Blog - Wannabe Balanced Mom

March 21, 2011 · in Fashion· Giveaways

Hapari Swimwear Giveaway!!!

I’ve blogged about Hapari before because they have the cutest and best fitting swimwear around, and since I now have a 30 year old mom body, tankinis are the way I roll 🙂

“Hapari Swimwear enhances the curves you love and hides the curves you don’t. We make modest swimwear and tankinis that are stylish and comfortable for all body types. With Hapari’s new line of tankini swimwear we’ve improved upon the things women have traditionally disliked about modest swimsuits. Using our special style tabs, every tankini can be worn 3 different ways; halter, tank and criss cross. Women’s swimwear is our specialty. Shop figure flattering tankinis, one piece swimsuits, bikinis, and bottoms. We have the perfect swimwear for you!”

Today I get the opportunity to host a giveaway for them.
The prize is a $96 gift card!!!!!

Let me just show you how cute these babies are. Here are the ones I already have.

I just love the skirts but my favorite are the tummy tuck bottoms. The Tummy Tuk” band helps keep your figure and provides extra coverage for your midsection.

And here are the ones I want.

Now for your chance to win one of these!!!

TO ENTER

To enter the giveaway, just share one of these links below. You can post it on your facebook wall, tweet it or blog it. Then come back here and comment on this post with the URL where the link to Hapari can be found. Once this is done you have entered into the giveaway!

http://www.hapari.com/
http://www.hapari.com/womens-swimwear/
http://www.hapari.com/plus-size-swimwear/
http://www.hapari.com/modest-tankinis/

FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN

You can leave additional comments for each thing you do from the list below.

* Share my blog with your friends on Facebook. Copy and paste this link:
http://www.wannabbalancedmom.com/2009/11/introduction.html

* Follow or subscribe to this blog either through google friend connect, networked blogs, or email.

* “Like” Hapari on Facebook.

* “Like” Balanced Moms on Facebook.

* Enter my other giveaway I have going on right now.

Giveaway ends March 29th. The winner will be chosen using random.org. I will contact the winner via email so be sure to leave your email address with your comment so I have a way of contacting you.

March 17, 2011 · in Fashion

Spring Fashion

Lots of fun new things I want to share with you today, and since I’m 30 now I thought it very necessary to start dressing like I’m 30.

Okay I’m kidding. There’s really no difference in how I’m dressing, just thought I’d find an excuse for yet another shopping spree 🙂

First I’m going to show you a few things I got from the Vintage Inspired Modest Women’s Clothing by Impel. They’ve got a great sale going on TODAY ONLY too, so hurry over and buy what you want.

You all know how much I love the Lace tops. Those are actually regular price, but all of the Basic Tee’s are only $7 (usually $26), so I bought like every color. Pink, Green, Blue, White. You can never go wrong with the basic tee’s, they go with everything.
Cap Sleeve Laying T-Shirt Clearance

I also got this cute short sleeve side button sweater
For $26

Oh my gosh, and don’t you just LOVE these Jeans !!!!! They’ve got a bunch of the stretchy fabric ones.
I mean who wears regular denim fabric anymore. Stretchy is a MUST 🙂 Gotta be able to fit in your jeans EVEN when you’re bloated right 🙂 The best part about these jeans is they are only $47!!!! That is incredible!!!!!

Belted boyfriend cardigan
This is another sale item, only $10!!!!!

They’ve got some really cute jewelry too. This Black glass pendant with bow
is my favorite. Isn’t it gorgeous!!!!

This shirt I actually got for my birthday from my BFF 🙂 She got it from my favorite store at the Fashion Place Mall in Salt Lake City Utah called Bohm!!! Thank you Brenda, I LOVE it!!!! They also have some really cute jewelry right now. Here is a necklace and some earrings I got.

Now these shoes are my favorite part of it all!!!!! I’m in LOVE!!!!
They were actually a little pricey, but hey, it was my birthday so it’s all good 🙂
Sam Edelman Nalo Sandal $149
Don’t mind my freakishly long toes. I was trying really hard to scrunch them in for the picture.

And I would love these too, but I think I spend enough for one day.

Betsey Johnson Tammiee Flat

I got these shoes from Target. I really LOVE the color and they are such a fun new style.

My new shoes will go great with my new Cortez cuff bracelet I got. It’s on sale for $47 (normally $118)

Okay I’m done shopping for now 🙂 Now it’s your turn.

March 14, 2011 · in Inspiration· Life of a Wannabe· My Thoughts and Feelings

Am I REALLY 30?

With age comes beauty…

Oh wait

That’s not right is it…
With age comes WISDOM.

Or so they say.

Doesn’t seem to be that way in my case. More like, with age comes memory loss, saggy skin, fine lines and little black hairs on my chin.

I know there are many positive ways of looking at the aging process and I’m TRYING to see them 🙂

I do feel grateful for what I’ve accomplished up until now, but I guess I just want to be young and vibrant forever. I want to be able to have the energy and stamina to do many more things in my life. I’ve been actively working on my bucket list and actually feel like this last year I’ve grown tremendously. Turning 30 is a huge milestone in ones life. At this point we all hope to have collected a certain amount of triumphs. Nobody wants to live with the “coulda woulda shoulda” thoughts.

Most of you know of my monthly “Life list” goals. Each month I choose one thing from my bucket list to focus on, like public speaking, photography, writing a song, ect.

This month is my month to learn how to write better. I really suck at this whole writing thing, but I’m determined to enhance my skills and get better. Turning 30 has really made me focus more on what I want to accomplish in my NEXT 30 years.

Lately I’ve been thinking about a bigger more lofty goal.

To write a book by the time I’m 35.

There I said it.

It’s out there, I’m committed, I’m gonna make it happen.

I find it kind of scary sharing such a goal. Perhaps it’s fear. Fear that I’m not good enough, smart enough, talented enough. Fear of what people will think?

Will they laugh? Will they believe in me? Will they support me?

Fear of FAILURE.

By sharing your goals with others, it holds you more accountable. It pushes you to work harder because failing in front of others is much worse than failing at something only you knew about.

It’s an absolute fact, that by SHARING your goals with others, you are more likely to achieve them.
Although I may not be the most talented writer in the world, I do believe I have a special story to tell. As most of us do. It’s all a matter of putting forth the effort to get the story told.

This month I’m reading a book called One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer’s Art and Craft.

For those of you who may have the same goal, or simply want to improve your creative writing skills, then this would be a great book for you. Here are a couple tips to start out.

* KEEP A JOURNAL
Journaling is the best way to start because it establishes a habit of writing. Make it part of your routine. Record the significant events in your life. Describe how you’re feeling, what you’re feeling and why. Write about your dreams and aspirations. Write about love. Love for God, love for your spouse, love for your children. Write about your disappointments, trials, and most importantly lessons learned.

* TIMED WRITING
Incorporate regular timed writing. Start with just 10 minutes a day. Write what ever comes to mind and don’t stop writing for 10 minutes straight. Notice your surroundings and write about them in detail.

I’m really excited to dive into this new goal of mine and I hope you will all stick with me over the next 5 years to see it come to fruition.

So with all the fuss I’ve been putting up about turning 30, I guess it’s really not that bad. I’ll sure miss my twenties, but I’m excited about the story these next few decades will write.

March 10, 2011 · in 52 Weeks of Balance Project· Giveaways· Life of a Wannabe· Making Dinners

Tortillas Soup PLUS Another Planner Giveaway!!!

As most of you already know I’ve developed a day planner I like to call the Wanna Be Balanced Planner. Inside this planner you’ll find all kinds of useful organizational tools as well as 3 months of meal plans WITH weekly grocery lists. My goal is to make 12 months of meals, so far I have 5. You can buy the additional months as they become available.

I’ve borrowed recipes from all over the web, but now my new goal is to start creating my own. I usually add my personal touch to basic recipes anyway, so I thought why not share them with you.

Another thing I’m working on to go in the day planners is a 4 week exercise program with meal plans catering more towards weight loss. This can be purchased separately as well. It should be ready to present to you within the next couple of weeks.

Last week I made some delicious Tortilla Soup ( recipe is included in month 5 of the planners). I’ll share the recipe first, then below I’ll give you the details on the giveaway. You’ll all have a chance to WIN one of my specialty day planners.

Here are ALMOST all the items you’ll need for the soup. Later I decided that the consistency was too soupy for my liking. I like soups to be on the thicker side, so I added a can of tomato sauce.

Chop the onions WITHOUT tearing up in the process.
Man I think my eyes are just so sensitive because every time I cut onions my eyes are burning so bad to the point where I’m cutting with my eyes closed.
I’m known for my brains 🙂

Chop 3 cloves of garlic, then saute them in a tablespoons of olive oil.

I really hate measuring, so I usually just guess, but I would say that a couple teaspoons of chili powder would do the trick.

Then a couple sprinkles of dried oregano…

Add a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies…

A can of chicken broth…

Then a can of rinsed black beans and a can of corn…

Chop up some fresh cilantro and add it to the pot. About 1/4 cup.

I really hate cooking chicken. Handling it raw just grosses me out and I never seem to cook it right. Either I don’t cook it enough and the middle is pink which of course makes me lose my appetite and end up throwing it out, OR it’s extremely dry. So in my opinion, buying the rotisserie is the way to go:) It saves time, is cooked to perfection and tastes incredible!!!

Just start pulling it apart with a fork and adding pieces to the soup.

Now here is where I noticed I needed to add the tomato sauce to thicken it up.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes or so. While it’s simmering you can get your garnishes ready.

Crushed tortilla chips, avocado’s my favorite, green onions, Monterey jack cheese, and sour cream.

Isn’t it beautiful!!!!

Okay, now for the giveaway!!! One of you lucky ladies now has the chance to get one of these for FREE. Just help me spread the word by doing some of these things below, then you can leave a separate comment in the comment section of this post for each thing you do. Be sure to leave your email address if it’s not already public in your profile. This way I have a way of contacting you if you’re the winner. Giveaway ends 3-25. The winner will be selected using Random.org.

*Must be subscribed to this blog in some way. Google friend connect, networked blogs, or via email. Leave a separate comment for each one.

*Become of fan of Balanced Moms on Facebook. Just click the “like” button.

*Suggest to at least 5 of your friends to “LIKE” Balanced moms on facebook.

*Share the link to this post on your Facebook wall. You can leave TWO separate comments for this one.

Also, I’d love it if you voted for me on Top Mommy Blogs. Just click this icon below and that counts as a vote. No need to do anything else beyond that. Just click!!!

Next week on Wanna Be Balanced Mom

*Turning 30
My dreaded 30th birthday is on Monday. Can we just skip that day?

*Spring Fashion
I’ll be posting some cute spring finds for ya.

*Purse Pics
What’s in your purse? If you’d like to submit your purse pics then email me at crystal@escoweb.net. I’ll be sharing your pics next week. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, refer to this blog post for the details.
http://www.wannabbalancedmom.com/2011/02/whats-in-your-bag.html

March 9, 2011 · in Mom Stuff

Traveling With Kids

There’s nothing more exciting than the rush you get when approaching the airport security with two small children.

You’re about to enter the oversized metal detector. You rush to empty out the stroller, pile ALL your stuff on the conveyor belt (cause traveling with kids requires 3x the amount of stuff). Removing your shoes, pulling out your camera, lap top, phone, removing coats and sweaters. Throwing out all your liquids including the new victoria secret lotion you just purchased. You attempt to remove your child’s shoes only to find out he’s extremely against the whole idea. You can FEEL everyone’s angry impatient eyes on you. The security guard’s yelling at you to fold up the stroller. You’re sweating like a pig, rushing through the detector. Another guard pulls you aside as he completely violates every rule of personal space. Your two year old runs off, shoeless and sockless on the germ infested floor.

Finally you get everything back together, retrieve your runaway child, and you’re ready to find your gate and board the plane.

You have a moment to catch your breath.

*phew* you did it!

And it’s only the beginning.

Traveling with kids can be extremely stressful, but also very much worth all the effort if requires. This last trip was so much fun, but also very exhausting.

In the end I was grateful to have them with us despite all the craziness. We made it work and we made memories.

I wanted to share a couple tricks that helped us get through this last trip.

Tip #1: INVEST IN A GOOD STROLLER
There’s nothing worse than NOT having a stroller on a trip. We did it once (by accident of course). I thought, well Lily’s walking now, so lets just make things easier and leave the stroller behind.
What the heck was I thinking!!!!
Then the next time I thought, okay, we will definitely bring a stroller.
So I brought an umbrella stroller. I thought that would be a good idea because it’s small.
Nope!
Now after learning the hard way, I found the perfect travel stroller.

Peg-Perego 2010 Pliko P3 Stroller, Kiwi

This stroller is PERFECT! It’s light weight, easy to fold up, has lots of storage, and a built-in rear foot-board provides safe ride for second passenger.
It also reclines which is a must. Oliver was able to take nice naps while we were out and about. It was really nice.

Tip #2: MAKING BEDTIME WORK FOR EVERYONE
Sean has rigged up some pretty incredible things in our hotel rooms in order to get Oliver to sleep. Like most babies, Oliver has a hard time falling asleep if he can see and hear what everyones doing. He doesn’t want to miss a thing.
So first of all we ALWAYS make sure we bring a sound machine. The white noise soothes him and helps him fall asleep and stay asleep.
HoMedics SS-2000 Sound Spa Relaxation Sound Machine with 6 Nature Sounds, Silver