A guilty pleasure...

This post has absolutely nothing to do with exercise, fitness or health. Nor is it about parenting. This post is about my secret guilty pleasure...gaming. I am a gamer. If I find a game that I like I will play it all hours of the night until I finish. One time (before I was a parent) I played a game for almost a week straight so that I could finish it. Sounds like a bit of a problem, right?

Well, because I know I can get a bit addicted (angry birds, plants vs. zombies, Gardens of Time, ahem) I try to limit my playing time. I'll play a game for a few days or even a month and then leave it alone for awhile. I've been so afraid of being caught up in gaming that I haven't purchased one game for my XBox 360 or Wii that isn't fitness oriented. But when I was given a giftcard by Walmart to purchase something utilizing the Pick-Up today option, I decided to go ahead and purchase my first game.

Oh, I didn't mention I love Zombies too? I just finished World War Z - The Oral History of the Zombie War, fascinating book...seriously. Anyhow, I purchased Left 4 Dead 2 online at Walmart.com and chose the pick up today option. It was simple. When my order was ready for pickup I received a text message, about two hours after I placed my order.

I went to the store, visited the pick-up area and had my game in minutes.

Confession: I haven't cracked open the game, yet. I'm just waiting for my son to go to sleep. If you don't hear from me in a week or so please send in reinforcements. I just may be too deep in Zombieland to get out on my own!!!!!


Disclosure: I am a Walmart mom and was given a giftcard to make my purchase.  I was also compensated for my time.  All opinions as usual are 100% my own. 

Dog of the Day -- Nikiya!

Meet the lovely NIKIYA!

"I am still here!
How can that be?
What are my faults you ask?
Well, let me see...
I am not a puppy
I have a bit of grey on my face
Those aren't faults you say?
Then help me find my forever place!"



Nikiya is a fun-loving gal who loves to have her toenails painted hot pink to match her hot personality! She's only about 5 years old -- maybe she needs a little Miss Clairol to tone down her grays? She's a very petite girl and is very friendly with large and small dogs and small humans! She lives with a two year old now and is wonderful with him. Her foster mom calls her a "shadow boxer" because she's always following in her humans' shadows! She misses them very much when they're gone and sings for them, so she's probably not a good bet in an apartment. But for anyone else looking for a sweet and snuggly girl to love and spoil, go to http://www.savetheboxers.com/ and ask for NIKIYA!






PS -- Don't forget to VOTE in Dr. Marty Becker's Facebook contest. LBR is in the running to win up to $20,000 in cash and pet products!!! The competition is fierce, so please vote!

Pedicure at Home! (video post)

Today is Memorial Day and for most of us it is the sign of the official start of summer! And what happens in the summer? We wear less - clothing, sandals make a comeback and of course bathing suits! I've already shown you my body in my bathing suit and although I'm not at my "fighting" weight, I have to admit that I still feel GREAT in my skin.


The one area of my body that I am not too keen on showing are my feet. My feet are sorely neglected, as a runner my feet and toes get battered and I try to leave them alone as much as possible. Toenails that fall off and thick calluses to protect from blisters are just my reality as a runner. However, I cannot keep my feet under wraps for the entire summer so that calls for an intervention. Check out my video to see my at home pedicure process! 







All of the supplies that I use for my pedicures are available at Walmart and with an initial investment of about $25.00 I can give myself pedicures at home for the entire summer (and beyond). This beats spending $25 every time I walk into a beauty shop and honestly? I think I do a better job! 


Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom and was compensated for writing this post. As usual, all opinions are my own! 

On this Memorial Day, LBR would like to take a moment to honor all those who have served our country, both human and canine. Thank you to all our brave soldiers, and thank you to our brave war dogs who show that we stay with our humans no matter what the circumstances. A 21-woof salute from LBR!

Sometimes...

You just have to stop and smell the roses.

New LBR foster dog Bus Stop is learning that lesson! He decided to hit the road after his family didn't feed him and let him get into this kind of condition. He turned up at a bus stop, trying to find a way out of town to a better life. Fortunately, the nice animal control people found him and kept him safe until LBR could get him into a foster home. Life will be a whole lot better for you now, buddy!


PS -- Want to help dogs like Bus Stop? If you have a Facebook account, please go to Dr. Marty Becker's page, click Shelter Contest on the left, and vote for Legacy Boxer Rescue! We could win up to $20,000 in pet products, which will help us help a whole lot of boxers!

A personal request

Hey everybody! I know I usually post about all the awesome boxers at LBR, but today I have a personal request.

This is my sister, Cinderella. She's an LBR alum just like me.


But Cinderella's been sick lately, and my mom and I are really worried about her. She had a bunch of scary tests at the doctor today, and he narrowed it down to two options. One is a kind of inflammation that he can treat really easily with some medicine. The other is cancer, and at her age there isn't really much you can do to treat it. The worst part is, we won't know until next Wednesday which one it is! The doctor took some biopsies and has to wait for the test results, and since it's a holiday weekend that means it'll take even longer.

So Mom, Cinderella, and I are going to have a really long weekend. If you can spare any prayers, good thoughts, or crossed paws for her, we would really appreciate it!

Exercise and Eat Together as a Family! (Giveaway)

Contest Closed Giveaway winner: Catherine of Evolving Mommy! 

My  four year old son Mekhi has watched my transformation from a couch potato to an athlete. I started working out on a consistent basis when he was just 2 years old and from the beginning he has been an active participant in my workouts. If I am at home using my Wii or XBoX Kinect to exercise he is right beside me doing Zumba, the Michael Jackson Dance experience and even EA SPORTS Active. Although we don’t use it very often, he also enjoys playing with the Wii Fit Plus – exercise is disguised as games so he really has a ball.

My weight loss journey has enabled him to gain the understanding that exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle. He models my behavior and even when I’m not working out he will take the initiative play his exercise DVD. I encourage active movement with him by reading books that highlight the importance of exercising. As a family, we are committed to exercising together. He knows that when I run a race I am likely to receive a medal and he is always on the lookout for my race “bling”. On Thanksgiving I ran a Turkey Trot 10k and he ran his first “baby” trot and won a medal! He still talks about the day that we ran “together”!

In addition to exercise, I am working on developing healthy eating habits with my son. I admit that it is challenging, my son is an extremely picky eater and there are very few things that we can eat in common as a sit down meal. However, I can get him to eat breakfast (usually waffles or cereal) and we sit down together and talk about how good our food is!

He is a grazer so during the day when he enjoys a snack I usually join him. Carrots, grapes and watermelon are fruits he really enjoys. Sometimes he will eat a banana and on special occasions he will drink the shakes that I make. It is my hope that as he gets older his palate will develop and we can have more frequent sit down meals together. Studies have shown that families that eat together are overall healthier and more active than families that eat in silos.

I know that I have laid the foundation for my son and I to be healthy together as a family.  As he gets older I intend to reinforce the messages about diet and exercise that I am giving him now. I predict that in a few years we will actually be running races together and it will all be because we made healthy choices at an early age.

The Together Counts campaign is designed to encourage families to eat right and exercise together.  Families across the country are taking to the PLEDGE to balance eating together with physical activity. This is a simple process, to take the pledge click HERE. 

GIVEAWAY

The good people at Together Counts want to help put one lucky reader on this path (or continue) by providing a $100 giftcard to Sports Authority. I’m going to make this giveaway really simple – just tell me what you are doing to ensure that your family is getting “healthy together”. This contest will be open until June 5, 2011 at 11:00PM EST Good luck!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but as usual all opinions are 100% my own

It's a PUPPY POST!

This is a very special post for the wonderful Maggie Mae. Thank you for all your support of LBR!!

Presenting... puppies of LBR, past and present!

This is Pippa. She's a current LBR foster!

This is Sake, one of the Wasabi puppies. He just got adopted recently.

You may remember Baby Perseus, now known as Huxley. He was surrendered at only 24 hours old and bottle-raised by his LBR foster mama, now his forever mama!

This is Donald. He was named by my buddy Cubby after Donald Duck!

Phew! I'm tired from all those cute pictures! How about you?

PS -- Don't forget to VOTE in Dr. Marty Becker's Facebook contest. LBR is in the running to win up to $20,000 in cash and pet products!!! The competition is fierce, so please vote!

Zumba, Fitbloggin and Me! (Video Post)

I have spoken about my love of Zumba several times here on Cutie Booty Cakes. But I really don't think ya'll understand. So, without further ado, here is a video of me shaking my money maker at Fitbloggin, doing Zumba with a group of I'd say almost 100 women with an amazing instructor, Shadidah!







I loved my class so much, in fact that I immediately decided to share my joy of Zumba with everyone by becoming a Zumba instructor! I was dancing next to my friend Mrs. Fatass and she was telling me that becoming an instructor was on her list of things to do in the near future. It was a lightbulb moment for me. And my decision was further solidified when Lorraine of  RunWifeyRun said, "Girl, this is you!"


After the 45 minute class I checked my trusty Polar and noted that I'd burned 713 calories! Perhaps you didn't read me - 713 CALORIES!!!!! What is not to love about a workout that doesn't seem like a workout and burns an amazing number of calories????? Well, Thea of Shrinking Jeans isn't convinced that this is the workout for her but I give her props for trying and Christy, the editor at Shrinking Jeans said she enjoyed the class just by watching me! 


So, my decision has been made. I'm becoming an instructor and I plan on sharing all of my adventures with you along the way. It might not always be pretty but I guarantee you this journey will be fun for you and me!


 Do you Zumba?

Luau!!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! LBR had its annual Bow Wow Luau this weekend, and I had SO much fun!! Mom and I really love going to the Luau. There's a big play area for the doggies to run around in, there's yummy food and a margarita machine that my mom seems to really love, and of course the best part -- a costume contest! Mom and I love dressing up (well, she loves it, and I love the attention I get), so we always go all out. This year, we got first place!

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip..."


Well, to be exact, I tied for first place. That's okay, I don't mind sharing my prize with the beautiful Stevie.

There was also a tricks contest! Reesey won first place for her beautiful spin and high 5!

That's not a boxer, but we don't discriminate! Aunt Kaffy brought her new bulldog Ike (on the left). He's joined by the beautiful Stevie, who wore several different outfits over the course of the evening.

Here's LBR's awesome Pack Leader, Sharon, getting in a snuggle with pretty girl Marnie.

Playtime!

This is Ike again. Mom said it's her favorite picture, even though he's not a boxer. :)

The play area was lots of fun! Heck, the whole Luau was fun, and we raised lots of money for LBR. I had to show my appreciation to the wonderful volunteers who worked so hard for us. MWAH!

Thanks for a wonderful time! See you next year!

(PS -- Don't forget to VOTE for LBR at Dr. Marty Becker's Facebook contest. We could win up to $20,000 in money and pet products! We've got some stiff competition. Please vote, and if you've already voted, please share the link with everyone you know! We're the only boxer group in the running.)

I Have Swimsuit Confidence!

This week is National Swimsuit Confidence week. I am joining Land's End and showing the world that I have confidence in my swimsuit. I have long been a fan of Lands' End, they have styles for every body shape and size. Really! When I weighed over 200 pounds I wore a Lands' End suit and I wear Lands' End now. For this campaign I was sent the suit in my photo. I LOVE IT! When I put it on I thought "I can wear this on the tennis court, to the grocery store, anywhere and no one would know I'm rocking a swimsuit!" 

This suit is perfect for when I take my son to the pool or the beach because I can run around after him without worrying about a swimsuit malfunction! LOL!  Actually, I think there are times to don a sexy two piece but when I'm in my mom role I need to be comfortable and this swimsuit fits the bill. One of the great things that I like about Land's End suits is the ability to mix and match sizes. My top is one specifically made for us DD ladies. And if you wear a size differently on the top and bottom, you can do that too. As a matter of fact, I designed my suit! I could have chosen a different bottom if I wanted to and as a matter of fact I still can. I have swimsuit confidence and love Lands' End. 

I've posted my photo in my swimsuit today and you can join the movement too! 

• Get the Twibbon – Go to http://twibbon.com/join/I-Have-Swimsuit-Confidence-2 and display the “I have swimsuit confidence!” Twibbon on your Twitter profile photo.  Send a tweet to @LandsEndPR proclaiming “I have swimsuit confidence!” #landsend for a chance to be entered to win a $500 Lands’ End gift card – winner announced May 27.

• Participate in a Week of Tweets – Mark your calendar each day May 23 – 27, 2011 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. CDST so you can join in the series of National Swimsuit Confidence Week events on Twitter. Follow @LandsEndPR and tweet at #landsend.  We will be announcing exclusive swimwear promotions, giving away great prizes and inspiring women to embrace their swimsuit beauty.

• Bloggers Join the Movement – On May 23, 2011, 21 women from Curvy Girl Guide will show off their swimsuit confidence by posting a photo in a 2011 Lands’ End Swimsuit.  You can join in by posting your swimsuit photo on May 23, 2011 to inspire your followers – send a link to libby.schmeisser@landsend.com for a chance to win one of five $100 Lands’ End gift cards.

Disclosure: I was sent a Land's End swimsuit for my participation HOWEVER this in no way influenced my opinion. As a matter of fact, I just purchased a Land's End swimsuit before my trip last month to Disney. So, yes, this lady is already a fan!

LA Ranch Style

In the 1930's the Will Rogers Ranch in Pacific Palisades, California was the height of LA Ranch Style. Rogers was an American humorist and Hollywood personality.

This is how the outside of the Ranch looked then...

The big room of the Main House -with Texas Longhorn cattle trophies, serape rugs, and Western style art and furniture.

A room in one of the wings - Note the chair in the corner

The Ranch as it looks today.

The Stables, corral and...

Stable Interior

Rogers was an avid horseman and polo player, and the Ranch is home ground for the Will Rogers Polo Club. Many of the greats of Hollywood's Golden Age once played here: Clark Gable, Walt Disney, Spencer Tracy et al.

This day it was Malibu vs. Santa Monica.

Now that's Polo Style!

Meanwhile, back at Hemispheres, a shop at 1210 Montana Avenue (Santa Monica), Ranch Style is alive and well. Their Monterey Furniture range is based on furniture pieces from the Will Rogers Ranch. They also carry Mexican serapes, Native American carpets, and a dazzling array of ikats, Chinese textiles, woodblock printed textiles...

Oriental rugs,

and rare Suzani embroidery from Central Asia.

One little "doggie's" home on the range!

Happy Trails,
Marjorie