Tag Archives: the skimm

Macy’s – Back to School with Radio Disney

Posted on September 3 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

This is a sponsored post, but the excitement and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting my family!

Can you believe that schools are already back in session?! I know some of you sent your kids back to school in mid-August but in Western NY most schools don’t go back until a day or two after Labor Day. But, believe it or not, we’ve already hit that mark!!

My Facebook feed is chock FULL of posts from all of my friends who are sending their kids back to school. It’s an exciting time, even for those who were not quite ready to send their kiddos (this will be me in a few years). Kids are loving that they get to show off their new clothes, backpacks, pens or paper, and parents are excited to experience some peach and quiet. 🙂

With the start of the new school year, Emmett’s day care decided to switch kids around – some got moved up to the older grade and others moved to a new classroom. Emmett was one of the ones who got to move up! I know he can’t express himself perfectly, yet, but I’m pretty sure he was excited. He is going to be with more kids his age and have a whole new room, with a whole new lot of toys!! Who would complain about that!?

Also, with the new school year brings the very first school year weekend, which just so happens to fall on September 6th & 7th this year. September 6th is going to be a very fun and exciting day for us, because we were invited to attend the Macy’s Back to School with Radio Disney event at the Walden Galleria. It’s a FREE event that Macy’s and Radio Disney are joining forces to put on. It’s an event just for kids (obviously parents are invited too), and there will be crafts, games, lots of other fun stuff, plus a look at the coolest kid’s styles.

So, even though Emmett isn’t officially in school yet, we’ll be heading to Macy’s to take part and have some fun. It’s sometimes hard to find things to do on weekend afternoons that are free (because we’re on a budget) and are kid friendly. This fits both!! I cannot wait!!

Your turn!

Have you ever attended a Macy’s back to school event? If so, what was it like?

What’s the first thing you’ll be doing on this first weekend of the school year?

Looking for a quick, easy and FREE way to get your news? Check-out theSkimm and sign-up for your daily email box delivery of the world’s news, plus if you share your birthday, you get it listed at the bottom of the newsletter on your day. It’s like celebrating with thousands of people!!!!

Filed Under: Emmett, Family

Fitness Fridays – A Slightly New Direction

Posted on August 1 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

Fitness Fridays is BACK!!

Last week, I took a very short hiatus from Fitness Fridays. I decided to take the time to regroup and refocus on what I wanted out of these posts, because what I previously had wasn’t really working. Well, it was working, but it wasn’t what I had in mind when I decided to revive these from the dead.

I find my Fitness Friday posts to be very motivational and inspirational because I am forced to come here and report to the internet at large, what my goals are and whether I met them. There is nothing that holds me more accountable than not wanting to report a failure to my readers (or anyone, really).

I decided to keep these weekly posts light on the advice (with the occasional advice post, when I have something I really want to share) and heavy on how the week went for me, what worked, what didn’t, etc. I don’t want that to be relegated to the very bottom of the post. For me, the whole purpose of this is to be like an online journal where I share my trials and tribulations, keep myself motivated and maybe inspire someone else in the process.

So, I’m hoping you’ll join me on this new and improved expedition!! There won’t be a link-up at this time, but I’ll re-evaluate that as time marches on.

For now, I hope that you can except my brutal honesty towards myself and support me as I do so. Ready? Set… GO!

Fitness Fridays…… Renewed!

Week of 7/26/14 – 8/1/14

This was a hell of a week! It was my first full week back since being on vacation and I wasn’t happy about that, so I was really caught up in the emotions of work and not really paying attention to my eating or exercise. However, I did manage to keep my nutrition to at least a 7 (out of 10), for the majority of the week.

I got back into drinking my Shakeology, which keeps a lot of my cravings at bay, but I was still wanting salty / carby foods, thanks to PMS. I did manage to eat lots of veggies all week long, which helped keep me full and away from the junk. I didn’t weigh-in this week, because I just didn’t want to face the music AND I’m considering taking the scale out of my life, at least for the near future, (more to come on this in future posts).

But, while my eating was around a 7 all week, my exercise was a big FAT 0. 🙁 I felt low in energy all week, and just couldn’t find the get up and go to get a workout done. I did walk with Emmett a lot, but no intense sweat sessions. I do realize, that if I had worked out, that low energy probably would have gone away, I’d have felt amaze-balls (yes! I did just say that). 🙂

I do want to say one thing, and it is a REALLY important thing. I refuse to beat myself up any more, for anything. Whether it be a lack of motivation to workout, or the way I naturally react to a situation. I’m sick and tired of always hating the way I am, or the way I look. In order to overcome that I need to change my mindset, and realize that I am okay the way I am. I’m not saying no to self-improvement, but I am saying no to beating myself up for not being 100% amazing RIGHT NOW.

Fitness / Food Goals for the next week:

Complete the 3 Day Refresh! I start on Monday! I’m kind of nervous, but I can do anything for 3 days, right!?
Workout 4 times. Beachbody recommends that you do light to no exercise during the refresh, due to the lower number of calories you’re taking in, because of this, I am aiming for 4 workouts, instead of 6 or 7.
I will keep my nutrition at a 7 out of 10.

Your turn!

What do you think of the new (again) format of Fitness Fridays?

Share one or all of your goals in the comments below, let’s hold each other accountable!!

Have you heard of theSkimm? No?! You need to! It’s an online, daily email newspaper, that shares all the important stories from the previous day. It’s free to sign-up, and you’ll start receiving the newsletters daily (Monday-Friday). You can check them out, and see what they’re all about by clicking here.

Filed Under: All About Me, Food & Fitness

A Couple Things

Posted on July 25 by Jillian416 • 7 Comments

Hey everybody! It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of my “couple things” posts. I thought I’d take this opportunity to do just that.

1. Fitness Fridays – They’re going to be a little different around here. Kathy, my co-host has decided to take a break from writing on her blog for a “to be determined length of time.” If you were an avid reader or visitor of her blog, be sure to stop on over and wish her well!!

In the meantime, I am planning on continuing with Fitness Fridays, with a break today because I wanted to cover a couple things. 🙂 I also will be doing some brainstorming on how to make it bigger. I don’t want anything huge, but I’d like to reach more blogs, get more people to link-up or get involved. If you’re interested in teaming-up, feel free to comment below or email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com

2. TheSkimm – I am deeply in love with TheSkimm. Every morning, Monday-Friday, I get an email in my inbox, BRIGHT AND EARLY, with a rundown on the day’s news. Now, you’re probably wondering why you would want to sign-up for something new when you have the internet at your disposal. Well here’s the answer, #1 TheSkimm is free to sign-up for and #2, the news descriptions they provide are brief, to the point and explained in a manner that anyone can understand. I have felt tremendously more educated about the world’s events since joining them. Below is a snapshot of what their daily email looks like.

3. Beachbody – I am slowly but surely working and learning the ropes of the Beachbody community. It’s a lot of fun and I’m learning SO much. I actually just ordered the 3 Day Refresh and PiYO. I can’t wait to receive them!! I also have a 13 day clean eating challenge beginning on August 4th. If you’re interested in learning more about it, please comment below or email me. I’d be happy to send along the information, I just need commitment by July 28th.

4. A GIVEAWAY! Yay! My final update for today is that I’m joining Logan from Logan Can… in celebrating her 2 year blogaversary! She’s hosting a really great giveaway that you NEED to be a part of. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and be sure to stop over to her blog and say HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY, Logan!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your turn!

What are a couple things from your world?

What was the best part of your week?

Filed Under: All About Me

Things I’m Loving – Recently

Posted on May 9 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

Periodically, some of my favorite blogs do posts about things they’re loving. I think this is a great idea, so I decided to do one of my own.

1- Footlogix – Where MEDI meets PEDI – I came upon this company by accident. I went for my first pedicure of the season and my feet were bad. I knew they were, which is why I opted for the FULL pedicure. The nail technician asked me about my feet and whether I used lotion daily and I had to admit that I hadn’t been. She recommended this foot mousse, and since I’m a sucker for beauty products, plus who doesn’t want cute feet in the summer, I went ahead and bought it. I am SO in love! It is easy to use and absorbs quickly, and it’s really keeping my feet soft. It’s been two weeks since my pedi, and my feet feel like it was just a few days ago. Woohoo!

2. Blogelina’s eBook Bundle for Moms (that’s an affiliate link) – I’m a huge fan of the Blogelina website, but she’s seriously outdone herself. She is giving away an entire eBook bundle packed full of tips and tricks for monetizing your blog and for making it better. Yes, seriously free! I signed-up myself, not sure if it was really free – but it totally is!! You can see (or click) the imagine below for everything you get for free.

3. Hug Time (another affiliate link) – This is Emmett’s favorite before bed book, and we read it nightly (twice). Despite having read it about 300 times in the last month, I love the book and the message that it portrays. It’s a great book that Baby Doodah and I highly recommend.

4. Potty Train in a Weekend Click here to view more details (affiliate link) – We’re not quite ready to start potty training Emmett, but we’re definitely beginning to think about it. This book is an AMAZING guide to doing it all in 1 single weekend. I’ll be doing a full review of it soon, stay tuned.

5. theSkimm – One of the best most recent finds I’ve come across. Daily, Monday – Friday, they send an email out with the daily news from around the world. The best part is, THEY read everything in depth and summarize it into quick little bursts making it easy to get caught up on what’s going on, but not spend hours doing it. The best part is it’s free! I seriously feel much more educated since I began using their service 2 weeks ago.

And just a few other things….

If you’re interested, you can sponsor Baby Doodah! I have some great options available starting at $5. If you do choose to sponsor my little ole blog, you’ll get to see your pretty blog picture over there —> in my sidebar.

If you love my blog you can follow me on all sorts of social networks! Here are my links: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, and Google+.

And finally, if you are feeling generous and want to support cancer research, donate to my ride. I’m riding 62.5 miles for Roswell Park Cancer Institute and their Ride for Roswell. Anything will help me reach my goal, and further advance cancer research. Just click HERE to donate.

Okay, that about does it. I appreciate all of my readers, and would love it if you’d share this post with others, using the buttons below.

Your turn!

What are you loving? I love new products / ideas, so lay it on me!

Filed Under: All About Me