher.   Eat what is in season right now.  It is not only cheaper but tastes amazing.  Of course what is in season depends on where you live but generally speaking here is a list of what is in season in June and July (and I am sure I am missing some): 

Fruit

• strawberries
• cantaloupe
• watermelon
• raspberries
• cherries
• blueberries
• peaches
• kiwi
• apricots
• plums
• of course bananas seem to pretty much always be in season

Vegetables

• corn
• lettuce
• cucumbers
• tomatoes
• green beans
• summer squash

Wow, I am making myself hungry.  Doesn't this list just make your mouth water :)  it is a great idea for you to can some of your favorite fruits or vegetables during the months that they're cheap.  So stock up while you can.  Summer is a great time to make jam too.  My family loves strawberry and raspberry jam and it is healthier to make it yourself plus you get the added bonus of knowing there aren't any bugs in your jam when you make it yourself :)  We all know there are some smashed up bugs in those jars in the grocery store.  Yuck!  I worked in the berry fields enough in my youth to know what goes in there.  Of course I am not saying that little ol' me let a bug or 2 go by me on the berry belt just because it was too big and nasty to touch, I would never do that :)  Ahhh, fond memories.  I also buy extra berries to freeze and have year round for my smoothies.  I can't believe how many berries I go through.  I have a smoothie every single day and they just need berries to taste good.

Ok, time for me to get a snack.  

 

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A new find – Pure organic bars.  They were created when looking for healthy vegetarian snacks.  Their requirements when trying to create these yummy bars were: They would only use real ingredients, organic fruits (certified organic, which means 95% of their ingredients are organic) and healthy nuts untouched by harmful herbicides and pesticides. No refined sugars, no chemicals, no genetically-modified stuff. They wanted ingredients rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and omega-3 fats. Most importantly, it had to taste amazing…and they are gluten free…yippee!   Sounds pretty great right!  Sign me up to try them.

The bars have between 3-5 grams of fiber and 5-7 grams of protein.  You won’t find refined sugar in these bars.   Awesome news!   Hate it when they hide that stuff where it isn’t needed.   They use agave nectar as their sweetener.   Keep in mind though that these bars range around 200 calories each, so I wouldn’t recommend more than one in a day or even necessarily every day but they make a good snack.  There are good to have in your car or purse for when you get stuck between meals and need something to grab quickly or hey, throw them in your kid’s lunch.  I just really like when I find something and read the ingredient list and can actually read and know what every ingredient is that is listed.

They sent me so many flavors to try and I was looking forward to sampling each of them.  Here they are in order of my favorite to least favorite.   I enjoyed the texture of each bar.  Nice and crunchy, not gummy or grainy which some bars I have found seem to be like.  Apple cinnamon (wow, holy taste bud alert – in love), wild blueberry, banana coconut (love me some coconut), cranberry orange, chocolate brownie, dark chocolate berry, chocolate almond, peanut raisin crunch, cherry cashew bar, super fruit nutty crunch (this is the only one I did not like the flavor of).  Wow don’t those flavors sound inviting?  You want to try them?  If you are local you can find them REI, otherwise check them out online.

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Congrat's to Andrea Matthews - your name was chosen as the winner of the fun necklace from Fashletics!   read more →

Alright, I have one more giveaway planned and it is just in time for Mother's Day.  You will love this, I sure do.  Not too long ago I ran across Fashletics  and they have such cute stuff.  As mentioned on their site Fashletics is a collection of handmade jewelry inspired by a passion for fitness, competition, and a strong desire to empower others who have made a commitment to a fit and healthy lifestyle. Each piece of jewelry serves a badge of honor and an expression of strength.  They have jewelry and clothing that is not only very cute but also inspirational and we all could use a little inspiration when it comes to working out right!! 

Sarah was kind enough to send me 2 items.  One to review myself and one to offer in a giveaway.  First I am showing you what is up for grabs in the giveaway

This inspire necklace.  How cute right!  What inspires you to work out?  I often think of my 4 year old son Baker who has Menkes Disease and among so many other things is unable to walk, or even sit or stand and I think of what he would give to be able to run and play.  I have the ability; so I need to do it for him.

They sent me this awesome tank top and I love it. They have it in a few different colors and also have it in short sleeve for those times you don't want to fully show your guns :)

I tried not to do too close up of a picture so you would not be too scared off from my guns and get unrealistic expectations for yourself.....hehe  Live Love Lift is what the shirt says.   Honestly I felt a little silly just standing there for a pic so went for this action shot :)

You need to check out their site.  They have so many items I would love to have on my bday and Mother's Day list which are both coming up very soon I might add :)
Speaking of Mother's Day this giveaway will end just in time if you want to give the necklace as a gift to your Mother who inspires you or even if you want to give it as a present to yourself.

Here are the details to enter:
- Like me on FB and tell me you did
- Like Fashletics on FB and tell me you did
- Tell me what your favorite gear to workout in is

For an extra entry (one extra entry per item done):
- Follow my blog and tell me you did
- Share this giveaway on your blog or FB page and tell me you did

I will be randomly selecting a winner this Saturday May 12th.
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Thanks everyone for entering the giveaway for the Handful Bra.  And the randomly selected winner is......Dawn Smith-Shaffer!  Congrat's Dawn.  Please email me your mailing address and size request.
Everyone stay tuned I have one more fun giveaway lined up for next week. read more →