Review: Prevention Fitness Systems - Dance Yourself Thin

After failing at some bellydancing instructional videos that I thought would be great core body workouts, I am back with a review of Prevention Fitness Systems - Dance Yourself Thin.

I liked Marie Forleo in Crunch Cardio Dance Blast (links to my review), but this time she almost lost me with the "aye" she added to end of her counts. However, the music is not painful and with time I think I can turn down the sound and crank up my own music.

The one thing I like about her videos is she presents the moves in half-time, then up to speed, does them a few times and then adds on. I know other workouts are designed like this, but for some reason these moves are easier for me to remember and execute than any of the step aerobics combos I have tried from videos or in group fitness classes.

The street-clothes-wearing girl from Cardio Dance Blast is back and in cargo pants so if you are one who prefers that to sweats, you can do this video!

It is a 42-minute video with the following:
5-minute warm up
2-minute Isolations
15-minute afro-latin dance
15-minute reggae-funk dance
5-minute cooldown

There is no strength training component to this workout.

Also, I do not have a dance background and have no clue if these are really moves people would do in public, but it seems to serve well as a workout. It is another great home workout for those who do not have much floor space, like to dance about, do not want to drive to a gym for group fitness or change into over-priced workout clothes and want a fun workout that ranges from 25-40 minutes.

If you have workout video reviews on your blog or if you have a favorite workout video you think I should try, leave me a comment!

Link Dump

The following are link clips I've been saving in bloglines for the last couple of weeks so hopefully it is something to entertain you for 5 minutes this Monday morning...

*Love, Elsie* - a new line of scrapbooking supplies that are not targeted to soccer moms

FlyingBeds.com - Modern Murphy beds

Duct Tape Baby Bjorn - everything is better with duct tape!

Living Small in London - check out the cost of this place!

Drink Umbrella Light just for fun

Aunt Sarah Dolls - Cute for creating dolls of a relative the kids do not see that often (and I love the sleeping bag for the doll!)

Cereal on the Go - more organization stuff at dormbuys

Vintage cookbook I like the library borrower's card still in the book!

Planet M M&M character another time waster

Ode to Richard Scarry (tattoo)

99 Luftballons - a fun stuffie (I have a cupcake made by her from long ago)

Drugstore Doubles - Her book is frequently re-shelved at our library

Host It: Crafting Cacophony

kel hosted the first Crafting Cacophony Saturday and I would have gone if I didn't have to work and oh yeah, if I didn't live 2400 miles away!

She plans to host it every other month and I think it is an awesome way to create a craft time with friends! It reminds me of the Crafternoons I would have with my friends and how much fun it was to gather friends, food and crafting. One time we did it potluck style with each person bringing their dish and recipes for everyone to take and I provided the supplies for wine charms and some stamping projects.

If I could have gone to the Crafting Cacophony, I would have worked on an altered scrapbook I am making from a chunky cardboard book. Instead I worked on it at home!

(Nearly) Free Stuff: KFC Colonel's Crispy Strips

For the chicken strip lover in you (like how I steal Long John Silver's jingle to talk about KFC and Wendy's?!)

Chicken strips will practically "fly" out the doors of KFC restaurants on January 29. For one time only, at participating restaurants, KFC is offering America a free sample of the restaurant chain's signature Colonel's Crispy Strips®. The nationwide giveaway comes on the heels of news distributed to Wendy's® customers on an in-store flyer that the burger chain is removing Homestyle Chicken Strips from its menu.

Consumers who make any purchase at participating KFC restaurants on January 29 will receive a free Colonel's Crispy Strip® with their order, while supplies last.

[Source: KFC Press Release]

Random: Fave Songs

Elsie at A Beautiful Mess posted about hellogoodbye, which was a song we missed at trivia the other night even though I have heard Here in Your Arms, so after replying I thought I would post some fave songs from the artists I like.

I put links to their MySpace pages because you can stream whole songs, but you can find the song clips at iTunes, some videos on YouTube and samples from blogs through the Hype Machine.

• You are What You Love - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins (I like the whole album)
• Punk Rocker - Teddybears (another whole album I like)
• Austraila - The Shins (always good albums)
• Fidelity - Regina Spektor
  
• Young Folks - Peter Bjorn & John
  
• Kaboom - Ursula 1000 (I find it really annoying and rude when someone leaves a comment with an auto-load music clip on another's MySpace page, like "Laura" did on Jan 18 to this page. Scroll down and stop her player.)
• The Prayer - Bloc Party (I still love hearing Banquet on my workout mix)
• Smile - Lily Allen
  
• I Don't Feel Like Dancing - Scissor Sisters
• The Sweetest Escape - Gwen Stefani (the whooo-hoo-wheee-hoos get stuck in my head)

Me = Blingo Winner

My pal at Plain Mabel (which is closing 3/31/07, scoop up the goodness while it lasts) was a winner on Blingo and since she signed up under me, I am a winner, too!

According to the FAQ, Blingo has given away 36,451 prizes, to date. I know it has been around at least a year.

If you would like to sign up under me and begin amassing your army of friends who will win for you, click the button below (that is totally not how I would pose, but I did not like the manly figures). Or if you shun affiliate links, just strip the ID off.

Of course in order to win, then you actually have to use Blingo :)

Update: Amazon Marketplace

Within five days, I have sold the four books I listed on Amazon Marketplace. Given that it is the beginning of the semester for most programs and students have decided whether they want the books for the classes is a good part of the quickness of sales.

All but one of my books were purchased new by me (not by choice, but that profs were using new books or editions) and did not have dog-ear corners or writing in them. I listed them as used, but like new and priced them just under the already lowest price, which ended up being just under the price I paid for them. I'm guessing the other higher prices were campus bookstore-like enterprises since they tend to price high.

Even after Amazon's cut, I ended up getting more than I would have if I sold them to students on my school's listserv because others had already priced theirs low and I did not think I would get my higher price. I was slightly annoyed when I found out some of the profs were not using these editions anymore so no one from my school's listserv were going to buy them, but it led to an alternatives means for selling them. I'm glad it worked out this way!

Veering from textbooks, I was looking on Amazon for reviews of this workout DVD I bought because it looked interesting, I had a gift card and it was the cheapest one at $12.99. One used copy is available on Amazon Marketplace for $79.99(!!). I do not remember there being another copy, but if I thought there was I would go back and get it and list it for a lower price and see what happens!

Make It: Lunchbag Album

I've given one of my projects away so now I can post a photo!

I prefer to open gifts as they are brought in so the gifter can share in my joy and I can immediately thank her (I send thank notes, too). I squirm when guests have to sit in a circle and watch the guest of honor open her gifts. I realize it is done with the good intention that all guests can see the all the gifts, but I think it puts people on the spot for being judged for the gift they give.

Saturday was my friend's birthday party, I left my gift on the gift table, but after a few hours she did not open any so I took it over to her to open so we could laugh about yesteryear (sigh). It ended up getting passed around and was scutinized by other party guests, which was odd because none would be able to understand the comments or why many of the photos were taken.

I previously made a lunchbag book so this is similar in that I used jumbo lunchbags, paper, ribbon and recycled cardboard for the pullout pages (that go in the pockets that are created when you fold the bags) to create an album, not a story. On the back, I glued the invitation because it was pretty and I would have thrown it out. I used to save favorite invites, but with my new clutter-free life, there is no room!

Snow Day!

Finally more than a dusting of snow!

I was going to take more photos but I didn't want to scare away the deer in the backyard. I used the 6x zoom on my new digicam to get one photo of the deer, which was tough because they were pretty well hidden behind the trees.

I made pancakes for breakfast because it was a good day to stay and lounge on a full belly!

What's in Your Grocery Basket?

By way of Vegan Diva, I saw the meme for What's in Your Grocery Basket? hosted by the Food Maven:

I thought it would be fun to have a one day event where we all share what we bought during one trip to the store.

To participate:

* List everything you bought, even the potentially embarrassing bits
* How much you spent
* Share where you shopped
* Post a picture (if possible)
* Send me a link to the post to my email address : coconutlimeblog @ gmail . com
* Post by January 25th, and the round up will be here on Jan. 27th.

I'm not sure if I'll be shopping before the deadline, but it sounds like fun! Spending the day with my grandma, I learned she likes shopping at this one particular store, but she always comes home with more than she needs. It must be where I get it from. She ended up sending me home (actually to work) with an iced-down cooler with enough food for a complete dinner for at least 3 people!

Free Stuff: Noxzema® Triple Clean Blackhead Cleanser

Boston Gal posted the Noxzema® Triple Clean Blackhead Cleanser free offer.

Textbooks = SOLD

I listed four textbooks on Amazon Marketplace and within a few hours 2 sold! I'm excited because I listed six books on my school's listserv and only sold one, gave one away (it was a pay-it-forward freebie I got from another student with the instruction to pass it on free to another classmate) so even though I had to pay fees, two sold quickly and it is less STUFF in my possession! I hope there is another program who will be using the two books still listed and will buy them.

I would have used half.com since I have an ebay account, but in order to verify my account I had to verify checking account information, which was not an account I have or had. I have never used half.com so I emailed their customer service last week to ask for another way to verify their account but still have not heard from them.

Craft Mates Organizer

At the store, I was checking out the Ezy Snappin' Organizer from Craft Mates because it is a cool way to keep all your small supplies (beads, buttons, eyelets, etc) in one place with less risk of spilling all the contents at once.

The mega has 28 compartments that fit into a canvas covered, snap-close binder. I like that each compartment can be opened individually unlike other divided plastic storage in which the whole lid opens and all compartments are accessible.

The compartment caddies can be locked or you can remove the lock, which I probablywould do since opening each one in the store (testing) proved to be really tricky and I could see if they had been filled it would have caused beads to fly out everywhere.

The one at Michaels was $14.95 so I would use a 40% off coupon for sure!

Free Stuff: Viactive Flavor Glides (Dietary Supplements)

New VIACTIV® FLAVOR GLIDES™ Dietary Supplements are the first and only caplet to have a smooth, flavored coating — so they go down easily when you swallow.

My sister once gave me samples of the Viactiv Calcuim Supplement, which I thought tasted like a Tootsie Roll!

Wal-Mart also has a sample of Digestive Advantage™ Lactose Intolerance Therapy available at this time.

Random Bits & Bobs

I have not had much to blog about lately because I am not spending money and the projects I am working on are gifts so I do not want to spoil the surprise by posting photos. Instead, I will share some random things/thoughts from the last week...

1) I was so excited when my mom said gas was under $2 per gallon. Then, I looked at CincyGasPrices and saw there are some stations with gas for $1.92/gallon.

2) It's time to shop around for car insurance and see if I am getting the best deal. The last two times, Geico did not save me money on my insurance.

3) I still do not like the new Target weekly online ad. The only tempting item since Christmastime, has season 2 of The Office for $25. If you are interested, the Global Bazaar is back and I figure in 4 or 5 weeks that stuff should be clearanced to make room for Spring home & garden stuff. If it is anything like last year, what is left will be snapped up in hours.

4) My parents had a gift card for Media Play, which is out of business, but redeemable at Suncoast Video. I am glad I went when I did, because it was an "all sales final" purchase of The Office season 1 DVD since that store location is closing next week. I'm guessing the whole chain is not closing because nothing was priced to move off the shelves.

5) Speaking of TV series on DVD, I have watched Nip / Tuck season 1 and half of season 2. Although the library does not have The Office, I am thankful I am able to catch up on a series that my friends have been watching from the beginning and cannot believe I have not been.

6) Finally, in talking with coworkers about the latest PostSecret book and what a novel idea of taking submitted work and turning it into a book, I asked my coworker if she has been approached (or has she shopped) for a book deal about her Academy Award doll dresses.

Happy National De-Lurking Week!

I did not know such a week existed, but apparently there is a celebration for everything.

I'm off to lurk on Myspace ;)

Free Stuff: KFC Buffalo Snacker

A unique Buffalo KFC Snacker commercial will air during "American Idol" on Jan. 17 (8:00 PM ET/PT). Spot the subtle difference between that ad and the current commercial and you could win a free Buffalo KFC Snacker sandwich (tax not included). The first 10,000 sharp-eyed viewers who correctly identify the difference will win. Learn more at www.kfc.com.

I have not seen the current commercial, not that it would matter because a) I do not watch America Idol except for certain guest performers and b) it took me way too long to figure out the riddle that a favorite rush hour sandwich is a trafffic jam. or something like that.

Use It: Your Library

It's been a while since I reminded you to use your public library, afterall, it exists for you!

In the last four weeks since I finished school I have borrowed:
9 books
7 audio books (online downloads so I didn't even have to leave home for them)
24 DVDs (includes movies, TV series and workouts)
3 CDs

Given my reluctance to spend money on stuff that might create clutter, I cannot claim a vast savings, but I can figure that I enjoyed materials valued at over $600 at no cost to me (I am very diligent about returning items on time not just so I am not fined, but so that they are available for others to enjoy as well).

I challenge you to visit your library (get a jump start by searching your library's online catalog), find materials that appeal to you and treat yourself to something free (return it on time)!

Declutter: Photos

This photo illustrates why I love my digital camera so much. I have 3 boxes of prints, negatives and photo CDs from the days before I had a digi-cam. In my continuing effort to declutter my life, I have weeded them down to 2 boxes. The piles on the left are doubles that I can give to friends and the pile on the right will be trashed since they are photos of people I don't know or just bad photos (doubled).

While I accomplished the 2 box feat, I am questioning why I will keep the negatives since even if I took the time to identify the negatives, I do not forsee a time when I will want a re-print. I haven't in the past. At the same time, I feel a little odd just throwing them out so I will probably keep them until I organize my pre-college photos into albums and then re-visit the issue.

At least with a digital camera I end up only keeping the really good, usable photos so I eliminate uploading, printing and storing photos that are blurry, dark, overexposed or a finger on the lens. I feel organzied and not bogged down with more STUFF!

Meme: 3 Things

Seeing a response to my last meme, I was reminded that I have not completed this this meme from Larae for a good while. Finally, here it is. More useless information about me.

1.Things that scare me:
When someone sneaks up behind me
Crazy drivers
Dreams where I lose my teeth

2. People who make me laugh:
My family
My friends
Michael Scott (The Office)

3. Things I hate the most: (hate is a strong word, so consider these annoyances)
when my socks slide down into my shoes
people with bad breath who are nearly out of breath so they're panting large volumes of their gnarly breath *gag*
impatience

4. Things I don't understand:
Mumblers
languages I don't speak
people who expect me to read their minds and get frustrated when I can't!

5. Things I'm doing right now:
thinking (just barely)
typing
coughing

6. Things I want to do before I die:
travel
invent something
use up all my craft supplies so someone doesn't carelessly throw them out :(

7. Things I can do:
make people laugh
make things
bake

8. Ways to describe my personality:
honest
funny
inquisitive

9. Things I can't do:
I've already admitted to not being a mind reader
hula hoop (I've lost my knack)
find a willingness to spend money on wrapping paper, make the gift look nice knowing that the person is just going to rip it to shreds

10. Things I think you should listen to:
your gut instinct
thunderstorms
the bob & sheri podcast

11. Things you should never listen to:
toxic people
guilt-trip givers
songs by Hinder

12. Things I'd like to learn:
I've got a whole bunch of things I'm still learning so rather than add to the list, so I don't want to add to the list

13. Favorite foods:
my mom's pork roast
toffee chip ice cream
Italian chicken pizza

14. Beverages I drink regularly:
water
beer
coca-cola

15. Shows I watched as a kid:
Small Wonder
Growing Pains (have you seen Ben in the new McDonald's commercial?!)
Brady Bunch

Open tag, if you want to play, just leave me a comment so I can visit your list :)

Free Stuff: Olay Definity

Walmart has free samples for Olay Definity, Celestial Seasonings and some shampoos, if you did not get those a while back.

Contest: Win a $50k Wedding

I've been sick the last couple of days and every morning I try to jazz myself up by listening to the local radio station because the personalities are laughable. They are promoting this $50k wedding for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky couples (or I guess those who want to have a wedding in this area) to which I say what in the world are you getting for $50,000?!

The web site lists it all.

I wonder how many people that $20k reception covers and what it includes? I've been to a wedding at that establishment and while nice it was not over-the-top impressive to me, but then again the neatest reception I attended was on a farm (Hi M!)!

And who knew that a chocolate fountain for 200 people cost $625?

Although I am not engaged or would be interested in such a prize, I am competitive when it comes to contests and wonder if I could wage an online campaign to win a contest like this?! I know a couple of the message boards I read have had members request for other member to consider voting for them in an online contest and have won. I do believe a former coworker lost a contest (a wedding one, no less) by a hair to another couple that had people from a message board voting for them daily.

I should probably get back to resting before I sound too silly.

Review: Crunch - Cardio Dance Blast

Happy New Year! With that many people will flood the gyms that next few weeks hoping to stick with a workout plan so I thought I would check out some workout videos and give my review.

Crunch-Cardio Dance Blast is a fun workout, possibly not the most challenging workout but if you are at home and want to do something a little fun but do not have a lot of floor space this is a good pick. The host is not overly annoying and her back-ups are wearing street clothes. I did this workout on carpet in sneakers, but I think I would try it in socks since there is a bit of pivoting on the ball of your feet and that does not work well if you have rubber sole sneakers on carpet. On the otherhand, it could be dangerous if you do not have sturdy feet so do not take my note as advice and injury yourself.

As for the actual workout, she gives you a warm up, 6 dances and a cooldown and she shows you all the moves so if you think you have two left feet, like me, you should not have too much trouble learning the moves and then putting them all together. Like most workout videos, onces you master one sequence it is time to learn another. This does not have anything in the way of strength training, but if you want a fun workout at home and don't have much floor space, try this video!

This would have been a great workout video for 2005 in which my resolution was to do more dancing because I could have used some of these moves!