Whirlwind of Surprises: September 2012

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Easy Stirfry #Recipes with #HillshireFarm US 10/13

Despite my lack of time, I have a love for cooking. There's nothing quite like freshly made, home food. Why? I control the amount of salt that goes in, which is none for the recipe I'm about to show you. I can create healthy meals just like that. ;) It may seem I've made myself out to be superwoman but you'll see just how easy it was.

Okay, so there's been a lot of hype about this historical film featuring Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln. However, all that had been released previously was the images. We were all in awe how similar Daniel Day Lewis' resembled Lincoln. How would you like to see the actual trailer for Steven Spielberg's highly anticipated film? It came out very recently.

#Lipton Tea & Honey Refreshes yet again! US 10/12

This summer brought a lot of heat waves. How did you beat the heat? I, luckily, found Lipton's tea and honey mixes. During a hot day or after a run with the fur babies, there was nothing better to quench our thirst than with a pitcher of ice cold tea! Normally, I shy away from drink mixes because of the calories and overbearing sweetness.

#Panda love for 5! #FlashGiveaway US 09/30 #Pambassador

Who likes Pandas? I do! They're so fluffy and adorable... Would you like to work with pandas? The Chengdu Pambassador Program is looking for panda-lovers who are keen to support panda conservation by becoming the new Chengdu Pambassadors, or Panda Ambassadors. Last week, the Chengdu Panda Base launched PandaQuest, a competition starting on Facebook and continuing through to on-the-ground events around the world and in Chengdu to create awareness about panda conservation and the Chengdu Panda Base's goal to return pandas to the wild. 3 Chengdu Pambassadors will have the unique opportunity to tour the world over 5-6 months and visit to help spread the word about Panda Conservation efforts. The cities around the world that the #pambassadors will be visiting all have Pandas that were born in the Chengdu captive breeding program with the aim of diversifying the gene pool and bringing Pandas back from the brink of extinction. This is so cool and I'd do it if I had the time! For you though, there is still time to enter yourself as a 2012 #Pambassador Candidate and make it to the semi-Finals in Washington, DC October 15th - 17th! The most important steps are setting up your profile, creating your profile cover graphic, and then asking friends for recommendation and hugs. Once you have that set up you can work on your one minute candidate video.

A Spectacular #Frankenweenie White Carpet Premiere #DisneyMoviesEvent

What a night it was yesterday...wait, let's rewind a bit. Having started this past weekend on rough foot, I didn't think I'd make it 2497 miles/4010km to Hollywood, LA. A car accident on the freeway delayed traffic badly so the car ride to the airport gave me a heart attack. With the clock against me, the possibility of missing my flight was very real. I stepped into the airport at when my flight was supposed to board. Luckily, I had already checked in online and even luckier, I was able to find the short line at security. 10 minutes later, I was at my gate...safe!

eShakti Fall #Fashion Fun #Fashionistaevents 09/30

I'm always on the hunt for dresses that can be worn to work and also out on a day in the city. Something functional, well put together, and gorgeous. eShakti had such a wide assortment of dresses that suited my needs that I had troubles deciding which one I wanted! Eventually, I narrowed it down to a style that I wouldn't normally choose.

Fashion Crisis & #Frankenweenie Games #DisneyMoviesEvent

I'm a bit late in choosing my outfit so want to give me a hand? I'm in between several outfits for the black and white theme of the #DisneyMoviesEvent. Help a girl out? Then I have a new Frankenweenie trailer and a memory card game to share with you!

The night my heart dropped... #petchat

I had a "parenting moment" one night several months ago. Yes, parenting...to my fur babies. Baby Pom had been scooting...you know, dragging his bottom along the floor. It was adorable and I didn't think much of it except that it was ridiculously cute, especially since he had that goofy smile the whole time too! Then it continued happening and it bothered me. So I had looked it up and had learnt that most of the time, it's due to impaction of the anal glands and that the glands needed to expressed. This is not for those with weak stomachs. However, it could also be due to worms. God, I hoped that wasn't the case.

Well, I've had a mess of a several weeks. What am I saying? My life has always been chaotic but now moreso than ever. Yet all that's really on my mind is how excited I am to be going on the, yes, THE #DisneyMoviesEvent for the super early screening of Wreck-It Ralph and more. Both the SO and I, as well as my family members...have wanted to watch this ever since we saw the trailer! The SO isn't much of a gamer but my brother and I are and this is so exciting! Remember to follow the fun on twitter with #DisneyMoviesEvent! What questions do you have for Director Rich Moore & Producer Clark Spencer? Let me know and I'll try to ask them! Here's the new trailer that recently got released for the movie.

#Walmart Mom of the Year Award Finalists are here! #MOTY

Did you ever get a chance to nominate a super mom for Walmart's Mom of the Year Award (#MOTY)? 16909 moms were nominated in total and this is only the first year! Pretty amazing, right? I can't imagine how big this will get next year in 2013! However, we are now down to one of 8 finalists. You can read them all on www.momoftheyear.ca. All with compassionate and caring stories, it really warms my heart that when one of them win, not only will they win $10K, their hand-picked charities will also win $100K. Can you imagine how much good that will do? Having personally experienced what others go through, I believe each and every one of these to be a worthy cause. It's going to be a tough pick.

Holy cow! It's only a few days before I'll be in LA again for the #DisneyMoviesEvent for the red carpet screening of Frankenweenie and more. There's no better time than now to share these awesome sweepstakes, activity sheets and a new featurette with you.

How to get rid of unwanted hair -#Tria Part 1

I was so excited when the box arrived! I couldn't wait to try it out. Then I found out...I'm a wuss. A total wuss! Let's start at the beginning. I didn't shave my pits for 3 weeks so I could show you just how hairy I can get. Teehee! So if it's going to gross you out...stop reading now. Day after day, the SO begged me to shave. When the Tria Hair Removal Laser arrived and I finally shaved my armpits, I don't know who was happier, him or me. It was getting uncomfortable and prickly!

#BabyPom...Movie Star in the making! #BHC3BloggerDay

BabyPom: Watch it, watch it...future movie star coming through...

LOL, BabyPom, don't be silly although you did learn some moves. We're still amazed at our trip to Pasadena and how much fun it was all packed into a short period of time. Not only did we get to screen Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta!, we also got the opportunity to interview the director (Lev L. Spiro), producer (Sara E. White), and one of the dog trainers. We were able to get answers to some of your questions and more!

My last #NSNation post & a Treat US 10/02

For those of you living under a rock, you may not have noticed that I have been doing Nutrisystem for a while now. While, the SO and I didn't make our goal weight loss, we were still was able to lose 10+lbs for which we am proud. We completed 36 weeks of Nutrisystem on 32 weeks of food. I know it's weird but with the travelling in between, the food lasted longer than if we were eating it steadily. It was a big journey and we were happy to be a part of the #NSNation for this time because without their support and generosity, we couldn't have gotten this far.

I love dog movies. It doesn't matter if they're geared towards little kids only, you can bet I'll watch them and I'll make the SO watch them with me. He does and that's why he's awesome! So despite the craziness going on, when we were invited to the screening of Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta! (89 min), we said, "of course!" Several days later, Baby Pom and I jetted off to California and found ourselves at the Langham Pasadena, ready to watch another BHC movie! It centers around Rosa, the runt of the family, feeling out of place and awkward being the little dog that she is and how Papi (voiced by George Lopez) helps his little girl to discover herself. In a celebration of families of both two- and four-legged manner, this movie has some bite to it as we see that little packages of love can cause unexpected things to happen. So don't judge a book by it's cover...just because chihuahuas are tiny doesn't mean they're not strong!

#Nutrisystem #Womens Week 36 Results, #Mens Week 28 Results #NSNation #weightloss #health #diet #samp

Well, we made it to the end of the program. It's week 36 and 28 of our Nutrisystem program. I actually ended up writing a month extra because my travelling meant I couldn't always pack my food with me so my 8 months of food was able to last longer. Here are our final results...

The Langham Pasadena...the lap of luxury! #BHC3BloggerDay

Have you been following the twitter stream #BHC3BloggerDay? You should have or you missed out on some gorgeous pictures and a fun and exciting event! When I was invited on Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 Press Day, I was already too excited dreaming about the fun of the event that I never even realized the award-winning hotel we would be staying at was the actual filming site for the movie! A world of luxury and pampering awaited us at The Langham which not only made the 2012 list of Top Hotels in the U.S. (U.S. News & World Report) and 500 World's Best Hotels (Travel & Leisure), but also was the #1 Hotel in Los Angeles for 2011 (US News & World Report). It even has a top notch spa and restaurant! I tried to get Baby Pom to pose in front of The Langham in Pasadena, California so that we could make our own cover for the movie.

#Greenies...protecting your #dogs dental health

I can't deny it. My fur babies love Greenies. Honestly, when I hold one up, Baby Pom will automatically stand, spin 3 times on his own and expect his Greenies. LOL, but that's not what this post is about. I care about their dental health. Did you know that many dogs have terrible dental hygiene by the time they're 3 years old? I don't want that. I love my babies and although I don't brush their teeth on a daily basis, I do feed them Greenies every day...and they love it. Greenies have this addictive hold over my baby loves. They've learnt "Greenies" in their vocabulary now. When I say Greenies, they start running towards their treat drawer.Honestly, I don't know what it is but they love it. Oh, now they're nipping at me. I suppose they want to write their own post. ;)

#WordlessWednesday: #Disney #Frankenweenie Fun #DisneyMoviesEvent

OMG! Can you believe it? In less than 2 weeks, I'll be in LA again for the #DisneyMoviesEvent for the red carpet screening of Frankenweenie and more. I still have to decide on my red fashion attire...In the meantime though, here are some fun activity sheets for your family to enjoy. I've compiled it into one pdf file so all you have to do is click the picture to go download 5 fun activities for FREE! I've always enjoyed mazes and looking for differences so you'll find my nose buried in my copies with my fur babies beside me for awhile. Enjoy and happy Wordless Wednesday.

#RachaelRay #Nutrish...Naturally Delish for #dogs #Review

BabyPom: So, while Mommy and I were at BlogPaws, I was treated to these little delightful wet food from Rachael Ray's Nutrish Naturally Delish line. JR never got any so it was so nice for Nutrish to send us some to try out! JR always seems to sense when the packages are for us and it was no different this time.

#Nutrisystem Month 9 #Video #Review #NSNation #Vlog #health #fitness #weightloss #samp

Here's Month 9 of Nutrisystem videos! This will be my last Nutrisystem video. This month's video is on more pizzas! This time featuring the dinner ones. They've replaced some of the old ones with new ones and we love both varieties. Well, it doesn't really matter for us now but I feel that others out there would enjoy both too.

NYC and the fashion world has been a-buzz with the glitz and glamour that is New York Fashion Week. This past week, thanks to Cinny and Sears, I got my own personal glimpse into what to expect this Fall in Sears stores everywhere. Hosted at Bagatelle- a little bistro ensconced in the heart of the meatpacking district, I attended the searsStyle Blogger Brunch for New York Fashion Week 2012.

#Nutrisystem #Womens Week 35 Results, #Mens Week 27 Results #NSNation #weightloss #health #diet #samp

Is it just me or is this month moving forwards ridiculously fast? Only 1 more week and it'll be over. We're currently at the end of week 35 and 27 of our Nutrisystem program. I had actually packed my Nutrisystem with me on my trip to California this week. I had it on the way there but once I got there, the good food really took over. I also had the rare opportunity to enjoy high tea with a couple of my blogger friends. I must say, it was absolutely amazing but it was a lot of food. So much that we couldn't finish it! On the way home though, my flight was delayed and BabyPom wasn't feeling very well so I didn't eat much the whole day. That might've been what made the difference between my results this week.

I loved it back then when I first watched it in theaters with friends years and years ago. Now it's coming back in theaters for the very first time, in 3D! Monsters Inc. was a fun movie to watch and I remember wishing there was a roller coaster made from one of the early scenes...you know, the one with the swinging doors on the tracks? I'd ride it for sure. I'm sure your little ones haven't watched or even heard of it before. So, check out this trailer for some good old memories and some good ones too. I think this will have to be watched again before Monsters University comes out.

Reminders and lucky ones...

Pasadena has been awesome and I'll be on my way home in the morning. I didn't forget about my winners though! So here they are before I wrap up my night. I'm exhausted. If you're ever looking for a vacation spot, The Langham in Pasadena is amazing! Posts to come soon on my luxurious couple days. :)

Smooth silkiness with #SeabuckWonders US/CAN 09/21

You've seen me post about Sea Buckthorn berries before and you've heard about their great properties. Now let me introduce you to a new SeabuckWonders line, which includes these "miracle berries" as touted by Dr. Oz. We all know a healthy diet is essential to a healthy immune system but do we always get our vitamins and minerals in our diet? Yes and no...depending on how healthy we eat.

Wordless Wednesday...How would you wear your sunglasses?

How do you wear your sunglasses? Do you wear them over your head? Clip them on your shirt? Do you like big aviator frames or little ones? Embellished or non-embellished? This is how someone I know wears theirs...or tries to anyways...

I just received new clothes from OASAP and they fit this time! Woohoo! I can actually fit in all of them. Are you ready to see my new outfits? I was able to pick up a couple dresses, a top and a cardigan! Tell me what you think of my pairings for this Wednesday's Wardobe!

Test Kits US 09/07 #MissionGiveaway #PayItForward

Here's this week's second Mission Giveaway! Have you ever wished to test yourself privately at home regarding your health? Here's your chance. Enter to win 2 $50 gift certificates to Test Kits at Home for you and your friend. Don't forget to also go and enter the Bulu Box Mission Giveaway this week.

Hope you're enjoying your long weekend! It's time for the weekly Mission Giveaway! Check out this one from Bulu Box to win a two 6 month subscriptions to Bulu Box ($60 value), one for you and one for a friend! It's kinda cool...I've always heard of subscription boxes but don't really subscribe to one regularly. However, all the ones I know of are food or make-up related. This one has to do with health via vitamins and supplements. Pretty interesting, right? Don't forget to also go and enter the Test Kit Mission Giveaway this week.

Keep moving with #Zamzee 09/17 US

While at BlogHer, I was exposed to a lot of great products. One of them being the Zamzee. It already sounds fun, doesn't it? It is an activity meter that not only measures your steps but also the intensity of activity via a three-axis accelerometer, when you have it on properly as I soon found out. They recommend clipping these colorful and water-resistant Zamzees onto your clothes at waist level or putting it in your pocket. Ever wanted to inspire your kids to get healthy? This is it. The item that encourages activity and fitness, while offering rewards.

We're halfway through our last month. Only 2 more weeks and it'll be over. We're currently at the end of week 34 and 26 of our Nutrisystem program. I am trying to stay active and lay off the sugary drinks. I have found that I can drastically gain a couple of pounds when I drink alcohol. LOL! And I lose them just as quickly. Other than that, this week has been on track. I've been sticking with Nutrisystem foods and only ate out once.