With this last season of The Biggest Loser over, we are all wondering how we are going to lose those extra pounds we seem to gain at Christmas.  Have no fear, Julie Hadden is here.  Julie is the first runner up on Season 4 of The Biggest Loser.  Like me, Julie is a stay at home mom who put everyone else in front of herself.  In reading her book, you get to learn about how she learned to make herself a priority.

I am a person who believes things happen for a reason.  Julie didn’t win The Biggest Loser.  Instead, she lost by 8 lbs.  However, she was able to adopt a little boy (which wouldn’t have been possible if she had won due to a media tour should would have had to do).  Here’s the weird part — her little boy was 8 lbs when they got to bring him home!  Another weird yet cool thing that happened to her was that they had gotten rid of their second car to save money, so she could stay at home with her kids.  On the show, she won a challenge.  The prize?  A brand new car!

The book gives us a glimpse into what it’s like to be on The Biggest Loser (I won’t tell you how long they work out daily!).  Fat Chance also provides tips that we can all do.  I love the exercises that you can do standing in line at the grocery store, washing dishes, or even doing  laundry.  There are even some recipes for you to try!

This is great book to get you on pace for the New Year.  With it’s great tips and real life story, Fat Chance is a book you should read.

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We are huge Klutz fans, so needless to say that their Christmas Velvet Art book was a huge hit in my house.  The great thing with this book is that it comes with 6 markers and the velvet art designs include cards, ornaments, and gift tags.  This is truly like no other book you’ve seen.  Both of my kids can use this book since the velvet doesn’t show when they’ve went outside the lines.  There is definitely several hours of worth of coloring fun with this book!  This is a great present that has lots of uses!

One of the most frustrating things I’ve come across is finding a belt for Madison. The kid needs an actual belt not just a pretty thing to hold up her pants (I wish I had that problem). The problem we were having was that I couldn’t actually find any belts in the stores that she could do by herself.  Step in Myself Belts.  These belts are a lifesaver in my house.  They are velcro, so Madison can do it herself.  Actually, Will my 2 year old can do it himself too.   It’s a great way to promote independence with your kids.  These are perfect for special needs too, because they literally can undo and do this belt with one hand.  They even have adult sizes (which I think is awesome since I can imagine how difficult a regular belt must be if you have arthritis).  Price wise, these belts are cheaper than anything I found in the stores (which Madison couldn’t do).

I can only highly recommend these belts.  My kids can do them by themselves, they are hardy, and the price is right.  What more can you ask for?

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One of the funnest and funniest games that is coming out for Christmas is Giraffalaff Limbo.  Not only will your kids be giggling but you will be too!  This isn’t like any Limbo you’ve ever played though.  You have to spin the wheel and find out which silly animal walk you have to do under the limbo bar.  It you hit the bar, it’ll start giggling at you, and you are out of the game!  Is it silly?  Definitely!  Will your kids love it?  Yes!  You will have your kids constantly yelling at you to watch them do their silly walk.  The limbo bar is made out of foam, so you have no worries about anyone getting hurt.  I love that this game is more about having fun than who wins or who loses.  It also helps your little ones with their coordination.

If you want hours of giggling, Giraffalaff Limbo definitely fits the bill!

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Ever read the What To Expect When You Are Expecting?  I personally think it’s a must read for all new moms.  It’s a book that really tells you the ins and outs of parenting and talks to you.  Well, that same author has teamed up with Clorox and has a new guide for us called:  What To Expect Guide To A Healthy Home.  This book is all about how to keep your home clean.  With the swine flu and everything else that is going on this year, we definitely need this. There is a lot of really great advice about to NOT get everyone sick.  There’s a tidbit about not sharing a cup in the bathroom when you brush your teeth that I have to show my husband.  I actually buy paper cups that can be thrown out, but he gives me some kidding about it.  I can’t wait to show him I was right (and now I have a good reason why they are better).  If you click here, you can download for yourself!  You can also get your hands on their As They Grow Growth Chart which has some great advice list on there like:

Don’t leave your home without hand wipes or hand sanitizer, and pack bottled water or a juice box so you can skip the public water fountain.

and

To show germs and allergens to the door after a playdate, toss stuffed animals in the laundry. If a stuffed toy isn’t machine-washable, you can put it in a plastic bag in the freezer overnight to help get rid of those dust mites.

Both of these guides are great for new moms and not so news moms like me. You can definitely learn a thing or two about how to keep your home cleaner and safer.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox and the What to Expect Guide and received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”