Cinnamon Apple Chip Recipe

 

I love apple season, each year we have a tradition of taking the entire family to the local farms for apple picking.  The kids love riding the tractor into the fields, picking apples and eating them right off the trees and hauling back bags and bags of apples!  Every year I tell my husband we won't get carried away with the amount of apples we bring back but every year we DO get carried away with the amount of apples we pick.  This year I am preparing early and have some great apple recipes lined up.

Rent Your Textbooks with Campus Book Rentals

My husband is a college student, he is currently in his last year at the local community college earning a degree in Radiological Technology (getting straight A's I might add, so proud of him!).  Attending college while raising kids is difficult, affording college is even more difficult.  Granted, community college tuition is much cheaper than a 4 year University but all the extra cost pile up.  One of those cost being the price of textbooks these days.  Every semester we put aside $600 - $800 JUST for books, that is almost as much as the price of tuition.  Crazy!  Who can afford that in today's economy?  Not I! But Campus Book Rentals are here to help relieve you of some of that financial burden.

Adios August $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

You guessed it!  We have another great giveaway here at Survival Guide by The Working Mom.  Why? Because I love me some giveaways!  It's the Adios August Amazon Gift Code Twitter Giveaway (say that 10 times really fast!) hosted by MamaNYC.  A super duper awesome group of bloggers have gotten together today to host this giveaway and all you have to do is follow them on Twitter to earn entries!  

One lucky winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Code!  Woot! Woot!  This giveaway will run from August 29 until September 16th and open world wide.  That's right, all my peeps from around the world can enter.  As always, winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize, so don't dilly dally on confirming.

Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below and good luck!!!!

Pinazon Giveaway: Win $60 Amazon Gift Card 8/27-9/10

Welcome to another great giveaway here on Survival Guide by The Working Mom.  I have joined up with 11 awesome bloggers to bring you Pinazon!  I am super excited about this giveaway because it focuses on increasing our Pinterest connections and who doesn't just LOVE Pinterest?!  Pinazon will run from 8/26-9/10 and is open Wordwide for a chnace to win a $60 Amazon gift card.   A big thank you to our hosts for bringing us Pinazon, Callista's Ramblings and Newlywed Survival. Enter using the rafflecopter form below. You only have to do the first entry to win but the more you do, the better your chances of winning. It may take a few moments to load. Click on Do It for more instructions and then after you do it, click the green button. Make sure you read instructions carefully.   If you have any questions or problems, email Kathleen at callista83 AT cogeco DOT ca.

A copy of the giveaway rules are below and on the rafflecopter form. Entering the giveaway means you have read and agree to the rules. 

Silly Sunday: When Watching Bugs Bunny

 Good question!  

Skinny Chicken Parmesan Pockets Recipe

My kids are a big fan of hot pockets!  I should rephrase that, my kids and myself are big fans of hot pockets.  However, I know they are far from the best choice in snacks for me and my kids.  This is why I decided to make a much healthier version of the hot pocket.  Behold, the Skinny Parmesan Chicken Pocket!  

These were really easy to make and the final product was Delicious.  I used egg roll wrappers in this recipe so it sort of reminded me of the FAMOUS healthier pizza rolls. So, without further ado...

Skinny Chicken Parmesan Pockets

Win a $30 Target Gift Card: 6 Hour Flash Giveaway!

$30 Target Gift Card 6-Hour FLASH Giveaway!!!

** Fan Favorites Week!!! **
 

Guess What?!  We have another flash giveaway with some AWESOME Bloggers for a $30 Target Gift Card! Flash giveaways are quick, small, and easy! You will only have a FEW entries to fill out and you will know if you WIN in just a couple of hours! FUN, FUN, FUN! Good luck on tonight's giveaway! See you back on Monday for another great FLASH giveaway!

Here are our WONDERFUL participating sites for this evening's 6-Hour FLASH Giveaway!! Check out these awesome sites when you have time! 

*NOTE: You can choose PayPal/Amazon GC in substitution of the Target GC.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Weighing in Wednesday: Body by Vi Review (2 Week Wrap Up)

I can not believe two weeks have passed so quickly.  It seems like yesterday when I received my V-Shape shake mix in the mail and was SUPER excited to start the 2 week Body by Vi weight loss challenge.  And what an awesome two weeks it has been because I am down a total of 5 pounds!  Granted, I lost the 5 pounds in the first week on the program; I did not gain any back the second week. This may not seem like a big deal but it was quite the feat considering I was on my "monthly cycle." 

Win A New Tory Burch Tote!

Hello ladies! Here is your chance to enter to win a Tory Burch tote!

Here is how you can win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a $30 Walmart Gift Card: 6 Hour Flash Giveaway

$30 Walmart Gift Card 6-Hour FLASH Giveaway *Fan Favorites Week*

Guess what?!  I have once again teamed up with some super duper AWESOME Bloggers to give you this wonderful $30 Walmart GC! This is a quick, small, and easy giveaway! You only have a FEW entries to fill out and you will know if you WIN in just a couple of hours! WHAT FUN! Good luck on tonight's giveaway!

 

Check out these WONDERFUL participating sites for this evening's 6-Hour FLASH Giveaway!!

*NOTE: You can choose PayPal or Amazon in substitution of the Walmart Gift Card if need be.

Mama Luvs Books 

Africa's Blog

Coupon Nurse 

Powered By Mom

Miki's Hope 

Momgen Reviews

Mom Does Reviews 

Mom Blog Society

Acadiana's Thrifty Mom

Building Carpenters 

Guide for Moms

TeetheMe

CityGrips  

Kid Conversations: Talking with a 4 Year Old

My daughter is at that age where she wants to have "adult-like" conversations.  The only problem is her speech has not caught up to her thought process and she struggles a bit.  Luckily, I have the patience of a Saint (my husband would tend to disagree with this statement haha).  Here is an example of a conversation with her:

Win a $40 Amazon Gift Card: 24 Hour Flash Giveaway

$40 Amazon Gift Card 24-Hour FLASH Giveaway!!!

** Back to School Week at Show Me the Money!!! **
 

 Yes, once again I have teamed up with these super AWESOME Bloggers to give you this wonderful $40 Amazon Gift Card! We believe in quick, small, and easy giveaways! This flash giveaway only have a FEW entries to fill out and you will know if you WIN in just a couple of hours! WHAT FUN! Good luck on today's giveaway!

Body by Vi: 1 week update

Don't most of us want instant results?  I usually start a "healthier eating and workout plan" and then begin weighing myself that afternoon to see if it's working yet!  If only it was that easy.  Well, guess what?

$35 Staples Gift Card: 12 Hour Flash Giveaway!

$35 Staples Card 12-Hour FLASH Giveaway!!!

** Back to School Week at Show Me the Money!!! **
 

Once again, I have teamed up with a  few AWESOME Bloggers to give you this wonderful $35 Staples Gift Card! We believe in quick, small, and easy giveaways! One of the best parts of our giveaways is you only have a FEW entries to fill out.  You will know if you WIN in just a couple of hours! WHAT FUN! Good luck on today's giveaway! Come back on Friday for another great FLASH giveaway!

Here are our WONDERFUL participating blogs for today's 12-Hour FLASH Giveaway!! Check out these awesome sites when you have time! 

*NOTE: You can choose PayPal/Amazon GC in substitution of the Staples GC.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skinny Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I am a chocolate-a-holic.  Really, if there was one food that I could eat ALL the time and not gain any weight from, it would be chocolate.  So, every healthier sweet treat I make, I try to incorporate chocolate in it.  I recently ran across this recipe on Pinterest and I had to try it!  I did tweak it a bit but it originated from Six Sisters' Stuff.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

$35 Target Gift Card: 6 Hour Flash Giveaway!

$35 Target Gift Card 6-Hour FLASH Giveaway!!!

** Back to School Week at Show Me the Money!!! **
 

A few AWESOME Bloggers have teamed up to give you this wonderful $35 Target Gift Card! We believe in quick, small, and easy giveaways! Our giveaways only have a FEW entries to fill out and you will know if you WIN in just a couple of hours! WHAT FUN! Good luck on tonight's giveaway! See you back on Wednesday for another great FLASH giveaway!

Here are our WONDERFUL participating sites for this evening's 6-Hour FLASH Giveaway!! Check out these awesome sites when you have time! 

*NOTE: You can choose PayPal/Amazon GC in substitution of the Target GC.

Mama Luvs Books

Emptynester Review

Powered By Mom 

Momgen Reviews 

Miki's Hope 

Building Carpenters 

Sweepstakes Mama 

Mom Generations 

Coupon Hauls 

Guide For Moms 

Teethe Me  

City Grips 

Couponing 4 You 

Africa's Blog 

Snip Shop Save

Acadiana's Thrifty Mom

Mommy's Memorandum

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Gestation Diabetes Led Me to Better Health

I am very excited to have my first guest here on Survival Guide by The Working Mom.  Today Desiree (what a pretty name, huh?) from The Miracle Momma talks about her struggles with gestational diabetes and how it led her to a healthier lifestyle.   Thank you for sharing your story with us Desiree, it truly is inspiring!

Without further ado, I will turn the mic over to Desiree:

When I became pregnant I always had a thought in the back of my head my eating habits would be justified for 9 months. Have you ever seen anyone get onto a pregnant woman for having a piece of pie? Has anyone ever questioned a pregnant lady for eating a cheeseburger? Isn't that expected?

It is. Unless you're plus size. Then it turns into a completely different story.

While I was pregnant I sky rocked to 315 pounds by the time I was 7 weeks pregnant. In my defense I was just out of the hospital recovering from my crush injury I experienced during the Joplin Tornado. A lot of that weight was swelling.  315 is still a depressing number regardless of how or why I was at that weight. I've been battling obesity since 2008 when I began Phentermine. I was originally 223 pounds. That seems forever ago. While I was Phentermine I managed to get down to 190 pounds, however once I stopped taking my medication I managed to gain even more weight: 240 pounds. I lost all motivation the last 4 years to change my eating habits. I hated myself. I hated my body. Nothing would ever change I thought to myself. I would be the same fat blob I see in the mirror every day.

Traveling with Kids: 5 Tips to a Stress-Free Road Trip

I survived a road trip with my kids without losing all of my hair!  That's right, I recently returned from a week long vacation to Colorado with my husband and two little ones.  My husband and I decided to drive there to save a bit of money and also see some sites along the way.  It was a 14 hour drive, a very long 14 hour drive and road trips do not always bode well for my 4 and 6 year old.  Seriously, they sometimes have melt downs on a 5 minute car ride to the grocery store!  So, I had to plan accordingly for this trip and I am here to share my tips with you today.

Weighing-In Wednesday (w/ LINKY): Starting Body by Vi Challenge 8/7/12

Actually, my official weigh-in was Monday but I saved this master piece for my "Weighing In Wednesday" post.  I can tell I have gained, the tire around the mid section is proof of it, UGH!

The "Body by Vi" 2 Week Challenge

This summer has been seriously tough and I have been seriously slacking.  First off, my job (real job that pays me) has been stressful, busy and I've been busting my butt at work.  Therefore, I have not been using my lunch breaks to hit bootcamp.  Therefore, I have been really slacking on exercising.  Therefore, I have gained weight. 

Larabar Pecan Pie Recipe: Healthy Pecan Pie Balls

Remember that time I did a Larabar review?  Larabars are one of my favorite healthy snacks and my flavor of choice is the Pecan Pie variety.  The only problem is, that particular variety is SO difficult to find.  I really have searched near and far, high and low to no avail.  So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and recreate this delicious treat.

The best part about this recipe, other than how closely the taste resembles a real pecan pie, is how easy it is to prepare.  With only TWO ingredients, it can not get any simpler!  This truly is the perfect on-the-go healthy treat!

Just For Moms Giveaway Event 8/3 - 8/13

Welcome to another great giveaway here on Survival Guide by The Working Mom.  I have teamed up with some super rockin' bloggers to bring you this awesome giveaway hosted by Boy Oh Boys.  This "Just for Mom" giveaway event features 5 terrific prizes "just for you" to win.  So cross you fingers and come enter!

Weigh In Wednesday 8/1: Our Vacation Pizza