Wish you could be one of the Makeover Mommas of the Month? Last month I kicked off an amazing new concept: the top brands in the world spoil 3 deserving mothers who never take time for themselves. The winners were chosen at random, and now we have 3 amazing moms who will be showing their final results super soon (so stay tuned for the big reveals!) In the meantime, wouldn’t you love to be one of the next mothers chosen? Now you can…
Win A FREE Makeover: Become the next Makeover Momma of the Month
I’m picking 3 Makeover Mommas of the Month for August, and you could be 1 of them! Just do the following…
* Comment Below: Why do you need a makeover this August?
* Follow Our Sponsors: Study up on the fabulous products you’d receive, and show your support by following their social media accounts to qualify for entry.
The Goods: The Experts Behind Your August Makeover Experience
The red carpet is synonymous with beauty and glamour, and this enormously popular kit from Jabot lives up to the promise. This line of effective skincare products was originally inspired by the soap drama the Young and the Restless, and each ingredient delivers the same dramatic results as the show does plot-lines. This kit reforms the complexions of Hollywood’s elite prior to big appearances, and features three anti-aging breakthroughs: Crushed Diamond Facial Resurfacer, Photo Ready Face Lift and Picture Perfect Eye Lift. And if words like “diamonds” and “lift” aren’t tantalizing enough, Makeover Mommas of the Month will be the only women using these kits before the end of July (the line is completely sold out!)
Show me a pregnant mother who worries about getting stretch marks during pregnancy, and I can show you a fabulous woman who’s wasting her time. It’s like the bumper sticker once said: stretch marks happen (or something like that) and there is very little that we can do about it. Aside from giving your beautiful children back and reversing the hands of time- which at times is admittedly tempting- these pesky marks come with the territory and are not the end of the world. Still, why do they annoy us so much? Apothederm feels our pain and has created a revolutionary stretch mark cream to gently reduce their appearance, without using harmful, toxic chemicals. Your skin will thank you later…
Our hair has a million reasons to hate us: motherhood induced hormones, damaging styling, using the wrong products and moreover. No matter the reason, Nunaat has a line of haircare products that can fix your specific problem and work with your personal hair texture. This luxurious line of hydrating, decadent products works with curly hair, damaged hair and everything in between. In fact, Nunaat is so personalized to your hair personality that they will personally recommend the right treatment for each one of our 3 Makeover Momma of the Month winners. Whether it’s Nunaat’s Treatment Cream to make curls bouncy and nourished, or their super popular Brazilian Kertain line to repair fried strands without using formaldehyde. Even their Silicone products can boost the shine factor in the most neglected of locks. No matter your need, Nunaat has something for you!
Vitamins are not just something your children should be taking… they are important to your hair, your skin, your nails and (most importantly) your health. But most of busy mothers don’t have time to take our vitamins, let alone worry about how much they improve our appearance over time. Thankfully, Activate understands how busy we are, and has created a one-of-a-kind VitaminWater system that preserves the effectiveness of nutrients by storing them in the bottle cap. Unlike typical vitamin waters that are full of sugar, calories, and who’s vitamins break down over time, Activate gives you a fresh blast of vitamins with every sip. On top of that, all of the bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic, and only have about 5 calories per serving despite tasty flavors like Fruit Punch, Lulo Pear and Exotic Berry. More flavor, more vitamins, less calories = perfect!
Ok, perhaps I’m a little bit biased, but if you want to slim down and shape up this summer… Long & Lean is the way to go! 3 lucky winners will get full access to the Makeover Momma Long & Lean Eating Plan: giving you complete meal plans, recipes, shopping lists and more. Whether you’re a vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or love drive-thru, there is something for every type of lifestyle. You can alternate between two different plans (one that helps you cook fresh meals at home, and one that lets you eat anywhere on-the-go) with zero stress. Plus, you can dive into the Long & Lean workouts whenever possible- giving you lean muscle tone with zero bulk… pretty cool, right?
Follow: @makeovermomma (use hashtag #longandlean whenever possible) and Makeover Momma
Can your closet be chic, hip, comfortable and still make you look slimmer? Yes, yes it can. Thanks to Kmart’s brand new SlimFabulous clothing line, you can wear vibrant tops and fashionable tanks without worrying about how many crunches you’ve done that morning. Instead of being worn underneath clothes like most shapewear items (which to be honest, can seem like a nightmare on a hot summer day), SlimFabulous has slimming materials built into the clothing itself. You can look a little bit leaner without doing a thing… if only my entire wardrobe could be like that!
If you want enter to be a Makeover Momma of the Month, just comment below and follow the sponsors (how easy is that?) 3 deserving women will be chosen at random in 2 weeks (so enter fast… only 14 days until your products are shipped!) Only enter if you’re prepared to take clear “Before” and “After” images, use all of the treatments and products per the directions, and report them on your own social media channels within 30 days. This means that if you have a blog, a Twitter account or a Facebook page, you’ll post about your experience and share your photos to the best of your abilities. Don’t worry, the process will be easy, but the results will be dramatic!
If you’re ready to change your life in 30 days or less, then get ready…get set…. get made-over!
* Parent Experiment of the Month: PARTY EXCLUSIVE!
I come from a really classy family. Since my youngest daughter is turning 2 years old, I knew that we needed to have the best party around: good food, elite conversation and flawless execution as a hostess. So how did we ring in the big T-W-O without losing our flare or finesse for the finer things in life? Add Miller Lite, southern cuisine, and one too many sports fans, and call it a tailgate! Ok, so maybe the “classy line” was crossed when my mother brought a large coffee mug filled with red wine, but a good time is not always marked by a price tag on the table. In fact, even though my husband and I tend to avoid throwing parties like the plague (attending is so much easier), we had more than one reason to celebrate this weekend. After six years together, two kids and way too many mortgage payments, “The Hubs” finally had a job to be excited about: a newly contracted police officer heading to the Academy!
Since he received his badge the same weekend as our youngest’s birthday, we decided to mix kids and cads together for a Tailgating themed festivity filled with gifts, games and gluten-free food. The first order of business was finding recipes that everyone could enjoy. My husband invited some of his new police office teammates (or “co-cops” as I like to call them), who needed some truly satiating items to fill their stomachs. Since cooking and myself don’t always go hand in hand, I decided to simply heat up a Digiorno pizza from Walmart, cut it into small slices, and serve it as a mouth watering appetizer to which the men definitely approved. And since no tailgate is complete without an icy cold brew, my beer-obsessed spouse broke out the Miller Lite for a satirically sophisticated combination.
Since my daughters and I have to eat gluten-free, the rest of the party fare needed to be free of wheat but full of flavor. The best tailgates have true southern treats, so I used outdoor barbecues and football stadium grilling as my inspiration for the menu. In addition to gluten-free pasta salad with artichoke and cherry tomatoes, cucumber salad with onions, coleslaw, beef brisket (grilled in aluminum foil), and hot dogs for the kids, I whipped up this amazing salad recipe. Trust me, even the utmost of “lettuce haters” will love this dish…
* Make It Yourself: Creamy Strawberry Bacon Salad
Ingredients:
* Equal parts romain lettuce and fresh spinach leaves
* 1 cup of sliced strawberries
* 1/2 cup of sliced almonds
* 1/2 cup of chopped bacon, turkey bacon or vegetarian bacon
* 1/2 cup of Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette
Directions: Even if you aren’t a salad fan, this recipe is so creamy, crunchy and sweet that you’ll find yourself craving leftovers the next day. I personally recommend buying Oak Hill Farms Vidalia Onion dressing from Walmart to save yourself an extra step, but if you love creating items from scratch, you can also combine 1 Vidalia sweet onion, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 1 cup of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds in a food processor until blended. Finally, make sure to serve the bacon or Walmart Real Bacon Bits on the side incase you have any resident vegetarians (like me) who want to opt out of this additional topping. Mix it all together and you’re done!
* Play It Yourself: Tailgate Team Challenge
So what if the kids at the party aren’t excited by hours of watching sports? Even though I find that hard to believe (yes, that’s sarcasm), there are plenty of games to keep kiddos occupied. Since we had 8 children at our Tailgating Parting, I decided to put our trampoline to good use by creating an outdoors competition. Here’s how you can do the same…
* Pick an outdoor activity that all kids can play: trampoline, hula hoop, roller skating or otherwise. If you need to buy some outdoor activities for your kids, use this code for promotional deals from REI to help you save!
* Let kids choose small teams if they want (or choose them yourself to avoid any backyard drama).
* Assign a task that everyone can easily do and set a timer for 30 seconds (for example, jumping on one foot on the trampoline without falling or roller skating in a circle). If a child makes it through the first round, they continue to the next.
* Make each goal slightly harder as you go along. If a child doesn’t make it through the round, let them take over as the person timing the competition to keep them from feeling excluded.
* The winner gets to pick the first piece of dessert (in our case, Gluten-Free Lemon Cream Cheese cupcakes!) In my opinion, this is a totally worthy prize.
Wouldn’t you hop on one foot for these cupcakes?
The party was definitely a success, and finding ways to mix football fans, family and food was even better. My daughter loved getting time to play games with her friends, and my husband loved getting pizza and beer without the words “gluten-free” on the label. Best of all, I was able to celebrate the people I love the most without stressing out over an uptight event! Could I ask for anything more?
* Speak Up: What party idea did YOU like the most? Check out all of the images from our Tailgating Bash by clicking on this Flickr album.
Long and lean moms Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Garner work hard for their figures…
* Product Review of the Month: MAKEOVER MOMMA LONG & LEAN PLAN!!!
Want to lose weight, elongate your muscles and eat better than ever before? I could not be more excited to announce the launch of the Makeover Momma Long & Lean Plan. After working as a certified personal trainer, fitness instructor and dance teacher for years, I’ve finally put together my most popular movements into one, easy-to-use toning routine.
What It Is: The L & L Toning Plan is a completely FREE workout system I’ve put together for my favorite moms. It only takes 18 to 20 minutes at home (4 to 5 days a week). It requires no fancy equipment- aside from a set of light weights- and will give you long, lean muscles like a dancer (instead of bulk). Just read over the printable workouts, watch the videos to learn proper alignment and get started here. AND if you are in need of some fitness gear, use this Finishline coupon code to help you save on some!
What It Is: This is not a diet, and not a complicated eating regimen that requires calorie counting, fat tracking or tons of extra cooking. The L & L Eating Plan was created to give you tons of energy, increased health, and slim, trim muscles with natural protein, less gluten and tons of vitamins. You can cook healthy recipes that your kids will love too (none taking more than 5 minutes) or you can grab healthy snacks for days on the run. You can eat dessert knowing it’s packed with Omega-3’s and vitamins, or have cake for breakfast (yes, Breakfast Cake is on the menu!) Basically, you’ll gain access to the following:
* 2 Eating Plans: Homemade Plan to cook healthy meals for the family, or the On-The-Go Plan for when you’re busy and running around. Mix and match depending on your week!
* Over 50 Pages With Easy-To-Make Recipes: You’ll eat 3 meals, 2 snacks and even dessert.
* Detailed Shopping Lists: Recipes were created to give you the most for your money (so you don’t spend tons on ingredients at the store)
* Gluten-Free, Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly: If you’re not either of the two, you can still follow this plan happily (substitutions given for everyone!)
* Unlimited Access: Automatically gain access to all future updates, new recipes, seasonal meal plans and more.
Click below to buy your L & L eating plan now (only $10 for ALL of that), and gain unlimited support and camaraderie with fellow L & L mommas!
The Giveaway: Long & Lean Bundle
To celebrate the launch of the Long & Lean Health Plan, 3 winners will gain access to the best in healthy living products! All you have to do is pledge to the plan, and you could be one of 3 receiving an amazing bundle of goodies designed to help you on your L & L journey. Here is what you could win:
One of the best parts of the Long & Lean On-The-Go Eating Plan is the excuse to eat Soyjoy snack bars whenever you need something sweet. Even though I’ve always loved Soyjoy bars in general, their new recipes and new flavors are better than ever. They’re soft, chewy and taste great (but don’t have tons of sugar and fake ingredients). Best of all, they’re only 140 calories per bar, which is literally have the caloric content of most protein and health bars on the market. I love noshing on 1/2 a bar before a workout and the other 1/2 after (and pineapple is quickly becoming my favorite!) Follow:@SOYJOYUS and Soyjoy
Even though the Long & Lean Fitness Plan is designed to give you (duh) long and lean muscles, there is no point in kidding yourself: it’s a challenge. Your muscles are going to be sore in the beginning, and you just might feel like quitting. That’s why the Miracle Ball Method is so perfect for easing achy, tired muscles (which is something we become accustomed to as moms in general). So whether the Long & Lean toning moves are to blame (or simply you’re intense toddler), watch this video to see how you can elongate muscles even more post-workout, and sleep sounder at night. Follow:@ElainePetrone and The Elaine Petrone Method
Coconut water might be a popular way to hydrate your body after a workout, but they are definitely not all created equal. I’ve tried enough foul, salty tasting coconut waters to know that Zico really is the best around: it’s low in calories so you won’t gain weight, has no added sugar or fat, and is completely natural. Best of all, Zico believes in helping the environment with every tasty sip, so the bottles are made from recycled materials and high in potassium to prevent muscle cramps after exercise. It comes in tons of flavors (Pomberry and Chocolate being my favorite), and has only 60, natural calories to fuel you during your busy day without ruining your healthy intentions. Even my husband (who hates coconut water with a passion) has become a fan. Don’t worry: you’ll become a fan soon too! Follow:@Zico and Zico Coconut Water
* Comment Below: Make your pledge to try out the Fitness or Nutrition plan, and you’re autmoatically entered to win. * Follow The Sponsors: Just give them some love on Twitter and Facebook (see links above). Easy, right?
*Â Join The Community:Make sure that if you’re following either of the plans, you join the team by tweeting @makeovermomma using the hashtag #longandlean, or finding support on the Makeover Momma page. We’re all here to help!
Pledge to the Long & Lean Plan, and gain unlimited support, amazing FREE workout routines and be entered to win! I can’t wait to start this L & L journey with all of you… let’s exercise together soon!
