Achieve something great in April!

I've been trying a few different things to hit my target weight and ran across this fun idea. I'm hoping it'll give me that final push I need (with your help!!). 

Anyone interested? It starts April 1st. The more folks we have the bigger than pot. 

Join with me! We'll have lots of fun! :)   

(click the link above to get more info and sign up!)

Also feel free to invite your friends. I'm really excited about this!

I'm also setting up a facebook group so let me know if you want in just to get motivated.

When TV celebrities tweet me

I have a good handful of posts on my blog about a little love I have with Boy Meets World (like here and here and the others here).

So naturally when word spread that the spin off show Girl Meets World was coming out I started gathering all the news from news sites and following the cast on twitter. The beauty of this day and age though is fan mail is a little bit easier to get to your favorite (tweeting) celebrity.

Girl Meets World started filming their pilot last week so of course the cast was all a buzz with pictures and tweets from the set. I tweeted Teo (who plays the older brother to Riley-the girl from the title and Topanga and Cory's son) today asking him what his favorite part was about working with Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel and HOLY COW Danielle & Teo both started talking to me!! Fan girl melt down. I have a major girl crush on the lovely Danielle. And can't wait to see what Teo and Rowan have in store for us. Here's a bit of my days excitement yesterday:

 And here's the picture they were chatting about. :)

Teo's picture from Instagram

Rowan tweeted this one of Rider Strong, Sabrina Carpenter, herself (Rowan Blanchard), and Will Friedle. 

Here's a fun article on yahoo that includes most of the pictures I've seen from the cast. Includes a few set shots and a handful of the current and old cast.

When Authors Tweet Me :)

Social media sure is great. Last night a few friends and I were discussing the awesomeness of one of our favorite authors on Twitter. The subject got brought up that we all had friends with conservative reading habits and so when we suggest a book we might warn of language or a particular scene.  AND GUESS WHAT!!! He totally joined in on the conversation!!!! Yes MARKUS ZUSAK, author of The Book Thief, and my favorite, I am the Messenger. YOU GUYS this made my day!

I first read his books when he came to Utah for a signing (almost two years ago). I've been a fan since!

Then, a few hours later GUESS WHAT!!! I got another tweet from the lovely Morgan Matson (Amy & Roger's Epic Detour)! Grated it was about our choices for delicious snacks on our Monday night movies but still! I love getting the chance to hear about the normal lives of some great people, and sometimes, if you're lucky, hear back from them!

Stop Dieting Winner

Congratulations!!

Christie won the book Stop Dieting and Start Losing Weight by Jen Brewer, RD 
I'll be contacting you about your prize!

Thanks everyone for stopping by to enter. I'll have another giveaway up in a week or two.

Marriage Monday: Listen and Understand

"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand. Most people listen with the intent to reply."

-Stephen R. Covey

You can find my other Marriage Monday's here.

Reading Report 5

What I read from February 24- March 10

 My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick 

Contemporary YA about a young girl trying to find her place.

I'd dare say one of my most favorite reads so far this year! 

Falling Leaves: The Memoir Of An Unwanted 

Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

Read for bookclub. A memoir about a young girl in a 

large family with a wealthy father and her evil stepmother. 

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti 

A contemporary YA about high school bullying. 

Love in the Afternoon by Alison Packard  

A romance about two soap opera tv stars. 

Stop Dieting and Start Losing Weight: 

25 Lifestyle Changes to Control Your Weight for Good 

by Jen Brewer

A review book. You can win a copy here!

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi  
A YA, dystopia, maybe science fiction novel. 
Mainly about a girl trying to survive when she finds out she's forced to leave the home/world she knew.

Marriage Monday: Magic Five Hours

A few weeks ago I talked about how a six-second kiss could do wonders for your marriage. This week I wanted to share a weekly goal.

First let's think about the amount of time, each week, that we invest in things that are important to us or that we enjoy. A list could include things like watching tv, reading, working out, playing ball, sewing, visiting with friends, playing video games, volunteering in the community, surfing the web, cooking, and other hobbies.

I love the following quote. The idea that if we invest time, devote specific time, to something that is important (like our relationship) we'll be more successful!

"After observing couples who had attended a couples' workshop and continued to make gains in their relationship, Dr. John Gottman created the Magic Five Hours a Week to show couples how to reconstruct their week in a way that allows them to continually make positive connections and strengthen their relationship. We know that nearly every couple has a million excuses for why they don't spend enough time working on their relationship. Between work, chores, and family commitments, working on your relationship often falls somewhere near the bottom on the list of your priorities. When it only takes five hours per week to make your relationship a priority, there is really no excuse for not doing so!" 

-Source: Gottman Blog "The Magic Five Hours a Week" post

For example:

Chatting at the end of the day. (Unwinding, sharing, retelling events from the day.)
Daily: 20 minutes a day x 5 working days
Weekly total: 1 hr 40 min

Date night
Weekly total: 1+ hours

With just those two things we're already up to almost 3+ hours!

What are ways you can add to your 'magic five hours' for the week?
date night out (or in!)
physical affection (hugs/kisses when parting or passing by, the 6 second kiss!)
compliments
pillow talk
sex
conversation during mealtimes
laughing together
helping each other out with a project
nightly walk
work in the yard
watch a movie
discuss each others days

Are you investing enough time into your relationship?

~Take 1 minute and write down 3 or 4 ways 

you can add to your 'magic five hours' this week.

You can find my other Marriage Monday's here

Review & Giveaway: Stop Dieting and Start Losing Weight by Jen Brewer, RD

Title: Stop Dieting and Start Losing Weight: 25 Lifestyle Changes to Control Your Weight for Good
Author: Jen Brewer
Genre: Weight Loss, Self-Help
Release Date: Dec 2012
ISBN: 9781462110636
Publisher: Plain Sight Publishing
Pages: 159
Add it: Goodreads | Shelfari 

My review:
With Jen Brewers background as a registered dietitian she not only tells you what works but why it works. There is practical, common sense, easy-to-do tips. Like she says, start with a few of her tips, ones that you can handle. Mold them into your life and make permanent changes. My favorite part, one that my husband and I talk about all the time, any diet works if you consume less calories than you burn. It's all about making smart choices and lifestyle changes.

The book includes: 25 lifestyle changing tips, a sample food journal, nutrition checklists, a meal-planning worksheet, charts to determine your caloric need, delicious sample recipes and more.

About the book:
Only a permanent change will bring permanent results. The good news is you can do it! Using only four core principles along with a wealth of tools and recipes to get you started, this refreshing book is the perfect tool for anyone who wants to get off the diet rollercoaster and maintain a healthy, happy life.

Buy it: 

Giveaway:
I have one copy (sent to me from Plain Sight & Cedar Fort) that I'd like to give away to one of my readers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Albion Fit Winner

Congratulations to the winner:
Elyse!
(entry # 77 w/ a tweet!)

You win your choice of color of Albion Fit Racerback!

Congrats, and thanks everyone for stopping by to enter.

Marriage Monday: Successful Marriages Tele-Retreat (Presented by The Dating Divas)

The Dating Divas is a pretty fun site to follow for tons and tons of fantastic ideas.  They have loads of ideas on dating your spouse and (my favorite) strengthening your marriages!

But mostly today I wanted to share with you something that I think is brilliantly exciting!!!!

The Dating Diva's are hosting Successful Marriages Tele-Retreat III

(So you can attend/listen in from ANYWHERE!)

It'll be 2 days long (March 21-23)

6 expert speakers with a fun variety of topics to enhance your marriage.

And, it's

FREE!

Get more information and register on their website (or try here)

And get more info on the Facebook Events Page

I'm signed up and excited to hear all about it. 

Are you planning on it? 

You can find my other Marriage Monday's here