Sunday, January 1, 2012

#win this 50$ GC @problemsolvers #giveaway !!! Ends 1/17

problemsolvers.com
Click to go to their site!




I was excited to get to do a review and giveaway for Problemsolvers.com! I had a hard time choosing just one item, but eventually settled on the Solar Topiaries! My husband is obsessed with solar powered anything, and I think it's pretty neat myself! Locomotion of Expressions is proud to introduce new products/companies to you that help fulfill that need. 


Being green is so important nowadays!


I thought these little trees would make a nice addition to our walkway. It's pretty neat how all you do is place them in a pot or the ground. They absorb sunlight all day long, and come on automatically at dusk. They look so cute and add a nice touch to our porch-side garden. I thought the kids (see: Baby) would mess with them, but so far so good.  I gave them to Noah for Christmas, and he really likes them.
I know, it sounds kinda lame to give him a gift I got for free, but no lamer than me as a housewife spending money he made to buy him a present, since I don't work. "Here, look what you bought you.." That's what it feels like anyway.  At least this time his own money wasn't spent on it. But I do know that he likes them, and so far so good. If you are looking to purchase them they are only $59.95 for a set of 2!
In the pictures on the Problem solvers.com website, it shows them (see above) in a potted plant, and looks great! While I don't have two identical pots/plants to place them in at the moment, they look good also staked in the ground, as we did them! I will definitely look into getting some appropriate looking pots/plants to stake them into this spring! I wish there were a few more lights in it, because several of them seem to be buried deep into the topiary which make it less visible from afar. I would prefer there to be about 60 lights per Solar Topiary.


Caring for a Woman's Most Intimate Needs

As any woman nowadays, I like to take good care of my body. But what about taking care of your feminine needs? It is a topic that isn’t always talked about and I feel is taboo, but safe to assume it's one many overlook, probably because of being misinformed and not knowing what to do to adress the situation.
Insert Intimina website! They are a company that was established in 2009 by Ivana Sedic. Ivana felt that women needed a reputable company with impeccable standards that women could turn to to take care of feminine well being. Intimina was born and since then, they have become a globally recognized company that not only provides items that aim at women’s intimate well being, but also a place where women can turn to find the resources and facts they need to enjoy their femininity to the fullest!

We have all heard of kegel exercises. They are simple muscle contractions that help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Exercising these muscles can help prepare your body for labor and delivery, maintain bladder control, and create a better experience during intimacy. Since these exercises help at many stages throughout a woman’s life, there is never a bad time to start and continue to do kegel exercises. That being said, there is sometimes confusion over how to do them and if you’re doing them correctly. The Laselle Kegel Exercisers from Intimina can help! Made from safe, smooth silicone, you start by selecting one of three weighted balls depending on your level of current pelvic strength. Your Laselle Kegel Exerciser is worn discreetly during your usual daily activities. By using this, you will be able to have a solid object to contract around making strengthening more effective. You will also be able to locate and know your pelvic floor muscles, to ensure everything is being done efficiently and correctly. As your body strengthens over time, you can purchase a heavier ball to provide more resistance and keep training your muscles.

Well…are you curious how I felt about the products?

Kegel Exerciser- (The packaging was ridiculously difficult to open.)

First, I should note that Intimina actually sent me two products: the kegel exerciser, and their “feminine moisturizer.” I used the lube to insert the balls as well.

I received a Laselle Kegel Exerciser to review and I have to admit, I was kinda nervous. I discovered vaginal balls by doing reviews for Edenfantasys and discussed probably buying them, but never got the bals, (pardon my pun) to actually purchase. Ironically an oppurtunity to review them came about! I feel that after two children and two vaginal births I could certainly use some work on my pelvic floor. I, thankfully, don’t have an incontinence issue and know how to correctly do kegel exercises alone, nothing could hurt from trying them though, right?  Insertion and use didn’t hurt one bit. It wasn’t even slightly uncomfortable. Just like a tampon, I didn't notice them at all! As promised, the ball responds to your bodies movements and almost forces pelvic floor muscle contraction and release at times. Although forced, the contractions didn’t hurt and they aren’t even annoying. I am excited and hopeful to keep using my Laselle Kegel Exerciser to continue to strengthen my body and bring myself back to pre birth tightness! The vagina bounces back, but needs a nudge in the right direction.

 I also appreciated the tasteful presentation and satin storage bag. Well made and perfect for women facing bladder problems and who have been told to do Kegels. The product itself, though, is made of safe silicone (so no worries if you’re allergic to latex).

Another popular Intimina product is their feminine moisturizer. At some point in our lives we probably have, or probably will, experience vaginal dryness. This brings discomfort and put a halt to intimate activities and can cause itching and irritation. The Intimina moisturizer is a water based solution fortified with aloe vera, is applied externally and is a gentle, hydrating lotion. Thankfully it is alcohol, glycerin and paraben free. It is also so gentle it can be used on a daily basis to alleviate dryness or can be used prior to intimacy for a more enjoyable experience.

I loved the sample of the Intimina feminine moisturizer. I used it during my "time of the month" for femine hygeine insertion. It is non-greasy and not sticky like many lubes I’ve felt before. I would certainly recommend the Intimina moisturizer!
The second ingredient is propylene glycol, which, although it is frequently included in both personal care products and food products (think deodorant, shaving cream, food coloring), can be harmful, not a product I would use regularly, because it is not organic and chemical free, but not a product that is not safe to use at least occasionally.

So How Was It?

The most important part…what was it like?  And did it work?

It was a little strange, honestly. Knowing that I was walking around with it in me was what was odd.  I think it would be better to use for a limited amount of time as a focused exercise rather than wear all the time.  The best way would probably be to do heavy housecleaning and light dancing  while you are wearing it.

And this ball does make doing kegels a lot easier, because you have something to squeeze as it moves up and down just a little bit and you know that you're doing it right. Another odd mention is the ball inside of the outer ball, so  when you are walking around with it inserted you feel like it might fall - but it won't, because of the motion and you automatically do a kegel.

I think this is a good method for exercise, it gives you a deliberate object to flex around so that you can do the kegels properly.

So, odd — but potentially helpful.

The best part about Kegel exercises is they can be done anywhere and no one but you will ever know that you are doing them! I did not have to worry about Kegals till I was pregnant with Giana. Any laugh or sneeze had be sprinting to the bathroom and occasionaly even wetting myself. Even after childbirth (for me) I can forget about doing jumping-jacks or jumping on a trampoline, even if I haven't drank in hurs, and just went to the bathroom, I will stil leak! When I finally talked to my Doctor she said all I had to do was Kegals!

Discover more about Intimina Laselle Kegel Exercisers

My doctor recommended I do Kegel exercises to help with muscle control, however I didn't have much success as it was hard to identify the correct muscles.

#giveaway #win Raw Honey Tropical Traditions Organics 1/13


:)

***CLOSED!!!***

If you guys read and keep up with my blog, then you know I have been sick as a dog. If you also read my blog, then you know the military healthcare in the town I live in.. well, for lack of better words; it sucks.

Everyone is forced to see the doctors on base and there are only about 6-8. As you can imagine, in a pretty large town where more than half of the occupants are military, this number of doctors is not sufficient when the whole town comes down with a cold.
Being that the whole house is sick right now, and has been since Tuesday, I decided to take a more homeopathic natural remedy. I couldn't get us an appointment until Wednesday- that's right.. Wednesday. By which point, I am sure it will be irrelevant anyhow. You may be thinking if it is a cold, then I do not need to be seen. But with a cough this bad... and a child with a sensitive gag reflex who coughs worse at night, and pukes every single time she is sick; her coughing can be dangerous. She needs anti-nausea medicine almost every single time she has a cold. I wouldn't want her asphyxiating in the middle of the night on vomit in a coughing fit, so I have to sleep in the bed with her. What this means is I can't sleep because she kicks like a mule and coughs ALL night. We are miserable to say the least. When you have an unproductive cough, a cough medicine (prescription) would be appreciated.. IMO.

You aren't supposed to request Doctor care until you have been sick for at least 72 hours. I wait the 72 hours, starting Tuesday night.. and call Thursday, only to be told they are (naturally) booked up until Wednesday. They refer me to their nurse on call, who, by phone call consult, goes through our symptoms with us. Which are basically a bit of sneezing and a ton of unproductive coughing.

Her suggestions for at home cold remedies (which I already knew and will share with you now)


  • Steamy Shower (not to get IN, but stand in a closed room breathing the steam)
  • or a humidifier (doing both works well for best results) and
  • HONEY!
  • Lots of liquids, preferably warm. 

That's right. The nurse suggested I use honey! She suggested a half a teaspoon for Devonny, one Teaspoon for Gigi, and 2 teaspoons for me. I put them in this herbal tea called Lung Pacifier, and we drank it warm. I have also been giving her hard candies (Giana, not Devonny of course) and cough drops and hot chocolate.
Why?
Honey can help quiet coughs and is used in a ton of homeopathic over the counter cold remedies. Honey helps loosen phlegm and quiet coughs.
You may not know this, but a lot of the honey you get from the store will not say this, and I think for certain percentage numbers they don't have to. I am pretty sure they can claim to be 100% honey, when in fact they are processed out the wazoo, and have additives to make them more liquefied.
Did you know Honey NEVER expires?
That's right! While it may sound gross, and I am not sure I could do it, honey is good forever. Honey will solidify without regular use though, but setting the container in a sink full or warm water.. or even microwaving it very briefly, can liquefy it again.

I have used a lot of the honey they sent, as you can see in the pictures below, sweetening our tea!



The honey that was sent to me by Tropical Traditions is the most natural organic honey I have ever eaten. It was solid like a wax! It was so creamy and sweet, and melted in my mouth.   Raw honey is excellent because it’s loaded in vitamins, beneficial enzymes and antioxidants
I know this sounds unlikely, but I have eaten some not so tasty honey from local health food stores. This honey has very tasty and sweet!  Now that I have tried it, I do not know if I can go back to the health food store's honey. I know I should tell you I quit purchasing honey from grocery stores a long time ago. Usually, honey works best if you buy local. Not only are you supporting your local bee farm, which bee population is on the brink of extinction, but local honey has pollen from plants in your area and can help during cold season with allergies to those particular plants. there are many different kinds of honey. Clover, Wildflower, and more! Their honey comes from the frontier areas of Canada, and is only harvested during a 6-week period in the summer. Unlike other honeys, Tropical Traditions Organic Raw Honey has not been subjected to the heat of processing, only warmed enough to flow. This means the pollen stays in - the way honey was meant to be.
 The chain of events of what could and would happen without honey bees is scary at best.
Human existence is presently dependent on honey bees
READ ABOUT pollinator decline.
How can you help?

  • Purchase more honey. Use the links on this blog to buy honey and support the farming and natural and safe measures Tropical Traditions uses to harvest their raw, organic, honey!
  • Stop using chemicals to spray for bugs. We need the bees and bugs and other creepy crawlies. They affect our chain of life directly. As annoying as these bug bites may be to you- they feed each other and pollinate our plants. We cannot survive without them. If you must spray for bugs, go natural. Use organic and pet and kid safe products. Not chemicals.
  • Use honey as a substitution in anything you use sugar in, your sweet tea, your recipes. It might cost a little more, but you will be doing your part, and honey is much healthier than sugar! Besides, this honey is so sweet, you use less than you would with sugar, so that helps soften the cost.

This epidemic is called Colony Colapse Disorder.
Some plants will not produce fruit at all without the help of honeybees. In the United States alone, it is estimated that honeybees accomplish 1/4 of the pollination


Read more about Honey & Honeybees



by Madigan's Discoveries on Friday, February 11, 2011 at 12:10pm
"Of course, the obvious answer is that we would not be able to get any more honey. Another obvious answer is we wouldn’t have any more beeswax either. However, it is the role of honey bees in pollination that is more important and vital to many of our food crops.

Honey bees are the best pollinators on this planet. Other insects pollinate but not to the extent of honey bees. Why? Because there’s so many of them within a colony. In the summer, there may be as many as 60,000 honey bees within a single hive. That’s a lot of insects pollinating! One worker bee, also called a forager bee, may visit 50-100 flowers in one trip and she makes trips all day long. The tiny pollen grains, inside the flower, stick to her fuzzy body hairs. Some of the pollen brushes off on the next flower the bee visits and this is called ‘pollination.’ Simple right? Yet we have not figured out a way to do it without honey bees.

Without pollination occurring, we will not see many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and wines (grapes) at the market. “Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,” said Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation. Get the picture?"

Click the links/Pictures to BUY HONEY!


Pure, unheated, unprocessed, and raw honey. Certified Organic and certified kosher!!!

Organic Raw Honey - 17.6 oz. glass jar
Retail Price:
$19.99
Sale Price:
$12.99


Excellent, kitchen-tested recipes can be found on the Tropical Traditions blog:  http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com!  You can also search by ingredient name or by keyword.  

Organic Raw Honey - 15 lb. Pail
Retail Price:
$180.00
Sale Price:
$135.99

In addition, the person who comes to us via your affiliate link and makes a first-time purchase will also receive a FREE gift, our book "Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people's lives and how it can change yours!" This book is packed with testimonies and solid research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how people can incorporate coconut into their diet. So you can advertise this as an incentive to encourage them to purchase.
http://www.healthybuyersclub.com/weekly_sales.cfm

#giveaway you can #win a Rock N Learn DVD by 1/11 **Closed!!**

Rock N Learn sent us one of their older Phonics and Reading DVDs, Reading Comprehension !

***CLOSED!!!***


Nobody's sharper than Marko the Pencil when it comes to helping students learn to read for meaning and prepare for tests. His tips are super effective and his outrageous antics keep students on task. With Marko's guidance, students ace a practice test by learning how to read passages, find key words, and determine the best answers. Students stay calm and relaxed knowing they have the tools they need to succeed!
Grade 3 (Also useful for grades 2 & 4)
Approx. 46 minutes.

Reading Comprehension includes:
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Identifying the Main Idea
  • Using Context Clues
  • Making Inferences
  • Recalling Details and Sequencing
  • Drawing Conclusions
  • Following Directions
  • Mastering Standardized Tests
  • Bonus: Marko's Jokes at the Golden Stylus Comedy Room






What did Giana think?

In her own words.. "I thought that the stories were very cool. I like the questions too because the questions in the little dog book are really cool. I especially like the dog picture in the story. Even though this says for 2nd grade, and I am only in 1st grade. It's OK, because I can still do it.I like to read chapter books too! Right now, me and my mommy are reading: May Bird and the Ever After! I also know what order words are now! This DVD taught me one other thing I didn't know, which is: more details about the stories such as sequencing. I didn't know that sequencing means the order in which things happen. like 1, 2, 3, & 4!  Marko taught me about test taking skills and I have to fill the bubble all the way or it won't answer! I think this DVD is kinda short, and I wish it was a little bit longer. He taught me that order words in the question - you have to read those parts or else the answer won't be right! Did you know that, Mommy? "




WHAT DOES MOMMY THINK?

I think this DVD is right on Giana's level. She watched it two times in a row, and I can tell she really did learn about reading comprehension. She is already farther ahead than the majority of kids her age, and this will give her the extra boost next year for second grade when they touch on more depth on Reading Comprehension. I am quite positive reading comprehension starts in Kindergarten, as soon as SAM books start. But test taking strategies do actually come later. I love all of the Rock N Learn DVDS that have been sent to us and this one is no exception. I can't wait to get a few more. I think some of these especially the science DVDs will really come in handy later! I think we would choose Physical Science  if we get to review another from them! These DVDs are a steal at avg 19.99 and you can purchase them for your IPad as well. I know that some of their items are CDs that feature catchy tunes that your child can play in their own stereo, you can rip to your computer and put on an MP3 player, and also the DVDs are beautifully animated and have very interesting characters. I get immersed in watching them myself and have found that especially with the Science DVDS I have re-learned a few things I was actually rusty about and forgotten. i enjoy watching these DVDs with Giana and am proud that just by writing about them and sharing them with you guys that I have been able to enrich my daughters learning and complement it in this way. Television doesn't always rot your brain! It can be extremely educational, and Rock N Learn helps bring that back to the table. If you haven't already check out the Rock N Learn YouTube channel  and watch  a few previews of their DVDs and seer which one is right for you! Even if you don't win, You can use coupon code JQ7711 for 25% off !!!


Read my other Rock N Learn Reviews!

#nsnation nutrisystem UPdate

(:
I am so glad that Nutrisystem decided to sponsor Locomotion of Expressions.
Although I am sure it varies greatly from blog to blog, I consider a sponsor someone who has worked with me at least 3x. I also sell sponsor space for 35$ a month, or 100$ for 3 months. I also sell it for 175$ for 6mo. I have quite a few sponsors, but Nutrisystem was the one I was most excited about.
Nutrisystem is a widely known household name. If you find someone who has not been touched by their mega extensive advertising efforts then please let me know! It's everywhere you look, but not necessarily a bad thing. I know a lot of you are curious about my weight loss so far, and I was saving that for the end of my Nutrisystem Journey. I want to do a big reveal like on a makeover show, with before and after pictures.

Typical weight loss for Nutrisystem is about 1-2 lbs a week. Depending on the type of workout you can expect more or less.
I know when I work out, I typically experience a greater weight loss in the beginning weeks, then I plateau because I am gaining muscle. Just because you do not see a direct drastic loss on the scale is not a bad thing. Muscle weighs more than fat and therefore will make it seem like you haven't lost any- when in fact, you are way healthier and more slender.

I know that this is the middle of my Nutrisystem Journey, I am coming into my 3rd of 4 shipments here soon. I am excited about this, and I don't know exactly how many people are tracking this journey with me, but I hope you are enjoying reading about it & my opinions, as much as I am enjoying consuming the product and posting them.

I have to get ready to go to the gym, so I have a few more blog posts to write and a bunch of house to clean after I workout, but I do want to first tell you about ther Nutrisystem SUCCESS change.
If you didn't catch the Press release I posted, then you might not know that Nutrisystem has two new sposkepeople: Janet Jackson  & Terry Bradshaw .
In addition, they have changed their menu around and are offering a new Chefs Table collection, which I got to sample (read my opinions) and I am now going to be enjoying in my next shipment.
Super exciting.
I'll catch you guys on the flip-side.
Stay healthy for the New Year!



Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Join today by calling Phone: 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting 
http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog.


 *Disclaimer*  I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own. Your experience with the product may differ from mine.nutr