Weight Loss wedneday: Bulu Box

*I received one or more of the products mentioned here for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.*

     I got a chance to try out the March Bulu Box, through Tomoson. What is a Bulu Box? It is a subscription box containing 4-5 health and fitness samples including vitamins, weight loss, sports nutrition, protein, diet, energy, detox, digestion, sexual health, herbs, natural remedies, endurance and more.You never know what your gonna get. 
     If you're a health and fitness enthusist and you are looking for the right supplement for your health regimen, Bulu Box may be the subscription for you. If you are interested solely in weight loss products, Bulu Box is now offering a Bulu Weight Loss Box, which I would also love to try. 
     But the regular box it what I got to try. I admit, I am primarily interested in weight-loss type products. But I know some of you may also be interested in these other products. So let's take a look at what was in the box. 
     Dream Water--This little concoction contains GABA, Melatonin and 5-HTP and is designed to help you sleep easily and improve sleep quality. If you have trouble getting to sleep at night, and aren't worried about having to get up in the middle of the night to soothe crying chiclren, by all means, give it a shot! 
     QSpeed CoQ10--This chewable orange flavored tablet formulated with CoQ10 provides heart health support, increases cellular energy and improves exercise performance. Energy? Let's just call that the "mommy pill." ;-)
     ProLab Quick Fire--A dose of this stuff will fuel the body with a surge of nitric-oxide-induced blood flow, helping you to amp up your workout. 
     Redd Remedies atEASE PM--This is another sleep aid made of natural ingredients that help you relax naturally and enjoy better sleep. Again, it depends on if you're in a position where you're able or need to take a sleep aid. 
     AeroShot Energy--Okay this was something I haven't seen before. This little gadget basically looks like a tube of lipstick. You pull on the lid (it doesn't come all the way off) and then inhale the contents (powder) through the opening that is now there. It is definitely a new sensation. I can't say I particularly like the taste, though it is kind of fruity. But I do feel it boosted my energy some. 
     $50 iTrain Gift Card--This was a bonus item in the box and probably my favorite thing in there. I had never heard of iTrain before getting this box, but it is a website where you can download workouts to your computer or mp3 player. Some of the workouts you can do without any special equipment, but they also have treadmill, elliptical and other routines. They even have workout sets, like 6 week weight loss makeover, postnatal and pre-wedding workouts that include a selected set of exercises that is cheaper per exercise than buying a la carte.
     If you are interested in trying out a Bulu Box yourself, you can check out their website. You can also find them on facebook, twitter, YouTube and Pinterest. And what's more, for new signups there is a special promotion going on. Normally a Bulu Box subscription is $10/month. Now, when you sign up for 3 months, you get the first month free (so $15 for 3 months) with the code JUMPONIT3. Or you can sign up for 6 months and get 3 months free ($30 for 6 months) with the code JUMPONIT6. Both of these deals equate to $5/month, but remember the price will kick back up to $10 when the promotion ends, so if you think this is something you'll like long-term, the 6 month option is the best value. But it's up to you. :-)

Tasty Tuesday: "Fauxtisserie" Chicken

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Spring Fling Blumm Box

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Thrifty Thursday: Free "Perfect" Portions

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#BringDreamsToLife with Gerber Life

*I was compensated for this sponsored post made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. All prizing for MSM giveaways is handled by a third party unless otherwise noted. For this reason prize fulfillment can take up to 90 days after the winners information is received. Only one prize per household, per giveaway please.*

     Does your child dream about what he/she wants to be when they grow up? Do you you have a hunch about what your child could become? That dream will score some lucky child a $10,000 scholarship from Gerber Life, and it could be yours! 
     How, you ask? Well, Gerber Life is having a video contest where the grand prize is a $10,000 Gerber Life College Plan. It won't cost you anything to enter. All you'll need is your child (8 and under), a video camera and a bit of creativity.
     The first thing to do will be to take a short video of your child talking about what they'd like to be when they grow up. If your child is too young or not able to talk, you are welcome to share your own insights of their future. Do they gravitate toward certain activities that could lead to a certain career? be creative! 
     After you have your video, go to the Gerber Life Facebook page between February 25 and April 1, 2013 and submit your video to the Bring Dreams to Life contest. Share your video with friends, family, and anyone you think might be interested, and ask them to vote for your video! Any video with at least 100 votes will automatically be entered into the final round! 

Weight Loss Wednesday: Chia Seeds

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Tasty Tuesday: Awesome Chicken Sandwiches

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Nuby 3 Stage Natural Nurser

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Make it Monday: Brown Sugar Scrub

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Festive Friday: Chocolate Creme Eggs

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Thrifty Thursday: Get the Most out of Your Toiletries

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Make Eating Fun with @FunBites!

*I received this product for review purposes. All opinions are my own.*

     A few weeks ago I received a fun little gadget to try out. It's called Fun Bites. What's it for? Well, it's used for cutting a large food item (sandwich, pizza, pancakes) into bite-sized pieces. The pieces are great for little hands to pick up!

     Take a simple ham sandwich, for example:

     Place the Fun Bites cutter on the sandwich. Press down and wiggle it back and forth a bit to make sure the sandwich is thoroughly cut.

Insert the "popper" to push the food out.

And this is what comes out. I got the heart cutter, as you can see.

     Look what else you can do with the heart cutter! 2 sailboats and a sun (made of cheese). I got the idea on the Funbites website. :-) Blueberries (or at least purple grapes) would have been better for water, but I didn't have any!

     This is great way to make food "fun" to entice picky eaters. Also, this would be a quicker way to cut up bite sized appetizers for your next party. Just stick a toothpick in!
     There are currently square and heart-shaped cutters available. And this is a mom-owned business, which I always love to support! If you'd like to check out FunBites for yourself, you can find them on: 
     *Their Website
     *Facebook
     *Twitter
     *Pinterest
     *You Tube

Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate Chip Pizza

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Eshakti--Where Customizing is Easy!

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Make it Monday: Pizza Dough

     So, I know I normally save "food" entries for Tuesday, but pizza dough seemed so, let's say, "anti-climatic" that I didn't feel like making it "the" recipe for the week. And actually, tomorrow's recipe will be a kind of pizza, so I thought it would be best to share a pizza dough recipe first. 
     Now that I got all the whys out of the way, here is the recipe I frequently use when I make homemade pizza crust. And don't be afraid--it's not complicated!

     2 1/4 cups flour
     1 tsp yeast
     3/4 water
     1/2 tsp salt
     1 TBSP olive oil

     First mix up the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, salt). Then mix in the water and olive oil. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. If you have a Kitchenaid (or similar) stand mixer, you can do it with the dough hook. Add flour as you go, if necessary.
     If you need to do it by hand, dump the dough on a floured surface and push into the dough with the heel of your hand. Fold the dough in half, give it a quarter turn and do it again. Over and over and...this is why I use my dough hook. :-P
     Either way, you'll need to knead (haha) about 10 minutes. Once the dough makes a nice, smooth ball, place it in an oiled bowl and cover. Allow to rise about 2 hours. 
     Split the dough in half to make 2 smaller pizzas. Or just make one really big pizza! You will want to stretch this out as thin as it can go. Add the toppings of your choice and bake in a preheated oven at 500 degrees about ten minutes, until lightly browned. 450 will work too. 
     For best results, use a pizza stone and spread a thin layer of fine cornmeal on it before placing the dough on it. The cornmeal helps it not to stick so much. The pizza stone gives it a crispier crust. 
     What are your favorite pizza topping combos?

How to Make $5 a Month on Swagbucks (with minimal effort)

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Thrifty Thursday: Survey Sites part 5

     Now, on to what is probably the most profitable use of your time--online focus groups. Online focus groups (or even in person ones if you can find a company in your area) generally pay pretty well for your time. They can pay anywhere from $50-200, depending on the subject and how long the study is. The catch is if you can get into one. They are often looking for really specific demographics. 

Weight Loss Wednesday: Kale

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Tasty Tuesday: Cinnamon Rolls

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Make it Monday: Basic Diaper Cake

     Here is the first diaper cake I ever made. It's not as elaborate as some of the diaper cakes I've seen, but I think it turned out alright for my first try. You can make a basic 2-tier diaper cake for about $10-15 (more or less) depending on how many extra "goodies" you stick on it. 
     The first thing I did was make a "cake board" which is just a circle of cardboard covered with aluminum foil. You can use wrapping paper or just purchase a cake board if you prefer, but I couldn't really see it when I was done anyway. Next I rolled up diapers with the edge in and tied them closed with yarn. You can also use rubber bands if you have enough. Or I have seen some where thin ribbon was used.

     I ended up using 24 rolled up diapers for the bottom tier and 14 for the top tier. Next I placed the rolls of the bottom tier on the cake plate and tied a piece or white yard around the group. I ended up stuffing more diapers in to make the string taut. Like I said, the bottom tier ended up being 24 diapers.

     Next I did the same thing with less diapers for the top tier and ended up with 14. You can stick other things in instead of diapers in the middle, like a bottle, packet of wipes, baby bath or rolled up onesies or burp cloths. It all depends on how much you want to spend and how elaborate you want to go. I didn't put any "extras" in the middle this time. 
     Next, I took two pieces of pink ribbon (since it is for a little girl) and covered up the yarn tying the diapers together with a drop of superglue on the ends of the ribbon. I added a rolled up onesie and a small stuffed animal for a "topper" and folded a second onesie and set it on top of the bottom layer, leaning against the top layer.

     Finally I stuck on a couple of small bottles of baby lotion on the ribbon of the top tier and made some little pink roses out of pink crepe paper and stuck them around some of the edges. You can see them in the above picture, but the pic below is a side view and you may see them better. You could also just buy some artificial (or real) flowers for this purpose, or simply use ribbons or other things for decoration.

     So anyway, that's basically what I did. I just thought it was a really neat way to dress up what is basically a pack of diapers. And you can buy diapers on sale with coupons and sales and get them pretty cheap. I didn't even use the whole pack on my cake and I used 2 onesies out of a pack of 5. So I have some to use for another diaper cake later. You guys have to let me know what you think!

"Low Odds Giveaways" Sign Up Form.

<center> <a title="LowOddsGiveaways" href="http://an-ordinary-housewife.blogspot.com/p/giveaways-with-low-odds-ending-within.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b572/AOHousewife/lowodds_zps6d0fbda5.png"/></a></center>

     This is a giveaway form that takes into consideration the number of entries allowed per person as well as actual entries. Many "low entry" lists require you to have less than 200 entries. But if each person is allowed, say, 20 entries, that's only 10 people that can enter before you're over the limit. Not too helpful, in my opinion. So I decided to do a list based on odds, rather than actual entries. Here are the guidelines: 

*Giveaways must be ending within a week 

*There must be no more than 25 unique entrants when the giveaway is added. If there are multiple winners, you may increase this number by 5 per each additional winner

*There must be no more than 15 WAYS to enter. This means individual actions the entrant can take. For example, if an entrant gets 3 entries for "liking" a page, that is 1 action. If they get 5 points for tweeting, still 1 action. 

*No entry methods asking for a purchase or registration.The only exception is newsletters/email. 

*If your giveaway has more than a week to go, you can still fill out the form and I will add it when there is less than a week to go, providing the giveaway still falls in the guidelines! 

*Not a requirement, but I would be really grateful if you could help me spread the word by grabbing the button above and sharing on your site!

     If your giveaway meets all these requirements, please feel free to submit the form below, and I will get it added as soon as possible. :-)

Lovin the Weekend Blog Hops

 

Note from An Ordinary Housewife: Thanks for stopping by our Lovin' the weekend blog hops! This is a great chance to share giveaways, gain followers and build readership. If you follow me, leave me a message letting me know, and I'll follow back! I don't automatically follow everyone who follows me, but if you letting me know you're following from this hop I'll follow back. :-)

 

Welcome to Lovin' The Weekend Blog Hops with your co-hosts:

Karen from Tots and Me, Maria from Adventures of the Mommy Homemaker and Rena from An Ordinary Housewife.

Thank you to every one who has stopped by, whether this is your first visit or you have been a faithful ongoing participant! 

We would love for you to stop by each of the co-hosts and follow us, then feel free to add your links to any or all of the following linkies.

 We also randomly choose a Featured host each week from the Lovin' The Readers linky. This week we are featuring Summer from  Under Construction.

Here's what she has to say:

"Under Construction is basically the thought and ramblings from a Camera toting stay at home mom of 3 & Pre-op WLS patient. I love cute sayings, Words of inspiration, new food ideas, DIY, Crafts, and linking up with other blogs I enjoy. I'm going to be having gastric bypass surgery soon so my recipes will consist of healthy foods that are WLS friendly as well as exercises and websites that I have found helpful plus words of inspiration and my thoughts and progress along the way. I hope everyone decides to stay an follow along with me as I improve my life and break the cycle of that I was supposed to be into  the Happy healthy life I have dreamed of making a reality." 

Don't forget to link up to the Lovin' the Readers Hop if you would like a chance to be a Featured host next week. Please comment with a way to contact you, especially if there is not an obvious way mentioned on your blog. We would love to include a little write up about you and your blog in the next week's Lovin' The Weekend Blog Hop post, including a link to your blog. And you will get to include the linky codes on your blog. Sound fun? We're looking forward to getting to know our readers better.

Here's how this blog hop works. We would appreciate it if you would follow Tots and Me, Adventures of a Mommy Homemaker and An Ordinary Housewife then please head on over to our Featured Host and follow as well. If you no longer have GFC please follow in some other way. After that there are three different linkies you can link to. Whichever one you choose to link to, please grab that button and share it on your blog (the codes are on Tot's and Me's sidebar). We'd love it if you could tweet or in some other way share about this blog hop, the more people who know about it, the more potential visitors and new followers of your blog. We'd love to meet some new friends this weekend.  

Some people are more interested in just increasing their numbers, while others really want people who appreciate their blog and want to keep up with their posts. So, there are two separate linkies. The third linky is for you to link up your giveaways.

If you are interested in increasing the number of followers to your blog via GFC, Linky Followers, email, Twitter, Facebook or Google+ link up here. We will follow you back if you follow us (just note which one you are linking to):

If you are interested in gaining followers to your blog who will read and comment and truly find an interest in your blog, link up here:

If you have family friendly giveaways to link up, here's your spot. Please make sure to include an end date for your giveaway.

We are so glad you stopped by. Please leave a comment if you link up and we will be sure to stop by and follow back.

Don't forget to check out my "Blog Hops" page for other great weekend blog hops!!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess!

     Did you know tomorrow (March 2nd) is Dr. Seuss’s Birthday? No American writer has had as great an impact on children's literature as Dr. Seuss. His imaginative characters, vivid illustrations, and catchy rhymes are instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up reading his stories.  
     To celebrate this weekend, the Dr. Seuss & His Friends book club is offering a great deal for only $5.95! 

This introductory offer includes:
- The Cat in the Hat, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Ten Apples On Top, Go Dog Go! & The Tooth Book
- Free colorful Cat in the Hat Backpack to carry all your books in.
- Free shipping.
- Free Dr. Seuss & His Friends Audiobook read by Jason Alexander, David Hyde Pierce or Kelsey Grammer. *Note that this is only available during the Dr. Seuss Birthday weekend celebration (March 1 – March 3, 2013). 
     Go HERE for more info!  

*As always, please read terms and conditions when signing up for any offer. This post contains affiliate links.*

Kindle Fire #Giveaway

Welcome to the Four Littles Media Kindle Fire Giveaway!

Hosted by: My Four Littles and Four Littles Media

Cohosted by: 

Everything Mommyhood, Mommy's Craft Obsession, Pink Ninja Blog, A Medic's World, 

Stay a Stay at Home Mom, Monica's Rants, Raves, and Reviews, Shaping Up to Be a Mom, 

Writing As Art, An Ordinary Housewife, Me and My Handful, The Stuff of Success, 

This Mama Loves Her Bargains, Krazy Coupon Club, Coupons With Q, Boy Oh Boys, 

My Devotional Thoughts, and Simply Sherryl 

     Have you heard of the Kindle Fire? This is one hot item floating around out there. This tablet has web-browsing capabilites, and over 23 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, books, audiobooks, apps, and games available. It's got lots of popular apps and games and Kindle Free Time, just for kids.

Okay, now that you know how great the Kindle Fire is, you have the opportunity to win one! How? You just have to enter via the easy rafflecopter form below! So good luck!  

Prize: Kindle Fire from Amazon.com

     This giveaway is open to those ages 18 and up in the United States. The giveaway will end on March 31, 2013. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email announcement. All entries will be verified. The only entry required is the first one, completing extra entries only increase your chances of winning. This giveaway is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Please email contactus@myfourlittles.com with any questions or concerns.

Entry-Form

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. An Ordinary Housewife is not responsible for prize fulfillment. My opinions are my own and may differ from yours.