ebody Spa Collection by e-cloth Face Cleansing Mitt Review and Giveaway

I was given this product for free in exchange for a review and giveaway for you! Content, photos, and opinions are mine alone.

 

Most of us are aware of the effects processed food can have on the body and we try to reduce our consumption of processed food as a result.

However, while trying to be careful about the foods that we’re eating, we don’t often think about the contents of the health and beauty products which are absorbed into our bodies through our skin.

 

 

The ebody spa collection by e-cloth face cleansing mitt removes make-up and lotions from the face and neck. It’s easy to use—simply wet the mitt and apply your soap to the mitt, gently wash your face using the mitt, and then rinse as usual.

 

 

This eliminates the need for harsh and expensive make-up removers or cleansing lotions by using micro-bubble technology. The interaction between the superfine cleansing fibers and the soap & water creates a lather of microscopic bubbles that help clean deep into pores.

The cloth is made from polyester and polyamide and the ebody fibers are 1,000 times finer than cotton fibers. Each cloth is fabricated to have as many as 1.6 million fiber strands per square inch which helps cleansing and drying performance.

Not only is using this product and eliminating the use of harsh beauty products good for you, it’s also good for the environment because those same harsh products aren’t being added into the environment.

The verdict? The face cleansing mitt was too abrasive for my sensitive skin. The cloth itself is very soft but I learned quickly to be very gentle while cleaning my face with it.

The first time I used it, I had red splotches on my face. That didn’t occur the subsequent times, but using it seemed to cause my skin to dry out. With that being said, I do tend to have sensitive skin on my face and other products have proven too harsh for me before.

 

I would say definitely give the face cleaning mitt and try and see if it works for you! It would save you some money on face cleansing products and would be good for you and the environment.

And now for the giveaway! Please enter through Rafflecopter below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Trip to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines & Mini-Vacation

Every year around my birthday time we go to Des Moines to go shopping. I miss having local access to a lot of my favorite stores and the good selection that you can find in a bigger city. Oh, and there’s a Cheesecake factory. Enough said.

Little Miss Sunshine loves animals. Most of the books we have are about animals and she loves to see all of the farm animals at grampy and grammy’s farm. I knew she would absolutely love going to the zoo—so we made plans to do that!

This was my first visit to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines but hubby had been there on field trips are a child. It’s the perfect size zoo—it took us about 2 hours to walk through which was the perfect amount of time for a one year old. Although we didn’t go through the indoor Discovery Center. She was getting tired and cranky towards the end.

We took a train ride through the zoo, which cost less than $5 for all three of us. Overall, everything was very reasonably priced. Admission was $12 each and Little Miss Sunshine was free (as are children 2 years old and younger).

Aren’t Little Miss Sunshine’s sunglasses adorable? She actually kept them on most of the time!

She really did love the zoo! She would get so excited to see the different animals. She thought anything furry was a cat and would meow, of course.

How brave this child is never ceases to amaze me. She isn’t afraid of much of anything—although she didn’t want to touch this llama.

There was a nice playground located in the Kids’ Kingdom. Little Miss Sunshine was a little too young to use the equipment, but we did find this cow to take a quick picture with!

It was so fun to see her look at the animals with wonder. It’s like being able to relive childhood through the eyes of my child.

We really needed to go on a vacation and just spend a little time together as a family with no interruptions or real responsibilities. We really enjoyed it!

By far, Little Miss Sunshine loved the carousel the most. She cried and cried when the ride was over and we had to get off!

Such a beautiful carousel!

I had some record breaking steps earned on my Fitbit over the weekend! On this particular day (Friday), I earned 13,396 steps—which was a personal record at the time, but I blew that out of the water on Saturday with 17,043 steps! Whoohoo!

I earned the Urban Boot badge on Fitbit. It has been a long time since I’ve earned a badge—so that made me happy!

On Saturday, we started our day out with a walk at Gray’s Lake Park—a beautiful spot for a walk!

The rest of the trip was filled with shopping (mostly just walking around malls), swimming at the hotel pool, Starbucks, and good eats…maybe too many of those!

I can’t wait to take our next mini vacation!

 

What’s your favorite vacation spot for a quick getaway?

The Energy Survival Kit for New Parents + Tutorial

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BringingInnovation #CollectiveBias

 

There is one thing that parents of a newborn can never have enough of—energy! The first year is filled with sleepless nights which leaves most parents running on empty.

The nursery may be filled with a beautiful new crib, a changing table with cloth diapers, a rocking chair, an infinite number of baby clothes, and gifts from family and friends—and they will need all of those things, but none of these essentials will give them what they need most—which is energy.

New parents soon discover how valuable and essential anything is that soothes the baby. Chaos ensues when the batteries in baby’s soothe and glow seahorse die—because she won’t nap without it. The same thing goes for the baby swing, sound machine, bouncy chair, and Jumperoo—they just make life easier and give parents a moment to do things, such as shower on occasion to re-energize.

Energy comes in many forms—coffee, convenient meals or snacks, and even batteries which keep baby’s favorite comforts running—not to mention also keeping the Wii remote working so the parents can watch Netflix on the rare occasion they get to relax! Whatever it takes to keep the energy flowing so that parents can keep going, and going, and going…

With energy in mind, I put together the perfect gift for new parents which includes essentials to keep them energized to meet the demands of a newborn, and so that they are prepared to keep life running smoothly for baby while also keeping the environment in mind.

 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Energy Bars
• Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso (cans are recyclable)
• Two Reusable Travel Mugs
• Ground Coffee (use what you have on hand)
• Glass jar with lid (an old mason jar you have on hand will work)
• Children’s Book (purchase used at a thrift store)
• Fine Tip Marker
• Reusable Shopping Bag
• Plastic Adjustable Organizer Container (that a child couldn’t open)
• Energizer® EcoAdvanced™ AA Batteries
• Energizer® EcoAdvanced™ AAA Batteries

 

1. Fill the organizer container with batteries

I found a clear plastic organizer container on clearance at Home Depot. I tested out the latches to make sure they were strong enough so that a child wouldn’t be able to open the box. 

I also purchased the batteries at Home Depot. I browsed the batteries located in the front of the store by the checkouts and I chose the Energizer® EcoAdvanced™ batteries in both AA (the world’s first AA battery made with 4% recycled batteries) and AAA because they are Energizer’s® highest performing and most reliable alkaline batteries—which means fewer batteries used, creating less waste and having less impact on the planet.

You will need to determine how many batteries you need based on the size of the organizer container that you purchase. I needed 24 AAs and 12 AAAs to fill a 9” organizer—this will keep the new parents prepared with batteries for a long time, especially since the Energizer® EcoAdvanced™ batteries are Energizer’s® longest lasting alkaline ever and also hold power for up to 12 years.

 

2. Pour coffee grounds into the glass jar

I found a glass jar at Target in the Dollar Spot, but using a mason jar that you already have on hand is a great way to recycle a reusable jar. Fill the jar with ground coffee.

 

3. Write a note in the book

Instead of giving the couple a greeting card that has no use after the couple reads it, give a children’s book instead! A children’s book will be used numerous times. Pick up a book at a thrift store and not only save paper but recycle a used book. Write a note on the inside cover or on the back of the book using a fine tip marker—don’t forget to sign your name! Allow it to fully dry.

 

4. Fill the reusable shopping bag with all of the items

Now it’s time to assemble the gift! Why waste paper by using a gift bag when you could give a gift that keeps on giving. Place all of the items into the reusable shopping bag and the parents will be able to use the bag many times over. The gift will include: a battery kit, two reusable travel mugs, a jar of coffee, energy bars, Starbucks Doubleshots, and a children’s book.

 

This gift will be useful and essential! Let the new parents know that this is The Energy Survival Kit for New Parents. If you want, you could even recycle a grocery sack to create a tag with “The Energy Survival Kit for New Parents” written on it.

 

Learn more about Energizer® EcoAdvanced™ batteries and share a tip  in the comments about what new parents can do to keep energized?

Inspiration Sunday

Sale Saturday

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, A Journey to Thin will receive a small commission.

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Weigh in day, etc.

I had to weigh in yesterday which was a day early. This was a day after my birthday and I ate some foods that I wouldn’t normally eat! Other than that, I had a good week.

I did gain .3 of a lb. but I am sure that was due to eating salty food for supper on Wednesday night. I’m sure I would have had a loss otherwise and that’s encouraging!!

I’m really proud of myself and how well I have been doing lately (except for the birthday eats). I will be out and about this weekend though and I’m hoping I don’t lose all willpower and go over board. I will be doing lots of walking though, so that will help.

On another note, I have been feeling very good the past few days. I started a higher dose of Wellbutrin and I don’t know if it’s that or what, but I am feeling so much more like myself—and a calmer version of myself, actually.

I know I’ve had some anxiety issues all of my life and I probably should have gotten help before! I just didn’t know how bad I really was.

So fingers crossed that I’m making progress on this road to postpartum depression recovery! I just feel happy and more fulfilled.

This blog has been a lifesaver for me because it gives me an outlet to write. You’ve surely noticed more sponsored posts lately and I hope you’re ok with that. It helps me feel more fulfilled to have assignments with deadlines where I can earn a little money to help pay the bills & put my mind to work writing. Not to mention, I am able to purchase more fun blog stuff and am planning some fun giveaways in the future!!

This past week there have been quite a few of these posts and that won’t happen on a normal week—it just seemed that my pitches were selected for articles due all in the same week! My goal is to accept opportunities that I think I can write an article for that fits my personality or may be of use to you, my lovely readers. But ultimately, I don’t want to lose sight of my true goal—which is to write my heart out.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Keep on Laughing, Mamas! #LifeAfterLeaks

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. You must be 21+ years old to try Poise Impressa Bladder Supports. #LifeAfterLeaks #CollectiveBias

 

Mamas, it’s time for some girl talk.

You know I’m all about being real, authentic, and saying things just the way that they are—but there are some topics I choose not to talk about on the blog and I reserve those conversations for my poor, older and wiser sister—who I’m sure gets plenty of giggles out of my questions and comments.

But isn’t that one of the most important things in life—laughter?

Think about the last time you laughed. I mean really, truly laughed—gust busting laughter from your very soul, tears running down your cheeks, a snort escaping which makes you laugh even harder.

Maybe you even peed a little bit, but that’s a secret you would never tell because it’s far too embarrassing.

Guess what mamas? Go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief because You’re not alone—almost every mother I know experiences this and it’s called stress urinary incontinence (SUI). As wonderful the miracle of childbirth is—it is often one of the leading causes for SUI.

After the first time you experience the unmentionable, you will worry about it every. single. time. you find something hysterically funny. And so maybe you’ll try not to laugh very hard, or you’ll cross your legs and hope for the best—but no one should have to live like that.

Laughter is too important for your health to try to avoid it.

As someone who is recovering from postpartum depression, I know the wonders that laughter can have on the body and soul. For a while, there were more times that I cried tears of anguish than tears of joy, and when I finally had a good laugh, I could literally feel the endorphins begin to affect me. It was a feeling that welled up in my soul and made me cry again—but for a different reason.

Laughter is like medicine for the soul, and it really does have health benefits as well, such as relieving stress, improving mood, relieving pain, and soothing tension.

Stress urinary incontinence is responsible for those pesky leaks which typically occur when you are coughing, sneezing, dancing, laughing, or exercising.

I personally know one woman who had to undergo surgery to have a bladder sling “installed” to fix the problem. This was after years of living with the fear of having a “situation” in public. She always had to be prepared by wearing a pad all of the time and using the restroom sooner than normal and much more often—especially while traveling.

Mamas have enough things to worry about and stress urinary incontinence shouldn’t be one of them.

This is why I am eager to share the Poise Impressa bladder supports, which are available in a special sizing kit that I found at CVS near the pharmacy section.

The support looks and functions like a tampon but it does not absorb leaks because it is designed to help prevent them by supporting the urethra.

There are three different sizes and the sizing kit will help you determine which size you need. Start with size 1, and if you still leak, try size 2, and then size 3 if needed. The size has nothing to do with how much you leak or how much you weigh—you just have to find the right fit.

Also, these should not be used if you are pregnant or on your period.

I told you this post was full of girl talk! You can stop squirming in your chair now though because the awkwardness is over and you’re still equipped with some very useful knowledge that will either help you or another mama you know learn that a life without leaks is possible.

There is also a printable Poise Impressa Sizing Kit coupon to use at CVS, which is available until all are claimed.

If you prefer to shop from home, Poise Impressa Bladder Supports and Sizing Kits are available at CVS.com.

I’ll leave you with a joke that I swear I made up quite a few years ago…

 

Keep on laughing with confidence, mamas!

 

Leave a comment with the funniest joke you’ve ever heard so we can all enjoy the benefits of laughter!

Would you use Poise Impressa for protection from leaks while sneezing, coughing, dancing, exercising, or laughing?

On Being 30

 

 

I originally wanted to edit my photo so I looked really old, but my photo skills do not advance past PicMonkey (yet)—so I went with this.

Seriously though. When did I get so old?

I remember my mom being in her 30s—and she was a “mom”, you know—a grown up.

And suddenly I woke up on September 23rd of 2015 and I was instantly 30 years old—which obviously means I am a grown up now. And a mom, actually.

Yesterday, I was just a girl in my 20s—a fresh college grad with the future in front of me—

but today…

well, I’m a new mom with a little bit of a history and a little more baggage and the future is still in front of me (God willing, of course).

And oh how much I have learned…

I have learned that life does not end at motherhood.

I have learned that a mother is also a woman with her own aspirations and interests.

I have learned that I’m not perfect, I’m never going to be perfect—God has grace with me and so I should have grace with myself and with others.

I have learned that no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes (including me), and because of this I need to forgive.

I have learned that there is no future in the past and that I must look ahead instead of behind me.

I have learned that people (including myself) change for the good, and so I should never give up on anyone (including myself).

I have learned that everyone is fighting a battle of some kind, and so I know to treat others with kindness so as not to add to their battles but to encourage them on to victory.

I have learned how to accept another’s infinite love without doubt, and because of this I have increased my faith.

I have learned that the important things in life cannot be purchased, and so I invest in family and humbly thank God for my provisions.

I have learned that I will never stop learning, there’s always another lesson ahead.

And also,

I have learned that I really, really, really like coffee.

Medisafe App Review: Technology that Saves Lives

I received compensation for my work on this campaign. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own.



It comes as a disappointment that I am turning 30 and am currently taking more medications than I can keep track of. I didn’t think that would happen until well into old age or, if I was lucky, never at all.

On the other hand, I know that these medications are necessary for my physical and emotional health—and for that I am thankful that such medications are available! At this point, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without them, especially while I am battling postpartum depression and anxiety. Mental illness is no joke.

I am currently (and hopefully only temporarily) taking medication for allergies, asthma, blood pressure, the aforementioned postpartum depression, anxiety, and hormonal birth control. For a couple of these conditions I have to take more than one pill twice per day.

I also take a daily multi-vitamin and fish oil supplement for better health.

Now do you understand what I mean when I say I can hardly keep track of all of my medications? That’s a lot of pills to keep track of!

You can also add in baby girl needing medicine 3x per day for Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and the occasional sickness that requires Infant Tylenol or Ibuprofen. There are so many things to remember! And I only have one child—I’m sure there are other mothers with conditions like mine who have the medications for multiple children to look after.

I take my prescription pills in the morning and in the evening. I’m often left wondering if I have taken my pills already or not. The number of pills I’m taking has gotten to be such a hassle that I even started filling a pill box once per week so that I don’t miss taking any of my pills. Still, sometimes I forget to take my pills at the time that I am supposed to.

Hopefully, someday I won’t have to take the majority of these medications—but for now, it is what it is and it’s important that I take my pills at the correct times and with the correct dosages.



My husband often asks me if I’ve taken all of my pills each day. He worries about me and is concerned about my well-being like any husband should be. That’s what family is about—looking out for each other.

There are a lot of people with chronic conditions requiring numerous medications and the last thing they need is to have to worry about whether or not they’ve taken their medications on time or at all.
I found the Medisafe App for my iPhone in the App Store (also available in Google Play for Android), and I love that the app makes it easy for anyone with a smart phone or tablet to check up on the ones they love to make sure they’ve taken their medications by connecting the patient’s account with whomever needs to watch out for him or her.

Did you know that non-adherence is the cause for 125,000 deaths per year in the United States alone?

Medisafe was created by two brothers whose father accidentally took an extra dose of insulin because he forgot that he had already taken it. It was a frightening experience for all of them and so they knew they had to come up with a solution to the problem that plagues so many people.

Not only is Medisafe a virtual pillbox, but you can also receive “nudges” to take or refill your medications on your Android device, iPhone, or iWatch—a feature that brings peace of mind to the app’s 2 million users. There is also a feature that allows the addition of multiple users; this makes it possible for me to keep track of baby girl’s medications as well as my own.

The app also works as a health coach, educating you about your condition and prescriptions, tracks your progress, and offers tips and coupons. You can use the app to record blood glucose, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and weight. Imagine how happy your doctor would be if you showed up to your appointment with a record of all of that information—it would make diagnosis much easier and more accurate.

Another handy feature is being able to add doctors appointments to the app, which will also add it to the phone calendar, if you wish. There is also the ability to store your doctor’s name, email, phone number, and address so that you always have quick access to that information. Soon, you will be able to connect with your doctor via the Medisafe app.

Sometimes it feels like we live in a world that is “too connected”, but it’s apps like Medisafe that make us appreciate advances in technology. This app certainly will serve a purpose and be a great benefit to many and certainly holds the potential to save lives.

For more information about the Medisafe app, you can read David Julian’s story in the LA Times and Grace Hayes’ story on the Medisafe Blog.


Do you know someone who routinely forgets to take their medications? How can you see yourself using the Medisafe app?



I received compensation for my work on this campaign. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own.

Lose Weight Without Dieting App for Android

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Lose weight without dieting app for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was asked to give an honest review of the Lose weight without dieting app and, having used a variety of weight loss apps throughout my journey, I can quickly identify if the app will be useful or not. Enjoy my review!







The appearance of the Lose Weight Without Dieting App is great—I love the bright colors and the images are pleasing to the eye. It’s easy to navigate throughout the app and it is generally well designed. It is only available for Android devices and can be found on Google Play.







There are a lot of wonderful features about this app, such as being able to view visual graphics of your progress statistics, a mood tracker, workout tracker, and social sharing (if you like the accountability). You can set reminders on the app to encourage you to drink more water, and get “hints” with healthy living tips.







Perhaps the best feature of this app is the option to choose a nutrition program—this app is not just a calorie counter, but is a personal nutritional assistant. There are various options such as: low calorie & healthy food, fitness diet for active people, Mediterranean diet, nutrition for breastfeeding moms, vegetarian diet, Atkins diet, etc.

Each section provides a brief summary of how to follow each diet. It also provides a schedule with exactly what to eat for each meal and what exercises to do.

In my opinion, this feature may be helpful to utilize periodically but it is important to be able to establish healthy eating habits on your own so that it is sustainable and you can maintain without having all of the work done for you. But I do believe that once in a while that’s just what we need.

There is a game aspect which allows you to complete healthy tasks in order to earn “pearls”, which add up and allow you to earn various “badges”, if you will, and after you become a “certified authority of healthy nutrition”, you can download the Pro version of the app for free—this means there are no ads (which aren’t distracting on the free version anyway).







Let’s get down to the nitty gritty about food tracking because, obviously, that’s the most important part about any food tracking app for weight loss.

This is where I feel the app falls short, and maybe it’s because I’m an American and not familiar with the Metric System—neither for quantifying or cooking. I honestly didn’t know there was a difference in cooking/baking measurements between Metric and the US Standard! Yes, that did make me feel a little dumb! I can imagine that weighing the ingredients is a better method for baking.







All foods are tracked by weight (grams), including liquids. This is fine if you always have a food scale handy, but I imagine that most of us do not carry one in our purse or in our back pocket. For this reason, I believe the app would be too confusing and ineffective because of it. If a change to measurements within the app were made, I’d be glad to reconsider.

Click here to see more: Lose weight without dieting app