Sweet and Simple Valentine

I'm pretty sure the cashier at Walmart thought I was a little crazy when I loaded more than 50 Tootsie Roll banks onto the conveyor belt the day after Christmas. The thing is, I knew from the moment that I saw these 50% off beauties that they would make awesome Valentine's Day treats for my boys to take to school:)

 All I needed to add was some really cute Valentine themed scrapbook paper from the Dollar Spot at Target and little bit of tulle {left over from Christmas wrapping}. I measured my Tootsie Roll bank {fyi mine was about 3 3/4 inches tall and 8 1/4 in circumference} and then used my paper cutter to cut the paper to the right size.

 I used a little bit of spray adhesive to stick the paper to the Tootsie Roll bank. You could also simply wrap the paper around the bank and tape it in place. Here's another little tip: When I  use spray adhesive, I almost always put down an old sales magazine to catch the overspray. When you spray one page, simple turn the page and you have a fresh surface for the next time. I have literally been using the same sales magazine for almost a year!

 Wrap the Tootsie Roll bank with your paper making sure to cover as much of the original packaging as possible.

 Add some cute ribbon or coordinating tulle and a heart shaped name tag, and your kiddos will be ready to pass out their sweet and simple Valentine's at school!

A Little Treat

Such a simple variation on a classic snack....

Who would have thought that the addition of some red M&M could make our average Rice Krispie Treats extra yummy and extra 'Valentine's Day' special! 

Try adding something different to your normal routine today and see what fun happens:)

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*Check back later today for a fun twist on Valentine's for your kiddos to take to their friends at school!*

Adventures in Laundry

Alternately titled: The Joys of Doing Laundry with a 2 year old!

 Yes, that is a tinker toy in my washing machine. It was found after the washing cycle was completely finished!

 At least he does help sometimes:)

Apparently this is what happens to little kids clothes when you fluff them in the dryer a little too long!

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What kind of laundry adventures have you had lately?

Wordless Wednesday: The Older Two

Unoffical Review of The Cinch 5 Day Fast Forward

**Edited to add...I totally forgot I managed to get a few pics of our yummy food from last week. Scroll down a little to see:)**

Somehow I forgot that yesterday was a holiday...which meant that the boys were out of school, Jason was off work, and we {mostly Jason} spent the long weekend working on a few home improvement projects! That also means that I didn't manage to type up the post I promised on Friday! So here is my take on the new Cinch 5 Day Fast Forward diet plan.

**disclaimer**

The first thing I have to mention is that I didn't actually read the book {it is at the top of my shopping list though}, but I do recommend the book to anyone who is going to try this diet/cleanse. I watched the Rachael Ray segment with Cynthia Sass the creator of the Cinch plan, and then I did a little research online. I tried to buy the book, but my Target didn't have it in stock. Jason & I were ready to start last Monday morning, so instead of waiting for the book to be mail or searching all over town to find it, we just worked with what we knew and took it from there.

The Basics

This is a type of cleanse that allows you to eat 5 foods for 5 days, and the program promises that you will lose 8 pounds.

From Cynthia Sass's website:

"I selected these foods because each is filling, rich in detoxifying and health-protecting nutrients, and has been scientifically shown to specifically support weight loss. You’ll eat these five superfoods in specific combinations daily for five days to give your body, mind, and taste buds a fresh start and achieve the results you need to feel motivated and confident - up to an eight pound loss in five days."

The Food

The 5 foods that you can have on this program are spinach, eggs, almonds, raspberries, and plain yogurt. Jason and I bought all these things for the week, but we did end up modifying the plan to work for us. From what I researched you are allowed:

breakfast: one egg scrambled with one cup of spinach

berries and almonds

lunch: yogurt parfait with berries and almonds

dinner: large spinach salad with berries and almonds

boiled egg

snack: yogurt smoothie with berries

Again I have to say that because I didn't read the book, this is just what I have gathered from researching online. Jason and I ended up substituting blueberries for the raspberries because we aren't fans of raspberries and we also ended up mixing half flavored yogurt with the plain yogurt because the plain was a little to bitter for us.

The Results

At the end of the 5 days, Jason was down 8 pounds and I was down 9 pounds! A huge success if you ask me! During the week, I found that I wasn't nearly as hungry as I thought I would be. I actually ended up not eating all the spinach that was allowed per day {because I wasn't a big fan and because I really wasn't that hungry}. I highly recommend this plan to anyone who wants to see quick results but also to anyone who is trying to not just lose weight, but to eat healthier too! I plan on getting the book soon so that we can start the rest of the 25 days of the Cinch diet plan!

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If you have any other questions about the diet or just want to know more before you purchase the book, there is a great Q&A section on Cynthia Sass' website HERE!

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