Nutrisystem Weekly Weigh In: Week 13

I think I have hit a plateau. I haven't lost any weight over these past few weeks. I haven't really gained any either, which is good, but I was really hoping to get closer to to my goal before my time on the Nutrisystem program came to an end. Maybe this is just the weight I am destined to be. As long as I eat healthy, well balanced meals during the week, I can splurge a little on the weekends and I don't have to worry about gaining weight. I'm OK with that. I am very comfortable where I am right now.

I am going to try some tricks over the next week to try to shed a few more pounds, though. I read some tips over in the Nutrisystem community that might help. One of these tips is to switch the lunch and dinner meals. I'm not sure why this works, but it seems like a lot of people have had success losing more weight once they hit a plateau when they switch around these two meals. I also may try eating more protein and less dairy. This seems to help too. The Nutrisystem community is full of great advice, and is just one of the ways that the Nutrisystem program helps you stay on track.

Another way to stay on track is by eating the Nutrisystem food and the add-ins for every meal. I find that if I stray from this for more than a meal or two, I will see the numbers on the scale start creeping back up. I will say that I am getting a little less enthusiastic about the food, but that is my fault because I keep ordering the same foods and I am not really venturing out and trying anything new. Some of the food choices I did enjoy this week were Banana Nut Muffin for breakfast, Chicken Fajita Melt for lunch, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce for dinner and Butter Flavored Popcorn for dessert. (I'm actually eating some of that delicious popcorn as I write this post!)

Unfortunately, I don't have any exciting news in this week's weigh in. I am up just slightly, but not enough to get upset about. I'm back up to exactly 138 pounds. Like I said, though, I'm OK with that, and I am very happy with the way I look right now. We went down to the beach over the weekend, and I wasn't embarrassed at all to be in a bathing suit!

Week One Loss: -3.2

Week Two Loss: -2.0

Week Three Loss: -1.0

Week Four: Vacation

Week Five Loss: -1.4

Week Six Loss: -1.0

Week Seven Loss: -0.4

Week Eight Loss: -2.4

Week Nine Loss: -0.8

Week Ten Gain: 2.0

Week Eleven Loss: 0.0

Week Twelve Loss: -0.4

Week Thirteen Gain: 0.4

Thank you all for following along with me on my Nutrisystem journey! I hope you will check back next week to see my progress.

We all know that support is a key to losing weight, so it would be great if you would also cheer on some of my Nutrisystem Nation friends: Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier, Melissa at The Life of a Sippy Cup Mom, Colleen at Shibley Smiles, and Heather at Family Friendly Frugality. Thank you for your support!

Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting Nutrisystem.com.

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. Nutrisystem is providing meals and program services to me at no cost as part of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Program. No other compensation was received.

~*~Winner!!!~*~ Cool Cuts 4 Kids

Thank you to everyone who entered my Cool Cuts 4 Kids Giveaway! The winner of the $25 Cool Cuts 4 Kids Gift Card is...



And the winning comment was...



Congratulations Andrea!

For more chances to win cool stuff, check out my current giveaways in the sidebar.

Relax & Surf Sunday - July 31st {Linky}

<a href="http://www.thelifeofrylie.com/search/label/Relax%20Surf%20Sunday" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2eSxTWKaaAE/TGbrQsbCvMI/AAAAAAAABPg/Ie5kUQ9qQVk/s320/SundayButton.jpg" alt="Relax & Surf Sunday" /></a>

Welcome to Relax & Surf Sunday, with your hostesses The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! and Shibley Smiles! This is a great blog hop for everyone to make new friends! You can find some new blogs to check out, and also get your blog out there and gain some new followers.

Here are the rules...

Wait, there are no rules! That is the whole point behind "Relax & Surf". We just want you to relax, and surf around as much as you want to. You don't have to make a post. You don't have to post our button. You don't even have to follow us. Of course we hope you like our blogs and will want to follow us, and we WILL follow back! Just add your blog to our linky at the bottom of this post, and visit as many blogs as you would like to. If you decide to follow a new blog, make sure you leave them a comment so they will know you are following them.

Each week we will randomly select one blog from the previous week's entries to be our featured blog for that week. If that blog happens to be yours, you will get a cute little button to display on your blog, and you will also get the #3 spot for that week!

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Our Featured Blogger this week is A Creative Princess!

Hi, I'm Terri and thrilled to be featured here today! I'm fairly new to this blogging world of ours, but have been crafting all my life. I would love for you to stop by A Creative Princess and join in our fun! Thank you, again, Colleen and LeeAnn for featuring me!

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Link up below and have fun! Thanks for stopping by!

This linky will be posted every Saturday night at 9PM EST. Please link to your blog's main page only.

Saturday Playdate - We're In For It

Welcome to another fun Saturday Playdate! Today we're playing with Amy from We're In For It. I "met" Amy through the blogging world several months ago when she sent me an email asking me for blogging advice. I didn't feel that I was that experienced of a blogger, and I was absolutely honored that someone thought I was good enough to ask for advice. Amy is super sweet, and you can really get to know her through her blog.

Amy's blog is all about her family. She has an adorable little boy named Gage, and there are plenty of stories and pictures of that little guy on her blog. Birthdays are a big deal to Amy, so you will most likely find a birthday post on her front page. I remember when she even wished Rylie a Happy Birthday last January! How sweet is she?

When you're done here, please check out We're In For It. Give Amy some comment love and let her know you stopped by from the Playdate.

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Hey Guys!

First off, I’d like to thank LeeAnn for having me over to play today! I always enjoy her Saturday Playdates and I’m super excited to be a part of one.

Recently I have read quite a few blogs about the pros and cons of being stay at home/working Moms. For the most part, I have read about stay at home Moms that consider themselves lucky to be able to stay home and some that feel that it is their place to take care of the house/family, etc. in that capacity. A few posts I have read even made me feel a little bad for being a working Mom and for enjoying what I do. Some of them were even a bit insulting. So today, I have chosen to tell you my take on things and about how I feel I have the best of both worlds.

I am a high school math teacher who works with kids with learning and emotional disabilities. I LOVE my job. Bottom line, each and every day brings something different and I just can’t wait to get to work each morning. Please don’t confuse that with NOT loving my son or wanting to spend each day with him as well. Please know I was one of those Moms after maternity leave who felt sick to their stomach each day I dropped him off at daycare. But never once in those first few hard months did I consider wanting to quit my job. Being a special education is one of the most rewarding jobs ever. Although it can be frustrating at times, nothing compares to watching a kid who thought it might never be possible walk across the stage at graduation. Yes, I work my tail off with these kids each and every day working to pass state tests or meet graduation requirements, but there are times when I have never been so proud and when I am certain that all the late afternoons and time away from Gage was totally worth it.

Again, please don’t get me wrong, I treasure all of the moments I have with my son and would never put another child before him, but being a teacher completes me and makes me happy, which in turn makes me a better mother to Gage. I also put great value in Gage’s interactions with other kids in a structured environment. He has learned so much from his both his teachers and the other kids in his class in the past year at school.

As I sing the working mom praises, I realize that not everyone has it as I do and gets to spend a fabulous 10 weeks at home with their children all while keeping a full time job. This summer has been priceless, Gage is at such a fun age and the time we have spent together can never be topped. I have so enjoyed seeing him discover new things, learn new concepts and taking him to new and exciting places. As wonderful as it’s been, I do, however every year about this time, look forward to returning to work. Having the summer to relax, refresh and raise my son is also exactly what I need to be a better teacher. My job makes me a better mother and being a part time stay at home mommy, makes me a better teacher. I can’t think of anything more satisfying. So in my opinion, I truly do have the best of both worlds.

*LeeAnn and I ‘met’ last year sometime when I first getting my blog off the ground and she was a major help at showing me the ropes. I’ll be forever thankful for her generosity towards a ‘newbie’. And thank you again for having me over to play!

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Thanks for stopping by for our Playdate! I hope you had fun! If you would like to come over for a Playdate, let me know in a comment or an email.

Weekend Win It - July 30-31 {Giveaway Linky}

Welcome to Weekend Win It! This is a great way to spread the word about your giveaways, or find some great ones to enter! And remember...you don't need to be a blogger to enter these giveaways! All you need to do is know how to leave a comment. It's that easy!

I have a few great giveaways going on right now!

Giveaway: Cool Cuts 4 Kids Ends: 7/30 Prize: Cool Cuts 4 Kids $25 GC

Giveaway: Kolcraft Ends: 8/1 Prize: Jeep Wrangler Twin Sport All Weather Double Sroller by Kolcraft

Giveaway: CableMover Ends: 8/1 Prize: $25 Home Depot Gift Card

Giveaway: Pear Tree Greetings Ends: 8/4 Prize: Pear Tree Greetings $25 Gift Code

Giveaway: Kidorable Ends: 8/11 Prize: Set of Kidorable Hangers (winner's choice!)

Giveaway: Big Belly Banks Ends: 8/12 Prize: Personalized Big Belly Bank (winner's choice!)

Giveaway: Arby's Ends: 8/12 Prize: $25 Arby's Gift Card

Giveaway: Winn-Dixie Ends: 8/13 Prize: $25 Winn-Dixie Gift Card

Here are some great giveaways that I found this week...

Giveaway: NAIC Blog: Shibley Smiles Ends: 8/13 Prize: $50 Gas Card

Giveaway: Beaducation Blog: Thanks, Mail Carrier Ends: 8/18 Prize: Stamping on Metal Starter Kit from Beaducation

Giveaway: VCA Animal Hospitals Blog: Simply Stacie Ends: 8/9 Prize: VCA Prize Pack - Includes a $50 AMEX Gift Card, Digital Picture Frame, VCA Pet Gifts and More!

Giveaway: Jif To Go Blog: Three Kids and Us Ends: 7/31 Prize: Jif To Go Travel Pack - Includes Jif To Go Creamy Peanut Butter 3-pack (1.5 oz. cups), 8-pack (1.5 oz. cups), Tote Bag, Garmin GPS, $50 gift card to AutoZone, Jif travel mug and Travel Scrabble!

What are you waiting for? Head over and enter these great giveaways now! And if you are hosting a family friendly giveaway (or twenty), please link them up below! I would love to find some other great giveaways to enter! Please come back and let me know if you win a giveaway that you found at Weekend Win It.

Have a great weekend!

*Please enter giveaways in this format: Blog Name - Giveaway - End Date. Thanks!

Bonus Box Tops For Education At Winn-Dixie {Giveaway}

You’ve unpacked the summer clothes, blown up the pool rafts, and enjoyed a few lazy days in the sun, but even though summer is in full swing, back-to-school season is just around the corner. This summer, Winn-Dixie is making it even easier to get a jump start on back-to-school savings for you and your school. At Winn-Dixie, earning extra Box Tops can be as simple as stocking up on just two of your favorite participating General Mills products.

• Starting July 27th through August 2nd, earn 5 Bonus Box Tops for your local school when you buy any two participating General Mills Box Top items.
• At Winn-Dixie, it’s easy to save on great products like select Big G Cereals, Yoplait Go-Gurt, Pillsbury Toaster Strudels, Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks and more.

Even though my kids don't technically go "back to school" since they are in pre-school year round now, all of the back to school buzz brings back fond memories of when I was a child. I used to get so excited getting ready to go back to school each year! And even though my kids don't go to a school that can benefit from Box Tops for Education, we always cut the Box Tops off of our General Mills cereals and other food products and give them to our friends who have children in school. This is such a great program and I love to help out when I can!

So as back-to-school season approaches, be sure to check your Winn-Dixie ad for details about additional bonus Box Top offers that start as early as August 3rd. To learn more about the Box Tops for Education Program and how you can help contribute to your school, visit www.boxtops4education.com.

~*~One of my readers is going to win a $25 Winn-Dixie Gift Card!~*~

Mandatory entry: (This must be done in order for any optional entries to count) Let me know which of your favorite participating General Mills products you are looking forward to purchasing during the Box Tops for Education offer at Winn-Dixie.

Optional entries: After you make the mandatory first entry above, you can get one extra entry (unless stated otherwise) for each of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

* Like Box Tops for Education on Facebook
* Follow @BTFE on Twitter
* Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (sidebar)
* Subscribe to my blog by email and confirm your subscription (sidebar)
* Like The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial)
* Share this post on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the bottom of this post
* Follow @thelifeofrylie on Twitter (leave your user name)
* Tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting this tweet and leaving me the link to your tweet (you can tweet daily for an extra entry each day):

I want to #win a $25 Winn-Dixie Gift Card from @thelifeofrylie! http://bit.ly/nPrXP8 #giveaway #MyBlogSpark

* Post my button on your sidebar or add my blog to your blog roll for TWO extra entries (leave me two comments with a link to where I can find it)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post for THREE extra entries (leave a link to your post in three separate comments)

Giveaway will end on August 13th at 9:00pm EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. I will notify the winner by email within 24 hours, and you will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, I will pick another winner. Please leave your email address or make sure it is in your profile so I will have a way to contact you. I will announce the winner once they have been confirmed. This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

Disclosure: Opinions are my own. I received a Winn-Dixie gift card in exchange for this post. No other compensation was received. The Winn-Dixie gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Arby's New Angus Cool Deli Sandwich And Wrap Deal {Giveaway}

Arby's is one of my favorite restaurants for take out! The whole "good mood food" slogan is definitely true. Arby's isn't "standard" fast food. You won't find grease seeping from sandwich wrappers or cheeseburgers that taste like cardboard. Arby's is famous for their slow-roasted and freshly sliced roast beef sandwiches, and they are delicious! My favorite meal from Arby's consists of a Beef 'n Cheddar and a Jamocha Shake! You sure won't find food like that at typical fast food restaurants.

Arby's recently introduced their new Angus Cool Deli Sandwich and Wrap. These new menu items are packed with lean Angus beef served cool, crisp lettuce, tomato, banana peppers and pickles, and are dressed in delicious sub vinaigrette and mayonnaise. They sound so tasty!

Arby's Coupon: From now until August 4th, you can get a FREE small drink and small fries with the purchase of an Angus Cool Deli sandwich or wrap. Simply click on the deal below, enter your email address and print out your coupon. Oh, and enjoy!

~*~One of my readers is going to win a $20 Arby's Gift Card!~*~

Mandatory entry: (This must be done in order for any optional entries to count) Tell me what your favorite menu item is from Arby's.

Optional entries: After you make the mandatory first entry above, you can get one extra entry (unless stated otherwise) for each of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

* Like Arby's on Facebook
* Follow @Arbys on Twitter
* Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (sidebar)
* Subscribe to my blog by email and confirm your subscription (sidebar)
* Like The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial)
* Share this post on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the bottom of this post
* Follow @thelifeofrylie on Twitter (leave your user name)
* Tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting this tweet and leaving me the link to your tweet (you can tweet daily for an extra entry each day):

I want to #win a $20 @Arbys Gift Card from @thelifeofrylie! http://bit.ly/pLkC9K #giveaway

* Post my button on your sidebar or your blog roll for TWO extra entries (leave me two comments with a link to where I can find it)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post for THREE extra entries (leave a link to your post in three separate comments)

Giveaway will end on August 12th at 9:00pm EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. I will notify the winner by email within 24 hours, and you will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, I will pick another winner. Please leave your email address or make sure it is in your profile so I will have a way to contact you. I will announce the winner once they have been confirmed. This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

Disclosure: This is my honest opinion. I received an Arby's gift card in exchange for this post. No other compensation was received. A big Thank You to Arby's for providing the giveaway prize!

~*~Winner!!!~*~ Kidtoons Babar

Thank you to everyone who entered my July Kidtoons Giveaway! The winner of the Babar Prize Pack is...



And the winning comment was...



Congratulations jenblizzard!

For more chances to win cool stuff, check out my current giveaways in the sidebar.

Kids Will Love To Save Money With Big Belly Banks {Review & Giveaway}

It is never too early to teach your kids about saving money. In fact, this is a lesson I want my kids to learn as early as possible. We started savings accounts for Rylie and Bryce just after Bryce was born, and we put money in their accounts every week, as well as any checks they get for their birthdays or other holidays. The only problem with that is the fact that they don't really understand it since there is no money for them to see. Now that we have Big Belly Banks, they can see and touch their money, and see their banks saving it for them!

Big Belly Banks are handcrafted, American made wooden coin banks for children. These aren't your every day piggy banks. They are way more than that! These banks have a patented coin track that "eat your money" and they come in several fun animals like penguins and dinosaurs, pretty flowers and even sports themes! These fun and educational banks are even personalized with your child's name!

Big Belly Banks were invented by John Chestnut for his five children. He thought they were so cool that he took them to a craft show and sold almost 1,000 of them in one weekend! He and his wife have now sold over 700,000 of these unique banks!

We received Big Belly Banks in a Gator and Pink Cat for review. The kids were so excited to see them as we took them out of the box! Rylie was even more excited when she saw their names on the banks.

At first the kids carried the banks around like they were their new best friends. Rylie has a piggy bank and knows the basic concept of putting money in her bank, so she was very anxious for Daddy to get her some money to feed to her Pink Cat.

Bryce caught on very quickly and started putting the money in his bank as soon as he was given some coins. He was very curious as to where the money went and tried to figure out how to get it out. Rylie then explained to him that the gator saves it for him in his belly.

Here are a couple of cute videos to see the banks in action...

As you can see, the kids LOVE their Big Belly Banks! Of course Bryce doesn't fully understand the concept of saving, but since saving money in these great personalized children's banks is so much fun, he will definitely learn this lesson as he gets older. Rylie does understand the concept of saving for later, and as she gets older and understands the value of money, she will be happy she let her pink cat save her money for her!

I am very happy with our Big Belly Banks. They are put together well and are very durable. The quality is excellent! All materials used in the banks are certified to exceed all US safety regulations, which is very important to me.

These banks would make a great gift for a child of any age! The next time you are looking for a unique gift for a child in your life, make sure you check out Big Belly Banks!

Big Belly Banks are available in 20" or 23" inch animals and themes, for $39.95 and $49.95. Personalization with your child's name is free! Shipping is $11.95 per box, and up to 3 banks can be shipped in a box.

I review a lot of products here at The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too!, but this is one of those products that has really WOWED me. I highly recommend Big Belly Banks!

~*~One of my readers is going to win a Big Belly Bank!~*~

(Winner's choice!)

Mandatory entry: (This must be done in order for any optional entries to count) Tell me who will be the lucky recipient of the Big Belly Bank if you win.

Optional entries: After you make the mandatory first entry above, you can get one extra entry (unless stated otherwise) for each of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

* Let me know which Big Belly Bank you might choose if you win (click on 20" or 23" banks in the upper left corner of the BBB website)
* Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (sidebar)
* Subscribe to my blog by email and confirm your subscription (sidebar)
* Like The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial)
* Share this post on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the bottom of this post
* Follow @thelifeofrylie on Twitter (leave your user name)
* Tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting this tweet and leaving me the link to your tweet (you can tweet daily for an extra entry each day):

Make saving money fun with Big Belly Banks! Enter to #win a personalized bank from @thelifeofrylie! http://bit.ly/r0hTmP #giveaway

* Post my button on your sidebar or add my blog to your blog roll for TWO extra entries (leave me two comments with a link to where I can find it)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post for THREE extra entries (leave a link to your post in three separate comments)

Giveaway will end on August 12th at 9:00pm EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. I will notify the winner by email within 24 hours, and you will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, I will pick another winner. Please leave your email address or make sure it is in your profile so I will have a way to contact you. I will announce the winner once they have been confirmed. This giveaway is open to residents of the Continental US only.

Disclosure: This is my honest opinion. I received the Big Belly Banks at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. A big Thank You to Big Belly Banks for providing the giveaway prize!