Cheers to 37!

Another birthday is here and although this past year literally flew by, it was filled with so many wonderful memories and fun times!

My 36th year began while sailing on the Disney Fantasy! We took a 7 night Eastern Cruise to explore St. Thomas and Tortola and it was a wonderful way to spend a birthday!

Also while on board said cruise, we bought in to the Disney Vacation Club. Can we say...most. expensive. birthday. present. ever? Totally worth it, though!

Over the past year, a lot of time was spent with my little dude, watching him learn, grow, and soak up the world like a sponge. He keeps us running, but we love it and wouldn't trade a second of it!

We also planned and directed the Gleaux Run 5K in the fall which was another great success! Lots of runners and walkers came out to help in the fight against cancer.

Over the past year, a lot of Orangetheory classes were attended (until my recent injury, of course). I sure do miss it and can't wait to get back there!

A commercial was shot where I had the chance to play Wonder Woman! So much fun!

A group of friends and I also spent time touring several Louisiana plantation homes. We had a blast that day, learning about Louisiana history and simply spending time together!

Over the holiday season, our church put on a production entitled "How Christmas Saved The Grinch" where I had a chance to play a citizen of Whoville! This year, I've been upgraded to "Betty Lou", the mom of "Cindy Lou" - it's going to be so much fun!

Last spring, I ran two half marathons - one in New Orleans with my friend Melissa and the other at Walt Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon/Fairy Tale Challenge!

We spent our Princess Half Marathon trip with my family and we had a fabulous time!

Another project that came together this spring was a home improvement one. I basically rearranged our entire back patio to accommodate a seating area. This space has been so nice all spring and summer to relax and watch Brayden play. We also installed an outdoor fan to keep us cool in the summer months!

Also this spring, I joined the Faster Way To Fat Loss family and not only did I make many gains in the area of my health, I also managed to PR in 2 races in 2 weekends! How fun is that?!

In May, our local Relay for Life event took place where I helped run the activities for the night. It was exhausting but a ton of fun and I'm so glad I had a friend along to help me with the process!

The Orangetheory Mayhem challenge took place in May where participants attended four classes in one week and received extra special goodies.

Y'all know I don't back down from a challenge!

This summer, my husband, son, and I traveled to Alaska with Jason's family. In total, 12 of us were along for the trip and we had a blast! Prior to this trip, my father in law had visited 49 states and wanted to make his 50th state a family affair, so we did!

In August, on a last minute whim, my little family and I decided to use a few vacation club points to visit Walt Disney World! I was excited I finally had the chance to participate in the Beignet Dash and loved being able to see friends while there!

Random fact - until our August trip, I'd NEVER ridden the Tea Cups. My child loves to spin, so I thought I would take one for the team and it was not as bad as I expected! (Note-we did not spin the teacup out of control, either...it was definitely a controlled spin!)

In all, it's been a fabulous year filled with so many fun adventures and memories! I can't wait to see what 37 has to bring! Let's do this! 

Evenflo Pivot Travel System Review

In my research for our upcoming vacation, I've looked into various grocery delivery services, necessary baby check lists, and stroller rentals. Baby's first big trip out of town has given me so many things to think about, including things I never thought I would need.

After hearing from so many of you guys about the ease of flying with a stroller, I decided to forego my planned stroller rental and bring one from home along with me.

Enter the Evenflo Pivot Travel System.

This stroller is light weight and has several different modes for travel. The handlebar is high enough for my tall husband to push without hurting his back and it includes an infant car seat and base.

The box arrived and I couldn't wait to put it all together!

The instructions were super easy to follow and before I knew it, the pieces and parts were assembled!

My favorite part about this Evenflo stroller is the diversity of the whole travel system. The stroller itself can hold up to 50 pounds and works in several different modes.

Here's toddler mode - with a foot rest and all. This is by far the most popular way to use this stroller at our home!

The infant car seat clicks nice and easy into the stroller. I like this infant setup because it provides extra protection from the sun.

In infant mode, the toddler base can also be removed and the infant car seat fits right into the stroller base.

Another favorite is the bassinet mode! On our very first walk in this stroller, Brayden fell fast asleep and was able to lie flat and take a very nice nap while we continued our walk! I love it!

Another favorite part of this stroller is the fact that no matter which way you have it (toddler mode, bassinet mode, or infant car seat mode), the entire base can be turned to either face you or face out! (Look at the difference in the above two photos...so cool!)

Last but not least, the whole setup comes with a nice leg cover for cold winter days!

Another favorite thing about this stroller is the easy way it folds up and stays fairly compact! This was a huge deciding factor on bringing it on vacation with us! 

The rear facing car seat is very nice, too! I was very impressed by the snug fit with the latch belts - this base doesn't move one bit.

Remember that nap I mentioned earlier? Yep, he was out for a good hour!

So, after a thorough review, I asked Brayden for his thoughts on the stroller and car seat combo. He pondered the question for a while....

...then decided it should receive an A+!

Overall, we really love this stroller and have used it on many occasions! Although it does include a cup holder for the parent, I would include one improvement idea - it needs a pocket of some sort near the handle bar for keys, cell phones, and other small items. I do have a velcro pocket strap from another stroller that I'm going to add to this one and see how it works. In all, I'm excited to take this Evenflo Pivot Travel System with us on vacation! It's going to be a fun week! :)

Thanks so much for this opportunity, Evenflo!

Disclaimer: I received this product for purpose of an honest review. No monetary compensation was exchanged. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Evenflo for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own.

Fitness Friday: Beets BLU Bluetooth Scale Review

For today's Fitness Friday, I am sharing a review of a Smart Scale that I've really come to love! Be sure to check it out and let me know your thoughts in the comments below! :) Happy Friday!

Health and fitness is something that has always ranked high on my list as long as I can remember. Now that I've come full circle with pregnancy, postpartum, and being a new mom, I've learned a few valuable lessons about time management, food preparation, and cutting out the excess. Losing the baby weight has been in the back of my mind since I gave birth to my son and although I don't obsess over my weight or stress over numbers, I do find it interesting.
 
So, when Beets BLU contacted me about doing a review of their Wireless Smart Scale, I immediately said yes!

The first couple of things that impressed me about this scale were the weight of the scale (it's incredibly light weight) and the sleekness of the design. It was also really easy to setup and I love the data it includes in the measurements!

The Beets BLU Bluetooth scale works off an app that's downloaded to your smart device (it works on both android and Apple devices). Requirements: iPhone 4S, iPad 3, Android with OS 5.0 & Bluetooth 4.0 hardware 

After downloading and opening the app, the following prompts are given:

 Once all of the data has been entered, another set of prompts are given:

After stepping on the scale, the first sound alert gives your weight followed by the second sound alert which measures your body composition.  On the scale itself, all that's shown is your current weight. The additional information can be found through the app on your device.

I love all of the data that is given and how your data is stored over time to show your progress! Both Jason and I downloaded the app and are using the scale - I love how our information doesn't get crossed over - my weight/info is recorded in my app and my husband's weight/info is recorded in his app!

I borrowed the above and below images from the app store to show how the Smart Scale not only follows measurements and data over time but also gives graphs and scales to follow your progress!

Madalynn even assisted me with a few positioning/lighting shots...this image was just too funny, I had to share!

(She will do almost anything for a treat!)

Features of the Beets BLU Bluetooth scale include:

• Lightweight
• Small in size (fits perfectly in the corner of my bathroom!)
• Easy setup
• Sleek design
• Instant wireless data transfer (the information shows up on your device super fast!)
• Multiple users

Data collection from the scale include:

• Weight
• Fat Percentage
• Body Water
• Muscle Mass
• BMI calculation

Overall, I love this scale and the information it provides! I'm looking forward to using it throughout my upcoming fall training season and hopefully losing the last few pounds of baby weight that's been hanging around!

This smart scale can be purchased from the following locations:

• Amazon 
• BeetsBLU website

What do you think of the idea of smart scales? Do you own one?
Disclaimer: I received this Beets BLU Smart Scale in exchange for my honest review. All opinions stated are my own.

Summer Strong with Bob's Red Mill

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try a selection of Bob's Red Mill Protein Powder. I've always been a fan of the Bob's Red Mill brand as I've used a variety of their oats and flours, but I hadn't tried their protein powder until now!

I received a package in the mail that included a large back of vanilla protein powder, several smaller packages of chia, plain, and chocolate protein powder, a mixer bottle, and a recipe insert!

Something I love about Bob's Red Mill is that they produce more than 400 products, including gluten free and certified organic products! They're also the nation's leader in stone milling and are dedicated to producing natural foods in the natural way. They stone grind their grains into flours and meals on over one-hundred-year-old mills. With all of the sophisticated knowledge of recent times, no machinery has yet been developed that grinds grains into flour as well as these slow-turning, flint-hard quartz millstones of the kind used by millers since ancient times. How cool is that?!

With summer weather and this crazy heat upon us, I knew I wanted to try a few of their recipes for a cold beverage on a warm afternoon. I've sampled two recipes so far and can't wait to try more!

These recipes are so easy, too! I just so happened to have ALL of these ingredients on hand, including a ripe Mango from a recent Bountiful Baskets purchase! Yay! Oh yes, I did happen to substitute coconut water for almond milk....but it still tasted great!

I simply added all the ingredients into my Ninja and blended away!

 This tasty treat was just what I needed after a warm summer run!

Delicious!

 This summer, Bob's Red Mill is hosting a #SummerStrong Challenge that will take place between July 18-23! How are you getting stronger this summer? Head on over to instagram to check it all out!

Also, be sure to check out their website to see all of the products offered through Bob's Red Mill and don't forget to print a coupon!

What's your summer plans for becoming stronger/gaining strength? 

I'm still attempting to find a new routine with running on a regular basis after taking a lengthy time off due to pregnancy. I am getting there, slowly but surely!

Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for my honest opinion and review as a partnership between Sweat Pink and Bob's Red Mill.