{Giveaway} Wino Lovers!

Calling all winos! Calling all winos! 

Your wine-away is here!

This is the one you've been waiting for. Everything you could need (besides the vineyard) to have a party! In celebration of National Wine Day on May 25th, (people, we officially have a holiday!) some spectacular wino friends of mine have banded together to bring you a wino's dream come true.

The goods:

 1// Corkicle to chill your wine in the bottle 2// Houdini wine preservation kit 3// Ozeri electronic wine opener, foil cutter and pourer 4// Wine by Wives Sunflower wine glass 5// leopard Woozie
6// cork barrel 7// set of four Govino flexible shatterproof stemless glasses 8// Vino2Go (8oz)
9// Vino2Go XL (12oz)

The winos:

Sara // Stephanie // Mer //Ashley // Angela // Rachel // Rachel // Kristyn 

// Lisette // Beth // Amanda // Nadine // Beth

Pour yourself a glass of your favorite wine and enter below!

Good luck! (Open worldwide!)

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{Guest Post} A Healthy Lifestyle

The combination of healthy eating and exercising can help aid a healthier lifestyle 
for you and the little one developing inside of you. While eating fruits and vegetables 
is a step towards better eating, incorporating exercise can help keep muscles toned 
and strong.  I found that throughout my pregnancy, small changes yielded big 
results!  Here are just a few tips to healthy eating and exercise while pregnant. 

Organic Diet 101

Many people think that anything with a "greenwise" or "organic" sticker must be 
pesticide-free. In terms of fruits and vegetables, that's not always the case. The 
most toxic fruits and vegetables are apples, bell peppers, nectarines, peaches, 
pears, potatoes, spinach, cherries, celery and strawberries. There are some really 
wonderful fruits and vegetables that have the lowest guaranteed number of toxins. 
These include asparagus, pineapple, sweet peas, sweet corn, broccoli, bananas, 
avocados, kiwi, mangos and onions. During my pregnancy, I was able to stick with 
eating organic produce, and often found my local farmer’s market a wonderful 
resource!

Choosing Activities

While your little one is growing rapidly, think about looking at your exercise 
routine.  The choice of exercise style is normally made based purely on what 
the person can handle at their current fitness level and what will help the person 
maintain motivation. Pregnancy brings a new consideration to this. The risk of 
falls and other injuries is best minimized for baby's safety. That means contact 
sports are definitely out of the question. Some activities, like rock climbing, 
are also a bad idea unless mom is already experienced enough to take the 
appropriate safety precautions- just be careful!

Safe Start

If you are new to exercise, there is always the risk of suffering an injury at the 
beginning. Whether pregnant or not, women without a history of physical fitness 
should begin with low-intensity exercises. It's a slow start, but it's also a safe one.
With experience, you'll know when the time is right for stepping up the pace. A 
personal trainer can help with this. I joined a yoga class and was led through a 
natural progress of breathing, stretching, static poses and dynamic poses. Since 
most of it took place from a kneeling or sitting position, I had almost no risk of 
injury.

Making small changes throughout your pregnancy can lead to a much healthier and 
happier pregnancy.  Before making any changes, make sure to double check with 
your doctor.  My doctor was able to advise me on everything- from swaddling to 
breathing techniques to cord blood banking options, and more!  

Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who 
discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things 
Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with 
Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26




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Dear Owners,

You guys are so weird.  You leave me alone in the house for hours at a time and then when I am minding my own business and watching birds go by, you think I am waiting for you?  

I thought I finally had the house to myself!  Why would I want you guys back?  Ugh.  You can stay gone!

You speak to me in high pitched voices.  Again, why?

You call me lazy all the time.  Have you checked your Facebook photos recently?  And don't even let me start on Instagram.  Every photo on there says I am lazy.  I am just laid back.  Get it right people!

You call me some "B" name that isn't even my actual name.  Don't you guys know my real name?  And what the heck is a Bubbaloo?  I have never heard anything so weird in my life.  Crazy humans!

You make that red dot thing come out every once in a while and I hate that.  Going around and around in circles is only so fun.  Stop doing that!  I love it...and it's awesome.

I try to look longingly at you so that you will get up and come pet me, but you just sit on the couch every night.  What is up with that?  Do you guys have lives?  I have 9.  I win.

I hope that big furry stinky thing isn't coming back over here.  That was the ultimate torture.  Don't make me suffer again.  I know it was only for a few hours, but man...I think it drooled on me.  Not cool.

All I want out of life is to be fed and petted.  Is that too much to ask, humans?  Please say no because if it is I need to escape NOW.  

Thanks for letting me peck this post out.  It took forever to peck without claws, thanks for that by the way!  My life would be so much more fun if I could use my claws.  But that is for another day.  I really need a nap before you come home.  

Thanks again, other humans who read this.  Do tell me how cute and cuddlely I am.  I will be reading this and watching you!

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Best of: Vegan Dishes

Are you thinking what I think you are thinking?

"Vegan?"  "No way!"

Before you leave, I promise that these recipes are delicious.  I "tested" them on my guinea pig, AKA Jeremy.  

He used to be a meat and potatoes kind of guy.  Wouldn't really eat anything green.  He didn't hate greens, but they weren't his favorite.  He sure as hell had no idea what kale was, let alone quinoa or avocado.  The boy has learned to love veggies and greens.  And I promise, that you can love them too!

So, without further ado, here are the best vegan recipes I have made.  These are in no particular order.

Easy Roasted Tomato Soup

Why do I love this recipe?  

It's easy to make.  Seriously so easy.  All you need is a good blender or a food processor.  A Vitamix would work as well.  Oh and it's delicious!

Vegan Tortilla Soup

Why do I love this recipe?  

This recipe was a little bit time consuming, but honestly it was oh so tasty.  It's worth the work.  I wish I had made her tortilla chips, but I didn't.  You guys need to try this one.  It's good!

Feeling Good Stew

Why do I love this recipe?

This is my favorite recipe, hands down.  I have made this so much and I change it up every once in a while.  It is oh so good!  The quinoa is amazing and the veggies become so tender.  It is really easy to make as well after you chop the veggies.

Lentil Veggie Tacos

Why do I love this recipe?

I wouldn't consider this completely vegan, but it can be.  I LOVE this recipe as well.  Oh it tastes just like beef.  I don't know how but the lentils are just so good.  And I think the crunch from the shells make it so good.  This is making me want to make these this week!  Yummy!

Chana Palak Masala

Why do I love this recipe?

This includes so fabulous things.  You have chickpeas (I love those), spinach, and tomatoes.  Man...this is such a hearty dinner with some french bread.  It's so good.

So there you have it!  Are you still scared of vegan recipes?  None of these include tofu (because that scares me) and sort of grosses me out.  That's why I love these recipes.  You don't need tofu for a delicious meal!  

I promise, you won't be disappointed in any of these recipes! 

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{Giveaway} May Sponsors Giveaway

Before we get to this month's group giveaway, I want to thank each and every one of you guys who commented/read/tweeted/spread the word of my post from Friday.  If you have no idea what I am talking about, please go check it out.  I talk about being a plus size in the model world with pictures in a bikini.  

Yep.

I did that.  And I don't really care what people think.  It felt so empowering to post those pictures, so I am not sorry.  And I want to thank each of you for making me feel beautiful and so supportive Friday.  That was such an amazing feeling.  So, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Alright, now onto the giveaway.

These fabulous ladies are giving away some great stuff.

 One of you lucky ladies will win all 5 of these fabulous prizes!  Good luck!

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The Sunday Skinny

I wanted to start a new series on the blog.

I want this series to be a recap of my weekly posts.

So, here we go.  In case you missed any of these posts, please check them out!

• Monday:  Gifts Gifts Gifts
• Tuesday: Saw It, Pinned It, Did It
• Wednesday:  Top 10 Cheap Date Ideas
• Thursday:  Freak Flag Is A Flyin
• Friday:  I Am Plus Sized?

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I Am Plus Sized?

According to model standards.

I want to get real today.  Like really real.  Like I might be posting myself in a bikini real.  Can't get much more raw than that.

So, I was reading an article on Yahoo about Jennie Runk.  Don't know who she is?  She's the plus size model gracing the H&M website in a bikini.  As I was reading the article, it really hit home for me.

via

She describes: "“nightmare” gym classes filled with girls wearing cute shorts while she stuck out in bulky sweatpants as a self-described clumsy girl with thick, curly hair, braces, and glasses. She also spoke to that awkward period in every girl’s life when bodies start to develop differently, yet pressure mounts to achieve one body type. “This is an impossible goal to achieve and I wish I had known that when I was 13. At 5ft, 9in and a US size eight (usually either a UK 10 or 12), I envied the girls whose boyfriends could pick them up and carry them on their shoulders.”"

I totally feel that way too!  I was a size 6 in high school.  I will never be able to get int a 6 again.  My goal is to fit into size 8's consistently.  I am currently a size 10.  And I love Jennie because we are the same height.  So, I totally understand what she is describing above.  I am still jealous of the ladies who can have their men pick them up (especially in wedding pictures).  I can't have that unless I want to break Jeremy's back --I don't.  

I weigh more than he does.  Yep.  And I probably always will.

So, why did this hit home for me so much?  Because I think a lot of other women struggle with her insecurities.  I know I have.  Society has made it acceptable that ALL women should be a size 4.  I'm sorry...but if I were a size 4 I would look anorexic.  And I might have to be to get to that size.  It's just not going to happen for me.  Even a size 6 is a stretch.  It would be nice to be able to say, "Hey!  I fit into such and such that was a size 6",  but other than that...no thank you.

Disclaimer:  The link about a size 6 is for the brown Anthropologie skirt I am wearing.  It is a size 6.  I think it might be sized wrong because I can't fit into anything else that is a size 6.  I promise.

This girl shows so much wisdom trying to help girls realize their own confidence and potential without being super stick skinny.  Not everyone can be like that and it is about time that we stop forcing it down girls throats.  AmIright?

Here is more from her article: 

“Some even told me that my confidence has inspired them to try on a bikini for the first time in years. This is exactly the kind of thing I've always wanted to accomplish, showing women that it's OK to be confident even if you're not the popular notion of 'perfect,'" and that having survived her childhood she feels “compelled to show girls who are going through the same thing that it's acceptable to be different. You will grow out of this awkwardness fabulously. Just focus on being the best possible version of yourself and quit worrying about your thighs, there's nothing wrong with them.”

Now, I have been in a bikini when I was bigger, but I didn't feel good about myself by any means.  I bought a one piece at Target just so I didn't have to see my hips.  It's all perception and how you see yourself.

Yes, I am on a weight loss journey and not because of her article, but I will always feel bigger than most girls.  Regardless of how many people tell me how great you look, if you don't feel beautiful inside yourself, you don't believe them. --I struggle with this so so much!

And because I promised some bikini shots above, here you go.

These aren't going to be pretty by any means, and I have a lot of work to do, but I feel like this post is so raw and real.  How much more raw or real can you get than being in a bikini on the Internet?  I mean...come on!

Do you like my awesome farmer's tan?  Might as well just admit that it's there.  Ha!

Please don't judge too harshly.  I can't believe I am posting these on the internet.

So there you have it folks.  What do you think about Jennie's stance?  I love it!  

We all need to remember that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.  Remember that and you can remind yourself that you are worth it.  Remember that and we can slowly change the world!

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