All for Love: I love ME! Giveaway!

 

Welcome to the All for Love Valentine's Event, hosted by Real Mom Reviews and Mama Chocolate!  This is an amazing Valentine's Day blog hop giveaway, featuring over 50 blogs, each giving away at least $25 in prizes!

Here at My This N That Life, I've twisted the game just a tad.  I decided to forgo the traditional “romantic love” format of an event like this, and focus on an “I love ME!” theme!  As you know, the healthier our bodies are the more positive our attitudes are towards ourselves.  I've known for years that this was true, but I've seen it more and more as I've begun to increase the health of my own body.  Ladies and gentlemen, the healthier my body, the better I feel.  The better I feel, the better my attitude.  The better my attitude, the more I can love ME!  And the more I love me, the more I can show my love for others.  It's just that simple!

I have carefully selected a group of prizes that will help one lucky reader to increase her (or his!) health, and in doing so, promote love for self!  I hope you enjoy the prizes as much as I do!  Please visit the link of each product and leave a comment!  I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Prize 1:

liv breast self exam aid 

ARV: $19.95

Prize 2:

Hazelaid Gift Code

ARV: $25

Prize 3:

Happy Herbivore Cookbook Set

ARV: $39.90

Prize 4:

EatSmart Precision Retro Mechanical Kitchen Scale

ARV: $39.95

Prize 5:

Savvy Rest Shredded Latex Pillow

ARV: $89

Prize 6:

Kalso Earth Shoes Prosper Shoes

ARV $119

Total Prize Value: $332.80!

Good luck!  When you're finished entering this giveaway, please feel free to move on to the next on the linky list, below the rafflecopter form!

I love ME! Sponsor: Savvy Rest

One of the foundations of good health (and therefore a staple for finding love for ourselves), is getting plenty of good quality sleep each night!  Savvy Rest understands this, and they have created a line of organic bedding to support good sleep and green living in one!

Savvy Rest has a full line of products; you can get everything from a natural mattress to bedding to pillows!  They're all organic, they're all natural latex and they all look beautiful!  Savvy Rest decided to send me a Shredded Latex Pillow for review!

The Shredded Latex Pillow by Savvy Rest is customizable.  I really like that feature!  It comes super thick...about 8 inches thick, in fact!  I'm sure there are some people that link their pillows this thick, but I am not one of them.  There are two zippers on the Shredded Latex Pillow, one on the "case" and one on the pillow itself.  Inside the inner zipper, there is tons and tons of shredded latex, just as you'd expect!

You simply open up the pillow and remove as much or as little shredded latex as you need to make the pillow perfectly comfortable for you!

I removed a lot - a LOT - of latex from my pillow.  In fact, I stuffed a 2 gallon zippered bag FULL of the latex shreds I removed! 

The biggest problem I had with this process was that it was MESSY!  Thankfully I had the vacuum cleaner nearby.  In the future, I think I would put down some paper or something on which to make my adjustments.

I L-O-V-E my Savvy Rest Shredded Latex Pillow!  I love that I can squish the latex around each night so that my head and neck are supported just the way I like!  I did this with my old pillow, but it didn't take long for the pillow to become misshapen and lumpy.  With the Savvy Rest Shredded Latex Pillow, my head is comfy and my neck is supported.  The pillow is heavy, but that doesn't cause a problem at all!

You'll LOVE the customization you can get with the Savvy Rest Shredded Latex Pillow!

You'll especially love the customization if you win one (an $89 value) from my blog during the I love ME! event that will go live at midnight tonight!  (While you wait, why not take a minute to follow Savvy Rest on facebook and Google+?)

I love ME! Sponsor: Kalso Earth

Did you know that one of the most important things we can do to take care of our bodies is to wear good, properly fitting shoes?  It's true!  Different shoes "work" different way, support our feet in different ways, align our spines in different ways.  One comany, Kalso Earth Shoes, recognizes that "traditional" shoes are not made to properly support and align our spines.  They've created a whole new shoe design with a "negative heel" that sets the heel slightly lower than the rest of the foot, aligning your spine properly and supporting a healthy walk!

Kalso Earth Shoes is just introducing their spring line!

SO many of their shoes are super cute!  I love these:

I've been looking for new "gym" shoes, and wondered what Kalso Earth could do to help with that.  I found the Prosper in their new spring line and fell in love with the look!  Don't they look comfy?

 

I received the Prosper in red and taupe.  I think they're really cute!  I love that they are fairly narrow.  I can snug them up pretty tightly around my feet, which is great!  I LOVE the elastic at the heel!  It makes them SO comfortable!  These shoes, I am not kidding, are THE lightest weight shoes I have ever held in my hands.  They're so comfortable to wear!  I really liked the way they felt the minute I put them on!

I have worn the Kalso Earth Shoes a few times when I have done Zumba.  They were comfortable for class, but because they have round laces, they don't stay tied tightly enough for my taste during exercise.  (This is kind of a pet peeve of mine.  I don't think ANY shoes should have round laces.)

I REALLY like the Prosper by Kalso Earth Shoes!  If your feet are wide, I'm not sure how comfortable they'll be for you.  I think they're a little on the narrow side (which is perfect for me)!  If round laces are an issue for you, buy yourself a pair of cheap laces at the stoe and get these shoes anyway!  They're great.  I wouldn't probably choose them as my favorite workout shoes, but I definitely prefer them for every day!

Kalso Earth Shoes would like to give away a pair of Prosper shoes, valued at $119, to one lucky reader during the I love ME! giveaway, which will start at midnight tonight!  Be watching, it's a HUGE giveaway!  (While you wait, why not follow Kalso Earth Shoes on facebook and twitter?)

I was given this product at no cost to me in order to facilitate a review.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.

I love ME! Spotlight: EatSmart Scales

I've been very intrigued, along with my diet changes and fitness successes, by cookbooks and recipes that are listed by weights rather than "amounts."  I've long wondered just how much of each food I'm eating, and sometimes I just need to know, say, how much a Barbie weighs!

Thank goodness for EatSmart and their amazing Precision Retro Mechanical Kitchen Scale!

It's been a real eye-opener to see just how much I am eating in a meal!  I eat a fruit smoothie almost every morning.  I don't limit my amount of fruit in my smoothie...in fact, I tend to load it up!  I know that's a lot of carbohydrates, but they're healthy carbs.  I also sometimes add beans to my smoothies!  This particular day, I had a very yummy fruity smoothie with great northern beans.  It weighed a pound before it was blended!

(I did zero out the scale with the wax paper in it so I could be sure to get an accurate measurement.)

I LOVE the EatSmart Precision Retro Mechanical Kitchen Scale when making recipes that call for foods by weight!  When I made broccoli cheese soup, it called for a pound and a half of broccoli!  I was SURE that my 2 head of broccoli would be more than enough, but it wasn't!  Two heads of broccoli measured just over a pound!

The EatSmart Precision Retro Mechanical Kitchen Scale is a very nice, high quality metal scale!  It's super easy to wash, easy to set up, and works great!  I recommend this scale for anyone that is looking at portion control options or likes to cook by weight!

EatSmart has been doing something amazing lately, besides just selling great products.  Each month, they donate a bit of money to a certain charity or organization.  Last year, customers and fans were able to choose about half of the organizations.  This year, they're allowing customers and fans to choose all of the organizations!  For the month of February, EatSmart will be donating 50 cents for each new Google+ follower, to the organization of MY choosing!  I've chosen the National MS Society.  Click here to find out why!  The click over to Google+ and follow EatSmart!  Your 30 seconds will donate 50 cents to the National MS Society!

EatSmart is going to give away a Precision Retro Mechanical Kitchen Scale to one of my super lucky readers in the I love ME! giveaway!  The scale is valued at $39.95.  The giveaway starts at midnight tonight!  Be watching!  (Just for fun, follow EatSmart on facebook and twitter while you're waiting for the giveaway!)

I was given this scale at no cost in order to facilitate a review.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.

I love ME! Spotlight: Happy Herbivore

One of the steps I've taken this year, one that has greatly impacted how I feel about myself, has been changing my diet.  My family has always been very carnivorous.  Not only are were we major meat-eaters, but we had bread, pasta, potatoes, corn...something starchy at every. single. meal.  At home, now, we eat a mostly vegetarian diet.  (I'd say mostly vegan, but who am I kidding?  There's never a day when there isn't cheese in my fridge, and rarely a day when there isn't cheese in at least one meal.)  This dietary change has made a huge impact on my weight and the way I feel!  I digest my food differently now!  It's been truly amazing.

The problem with making a huge change to your diet, though, is that you also have to change your meal plans.  You have to use totally different recipes.  A few of your old ones can be adapted with beans and other substitutes, but many of your favorites are just no longer options.  If you're like me, having 5 or 6 "favorite" meals isn't going to cut it.  You need to have a recipe pool so you won't eat the same foods every week.

I asked Lindsay, the Happy Herbivore, to help me come up with some more recipe ideas, and boy did she ever!  Lindsay is the author and mastermind behind two veggie-based cookbooks, each with over 175 recipes, and has a 3rd book in progress!  She spends her days in the kitchen creating.  It's a passion for her!  Lindsay has begun converting her family and friends to plant-based diets in an effort to better their health. 

Lindsay's first book, The Happy Herbivore, hit the shelves in February of 2011.  It's filled with comfort foods made with everyday ingredients.  These recipes are made using whole, unprocessed, low-fat foods!  They're perfect for my whole foods, plant-based diet!  The meals are yummy, although sometimes spicier than my family likes. 

In December of 2011, Lindsay released her second cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore!  This is, so far, my favorite of the Happy Herbivore books.  Almost every recipe we've tried, and we've tried a lot, has come from this book.  The recipes are super easy and a LOT of them can be made in 30 minutes or less!  Right now timeliness isn't a huge issue, but if I had a job it would be so important to me to be able to make quick, healthy meals for my family!

The recipes are simple, yummy, and they even look tasty!

(Tex Mex Shepherd's Pie, Everyday Happy Herbivore)

(Smoky Black Bean Enchiladas, The Happy Herbivore)

If you're looking to change your diet, lose weight, or even just add some yummy foods into your diet to change things up a bit, I highly recommend looking into the Happy Herbivore cookbooks!  (They are even on sale at amazon.com right now!)  There are also several free recipes and some other healthy advice on Lindsay's website, www.happyherbivore.com!

 Guess what?  One of my lucky readers is going to receive a set of BOTH of these cookbooks, a total value of $39.90, in the I love ME! giveaway, which starts at midnight tonight!  You'll LOVE these!  (Oh, and just for fun, visit Happy Herbivore on facebook and twitter!)

I was given these cookbooks at no cost to me in order to facilitate a review.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.

I love ME! spotlight: Liv

It's a bit of a touchy subject, this cancer thing.  Breast cancer is a dirty word in a lot of circles.  Ladies, it's real.  It's devastating.  It could happen to you or a loved one.  Breast cancer doesn't pick and choose its victims kindly.  The most common cause of breast cancer is being a woman.  If you're a woman, take note!  There are websites out there to help you perform self breast exams and to give you information about breast cancer awareness.  liv is one such site!

 

Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992.  That same weekend, her father died from cancer.  Olivia underwent a partial mastectomy and breast reconstruction.  Olivia has been cancer free for more than 17 years.

It is because Olivia Newton-John's experience with cancer (her own and her father's) that she has decided to take breast cancer awareness into her own "hands," so to speak.  It is because my family's history that I think it's so important for all women to perform self breast exams.

Almost 26 years ago, my dear sweet aunt passed away because of breast cancer.  Another of my amazing aunts is a breast cancer survivor.  In my family, as well as yours, it is so very very important to not only be aware of the symptoms but to be active in watching for them!

The liv breast self exam aid is made to help you examine your breast tissue.  It's a heart-shaped pad filled with a non-toxic lubricant.  When placed on the breast, the liv reduces the friction between your fingers and your skin, allowing your fingers to glide more easily across your breast and more clearly feel any abnormalities!

Every woman should perform a breast self exam once a month.  As you get used to performing these monthly exams, you'll be able to better tell whether there have been any changes in your tissue.  Here, from the liv website, is a summary of what to watch for in your exams:

Breast Changes to Watch for During a Breast Self-Exam

• Any new lump or hard knot found in the breast or underarm
• Any lump or thickening that does not shrink or lessen after your next period
• Any change in the size, shape or symmetry of your breast
• A thickening or swelling of the breast
• Dimpling, skin irritation or other change in the breast skin or nipple
• Redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin
• Nipple discharge (fluid coming from your nipples other than breast milk), particularly if the discharge is bloody, clear and sticky, dark and occurs without squeezing your nipple
• Nipple retraction: turning or drawing inward or pointing in a new direction

If you find any of these changes, Dr. Bodai advises you to see your health care provider as soon as possible for a clinical evaluation. It is important to keep in mind that most breast lumps women find, as Olivia Newton-John’s early ones, are normal. So, don’t be afraid to get to know your body and to follow up with your doctor.

Friends, I love each and every one of you, whether I know you or not.  I beg you to take your health into your own hands.  Begin (if you don't already) performing monthly breast exams.  Begin having an annual clinical breast exam.  Don't let any more time go by before you take control.  What are you waiting for?

  It’s time to LIV.

 Olivia Newton-John wants to be sure every woman is performing their monthly exams!  To help one of you with this essential task, liv is including one liv aid, a $19.95 value, in my "I love ME!" package!  (Just for fun, follow live on facebook and twitter!)  After all, what better way to show--me--that I love me than to take the best possible preventative care of my own body??

I was provided this product at no cost in order to facilitate a review.  All opinions are my own.

"I love ME" Spotlight: Hazelaid

One of the quickly growing baby trends of today is Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces.  So many babies (mine included) are wearing them night and day to help repel or remove the negative effects of teething.  If you haven't tried baltic amber, you're likely a skeptic.  I know I sure was!  Even if you've put a baltic amber teething necklace on your child and seen the reduction of teething symptoms, you're likely (as I was) to think that you just have an easy teether.

I was like you.  I really was!  And then I discovered a simple little, well-kept secret.  Wanna hear it?  Shhh, don't tell anyone.  Are you ready?  It works!  Okay, okay, it's not really a secret.  In fact, I shout it loud and proud to anyone who will listen.  Baltic Amber is for real!  It works!  How do I know?  I've been wearing a baltic amber teething necklace for several months now!  It's true.  Usually I wear it around my neck.  Sometimes I double it and wear it as a bracelet.  The trouble is, although even wearing a necklace helps, most of my chronic pain is in my legs.  It's never made sense to me to wear a necklace to make my legs feel better.  It helps, that's for sure, but I've always wondered whether an anklet would be more beneficial.

When I started putting together my package for the "All for Love" blog event, I knew right away I wanted to focus on "ME" because that's where my focus has been all year.  I tried to think of products that have benefited me in my quest for health, and kept coming back to baltic amber.  My mind immediately went to a great company with whom my sister has worked, Hazelaid!

Hazelaid was born when the family's 3rd child was born with severe eczema.  Their search to find something...anything...to help led them to hazelwood jewelry.  After seeing the difference the jewelry made in ALL the family's sensitive skin, they started their own company to share hazelwood, baltic amber, and other natural remedies with the world!

I received a 20" Super Butter Baltic Amber Teething Necklace from Hazelaid to try!

Baltic amber looks like little stones or beads, but it's actually made from natural resin.  As the body warms the resin, it releases oils that are known world-wide (and have been for centuries) as a natural pain reliever.  Why don't we use this more commonly in the US? 

It is commonly believed that the lighter the color of the amber, and the less polished it is, the more powerful its healing medicine.  I chose Super Butter from Hazelaid for this very reason, and chose a 20" chain so it would easily wrap twice around my ankle.  (Hazelaid has anklets in several colors/styles, but sadly not in the Super Butter.)  The necklace fits loosely twice around, with no threat of coming loose because of the plastic screw closure!  It looks cute, and it helps with my leg pain immensely!

Friends, if you haven't before, please consider baltic amber as a significant source of pain relief!  Consider, also, Hazelwood for your eczema and other skin conditions!  You'll be SO excited about the results, and you'll love that you're not putting so many man-made chemicals into your body!  When you consider using these products, please consider Hazelaid!  They're a great company with a great purpose and amazing products!

Hazelaid is SO generous, they're not only sponsoring a $25 gift code giveaway as part of the All for Love: I love ME! event, they're also willing to give each of you a 10% discount on your purchases!  Check them out today!  At checkout, simply enter the code "Life10"...the code has NO maximum number of uses (use it over and over!) and no expiration!   (Just for fun, why don't you visit Hazelaid on facebook and twitter while you're waiting for the giveaway?)

Enjoy!!

I was provided with this item at no cost in order to facilitate a review.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.