Weekend Weigh-In + SPARK WINNER!

Another weekend done and gone-- how was every one's?  Mine was *excellent*  Tons of family fun, physical activity, and cooking!

Saturday we had our friend Tara's little 5 year old over at the house for the day.  Him and Eva had a ton of fun throwing water balloons and enjoying the sunshine.  We will be taking him quite a few Saturdays while his Mama works and I couldn't be more excited about it!  He is a great kid and it's nice for Eva to have someone to play with that is near her age!  

I am proud to tell you guys that I have exceeded my goal in regards to getting in 4 runs with Garrett during the month of September.  Our jogging stroller fits *both* kids (seriously- SCORE!) so-- we can make a family adventure out of it!  We did 3 miles yesterday and I was pooped. 

sweaty- but so worth it!

I did manage to motivate myself into doing a Baby Yoga session after recovering.  It was awesome because Eva grabbed a doll and joined in with me, as well as Garrett!  We moved all of the furniture in our living room so we could all fit comfortably.  It was a great morning!  We also made time for a dance party!  My favorite song right now is Calvin Harris- Feel So Close.. 

What's yours?!

Garrett has been such a huge supporter of me on this journey.  I wouldn't be able to do this without him.  Getting healthy has been bringing us closer.  We both get so excited to share with one another something new that we've learned or something that we think would be fun to try.  It's pretty neat!

Do you work out with your significant other?

Okay with clothes on... Without- Scary MOMster!

As of Sunday night- I had hit my goal weight of 140 pounds!  Woo!  That makes my total weight loss since Abram was born 35 pounds!  

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I'm a happy lady- that is *for sure*...

I also know someone else who is about to be a happy lady:

YOU WON 14 POUCHES OF ADVOCARE SPARK!

Lacey-- to claim your prize, send an email containing your address and your choice of flavor (Grape, Pink Lemonade, Cherry, Mandarin Orange, Citrus, Mango Strawberry or Fruit Punch) to:

azia dot archer at gmail dot com

Congratulations Lacy!  

Be one the look out for more giveaways in the very near future from Earth Balance, Daiya, Mamma Chia, Chobani, Bob's Red Mill, Dr. Lucy's and MORE!

Happy Monday everyone!

Weekend Weigh In & Spark Giveaway!

Hey guys!

How was your weekend?  Mine was awesome-- lots of family time-- parks, fresh air, football, movies.  I don't have a single complaint from the weekend.  I even accomplished a couple of my monthly goals! Woo!

Last night before bed, I weighed myself, I was teetering between 142 pounds and 143 pounds.  It's been over a week since I've been at 145 so, though it's mostly water weight-- I feel I'm accomplishing something!  I feel like Emilio right now:

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OOOOOH YEAH.

Moving on... Today's post is about the amazing product Spark.  Anyone that knows me has probably noticed I'm constantly raving about this product.  It's made a huge difference in my life.

Having a 2 month old and a 4 (almost 5!) year old can be exhausting.  Especially when Abe was first born and not yet sleeping through the night.  To say I was tired is an understatement.  I felt like a blind, brainless, Robot-Zombie going through the motions of the daily grind.

Garrett kept telling me to drink Spark-- that it would make me feel great without the crash of an energy drink (or all the nasty crap that are in those things!)  I wish I could go back in time and kick myself-- I was such a skeptic and should have started drinking this much sooner!

It comes in a variety of flavors (I've tried Grape :my favorite:, Cherry, Fruit Punch, Mandarin Orange and Pink Lemonade) and they have all been *awesome.*  I fill up a shaker cup with 1 scoop of Spark, 10 ounces of water and ice twice a day-- and it's all I need to stay going throughout the day.  I can play with  my kids, clean, write, cook, exercise-- it's crazy!

And I want YOU to try it!

I'm going to be giving 1 lucky reader samples of this life-changing (for me!)wonder drink!  The Lucky winner will win a 14 pouches of the Spark flavor of their choice!

To have your name entered into the drawing:

-Comment on this post and let me know whether you've tried Spark before

-Follow me on Blogger (Hit that "Follow" Button over on the left side of your screen!) and leave a comment that you are a follower 

-Follow Mama's Got A Big Belly on Facebook and comment that you've done so

That's right!  You can have your name entered up to 3 times!  This giveaway will be open until Sunday night and I'll announce the winner next Monday!

Good luck!

Email ?'s Answered

I received an email from a woman named Sharon a few day ago- in the email she wanted to know what areas I was trying to work on and if I could post a picture of my problem area/areas. 

I've been meaning to post a photo showing exactly what I hope to change- but I've found myself being a bit bashful about it.  I gave myself a bit of a pep-talk, said 'What the hell' and took the shot that's down there.

I will take a closer photo in a few weeks when I feel more comfortable, but so far- this is what I've got.  I circled some of the stretch marks, love handles and- what I like to call my other "butt".  If you look at the picture you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

Still got a tan! (Kind of!)  Oh yeah!

(This is also a PSA to never pierce your belly button.  See that awkward slit above my button?  Yep.  Stupid, stupid, stupid piercing.)

Seriously.  What Kind of SCAR IS THAT? No!!

That's Mama's Belly.  Say hello to the readers, belly!  *Hello!*

So, now you have it- those are the areas I am focusing on.  (It would be nice to see my face slim down a bit too! )

I received another email from a lady named Johanna wondering how I will keep track of my goals.  The answer to that is pretty simple- I have a weekly planner that I write in.  I keep track of each family member's daily info (appointments, school, work, etc.), when bills are due, my blog posting schedule AND then I write down activities I did for that day.  So far, I have done 11 "real" push-ups--plenty of the wussy ones though!  My form is AWFUL!  I have also stayed away from McDonalds Iced Coffee, done Erica's Ab workout twice, done baby yoga and gone on a few walks!

But, I'm having a HELL of a time with stretch mark remedies.  If you know of any- shoot me an email!  I've started pinning a few home remedies- but I'm skeptical.

I'm really hoping to accomplish each goal I set for September!

Have you guys set any goals this month?

*I also want to say thank you for your emails!  Keep them coming!*

Happy Friday and I'll see you guys on Monday!  We'll see if I've lost any weight, what goals I've accomplished *PLUS* I'm going to talk to you about my addiction to Spark and host a giveaway that will give you a shot to win some of your own!

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Edit: The second photo was added after the initial post because my sister sent me a text message saying my stomach didn't look bad. (Isn't she so sweet!)  So, I wanted to add another that showed a little more of what bothers me.