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LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra Review

Tessa Smith
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LeapPad Ultra Review

I was lucky enough to win a LeapPad Ultra through another blog last September. We held on to it and gave it to our (then) 2.5 year old for Christmas. This is such a great product. There are lots of games available that star her favorite characters. The free game that came with it, Scaredy Cat, is one of my daughter’s favorite apps! She also loves to take photos of all of us and blend them together. She even made one where her sister’s face was on her puppy, Violet’s, head! I know a lot of people seem to think the games are too expensive but you can always find a coupon code. I think they are well worth it. My daughter gets hours and hours of play out of each game. You can also find games that are $8 – $10 that are great – the “Get Ready for Kindergarten” series is a hit with her! She is just about to turn 3 and she plays many games that are rated for 5-7 years old so keep that in mind when ordering. The touch screen always works great, the camera is good considering it is a tablet for toddlers, and the app variety is unmatched! 
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As far as negatives go there is ONE thing I wish I could do. I wish I could add videos on to it. Then I could add our digital version of Frozen on there and make my daughter the happiest little girl in the world. It is also annoying that if she decides to change her “name” display to random letters and numbers, there is no way to change it back to her name. It says “That name was already used.” So the display name has been every possible version of her name and now it is just whatever she feels like typing in. 
Unfortunately the screen recently cracked. Bad. I was freaking out since she has had this not even a year and she uses it every.single.day. She loves to play it in bed while settling down for the night. It happened on a Saturday night and I emailed LeapFrog right away with a photo of the LeapPad. I was honestly expecting them to do nothing because I had won and not purchased this product. I received an email Monday asking me to send the serial number and a photo with a number sequence written across the screen in permanent marker. Then on Wednesday, they sent me a coupon code for 50% off a LeapPad Ultra! The site was offering free shipping as well so we got a brand new LeapPad Ultra for just $81.00 after tax. My daughter’s birthday is June 24th and the LeapPad should be here next week – just in time! I am so excited as I know my daughter will be thrilled! She still tries to play her LeapPad Ultra – cracked screen and sharpie numbers written across it and all! Silly girl! 
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I just had to give credit where credit is due. Thank you LeapFrog! I will continue to be a loyal customer and am very excited for the upcoming LeapBand – I plan to get each of my girls one for Christmas this year!
I was under no responsibility to blog about this product and I am receiving no compensation for it. All opinions expressed are my own.

Amy Elizabeth Studios Review

Tessa Smith
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Amy Elizabeth Studios Review

Amy Elizabeth Studios

We used Amy Elizabeth Studios for our first born’s 1 month photo shoot. Everything about the experience was amazing. She was very professional and creative. She kept coming up with ideas that topped her previous idea and so we ended up with some really awesome shots! She had the photos edited and back to us within just a few days! Every photo was perfect which made it really hard to choose which ones to print. She came in to our home and photographed us in our environment. Our daughter took to her right away and slept through most of the photo shoot. Below are just a few.

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Check out her facebook page and website for more of her pictures. She is very versatile – she shoots everything: babies, weddings, engagements, maternity, animals, and even paintball games! She is an extremely talented and a sweet woman. She makes photo shoots fun and the time just flies by! If you are in the Raleigh, North Carolina area be sure to check her out! She also makes a few trips a year to the Boston area so if you live there, try to book her! I can promise you, you will not be disappointed!

I received this photo shoot free of charge and was not obligated to blog about it.

My Weight Loss Journey: How I Lost 50 lbs in 5 Months

Tessa Smith
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My Weight Loss Journey: How I Lost 50 lbs in 5 Months
weight loss
130 Day Progression

Last summer I knew I was getting heavy. But when I went to the doctor at the end of August and was told that I weighed 187 pounds (AFTER a month of dieting!) I was shocked. It hit me like a bullet. I could not believe that I let myself get that heavy. Yes, I had two kids in two years. Yes, I had moved across the country earlier that year and was adjusting to my new job as a stay at home mom. But that was no excuse for me. I had never been that heavy (non-pregnant) before. This was not OK. I decided that after the long Labor Day weekend this was it for me. Time to get my act together. No more soda, no more ice cream EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT., and I was going to get off my butt and do something about this. I want to set an example for my girls. I want them to be proud of me, not embarrassed to be seen with me. I wanted better for myself.

Cutting Back (Not Out)

So I did it. I gave up soda, cut back on junk food, cut back on dairy, and committed to working out 5-6 days a week. At first it was Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred, then her Ripped in 30, then Shaun T’s T25, and I am currently maintaining my weight loss with Tony Horton’s P90X3. One thing these workouts have in common? Their length. They are 25-35 minute long workouts. There is no excuse to not be able to find that kind of time. For me, I get up at 5am (ugh, I know!) and workout, shower, and have my coffee before my girls even think about waking up. I enjoy that me time. I NEED that me time.

Snack Health(ier)

As far as food goes, I am not on a diet by any means. I eat what I want but I watch my calories. I do not overdo it. I use the MyFitnessPal app to track my daily intake. I don’t eat dessert ever single night like I used to. I don’t finish my girls’ lunches when they don’t – it goes in the trash or the fridge depending on what is left.  I still snack – a handful of chips (I love Better Chips), or pretzels, or peanuts – twice a day. I found that if I tried to not have my little indulgences throughout the day, I would binge on the weekends and gain.

Drink Water

I drink water like a fish. Seriously. I drink at least eight 16 oz glasses a day. And one to two coffees a day with a dash of creamer, no sugar. I do not drink cow’s milk at all. I use it in cooking sometimes but that is it. I use almond milk in my cereal. I buy the vanilla unsweetened and I use that with cheerios or corn flakes. It is awesome because it makes it taste sweeter – like their sugary counterparts.

I have lost 52 lbs and I am currently maintaining and toning. I am not perfect. Every now and then I grab a Coolatta at Dunks, have a big piece of cake, or a bowl of ice cream. Just not every day. And one last tip. Do not eat after 8:00 pm. Just don’t do it. If it is past 8:00 pm – you are not hungry, you are just bored. If I can do it, you can do it!

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