favorite products

10 Things I Love About Trader Joe’s – NaBloPoMo

Posted on November 4, 2015 Written by Tonya

I like to complain about their produce, which goes bad way well before the expiration date and not just bad, but moldy, stinky, I-just-bought-this-two-days-ago-bad and how stupid busy it is no matter what time of the day or day of the week I go, but the price is always right and I very seldom buy a product I don’t enjoy.

Nevertheless, these are my Top 10 Things I Love About Trader Joe’s:

1. They have a beautiful and exotic flower selection ranging from orchids and succulents to sunflowers and start gazer lilies.

2. Potato medley. These are amazing… yellow, red and purple potatoes all in one bag!

3. Samples. The Trader Joe’s kitchen located way back in the far end of the store is always whipping up something new and delicious.

4. Inexpensive and really good wines perfect for on the way to the party hostess gifts or to enjoy with a bowl of popcorn by yourself while watching Scandal.

5. Mediterranean Humus Snack Pack. Seriously I eat one for lunch most days and they are a nice alternative to sandwiches for school lunches.

6. Yogurt pretzels. Delish!

7. Nourish All-In-One Facial Cleanser and Nourish Oil-Free Antioxidant Facial Moisturizer. Ever since my friend, Morgan of The Little Hen House (she doesn’t blog anymore and I can’t find her review) shared a review of these two products five years ago, I’ve been hooked. It’s light, gentle, nondrying and way less expensive than the stuff I used to use!

8. Jo-Jos. These are like Oreos, but better. Better because the ingredients don’t sound like a science experiment and because they come shaped like pumpkins in October and filled with peppermint and coated in chocolate and sprinkled with candy canes in December!

9. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. These are bite sized pieces of heaven and never last very long in our house, as exhibited in this photo. There are only two left!

10. Cute stickers for the kids at checkout. These are free for the asking, change with the seasons and aren’t sticky stickers so they won’t leave residue all over your car.

Oh no! I just realized I didn’t cover all the convenient and yummy frozen foods this terrific store offers; polenta, chicken and veggie wonton soup, pizzas (three cheese, four cheese, minis) waffles, stirred fried veggie rolls, Mini Hold The Cone! Ice Cream Cones and the list goes on and on and on.

If you don’t have a TJ’s near you, I am truly sorry because you are missing out on some amazing products. But, I have good news! Did you know that Amazon sells 20 pages of Trader Joe’s products? How cool is that?

If you frequent Trader Joe’s as often as I do, what are your favorite products?

Six Must-Have Pregnancy Items

Posted on November 12, 2013 Written by Tonya

For me, along with a growing belly comes swollen feet and legs, an achy back and bizarre cravings for lemons and baked goods. I know, right? But, that’s about it. I’m lucky and don’t get the nausea, heartburn or hemorrhoids.

When it comes to pregnancy, I don’t know why I have been so blessed to have such an easy go at it, but I could not go through this experience without sharing a few of my favorite pregnancy items.

Sure, a great support system and caring team of doctors is important, as are prenatal vitamins, a healthy, well-balanced diet, equal parts exercise and rest and pretty much a whole new wardrobe are essential, but these are my six must-haves for a successful, more comfortable nine months.

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1. Belly cream. My favorite is Bella B Tummy Honey Stretchmark Prevention Butter. It smells delish, feels luxurious and helps prevent stretch marks and itching. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

2. Proper fitting undergarments. I have grown a full cup size and then some and my go-to bras are Victoria’s Secret’s Body By Victoria, which offers super full coverage, lots of colors to choose from and are available in both under-wire and wireless. Totally worth the price tag.

3. Cheese. Better known as the Babies R Us Pregnancy Wedge Cushion Pillow. If you’re not ready or willing to spend $80+ on a full body pillow, this is the perfect alternative for that extra belly, legs, and hip support you need in order to get a better night’s sleep.

4. My iPhone. I use it to keep track of what my body and baby are doing with awesome apps like Baby Bump and What To Expect: Pregnancy and to pass the time while waiting and waiting and waiting in doctors offices.

5. Compression socks. One yucky side effect I have been experiencing is a lot of pressure in my legs and some minor blood clotting at the end of the day and although they are ugly as sin, Futuro Energizing Ultra Sheer Knee Highs do help.

6. Pampering. Once a month (sometimes more) I get mani/pedis and prenatal massages. Anything that makes me stop and forces me to relax is a very good thing.

What helped you get through your pregnancy?

None of the companies mentioned above endorsed this blog post in any way, I received no free swag for writing this and all opinions expressed are 100% my own, but if Victoria’s Secret picks up on this, I would not turn down a gift card!

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Day 12: Today I am grateful for a good night’s rest. I spent half of last night coughing my lungs out and with a newborn baby on the way, severe sleep deprivation is too and it helps me appreciate the value and luxury of a full eight hours of sleep, glorious sleep. Are you getting enough Zzzzz’s? #30daysofgratitude

A Month Long Celebration

Posted on July 16, 2013 Written by Tonya

It really pays to have a birthday IF you are signed up with as many loyalty programs as I am.

I’ve always been a sucker for loyalty programs at both restaurants and my favorite places to shop and one way companies that offer incentives and discounts in exchange for your repeat patronage is by acknowledging your birthday. This year I was hell bent on not letting any free stuff expire, like I’ve always done in the past. As a result, my family and I been celebrating my special day all month long!

SIDE NOTE: If you’re a fan of loyalty programs too, but don’t want to carry a bunch of cards in your wallet or have them annoyingly dangling from your key chain, I highly recommend getting the app, Key Ring. It’s free and super easy to use and will keep all of your loyalty cards in one convenient place, right on your smart phone. Plus, it alerts you of current offers, discounts and sales!

If you have a iPhone 4s or higher, there is also a pre-installed app called Passbook with similar features… or so I’m told.

Anyway, here is a short list of all the cool stuff I’ve enjoyed for my birthday month:

Free burger at Red Robin
Free bagel and cream cheese at Bruegger’s Bagels
Free beverage at Starbucks
Free small frozen yogurt at Pinkberry
2x the bonus points on all purchases all month at Ulta
30% off at Cost Plus World Market
Complimentary cookie at Boudin
Free birthday sundae at Ruby’s
15% off entire purchase at Anthropologie
$5.00 off entire purchase at DSW
20% off entire purchase at Muttropolis
Free dessert at True Food
Free dessert at Island’s
Buy One Get One at Soup Plantation

Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Click on image for source.

The makers of Key Ring did not endorse this post, nor did they acknowledge my birthday in any way.

Can’t Live Without

Posted on February 6, 2012 Written by Tonya

After I filmed this, I realized I CLEARLY left off a few very important items that I can’t live without: (in no particular order) caffeine, chap stick and exercise, but I enjoyed my guest star so much, I stayed with this version. Can you blame me?

This post is for Vlog Talk. The prompt I chose was from December 15, 2011, #3). I couldn’t make it through the day without these 3 items. What are they? Show us what they are and tell us why.

My Heart

Posted on September 19, 2011 Written by Tonya

We only have one bathtub in our house and it’s in the master bathroom.

After Lucas has a bath, his favorite thing to do is rush out of the bathroom completely naked and dripping wet and jump and “wrestle in bed”, as he calls it with his dad.

The roughhousing turns into a game of struggling to get Lucas’ pajamas on.

It’s good physical fun for Lucas and great bonding time for both of them, so I usually stay away.

They twist and turn and roll all over the big king-sized bed, pillows are tossed on the floor and laughter can be heard throughout the house. It’s one of my favorite times of the day.

Having no fear or concept of how much his propelling onto his dad’s back may hurt, Todd recently tried to explain to Lucas that he is just a person; a body, made up of water, blood, tissue and bones. Overhearing this from the bathroom, I popped out and asked Lucas what he thought was in his body.

His reply without skipping a beat: “my heart”.

I may have cried a little.

Lucas and his friend, Jackson on Saturday night. Isn't the turquoise water so fun? Thanks to Jackson's mommy, we've discovered Sesame Street Fizzy Tub Color Tablets!

Mindful Eating

Posted on February 16, 2011 Written by Tonya

I love food!

I love chips and salsa (the spicier the better), deep dish pepperoni pizza, big fat juicy cheeseburgers with all the fixings and a side of French fries, chocolate chip ice cream, sandwiches never without a bag of potato chips nearby, several glasses of wine at the end of my evenings and at least two Diet Cokes a day.

I didn’t eat poorly every day and when I did, I’d pay for it at the gym, on long walks to and from parks or by depriving myself for days following.

That was then and this is now.

I don’t think about food the same way any more.

It’s been one week since my husband I started the 3-day Ritual Cleanse and all everyone seems to want to know is how much weight we lost.

We didn’t do the juice diet to lose weight, but I did drop three pounds, all of which, I’m sure I have gained back because it was probably just water weight.

More important than the weight loss, I feel good and I did throughout the entire three days of the cleanse. Well, except for a minor headache at the beginning of Day 2, but it was nothing a little green tea couldn’t cure.

Day 1 was just odd. Drinking only juice and peeing A LOT and by bedtime, I was really hungry, but I pressed on…

Day 2 was my best day, I had tons of energy and felt absolutely amazing. Not having that bloated or tired or run down feeling was new to me and I liked it and wanted more of it!

Day 3 went very well too, but I was starting to get nervous about eating “real” food again the following day and didn’t want the goodness I was doing for my body to stop after I had used so much will power to stick to this three day detox.

Day 3 also prompted a lot of conversation about the way we eat as a family and different choices we wanted to make to our diet going forward. I still haven’t had a Diet Coke and don’t know when or if I will. I’m reading more labels at the super market and trying to buy only fresh organic produce and products.

My husband and I are already talking about doing the cleanse again this Spring. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you!!

If you are interested in doing something wonderful for your body in order to reset it and make more mindful eating choices, I highly suggest Ritual Cleanse.

If you have any questions about my experience or want to read more about why we did the cleanse and my half way point, here are two previous posts: Time To Detoxand Ritual Cleanse – Half Way Point and I can always be reached at smadaaynot@yahoo.com.

Thank you, Ritual Cleanse!

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10 Things I Love About Trader Joe’s – NaBloPoMo

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