Liebster Award!

I've been having a bit of writer's block lately, so I thought, why not do my Liebster entry? Perfect time to do so. Ashleemae from Willfully Disobedient nominated me. ( Go check her blog out, you won't be disappointed! )

Thank you Ashleemae!

Now for the fun part:

1. Thank the person that nominated you and link to her blog.

2. Answer your nominator’s ten questions!

3. Share the love and nominate 10 other bloggers.

4. Think up ten questions for your nominees.

5. Let everyone know you’ve nominated them!

Ten questions from Willfully Disobedient (and my answers):

 1. What inspired you to blog for the first time?

Being a first time mom, inspired me to blog. I had a lot of questions, and I wanted to find other women who were first time moms, ( parents ) as well, that I could relate to.

2. Who is your biggest blog supporter?

That's an easy question. My biggest blog supporter is my husband. He is always cheering me on, and tweeting about my posts. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't have kept going.


3. How do you make time to blog?

Honestly, I'm still struggling to make  time to blog regularly. Even though we've had our little one for a year and a half now, I'm still learning the ropes, along with time management.

4. Is there a topic that you absolutely WILL NOT blog about? Why?

Yes, there are a couple of topics that I absolutely will NOT blog about. Religion, and Politics. I was taught at a young age, that those two topics are not something to publicly discuss. Why? They open too many possibilities. If it could always stay as a civilized conversation, it would be different, but there's always that one person who takes it too far, or starts accusing. Better safe than sorry, I say.

5. What is your favorite comfort food, ever?

That's a tough one, there are so many! I'd have to say that my favorite comfort food would have to be Little Caesar's bread sticks with pizza, Monsters, and of course chocolate. ( Yes, I know so unhealthy).

6. You have exactly one hour of childless, significant other-less, obligation-less free time.  How do you spend that time (anything your heart desires). What if you had a whole day?

A whole hour..... I'd probably play some World of Warcraft. Yes I'm a nerd at heart, and it's how my husband and I met, so it stays close to us. A whole day? Probably shower, work out, play WoW and then feel like I'm missing another part of me,.... which is usually what happens.


7. What is one thing you would do for your blog if you had unlimited resources?

One thing I would probably do for my blog if I had unlimited resources would be to have my own custom logo made up. 


8. What is your goal for your blog?

The goal for my blog, is to reach as many parents as possible. To eventually have deep conversation posts about how to juggle everything with your family. I'm still learning, so I have yet to do an entry like that.


9. Please link to your 3 absolute favorite blogs (yes, I’m stealing this question from my nominator!).

Top 3.... I love so many.

Mama Needs Mana -  I came across this blog a bit ago. I absolutely love her posts! They are witty and come from a fellow mother and World of Warcraft player ( nerdy momma ). Check her out :)

The Prairie Mama  - She hasn't posted in a while, but her posts are so honest and refreshing with some great humor thrown in there. She's also a first time mother.

Boldly Fit With Amber  - She has the perfect mix of exercise and parenting all rolled into one. I find her blog very motivating.

10. When you’re following (or subscribed to) a blog, what is an absolute deal breaker that makes you quit reading immediately?

An absolute deal breaker for me when I'm subscribed to another blog, that would make me quit reading it, would be once they start bashing others publicly. That's not right at all.


Here are my ten nominees:

Boldly Fit with Amber

Mom's the Word

Coming Up Pink

Mama Needs Mana

The Wondering Brain

Mrs Tee- Love, Life, Laughter

Mrs. AOK, a Work in Progress

MommiFried

Ambitious Mommy

Thrifty Nifty Mommy

Here are my questions:

1. Why did you start blogging?

2. If you could trade shoes with your spouse/significant other for one whole day, would you? Why?

3.Do you have a YouTube channel? Why or why not?

4. What age gap do you think is perfect between children? Why?

5. Did you have a hard time transitioning from working to stay at home parent? What were new challenges for you?

6.If you had a whole weekend to just yourself and spouse/significant other, how would you spend it?

7.What is your favorite social media outlet and why? ( Yes I stole this from my nominee's, nominee.

8. How do you juggle parenting/ working/ blogging?

9. How do you choose topics to blog about?

10.  What are your favorite topics to blog about? Why?


I look forward to reading all of your responses. :)

Little One's Easter

This will just be a quick update. We have a busy Mother's Day weekend, my cousins wedding is tomorrow afternoon, and Mother's Day is Sunday.
Update: I'm still on my weightloss journey, I keep meaning to do an update about it, but always get side tracked.I've started doing 30 Day Shred along with my shakes, and I'm seeing results!

Easter weekend was good, minus everyone getting sick. We bought a cute Easter dress for our daughter to wear, but she ended up getting severe diarrhea, for a couple of days so we just let her lounge in a diaper and onsie. We kept her full of fluids, since she wouldn't eat, (except for crackers). We did have a small egg hunt in her bedroom the morning of.
We ended up getting her one of those play houses that go outside, but since the weather just started getting nice out, my husband set it up in her bedroom. :) She's in love with it. She also got one of those small toy bins/seats. Disney Princess version, she's in love with that too, and somehow gets herself in the small storage boxes.

I took a couple of pictures.

Don't worry she didn't eat all the chocolate lol. She's only allowed a couple of pieces every now and again.
Oh I almost forgot, my husband had an awesome blanket made for me, and got me a " We love mom" pillow ( So cute ). It was supposed to be for our anniversary, but it took a bit longer to make than expected. I love it, and I can't believe he got it done. He always comes up with the best surprises.
For the Horde!

I hope everyone has a great Mother's Day weekend!

April 2014 Loot Crate- DRAGON

Here is April's Loot Crate unboxing!

 For those of you who don't know what Loot Crate is. It's a monthly subscription box, full of geek and gamer products. You receive 6-8 awesome products in each box, and they're guaranteed to have a value of $30 or more ( for the box ). They ship to the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK. You can choose, 1 month plan, 3 months or 6 months. ( My husband and I have a monthly subscription ). 
Cost of box $13.37 + $6 shipping

This months crate theme was DRAGON. It says " From Westeros to Skyrim- epic items from far and wide"

Let me just say I was SUPER excited when I heard about this month's theme. Upon opening I couldn't wait to see what was in my Loot Crate.

First article in the mini mag. The History and Folklore Behind the Mythical Beast.
It gives a bit of history behind dragons and tells about an anthropologist and author of the book An Instinct for Dragons by  David E. Jones.
In this month's crate was:

 Elder Scrolls Online Exclusive Figure.
This figure was made just for Looters! I thought this was pretty awesome, that it's specifically for Loot Crate subscribers.

Game of Thrones Mystery Mini
I got the White Walker. They were random for everyone and I think there were 16 different ones. :/

 Dragon Jerky
Harcos Labs and Loot Crate Labs
This jerky was a cool idea, it was green in colour ( I'm guessing to look like dragon hide ) claims to be High in protein - low in danger"
My husband tried it because he's the jerky fan, and he hated it. He said it tasted chalky and bland and ended up throwing most of it out. :( Cool idea, but it wasn't for us.

Dragon Shield Screen Cover
I'm guessing this is a phone screen cleaner. I haven't used it yet, but that's what I'm getting from the description.

20 Sided Stress Dice & a 20 sided Polyhedral Dice
 The stress dice will come in handy for World of Warcraft nights lol.
My husband can have the polyhedral dice for Magic: The Gathering.

 Dragon Slayer Tag and exclusive Dragon pin
I was excited at first glance about this dragon tag, but upon further review of it, to me it feels cheap. Kind of like a prize you'd get out of those 25 cent machines.

To order Loot Crate click HERE.

*SIDE NOTE*

The following is my opinion only: I was super excited about this month's Loot Crate theme when I first heard about it. Once I received it however I was actually kind of disappointed. I was expecting more DRAGONS. There was an article in the mini mag, that could have been replaced by info on the author of the book mentioned on the first couple of pages.
To me, it should have been a Game of Thrones and Elder Scrolls Online theme. With all of the dragon lore and influence in the geek and gamer culture, I felt like they should have been able to include more things specifically about dragons. ( Like Smaug, or popular dragons, Dragon Heart, Dragon Magic Card, etc.)
I'm disappointed with this month's crate, however I'm looking forward and hopeful for the next Crate.

I realize that not all items will be favs for everyone.... just my thoughts.
I still love Loot Crate :) 

Loot Crate Unboxing - TITAN!

Here is March's Loot Crate unboxing! On time, Yay!

 For those of you who don't know what Loot Crate is. It's a monthly subscription box, full of geek and gamer products. You receive 6-8 awesome products in each box, and they're guaranteed to have a value of $30 or more ( for the box ). They ship to the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK. You can choose, 1 month plan, 3 months or 6 months. ( My husband and I have a monthly subscription ). 
Cost of box $13.37 + $6 shipping

This months crate theme was TITAN." It's all about the gods of war- from manga to xbox One"

I love the little magazine ( info booklet ) that is included in the Loot Crate .
It has an exclusive look at the new game Titanfall, which in my opinion looks pretty awesome.
In this month's crate is :

Exclusive Titanfall T-Shirt
I love this t-shirt, being as I kept the shirt from last month's LootCrate, I figure it's only fair that my husband gets this one. It looks better on him anyways. :)

Attack on Titan Manga: 1
I was not familiar with Manga until my husband told me about it when I saw this in the box.
Not really my kind of thing though, so hubby gets to read it and tell me all about it. It's read in reverse but it's English and has lots of bonus content not seen in the series.

Titanfall C101 Lanyard
I love cool looking lanyard's, going to put my keys on this one for sure.

Attack on Titan- Scouting Regiment Wristband:

I'm not big on wearing wristbands, but it is cool.

Attack on Titanfall Magnet:
I love this magnet, it's already on our fridge. Now to keep the little munchkin from ripping it off .

 Also included for those of you who bought Titanfall, is a Titanfall Premium Strategy Eguide

There are also two candies in the box that were bonus items for St.Patrick's Day and a bonus collectible pin.

I really enjoyed this Loot Crate probably because I have been following all the hype about Titanfall lately. Absolutely LOVE the t-shirt.

If you'd like to sign up for Loot Crate go here. Refer friends also and get $5 off your crate !
Do you subscribe to Loot Crate?
What did you think of this month's box?

Enjoy!

Lavazza Drip Coffee Review - BzzAgent

I'm happy to say that I'm a BzzAgent.It's a website that offers campaigns ( free products ) in exchange for reviews, and  media sharing. Here is the link to the website: BzzAgent .
I was lucky enough to be chosen for the Lavazza Drip Coffee Campaign, which was awesome because I love coffee.
I received the following in the kit :

• A FREE 12 oz bag of Lavazza Gran Aroma Specialty Drip Coffee
• A FREE 12 oz bag of Lavazza Gran Selezione Specialty Drip Coffee
• A travel mug for you
• $4-off coupons to share with other coffee drinkers
• Lavazza magnets to pass along, too
• An Italian Gestures Game for your Passion Party 

 I was beyond excited when I picked this up from the post office!

Lavazza is known as Italy's favourite coffee and they have been around since 1895. Click here  for Lavazza's history.
They come in a wide variety of blends/ flavours. The four that this campaign offered were the NEW specialty Drip Coffees:

•  Gran Aroma -  A highly aromatic blend for the true coffee connoisseur. 

• Classico -A rich and full-bodied flavour, bringing Italian Passion to your everyday ritual. 

• Gran Selezione -A 100% fine Arabica, 100% sustainably grown blend. 

• Perfetto -The ideal choice for those who love the pure pleasure of espresso roasts. 

Click here to see all the blends that they offer.

I received Gran Aroma, and Gran Selezione.

Gran Aroma is their mildest blend, and personally out of the two that I sampled, I LOVE the Gran Aroma.
It's not super strong, but it is full of flavour and doesn't leave any bad aftertaste that I find a lot of coffee's do.
I also noticed that it is so finely ground that it looks like cocoa powder, not huge grains like a lot of store bought coffees.

The Gran Selezione wasn't my favourite; however on their intensity scale it's a 5/5. It also says there are some chocolatey undertones, I didn't really taste any, but I have only brewed it once so far.
I prefer Lavazza coffee over our reguler ( Maxwell) by far.
Once I use up the two bags I received I will definitely be buying more. I'll probably buy another bag of Gran Aroma, and maybe try Classico instead of the Gran Selezione.( Selezione is for coffee drinkers who prefer a stronger, more intense coffee) It was good, just not for me.

 Lavazza's website also has some recipes on there, specifically a coffee cake recipe!
Overall, my experience with this brand was great, and they definitely have a new customer/fan of their product.
For info go to Lavazza's website.  I recommend this brand for any coffee lover out there.
Have you ever tried Lavazza? If so, what do you think about it?


*Disclaimer* I received this product complimentary through BzzAgent, and all opinions are my own.

February's Loot Crate- Warriors

My husband and I subscribed to Loot Crate in January. I have watched a bunch of unboxing videos and reviews, and the inner geek in my husband and I, wanted our own Loot Crate to unbox.

For those of you who don't know what Loot Crate is. It's a monthly subscription box, full of geek and gamer products. You receive 6-8 awesome products in each box, and they're guaranteed to have a value of $30 or more ( for the box ). They ship to the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK. You can choose, 1 month plan, 3 months or 6 months. ( My husband and I have a monthly subscription )
This is a late post, and I only took one picture of this month's Crate; however next month I will take more and have it posted in time.

I did look at spoilers before opening my box. It was themed Warriors, and I am not familiar with Bravest Warrior, so I had to do some research on this one.

 

I apologize for the lack of pictures.

Included in the crate is:

Alpha Battle T-shirt:
I love this t-shirt, it has a bunch of popular game characters on it.

Bravest Warriors Bow Tie:
I don't really know what Bravest Warriors are, and I don't have a use for this bow tie, although I have thought of using it in my little one's hair.

GPS Cinch Bag:
I was unsure about this bag until I realized it's a Bravest Warriors bag lol.
I love bags like this, and use them to carry stuff around anytime we take a trip.

Dunny Sideshow or Bot Blind:
I love collectable's like this. I want to collect them all, same goes for the Pop Vinyl Figures.

Bacon Love Card:
 I forgot to add it into the picture, at the time my little one was walking around with it, because.... who doesn't love bacon?! It was a little late for Valentine's Day; but still a cute sentiment.

 Bravest Warriors Digital Comic, and Bravest Warriors Sticker:
I'm going to have a collection of all these awesome themed stickers on one of my walls, sooner or later.

This wasn't my favourite Loot Crate; however I've only ordered two so far. March's theme is TITANS, and I'm excited because it includes another epic t-shirt!
For just under $20, it was definitely worth it. I LOVE Loot Crate and look forward to this months.
 If you're interested in signing up and learning more, click my link here . If you refer a friend ( 4 in total, you get a month FREE )

Weightloss Update- Day 23

Things have been hectic lately, so I haven't had time to update since my last post.
I'm now on day 23 of my 90 day challenge with Visalus. ( I have had two cheat days total, and after them I felt horrible)
I am down 5lbs.
I've been doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred a couple of days a week. This week, I'm doing it 5 days in a row with Saturday off.
I will post a weightloss before and after picture on Day 30,60 and 90 of course.
I'm not seeing any big changes yet, although I do feel WAY better,
I've been drinking one Visalus shake a day, and cutting out processed and sugary foods. ( Eating clean)
I drink a ton of water during the day and I find that I'm more alert, and I'm no longer sleepy in the mornings when waking up at dawn with our daughter.
I have more energy and can stay up later.
I found a couple of good Visalus shake recipes on Pintrest lately, and so far my favourite has been the coffee one.
Here are the three I've been making the most :

The combinations are limitless. If you'd like to join me on my 90 day challenge, contact me. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I will be a better and healthier me for myself, our daughter and my husband.