I'm a little embarrassed. But I'll get over it.

$5 Magazine Sale at Amazon

At last count, my magazine subscription number has risen to 22 (it's a sickness). Many I'm getting, like Shape and Woman's Day, are free but I've taken advantage of so many deals I've found online. I've been earning Amazon gift certificates through a web panel I belong to and these $5 subscriptions* have been great for renewing the freebies.

I'm using them as holiday gifts too since we're on a pretty strict budget this year. I'm going to print out the cover of an issue and tie it with a bow to give to the recipient. Hope this helps you guys too!

*It's an affiliate link

Great Find: How I Used the $5 off Hallmark Gold Crown Coupon

CLOSED*If you're in So Cal, don't forget to enter my holiday meal giveaway: a spiral cut ham dinner for 6 people!*CLOSED

I got a pretty sweet deal when I went to the Hallmark store today and wanted to pass it along. Several blogs I read posted about a great coupon for $5 off a $5 purchase a Hallmark Gold Crown stores.

I went intending to pick up a few cards since they have a pretty good selection of .99 ones. When I got to the register, they had a small display of Christmas CD's marked down as their 'deal of the week.' I put four of the cards back and got Barry Manilow and Cheryl Crow CD's instead. Barry was $1 and Cheryl $3. With the coupon I paid .43!


I know most, if not all, Hallmark stores are franchised so this could only be an isolated deal but it's definitely worth checking out. I have 4 more coupons left and I told them I'd be back tomorrow to take advantage of the offer again. The CD's will be good stocking stuffers and teacher gifts.
From what I've read, the $5 coupon is now in 10 different magazines:

* Better Homes and Garden
* Country Living – December/January, after Page 96
* Family Circle – after Page 48
* Martha Stewart Living – December, Page 74
* Oprah – December, Page 119
* Parents – between Pages 84 and 85 ($10 off a story book)
* Real Simple – December
* Southern Living – December, insert after Page 62
* Taste Of Home – December/January, insert after Page 42
* Woman’s Day – December, Page 33

Hope you're able to take advantage of it!

*Thank you Couponing to Disney for compiling the magazine list! Sorry for the bad photo, I wanted to get the deal up before family game night.

Win a Full Holiday Meal from Golden Share Foods {Giveaway}

*Winner has been chosen and notified. Congrats Ali!*
*Giveaway is for Southern California residents only. Please read the full contest rules below*

Phil and I were trying to remember how many times we've hosted Thanksgiving. Since we couldn't really remember, I have to assume the meals weren't very memorable. There was the time we had my mom over. I think that might have been our first attempt. The turkey was underdone, the skin wasn't crispy brown and we broke the garbage disposal with potato peelings. My mom hasn't had a holiday meal at our house since.

I think we had friends over right after Tyler was born. I say "think" because, even though I have a picture of our friends with the makings of a meal in the background, as a brand new mom of a 24-day old baby, I can't remember a single thing about it.

Fortunately, we had a really relaxing Thanksgiving this year. I made our holiday dinner, and it turned out great. We tried something new this year. Rather than going to the store (or stores) for all the meal components, we ordered a full holiday "dinner in a box" from Golden Share Foods, a food co-op based here in Southern California. We placed our order online and Phil picked up the meal about a week before Thanksgiving.

Not having to run around buying things before the 3 day was one less thing to worry about. After the walk, since I couldn't move and Tyler was running a fever, knowing I had just about everything I needed made prepping and cooking a lot less stressful. Plus, we had so much leftover turkey and vegetables Phil was able to make his turkey bone gumbo. I may just volunteer to host Turkey Day again next year.

What does this have to do with you? I was getting to that. I want to give you the same stress-free experience I had. Golden Share Foods has given me a FULL holiday meal to give to one of you! The package has enough food to feed six people:

1 Spiral Cut Honey Ham w/ Glaze Packet (7-9 lbs)
1 ea. Fresh Celery Sleeved
1 bag Fresh Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 can Pineapple Chunks in Natural Juice
3 lbs. Fresh Sweet Potatoes
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
3 lbs. Fresh Apples
1 can Apple Sauce
2 lbs. Fresh Onions
1 doz Dinner Rolls
1 lbs. Fresh Green Beans
1 Whole Pumpkin Pie (10 inch/ 40 oz)

See? That's a lot of food! What do you need to do to win?

1. Visit the pickup locations on the Golden Share Foods site. Come back here and leave comment on this post with the location closest to you. This is required since the giveaway is for locals only.

2. The winner is responsible for picking up the meal at their closest location.

2. I MUST have a way to get in touch with you! I will have to delete comments with no contact info.

3. Comments will close on Sunday, December 6th at 11:59pm CA time.

4. I will use random.org to draw the winner and post the results/notify winners via email and in a "Winners" post.

5. For two extra entries: (not required) Tweet, and/or blog about this contest and leave each of your links in a separate comment (three contest entry opportunities total). You will need a free Twitter account.

San Diego: Win a full #holidaymeal for 6. Spiral cut ham with all the trimmings from @GldnSHAREfoods Ends 12/6. http://bit.ly/GldnShr

6. You do not have to follow or subscribe to this blog as a method of entry (but you're more than welcome to!). Tweet as often as you like, but only one Tweet will count as an extra entry. Leave one comment for each entry. Here is the URL to this post: http://bit.ly/GldnShr

*Golden Share Foods gave us our Thanksgiving meal for this review.

The San Diego Breast Cancer 3 Day - Amazing!

(Mom and I waiting for opening ceremonies to begin)

Every adjective I've heard to describe the 3 Day is true. It was such an amazing experience! all weekend long there was laughter, tears and a lot of energy. There was also a lot of ice, band aids, ace bandages and limping (and not just on my part). But, as I heard many times, "It's not chemo."

I live in a beautiful city and it was so awesome to see it this way. The 3 Day really brings the community together. I've seen it many times as I've cheered but being on the other side, as a walker, it's so awesome to see how many neighborhoods make such an effort to be supportive throughout the weekend. I've seen so many of the same people year after year and their dedication is impressive and inspirational.

I have hundreds of pictures and a lot of video. I wish I'd had access to WiFi and laptop so I could post updates at the end of the day. There's so much to show and tell! I'll try to spread it out so I'm not overwhelming you (and boring the people who are tired of all the boob talk). There are a lot of things I'm going to do differently next year* that I hope to pass on for anyone thinking of participating for the first time.

Huge thank you's to my mom for all her help with my fund raising and to everyone who made a donation. If I hadn't raised the money I would have either had to back out of the walk or pay the difference (which Phil was prepared to do, bless his heart). Thank you Abby for working on my feet, ankle and knee. It made a huge difference!

And speaking of Phil, thanks honey for coming out every day and bringing Tyler with you. Seeing you guys throughout the weekend was such an energy boost. Thanks for taking all our phone calls, bringing the things we needed and taking away my dirty laundry. Thank you for wrapping my ankle every day since. Love you.

*Yep, even though I'm still not completely healed, I'm thinking ahead to next year. I've been talking to a few people and it seems I may have a team in the making!

My Thoughts on the Color Pink and the Month of October

A few weeks ago I made a clerk at WalMart cry. I didn't mean to. She was telling me her sister's breast cancer story and she got emotional. Since I've gotten more involved with the 3 Day, I notice bracelets, pins, T-shirts and just about anything with a pink ribbon, a lot more than I used to.

The checker was wearing a pink ribbon bracelet, and I asked her, as I've started to do lately, whether she is a Survivor. She told me no, but her sister is and asked the same of me. I told her about the walk and answered her questions about the event.

She told me he sister recently received her second breast cancer diagnosis. She was originally diagnosed 17 years ago and had a mastectomy on her right side. In between the last diagnosis and the current, this woman's sister suffered from ovarian cancer, optical cancer AND brain cancer. That's a whole lot of crap for one person (and one family) to deal with.

I was stunned. I said I'd think of her sister while I was walking. She thanked me, and thanked me for walking. I replied, "I have it easy. It's your sister and your family who have a fight ahead of you. I wish you all well." And that's when she started to tear up. She could only nod and wave goodbye because she was so choked up. When I ask people, "are you a survivor?" those are the types of stories I hear. Some are happier, but all are tragic in their own way.

Not too long before this I read a piece on AOL news that has stuck with me. It was about Breast Cancer Awareness Month and raised the question of commercialism, how much pink is too much pink, and is the ribbon overexposed? I saw that sentiment echoed elsewhere online throughout the month of October.

Parts of the article I agree with. Some companies are slapping a pink ribbon on anything and everything. Sometimes the items make sense, but other times (for example a make up line whose ingredients may be cancer causing) it makes me scratch my head. Plus, just because something is pink doesn't mean the company actually gives money to any type of breast cancer organization. The color pink and the breast cancer ribbon aren't regulated.

On the other hand, how can awareness be bad? If a man or woman sees a pink ribbon and remembers to schedule a mammogram or do a self exam, isn't the ribbon then serving it's purpose? Tyler and I buy yogurt with the pink lids because we know a portion of the proceeds will go to legitimate research. I know, too, that the amount of funds being donated will have a cap and that there is a chance my purchase won't do anything at all. But, I like to think that it will. I was going to buy yogurt anyway, why not buy the brand that is supporting a cause I feel passionate about?

I understand there are people who have lost loved ones who view the ribbon as a reminder of that loss. I can also understand people going through treatment not wanting their diagnosis in their face everywhere they turn. After all, they are not their disease. Breast cancer isn't the only thing women die of and it's certainly not the only cancer out there. But are those reasons enough to start a reverse call to action and change corporate cause marketing practices?

I can't help but think of how far we've come in terms of research and development since the woman at WalMart's sister was first diagnosed 17 years ago, how far we have to go and how much money it will take to get there.

The stories I've heard make me feel so helpless at times. The little bit of this blog I have devoted to posts on breast cancer and the walk have helped. Knowing I'll be participating in the walk and raising funds has helped too.

By the time this post goes up, my mom and I will have made it through opening ceremonies and set off with thousands of men and women to walk 60 miles over three days. We will raise awareness, celebrate survival and strength and remember those who fought so hard. Strangers will thank us on behalf of their loved ones or even on their own behalf. We will hear inspiring stories of courage and heartbreaking ones of loss. We'll be surrounded by pink and the pink ribbon. And I just don't see how that can be a bad thing.
 

Actually, These Pants DON'T Make My Butt Look Big

I've been blaming the baby weight I'm carrying on my love of starches, carbs, chocolate and food in general. I haven't tried to diet but lately have tried to be more conscious of what I'm eating, when I eat it and why. I have lost some weight, which I've been attributing to the training for the walk but mostly on these stinking braces. Some of my pants are loose and it seems my cheekbones have decided to come out of hiding.

I haven't stepped on a scale so I couldn't translate my pants not staying up into actual pounds lost. Last week I broke out the Wii Fit for the first time in ages to try the new game I bought. While my Wii Fit age had jumped to 40, my BMI was down and the animated board told me I've lost almost 14 pounds! I couldn't believe it.

Last Tuesday I decided it was time to try on jeans for a pair that fit better (which is usually a nightmare because there's so much junk in my trunk). I had a coupon from BlogHer for a free pair of Gap jeans that I've been saving. I pulled my usual size off the rack and brought a few different styles into the dressing room. And they were too big!

The salesperson came to check on me and I asked for the next size down, which I haven't had to do since I was in my 20's. I haven't looked like this in a pair of jeans since college. I can honestly say, for the first time in a long time, that I don't think my butt looks big! I don't care if it is vanity sizing, wearing a size 6 again is making me pretty happy today.
(I apologize for both the crappy photo and the fact that I didn't clean the mirror first)

UPDATE: My mom arrived at our house this afternoon for the 3 Day and the first thing she said when I got out of the car was, "Wow! You did get skinny! I can't remember the last time you were that size!" Umm, thanks?

*None of the companies or brands mentioned asked me to do so, I only included them as a means to tell the story.