Weight Loss Update - January 2013

If you've been keeping up with my weight loss updates, you'll notice that my ticker is going the wrong direction. Truthfully, I think part of that is due to the fact that I haven't been exercising. However, now that I've started my job, one of the homes I'll be working in is 3 stories so I'll be up and down and up and down and up and down again. While it might take a while for my body to register this as exercise, I think it will help. Also, I spend most of my 8 hour awake shifts on my feet at that house. I really hope this helps get the ticker moving in the right direction.

As far as eating goes, I have been eating quite a bit more fast food than I have in the past. At the same time, I haven't been eating a proper meal during my 8 hour awake shifts either. I think this may be confusing my body and causing it to want to hold on to any calories it gets after my shift. I'm no doctor or nutritionist, but I kind of think that may be the case.

Going into February I want to be more aware of what I'm eating and just move around more in general. I think it will be easier than in months past and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Are you on a weight loss journey too? How is yours coming? Any tips or tricks you'd like to share?

Foodie Fridays - A few thoughts and questions

When I first started this blog, Foodie Friday was one of the first series type things I got going. Since then I've missed a few (or a lot) of Fridays here and there due to whatever reason. I've tried to keep it a weekly staple though. Now that my work schedule is a bit more demanding and I don't always have time to do a new recipe every week or I might not always try a new food product every week (we're in a food rut right now), it's getting a bit harder to keep it going on a weekly basis. So here are a few questions for you readers:

• Would something like every other week work out ok for Foodie Friday posts? - I feel like doing them every other week would free up a day for other things I'd like to write about as well, maybe giving me a chance to do more journal style blogging mixed into the reviews, etc. that I post.

 

• Do you prefer themed Foodie Fridays - ie. the Christmas cookie posts in December, the summer veggies posts in August - or just random whatever floats my boat at the moment posts - sometimes recipes, sometimes food reviews, etc?

 Ok so i thought I had more questions, but I guess not. Basically I'd like a little input here in what direction to take Foodie Fridays. I can't take them completely away as I genuinely enjoy them too. It's just not feasible at this point in time to continue to do them weekly.

Thanks for your opinions!

What's in my Birchbox - January 2013

The theme of the January 2013 Birchbox is "Best Year Ever." They've included products that they feel will get you off to a great start this year.

Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum

Full size - $25 : Sample - $1.03

I'm kind of excited to try this. I recently had 4 inches cut off my hair and it's much less frizzy now than it was, but there are still some times when it just needs a little something extra to help the frizz calm down. You can use this serum before heat styling to protect from the heat or alone to control frizz. Sounds good to me!

alessandro Nail Polish in Blue Lagoon

Full size - $12 : Sample - $6

I have been addicted to nail polish lately so this is a great addition to my collection. I know some people complain about getting sample sizes of nail polish, but for me it's perfect. I rarely (if ever) use a full sized bottle of nail polish until it's all gone. It gets clumpy and lumpy and generally not good long before the whole bottle is gone. With a smaller size I feel like I at least have a chance at finishing it. This blue is really pretty and it looks darker in person than it does in this picture.

theBalm cosmetics Put a Lid On It Eyelid Primer

Full size - $18 : Sample - $5.64

I currently use ELF eyelid primer and I'm almost out so this couldn't have come at a better time. I think the ELF primer is the only one I've really tried so far so it will be nice to have something to compare it to. I believe this is a new theBalm product debuting in 2013, so if you didn't get it in your Birchbox and you're excited to try it, keep an eye out for it at the store.

Harvey Prince Skinny Chic

Full size - $55 : Sample - $2.20

To me, this smells similar to Cool Water. The info card that Birchbox sent says it's a blend of Meyer lemon, white grapefruit and pink plumeria. However, the sample packaging says green apple, mint and amber and the Birchbox website says apple, mint and grapefruit. Apparently, just take your pick of fruits and there you go. Because I'm awful at describing scents that aren't obvious, like vanilla, I'll just tell you that I like it.

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream

Full size - $42 : Sample - $3.36

I like face creams but I'm usually kind of wary of them causing breakouts. This one is supposed to improve elasticity and radiance, protect from free radicals and hydrate for 24 hours. What I may end up doing is using this more around my eyes where I have some issues with dark circles and fine lines. It sounds like it might be helpful around that area.

Box total: $18.23

What do you think of the new format for these posts? I can go back to the old ones if people prefer but I personally think this is easier to read and follow.

Do you get a Birchbox? What did you get in yours?

Bead/Pearl Bangle Bracelets - Project Pinspiration #3

I'm generally not a jewelry person but I'd like to be. I'd also like to not spend a billion dollars to start and build my collection so I thought these bracelets might be a cute way to start. They looked really easy so that was a big factor too.

My sister and I sat down one Sunday afternoon to make our own bracelets. I got the bangles at Hobby Lobby, but had some problems finding exactly what I was looking for. I couldn't find actual meant to be jewelry bangle bracelets so I ended up buying some macrame rings that looked like they would fit over my hand and around my wrist.

They were a pack of 6 for about $2.50

For the beads, I used some small pearl things I had a TON of here at home already. I just used hot glue and worked my way around the ring gluing and sticking the beads on.

We just used embroidery floss we had at home as well.

The instructions say to wrap about 2 or 3 times around between the beads, and I tried that with the pink one.

 While I think it turned out pretty well, I really like how the blue one came out better. I wrapped that one 4 times around between the beads.

 I think that part of it is because I like the blue color more, but I also think it looks more full and just generally looks better. I attribute this to the wrapping around 4 times since that's the only difference between the two.

So what do you think? Will you be trying these bracelets too? I'd love to see how yours turn out!

How to Get Products to Review - BzzAgent

The first two posts in this series are available here and here.

This post will look at another great resource that encourages product testing and honest reviews:

3. BzzAgent

BzzAgent is a free to join, word of mouth marketing site that connects users/consumers (that's people like us) with products. As with Influenster, however, the products don't just magically show up on your doorstep. There is a bit of leg work both prior to and after receiving products.

One major difference between BzzAgent and Influenster is that the things you need to do before and after receiving products tend to be much less for BzzAgent than Influenster. That does not in any way, shape or form mean that you should put any less into your BzzAgent requirements than your Influenster ones. The biggest reason why there tends to be less stuff to do for BzzAgent is that they send products one at a time, instead of a whole box of goodies at once ala Influenster.

BzzAgent encourages things such as sending informational Tweets, Facebook posts and writing blog reviews of the products you receive. They also give you the option of spreading your opinions face-to-face and over the phone and have a form you fill out each time you do one of those. I think this is a plus that I wish Influenster had because I often tell people in person about the products I've been using but there doesn't seem to be a way to get credit for that on some of the other sites.

So by now I bet you're wondering how you qualify for the various products and what kind of products you might see. Like just about every other site that is based on word of mouth marketing, they want to make sure to match products with the correct people - ie they don't want to give a chocolate bar with nuts to someone who has a peanut allergy.

You take surveys about your likes, dislikes, various habits, etc. and then they match you with upcoming BzzCampaigns as they call them. If you're a match for a particular campaign you get an invitation to join. You then have the option of accepting the invitation, and thus sampling the product, or you don't have to accept it if you don't want to.

Once you receive your product(s) you just spread the word about it - what you liked, how you used it, if it was helpful, etc. You can do this by sending Tweets, posting Facebook messages and all that other good stuff I listed earlier in this post. You then fill out forms on the particular BzzCampaign page to get credit for it. The more you talk about the products and let BzzAgent know about those conversations, the more likely you are to continue to get products you qualify for in the future.

The products available to sample are all over the place. They've had BzzCampaigns for things like cereal, adult beverages (read: beers and liquor), beauty products, milk...and lots more! I've been a member since mid-August and have already participated in seven BzzCampaigns!

Do you Bzz? What has been your favorite BzzCampaign so far?