3/24/17: Jenny Craig Progress

Disclosure:  I was given a 50% discount on my food for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.
I have been on Jenny Craig since mid-November and I am so happy to report that I am now down 41 pounds!*  I am finally feeling more like myself.  This picture may not seem like a big deal but to me it was the first picture that I had posted to social media of myself in a long time.

This was a huge step for me as I was so unhappy with how I looked for so long I wouldn't post any pictures of me.  I was so excited to let my husband know yesterday that a shirt he bought me for Christmas now fit!  I recently also started buying some new clothes and realized I went down two sizes in shirts and three sizes in pants!*

 When I went to my doctor she was so happy to see my progress.  This program is so easy for me to stay on.  Amazingly every week since November I have had a loss in my weight.  Some of my favorites foods are the cinnamon rolls, and Cheesy Chicken and Potatoes are really yummy.  There are even options for breakfast that are bars and easy to take on the go.

Check out all of their food here.  

The Cookies and Cream cake is so good too!

I also have added workouts in to my weekly routine which is helping me in my journey.  I have been doing interval training on the treadmill and trying to increase my steps.  Right now they have a promotion going on to lose 17 pounds or get 12 weeks of Jenny Craig for $17!  Also if you refer friends you get $25 off food.  Feel free to mention my name Gilda A. if you join.  There are several Membership Options, here you can shop plans.  There is even a monthly option.  You can learn how it works here.

I will keep updating you on my journey to a new more confident Gilda.  
Do you have a little or a lot to lose?  Try them out!

Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jennycraig

Follow them on Twitter:  @jennycraig

Follow them on Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/jennycraiginc/

*Note:  Results not typical.  Members following the Jenny Craig program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs. per week.  I received promotional consideration.

3/23/17: Boston Celtics Family Packs

I have loved the Boston Celtics since I was a kid and it is so exciting to share my husband's and my love with the kids.  I recently learned about the Boston Celtics Family Packs which is an awesome and affordable way to take the kids to the game!  The Family Pack includes: 4 balcony tickets, 2 Club Green Kids gifts, Meet and Greet with Lucky and a $20 credit towards concessions or merchandise at TD Garden.

When you purchase the Family Pack you are sent directions on how to claim your gifts.  At the beginning of the game we were instructed to go to Section 15 to pick up the gift items and $20 credit and were also provided information on the time for the meet and greet with Lucky.  The gift bags can be seen here and included the cool light up glasses, cup, and frisbee.

Lucky was super nice and spun the ball on his finger.

The kids were so excited for the game.  Evan loves to play basketball and has been playing since he was in Kindergarten.  He had only been to one game and Lauren had never been to a game.

Here is Lauren trying out the Snapchat filters for the Celtics.

If you tag your pictures on Instagram and Twitter with #LetsGoCeltics you can get on to the jumbo tron.  Here is our picture up there.

This is before the game.

There is so much excitement and fun during basketball games.  The energy is palpable.  We were seated in Loge seats, Family Pack tickets are in the Balcony.

Here is a little video to get a feel of the fun of the live game.

Evan was really excited to see Isaiah Thomas.  He is his favorite player.  Here he is shooting a free throw.

We had such a blast!  Plus the Celtics won!

Kids can also register for Club Green Kids which has lots of great perks:

http://www.nba.com/celtics/clubgreen/kids

There are still Family Pack tickets available and they start at only $99 for the whole pack!  Check them out here:  http://www.nba.com/celtics/tickets/family-packs

Disclosure:  I was provided with four tickets to the game and the Celtics Family Pack items for promotional purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

3/15/17: Win 4 Tickets to Peppa Pig at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium

CONTEST CLOSED:  CONGRATULATIONS CARLY H FOR WINING!
I am beyond excited to share another awesome giveaway!  This time I am giving my readers an opportunity to win 4 tickets to Peppa Pig Live at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on April 25th at 6:00 pm!

You can get Tickets here.

More about the Show:

More fun than a muddy puddle! Peppa Pig is hitting the road for her first-ever U.S. theatrical tour, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash! 

 The original production features Peppa, George, and all their friends in an all-singing, all-dancing adventure full of songs, games and muddy puddles! 

 Enter below to win four tickets to the show!

Disclosure: I was provided with a set of four tickets to Peppa Pig Live for promotional purposes. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own. a Rafflecopter giveaway

3/9/17: Circus 1903 in Boston at the Boch Center Wang Theatre

I love taking my children to the theater.  When I heard that Circus 1903 was coming to Boston I knew we had to go.  This is the first time this show is coming to the East Coast and you should make it a point to go.  But hurry it will only be at the Boch Center Wang Theatre until 12th.

There were some fun places to take pictures in the lobby.

One of the highlights for the kids were the puppet Elephants.  They really were glorious.  So nice to see a Circus with no live animals.

All show photos credit Mark Turner

Here is a discount code to save 25% on tickets to see CIRCUS 1903 – The Golden Age of Circus at the Boch Wang Theatre! 

Visit http://www.bochcenter.org/buy/show-listing/circus-1903 and enter code MOMS to buy your discounted tickets.  

Discount applies to all performances, while supplies last.  Valid on all levels, excluding Orchestra Pit.

Here is the schedule for the whole show:  http://www.circus1903.com/tickets/tour

The show had so many great acts.  Plus I loved the interludes by the Ring Master.  There was one part with kids he brought up on stage that was hilarious.  

I am always amazed at how performers can balance on these boards with cans at the bottom.

The high wire act was really cool too.

We loved these guys jumping and flipping on the board.  They were amazing and definitely did some flips I had never seen before.

The juggler was pretty extraordinary.  The speed at which he juggled was amazing!

The aerialist was also pretty awesome making everything she did look effortless.  You can tell all of these performers have been practicing their art for years and years to perfect it.  This is just a sampling of some of the acts, make sure to go to see the show and see what amazing things can be done on a bicycle, the strength of two people while they flip through the air thanks to the other person, and so much more!

 Here is a sneak peek of the show.

Make sure to get your tickets now for Circus 1903!

Disclosure:  I was provided with four tickets for my family and four tickets for giveaway for promotional purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

3/3/17: Harlem Globetrotters Magic Pass and Game

We recently were fortunate enough to go to the Harlem Globetrotters and had a chance to experience the Magic Pass!  What a blast!

The Magic Pass is an opportunity to meet players, learn tricks and shoot before the game.  The experience is a half hour and is an hour and a half before the game.  The Magic Pass is $22 per person and I believe it is well worth it.  They also limit how many Magic Passes they sell.

 We got to the Tsongas about a half hour before the Magic Pass started.  You give your tickets for both the Magic Pass and Game and then get to enter the court.

Once the Magic Pass starts there are lanes for each player.  Some you go up and meet a player and they will give you an autograph.

With other players you can learn a trick.  In my video you can see Evan spinning the ball on his finger.  Here he is with Moose.

 Here is Moose giving him an autograph.

They met Cager too.  This was not the same person that was in the game.  The real Cager was super tall.  I believe he was over 7 feet! 

Here you can see Cager in the game.  It was so funny watching him shoot as he could literally just put the ball right in to the net.

 You could also shoot basketballs and pose in this funny sign.

Plus even see what the Harlem Globetrotters uniforms look like on.

We were able to get to all 6 players in the 30 minutes.  They did add 5 minutes at the end of the thirty.  I am not sure if that is a normal occurrence or just because they still had lines for players.  We met 6 out of the 9 players from the team.

You can also get autographs and meet players after the game for free however this is also timed and it is not organized in to lines.  You basically have to wait at each player going around the court.  Here you can see some video of the Magic Pass and the Game.

The game is so much fun and so entertaining for the kids.  Here you can see Bull standing on the net.

 The tricks and the shots they do are amazing with some silliness in between.

 Here is Fire Fly in the stands near us.

 If you have never been to a Harlem Globetrotters game you should definitely go to one.

Check out tickets and more information here:  http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/

Disclosure:  I received a Four Pack of tickets to a Harlem Globetrotters game and tickets for the Magic Pass through the Tsongas Arena and Harlem Globetrotters in exchange for this promotional post.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

3/1/17: Tubing Fun at Nashoba Valley

Last week was school vacation week and I needed to keep the kids entertained.  We have never been tubing and decided we needed to try it out.  Living in New England means cold winters and lots of snow so you might as well enjoy it.  We headed to the Tubing Park at Nashoba Valley and had a blast!

We first drove to Nashoba Valley Ski Area and learned quickly that we were at the wrong place.  As you enter there is a sign to tell you that the Tubing Park is at a different location less than a mile away.  So we turned around and headed over to the right place.

Now we knew we were at the right place.  We went up to the ticket booth and tickets are done in 2 hour increments.  You will receive a tag with the time that your tubing ends.  You will also need to fill out a waiver for tubing, you can sign when you get there or do it before online.

We were ready to go!

Walk a small distance and you can get your tube.

You pull that tube over to a little area that allows you to be pulled up the mountain as you sit in the tube.  This is a huge positive that you don't have to hike up the hill with your tube.

You are then hooked on to head up the mountain.

Here you can see my view from my tube heading up the hill.

Now we are at the top and ready to go down!

There are multiple lanes running.  On the Nashoba Valley Tubing Park website you can see how many lanes are running.  When we were there 8 lanes were running but often times they have 16.  Honestly the wait that we had to get up the hill was very quick and only took less than 5 minutes.  Once we got to the top of the hill we could go right down.  They do wait until the other person clears the lane before you can go.

In the two hours we got in 10 runs.  At one point we even sat down to relax for a few minutes in between runs.  It was a beautiful day so we tried to enjoy the nice weather.  Make sure to wear boots and winter gear.  Boots are especially important going through the slush and snow.

Here is some video of our experience.

I would highly recommend trying out Nashoba Valley Tubing Park!

https://www.skinashoba.com/explore-nashoba/tubing-park/

Disclosure:  I was provided with four passes for the Nashoba Valley Tubing Park for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.