Family * Travel * Food

Smooth Fitness Treadmill Update #SmoothBlogger #spon

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.

It has been about 4 months now since my Smooth Fitness 5.65 treadmill entered my life. I have to say that things have changed a lot. I haven't felt as good as I have been in a very long time. I almost feel like I time traveled backwards and a 26 year old resides inside of me. Having the convenience of a state-of-the-art piece of exercise equipment inside my home has been my ticket to better overall health and well-being.
Before becoming a Smooth Fitness Ambassador, I never made exercise a priority. It was always such a hassle to arrange the time, find a place and even the motivation to dedicate to fitness. My treadmill has helped me to stop making excuses and start making myself better. Each night I make my plans for the next day. I actually look forward to starting my day off with a brisk jog. I am in no way one of those moms that run 4-6 miles a day. I don't think I can handle that much and realize that it is okay. I set simple goals for myself and make them more challenging each week. Some mornings I may only do a mile or a mile and a half as well as some stretching and light weights. My goal is to feel better and have more energy. I have to say. I have certainly reached that goal! If I miss a workout for 2 days, I will know it and feel badly about it. Exercise has become a habit for me! 
If you are considering purchasing a treadmill for your home, I highly suggest any of the ones that Smooth Fitness offers. It is a great investment and on to this day, I snicker as I pass by the health club we were paying big money for in the past. Of course, you can't beat being able to "ugly sweat" in the privacy of your own home, no matter the weather! I know our treadmill will get used and abused this summer since the girls will be out of school.

Be sure to check out Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their line of treadmills and elliptical machines. I want to extend a huge thank you to Smooth Fitness for having me as a brand ambassador. My family loves the machine and we look forward to staying healthy and fit for life!
Shelly, Mom Files

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One of my favorite beauty products

I think over the years, I have tried virtually every beauty product you could get from a drugstore. One thing I use every night is a makeup removing wipe. I have tried so many brands but I go back to the same one every time. Oddly enough, the Walmart brand called Equate beauty has been the best one by far.
I love how soft and gentle the towelettes feel and they are generously sized. They have just the right amount of cleanser in them that really do the trick of getting my eye makeup off with ease. Since I use them primarily for eye makeup removal, I don't have to use a whole wipe. I tear a wipe in two or three and maximize my uses from one pack. My daughters do the same thing and they last a long time. We purchase it in a 2-pack for around $6. Not bad at all! I don't buy them because they are inexpensive. I buy them because they actually work!

What do you use to remove makeup?
Shelly, Mom Files
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Benjamin Dash Miami | November 2013

Are you a runner looking for a fun and unique challenge? Benjamin Dash in Miami might be one worth checking out. 

Benjamin Dash is an innovative 5K course running event that gives Dashers the opportunity to grab flags worth monetary value.  They will have the choice to either donate to their favorite charity or keep it for themselves. Runners will have to maneuver through a numerous, uniquely designed obstacles that will test every specific attribute that can be thought of, especially to keep the large wave of runners moving. They will then finish the race where runners will be paid for the amount of flags they have captured.

Here’s the twist, all the flags on the obstacles will have different values so participants will ever know the amount they are running with on hand. If you think that was it, you’re wrong! Runners will need eyes like an eagle for there will be charity warriors whose sole purpose is to take your flags to promote their own charity. After completion of the race, runners will be accommodated with drinks and food, as well as entertainment from a live band. If you're up for a different kind of competition, check out Benjamin Dash online to find out more. There are early registration discounts as well. Use the promotional code: BUGS747 (in all caps) for a 10% off discount.

You can find Benjamin Dash on Facebook and Twitter.

This is not a sponsored post. I just thought I would share this event with my readers that reside in Florida.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Get inspired with Miracle-Gro's The Gro Project

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
We are in prime gardening season and everyone seems to be getting into it. Miracle-Gro is doing The Gro Project to help you get some fun ideas to make your garden project easy and enjoyable. After all, who want what should be a fun time to feel like a chore? I just love the fun garden projects on the Facebook page. The "toyranium" is something that you can do with your little ones and they will feel a part of growing their very own plants. They can learn how plants are good for the environment and hopefully grow to enjoy gardening for life. Check out the short video below:

With the cost of food constantly rising, it is a smart move to grow your own fruit and veggies. This year, we did a lot of outdoor containers for our fruits and veggies and did an in-ground garden bed with our ornamentals.  We made sure to start with Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix for our containers. It is made to keep the right amount of moisture so you prevent over and under-watering.
So far we have strawberries, pickling cucumbers, green beans, hot peppers, Meyer lemons and herbs. We started our planting about 4 weeks ago and it is astonishing how much they have already grown! We have baby green beans rapidly popping up as well as many blooms on our cucumbers and peppers. I really think that I will check out an indoor garden project that my son can help with. He really enjoyed planting the strawberry plant for his daddy as you can see!
The strawberry plant has gotten so big and we can't wait for it to bare actual fruit! 
Be sure to "like" Miracle-Gro on Facebook to join The Gro Project. If you want to share your own creations on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook, be sure to use the hashtag #MiracleGroProject

Visit Sponsor's Site
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Wordless Wednesday | Prom 2013

My oldest daughter went to her senior prom a couple weeks ago. She looked like a princess!


Shelly, Mom Files
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Smooth Fitness Update: Get your kids into fitness early #SmoothBlogger #spon

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.

I enjoy getting my walk/jog/run on in the morning during the week. When you have a 5 year old around, it can be a challenge to get your workout complete, without interruption. My son has been so curious about our Smooth Fitness 5.65 treadmill. He often stands by and watches the belt move and you can tell he wants to try it out for himself. Of course a treadmill is not made for small children, so I occasionally let him walk on it with the power turned off.

He has become very creative and gets on the mini trampoline that we have set up not far from the treadmill and makes up his version of exercising. He walks and jogs in place and tells me that he has his very own treadmill. He enjoys when I have my music hooked up to the adapter so he can have a fun workout as well. It's amazing how much his coordination is improving with his pretend treadmill workouts. We both get our exercise in without any interruption and he is being conditioned to having fitness become important at an early age.

If you are thinking about purchasing a high-quality treadmill for your home, I greatly recommend Smooth Fitness. We researched treadmills for 6 weeks prior to receiving ours and nothing can compare. It is truly gym quality and Smooth Fitness has different models to choose from as well as financing and payment options. For what you will pay in a year for a gym membership, you could have paid for a treadmill in full and have your own private at-home gym. Here are a few features of the Smooth Fitness 5.65 treadmill:

SmoothDrop™ Folding Frame: Soft Drop, Easy to Fold Design

Industry Leading Warranty: Lifetime on frame & motor, 5 years all parts & electronics and 2 year in home labor.

SmoothDrive™ 2.75HP Motor: Powerful, Quiet, Durable Operation

Im-pression™ Shock Absorption: Helps Reduce Impact on Joints


Be sure to check out Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their line of treadmills and elliptical machines.
Shelly, Mom Files
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London Festivals with the Family: To Go Or Not To Go?

The summer season is nearly here and with summer comes the opportunity to enjoy festivals. While they’re certainly not everybody’s cup of tea, they can be incredibly exciting, with live music and activities to keep everyone busy throughout the days.

Whether you’re a festival veteran or a complete fledgling, having a family can sometimes affect your ability to enjoy festivals in all their glory, with many people choosing to give up on the idea altogether. It goes without saying that the festival experience changes somewhat when children come along – the idea of being wild, young and free doesn’t necessarily exist anymore, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy them.

 If you’re wondering whether to head to a festival in the capital this summer, you can click here for budget accommodation deals in London so that you and your kids have somewhere comfortable to lay your head.

While some people will be ruling out the concept of a festival with their brood, others may be weighing up the options. What are the pros and cons of taking kids to these summer traditions?

 Pros
 • The learning experience for your kids is immeasurable
 • Fun-filled for the young ones, in an environment they wouldn’t ordinarily see
 • A chance to appreciate culture, hone their creativity and appreciate child-friendly activities
 • A great opportunity to spend some quality time with the children this summer

 Cons
 • Inevitable responsibility – you won’t be able to be crazy like you may have done a decade ago!
 • They may mean you miss music you were hoping to see because they clash with the activities your children would like to participate in
 • Early nights to coincide with sleepy ones

Luckily nowadays, it’s not all about taking children to adult-orientated festivals and hoping that they enjoy it. There’s a whole host of child-friendly festivals all over the country which provide a schedule of entertainment that cater for the youngsters too.

Family-friendly festivals offer a great chance for everyone to enjoy some quality time together this summer and a reason to spend a little time away from the creature comforts together. While many may choose to throw themselves into the deep end and camp for the duration of the festival, if you’re a complete festival newbie, it would be more advisable to click here for budget accommodation in London so that you have a fresh pillow to retire too once the festivities are over.

The LolliBop Festival (August 17th – 19th, Regent’s Park) is the ultimate festival for kids. Radiating good vibes, while catering on the most part, towards little ones, it returns for its third year in 2013 and includes the Gruffalo Live, Waybuloo, Mister Maker and Little Angel Theatre. There’s plenty of activities throughout the weekend to keep them busy and provides a superb day out that’s based around them. Take the plunge this summer and start a family tradition of heading to an annual festival. You’ll wonder why it’s taken you this long to realise just how fun-filled and enjoyable they are with the brood in tow.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Toyota and Teen Vogue want you to take a pledge "Arrive in Style" #spon [Giveaway]

**CONTEST CLOSED** 
Winner is Stacie Sayz So. Congratulations! 

*This post was written as part of my association with Toyota for Arrive in Style
With one teenage driver under my roof and one getting ready to get her license and hit the road this summer, it is a stressful time in a mom's life. I still haven't gotten over the fear of something happening when I am not in the car. It is so important to always talk to them about driving safety and be a good example to them. When I am driving the kids, I avoid talking on the cell phone unless it is very important. If I do take the occasional call, it goes something like this, "Hey, I'm driving, I'll call you back". I have been doing that for years and for good reason... safety!

To help educate teen girls about safe driving, Toyota and Teen Vogue are partnering on the “Arrive in Style” initiative.

Through research—Toyota found that 62% of teenage girls report using a cell phone while driving.* And since parents are such a major influence on their teen’s driving habits—they are asking mothers and daughters to sign and share a pledge to drive safely and “Arrive in Style”.

After you sign the Toyota Mutual Driving Agreement pledge at www.teenvogue.com/arriveinstyle, pledgers are then entered for a chance to win a Teen Vogue Beauty Box. You can also submit an “air-driving” photo with your daughter for the opportunity to win an all-expense paid trip to NYC to be featured in the February 2014 issue of Teen Vogue. How amazing is that?! To help raise awareness, you can also share your "air driving" photos on Instagram using the hashtag #arriveinstyle

Be sure to share your pledge on Facebook. This will allow each of you to win additional entries in the monthly beauty box giveaway. An easy Facebook “share” feature will pop up on the “Arrive in Style” site after you sign the pledge.

Why Teen Vogue?
Teen Vogue really shares in Toyota’s commitment to empower girls to be safe on the road, so they couldn’t have picked a better partner to create such a unique, fun and informative program with. With a readership of nearly 3.5 million and an additional 3 million plus social followers, Teen Vogue was the ideal partner to get this message out to teen girls. 

Toyota’s Commitment to Safe Driving:

Toyota offers a variety of resources to help all teens become safer drivers – from behind the wheel safe driving clinics, to online games and resources – and this initiative with Teen Vogue is a wonderful way to not only bring awareness to important teen driving issues, but also let teens and parents know that Toyota is here with resources to help them.

Do you have a teen daughter who's driving or learning to? You can enter to win a fabulous beauty box to help reward your teen for safe driving. Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on May 25, 2013. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Prize may vary from what it pictured above. Good luck!

I received compensation to help spread the word about this campaign. The prize was provided and may be shipped by Toyota. Toyota is not a sponsor, administrator or connected in any other way with this giveaway.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Yoplait Greek 100 & $25 Publix Gift Card Giveaway

The information in this post and gift pack were provided by General Mills and Publix® through MyBlogSpark. 

As we head into the swimsuit season, many of us are thinking about losing a few pounds so we can look our best this summer. A great way to start is by swapping out the sweet treats with something satisfying and low in calories. Yoplait Greek 100 calories yogurt is a great choice. There are so many flavors to choose from and they will satisfy your sweet tooth. You get all that you love in a Greek yogurt with only 100 calories.

You can go to Publix® May 11th - 31st to save on irresistible flavors like Black Cherry, Lemon, Mixed Berry, Peach, Tropical and more — 10 for just $10! At this price, you can sample all of the delicious flavors! So far the strawberry has my heart. I love it and the texture is perfect.
Would you like to try out the Yoplait Greek 100 calories yogurt for yourself? One lucky Momfiles reader will win a gift pack containing VIP coupons for 4 FREE 5.3 oz containers of Yoplait Greek 100, so you can try 4 flavors FREE and a $25 Publix® gift card.

Enter below: a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on May 22, 2013. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email to claim prize. Please leave a valid email address in the event you are selected as a winner. Please follow giveaway rules or all entries will be disqualified. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!
Shelly, Mom Files
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Vitamins make me tired

About three weeks ago I decided to take it upon myself to do something good for my health. I realized that I will turn 40 this year and my body might need a little extra calcium and iron. I started to take a supplement that contained calcium, magnesium and zinc all in one. I also took a slow-release iron pill.
What I did was take one of each, every other day for a total of 4 times. Why only 4 times? It turns out that the combination of vitamins were exhausting me to the point that I had to take multiple naps each day and didn't want to cook, bake or do anything I enjoy. I was tired beyond tired and that is unlike me. I am a very high-energy person and I knew something was wrong. I decided to stop taking the supplements and drink a ton of water. Wouldn't you know that within 4 days, my energy came back and I felt like myself again! From now on I will use the right food as my supplement. I have never been able to take vitamins in combination because they do wonky things to my body. If I take a multi-vitamin, I will end up with flu-like symptoms. Crazy, huh?

Have you ever experienced anything like this before?
Shelly, Mom Files
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You could win a trip to the 2013 Essence Festival with 3 of your friends! #spon {Giveaway}

The 2013 Essence Festival, brought to you by Coca-Cola, will be going on in New Orleans this summer. Coca-Cola is providing me with a fun gift pack to share some exciting news about a sweepstakes contest they are running. From now until May 31, 2013, you can enter for a chance to win a trip for you and 3 friends to move, groove, and enjoy at the 2013 ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans. Prize includes round trip air transportation, 3 nights' hotel accommodations, tickets to the Festival and $1,200 spending money. Plus, you could also snag cool instant prizes. Now that would be the ultimate girls' weekend getaway!
I took a look at the artist line-up for the EF and I screamed like a little girl! The names that stuck out to me the most were New Edition, LL Cool J, Beyonce,  Blackstreet, Mint Condition and many more! I have had friends attend the EF in the past and they all couldn't stop talking about how amazing it was.
You can see all of the details to enter the sweepstakes to win the trip for 4 on the Coca-Cola Essence Festival page. While you're there, you can see video from last year's EF as well as check out the artist line-up.

To get you excited about the Essence Festival or for getting together with your girlfriends for a fun weekend, Coca-Cola is providing a A Bliss Spa body bundle valued at $100 for one lucky Momfiles reader to win! Enter below
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on May 15, 2013.  One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes and winner is responsible for applicable taxes. Good luck!

The prize was provided by Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company is not a sponsor, administrator or connected in any other way with this giveaway.
Shelly, Mom Files
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