Surprise!

Okay, so I loving the new gym. The equipment rocks and I started doing cardio again, since I am in love with Zumba. I am still getting a feel for the new equipment, so I feel like I haven’t made some gains as I try to get used to things again. I know, Dumb Bells are Dumb Bells – but they are DIFFERENT dumb bells to me. They just feel different… but I figure that this month I’ll be back to my old pump-sweat-and-ignore-the-crowd self.

I took some photos about two weeks ago and finally got them up for you to see. I am still shocked by how far I’ve come on this journey, but the gains have definitely slowed. I think now it’s about tweaking my diet and routine.

Speaking of diet, if you haven’t read it yet – read my article YOUR STARVING YOURSELF for a quick meal schedule. I think that’s one of the most confusing thing for people wanting to get fit, is they cut their diet too drastically.

Now for photos. I’ve been watching my diet more closely and starting drinking my protein shakes with water instead of milk. Here are the links you can visit to compare these recent ones to the previous set, as well as the beginning set.

JANUARY 17, 2011 PHOTOS

ERIN 2009 – 2010

:drumroll please:

Any questions – just ask!

My niece is so TRENDY and chic, thanks to some help from her mom (my sister). My sister tries to help my niece develop her style with unique clothing and accessory options that you won’t find at your local Children’s Place or Target. Instead, my sister searches online and Amazon for trendy, age appropriate pieces that keeps my niece looking like she came from a catalog.

One of her favorite designers is Ann Loren. It’s high-end style at affordable prices. And once she has on one of those gorgeous outfits, of course she has to complement the style with hair accessories! Once again, why go to the same place everyone else goes when you can find fashionable hair clips, bows and headbands that have a high-end feel to them, yet can fit in a mom-sized budget. My online source for hair bows and more is Bow Allure by Juliet.

If there is a new hot style in girls’ clothing, there is something at Bow Allure that is sure to help finish the look. Animal patterns are definitely in, from adorable bathing suits to faux fur jackets – and you can also see that same trend in these wild Animal Print Bows. Giraffe, Leopard, Zebra and Tiger stripes all leap out at you in fun colors and mixed with a pretty flower to keep it sweet. There are currently 7 Animal Print Bows to choose from. We were sent the traditional white and black Zebra bow (Miami Beach), which is made with 2″ grosgrain ribbon and has a red and black flower in the center. It clips on the hair with a small Alligator Clip. A set of 2 Animal Print Bows retails for $8.95.

Looking for something a little sweeter – then you’ll love the Candy Dot Bows. There are also 2″ grosgrain ribbon options on a small Alligator clip, perfect for pushing back loose hairs to show off a pretty face. There are 5 styles to choose from. There are 3 subtle white ribbons with dime-sized candy-colored dots – choose from light blue, bubblegum pink and red. Then there is a black ribbon option with purple circles and a pink colored ribbon with black circles. I love those darker options, which would look so nice on against brunette hair! ($8.95 for a set of two)

Candy Dot Bows

If you don’t want the bow, but still want a sassy clip, check out the Hair Clip options, from Faux Leather Flower Clips to Big Heart Clips (which SCREAM Valentine’s Day!). A simple choice, good for daily wear, are the Felt Flower Hair Clips. There are 10 different styles to choose from, each has an Alligator Clip lined with a gorgeous ribbon, with a complementing 3 tiered felt flower adorning it. Colorful plaids and mini dots bring some additional contrast to these clips, which are only $6.95 for a set of 2.

And, kind of saving the best for last, Bow Allure has one of the largest selections of Headbands for girls, toddlers and babies. The headbands are separated into age group:

• 0-6 month headbands
• 6-24 month headbands
• Girls Headbands

Madison

Since I have a niece who is 5, I gravitated to the Girls Headbands. They had some gorgeous white, sequin options – perfect for weddings and first communions. And plenty of options were full of personality, I could see my niece wearing them in a heartbeat. I loved the 2″ pink and white polkadot headband with the hot pink peony flower with some crystal bling. Called the Madison, this hot pink option retails for $17.95. And similar in style, but slightly more subdued, is the black and white polkadot option – the Marineland.

Now, that was just a SMALL sampling of what Bow Allure has to offer. They have easily 200 hair accessory options to choose from – giving you one of the largest selections of Boutique-Style bows on the web. You are sure to find something to complement your little girl’s clothes and personality at BowAllure.com!

Win a $25 Gift Certificate to Bow Allure!

SECOND: EXTRA ENTRIES:

To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED/MANDATORY entry. But for extra entries, you can do the following – leave a comment for each:

• Like Bow Allure on Facebook
• Leave Bow Allure a Comment on their Facebook Wall with your favorite hair accessory from their shop!
• Add theMomBuzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per DAY is allowed.)

• Blog about this contest with a link to this contest and BowAllure.com (5 entries, leave 5 comments)
• Follow the Mom Buzz on Facebook

• Subscribe to the Mom Buzz via e-mail.
• Leave a comment on any other post/contest and let me know where.

Contest ends 3.01.11. This is open to the USA. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this buzz. The Mom Buzz did receive samples for review. A Bow Allure rep is handling prize fulfillment. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products!

I little while ago I saw that LegoLand Florida, which opens in 10 months, was selling their annual passes with a special 15 months for the price of 10 deal. I wanted to take advantage of it, but it was said to expire December 31st … and by the time I knew in December I had no extra spending money. I am sure other people wanted to take part but just couldn’t too.

Well – AWESOME NEWS, Floridians! They have extended the deals! And some are super-fantastic! Here are the rates:

All Standard Annual Passes are offered at the children’s prices of $99 with no Blackout Dates!  And if you purchase by April 2011 – you get 15 months for the price of 12. So pretty much you get to go for free in 2011 and are just paying for 2012. I am SO SAVING UP to get these passes! Children under 3 are free. This deal is only available at www.LEGOLAND.com.

“Normal” Passes would be $99 for child, $159 for adult. And they only last 12 months. And just to compare, general admission tickets are $65 for adults and $55 for children and seniors.

Ambassador Lifetime passes are also available at the non-discounted rates of $159/$129 and $2,500 respectively.  These passes includes unlimited admission, discounts on preferred parking, special events, plus discounts on food and merchandise. (Prices do not include sales tax.)

LEGOLAND^® Florida opens in October 2011 and will be a 150-acre interactive theme park dedicated to families with children between the ages of 2 and 12.  With more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, LEGOLAND is geared towards family fun! There are currently four other LEGOLAND Parks in the world – LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad, LEGOLAND Billund in Denmark, LEGOLAND Deutschland near Günzburg, Germany and LEGOLAND Windsor outside of London. The LEGOLAND theme parks are a part of Merlin Entertainments Group, the second largest attractions operator in the world.  For the most current information, log on to www.LEGOLAND.com.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. The Mom Buzz was provided with press with these details. People may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products!

Old School TV – The Mom Buzz’s first time on Daytime