Chobani Champions {review & giveaway}

I will be the very first to admit this. The first time I tried greek yogurt, I was not a fan. I'm pretty sure I scraped my tongue with my napkin. This one taste, this one brand, tainted my opinion. I did not like greek yogurt. And then earlier this year, when I was passing the dairy section of our grocery store, I passed the yogurt. And I saw coffee flavored yogurt with dark chocolate chips. Hello, lover. You sound delicious. Only? You're greek. My taste buds don't forget & you are not invited to the party in my tummy. Only? Maybe I should give you a try. Anything flavored coffee with chocolate thrown in can't be that bad, right?

RIGHT.

This tasted incredible. Was the perfect blend of tart & sweet. Not insanely thick, not too thin, creamy, no weird aftertaste. Chobani 100% changed my view on greek yogurt. Real ingredients, simply delicious. (Plus they hire pretty incredible employees---Hi Elizabeth!) Best of all, when I rejoined Weight Watchers, I saw that all these yogurts were only 2-3 points each, and are jam packed full of protein.

Yogurt is always our go to mid morning snack (me preferring the bites, the girls loving the tubes, me sometimes bogarting a tube or two from the girls' stash when they're napping) and I've gotta say, we usually each go for seconds.

Are you a greek lover? Or are pretty iffy about it? Either way, these are definitely worth trying! It's impossible to not find a flavor you love. And today, you can enter to win an at home taste test. ONE winner will receive a case of Chobani Bites (6 four packs) AND a case of Champions tubes (8 eight pack boxes). That's a lot of tasty natural goodness here. (Three words--freeze the tubes. You'll thank me on a hot day.) Share with your family & friends, or keep it all for yourself (I won't judge.)

So! Want all that goodness? Enter below. And good luck!

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Let's just file this under "best day ever".

Because it was.

It really really really was.

Happy Mother's Day to all you beautiful women out there.

The one where I run. And I.Don't.Run.

One week ago I made dinner, ate with my family, went upstairs and gave the girls a bath while Dustin cleaned up the kitchen (I know, it's grand), and got them all snuggled up in bed with a hundred smoochies before Daddy came upstairs for story time. And a hundred more smoochies. Usually at this time, I go downstairs and catch up on the DVR or write up posts. But that night, it was gorgeous outside. Warm and breezy and the colors in the sky were beautiful. I thought to myself it would be a perfect night to go for a run. There's just one thing there, self. You don't run, remember? You did the Color Run, sure, but since then the only thing you "ran" was to rush the stage at a Bruce Springsteen concert. 

But I couldn't shake the urge to just get outside & move. I threw on my Nike's, downloaded the free Nike Running app on my phone, and drove over to the cemetary (sounds creepy, maybe, but there's a path around the perimeter that's perfect for running. plus I get to visit my Dad, so I feel very comfortable there.) I put my ear buds in, put on the Bruno Mars Pandora station, hit the red RUN button, and just ran. 

Was it pretty? No. I'm quite positive people driving by thought I was seizing as I flailed about like Phoebe and breathed like Cartman. But I did it. I finished a mile. I looked a fool and it took over 12 minutes, but I did it. And in the past week, along with moving up to level 2 on 30 Day Shred, I feel stronger. Faster, more energized....I actually look forward to running and working out. Who am I?! Oh yeah, a mom of two who loves the peace & quiet. And wants a rockin' bod...or just one that doesn't "feel like pudding" (thanks, Brookie.) 

Best of all? Look at my times. After just 4 runs, I've knocked 2 whole minutes off my mile. I still wouldn't exactly characterize myself as a runner because it still hurts. I still have trouble controlling my breathing, I still get an ache in my side, I still need to discover the concept of mind over matter when I think I'm physically dying. But I'm getting there. 

P.S. Any other Weight Watcher-ers come to a stand still when you added exercise to your regimen?  For the past almost 3 weeks I've stuck to my points, increased my water intake, added more power foods, and the scale hasn't moved one single ounce. I'm kinda really hoping to hear that my metabolism needs a wake up call and that I need to eat my weight in pasta & bread for just one day. Dustin told me I'm just building muscle. Fun sucker. 

Sesame Street Live in Columbus {Giveaway!}

For as long as I can remember, I've always known all the words to the Sesame Street theme song. I've always known each characters name, and I've always known precisely what time of day they were coming on TV (after breakfast, before The Young & The Restless.) That's because I grew up with them. In the days before Netflix and DVR's, there was PBS. I never knew that one day my own children would be sitting on the couch at 10 am waiting for Sesame Street to come on. That they'd know all the words to the theme song, know all the characters name, know exactly what time to change the channel.

In 2009 Dustin & I took 1 year old Brookie to see Sesame Street Live and loved it. (Well, I'm pretty sure us big kids loved it a little more than the youngin'. Nostalgia at it's finest.) So when I saw that "Elmo Makes Music" was coming to Columbus on June 15th and June 16th at the Palace Theater, I knew Emily had to experience it. This is the perfect show for her (and big sis) because not only will there be singing, dancing, and of course, their favorite characters right in front of them, the 90 minute show will have a 15 minute intermission...ya know, just in case they don't get their fill on popcorn and need a refill.

I'm pretty sure all of you local Ohioans have a little someone in mind who would just love this. And here's a few ways how you can get yourself there! (Already going? Print these to get your little ones excited for the show.)

When: Saturday June 15th (10:30 am and 2 pm) and Sunday June 16th (1 pm and 4:40 pm).

Where: Palace Theater, Columbus.

Ticket Info: Prices range from $20, $30 (Gold Circle), and $60 (Sunny Seats which include VIP seats and a pre-show meet & greet with 2 characters!) Call to order tickets by phone at 800-745-3000. Group sales of 10+ are available by calling 614-469-0939. Save $3 per ticket! Use the code ERNIE online at ticketmaster.com to receive this special offer. (Offer excludes Sunny Seats & Gold Circle. Cannot be combined with any other offer or used on previously purchased tickets.)

GIVEAWAY INFO: TWO of you will win a family 4 pack of tickets to see whichever show you'd like on either June 15th or June 16th. Yep, there will be two winners and they'll be chosen & emailed on Friday, May 10th. Good luck!

Huge thank you to VEE Corporation for supplying tickets for this giveaway & for my family and I as well. 

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So that happened.

A few weeks ago I picked up Brookie from school. She waved bye to her friends, hopped in her car seat, and started quickly rambling about her day.

"We read "The Gingerbread Man" story! It was fantastic! There was a fox, a cow, an old man, old woman, and a bitch! We're going to make gingerbread men too! In the oven! We had applesauce for snack! I peed once. And looksee here, I gotta stamp on my hand!"

Whoawhoawhoawhoa. Back that up there.

"A what??!"

"A ssstaaamp. See? Right here. On my hand."

"No no, not that. An old woman and a what?"

"Oh. A bitch!"

(Racking my brain, trying to remember the story. But all I can think of the gingerbread man & his gumdrop buttons in Shrek.)

"You mean a pitch? Like a pitch fork?"

"No. A bitch."

(Oh my God, she won't stop saying it. The 12 year old in me wants to laugh....hell the 27 year old in me wants to laugh. But that's, um, not right.)

"A witch?"

"Nooo. Say it with me. Buhhh. It. Chhhh."

(Oh no she is not sounding it out! Divert!! Change the subject!! What is happening?!)

"....Um....well.....alright. What do you want for lunch?"

"I'm serious. That's what it was. We can ask my teacher when you drop me off next week. Let's go to Wendy's!"

So we did. Then we came home, I sat both girls down with their chicken nuggets & frosties and googled the story. Nada. I asked friends & family. Their conclusion? My kid had a potty mouth. And that it was probably just a witch. I didn't bring it up again, and neither did she.

Fast forward to the next week where, long story short, we came to realize that it was a butcher in the story, not a bitch. A butcher. Oh and bitch was also said two more times by my child. At the Christian preschool. Inside the church. Where people pray.

Yyyeah. So that happened. And how are you?