EmpowerMoms

I really enjoyed this light, fun, christian romance book. 
Kat finds herself in another state with her best friend Lucas, competing on a food tv show. It was funny to read about the food mishaps, tv competition drama, and the misunderstandings between Kat and Lucas. Typical men/women misunderstandings. Along the way they discover their dreams, faith, true friendship, and love. 
Great Book! Would make a fun book group club selection too.

About the book: 

About the author: 

I’m a blog book reviewer for LitFuse Publicity so I was given this book complimentary in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.


  Don’t miss Betsy St. Amant’s latest fiction release, All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes. A “sweet” tale of two best friends and the choices they make between dreams and a possible “sure thing,” St. Amant’s novel is sure to satisfy your romantic-fiction craving.

Betsy is celebrating with a fun Kindle giveaway and a Love & Cupcakes Facebook party!One winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle
• All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 18th. Winner will be announced at the “Love & Cupcakes” Author Chat Party on 9/18. Betsy will be hosting a “sweet” book chat, giving away prizes, and answering questions from readers. She will also share an exclusive sneak peek at her next book project!

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

I am linking up for the first time with This Mama Runs For Cupcakes, Mom Who Tris and Mom Swim Bike Run for a weekly installment called Wonder Mom Wednesday. 

This week’s topic is ways to involve kids in exercise.

I have two boys-ages 12 and 4. I feel like we are an active, healthy family but it’s definitely something we constantly have to work on so we don’t slip into too much sitting down/electronics time. We love to read and play board games which are great things to do, but it’s also important for us to get out and move as a family. 


One thing my boys love to do is sports. We don’t do alot of “organized” sports-maybe one per year. They mostly play with each other or with the neighbor kids in our yard playing baseball, Frisbee, and basketball.  
I’ve been wanting to set up some kind of obstacle course for the boys, but haven’t figured it out yet. 

I hope my pictures have helped give you ideas or inspired you on ways you can involve your kids in exercise. 

What things do you like to do with your kids? 

Do they naturally like to be active or do you have to make a constant effort? 

DESCRIPTION: 

Debby Mack’s Back 2 Basics low impact workout is just what you need to start your fitness journey. This upbeat and easy to follow workout uses basic aerobic movements to blast away those unwanted calories. With no confusing transitions or complicated choreography, this DVD is perfect for beginner participants. 

Program includes: Warm up / Cardio – 30 minutes; Toning/Cooldown – 10 minutes. 

Debby is a ShapelyGirl fitness presenter in addition to being a certified Leslie Sansone Walk Leader. Her workouts are filled with energy that will leave you wanting more! 

Equipment required: One small/medium sized towel.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
My mom, 4 year old son, and I did this entire workout including the 10 min tonight session. Debby was easy to follow, excellent cuing. I could tell she has experience with being a Leslie Sansone walking instructor because this dvd had a similar feel to it. Music was good and upbeat.The toning section was fun-it was done just with using a hand towel, no weights, yet it still felt effective. The toning section was my moms favorite part and she wished it was more than 10 minutes. I feel like this would be a good workout for plus size or beginner people just starting to exercise.

You can buy this DVD here by using my amazon affiliate link: 

DESCRIPTION: 

Finally a kickboxing workout made just for people of size! Debby and her crew take you through a gym quality workout in the comfort of your own home. This program takes basic kickboxing moves and combines them for a fun, low impact workout. With precise cueing and no confusing choreography, this workout is just what you need to start your fitness journey. 

Program includes: Warm up/Cardio – 33 minutes; Cooldown – 5 minutes; Bonus Toning Segment – 10 minutes. 

Debby is a ShapelyGirl Fitness presenter as well as a certified Leslie Sansone Walk Leader. Her workouts are filled with energy that will leave you wanting more! 

Equipment required: light dumbbells.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Again, Debby’s instruction and cuing was great. This was a fun workout! It is more energetic than the basic dvd, but still doable for plus size and beginners. My only “complaint” would be that I wish the 2 girls in the dvds would smile or be more energetic. I admire that they did this dvd taping and stuck with it though. It’s hard working out when you’re just beginning or have alot of weight-I’ve been there!

You can buy this DVD here by using my amazon affiliate link:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to be apart of christian author, Darlene Schacht’s launch team for her new book “Messy Beautiful Love”. I was given the new e-book and pre-order freebies complimentary for blog and social media review.

I started reading the book last week and have read several chapters now. I pre-ordered the book too because I love to make notes and and highlight, and I’ve found lots of things that I wanted to remember and apply just in the first couple of chapters.

One thing I loved that the author said on page 13: “When I started exchanging God’s ideas for mine, I realized that a beautiful marriage is not only possible; its inevitable. That’s something to be excited about! That’s what this book is about: exchanging God’s ideas for ours and tuning out the world so that we might quietly tune into Him.”

This quote below is from page 55. The author said, “Sacrificial love is what the best marriages are made of. We stepped into our marriage with the commitment to love, honor, and cherish each other until death…If you want to stand strong in the faith, you have to start by planting your feet firmly in Christ. Get into the Word, get into prayer, and most important, get into the right relationship with the Father…”

I really needed to see this. At times I feel very discouraged about my marriage and feel like I’m the only one trying to make positive changes and make an effort. This is such a powerful comment and is very true!!
God doesn’t give up on me, no matter my choices or my attitude or my mistakes. I shouldn’t be negative or want to give up just because things don’t go my way or because I’m upset about something my husband said or did.

I loved this book quote below too-from page 9 in the book- when the author is sharing something personal with her father that happened and was very troubling to her.

What do you think about this quote?
I find it very comforting! Obviously we shouldn’t continue to sin or purposely make bad choices, but knowing that each day we can start “fresh” and be forgiven because of God’s mercy is very hopeful and wonderful!

I will continue to share more pictures and quotes of the book over the next couple of weeks and hopefully they will help and encourage some of you.

Click here on my amazon affiliate link if you would like to order: 
Messy Beautiful Love: Hope and Redemption for Real-Life Marriages

I just found out this morning that another new Leslie Sansone walking DVD will be released next month!! I’m a huge fan of her workouts and have been using them for years!

What speed do you need to burn fat?

Leslie will tell you within minutes… and what a surprise that it’s not an extreme pace! You’ll be challenged by these workouts, but you’ll feel so good walking to the brisk beat! These are workouts that energize… not exhaust! Each starts with a Warm Up Walk and gradually builds up to Fat Burning Speed!
This isn’t just a stroll around the block. This is total body conditioning that’s designed to burn fat. These walks use arm and core muscles to increase muscle activity and calorie burn!

Follow Leslie and the beautiful group of walkers in 3 FULL WORKOUTS that are FUN and easy to follow:

1. THE 20 MINUTE EASY BURN!
Start here with the classic moves that build to a Fat Burning Speed!
2. THE 30 MINUTE BIG BURN!
Extend your fat burning segment for a bigger burn!
3. THE 40 MINUTE SUPER BURN!
Add more slimming and toning moves to work your arms, core, rear-end and legs for the ultimate burn!

Start with the 20 minute workout and before you know it you’ll be walking faster and farther than ever!
Walking this way burns calories and tones muscle to help flatten your belly, firm your behind, slim your arms and supercharge your energy!

CLICK below on my amazon affiliate pre-order link if you are interested in purchasing:
Leslie Sansone: Walk Off Fat Fast

Will be released Oct 21, 2014.