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Real Solutions for Real Parents by Autumn Rose Reo

To-Do: Do Dallas with your Sweetie with Dallas By Chocolate {Special Deal}

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To-Do Thursdays:

This weekend is MY mama’s birthday, so I’d like to share a “sweet” event in Dallas on how to spend some sweet time with your loved one (especially with a chill in the air!)

Sweeten Up Your Sweetie with Dallas Chocolate Tours This Weekend

Everyone loves chocolate (well almost everyone.) So what could be more fun than spending an afternoon Willy-Wonka style at some of the best places to eat chocolate in Dallas like Dude, Sweet Chocolate and wonderful treats at Paciugo Gelato.  Price includes private bus transportation, beverages (wine or water), samples and much more.



THIS WEEKEND ONLY:  Get $2 off per ticket if you book tickets for this Sunday, January 20! Just go to the “Book Other Tours” page here and do the “Special Tour Discount”!

Dallas By Chocolate Tours
Topics and Locations Vary
$30-$55
Price includes private bus transportation, beverages, and samples.
Looking for other events this weekend or to get on the books?

Get Hooked on Fishing and Trains, Jan. 19 in Keller and Hurst

Get Your Bump On! Expectant Family Workshop at Medical City Dallas

Go Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free with Best-Selling Author, Jan. 26-Jan. 30

Get Your (Pan)cakes and Eat Them, Too at IHOP National Pancake Day, Feb. 5


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Make Your Skin ‘IN’ This Year With These 5 Tips

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Want-It Wednesday: 

Oh, my poor skin. 
We demand the most of it, but for many of us, it’s one of biggest areas we ignore. We’ll spend buckets of money on the best lipstick and foundation, but when it comes to caring correctly for our skin most of us just suck.
Lastyear I had made a resolution to be better to my skin with a real grown-up skin care regimen instead of the splash of Noxema or wipes I might do. While I tried really hard to be after the first 90 days to be adament about my daily and nightly routine, I will admit many days the only thing my skin received was the softness of my pillow when I hit it each night.
However, 2013 is a new year and a new attitude about creating a BETTER ME.Unfortunately, I’m a year older, so a little dab of moisturizer ain’t going to make me look like a 20 year-old all of a sudden. So I went to see board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Tanya Reddick Rodgers of Skin Specialists in Addison to learn what I should be doing to be skin to make it look the best it can be.


Dr. Tanya Reddick Rogers of Skin Specialists of Addison/Allen recently on Fox’s Good Day Dallas. (Photo from Facebook.com)
I learned so many amazing things from this beautiful doctor and mom – especially that basic skin care doesn’t to cost a lot of money if I’ll listen to her advice!
Here are her basics you need for good skin care:
Sunscreen:
No matter if you’re actually going to be outside or not, all of your exposed skin areas should get a coat at least 2 times a day (and more if you are planning to be outside for an extended amount of time.)
Moisturizer:
This and sunscreen should be the most important steps to preventing aging and skin cancer. Use a oil-free and noncomedogenic brand so it won’t clog your pores (and cause blemishes.) 
Cleanser:
Clean your skin with a non-harsh, liquid, fragrance-free cleanser two times a day.
Anti-Aging Creams with Retinoids and Antioxidants:
Daily you should use a cream that contains antioxidants like vitamins C, E or ferulic acid to boost the power of your sunscreen in the prevention of oxygen radicals. Prevent wrinkles with an anti-aging cream containing a retinoid (retinol, retinaldehyde, Retin-A) as its active ingredient nightly to reverse the collagen loss that causes the wrinkles and fine-lines of aging skin.
Chemical Peels:
A medical-grade peel can safely improve the texture and tone of any skin color or type. These can also be customized to target a variety of problem areas like acne, wrinkles, dark spots and rosacea.
The most important thing to remember is that you should visit the dermatologist annually, just like you should get a physical once a year to check for skin cancer and other ways to keep your skin healthy.
BUT what do you do when your face looks less like a grape and more like a raisin?
Next Wednesday I’ll take a look at the magical world of:

  • Microdermabrasion
  • IPL and Laser Treatments Skin Resurfacing Treatments…
  • Skin Tightening
  • Neurotoxin Treatments
  • Injectable Fillers
  • Chemical Peels 

In Dallas where there’s just as many med spas as there are Starbucks and McDonalds (want proof, look here), I’ll take a look at the newest options for making you look like a million bucks (or at least take a few years off your face.) 

It Hurt Me (Good) to the Core {Free Fab Ab Video}

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Try-It Tuesday:

Every mom, except maybe Heidi Klum, has to work to get her abs back after giving birth.

Too bad in my case, I’m still looking to get some in the first place.

Bellybands, girdles and Spanx are very useful in creating optical illusions, but when it comes down to it, nothing beats working out that core section to create those coveted Jennifer Aniston abs.

Unfortunately, while practice does make perfect, it is hard to pony up to a pilates class because when you hear “100,” you think it means it’s a sponsored Nabisco snack time. (That’s another story.)

Thankfully, Jill Miller has created a solution that helps you build-up those abs layer-by-layer to help you overcome core and abdominal weakeness caused by underuse, injury and scar tissue (i.e. babies.) Through  her seven sequences that can be completed at home in no matter what shape you’re in, she works to create a strong, flexible and balanced core with her newest video in her Yoga Tune-Up series, Coregeous (yep, say “goregeous” with a “c.”)



While I won’t be sharing my first experience working through the video, I can definitely admit – my abs have been worked in ways I never thought possible. After being in bed due to illness, I need a lot of help. And if I can get up off the floor tomorrow, I’ll be doing this again and again…(How else am I going to make Ryan Gosling mistakenly call me Eva?)

FREE ALERT: Wondering if this is for you? Jill’s really nice and has some free videos for you to check out online.


Coregeous with Jill Miller
$14-$19 

DISCLAIMER:
I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

Ready to Join ShredderNation? 6 Weeks, 4 inches, 2 sizes

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Disclaimer: I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review.

Each weekend I’m concentrating on a new diet plan in efforts to create a BETTER ME in 2013…While my first diet review of the year, “The Silver Cloud Diet” had some great benefits, I just couldn’t just stick to only meats, nuts and eggs for a week. So this week I’m looking at a plan that promises in 6 weeks you can lose 4 inches and/or 2 sizes if you follow his plan of food and exercise.

Dr. Ian Smith’s SHRED: The Revolutionary Diet has some pretty big follwers already…with a Facebook page with more than 13,000 likes, appearances on Dr. Oz and locally on WFAA’s Good Morning Texas, and the #1 selling diet book in the country, I figured it was time to open this baby up and see what all the fuss is all about.

“ShredderNation” as he refers to his following of those who are participating on the plan or have completed the diet plan (100,000 people and growing), is all about eating…all the time, with a low-glycemic diet plan of four meals and three snacks in order to introduce your body to “diet confusion” (basically eating different kinds of foods to boose your metabolism and increase weight loss.)  Sounds like magic, right?  With a six-part program, the book outlines flexible choices for every meal, snack and exercise throughout the plan. And then once you’ve completed the plan, you shouldn’t need the program since you’ve learned how to eat appropriately. I was impressed, but it’s all in the food for me, so I wanted to share a part of the Day 1, so you can see if this plan is for you:

SHRED© Week 1 Day #1
Note: 1 cup of coffee is allowed each day. Please put minimal amounts sugar and milk in the coffee.
Definitely stay away from those coffee concoctions that are full of calories–caramel macchiato, cinnamon dolce latte, caffé latte, etc.
**If you choose the diet soda as your beverage, you are only allowed to have one 12 oz can per day maximum. The hope is that you will choose beverages that are more nutritious.
**2 slices of 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat can be consumed at any point throughout the day at any time; however, ONLY 2 slices
Meal 1
1 piece of fruit
Choose only one of the following.
1 small bowl of oatmeal
2 egg whites
1 egg white omelet (made with two egg whites max. with diced veggies)
1 small bowl of sugar-free cereal with fat-free, skim, or 1% fat milk
1 container of low-fat or fat-free yogurt
1 cup of fresh juice not from concentrate(grapefruit, apple, orange juice, tomato, carrot)
Snack 1
100 calories or less
Meal 2
Choose one of the following. Remember, your choice must not exceed 300 calories and must not have any added sugars.
1 fruit smoothie
1 protein shake
1 bowl of soup (no potatoes, no cream sauces, no meat) -good examples: vegetable, lentil, chickpea, split pea, black bean, tomato bisque, etc. Be careful of sodium content!
1 piece of fruit or 1 serving of veggies
Beverage Choices. Choose one of the following.
1 12-oz can of diet soda
1 cup of lemonade (freshly squeezed preferred)
Unlimited plain water (flat or fizzy)
1 cup of flavored watered
1 cup of juice (not from concentrate)
1 cup of unsweetened iced tea or any other type of tea
1 cup of low-fat, reduced fat, fat free, unsweetened soy, or unsweetened almond milk
Snack 2
150 calories or less
Meal 3
1 small salad (no bacon, croutons); 3 tbsp fat free dressing only
Choose one of the following.
1 piece of chicken (4-6 oz, no skin, no frying)
1 piece of turkey (4-6 oz, no skin, no frying)
1 piece of fish (4-6 oz, no skin, no frying)
(you can have 1 slice of cheese if desired)
1 serving of veggies
Beverage Choices. Choose one of the following. Make a choice different than the one you made in meal 2.
1 12-oz can of diet soda
1 cup of lemonade (freshly squeezed preferred)
Unlimited plain water (flat or fizzy)
1 cup of flavored watered
1 cup of juice (not from concentrate)
1 cup of unsweetened iced tea or any other type of tea
1 cup of low-fat, reduced fat, fat free, unsweetened soy, or unsweetened almond milk
Exercise
Amount of Exercise Today: Minimum 30 minutes. If you want to do more, all the better! Work as hard as you can from this list of cardiovascular exercises.
So I’ve decided that with a promise of eating constantly and reasonable exercise I can lose 20 pounds, I’m willing to try it at least for a week. 
Want to join me on this mamachallenge? Then buy your copy and let’s get going together. 
What do we have to lose?  I have baby #2 weight gain and hopefully baby #1, too, so it’s worth it to try. 
Shred: The Revolutionary Diet
Ian K. Smith
St. Martin’s Press

The Super “Grain”: Can You Say QUINOA? {Recipes}

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As part of my vow to be a little healthier this year, I’ve decided to broaden my family’s minds (and taste buds) to include more diverse foods like QUINOA.

 I’ll be honest, a few year’s ago I didn’t even know what or how to pronounce it, but now it seems like I keep hearing about it. Then coincidentally on TV this week, Bobby Flay made delicious meal on The Chew using quinoa, so on my last trip to the grocery story – I threw it in the basket. 
Call it peer pressure. 



Of course, the real issue was the next step – what to do with it. While Bobby did give me a good start on a great way to prepare it, he is Bobby Flay…so I wanted to know what my friends had done with it first. So with the help of Facebook, I got tons of responses from family, friends and neighbors on their favorite recipes using this “grain?” 
Since inquiring minds always want to know more, I went Googling what was so dang special about quinoa. According to About.com, first of all, it’s not actually a grain, but a seed. And since Quinoa provides all 9 essential amino acids, it’s considered a complete protein that is gluten-free and cholesterol free. I guess that does make it kinda awesome, but the real question remained, would do I do with it?

Thankfully, one of my friends that is always on top of identifying awesome things way ahead of the curve (he totally has been in love with Mumford and Sons for years), shared some of his tried-and-tasted family recipes for me to try. So while I prepare a little quinoa for dinner tonight (wish me luck), I wanted to share their amazing recipes including his wife’s, Nanette’s Quinoa Salad. 

Do you have a quinoa recipe you’d like to share?

Don’t miss this #mamachallenge moment: 

Cauliflower-Recipes-You-Must-Make

Juvederm, Coolsculpting, Tickle Lipo, Cellulaze and Poledancing?

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To-Do Thursdays:

With all the rain that’s come down lately, it sounds like a weekend indoors with board games, Apple TV (my newest love) and lots of blankets. 

However, I am planning to put together my next adventures for January 2013. While some of them should be fun like some of the workouts I’m planning to try, I have to admit there’s an impressive list of treatments and procedures I hope to embark on in the name of facing the MamaChallenge (and hopefully some beautiful benefits.)

Do you have a suggestion of a fitness regimen or a beauty regimen I should learn more about? I’d love to hear it, so email me or comment here!



Hit Me with Your Best (B12) Shot!

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There’s nothing longer than a Woman’s Want List.

From having the perfect bedroom, to the the coolest outfit or the most popular purse and now as I’ve rounded over the 30 hill – the latest treatments to make me look and feel more youthful. Most opportunities to talk to other moms on something besides kids are filled with the current diet plan, procedure or plan in hopes to roll back the hands of time.  

One of my most recent methods to feel like I was <30 is through B-12 injections with MIC. After hearing from friends that B-12 shots could help lose weight and get a boost of energy, I decided after a Groupon, to go ahead and take a shot (pun intended.)

 
But how does B-12 affect your body and how does it make you lose weight? 

According to the Mayo Clinic, B12 is an essential water-soluable vitamin found in foods like fish, shellfish, meat, eggs and dairy that helps the body make DNA for new cells, form healthy red blood cells and turn food into energy. Bottom line: it helps boost your metabolism. However, before you start storing this stuff by the bottle, the human body stores several years’ worth of vitamin B12 in the liver, so deficiency is rare. 
Dr. Oz is once again to the rescue with research that says 15-40 percent of Americans don’t have adequate levels of B12 for optimal health, hence the current surge in B-12 shots (what’s good enough for Oprah, is good enough for America.) But many clinics offering B12 injections also suggest that other benefits include: 

  • Increased energy
  • Boost metabolism
  • Improved skin texture and tone
  • Improved mental cognition
  • Decreased headaches
  • Improved mood, balanced hormones and decreased symptoms of PMS
  • Reduced stress
  • Boost immune system
  • Encourage detoxification

But let’s not forget forget the MIC…According to the Live Well Blog, MIC stands for Methionine, Insolitol and Choline and play a role in fat metabolism, liver function and fat excretion. 

After my learning lesson, I signed up for a six-session series for B12 with MIC in hopes to get things moving along and do what ever I can to remove the fat from my body. While I’m still in process of the injections, I can report that I have seen a fluctuation -10 pounds over the duration of a few months.

Unfortunately, a bout of pneumonia, bronchitis and several holidays may have hindered additional progress, but I’ll never know exactly. However, I do plan to continue getting additional shots as I work to create a more IMPROVED ME!

Get Your Ticket to Ride…Flywheel is Moms’ Dream to Nightclub + Fitness

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Try-It Tuesday:

 One of my favorite parts of our IMPROVED YOU series is our new “Try-It Tuesday.” We all need to exercise, but goodness knows it does get boring running, stepping on the climber or doing your Jane Fonda in front of the boob tube. So I’m taking a look at some of the newer, cooler ways to burn calories and get fit in 2013. 

 My first look is at my latest obsession, FLYWHEEL. First of all, I love spin so I knew I would enjoy this new concept of spin plus a lot, lot more, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. Oh baby, it was a kick-butt kinda time, but I loved every part of it!


My normal basic spin class at my local gym includes a stationery bike with a torque (think a knob with a gear shift) to change you tension as you ride with music, a class full of other riders and your instructor.  You bring your own shoes and ride out for around an hour at your own speed — sweating your hiney off together. (You just better get there on time or you might not get a spot.) 



The Dallas FLYWHEEL class takes places at the FLYWHEEL location in Highland Park. The best way to describe the experience was like a spin class meets a nightclub at a spa. You’re provided your bike shoes and then your off to the “disco room” – a room set up stadium style, that goes dark when the class starts, an instructor seated in the front of the room and a BMW of spin cycles. 

The spin cycle not only included comfortable handles to help you hold on in different postures, but also a torque with a screen to allow you to see exactly what you were (or weren’t doing) in class. That torque made sure you were pulling your weight, but that’s not all. The board really made you work it, especially if you’re a competitive type. If you choose, you can choose a name to “compete” on the board so you know exactly where you rank with the rest of the class. (I loved this and because I chose an anonymous name, no one knew who I was, but I still was able to “race.”)



And just about the time you thought you couldn’t go anymore, the weight bars came out to get those arms in for a full-body workout. However, I did survive and burned around 850 calories in the process! 

WOW! And I had fun. A lot of fun. Did I mention the part about a nightclub? The music in the class was amazing (crafted by a DJ) and made me feel less like I was working out and more like I was dancing – and best of all, I was able to throw down and no one could see me (since the lights were out!)


Best of all, you get to keep track of all your progress on your own portal. Each time you spin, your cycle records your instructor, your speed, your distance and your CALORIES BURNED! This way you can always work for improvement and schedule out your next class. 

 So are you ready to ride? 

 You should be. FLYWHEEL makes burning fat fun – and your first class is free! What a great way to get 2013 going…with me at FLYWHEEL! 


DISCLAIMER:
I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

How NOT to Be a Clueless Chick in 2013

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Me Mondays {Review}:

This month I’m dedicated to making us all a little better — whether it’s more healthy, more beautiful or more organized, we’re aimed at creating an IMPROVED ME. For me to reach my goals, I’ve got to make a list. I’ve got ’em over the place – from long-term lists to daily post-its, putting things in lists WITH DATES remind me to stay on track and get things done. 

So I was so happy to find a new series I’m in love with that I only wish I’d found about four years ago – when I was pregnant and a new mom with “The Clueless Chick” series. 

Mom, Type A/OCD type and author Jennifer Durbin created a new line of books that’s perfectly suited for moms with busy schedules looking to be the best they can be – “ClffsNotes” style. Her first three books are all less than 100 pages and packed full of lists and helpful fundamentals to make some of life’s most stressful moments,  manageable. 

Party Planning Tips for The Clueless Chick
While we all aspire to be Martha Stewart, let’s be honest, it’s not always possible. The Clueless Chick is here to help with simple templates and ideas you need to create the best party, shower, networking event, etc. 

Baby Traveling Tips for The Clueless Chick
Any mom will tell you that first time you load up for that first trip with your baby, you feel like you are loading up your whole house in the back of your car. But after a few months, your must-haves change significantly to the real bare essentials. In this book, she outlines how to survive going to restaurants, staying in hotel rooms, etc. with kids. This book of lists is great for first-time parents to those of us with a few under our arm who might need some reminders. 

Pregnancy Tips for The Clueless Chick 
Just found out your pregnant and don’t know what to do? Don’t inundate yourself with every book ever written on the topic, start with this book to give you a little direction and feel like you understand a little something! From how to extend your existing clothing, where to find new fashionable maternity clothing, to what you really need to put on your registry, this is a great starter book that should be given to you when your test puts out a positive!


The Clueless Chick
Jennifer Durbin
Brigham Distributing
Buy It

DISCLAIMER:
I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

Diet Review: Dr. Salerno’s Silver Cloud Diet

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Sharing Saturdays: 



As part of my IMPROVED ME series this month, I’m taking a look at a topic that many of us take on in January: diets. Each Saturday I’ll review one of the latest diet book trends and see how easy it is to follow and if you lose weight.

Our first look is at Dr. Salerno’s Silver Cloud Diet: The Sustainable Diet for the 21st Century. Written by Internationally acclaimed medical expert on aging and weight loss and James Beard Award-Winning cookbook author Linda Eckhardt, the Silver Cloud Diet t is first a quick plan to drop weight and then ultimately a lifestyle changing system. “This three-step proactive approach to nutrition is based on organic unprocessed foods, high protein, natural fat, and low-carbohydrate, low-glycemic choices, fortified with pure natural nutritional supplements targeted to strengthen your immune system, reduce inflammation, and destroy free radicals.”


Since Salerno studied under the creator of the Atkins diet, so the diet plan seems very similar to the little-to-no-carb plan that was all the rage in the late 90s. However, a majority of the book also explains how the toxins and poisoned food supply is affecting our health. Once to the plan itself, several delicious recipes are included to make your two weeks tolerable. Baseline: if you don’t like meat, eggs and nuts, this diet isn’t for you. But if you can survive the two-week detox, this plan might be a great way to jump off the way to healthier eating, living and even stop the effects of aging.

While I haven’t decided whether this plan works for my lifestyle, it is in consideration. The benefits of the diet are amazing; normalizing weight and eliminating prediabetic conditions, but the use of several supplements that makes me a little aprehensive. However, the overall benefits of regulating body function, controling hunger and stopping hunger without counting calories, but through portion control is an excellent learning tool for any healthy eating plan. 

Dr. Salerno’s Silver Cloud Diet: The Sustainable Diet for the 21st Century
Madison Lexington Books
                                

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