Because I Said So!!! Mom Knows Best!

A few years ago I realized things were going south.
It wasn't just the jobs and Homeowners in Michigan
who were heading for the bottom of the map, it was
parts of my own body as well. Um, let's just say things
that used to be in one place now have relaxed a little
bit and no longer have very good posture. It did not
matter how much I dieted or how closely I counted
calories. I could survive on one celery stalk and a
carrot every single day for the rest of my life and
the girls were still going to pack up their bags and
leave. Other parts of my body that used to be a little
more defined now resembled a Jello Commercial
and every time I looked in the mirror I swear I could
hear Old Bill himself telling me if I had not saved so
much room for Jello I might not be able to watch
it Wiggle and see it Jiggle so much now.

The sad truth of it is somewhere after
30 you have to exercise to keep fit. No fads, no tricks,
no creams and there isn't a magic pill that will keep
your body in shape. If you do not find an exercise plan
you can stick to your body will slide down the the
southern Territory's as mine did.
When I turned 39 I knew I needed to take
action and take it fast. Could I reverse the damage? I
really didn't know but if I didn't halt it in its tracks I would
soon be hooking my Bra and tying my shoes at the same
time. I started to walk. My dog loved it, I read it was the
best exercise there was and since I have some back issues
I needed something very low impact and my choices were limited.
I had walking or swimming to choose from and unless I planned
to join the Polar Bear club in Michigan you just don't swim in
the winter. I took the walking seriously and still do it today although
not as far but even doing it a couple of times a day I was
not seeing the changes I had hoped for. My legs and buns
were great. Tone was back, I had shape again but the walking
did nothing for the Girls and Jiggle mountain. I needed another
answer so I choose Yoga. A few months ago I bought
a Matt for things went from bad to worse with the birth
of my daughter and I gave it a whirl. Truth? I am not sure
if I like it yet for it centers on the premise you can
relax and focus and I have a hard time with those two
ditty's. My other problem was finding clothes to wear that I
was not always picking at and pulling out of
places they did not belong and well, were comfortable
to work out in. I needed some help.
I tried sweat pants and T-shirts but they were always getting
hooked here and there and Yoga encompasses a lot
of different poses and some of these poses left me
exposed and I know I heard the dog giggling at me.
I decided to find some Yoga gear. I mean Yoga is
popular so there has to be places that cater to the people
who practice it, right? Boy was that a daunting
search. Everything I saw was either too flashy, too
glittery or would only look good on a figure that did not
need to work out in the first place. I was not interested
in Fad clothing or half shirts for all they did was give
the world a birds eye view of Mount Jiggles and I would
love to know what Rocket Scientist thought Spandex
and Nylon made good work out gear. By the time I am
done walking to the corner in workout clothes made from
either material I am dripping in sweat so bad I have to
peel the clothes off of me when I get home. I know, I know,
you are supposed to sweat when you work out but I
don't want to bathe in it. Was I going to have to workout
naked to get the results I wanted? Please, someone help
the world for if you happened to peek in my window
you would go blind. I left the door open a crack once and
the mail man came and a few weeks later I saw him on a
milk carton. Did I do that?





Then I found Be Present. A company that makes
clothing for real people who are really serious about what
they do and are not in it to flaunt their tone body's in
a public display. Everything on their site is casual comfort
that is pleasing to the eye with out screaming its design
out loud. Bottom line is I can wear it and be myself, not
a 40 year old trying to recapture her youth or wear her
daughters clothes. Even the items that have a design on
them are subtle and not too flashy. Some have the Chakra's
on them but instead of being in your face they are tastefully
located and are in pleasant comforting hues. The clothes
them self are comfortable to wear and my biggest fear now
is they are too comfortable and I am going to end up in them
24 -7 and the rest of my wardrobe will sit neglected.
I was also impressed by the fact they were designed
for working out. No bunching, no scrunching and
they did not cling so tight to my body I felt like I was
going to suffocate if I took to deep a breath. The shirt
I was sent, The Renew Raglan Sleeve Tunic has extra
wide cuffs that do not slide up your wrists or arms
where you feel the need to constantly adjust them.
They waist is the same way and has a large enough
band that no matter how many times you bend, twist
or Lord of the Dance ( a Yoga pose) Mount Jiggles is
not going to make even the briefest appearance. The last
thing I found that really made my day is the fact they
use a Breath Weave Design. This is the next generation
in wicking fiber and what that means is no matter
how much you sweat this material with soak it up and
leave your skin dry. Isn't it funny that Spandex and Nylon
alone make rivers run down your back but add some of
the wonder cloth Cotton and your are dry as the Sahara.
So to sum Be Present up I have to tell you that no matter
what your age, your style or if you are intense about
working out or just looking for something comfortable
to wear around the house they have you covered.
It was the perfect mix of trendy and subtle that
helped me decide to give Yoga another try!





Do you like Yoga? How about looking good and
feeling comfortable and great? Then Be Present has something
awesome for you. They are going to give one of my readers
the very same shirt they sent me. The Renew Raglan Sleeve Tunic
is so comfortable you might just not care that under it is your
own Mount Jiggles! To enter just go to their site and come
back here and post what your favorite product is? The contest
will start today, December 15th and run to midnight on
January 20th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.

Be Present

Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or
post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.

2. Enter any of my other contest. I entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.

Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Yo Baby and Princereigns Contests!

I grew up with my Grandparents and they
were pretty much retired when I came around so
I got the chance to be pretty spoiled. We had a summer
home in Northern Michigan on a lake called Black Lake.
It was gorgeous and there is not a day of my life that goes by
where I do not miss my time there. We lived right on the lake and I
spent every day on water one way or another. I was also third the
generation Female in my family and the only daughter of an only
daughter so when I showed on the scene my Grandfather was pretty
much like heck with this, no boys, she is going to be my boy
no matter what. The results? I grew up a total tomboy and lived
my life swinging in tree's, playing with bugs, tromping through the
woods and fishing. Every single morning I would break out my
gear and walk down to the lake and catch some fish.



By 8 I had my own tackle and poles and by 10 I was taking
it pretty serious. I could catch as many as 50 perch in a single
morning and after every 4 or 5 I would run up the hill and tell
my Grandmother. Now she loved fish and I could see her pulling out
the metal frying pan and bag of Cornmeal with a big Ole smile on
her face and never put two and two together that she wanted to
cook them. The other thing about me is I loved all wildlife and
could not kill a thing. After a successful haul I would drag my
Bucket up the hill and show her how crowded it was with Perch,
Rock bass, Sunfish and the like and as soon as she reached for them
I would run right back down the hill and dump them in the
lake and wonder why they floated and didn't swim away.
(Lesson to rookie fisher people, fish kept in a plastic bucket for
more then a few hours do not live) Depressed I would go back to
the house and cry to my Grandmother who would assure me
tomorrow they would make it to the house.


She thought I never let her cook them because they had
already died


I thought she wanted to help me return them to the lake.


It wasn't until I was much older I realized her plans were
to have a fish fry all along. I would have been appalled.


Now when my son was around 6 I realized he had never been
fishing. Unlike me, who had my Grandparents to spend all
my time with, Andrew lived a life shuttled between two
parents who worked and by the time we had some free
time it was already over. This would not do. I packed up
the car with our clothes and did not even have poles
for mine had been up North when they sold the house
and drove. I drove out into the country and decided I was not
going to stop until I got to a place that was perfect for fishing.
I wasn't even looking at a map and didn't really have a clue
but come hell or high water that boy was going to fish. About
5 hours later I passed a sign for a Lake, the a bridge over
a small river, then another and another all with in a few
miles and knew this must be some sort of water system
and that's when I saw the sign for a Damn. Now Damns off of rivers
that are close to Lakes are a perfect place to catch all kinds
of fish. One side of the Damn offers you game fish for its
always super deep and the other has your starter fish and Bass.
( I always think of Perch and Rock bass and Sunfish as the starter
fish for all you have to do is show them a worm and you caught
one) I stopped at the next gas station and asked where the
closest place I could get a fishing License was and he directed
me to a Walmart up the road a spell ( when you are in the country
you have to speak the language!) At that Walmart I bought
my license and they had starter kits for fishing too. Like ready
made packs that had a pole, a tackle box and some gear. I
grabbed us two and some worms, stopped at a Motel and got
us a room for the weekend and then at KFC and got us a dinner
pack and we went back to the Damn. I created a monster.
I don't think Andrew knew where we were, ( somewhere south
of Elkhart Indiana) and not sure he even remembers we sat at a
Damn all weekend, but he sure remembers the fish and the
pole and the gear and has most of it still. He has evolved since
then and has a lot more gear, his Dad has a Bass boat, his poles
are everywhere and he doesn't go with me very often anymore
but has a network of Fishing buddies from Friends and Family
and even by himself since we live 2 miles from the
River. The Little Tackle Box has been replaced by some
Goliath and I can't count his poles for they are so numerous and
they even include salt water ( though the closest ocean is
a 2 day drive) Deep water and so on. Reels are just as bad.
He has what was left of my lure collection and so many more
he needed to get another tackle box for Goliath wasn't big enough.
He has also expanded to other outdoor sports. Target practice,
the shooting range, he just started Skeet last year and got
his first shot gun for his 16th Birthday ( that is at his Dads, Mom
is anti gun!) and I hear he is a natural and a super shot!
When I spoke to Glacier Outdoors I didn't tell him for
I would not put it past him to play sick and stay home
to the day it got here. When he was 12 I got him a Camel
Back and you would have thought I gave him the keys
to the city and he wouldn't take the thing off for 3 weeks.

"Andy, you are walking the dog why are you wearing your


Camel back?"


"Might get thirsty Mom."


Andy, it's only the corner store and less then a block."


"Mom, Dehydration is a bad bad thing. You want me to take
that chance?"


You see what I live with? Well this item is so much cooler
then a Camel Back so I didn't want to take that chance.
When the box came I read the label first and didn't open it.
I wanted him to so I could see his face. When he got home I
was feeding Rowan, ( pretty much any time you walk in the house
I am, that girl can eat!) so I told him I had a product review that
was on the table and would he mind opening it for me. He sighed
and went to the box.


" You don't want me to be a Guinea Pig for you again do you?"


"Well, if you don't want to I can have someone else. I just


thought you might like this one. But, (DRAMATIC SIGH) never mind,
I could do this one myself."


"You hate having your picture taken!"


"Yeah, but it's cool."


"Fine."


He bust open the box and found himself staring at it, well
the back of it.


"Great, a back pack. I told you I don't need one for school
anymore."


"Take it out of the box."


He did and his eyes got a little bigger when he saw the front.
Then the tag. Then it hit him.


"Is this one of those....."


"Yes."


"But you said I had too much and not this year?"


"Yes, but they asked if we would review it and I couldn't think
of a person more perfect for this review."


"HOW COOL!"


Now those are words I never get out of him anymore. As he sat
flipping through the pockets and giving it the 360 with a big
old smile on his face I knew this would make a perfect gift
for any hunter, fisher or hiker. If this can bring a smile to a
16 year old's face who thinks the world is nothing but chaos
and people who just don't understand him and every other
emotion a sullen teen goes through it would work wonders
on my Husband or any man with a pension for sports, sports
gadgets or gear.I am not sure how it works in the field yet for
he called Dad about 15 minutes after the picture was
taken to have him come and fetch him to get one more
Fishing trip in before winter. I have not heard from
either of them since but when he left the things was
jammed packed with everything he said he needed. To
the point of busting packed and I asked if he really needed
everything in the pack how did he survive before he got
it and he told me that he just always felt so un-prepared.
I guess he still does have a sense of humor. I thought
he lost that at 14. When his Dad came they had to tear through
the whole thing and I felt like I was watching a couple of
5 year old's on Christmas morning. He had a flashlight?
For? Who knows? and his hunting knife, the new lures he
got for his birthday. And extra reel for salt water. Again, For?
He had more stuff in that pack then I do in Rowans diaper
bag and my purse combined. I am thinking he loves it!


Now as a shopper I wanted to make sure this was a
great gift before I ran off and got one for my super Jealous
husband who really wants to know when he is going to test
something really cool too. I did my trusty old research and here
is a little of what I found. The combo pack is pretty much two
separate products for the price of one. The pack is from
Glacier Glove and one of Glacier outdoors premium
packs that is lined with water resistant fleece and has tons
of storage room and rod holders and bright interior lining
for increased visibility. ( a mom and wife worry about that!)
It has form fitting straps and I was amazed at how light it
is. To get this much storage space I have had to buy hiking
packs before and those are so heavy that once I ruined my
back I could no longer wear them, this pack to me is as
light as a child's school pack and I was tickled pink for I am
going to borrow it for a reason I will list in a minute. I might
have to pry it from Andrews vice like grip but borrow it I will!
Another cool feature is the chest pack can not only hook to
any back pack you have so if you have lots of stuff like my
boys you can keep them on the ready for different reasons
then just hook the front pack to them and run out the door
without having to move all your gear from one to the other.
It also hooks to a life vest! Now that is cool. I can see my
son ( and husband ) now telling me they can't wear the life-vest
because of the backpack they must wear and not just keep in
the boat and I can proudly inform them to just unhook the front
pack with all the necessity's and hook it to the vest! No excuses,
happy Mom. The last thing I found as a need to know is if you
are not going far or don't want the back pack part on due to heat
or just to lazy to lug it you can wear the front pack alone.
It will hook on all by itself and has much more room then
a waist pack. Cool beans!


Last of all why I want to borrow it. I know Glacier Outdoors,
big, strong tuff sports guys that they are might cringe when they
see this but I can't help it, it needs to be said.This is perfect
for a Mom or Dad on a day trip anywhere with the kids. Next time
you go to the State Fair, or a Nature reserve, or the Cider Mill
or anywhere that there is walking and you are tired to death
of dragging 732 different bags and other items you can
just tuck everything in this pack. The front feature will allow
you to hold bottles, and diapers and little baggies of Goldfish
crackers and other "Must Have" items for traveling with kids
and not have to stop, set a bag down and dig. It is right there
at your finger tips. In the back part you can store extra items
to wear if the weather changes or whatever else you need.
I love this idea and if Andrew does not let me borrow it, face
it he has 100 pounds on me and can lift an Abrams Tank, I can
only do so much to get my way, I might just go and get one for
me for that reason alone. I am sure Graco and other baby
places are kicking themselves right now wondering why they
didn't think of this!

Last but not least I have some great news to share
with you. Since this is a Brand new item Glacier Outdoors
wants to share it with one of you! That's right, you heard me,
you can win one of these babies for you house. If your guys
use it for hunting or fishing or you claim it for yourself
and use it for the kids is up to you but the one thing that
is the same is this is one awesome product! The contest will
start today December 12th and run to January 13th at Midnight.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.


http://www.glacieroutdoor.com/index.php


Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or
post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.

2. Enter any of my other contests. 1 entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times. Blog about it on Glacier
Outdoors Blog and get 3 bonus entries.
Please post 8 times and leave the link
here in your post.


5. Follow Glacier Outdoors on Twitter and post your
user name here. 5 entries, please post 5 times.

6. Follow Glacier Outdoors on Face Book. 5 entries.
Please post 5 times.


Now that is a lot of ways to enter but this pack
has a retail value of 149.99 and worth every penny!



Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Fiji Water and Lily Me Contests.