LAST DAY TO WIN A HOOPNOTICA STARTER KIT

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE HOOPNOTICA GIVEAWAY!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!

ONE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AND ANNOUNCED TOMORROW!

GOOD LUCK!

enter here

Huntington Beach!

We are here and having fun! Connor misses his daddy, but was SUCH a great little boy on the plane yesterday (like so good it was scary!) and is pretty much back on his schedule already! We are so lucky and have such an amazing little boy!

A few quick pictures for now!

Also, DON'T FORGET!!! Click HERE to enter my giveaway! You only have until Friday to enter!

Hoopnotica Contest - Last Few Days to Enter! Free Shipping on Etsy Items!

Just a little reminder that the Hoopnotica Workout Introductory Set winner will be chosen on August 1st! That means you have just a few more days to enter! Click here to go to the original contest posting and post a quick comment! If you don't want to leave your email address in the comment, you can email me directly at lindseytomes@hotmail.com with your contact info! It's a super-fun and "pretty" way to "whittle your middle"! This is over a $60 giveaway of products!! Enter today!!

Also, I've been offering FREE SHIPPING on the flower pins in my Etsy shop and the deal ends tomorrow! Check them out!

Happy Sunday!

Tonight's Events - You Won't Even Believe It!

So, we were supposed to head to Lexington for a firm picnic, but we kind-of veered from that. Juuust slightly!

At first we thought we might go to the zoo tonight and play in the toddler splash park area, but then it seemed the weather was going to be a bit cooler than expected (not a big surprise... Louisville is about to set a long-standing record by not having one single day in the 90's... we had them all in May and June! Sheesh!) so we nixed that plan, too!

It just so happened that I saw a sign for the Oldham County Fair, advertising the demolition derby was tonight! Woo hoo! (for those of you reading from big cities, or perhaps just anywhere not in the mid-west or south, this is where a bunch of rednecks get together and watch a bunch of even bigger and crazier rednecks run old and beat-up cars into each other all night long... and yes, we pay to get in and watch!) And although this isn't something I would normally consider "up my alley", there is something about it that was all really enjoy. Maybe it's the crazy-loud V8s, the fire shooting out of the exhausts, or the mud being slung everywhere ... whatever it is, it sure draws a large and enthusiastic crowd!

Connor had a great time.... he was yelling "crash" and "cars" the entire time, plus Jamie bought him one of those seizure-inducing strobe light necklace thingys, which kept him busy for a while!

This is a picture of Jamie and Connor in front of one of the firetrucks (one of like 10 that were there!) I took it on my phone, so it's not great!

All-in-all it was a fun family night! Plus, it was an excuse to hang out outside and eat popcorn and soft pretzels!

Hoopnotica Giveaway: Enter For Your Chance to Win!!

GREEN YOUR WORKOUT BY DITCHING THE TREADMILL
AND JUMPING INTO A HOOP THIS SUMMER!

There is a new “Green” workout movement sweeping
across the nation that’s fun and beneficial to your
health: using a Hoop as a form of exercise and as a
way to wiggle away those extra pounds to get in
shape for bikini season!

Celebrities such as Marissa Tomei, Liv Tyler, and Beyonce are finding a slimmer, sexier,
and more toned version of themselves in the hoop. Ryan Seacrest of E! News describes
Hoopnotica as “Part dance, part exercise and ALL fun”.

Hooping is as simple as spinning a weighted adult sized hoop rhythmically around the
waist. Hoopnotica provides an energizing, effective, and low impact workout that
tones muscles, increases flexibility, improves coordination, and strengthens the
cardiovascular system. Simply hooping around the waist burns an average of 300
calories an hour, where more vigorous hooping can burn up to 600 calories an hour!

Hoopnotica would like to offer the awesome readers of this blog the opportunity to win an intro to Hoopnotica kit, which includes a choice of travel hoop and an introductory DVD!!

Alright ladies, here's your chance to win your very own Hoopnotica Hoop and Level 1 DVD... just like the one I reviewed in this post last week! The contest will run today through the 31st!! It's easy!! Here's how to enter:

1.) Simply leave a comment on this post talking about your health and fitness goals, and

2.) What you find most appealing/ exciting about trying Hoopnotica!

3.) Don't forget to leave an email address in your comment if you do not have a blogspot account where I can access your contact info!

At the end of the month, one winner will be randomly chosen! They will receive a brand new hoop and DVD straight from Hoopnotica!

ENTER NOW!!

Recent Activity w/ Connor

Whoa have we been busy lately .... hence the lack of posting in the last week or two. However, it's only going to get worse with our impending 2 week long trip across the country ... for which I feel like I should have started packing like - 3 weeks ago!

It seems like summer is go go go non-stop because there are so many fun things to be doing outside! We've been visiting local baseball teams' games in the evening, hanging out by the river at favorite hot-spots, and hitting up the neighborhood pool. Not to mention, my sister is now officially done with summer classes and her temp job, so she's able to come over and play with us now!

So, here are some pics from our recent activities!!

Swinging in a big-boy-swing at our family reunion in J. Town

Watching the fireworks at the Louisville Bat's Baseball game!
We love going on Friday.... because there's fireworks!

At the Lexington Legends Baseball game with people from Jamie's work!

So cute!

Running down the hill toward the river at Captain's Quarters

PS - Be sure to check back tomorrow! I'll be posting information about a give-away I'm hosting where one lucky blog reader will win something awesome!!

Weekly Weigh-In: Week 6

This week started off really well... but I've had some mild to moderate stomach issues since about Thursday that have yet to subside (NO IDEA what's going on.... I'll keep you posted if I ever find out!) BUT, I had an awesome workout on Saturday, attending 2 of the best classes at my gym that morning! I burned 850 calories in that workout alone! I've also been trying to incorporate more of the Hoopnotica workout into my home routines ... I am so over crunches right now!

So here are the stats:

Accomplishments

Calories Burned: 2538

Total Workouts: 8

Total Workout Time: 7:28

One more week until we leave for Huntington Beach for 2 weeks... which basically means living in a bathing suit! Ahh!

"Hoopnotica: Find Youself in The Hoop": Review

As many of you know, I have been on an attempted health-kick lately. I read in a magazine recently that a lot of celebs have been using the "Hoopnotica" workout to slim and trim their waistlines. When I read this, I had to go check it out myself. As an avid "hooper" in the 80's and early 90's, I figured this might be a workout for me. Here's my take so far...

General Info:

Where to purchase: Hoopnotica.com (I really wasn't able to find any used ones on eBay or anything, or I would have done that! Although, it's easy to find additional DVD's for Hoopnotica on eBay, Amazon, etc...)

Price: about $50 for the starter set (plus shipping - bummer!) You can buy just a hoop or instructional DVD (but what's the point?) for less, but a starter set is the best deal. I purchased the "NEW & IMPROVED Hoopnotica Fitness Travel Hoop" and added a Level 1 DVD for about $67 with shipping.

What is it? You get a hoop (choose between travel hoop that breaks apart, and regular) and an instructional DVD. The point is to learn how to "Hoop Dance". The DVD breaks down the basics of "Hoop Dancing" and then show combinations at the end. There is also a stretch / warm up section at the beginning, as well. (of course I skip that ... but that's just how I am!)

My Review:

The hoop arrived in about a week (but July 4th was in there, so it should have been less!) via UPS. The packaging for the hoop was very pretty (the box that is .... it doesn't really matter ... but it's pretty!)

The travel hoop is super easy to snap together and apart. I choose the travel hoop because I could travel with it (duh!) and so it would fit in a smaller sized box when I decided to hock it on eBay after getting frustrated and sick of it (honestly, that did factor into the equation!) The hoop is larger and heavier than the one you had in your garage middle school, and the website claims that using a toy hoop would not result in the same benefits as this 'special' hoop.

I was excited to get started, so I chose the "getting started" menu selection. There is a warm up {skip} and then they start into the basics of hooping. It gets harder as you progress from 'waist hooping', to 'hip hooping', 'passing and floating', 'halos', etc...

Moment of Truth:

This is hard!! Not so much hard in the sense of cardio strengthening, but difficult in general. IF I had not already been pretty decent at waist hooping, I would have given up on this immediately and pawned it on eBay. HOWEVER, since I had already mastered that first skill, it gave me the patience to go further. Each skill has taken me about 20-30 minutes to even get, and I still haven't mastered them yet.

I think if I keep working at it 3-4 times per week for about 20 minutes, I'll eventually be able to do all the moves on the "Beginner's" DVD that I bought with the hoop. For some reason, I am truly motivated to get this thing down. Not only does it work the waist , but it looks pretty and impressive when you're doing it!

Bottom Line:

If you do not know how to hula-hoop at all, I would not buy this. If you have a dance background and can hula-hoop, this is a fun addition to your regular, boring workout. Are you going to shed like 10 pounds a week? NO. Maybe once you are a super expert... so if I ever get to that point, maybe I'll come back and re-review.

I'm going to keep working at it. Right now, I use the Hoopnotica routine and practice time as a warm-up before I do my cardio dance DVD or the elliptical. There is a huge sense of accomplishment when you are finally able to complete a difficult move... so it can be fun and rewarding .... but also frustrating!

Week 5: Weigh-In

So, things are not much better after this weekend's constant festivities! However, I've been trying to be good! I'm also using the ACV more religiously ... but I'm not sure it can combat 5 vodka cranberries and Taco Bell ... if so, I need to be buying it in bulk!!

Accomplishments:

Calories Burned: 2063
Number of Workouts: 5
Total Time of Workouts: 6:00

Major Bumps in the Road: Women's Club Murder Mystery night on Saturday. Lot's of eating and drinking. This definitely was no conducive to maintaining my weight goals OR working out the next morning! Enjoy the pics, though!! ;)

The theme was "Class of '85 Reunion". I was the "Math Team Cheerleader"

Jamie was the "Math Team Captain"! Is that a calculator in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

I MIGHT Have Done These Things ;)

I might have borrowed this idea from fellow blogger and sorority sister's blog here...

"I guess it's time to list the things I might have done since, well, last Thursday!

If you want to play too, simply make a list of things that you might have done and leave a comment so we can visit your blog and feel a little better about our own list!"

I might have opened a package of Goldfish crackers while we were still shopping in Target... and I might have blamed it on Connor, even though I was the one who was hungry and cranky!

I might have rolled my eyes when I saw a MAN driving a car with tons of Pro-Life stickers on it ... because I might make my own bumper sticker that might say something about being pro-circumcision or pro-vasectomy (or something else that only involves men's bodies).

I might have filled up the baby pool out on the deck for myself to layout in (and, again, blamed it on Connor!)

I might have gotten way, super, overly excited when I remembered Connor was going to need a lunch box for his preschool that starts in August... and I might have gotten online and immediately started adding things to my PBK virtual shopping cart... and I might be monogramming everything because it's so cute. I might be one-of-those moms!

I might have just picked up large pieces of dirt and dog hair off the carpet and pretended like I vacuumed it!

I might have eaten an entire, Costco-sized tub of hummus in less than a week. I might also be starring on next season's 'Dance Your Ass Off ' if I continue eating like that!

I might have chosen going to the pool over Gymboree AND grocery shopping this week.

**Are there things you MIGHT have done this past week? If you are going to make a list, be sure to post a comment here so we can look at your list when you post it! **

July 4th Pics

Below is the link to the July 4th pics I posted from our trip to the lake!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2322025&id=12928981&l=bdf58ff4d0

Week 4: Weekly Check-In

OMG!!! I am not even going to give this much of my time this week because last week and the weekend were SO BAD!!! But, I will still provide my workout totals! I've already been very good this week, so I'm hoping next week will be better! I also received my Hoopnotica workout DVD and hoop today, so I'll be reviewing that soon, as well!

Accomplishments:

Calories Burned: 2295

Number of Workouts: 7

Total Time of Workouts: 5:43

Happy Monday!