One Life To Live is coming back!

I found out in recent months that One Life To Live is coming back! I remember when the show was cancelled and how devastated me and my daughters were. We even had a OLTL going away watch party. The series premiere will come out on Monday April 29th on Hulu, Hulu Plus and iTunes.

In this new "Catch Up" clip, beloved One Life to Live character Victoria "Viki" Lord takes you back to Llanview to relive the drama of the previous seasons all over again.

Here is a sneak peek of what's in store for the new OLTL season. The cast is a lot younger with reoccurring roles by High School Musical's Corbin Bleu and Jersey Shore's JWoww. There's even a guest appearance by Snoop Dogg, so this season's definitely going to be great! I am looking forward to seeing some of the past characters as well. I can't wait to find out the latest happenings in good ole Llanview!
  

Smooth Fitness treadmill panel demo #SmoothBlogger #spon

It has been a couple of months since we have had our Smooth Fitness treadmill and we are all still enjoying the benefits of it. Every time we drive by our old gym, we talk about how glad we are not having to fork over all that money each month. Lately, the entire family has been busier than usual, with end of the school year things going on as well as work, college and family functions. Thankfully we all can squeeze even 10 minutes in as often as we can to get a quick workout in. When you have an at-home gym, there should be no excuses! Honestly, if I don't get at least 5 workouts in a week, I don't feel like myself. My body has gotten conditioned to exercise and when I finish a workout, my mood improves and my energy level elevates.

I wanted to share a short video to show you how easy the treadmill is to use. As a matter of fact, I think I said at least 6 times in the video how easy and user-friendly it is  :-) 

I will be posting my husband's progress next week. Stay tuned!

Be sure to check out Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

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.

New Brioche French Toast at IHOP

IHOP®, the restaurant known for “Everything you love about breakfast” is introducing its latest breakfast innovation: Brioche French Toast.

These thick-cut slices of rich round brioche bread are soaked in a lightly-sweetened vanilla batter and grilled to a delicate warm golden crispiness that is perfectly ready to layer with three flavorful varieties of toppings: Bananas Foster, Berry Berry and Peaches & Cream, will be in restaurants beginning April 15th.

“We’re delighted to bring our guests the next generation of French Toast,” said Natalia Franco, Senior Vice President, Marketing, International House of Pancakes, LLC. “They have been coming to IHOP restaurants for years because they know no one makes French Toast like IHOP restaurants can, and they love the way we continually find ways to surprise and delight them. Our new Brioche French Toast is unlike any they’ve ever tasted—it will delight our French Toast fans--and create new ones!”

Brioche French Toast comes in three delicious and distinctively new flavors:

Bananas Foster Brioche French Toast comes with a New Orleans Foster’s sauce made with sliced bananas, caramelized in a buttery brown sugar glaze, and whipped topping.

Berry Berry Brioche French Toast layers blueberries and strawberry topping with a luscious dusting of powdered sugar and whipped topping.

Peaches & Cream Brioche French Toast combines sweetened sliced peaches, honey-roasted pecans and vanilla cream drizzle with a dollop of whipped topping.

Guests may enjoy three slices of Brioche French Toast alone, as a delicious indulgent treat, or as part of an IHOP Combo, with two eggs, done the way they like them, optional choice of crispy bacon, pork sausage links or a grilled ham slice, along with IHOP restaurants, signature golden hash browns.

For more information or to find an IHOP restaurant near you, please visit www.ihop.com.  Follow IHOP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ihop.

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE AND WALGREENS PROVIDE FREE HEALTH TESTS TO COLUMBIA AREA URBAN AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES WITH WAY TO WELL HEALTH TOUR

If you live in Columbia, South Carolina, this is some great information for yourself or to pass along to someone in need...

For a seventh consecutive year, National Urban League and Walgreens are partnering for the Way to Well Tour to provide free health screenings to Columbia residents. The national tour will provide free health resources to residents in urban and minority communities who experience disproportionately higher rates of preventable disease. The service is free and insurance will not be billed.

“Way to Well reflects our commitment to disease prevention and to improving everyday health through education and early detection. With the NUL, the nationwide traveling health tour is one way we deliver on our pledge to improve lives by providing underserved communities greater access to the resources they need.” said John Gremer, Walgreens director of community affairs. “We also thank our customers for supporting this cause with us, and ultimately making this important wellness services program a reality by simply purchasing our brand.”
The Way to Well Health Tour is partially funded by consumers who support the Walgreens wellness services mission by purchasing Walgreens brand health and wellness products. Beginning February 1, 2013 through January 31, 2014, 1¢ from the purchase of every Walgreens brand health and wellness product, up to $3 million annually, will support bringing preventive wellness services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund®.

The national tour will provide free health tests, assessments, education and consulting services to residents in urban and minority communities who experience disproportionately higher rates of preventable disease. The service is free and insurance will not be billed. Tests include total cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, body mass index, body composition, skeletal muscle, resting metabolism, visceral fat, real body age and body weight.

Collectively, the health tests valued at over $100, are administered to adults age 18 years and older by certified wellness staff and can be completed in approximately 20 minutes. Afterward, participants will consult with a Walgreens pharmacist or certified wellness staff about his or her results. Consumers are encouraged to report their results to their doctor or health care provider so they may discuss any concerns with them.

In addition to critical screenings uninsured visitors will receive vouchers for free flu shots redeemable at any Walgreens Take Care Clinic. Also available with the tour are educational health and wellness resources provided by NUL as well as Walgreens Way to Well cause partners: American Heart Association (AHA), American Cancer Society (ACS), American Diabetes Association (ADA), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The tour will be making the following stops in the Columbia area:

Thursday, April 18th – 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
South Carolina State House
1100 Sumter St
Columbia, SC 29201

Friday, April 19th – 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Walgreens
4467 Devine St
Columbia, SC 29205

Saturday, April 20th – 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Walgreens
423 W Main St
Lexington, SC 29072

Sunday, April 21th – 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Walgreens
7801 Garners Ferry Rd
Columbia, SC 29209

Thursday, April 25th – 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Walgreens
1223 St Andrews Rd
Columbia, SC 29210

Friday, April 26th – 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Walgreens
1903 S Lake Dr
Lexington, SC 29073

Saturday, April 27th – 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Walgreens
1010 Old Barnwell Rd
West Columbia, SC 29170

Monday, April 29th – 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Walgreens
2224 Augusta Rd
West Columbia, SC 29169

About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,840 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems,
pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
About the National Urban League
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy. Today, there are nearly 100 local affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide. For more information, visit: www.nul.org

New custom t-shirt from Dress United

I was so lucky to receive a custom t-shirt from Dress United to review. When I went on their site to order it, my first thought was, "Will they have the cut I like?" I am very particular when it comes to t-shirts. I only like a fitted v-neck style. Lucky for me, they offered that and several other styles. I went with Classic Girly Tee because the description said that they tend to fit a size smaller.

I initially wanted the purple but was afraid that my logo was going to have white spots where the "o" and "e" were. It turns out that it only looked that way on the website and they correct it when they print your shirt. It took me about 5 minutes from beginning to end to order my shirt. Honestly, I think it took that long because I couldn't decide on a color! The Dress United website is so user friendly.

I am pleased with the shirt overall. The material was soft and the fit was just right. As an almost 40 year old woman, I appreciated the longer cut as well. I have ordered shirts before that I felt barely covered the top of my pants. I want to order a couple more in different colors for the spring/summer. What do you think of it?

Right now, if you place an order from Dress United, you can receive a discount of 30% off plus free shipping in the US. Go here and use the code: BLOG30OFF4U. These tees are a great marketing tool for your blog, business or organization.