EmpowerMoms

Tired of the Christmas shopping, the baking and sugar overload, the Christmas festivities that keep you away from your family during the season? Take time special time to spend with your loved ones and invest in your community—with Focus on the Family’s help!

You can download a fun gift to give to your friends, family, and community! Each Christmas stocking stuffer card directs you to a special place to hear an Adventures in Odyssey Christmas episode. Plus, you’ll be able to read a special excerpt from Imagination Station #12, “Danger on a Silent Night.” Sign up here to download the free cards.

Plus stop by this page for a slew of crafts, recipes, and stories to share with your family during this special time of year!

 

If you’re still looking for one last gift to give your kids this year, give the gift of the Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC). It offers safe and free content for everyone in your family, including an Advent calendar, a broadcast download with tips to create a memorable Christmas, AIO cutouts, and Christmas stocking stuffer cards. Membership to the OAC costs just $9.99 a month — or even less if parents make a six-month or one-year commitment. Enrollment provides more than enough content to keep kids engaged throughout the year:

• Access to exclusive content and first looks at books and select Radio Theatre dramas.
• On-the-go access to the OAC app for both iOS and Android users.
• 24/7 streaming access to nearly 800 AIO episodes.
• A new, members-only AIO episode every month.
• A subscription to Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse Magazine, and more.

To learn more about the Odyssey Adventure Club, visit www.oaclub.org, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

As some of you know, I have been a blogger for The Color Run for a couple of years and have shared pictures and my experiences here on my blog. It’s alot of fun and I highly recommend running one!

Did you know they are offering a virtual 5k Color Run kit called “Miles for Meals” from now until January 1, 2016?! That is SO COOL!

Have you missed your local Color Run because of the cost or date conflict? NOW YOU CAN DO IT! Gather your friends, family, coworkers, pets-anyone-to join you!

What does a virtual race mean? You pick your time and place and go at your own pace! You can run or walk inside or outside-where ever you want to go!

All you have to do is order the “Miles for Meals” kit online (US shipping only) and they will ship it directly to you.

And the SUPER COOL thing is that The Color Run will donate THREE meals to those in need with EACH kit registration! Now you can add some color to your holiday season and feel good helping others in need!

For more info go HERE:
http://thecolorrun.com/Movement/

>>>>>To register go HERE:
http://store.thecolorrun.com/miles4meals/miles-4-meals-kit?_ga=1.105281987.1196711068.1445972980

Each Kit includes: T-shirt, Headband, Finishers Medal, Temporary Tattoos, and 2 Color Packets! and its ONLY $15!!!

The Color Run is also encouraging those that participate to post on social media with the hashtag #Miles4Meals and use the hashtag for the category they would like to compete for, for a chance to win some awesome prizes!

The Color Run will be selecting winners for each of the following categories:

BEST VIDEO
Award: GoPro Hero Camera
#Miles4Meals #BestVideo

BEST COSTUME
Award: $250 store credit at The Color Run Store
#Miles4Meals #BestCostume

COLDEST RUN
Award: To be determined
#Miles4Meals #ColdestRun

LONGEST RUN
Award: GoPro Hero Camera
#Miles4Meals #LongestRun

BEST PHOTO
Award: All paid, 2-night trip for 2 to your choice of The Color Run 2016 events in the U.S. (Flights & Hotel)
#Miles4Meals #BestPhoto

LARGEST GROUP
Award: Free Entry to The Color Run 2016 event for everyone in your group
#Miles4Meals #LargestGroup

GRAND PRIZE – BEST STORY
Award: All paid, 3-night trip for 2 to your choice of The Color Run 2016 events in the World!
#Miles4Meals #BestStory

So what are you waiting for? SIGN UP before January 1st so you don’t miss this opportunity!
http://store.thecolorrun.com/miles4meals/miles-4-meals-kit?_ga=1.105281987.1196711068.1445972980

*I will receive a complimentary “Miles for Meals” kit in exchange for posting about the race before and after on my blog and social media. I will not receive any monetary compensation. All opinions are my own.

Get Healthy. Give Back. Get Happy.

My co-leader Sarah and I did our local NoExcuseMom black friday detox 5k virtual race the day after Thanksgiving. This was both our first time doing this virtual race with the main No Excuse Mom group.

The weather was perfect and we had several other friends and family members join us for walking and playing at the park that afternoon.

It was fun and it really helped having Sarah do the walking/jogging intervals with me to stay on pace. I typically use my Garmin race watch to do 1 min jogging/2 min walking intervals.

We even got a little medal for registering for the virtual 5k race!

I have super sensitive skin so I’m always worried about having a reaction from trying new products. This week I tried this C. Booth all over body sea salt scrub and it felt amazing! This was my first time trying a product from this company.

It had just the right about of “grit” to make my skin feel smooth and polished after my shower. I felt like I was at the spa! I used it on my arms, shoulders and back.

It didn’t irritate or break my skin out and the smell is very light. The Eucalyptus smell is alot stronger in the container than it is when applying to the body, so don’t be worried that the smell is overpowering.

My container was about 90% full so I would be curious as to how many uses I will get from this jar. But for the retail price of this scrub-its a great value!

The only thing I’m not thrilled about, is that they used blue dye in this product.

I received a coupon from @influenster to try a @freemanbeauty full size product complimentary for review. I went to my local #Ulta store and picked out this #BodybyCBooth all over body sea salt scrub to review. All opinions and pictures are my own.

Details-
Reveal your most touchable skin with C. Booth’s super-intense All Over Body Sea Salt Scrub! Coarse grains of salt deliver a deep scrubbing sensation that sloughs off rough, dry skin from shoulders to heels. Revitalizing Eucalyptus imparts a cool, fresh feeling over skin for a welcome pick-me-up – just the thing to jumpstart your morning or refresh after a long day. Skin is buffed to perfection and ready to glow!

How to Use-
Stand beneath running water or soak in the bath to get skin wet. Massage the scrub over your body using circular motions. You know the drill – pay extra attention to rough spots. Rinse with warm water.

Ingredients-
Sodium Chloride, Sea Salt, Glycerin, Glycerox HE, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Polyquaternium 7, Eucalyptus Oil, Kathon CG, Blue 1.

Overeating is OVER!
Introducing…MealEnders!!
The Antidote to overeating!

What are MealEnders?
MealEnders Signaling Lozenges are a revolutionary way to help beat overeating, master portion control and curb snacking by clearing cravings from the mouth and mind. MealEnders’ combines the best of food science and behavioral psychology to offer a stimulant-free way to fight the urge to overindulge.

DUO-SENSORY TASTE SYSTEM™
MealEnders’ active-taste formula rewards and resets your taste buds, distracting you from the temptation to overindulge. First the delicious Reward Layer treats you to the sweet taste of dessert – a signal we typically associate with the end of a meal. Then the Inner Core’s Active-Taste Layer releases a proprietary blend of gentle, cool tingling sensations on the tongue, which engage the trigeminal nerve, distracting your mind from the urge to continue overeating. You can feel your MealEnder go to work instantly.

What is in a MealEnder?
MealEnders’ unique duo sensory taste formula is made from a stimulant-free blend of flavors and ingredients, all held to the highest food safety standards. MealEnders contain only 2 grams of sugar and 15 calories per piece. The outer Reward Layer is made from premium dessert ingredients. Our chocolate-covered flavors, for example, use fine Guittard chocolate. The inner Active-Taste layer relies upon MealEnders’ proprietary blend of natural and artificial food flavors that we call the Actissert™ Blend.

Gluten Free-Low Fat-Kosher
No Drugs-No Herbs-No High Fructose Corn Syrup

With MealEnders, you’ll start to sense the difference between hunger and appetite. You’ll have a secret weapon against those diet-destroying extra bites. And you’ll start taking small, but powerful steps toward healthy living.

They offer 4 Flavors:

*CHOCOLATE MINT
Delicious chocolate draped around a tingling mint center.

*CINNAMON
Cinnamon coating melts into a tingling apple cinnamon center.

*CITRUS
Key lime confectionery coating melts into a tingling citrus center.

*MOCHA
Delicious chocolate melts into a tingling coffee center.

Each bag has 25 lozenges and each signaling lozenge contains only 2 grams of sugar and 15 calories. You can purchase one bag for $14.95 or 3 bags for $34.95! https://mealenders.com/shop/shop.html

7 Ways to Use MealEnders To Resist Holiday Temptation
This is a great article to read since we are right in the middle of Christmas week!
https://www.mealenders.com/how-to-use-mealenders-during-the-holidays/

MY REVIEW:
I enjoy the Chocolate Mint flavor and the Citrus flavor the best out of the four.

I typically have one of these lozenges in the afternoon while at work when I feel the need to stress snack or mindlessly snack. I would suck on the MealEnder (you NEVER bite it) until the outer layer would dissolve (which is the chocolate mint or citrus taste) and then the inner layer would dissolve. The inner later is different from the outer one and hard to describe. I think thats the part of the lozenge that triggers my body that I’m done and that I don’t need to eat any more. and it works!

I gave 3 of my friends samples of some MealEnders to get their opinions as well.

>>One friend who is in her late 50s said she liked the citrus flavor the best and that she has one while at work to help stop the afternoon snacking. She also indicated that taking the MealEnders has helped her tremendously with abstaining from sugar and treats for over two months now!

>>My other friend said the tingling sensation of the lozenge was a little weird but she felt it helped after dinner with not wanting to eat desert afterwards.

I was given 4 full size bags complimentary from the company for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

>>>If you have any specific questions about whether you should use this product, you can read more here:
https://www.mealenders.com/faqs/

>>>Ingredients list is here:
http://www.mealenders.com/ingredients/