My apologies

Hey everyone! I'm NOT dead!! I sincerely would like to apologize for my lack of posting. As I am nearing my due date I feel like absolute garbage. This is a complainey post so bear with me.
I have NO energy.
I don't want to do anything.
I am in a lot of pain in my back, legs, and hips.
I want to sleep all day.
I am moody.
I am an unpleasant person to be around right now to put it mildly.
Within the next few days I will shove a few reviews up and will probably be a little quiet until our second girly arrives. I really wish I felt better, but this pregnancy has been really rough for me! Thanks to those of you who popped by during my absence.
xo
Gina

Long Weekend!

Hello everyone! I am back from silence after a much-needed long weekend. My husband and Dad went to their annual Father's Day fishing Derby on Lake Champlain. So I had a girly weekend with my daughter, mom, and sister. We did so much over the weekend that when we finally came home yesterday afternoon, I was exhausted! Then of course, I had the worst time trying to fall asleep. Hubby had conked out in the middle of our bed so I decided to sleep on the recliner in our living room.
I won't bore you with all the details from this past weekend, but we all had fun. I spent the entire weekend at my mom's house, and there's nothing in the world like my mom's cooking. So to be able to eat her food all weekend was awesome! I hope everyone's father's day weekend was great as well. I will be back later to share some new content but I will leave you with a couple of pictures from the carnival we went to this weekend.

Omega 3

All the time in magazines and on television, we hear about how miraculous Omega 3 Fish Oil is. I have taken it before many times and have learned to deal with the consequences of taking it on an empty stomach (fishy burps eew!) and the awful smell.
Quality Encapsulations sent me a bottle of their Omega 3 Soft gels to try out and I highly recommend using this brand's Fish Oil supplements.

They promise no fishy aftertaste and there was none. In fact if you sniff the bottle, it smells like citrus, not gross fish. A lot of their customers have been extremely happy with their bottle as well. If you are looking for a high quality fish oil supplement, I highly recommend this brand.

Image from Quality Encapsulation's Amazon Page

***I have received this item free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion***

OZ Naturals Dermafoliant

*** I received this product for free in exchange for my honest opinion***

OZ Naturals sent me their Ancient Orient Rice Enzyme Dermafoliant. Whew! That was a mouthful. This product contains some really awesome natural ingredients such as:
-Lactic Acid
-Green Tea Extract
-Bamboo
-Organic Rice Powder
To name a few. It is a 100% Vegan product and is Cruelty Free.

This is in powder form and is really easy to do. You only need a few drops of water to add to the powder before applying to your face. You let it sit for five minutes before you clean it off your face. VOILA you have super soft skin and your dead skin cells are gone!

Pros-
-Super Soft Skin After Use
-Unscented

Cons
-Top is like a salt shaker. I don't like that because that allows for dust and other small icky stuff to get in your product. It is also a little difficult to get the desired amount out with this design
-It says add in a small amount of water to the powder you literally need only a few drops of water. This is super important for folks who aren't terribly familiar with how this particular product should work. I think it would be great if they included a little dropper.

So I really like this product and all of my issues are really just with the packaging and not the functionality of the product. I think it worked great! I would recommend this especially if someone has sensitive skin but needs to exfoliate!
To find more product details or if you're interested in purchasing just click on the following link.
http://amzn.to/1eNAsln

Before Use- Directions say to clean your skin first so I'm fresh outta the shower!

During Use

After Use- Hard to see a difference, but I definitely feel it. This picture is oddly lighter than the others even though I was sitting in the same darn spot!

*** This is a sponsored post!!***

Stop Procrastinating

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been having some issues with procrastination. I assembled some of my favorite tips to get stuff done and share this info-graphic with you!

The Rest of June

Here we are in June and as my due date while it seems forever away is in actuality, fast approaching. I have so much left to do and that I want to do. I have been falling behind in blogging and a lot of other things because carrying baby #2 has been rough. Sometimes it feels like I've bit off more than I can chew but I am going to keep trucking, because I truly love blogging so far and I have so much left to learn. So as my first post this week I wanted to share my goal/to do list for the remainder of June.

1) Finish Baby's Room
The crib has been put together, most of her clothes have been put away and her changing table has been stocked. The baby's room used to be our office so there are still some left over things I have to haul out as well as get rid of all of the gift bags from the baby shower.

2) Assemble the bassinet, stroller, and swing.

3) Read one book- I love reading and I haven't really made time for it. Plus, I though it would be nice to post some reviews and thoughts about books on here.

4) Get my reviews posted

5) Come up with some cool things to blog about-I have been really struggling with the whole "creative content" thing. Maybe it's pregnancy brain, but I have to be more interesting on this thing!

It doesn't seem like a lot and I'm probably missing some things but I really have to stop procrastinating.

Kickin' it Old School

I don't have a smart phone. Is that weird? I have an ipad but I don't have or need a smart phone. Being someone who is of the Millennial Generation, I am alone in a sea of similar-aged people bent over a smart phone. And I am 100% okay with that. It's not something that I can justifiably afford, and I am relieved not to own one. Maybe it's because I don't have one that I find myself easily annoyed when I look around to see almost everyone with their eyes glued to a darn phone. I can live without texting someone every two seconds, I can wait to make a phone call and I don't need to see what's going on in social media in real time.

Smart phones are an endless entertainment source and can also really aid in getting things done. Particularly with apps. Toting an ipad around is a little obnoxious but I do it occasionally if I know there will be some good photo opportunities. But that's really what I bring it out for. It's not for note taking, nor is it for to do lists. I prefer the good ol' fashioned notebook for these tasks. I know I'm not completely alone in preferring this method. A lot of people are in love with planners and what have you.

I write down important things, notes, dates, websites to remember and lots more. I prefer this method because I don't have to worry about losing it virtually. It will always be there unless I erase it or throw it away. I find myself going through old notebooks and enjoying what I've written and I can't get that enjoyment from an electronic. 

So I have become a bit of a notebook and office supply hoarder, but I love it! I am never without a place to write something and a utensil to write with.

Do you prefer your phone for lists, planning, or notes?

Organic Matcha Green Tea Kiss Me Organics

***I received this product free of charge in exchange for my unbiased opinion. All thoughts about the product featured are 100% my own!***

I was really excited to get the opportunity to try this. I first discovered green tea in the powdered form in high school. Every year the high school I attended had a day for students called theme day and this one year was an Eastern Asia theme in which I got to partake in a tea ceremony. I've always loved tea but had absolutely loved the powdered tea I got to try that day. Fast forward five or six years and here I am stumbling upon this opportunity.

There are tons of recipes that you can include this powder in for a healthy boost or just for flavoring. I however, wanted to use it just for tea. You don't need a lot of the powder to make an awesome cup, so the package is much bigger and more valuable then you would think. I used 1/2 tsp of powder to 8oz of hot water and it was perfect for me. As someone who loves green tea, I think that the powder form tastes much better than using the traditional teabag.

I was really happy with Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea. The product was packaged well, and reseals perfectly. The quality of the powder matches that of what I remember from the tea ceremony and I would most definitely purchase this in the future. The only thing you should have handy if you're going to drink matcha green tea is a whisk, otherwise you will experience clumps. A lot of people prefer a bamboo whisk but I used what I had which was a metal one and it worked just fine.

Adovia Exfoliating Body Scrub

***Sponsored post- I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion***

  This scrub is made with real salt from the Dead Sea and is not tested on animals. The product is 100% Cruelty free and is offered in Ocean Breeze! Exfoliating in my opinion, is one of the best things you can do for your skin. It removes dead skin cells and also gets your circulation going. This is not something that needs to be done everyday though, as it can cause irritation and actually scratch your skin cells that haven't died yet.
   Anyways, I was super excited to get to try this one because exfoliating feels great. What I really liked about this Adovia Scrub was how moisturizing it was. In the shower I was little concerned because it had an oily texture. However, I found that after I was dry my face didn't look like a slick spot. The product absolutely did it's job and I loved the result. What I didn't love though, was the smell. I hated everything about the scent of this product. It was off-putting to me and very strong. Obviously you can't really do an Ocean Breeze any justice, but it just didn't smell natural or pleasant in my opinion. I would definitely purchase this brand again if they offered a different scent or even an unscented version of this product.

 If you're interested in learning more about the product or want to buy it for yourself you can click here:http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Sea-Salt-Body-Scrub/dp/B00KQWBJ5W/ref=sr_1_25?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1431200726&sr=1-25&keywords=body+scrub http://www.cleopatraschoice.com/adovia-salt-scrub-ocean.html

Online Shoppers- Always check for deals!!

Today in the car I was listening to Vermont Public Radio in which they aired a segment about people who buy products for low prices, mark them up and sell them on places like Ebay or Amazon. They make a killer profit! They interviewed a man who makes millions doing this and the interviewer followed him into Babies R Us. The man loaded his car up with a bunch of Babies R Us brand baby wipes that sold for under $20 and then sold them on Amazon for $40+ ! I looked into this myself and it's true! On Amazon, there are Babies R Us brand wipes (500 count) for sale ranging from $35.23 to as high as $41.02. That same box of wipes is actually $13.99 on the Babies R Us website. Shipping rates vary from the direct retailer site, but for me the total of the wipes including shipping was $19.98. That's a huge difference! I wanted to share this because I love and trust Amazon, but after hearing this and seeing it for myself, it's always worth looking around for the best price possible on any product you're looking into purchasing. Yes, it may take a little longer, but this is your hard earned money.
As a consumer I think it is so important to not put my money into the pockets of people whose entire business is unethical.

Thoughts for Wednesday

So, I've been busy trying to sign up for some blogging networks and have joined some blogging support groups as well. As a newbie to blogging, I think it's really important to rally support. One of the most difficult and absolutely annoying questions I get when I try to sign up for networks is what is my niche, or what is my blog about. I have a hard time answering this question because my idea of what a blog is supposed to be and what blogs have become are entirely different. I want to share all kinds of things with you. It's great that there are blogs out there that are focused on one specific thing like green living for example. My life is about so much more than just one thing though. I really like reviewing products, but I have a lot of ideas for the future and direction of my blog. Unfortunately due to current circumstances, I'm a little limited as to what I can bring here. But within a few months things will get really interesting. I'm not a one-category kind of person and I don't want my blog to be either.It would be great to make a living off of blogging someday, but if that never happens I'll be alright with that as long as I can do this my way. I'm not trying to attack bloggers that have a niche in any way I think it's awesome if you have a niche. I'm not an expert in really anything, and I don't want to pretend to be. In the future I will be doing giveaways, and sharing about weight loss (post baby), recipes, more reviews and whatever else I feel like. The giveaway part is the first and most important thing I want to be able to bring to the table. Right now, I don't have the traffic to do a sponsored one and with me being out of work it is not an affordable option to host one myself at this time. I promise this will change. I truly hope this didn't sound like a rant. I want to give you an idea of where this thing is going and how I want it to be. -Gina

Exspiral Veggie Spiralizer

**THIS ITEM WAS GIVEN TO ME FOR FREE BY THE COMPANY TO USE AND GIVE MY HONEST OPINION ABOUT THEIR PRODUCT**

I had always wanted to try one of these things, and I was so glad when I got my hands on this one! You can use this to spiralize carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini and it's a really fun way to eat healthy. It's really easy to use and pretty entertaining as well. I made some zucchini "spaghetti" with mushrooms and panko encrusted chicken. It was really easy. I got the product in black and I didn't see any options on Amazon, but on the box it looks like the product can be ordered in white, green or red as well. What I found to be really neat was that the spiralizer is double ended, so you can do zucchini on one end and carrots on the other without having to take a break in between to clean it. This particular spiralizer comes with two really cool things! The first being a top grip so that when your veggie gets low you can use the grip to twist it and not have to waste the food or shred your hand. It also comes with a brush to aid in cleaning as well as help poke broken bits through. I absolutely loved getting to try this out and now with my gestational diabetes this will be a great tool to implement more often since real pasta is pretty much off limits for me.

Oh Monday!

Happy Monday everyone! I have been a severe procrastinator in regards to blogging over the last week. I've been extremely tired and in lots of pain, pregnancy is starting to wear on me! The weekend was pretty low-key so no real excitement to talk about. I did want to share about my morning though. Today I went to the hospital for three appointments. As of Friday I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Keeping my weight gain in check has been difficult and I haven't been making the healthiest food choices. As an already overweight woman I told myself I would worry about my weight after the baby and obviously that was a mistake. So I had a checkup and baby is fine. Next I had a meeting with someone to teach me how to use a glucometer and my last appointment was to go over nutrition and diet so I can not have to go on medication, not have a huge baby, and lower my chances of contracting Diabetes type 2 after birth. I have to say the diet is much easier than I had expected so with commitment and help things should go very well. The appointments were a little early in the morning so my husband and our daughter stayed home and slept in (lucky ducks!) When I got home Justin was really interested in the diet and blood sugar reading process so it was cool to share that with him. He is really supportive and it's exciting because he wants to partake in the diet as well. How was your weekend? Did you have gestational diabetes or do you have diabetes? Product review later today!

Cassani Fogless Shower Mirror

*** I HAVE RECEIVED THIS ITEM, FREE OF CHARGE FROM CASSANI TO GIVE MY HONEST OPINION ABOUT THE PRODUCT***

This is a pretty awesome product. At first I though it might be a little odd to have a mirror in the shower, but I actually really like it. Cassani's Fogless Shower mirror gives men the opportunity to shave in the shower! That means goodbye to stubble around the sink! When you're in the shower (assuming it's a hot or warm one) is that your pores remain open much longer than sink shaving. That means it's much easier to get a closer and softer shave! Included with the mirror is an adhesive hook to hang the mirror and an adhesive hanger for a razor! Did I mention that it's fogless??

As a woman who doesn't shave her facial hair, I loved this mirror for other reasons. First of all, it's awesome for shaving my armpits, I seem to always miss the outer area. The other reason that this mirror is a gem for women too is for those of us who have to bathroom share. Since the mirror is fogless, I can use it to put my makeup on, or do my face moisturizing while my husband is in the shower. The mirror is really light weight and easy to take off the hook and prop up elsewhere if it's not being used in the shower. The last thing that I think is really cool is that Cassani's Fogless Shower Mirror is shatter proof. So if you do end up moving it around and drop it, you won't have to worry about cutting yourself or breaking it! What's not to love?

Here it is hanging in my shower!

You can view or purchase the product here:

http://www.amazon.com/Fogless-Shower-Mirror-Nanotechnology-Exclusive/dp/B00CNOUZE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432856602&sr=8-1&keywords=fogless+shower+mirror

WOAH! It's Tuesday

Good evening!
Wow, what a busy holiday weekend. Monday recap is Tuesday recap for this week.

Friday- I didn't do much of anything. I was so wiped out from my glucose test I felt terrible. And later that evening I got a phone call in which I was told I have Gestational Diabetes. How much of a bummer is that!?

Saturday- Halley and Justin went fishing in the early morning, and then we went to a friend's barbecue. It was a great time! Our friend does this every year in May and it is always so fun. There was live music, karaoke, amazing food and of course friendly faces. It's no small shindig, there were at least 70 people there!

Sunday- We woke up super early and made the drive to Hampton Beach to spend the day. Justin and I usually go (without our little one) for our birthday. But this year, we ended up bringing Halley and had a great time.

Monday- We spent the day at my parents house, had some grinders for lunch and just hung about and visited.

This week I have a lot of blogging to do. I have a few products I've received to review and I have to get those posted!

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! What did you do???

Farewell Friday

I apologize for not a whole lot of blogging activity this week! This morning I went to get my 3 hour glucose test done for the second time and now I'm exhausted. But I didn't want to neglect my Farewell Friday. We have some pretty exciting things planned for this weekend, but I won't share them until I return  on Monday!
Next week I also have some reviews to knock out!
Have a great Memorial Day weekend, be safe, and see you Monday!
-TTFN

Pedi Piggies

Yesterday, Halley and I were treated out to a pedicure with my aunt Jenn. I usually don't get my nails done, but pregnancy has destroyed my feet. It was NEEDED! Under normal circumstances I would agree that bringing a four year old to a nail salon is a disaster waiting to happen, but mine happens to be extremely well behaved and patient in public. (Bragging parent moment!) That's not to say she doesn't have her naughty moments, but they are never in public. Anyways,  my mini-me and I went with pink, and she even got little flower designs on her big toes! We all had a fantastic time relaxing!

Weekend Recap

Wow! What a weekend!
Saturday I celebrated turning 23 and my husband turning 26 at a BBQ! My husbands grandmother threw a nice party for us and many of our family attended. We certainly were spoiled! Hubby (Justin) and our daughter had gone fishing that morning for the first time this year.

Sunday was Justin's real birthday and our family had the annual yard sale. We made some pretty decent cash and got rid of a bunch of junk we don't need anymore! Then we went to my Aunt and Uncle's house for a delicious dinner! Fried chicken, pasta salad and frosted brownies! YUM!

So here we are back to a normal Monday! Justin's at work and Halley and I are relaxing. We are going for a pedicure a little later today and then we have some serious house work to do!

What did you do over the weekend?

Husband Caught a Pickerel!!

My little fisher! Poor thing was sick with a cold and didn't get a bite :(

Farewell Friday

Buttons, buttons! Have you noticed my new buttons on the right side? I've been trying to sign up for as many blogging networks as possible that will let me in. Why? I want to be able to bring AWESOME content to you. And as a "noob" I just can't do it alone. I have a lot to learn.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I will be a busy body this weekend! With all of those activities and a lot of self-assigned "homework" to do, I will be taking a weekend break. As the weather is getting nicer, weekend breaks will probably be a common thing, so this is my first Farewell Friday. I will have a new post for you on Monday and in the very new future, a product review!!

Have a safe and fun weekend and see you Monday!
-New Hampshire Gina

Week Update

This morning I had my first Chiropractor visit to get adjusted. As a young'n with unresolved back problems, pregnancy has been hard on my back and especially on my sciatica. So, I got an adjustment today and it was great. My chiropractor was very nice and helpful and came up with a treatment plan. However, due to me not working I won't be able to adhere to it. He wants to see me 3 times a week for 3 weeks and then 1 time a week for 3 more weeks. Which would run me (with insurance) $420. Which isn't terrible, but we have a really strict budget that wouldn't allow it. So I'm going to have to visit one time every other week. I'm a little sore but the pain is significantly better.

Later today I am going on a drive to go spend time with my parents. 

Friday- will probably take my daughter to the library and the park.

Saturday- family yardsale, a bbq, and MY BIRTHDAY!!

Sunday- husbands birthday and a dinner with family.

There's nothing I love more than a busy weekend with family!

New post on Monday? 

Ta Ta For Now!

-NH  Gina

A Baby Shower

Now that I have my reviews out of my way, I thought I'd share a few pictures from my baby shower. Most people don't get a shower for their second child, but I'm spoiled. My clever, amazing mother hosted it and managed to make it a surprise for me. She had told me I'd be getting a shower but not until June. So, she had me thinking that her and my father were going to be throwing my husband, Justin a surprise birthday party on May 9th. Which I was a little annoyed at because our birthdays are a day apart (the 16th and the 17th) but I went along with it. Needless to say, when I walked through the door I was surprised. Justin knew I thought we were there for him the whole time!
Anyways, my mom put a lot of hard work into the whole thing (with some help from other family members) and I wanted to share because it was pretty darn cool!

 

My Mom made this cake!!

Door Prizes

Favor Bags!!

Me, really confused!

Head&Shoulders Moisture Care

I received Head & Shoulders Moisture Care 2 in 1, Co-Wash, and Scalp Soother Free from BzzAgent and Head & Shoulders for free to try and give my honest feedback.
I can't remember ever using a Head & Shoulders product so it was pretty cool to get this one to try. This year my struggle with dandruff got real, so that's another reason I was excited to use this product. Let me just say I LOVE IT! The entire line smells so good, and I was very surprised that it actually works. (Hey, I'm a skeptic!) I've heard about Co-Wash before but until now, I've never used one. I found that the Co-Wash is pretty much just a conditioner, which I was glad because I had imagined it to be like shampoo which makes my hair feel dry and stringy in the shower. After using the 2 in 1 Shampoo and Co-Wash only once, my dandruff disappeared for the day! I am most impressed with the Scalp Soother. I had imagined that this product was really for an irritated, itchy, burning scalp which I didn't have. But I needed to try the product regardless. The bottle says that it is a non-greasy formula, and I was thinking, "Yeah, Right!" I was expecting my hair to be a greasy, oily and disgusting mess. It truly isn't greasy at all. The formula feels so good and smells even better than the in shower products.The product is a spray which you put right on your scalp and massage in. It's absolutely perfect for hot days.
Overall, I was completely happy with the Head & Shoulders Moisture Care line that I received, and it lived up to every one of its claims!

Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle

This is a razor/bikini trimmer I received free from Schick and BzzAgent to try out and give my honest opinion and feedback about the product.
For being a women's razor, it's pretty decent. I really liked the weight of it and it made my legs nice and smooth. I really liked the adjustable comb on the trimmer and the fact that the comb is completely removable. Really the only thing I didn't like about it was how the moisture strip only lasted me one shower.

Observe my non-hairy legs!!!

The first post.

If you are stopping by my blog, HELLO!!!! At this point there's not much happening yet as I try to navigate blogging as a newbie.
Anyways, I'm Gina I'm 22 (23 super super soon!) I'm currently a stay at home mom of a really cute little girl. The end of July my second really cute little girl is due to arrive. Hooray!
I've decided to start a blog because I want to share parts of my life and things I like with you! Things like reviews, recipes and other tidbits.
Thanks for stopping by and check back tomorrow for my second posting. (Most likely a review)