I've decided to do it, wish me luck!

After months of debating, thinking about it, deciding not to, reconsidering, humming and hawing, worrying...I've finally decided to make the BIG SWITCH from Blogger to WordPress.

I'm still not feeling totally confident in my decision.(haha...like you haven't already figured that out!!)
It's all scheduled to happen tomorrow, so if I disappear...you'll know why!! LOL
If I miraculously reappear in my reincarnated WordPress state, I would LOVE any advice or suggestions you seasoned switchers may have to offer!

Wish me luck and I hope to see everyone soon...my husbands right, I guess I can be fairly dramatic......Abra...Cadabra....POOF...
Monica

Healthy Living - January is Alzheimer's Awareness Month

Alzheimer's disease and dementia in general,  are topics that are near and dear to my heart.  I worked on an Alzheimer's/dementia unit of our regional hospital for several years and have learned first hand of the devastating effect of these conditions on both the patient and his/her family.
Knowledge is power, become informed!

The 10 warning signs of dementia

About dementia

Living with dementia

Research

Support

Get involved

About the Alzheimer's Society

Follow the Alzheimer's Society on - 

Facebook and Twitter

For more detailed information please visit the Alzheimer's Society of Canada.

I referenced the Alzheimer's Society of Canada for much of the information contained in this post.

Monica

Disclaimer -The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.

Check out these great giveaways happening now!

All have the easy Rafflecopter entry form!

• Limited Edition Lancome Luxe Box - Canada only Ends 1/11  {ends tomorrow, January 11th}
• English Idioms and Expressions...by Reza Mashayekhi - Can/US Ends 1/28
• Buns, Guns, Back, and Shoulders - set of fitness DVD's. ARV $100.00 Can/US Ends 1/28
• Win 1 of 3 boxes of Supreme Protein Bars - Can/US Ends 1/28
• Rafflecopter Launch Party Giveaway: You could win an iPad & a Kindle Fire - Can/US Ends 2/8
• Win a beautiful gift basket from "Basket of Care" - Can/US Ends 1/17  {Part of the Toast to 2012 Giveaway Hop (with linky) }

Monica

Win a beautiful "Basket of Care" in the Toast to 2012 Giveaway Hop ~ Canada & Continental US ~

Toast to 2012 GRAND PRIZE! Make sure to ENTER TO WIN 1 of 5 $100 Paypal or Visa Gift Cards!!!

Toast to 2012 is hosted by Sweep Tight and Just Married with Coupons and the Grand Prize is sponsored by Likeographers.com

Likeographers.com is a website where users from all over the world can enter awesome giveaways where they can win items such as gift cards and makeup by simply signing up and uploading a candid  photo.  Likeographers.com is dedicated to providing a place where users can upload a picture of their likes, share them with the world and win awesome prizes.

~ BASKET OF CARE ~

Have you ever learned that a friend, co-worker, neighbour, or family member who had fallen ill or was no longer able to care for themselves?  In situations such as these, often our first thought is, "what can I do?" 

Very often we want to send the person something to let them know we're thinking of them. Flowers, plants or a fruit basket sometimes just don't fit the need; and what about the primary caregiver, how do you express that you care about them too?  Now, with a simple click of your mouse you can send along a very special gift.  

Each Basket of Care is designed by people who have experienced caregiving first hand. Every basket is lovingly packed with many items any patient or caregiver may need to help them during their journey. 

Whether it's a small personal flashlight to prevent a fall at night or a warm blanket to make cool nights more comfortable, each item is thoughtfully selected to say, "I care about you and what you're going through."  

The generous people at Basket of Care were kind enough to send me this beautiful basket to review. 

It is jam-packed full of goodies to help make a difficult time a little easier.  The basket I received contained, to name just some of the items:

• personal CD player
• shawl
• The Saving of Gordon. Lifelines to W-I-N  Against Cancer by Joni James Aldrich
• The Cancer Patient W-I-N Book, Our Cancer Fight Journal by Joni James Aldrich
• beautiful mug
• magnifying tablet cutter
• AM/PM seven day pill box
• lemon candies
• thank-you cards...and much more!

If you want to send a gift that says, "I understand", visit Basket of Care.

BUY IT -
Follow the links to purchase a Basket of Care, Hope Notes or a book from the Library of Understanding.
WIN IT -
One lucky reader of older Mommy Still Yummy is going to receive their own, hand-crafted, Basket of Care.

Read more »

~ Giveaways Ending Soon ~

Last day to enter  - 

Sea-Band prize pack - Can/US 1/10

Only 2 days left to enter -

Limited Edition Lancome Luxe Box - Canada only Ends 1/11

Monica

Rafflecopter Launch Party Giveaway: You could win an iPad & a Kindle Fire

Say ‘Hi’ To Rafflecopter

Rafflecopter makes the whole process of running giveaways on a blog really, really easy. Over 80,000 giveaways have been created with Rafflecopter, and if you didn’t know yet, there’s a new version in town.  Oh yeah, and it’s free!

If you haven’t used Rafflecopter, sign up and launch a giveaway in a matter of minutes.

If you’re a Rafflecopter veteran, check out several of the recent blog posts, including ‘6 Tips for Rafflecopter’s New Widget‘, and ‘Rafflecopter Q&A: Facebook vs. Email Login‘.

I LOVE Rafflecopter!!  It makes it super easy to host a giveaway and even easier to enter a giveaway...yes, I like to enter great giveaways too!! 

To bring in the New Year and celebrate the launch of the new Rafflecopter widget, Rafflecopter is launching a referral giveaway: 

The winner of the giveaway will receive a 16GB Apple iPad2 and the referring blogger will receive an Amazon Kindle Fire!!

To enter, simply tell Rafflecopter who referred you to the giveaway by entering - 

Older Mommy Still Yummy

You can also receive additional entries by:

·         Tweeting about this giveaway

·         Following Rafflecopter on twitter

·         Giving Rafflecopter feedback

Rafflecopter is doing something a little special to make things even more fun, you can get an additional entry if you:

• Suggest a Mascot Name:  

I'm sure many of you have seen the Rafflecopter smiley-face dude hanging around the web!
The poor guy needs a name, and Rafflecopter want to leave it up to you to decide what his (or her?) name should be. 

So, for an additional entry...suggest a name! 

After the giveaway is over, the great people over at Rafflecopter will go through the list of names and pick out their favourite suggestions (be creative!). 
They will bring the favourites to a vote on Facebook.

If the name you suggested is chosen, you’ll win an Amazon Kindle Fire and be immortalized in Rafflecopter history :)

Good Luck everyone and don't forget to indicate on the Rafflecopter form (below) that Older Mommy Still Yummy sent you!!

Read more »

Living Green, One Tip at a Time - (a weekly feature)

Tip # 41

 Avoid idling your vehicle for more than one minute

Instead of letting your car idle, turn off the ignition. It uses less gas and emits less CO₂ to stop and restart your car than to let it run. In fact, idling uses twice as much gas as driving!  If every driver in Canada avoided idling for five minutes a day, we could prevent 1.6 million metric tons of CO₂ from being emitted.

Monica

Supreme Protein Bars - Review & Giveaway

Delicious, nutritious and convenient, Supreme Protein ® just might be the ultimate functional food. 

From its premium-quality protein blend—powered by ultra-pure whey isolate as its primary source—to the truly amazing taste, Supreme Protein ® has emerged to become a leader in the protein bar market. In fact, no other product of its kind has earned more accolades and awards than this gourmet brand.

In the last two years, Supreme Protein has earned nearly 20 major awards including “Protein Bar of the Year” and “Best-Tasting Bar” from major publications and retail associations across the country, including GNC and the American Masters of Taste.  

Supreme Protein Bars come in the following seven yummy flavours:

Caramel Nut Chocolate 

Peanut Butter Crunch  

Cookies n' Cream 

Rocky Road Brownie 

Peanut Butter Pretzel Twist   

 Chocolate Caramel Cookie Crunch 

   Peanut Butter & Jelly 

You can also purchase Supreme Protein Powder in Classic Vanilla Ice Cream  as well as Raptor^® Endurance Bars in Wild Berry (visit http://www.raptorbar.com/)

I recently had the opportunity to review three different Supreme Protein Bars.  The flavours I was given by the kind people at Supreme Protein were:

Peanut Butter Pretzel Twist

In our family we all like peanut butter as well as pretzels and this combination was an immediate hit, we all loved this bar.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

My usual lunch time sandwich, a taste we've all loved since childhood and this bar proves why this dynamic duo has been around forever!

Caramel Nut Chocolate

What can I say??  These were our favourite and they were all gone even before I had a chance to snap a picture!!  Let me tell you though, just like the other two varieties they looked as good as they tasted!!

We loved all of the flavours and I also loved the nutritional value of these great bars.  It's no wonder to me that Supreme Protein Bars were the well deserved recipients of all of these prestigious awards!

BUY IT -

You can purchase your own Supreme Protein products at many major and local retailers.  Visit here for a complete list of retailers and distributors.

To purchase online simply visit  ProSource.net.

WIN IT - 
Three lucky readers of Older Mommy Still Yummy will receive one box of Supreme Protein Bars.
Using the Rafflecopter form (next page), simply follow the instructions, complete the mandatory entry, (which unlocks the optional entries),  plus any or all of the optional entries for your chance to win this amazing prize!  Good luck!

Read more »

Healthy Living - My January Routine

The celebrations are now behind us and for me that signals the time to check a few thing off my yearly "to do" list.  
What I do every January, then I always remember when all these tasks are due, is make appointments for -

• A check-up, including blood work, with my family doctor.
• If you see a specialist yearly, book that appointment too.
• Pap test and breast exam.
• Mammogram
• Dental check-up and cleaning 
• Eye exam
• Kathy at Oak Lawn Images suggested - Might be a good time to clean out the medicine cabinet, too of outdated and no longer used medications. 

Some of these tasks are done less frequently than once a year, if so, make a note on your December 2012 calendar to book it next year.  If some are more frequent than once a year, book all the appointments now.

And...keep the appointments, they won't benefit you if you don't go!  


I hope everyone has a healthy 2012!


Monica

Wordless Wednesday ~ A White Christmas ~

It was perfect!!  Light snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day... and then poof...like magic it was gone.  Hope it stays "gone" until next Christmas!!


Monica

Giveaways Happening Now

• Sit Stretch SmileYoga Book/DVD Combo Can/US Ends 1/7  
• Brugo Mug - Review & Giveaway Open Worldwide Ends1/3
• Limited Edition Lancome Luxe Box - Canada only Ends 1/11
• Sea-Band prize pack - Can/US 1/10
• January's Luxe Box by Loose Button - Canada only Ends 1/7
• English Idioms and Expressions...by Reza Mashayekhi - Can/US Ends 1/28
• Buns, Guns, Back, and Shoulders - set of fitness DVD's. ARV $100.00 Can/US Ends 1/28

Good luck everyone!

Monica

Buns, Guns, Back, and Shoulders by Dustin Maher - Review & Giveaway

Christmas and New Year celebrations are now over and for me; it’s time to get back into a healthy and more active routine.

As a Registered Nurse I know the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  I love to walk, however, this time of year the weather doesn't always cooperate and while walking is great exercise I find it doesn't always target the "problem" areas.

Enter Buns, Guns, Back, and Shoulders by Dustin Maher, a set of workout videos I have been fortunate enough to review. 

It is a 4 DVD set that has individualized body part workouts, so you can target the areas that need a little extra attention and toning.

• DVD #1: Buns. There are 4 workouts that focus on the butt and leg region.  These workouts take about 15-18 minutes, will make your heart rate soar, and are designed to slim the thighs, thin the calves, and lift and tighten the booty.
• DVD #2 Guns.  These 4 individual workouts will blast the arms to give you the lean toned sleek look that would make you want to wear a sleeveless shirt or strapless dress.  Each workout lasts about 10 minutes, but will leave your arms feeling like they have spent the last hour working out.
• DVD #3 Shoulders and Back.  These 4 comprehensive workouts, focused on the upper back and shoulder area, will not only improve your posture and make you stand taller, but will also help create the illusion of a smaller waist.  These workouts average about 12-15 minutes each.
• DVD #4 Interviews.  Do you want to know exactly how each of the 4 women you are working out with has made such incredible changes?  They share their story and advice to you about what foods to eat, how to work out, and the right mindset for success.

In addition to the workout videos I reviewed, Dustin Maher has several other workout videos for you to check out and a new book, titled Fit Moms for Life: How to Have Endless Energy to Outplay your Kids .

My goal for 2012 is to get back to a healthier lifestyle that includes, nutritious eating and regular exercise.  Thanks to Buns, Guns, Back, and Shoulders, I’m now on my way!

BUY IT:

If you would like to own this set of workout videos, Buns, Guns, Back, and Shoulders, you can order it here.

WIN IT:

One lucky reader of Older Mommy Still Yummy is going to receive their own set of Buns, Guns, Back, and Shoulders by Dustin Maher.  ARV $100.00
Using the Rafflecopter form below, simply follow the instructions, complete the mandatory entry, (which unlocks the optional entries),  plus any or all of the optional entries for your chance to win this amazing prize!  Good luck!

Read more »

First Post of the New Year ~ 2012 ~

All the New Years Eve celebrations are over at our house, just the remnants of our small get together left to clean up! 


I always have mixed feelings surrounding New Years Day.  On one hand it's the beginning of a new year, complete with all the hopes and dreams that a new beginning brings.  On the other hand I feel sad that all the special excitement, family time and fun that is Christmas is now behind us.


We traditionally have a big ham dinner on New Years Day, however, this year, apparently I left my ham shopping a little too late.  I couldn't find a spiral cut ham anywhere, we went to Costco, Sobeys and three Superstores...all sold out :(


So, this year we're going to cozy up at home and maybe play a board game and instead of ham, this year we're having salmon and haddock...I guess that's not too bad a compromise!


Do you have a traditional dinner or activity for New Years Day? 


Tell me all about it, I love hearing how others celebrate special holidays!


Happy New Year and I hope everyone has a wonderful 2012!


Monica