Getting Well in 2012 with Cafe Well

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cafe Well for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

There's no better time than the present to get healthy. With the holidays here, temptation for just one more cookie is everywhere. Why not resolve to get fit and stay fit in 2012? There's a great social networking site designed to help you do just that. 

 Cafe Cafe Well connects you with other people who want to get fit and healthy, just like you. You'll find challenges, tips for healthy living, support, and the information you need to reach your health goals in the new year.

Hosted by Cafe Well and sponsored by HealthAmerica, Race to the Moon is a wellness program presently underway for members to get more fit and active via social networking. Participants receive a free wireless pedometer that tracks their steps and provides rewards for milestones reached and total steps taken. These incentives combined with social networking prove powerful in getting members to get moving.

I've challenged myself many times to finally get rid of the baby fat. I've walked with friends, worked out with my husband, tracked how many fruits and veggies I've eaten each day. We've all tried numerous methods to get fit and stay fit. Why not try a new, innovative approach with Cafe Well? You've got nothing to lose but a few extra pounds.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS.
•Share the title & author, too.

"On the landing she paused to look about her. There were a thousand chances to one against her meeting anybody, but one could never tell, and she always paid for her rare indiscretions by a violent reaction of prudence."
~p. 12, "The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton

Musing Mondays

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Musing Mondays. This week's musing asks . . .Will you be buying books for the holidays, this year? If so, for whom, and why?

I will probably be buying myself a book or two this holiday season, mostly because of the great discounts and bargains available. My inbox is full of coupon codes for Barnes and Noble, and I plan to use them.

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

What's the rush with holiday decorating?!?

Aloha Friday

Kailani at An Island Life started Aloha Friday. Want to play along? I ask a question, you answer the question in the comments. You can also ask your own question on your blog and link up on Kailani's site. Here's my question:

Do you enjoy hosting holiday events?

My answer: Yes and no. I hate the prep, the cooking and the clean-up, but I love the actual event and the sense of accomplishment that comes with hosting an event that turns out well.

Friday Finds

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds. What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!






"How Georgia Became O'Keeffe: Lessons on the Art of Living" by Karen Karbo
"You Can Create an Exceptional Life" by Louise L. Hay and Cheryl Richardson

I Am Thankful

At T minus 2 days to Thanksgiving, I might as well post my "thankful" post today since I'm going to be busy cooking for the next 48-72 hours.

This has been an exciting year for us with our oldest starting Kindergarten. It was a bumpy start with tears and protests, but he's adjusting beautifully (she optimistically says before the long holiday break). I am thankful that his (and my) transition to full day public school is working out well.

Baby boy is getting ready to attend preschool. Though we are going through an incredibly clingy phase right now, I hope, once January rolls around, that he will enjoy playing a couple of days each week with people his size and intelligence. I am thankful for him because he is my full time playmate these days and such a joy to us all.

I am thankful that my parents are here to spend another Thanksgiving with us. They are battling numerous ailments and getting up there in age (80s), so for each day they push on through and keep moving forward I am incredibly thankful.

I think we have so many blessings that we forget to take notice of them all, and maybe even take them for granted. It's nice to pause and reflect on what is important to us and give thanks for it. It takes just as much time to give thanks for what we do have as it does to complain about what we don't.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Musing Mondays

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Musing Mondays. This week's musing asks . . . How do you decide to read a book by an author you haven’t read before? What sort of recommendations count most highly in making that decision?


I confess, I'm a cover lover. If a cover catches my eye by an author I haven't read yet, I will pick it up to read the back cover. Sometimes, if the back cover is interesting enough, I will buy the book then and there. Otherwise, I will read the reviews on Amazon or Goodreads before making a purchase.

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

Losing time online, must shut down.

Friday Finds

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds. What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!







"Love and Shame and Love" by Peter Orner
"The Sisters" by Nancy Jensen
"The Daughter She Used To Be" by Rosalind Noonan
"Unraveling Anne" by Laurel Saville
"New Jersey Noir" by Joyce Carol Oates, editor
"The Christmas Cookie Club" by Ann Pearlman
"The Pretend Wife" by Bridget Asher
"Another Man's Treasure" by James V. O'Connor

Aloha Friday

Kailani at An Island Life started Aloha Friday. Want to play along? I ask a question, you answer the question in the comments. You can also ask your own question on your blog and link up on Kailani's site. Here's my question:

Do you still have your prom dress(es)?

My answer: I'm pretty sure I donated those beauties from the '80s last year along with some bridesmaid's dresses that have been hanging in the closet for just as long.

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This week's BTT asks . . . Of the books you own, what’s the biggest category/genre? Is this also the category that you actually read the most?

I have a large collection of contemporary adult fiction on my to be read shelves these days. I have some non-fiction titles as well including self-help and biography, but I definitely read fiction the most.

Deal or No Deal?

I am a shopaholic. There, I admit it. Who am I kidding? I always knew it.

I love to shop. I love to look at clothes, shoes, books, shoes, housewares and, oh yeah, shoes. Cliche? Maybe. But so what? I like to shop.

It seems with the advent of email and facebook, shopping has taken on a new life for me. I am constantly barraged with coupons and deals and discounts. Seize the deal, daily deal, groupon - how can a shopaholic resist?

I have taken online shopping to a new level. A new level for me anyway. I am using those discounts and coupons daily. I am getting deals on clothes, trips and kids' toys never imagined. The delivery man and I are on a first-name basis.

I guess I've morphed into an online shopaholic. Deal or no deal, my husband still dreads the monthly credit card bill.

Where Has The Time Gone?

Do you ever just wake up one day, look at your kids and realize they look different? Like they changed over night?

This happens to me every once in a while. It just happened again this weekend.

Once a month, my 5 year old spends the night at my in-laws' place. It's a nice opportunity for him to get one-on-one time with them. Plus he gets to be the center of attention ever since his little brother came along.

He spent this past Friday night with them, and, I swear, when he came home, he looked different to me. Something about his face changed. He's not that little boy in my banner picture (up top) anymore. He's growing up.

It makes me sad and proud all at the same time. My baby's gone and there's a tall, handsome, lanky boy in his place.

There is a 2 year old in the house, so I still get that little boy experience on a daily basis. But it's the pang of your first-born, that precious little gift all wrapped up tight, now going off on his own to school and playdates, experiencing things when you're not peering over his shoulder.

It's true what they say - they grow up so fast. One morning your little boy is wearing his Thomas pajamas, snuggling with you in bed. The next he's putting on his backpack, ready and eager to start a new adventure.

Cherish those first years with your little ones at home. They're over in the blink of an eye.

Musing Mondays

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Musing Mondays. This week's musing asks . . . Are you currently collecting any authors? Why?
Do you have all of their books? If not, why not? Did you buy all the books in the collection at the same time, or did you buy a book here, a book there? Have you actually read all of the collection? If not, why not?

If I come across a title by Elin Hilderbrand that I haven't read yet, I will definitely pick it up. I don't believe I've read all of her novels, but I have read a handful and have several waiting for me in my tbr pile. I've never purchased an entire collection by an author before, though I do see the appeal of doing so.

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

Another beautiful day in New Jersey.

Aloha Friday

Kailani at An Island Life started Aloha Friday. Want to play along? I ask a question, you answer the question in the comments. You can also ask your own question on your blog and link up on Kailani's site. Here's my question:

Do you need/wear glasses?

My answer: I need glasses for night driving, but I hardly drive at night anymore so I rarely use them.

Theme Thursday

Kavyen at Reading Between Pages hosts Theme Thursday. Anyone can participate. The rules are simple:

•A theme will be posted each week
•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
•Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word).

This week's theme is Female Name (any female character's name).

"Good names tend to represent dignified and enlightened qualities. Ashima means 'she who is limitless, without borders.'"
~p. 26, "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This week's BTT asks . . . E-readers like the Kindle and iPad are sweeping the nation … do you have one? Do you like it? Do you find it changes your reading/buying habits? If you don’t have one, do you plan to?

I still don't have an e-reader, but I sense one arriving in the near future. Hubs has been suggesting one as a gift for a while now, but I've been adamant about not purchasing one. I love books, and my bookshelves are overfowing with unread titles. That being said, I am increasingly curious about the new tablets out there and wouldn't be surprised to find one under the Christmas tree this year.

WWW Wednesdays

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts WWW Wednesdays. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
I'm currently reading "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri.



• What did you recently finish reading?
I just finished "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath.


• What do you think you’ll read next?
Next I'll probably read "The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton.