Stocking Stuffers for Exercise Enthusiasts

I just want to share a few products that I believe are excellent gifts for your favorite exercise fans.  They are moderately priced and small enough to fit into most stockings (or a nice package for another gift giving occasion.

The Active Accessories Pouch is available on Amazon for only $15!  It is the perfect size for an iphone, earbuds, a glucometer, anything you need for carrying with you to the gym.  I believe these would also be perfect for a teenage girl to slip into her bookbag with all of her essential IDs.  (I might even slip a small tampon into it for an emergency).  This pouch comes in 4 color choices and has received a 5 star rating by customers on Amazon!  Click the first link to like them on Facebook and tell them I said hello!

 

GeoPalz pedometers are a super cute way to stimulate activity in kids, and a stylish pedometer for adults.  They cost $25 on the GeoPalz website.  You can also buy a select few on Amazon.  Here is why I love them:  The GeoPalz website invites children to track their daily steps in order to earn points for prizes.  They also have games that are interactive and encourage children to keep moving.  What's more, they have a place for families to track their steps together!  We love GeoPalz and their fantastic assortment of styles and rewards!  Follow GeoPalz on Facebook.

 

Banglz make wrist and ankle weights with sleeves to dress them up!   Sleeves can be bought separately so you can change styles to match your workout clothes.  Prices vary depending on your choice of products.  The same company that makes Banglz sells lycra headbands and hair ties that don't damage your hair!  Check out their simple skirts too - they are incredibly comfortable and cute!

RoadID offers a variety of safety products for those who enjoy exercise.  My favorite product is the wrist ID.  I wear mine almost every day, especially when I am exercising at the gym.  I know that if there is a problem, emergency workers will be able to quickly access all of the information they need about me.  RoadID products vary in price depending on the product.  Take a look at their Facebook page as well!

 

Riley Children's Foundation  has t-shirts in their store online!  What a great stocking stuffer for only $10.50 (plus tax).  Ordering a Riley t-shirt not only gives your loved one a new shirt for working out, but also benefits children in need of hospital and specialist services.  We love Riley because 2 of our children benefit from their excellent quality services.  Learn more about Riley through their Facebook page.

Planet Fitness is a quickly growing gym franchise (in 47 states)!  Membership is extremely affordable.  Our local gym has 2 options $10 or $20 a month depending on which services you choose.  See if there is a Planet Fitness near your favorite exercise lover.  

This mission of Planet Fitness: We at Planet Fitness are here to provide a unique environment in which anyone – and we mean anyone – can be comfortable. A diverse, Judgement Free Zone® where a lasting, active lifestyle can be built. Our product is a tool, a means to an end; not a brand name or a mold-maker, but a tool that can be used by anyone. In the end, it’s all about you. As we evolve and educate ourselves, we will seek to perfect this safe, energetic environment, where everyone feels accepted and respected. We are not here to kiss your butt, only to kick it if that’s what you need. We need you, because face it, our planet wouldn’t be the same without you. You belong! 

Find them on Facebook as well.

Some other favorites

 Water Bottles, heart rate monitors, gym towels, yoga mats, hand weights, earbuds, ipod holders that strap to an arm, athletic shoes, and more!  

What are your favorite stocking stuffers?

Healthy Family Date: Review

Do you ever go on "Family Dates"?  We love to go out with our boys for fun activities.  They enjoy hiking, playgrounds, shopping (yes, weird boys), library visits, and so many other things that are going on around town.  We love it that they can get excited about healthy, cultural events!

Recently we decided to look for a different kind of healthy date.  The requirements for this "big event" were 1) healthy food (remember we are working on a vegan diet);  2) lots of movement that our 2 and 4 year old could enjoy together with us; and 3) a reasonable price.  You would never believe where we found it.  We found a restaurant with a salad bar and a LOT of fun games and play areas.  The best salad bar in Fort Wayne comes at a cost of about $7 per person for all you can eat (unfortunately there are not discounts for being a young child).

We decided that we would have the amazing salad bar for myself and Mr. Crum and let the boys slack a little on healthy eating, they shared a pizza.  The package for their pizza, drinks, and a handful of tokens was only about $20.  We could easily have shared this package with our whole family of 5 and had enough to eat.  The food was fantastic.  Side note: we ate here about a year ago and did not like the pizza very well at that time.  I think they have improved their formula over the last year.

Health: Chuck E Cheese offers a variety of food options varying from extremely healthy to not so much.  There are reasonably priced choices for the whole family.  They have also just begun offering gluten free pizza and cupcakes nation wide as an option for families who are facing gluten intolerance!  Way to go Chuck E Cheese!

Cassius getting his hand stamped.

Safety: Every person that enters the doors at Chuck E Cheese is given an invisible stamp on the hand.  This special ink glows in a black light to help the gate keepers make sure that all children leave with the adults they came in with.  There are also regular sweeps of the restaurant to keep it clean and free of debris that could be harmful for visitors.  Excellent job on safety!

The big climber/slide.

Entertainment:  Chuck E Cheese has always been high on entertainment, that's their thing.  They offer an excellent variety of activities to keep the whole family going.  Our 2 year old loved the climber & slide.  Our 4 year old loved the rides & games.  We enjoyed bouncing from activity to activity with them and helping them understand how different things worked.  On this visit, our children were not very interested in the show.  They did, however, participate in a costume parade with Chuck E Cheese and dance with him to earn extra prize tickets.

Mr. Crum teaching Manasseh about air hockey.

We happened to show up during "Chucktober", which is celebrated by inviting children to come in costumes and participate in extra ticket giveaway activities.

"Dr." Manasseh dreaming of his future car.

Take Away:  We left Chuck E Cheese with a few photos and a couple of plastic frogs.  More importantly, we left with children that have a fond memory of a great day interacting with their parents.  I LOVE that my boys have those memories.  I think that a few hours at Chuck E Cheese every once in a while is a great way to build some relationship with my boys (and stay healthy while doing it).

Azariah taking his first ride - this one snaps a picture.

Recommendation:  I think that if you're okay with crowds and enjoy high levels of activity, this is a fantastic family date.  The food is amazing (yep, I'm talking about Chuck E Cheese) and the games are a lot of fun.  All games and rides are 1 token (about a quarter each - less depending on how many tokens you buy) and they can promote family togetherness.  Consider taking a trip to Chuck E Cheese to shake off the winter blahs!

THANKS CHUCK E CHEESE FOR A FUN, HEALTHY FAMILY DATE!

***Disclaimer: I did receive a product or products in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own.***

$35 Road ID Gift Code Giveaway

It's time for safety on the road!

Earlier this week I shared a review of Road ID.  Don't miss out on your chance to win $35 toward your choice of Road ID products.  

Road ID promotes safety while you're being active.  It gives you an opportunity to feel secure when you're away.  

Make sure to surf through Road ID's store today!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Disclosure: I have received a product or products free for the purpose of promotion.  All opinions are my own.***

Exercise Securely with Road ID (Review)

Hi there.  Remember me?  Remember that I'm on a weigh loss journey right now with Win, Lose, or Blog?  Have you checked in to see how I'm doing?  I'm not going to tell you here - you'll have to check my latest report!

I'm here to tell you about how I keep myself safe as a diabetic, exercising in a variety of places.  I am concerned for my safety as well as the safety of my children who are frequently with me when I'm exercising out of the house.  Can you imagine how confusing and frightening it would be for my boys if mommy had some sort of diabetic event while we were taking our 3 mile walk to the library, or hiking in the woods somewhere?  The oldest is 4, he has very little information to give an emergency worker, or a stranger that was trying to help out.  SO - I looked for solutions to this problem and I stumbled across a program that I think is magnificent and gives me the peace of mind that I need while I'm out with my boys.

 I contacted Road ID about being part of my weight loss adventure.  They kindly agreed to support this event and allowed me to spend $35 in their store. I knew my first selection was going to be a wrist ID.  These are great.  I chose the "sport" version with a purple nylon strap.  They offer a variety of styles and colors for the IDs.

Here is what I love about this ID:
1) It's purple!  (or 5 other colors if you don't like purple).
2) The back of my Wrist ID has a personal ID and code so emergency workers can access vital information about me in the event of an emergency.
3) This ID came with a year of service! (That promotion appears to be over - a year of service is only $19.99 at this time).
4) The Road ID program allows me to input and change my personal information any time I need to do so.  I have set my own access ID and password so that I'm free to do so from my computer any time.
5) It's comfortable.  I always put it on before taking my boys outside, and usually forget about it until bed.
6) It's reflective.  Yep, another way to let people know I'm there when I'm out at night!
7) The information is laser-engraved, it is not going to wear off quickly when worn again and again.
8) I can wear it in the water with no concern for damaging it.

After buying the Wrist ID, I still had some money in my card.  I searched and searched for just the right product.  Let me tell you, they have a lot of safety products that I really love and their prices are excellent.  I finally settled on the "Firefly Suernova"  A bright light that I can attach to my pants, stroller, sock, purse... whatever I've got with me when I'm out in the early morning or evening.  The boys think it's cool because I chose green.  I love it because it gives me an added feeling of security.  I know that this light is very bright and can be seen from a great distance.  I am certain I won't be one of those people that you drive up next to and nearly hit because you didn't see them walking down the street in their dark clothes at night!  One of our favorite features is that you can just flip the battery over to select between a flashing light and a solid light!

Whether we're hiking a trail, walking to the library, biking together, or just playing at the park; Road ID is part of my safety routine.  I wear it everywhere.  I strongly recommend that if you are exercising in public OR if you have potentially life threatening health complications - you check into Road ID.  Take care of yourself!

How do you take care of yourself when you're exercising?  Have you heard of Road ID?  Check out their website, tell me your favorite product.

***Disclosure: I have received a product or products free for the purpose of promotion.  All opinions are my own.***

Mama's thoughts about co-sleeping

Co-sleeping is a dirty word to some and a way of life to others.

If you don't know what co-sleeping is, I will briefly explain:  it's sleeping together with your baby or small child.

Yep, it's that simple.

Why are people opposed to co-sleeping?  It's not safe.  What happens if you roll over onto baby and suffocate him?  What if baby rolls off the side of the bed?  What if you drop baby?  Some people are also opposed because co-sleeping restricts intimacy with a spouse.  Others feel like it's too crowded or that it creates dependency in children instead of teaching them to be independent.

Mama Crum was one of those people.  I read the studies, I knew the "facts", I had no desire to sleep with my babies, because I knew it was not safe.

Baby Monkey

Nearly 3 and a half years ago, Monkey was born.  He wanted to be held - all the time.  He would not sleep if I put him down at night.  He wanted to eat in the middle of the night, every night.  Mama learned that it was easier to indulge him than to ignore him.  Monkey began to nurse in the recliner while mama slept.  Eventually, he began to sleep in the bed next to mama while he ate.  

That was the beginning of the shift for me.  I learned that, for me, we all got better sleep when baby was close. It was easiest for baby to be in bed with us.  I got smarter with Crackers - we got a co-sleeper, you know, one of those beds that attaches to the side of a big bed so baby is right next to you, but still in his own space.  We used it for a while, then Crackers went off to his crib and slept in it by himself, until a month ago - when we started climbing out, and getting in to mommy and daddy's bed.  

Baby Crackers

Once again, we have a baby that wants to be held to sleep.  Baby and mama sleep in the recliner a good portion of the night some nights.  Now, though, the time is split between the recliner with Baby, and the bed with Mr. Crum, Monkey, and Crackers.

Yep.  I co-sleep.  I'm not fully committed to it.  In fact, I would like my boys to spend the nights in their own beds, and they all have their own beds.  I have to admit though that I love snuggling up with my boys.  At nap time I always lay down with one of the big boys to snuggle until he falls asleep - or until I do, depending on the day.

Baby Crum 3

I am not so opposed to co-sleeping as I used to be.  The safety issues?  They are pretty small in my estimation, I can't imagine rolling onto my baby and not noticing.  Maybe I'm just a light sleeper, but when my baby even breathes funny in his sleep, I wake up.

How do you feel about co-sleeping?

Children's Clothes - Yikes

So, someone had this brilliant idea about helpin protect kids by making a national industry standard requiring testing of ALL products that will be used by kids under 12. This is great, and will help kids be at less risk of lead poisoning.

However.. the problem with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is that it currently appears to include ALL children's products, both new and used. This means that thrift stores, home businesses, and so forth would have to submit everything they sell for testing. Yikes.. that means that our second hand stores will be out of business, as they can't afford to have everything tested.. AND even if they could, in order to test things materials are destroyed.

I personally am a big fan of Salvation Army, Goodwill, any such store like this -- We've got to get to our congressmen and ask for some amendments to this act that protect sellers of used goods!