Monday - Bathrooms

I currently sitting amid piles of moving boxes and general messiness. I'm still gonna keep up with my new basic lists.

I know I need to work on my photography skills, but you get the basic idea. Here are my cleaning goals for the day.

Now must get away from the computer and get some check marks on these.

Confessions

I don't really know how to say this, so I'll just go ahead and put it this way: the whole "going green" thing ain't workin out. It's just not me. While I do like the idea of living more sustainably, going completely green isn't the way I'm going to be going about it. I'll try for a little explanation on what happened..

This year was pretty traumatic to say the least. My dad was diagnosed with liver cancer and given weeks to live and my mom had a minor heart attack. During this time I had an epiphany. I did lots of research because we were so frustrated with the way the doctors handled the situations. It was nothing out of the ordinary in the medical profession really, I suppose it was just because it was my parents that I took note.

My dad's doctor basically walked in and told him (on my birthday) that he had liver cancer and should get his affairs in order. My mom's doctor did a procedure (stints) and sent her home with a standard pamphlet on how to live from now on. Really?

So I started my own research on natural cancer cures and what to do after a heart attack. I went pretty deep. So far in fact that I determined that we were going to start eating all natural, healthy, meatless, vegan even. I also learned a lot about all the dangerous chemicals that are in our everyday products such as cleaning products, laundry detergent, even bath soaps.

I got really excited, everyone was gonna change everything. I looked up new ingredients and found recipes for natural cleaning products, shampoos, soaps, everything. Then, to my complete and utter shock, nobody else was interested. I visited my parents to find my mom frying pork chops and my dad eating endless bowls of reese's cups. I was rather confused. Why wasn't everyone as excited about this as I was?

Slowly I began to lose interest too. Although I've learned alot and still have an awareness of what we're eating and using to clean, I've realized that I want to eat steaks every now and again and I want my Dawn dishwashing liquid. I will continue to look for ways to live a better life, but not at the expense of my own sanity. It really was beginning to drive me crazy.

My dad passed away on December 3, 2012. I have to admit that until the very end, I thought he was gonna pull through even though every sign pointed against it. My mom, who had moved in to take care of him, has since moved into my place and I am now living at my dad's house. I still have a lot to "process". For now, I'm going to concentrate on what I know and who I am rather than trying to be something that I am not. Life is too short for that.

So, who am I?

Part of who I am is a stay at home wife and mom. My husband works out of town (painting and construction type work) so its just me and the kids the majority of the time. We live paycheck to paycheck and have for awhile. We live in a two bedroom mobile home in a very small town in middle Tennessee. I have three girls, one of whom chose to live with her dad. They are 15, 6, and 2 years old so I get a little bit of everything. I also have an 8 year old stepson that we don't get to see very much.

My husband and I are complete and total opposites with not much in common, but I love him all the same. We got married on the 4th of July in 2009 at my sister's house.

My 15 year old, Marion, is a captain on the color guard and is a sophomore in high school. Madilyn is 6 and is a peewee cheerleader (she was homecoming princess this year :), Mya is my 2 year old, she will be three in January and is still not potty trained and takes a bottle before bed. We are working on both of those issues but I would also like to add that she is super smart, if I do say so myself, and a fabulous dancer.

I have a kitten, who has yet to be named, and a dog named Pipes that I just inherited from my dad. I think he misses him as much or more than we do.

My car is a clunker, the reverse doesn't work, the driver side window won't roll down, the windows leak and it needs new brakes. I can't remember what kind it is off the top of my head, but its red. (I think its a Pontiac)

I have a big sister who is also a fellow blogger at Down South Savings. She is much more committed to blogging than I have been, hope you'll check out her blog. She has 4 kids, all about a year apart, the oldest is 15. She has 4 dogs, 2 cats, 2 hamsters, fish, frogs, horses, goats, chickens, and a husband and yet she manages to have an active blog.

I still smoke. I've tried quitting and have been unsuccessful so far.

I've gained about 15 pounds this past year (that's an estimate, I rarely weigh myself). I don't obsess over my weight but when I notice weight gain I do try to get some exercise in. On my "green" journey I discovered yoga was a pretty good fit for me and intend to work more into my schedule.

As for the other "parts" of who I am, I could go into the philosophical answer (which I intend to do here - My Journey to Spirituality) - yes I know there is nothing there, seems I'm a bit of a procrastinator.

Things that I like are entering sweepstakes and giveaways which I do more of here - Playing for Sweeps, or at least I will once I get myself back on track.

I also like organizing and am working on an updated version of my household notebook which I will be posting soon. I like gardening, I'm definitely an amateur but I enjoy doing it. I like decorating and DIY projects and will be focusing more on that in upcoming posts. I'm also very frugal (not always by choice) and I hope I'll be able to share some ideas on that here as well. You will be seeing some changes and reconstruction going on around here, all for the better (at least that's the goal).

Some of you may be asking if I feel like I've failed. My answer is a simple No. I feel many things right now and failure is not among them. One of the things that I do feel is relief after having written this post. I feel like some pressure has been taken off and it is a good feeling.

I thank you for stopping by.

Happy Holidays 2012 Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Happy Holidays Giveaway Hop hosted by Mom to Bed by 8 and Life With Two Boys!

The holidays will be before you know it so to make things a little easier on you and your wallet we decided to give you an opportunity to WIN your gifts this year! Several awesome blogs have to come together to bring you some amazing prizes that will look great sitting under your tree Christmas morning. After you enter our giveaway make sure you hop around to the rest of the participating blogs for more chances to win!

My Journey to Living Well has partnered with Gaiam to bring you Rodney Yee's Core Centered Yoga DVD along with a Yoga Essentials Block Giveaway! 

Click here to read my full review and enter to win on the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Along with all of the individual prizes we also have TONS of awesome Grand Prizes for everyone on your list including Baby, Kids (boys and girls), Teens, and Adults. The Grand Prizes include a Babyhome Emotion Stroller, Little Tikes Classic Castle, Pillow Pets Dream Lites, Pillow Racers, Furby, $50 The Children's Place Gift Card, Nokia Lumia 900, and a Keurig Elite Brewing System!

Enter the Grand Prizes here!

Disclaimer: Please note that the Happy Holidays Giveaway Hop hosts and participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prize. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation that they will fulfill their prize in a timely manner. While we are not responsible, we will make every effort to assist the winner in obtaining their prize.

Gaiam Rodney Yee's Core CenteredYoga DVD Review

Gaiam's Rodney Yee's Core CenteredYoga DVD Review

Rodney Yee's Core Centered Yoga is all about balance. Being a beginner at yoga, that is exactly what I needed. I stretched muscles I didn't know that I had using this DVD, I mean honestly, who knew there were so many ways to turn your legs? 

Giving Green 2012 Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Giving Green 2012 Giveaway Hop! A great group of bloggers have gotten together to give you many chances to win GREEN gifts for holidays. Giving green for the holidays says "I love you" in more ways than one! You'll find a linky at the bottom of this post to enter all the giveaways and enter to win the Grand Prize which is valued at over $350! The more giveaways you enter, the more entries you can earn toward the Grand Prize.

My Journey to Living Well is proud to have teamed up with Gaiam to offer you a way to both give green and help with those inevitable New Year's resolutions. We will be giving away Maya Fiennes' Yoga for Real Life DVD and a Taos Stainless Steel Water Bottle.

Please click here to read my full review of these awesome products then enter to win on the Rafflecopter below. This giveaway will run from 11/12/12 to 11/27/12.

Gaiam Maya Fiennes' Yoga for Real Life Review

Maya Fiennes' Yoga for Real Life from Gaiam

I have heard for quite awhile about the positive effects that yoga can have your life and health. Recently, I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to experience it first hand when I received the Maya Fiennes' Yoga for Real Life DVD from Gaiam :

Maya Fiennes combines her talents as a successful classical pianist and performer with her upbeat personality to create a unique style of Kundalini yoga for modern living. In this 60-minute practice, she takes you through a series of exercises to stimulate the powerful centers in the body, the chakras. Through breathing techniques, movements and mantras, Maya demonstrates how to clear the mind and body, allowing viewers to tap into the universal forces and manifest anything in life. 60 minutes. Made in the USA.

I have to say that I was very impressed with my first real taste of yoga (okay, I have done a few poses from my Wii, but I don't know if that really counts?) Maya Fiennes was very easy to follow along with and the DVD began with a short chant and then a warm up. I was a little skeptical about the chanting in the beginning and frankly felt a little silly doing it, but once I got the hang of it, I'm really glad that I did it. There is something about it that really puts things into perspective and I'm not sure yet how to express it.

What stood out the most is how very relaxing it is. As a former classical pianist she has made great use of her musical knowledge and creates a very calming vibe throughout the entire DVD. Maya uses breathing techniques, meditation, and yoga to help you get into a very balanced state. She talks about balancing your chakras and stimulating the kundalini. I have personally researched techniques for balancing and opening chakras for awhile now and I feel like the techniques included in this DVD are very effective. I felt much more clear headed and calm when I was finished. I would recommend this program for anyone looking into trying yoga for spiritual, mental and physical health as this DVD covers all three aspects.

The folks over at Gaiam offer Maya Fiennes' Yoga for Real Life DVD along with many other yoga DVDs and a whole line of yoga products and accessories. They also included a Taos Stainless Steel Water Bottle that is 100% recyclable, light weight and a great alternative to plastic water bottles. Plus its purple, and I love the color purple ;)

For a limited time you can purchase Gaiam Yoga products for 20% off. Click the banner below for the sale or enter to win your own copy of Maya Fiennes' Yoga for Real Life DVD and a Taos Stainless Steel Water Bottle compliments of Gaiam as part of the Giving Green 2012 Giveaway Hop!

Disclaimer: I received the above mentioned products in order to facilitate my review. I was not monetarily compensated. My opinions are my own and may differ from yours. This post contains affiliate links.

Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway

Melissa and Doug are celebrating the holidays by featuring their list of the "Terrific Twenty" Holiday Gifts for 2012! And they are having a Melissa and Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway on their Facebook page! You can enter to win a toy from the Terrific Twenty List everyday! Head over and get your entries in!

Click Here To Enter!

This giveaway is open to US Residents only. For other details and complete rules please refer to the Melissa and Doug Facebook Giveaway page. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was not monetarily compensated for this post. I will receive one of the above listed products for review.

Homeward Bound Sale at Modcloth 25% Off!

I recently posted about a website I just found and LOVE and now they are having a sale!



Save big with ModCloth's ModCloth Homeward Bound Sale! The Homeward Bound Sale offers a great selection of holiday-ready products at an exciting 25% off discount. The featured products are all about going home, getting cozy, and going out! Get ready for the holidays and save with ModCloth.



Here are just a few of the products that they have on sale now!
Click on any of the links to go see the rest.

Armed With Technology Tea Infuser ModCloth	Say High-low to Your Little Dress ModCloth	Lady of the Flower Slipper ModCloth
Natural Likeness Lantern ModCloth	Fawn of Your Style Necklace ModCloth	Scoops of Flower Measuring Spoons ModCloth
Secret Ingredient Spoon ModCloth	Deer Me Out Leggings ModCloth	Fresh Skills Utensil Set ModCloth

Disclosure: This post DOES contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase an item through my link I will earn a small profit. I only post things that I support and/or really really like and would buy myself. Hope you enjoy!

Have you checked out ModCloth?

They have the cutest stuff! 

One of These Days Calendar - $16.99 Get all your dates straight with this incredibly cute calendar! Featuring fun and fanciful designs by illustrator Fiona Hewitt, whose signature color-saturated, vector-style aesthetic blends Asian artistic influences with kitschy cuteness, it's a unique way to mark each day. Made from recycled card, it's eco-friendly as well as helpfully handy! Turn the four dials on the back to reveal the day, date, and month, and use the attached hook to hang it in the perfect place where you'll always see it and smile.

Contain Your Excitement Coffee Canister - $14.99 When you mix marvelous baking skills, a dreamy sense of style, and that irresistible charm, it's no big surprise that your breakfast nook has become a hangout! Whether youre chatting over a game of cards or reflecting on your most recent favorite novel, the group can be captivated by the fragrance from the oven while they admire this fantastical container by artist Fiona Hewitt of UK-based Wu Wu. Illustrated in her signature style, which blends bright colors, an alluring cast of characters, and kitschy, Asian-inspired details, this clamp-to-close canister boasts a heroine on carousel horseback who is hungry for adventure. Framed by lovely scalloped trim, she plans to prance along this canisters dotted pink exterior with a few friends at her side. Just seal your signature blend beneath its pale blueberry lid, and this adorable accessory will keep your guests delighted by the dozens!

Disclosure: This post DOES contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase an item through my link I will earn a small profit. I only post things that I support and/or really really like and would buy myself. Hope you enjoy!