Who doesn’t love Famous Footwear? When the kids new shoes, which is far too often for my liking and I have boys, we head straight to Famous. School shoes? Famous. Work shoes? Famous. Cute boots for mom? Famous. Cute heels for mom? Famous. Tennies? Famous. Chucks? Yep, Famous.

Click on that image above to get a 20% off your entire purchase coupon!

See this beautiful picture of my boys and I taken at Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ (Lake Powell)? We ran down to the bend, and it’s a good jaunt from the parking lot, to make it at sunset. It was breathtaking. The sun setting, happy children, warm weather, the river running below, blackberry in my lap (?).

But when I look at this photo I can’t get beyond what’s missing to SEE the beauty in it…

My cheekbones and clavicles.

My cheekbones and clavicles are missing.

In the past two years I have let myself go, I have put on 30-35 lbs of weight. And while that might not seem like much to some people, that is 20% of my body weight!!! (Please don’t do the math.) I’m 5’3″ so when I have an extra 30 lbs my cheekbones and clavicles go into hiding. And they’ve done it oh so successfully.

Over those two years I’ve dabbled in just about every weight loss program I could read about. I bought P90X and Brazil Butt Lift. And while both of those work they fricking hurt. So after a few weeks I’d give up. I tried the flexible eating programs and I’m just not strong enough mentally to maintain willpower for more than 12 hours. Okay, 2 hours.

But here’s the thing, before I started every single program it was for a reason. I had a trip coming up. I needed to do a presentation in front of a group. I was going to a blogging conference. Going to the grocery store. Dinner with my bf. Just being in public became a motivation at some point because I’m so embarrassed to be seen in public… I was always going to lose weight so that when {insert important event here} came around I would look great.

It never worked. Ever. I always failed and it always depressed me even more because, let’s face it, failure sucks. Hence the reason my cheekbones and clavicles have gone deeper and deeper into hiding as time goes by. Ordering that fried pickle appetizer sure eased the pain. And then compounded it. I know you know what I mean!

Since January of this year I have been working on myself. Finding me. Being me. Liking me. Coming to terms with me. Because sometimes that gets lost, very lost. (Kind of like my clavicles.) Because I need to be able to give 100% of myself instead of just broken pieces.

About one month ago I started walking every evening that I could. I’m talking a 3+ mile walk each night. It was so peaceful and gave my brain time to begin getting to know me. Well, as it turns out my walks have turned more into something I love to do so that I can take pictures of pretty scenery while I’m out walking. The lighting is just perfect right before the sun sets and I have really enjoyed watching the seasons change.

At the same time I was watching Jessica (The Unemployed Mom) drop the lbs like I don’t know what. But she lost 39 lbs in 13 weeks y’all with Medifast!! I met Jessica last year at the eBay On Location event that was held in Orlando, FL and I began following her blog then. After she wrote this post right here (note the clavicle!) in April I e-mailed her about Medifast. I told her about my struggles. What I had failed at, where my mindset is – I AM READY TO DO THIS – and while clearly losing weight on the program is possible I asked her about the food. Did the food taste alright? Was it enough? Because I can’t do a tiny morsel of food if it doesn’t take good. She responded with only good things.

So I began seriously thinking about the program. (And stalking Medifast.) I got brave one night and contacted them directly. I don’t like to talk about my weight let alone ask for help! And frankly if I’m going to reach out and ask for something I’d damn well better be ready to do this! But I did and I am so very, very excited to announce that I have been accepted into the Medifast blogger program.

And I’ma do this thing!

I have a goal of losing 31 lbs. I hope to do that in three months, but the goal is 31 lbs not three months. I placed the order for my first month of food last week and I am waiting very impatiently for it to arrive.

Stay tuned while I provide weekly cheekbones and clavicles updates. I’m not quite brave enough to post more recent photos, but as the weight comes off – I will! I promise. I might even post measurements and weight numbers.

I know that this whole weight issue touches a nerve with so many people out there. I asked the question on facebook the other night about weight and oh my gosh, it got 60 likes. I’m going to be very real with my struggles and I hope that I can count on you for support. I would love to help support you too!

Let’s do this!

PS I also signed up for my very first 10k, the BolderBoulder! Which will be happening on Memorial Day Monday in Boulder, CO. It’s a huge event here and I’m so, so excited to be WALKING it. My 16 year old is even going to do it with me!!! Make sure you follow me on facebook to catch my updates and probably many desperate pics and pleas for encouragement!

Medifast has a great customer savings program. If you use my coupon code, BUDGET56, and sign up for Medifast Advantage when you order $250+, you’ll receive 56 free Medifast Meals and free shipping! Medifast Advantage has a lot of perks, including free customizable meals and a free BlenderBottle® with minimum purchase.

For your first order of $250+, use my code, and enroll in Medifast Advantage to receive 28 free meals. Do the same on your next order and you’ll receive ANOTHER 28 free meals! This offer is only valid if you enroll in Medifast Advantage, and it’s limited to one per customer. It’s not valid with prior purchases, any other promotions or discounts, or for Medifast Ready-to-Drink Shakes. Check out Medifast’s website for complete details on program and discounts.

Disclosure: I receive free product in order to evaluate and comment on my experiences on the Medifast Program. Medifast products and the Medifast Program are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness. Any medical improvements noted while on the program are related to weight loss in general, and not to Medifast products or programs.

Quiznos has an awesome deal going on! Just print out the coupon and get Any Small Sub, Regular Fountain Drink and Chips for only $2.99.

This is an awesome, awesome deal! Head over and print out this Quiznos combo meal deal while it lasts!

Baseball is in full swing and has been for a few months now.

My middle son cracked his skull playing baseball last year. It was a freak accident and no amount of protection could have prevented it, but there are plenty of incidents that can be prevented with the right safety gear!

SportsGuard is making that protection just a little bit easier with a few protective products! These products were developed for youth baseball, but are being used for adult ball and also paintball.

My 16 year old, who is bigger than many full grown men at 6’2″, got to try them out. The HeadGuard worked great for him when he played first base. He said it actually made his hat feel more comfortable! Thankfully there were no balls to the head.

AND? They are allowing me to giveaway one (1) HeadGuard and one (1) StealthGuard to one (1) lucky winner!

The HeadGuard is great for pitchers and infielders! This product has also been proven to “significantly reduce the impact of a baseball”. If that doesn’t help a mom/dad watch a hard baseball hurtling a speeds only cars should go then I don’t know what does! And it fits into any size hat!

The StealthGuard is a heart protector.

My son who plays baseball didn’t get to try this one out during a game because his main position is catcher so wearing this under his catcher’s gear just wasn’t comfortable doubling up. But we did try it on at home because his first instinct was that it was going to “look funny”. Isn’t that what all kids worry about? But I ironed on the velcro patch into a old jersey and had him wear it around a little bit. It was only a little noticeable if you knew it was there so he quickly got over the whole looking funny thing. And he agreed that it would extremely valuable for an infielder and especially a pitcher who has the ball coming straight back some times.

The one other thing that he really liked about the StealthGuard is that it wasn’t itchy and it didn’t make him sweaty. Another plus!

As part of my review, we also got to test out the XGrip product. (XGrip is not part of the giveaway.)

XGrip is baseball bat grip. My son loved it and his one word of description “cushiony”. Not that I swung a bat, but I did take hold of it and it is cushiony. It was also very easy to apply.

Or you can enter here to win one StealthGuard and one HeadGuard!

Giveaway Details:

One winner will win one (1) HeadGuard and one (1) StealthGuard. This giveaway will close on Friday, May 25th, 2012 at midnight CST. Winner will be chosen at random and notified within three days. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail. If I don’t get a response I will choose another winner.

Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each of the following:

• Do you have a child that plays baseball?
• Do you worry about safety during a baseball game?
• Like SportsGuard on facebook.
• Share this giveaway on your facebook page using the facebook share button at the top of this post.
• Like Single Mom on a Budget on facebook.
• Tweet this “I just entered to win awesome @SportsGuard baseball safety products from @singlemomonabgt. http://bit.ly/JIzVAr “

You can buy all three online and get them for just $39.99. They are also available at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores too!

Disclosure: I received free product for my review. All opinions are 100% my own. Product for the giveaway will be provided by SportsGuard.

The Swagbucks Carnival has started, and it gives you an opportunity to earn bonus Swag Bucks each day just for earning the way you normally would. Check the meter on your homepage and you’ll see you daily goal and how close you are to hitting it. Every day you hit the goal, you add to your bonus!

As if that wasn’t enough, you’ll get additional bonuses based on how many days of the Carnival you’re able to hit your goal! To top it all, Swagbucks is having a Swag Code extravaganza on Monday – that means lots of codes, lots of Swag Bucks and lots of fun! Don’t miss it!”

Preparing Your Young Athletes for Sports
Tuesday, May 22, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Briargate Family Center YMCA, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Help your kids put their best foot forward by attending this session that will everything on what to ask at a physical to nutrition and asthma.

Visit the Children’s Hospital website for more information, to RSVP and RSVP for free child care.

It’s National Dog Bite Awareness week. Never heard of it? It’s a public service campaign that brings awareness to the fact that pet owner’s need to do more to prevent dog bites. I think it was originally started by the USPS.

The Postal Service along with other organizations offers safety tips and emphasizes the need for pet owners to be more responsible. Our campaign is Stay Alert: Don’t be Fooled by “My Dog Won’t Bite!”

It’s estimated that insurance companies paid out $479 million in 2011 for dog bite cases. The average cost per claim was $28,799. (Source)

Dog bites and irresponsible dog owners are near and dear to my heart these days for all the wrong reasons. We settled Jonesie’s dog bite case in mediation last month after almost three years of dealing with it and one only month away from a three day trial!

I will tell you that Jonesie’s settlement was quite a bit more than the average cost per claim mentioned above and what that tells you is how severely irresponsible the dog owner’s were. And why his dad and I were so willing to fight for what Jonesie deserved. (He gets every penny aside from his current therapy costs when he is 18.)

Kids, ages 5-9, are the #1 group of reported bites. Postal workers is #3!! It’s no wonder they have put together a public service campaign. In my opinion it’s really crappy that they have to do so.

In the last year or so I have become super sensitive to dogs. Strange dogs. Strange dogs in public places. Strange dogs in public places with irresponsible owners.

I have started walking each night and I cannot tell you how many dogs I’ve seen off leash.

And the number of people who have their dogs on leashes but let there dogs get close enough to touch me with their wet nose! Irritates the crap out of me.

There are just as many people who have their dogs on leashes and hold them on their opposite side, or hold them close enough so that they can’t touch others. For that I am thankful.

I have even seen dogs muzzled. This doesn’t make me sad. This makes me want shake their owner’s hands for being responsible.

There are leash laws, and bite laws in most states for a reason. The cost of breaking those laws, as the owner’s in our case did, are far more reaching than the financial costs. Trust me. As I sit in therapy with Jonesie each week while he learns to overcome his post-traumatic stress disorder. While the process is exactly what he needs, it tears me up. This week I’m pretty sure that between the two of us, we used an entire box of Kleenex because watching my little boy try to confront a really shitty situation that never should have happened, I have a really hard time holding it together myself. It’s like watching an infant get a shot. You know it’s the right thing for them, but damn how they scream.

So, dog owners, I beg you… even if your dog is the “most friendly dog in the world” please be responsible.

Participating Taco Bell locations offer a Rockies taco special from 4-6pm when the Rockies score more than 7 or more runs the previous day. And the Rockies scored 7 runs yesterday against the the Arizona Diamondbacks last night. They lost, but they scored 7!

Head to participating Taco Bell locations between 4-6pm to get 4 tacos for $1 with the purchase of a drink.

Sustainability means the capacity to endure and you probably hear it often in reference to green living, saving the earth and recycling.

But did you know that practicing sustainability can be as easy as changing out your light bulbs to GE Energy Smart Bright From the Start and GE Energy Efficient Soft White CFL bulbs?? The Energy Smart Bright From the Start bulbs are the very first light bulb to be Energy Star rated. And that means that they meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and US Department of Energy with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants caused by the inefficient use of energy. (Energy Star)

CFL lights can be used anywhere that you have an incandescent (old style) bulb and use 75% less energy. And the GE Energy Smart Bright From the Start are bright from the start. No more of that turning-on-a-light-switch-and-waiting-a-full-minute to get to full brightness. They are available in 60W and 75W currently.

GE Energy Efficient Soft White bulbs also provide instant brightness, and are fully dimmable.

I started in my home with these…

These old light bulbs that have no energy saving claims. In fact, they use 75% MORE energy than a CFL!! Yikes.

I’ve always been conscious of “saving energy” but I had NO IDEA I was wasting so much by not getting around to switching out the entire house yet. We were about 1/2 way through.

I have a few great tips on how to save more energy and get that sustainability mindset going full speed:

• Turn lights off (obvious)
• Don’t turn lights on out of habit. This seems obvious too, but I find that people often walk into a room during the day and turn on the light! I’m known as a lights-out nazi at works because I go around turning off lights in unused rooms.
• Unplug unused electronics. You can even buy a power strip, or two, and turn it off each day when they are not in use. This could have a very big impact on your $ savings also!
• Do not use more than one large appliance at the same time. Don’t use the washer AND dryer. Try not to use the oven when the dishwasher, or dryer or washer is going. And vice versa all of it. Try not to use any of it if the heater or air conditioner is on.
• Desktop computers and gaming systems are a huge energy suck. Make sure they get turned off or unplugged when they are not in use.
• Make sure you are using a programmable thermostat (and actually programming it).

GE has also put together a fancy CFL savings calculator. I entered the lighting that I had in my house and LOOK at what came back!!!! I’d love to hear what your savings come back as when you enter your household lighting situation.

Just by switching out my light bulbs I stand to save over $174 a year!!!! And almost $1,000 over the bulbs’ lifetimes. I don’t know about you, but I can use an extra $15 per month! $15 might not seem like much, but $175 pays my electricity bill for one month AND then some ($50ish).

Knowing that GE Energy Smart Bright From the Start bulbs are Energy Star approved and GE Energy Efficient Soft White bulbs last EIGHT times longer and use 75% less energy than my current bulbs and seeing, feeling, touching the amount I can save ($958!) just by switching over Jonesie and I headed out to Walmart.

The lighting aisle in my Walmart was no doubt intimidating!

There was an ENTIRE aisle full of light bulbs. Big ones, small ones, smart ones, un-smart ones? Some of them were very inexpensive, which doesn’t make sense to me? Some of them have money saving claims clearly stated on the front Where to start? With the GE Energy Smart of course!

GE Energy Smart Bright From the Start light bulbs actually have a five year guarantee on the back! You do have to save the UPC and receipt, but if the bulb doesn’t last for five years they will replace the bulb! I’m pretty confident that I won’t need them, but wow!

I know that we had a conversation a few months ago about CFL lights and some of us (me included) found that the cheaper CFL bulbs just didn’t last nearly as long as they claimed.

A two-pack of GE Energy Smart Bright From the Start bulbs was just over $10 in my Walmart, but the energy savings, the money savings and the effect these changes will have on the environment the benefit far over-weighs the cost. PLUS – I have a coupon for you here!

Don’t forget to head over to the GE website savings calculator and find your savings.

You can check out our whole shopping trip and see all of the options in my #GELighting Google+ album.

Be sure that you follow GE Lighting online:

• GELighting.com
• GE Lighting on twitter
• GE on facebook

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions and beautiful children belong to me.

Summer can get expensive with the kids out of school and booooorrrred so I fund our summers by selling on eBay. In our house it’s summer sports that take over the finances. Baseball fees alone just to play are $850 not to mention the cost of any pants, socks, shirts, hats, cleats…

We dream of vacations. We talk about where should go all. the. time. We have grand ideas of visiting Yellowstone Park, the Redwood Forest, the beaches in San Diego, the mountains in our backyard (Colorado), or the San Juan Islands in Washington. Phoenix where my sister, her husband and my cousin live. And what about New York’s Time Square!?  But I can only afford a vacation every two years so I save up for two years.

But while we stay in town we still want to live it up so this year we’ll live baseball and stick close to home with maybe a a night in Vail or camping!! We have so much to do here in Denver, with such great sports teams.

I guess my point is that everything costs money. Last year I started selling on eBay again after taking a few years off and I paid for a very nice Christmas for the boys.

I’m selling like crazy right now building up summer money. I’ve just sold some old dvd’s and book and this is going to pay for my son’s high school graduation party!!! (Which happens next week, by the way. Yikes!!) I’m thinking a nice family BBQ with all the fixings. That can get costly, but doing it myself will save some cash too.

I’ve helped some friends clean out their parents basement that was filled with really incredible vintage items and the money I make from that is going toward summer baseball.

The boys’ three closets of clothes that no longer fit are going to be a weekend in the mountains. Probably a one-nighter with some free outdoorsy stuff to do.

And at this point I’m loving the money rolling it so nothing in my house is safe. The boys are very sensitive to my “do you use this anymore?” questions because if the answer is no – it’s going on eBay!

The rest of that money will be split into paying down some debt and saving for vacation next year.

A lot of my spring clothes finally sold after my attempt to sell spring clothes in the winter didn’t work well. Duh! So the money from that will go toward a trip to the water park or Elitches.

Get your kids involved! Find out what they want to do and what you need to save up money for. Then have them help you go through the house and “part” with beloved items that you will sell so that you can have some summer fun!

Set some goals and make them happen with eBay.

You get the point? Because of eBay I don’t need to sacrifice anything, or juggle the rest of the bills to give my boys a great summer and myself piece of mind not to have to worry about the bills!

Did you see my recent feature on eBay Stories? Head on over for more inspiration and read the What works for the working mom article all about ME!!!

Giveaway Details

One winner will be chosen at random to win one $100 eBay gift card! You must have an eBay user id to enter this contest. This contest will be open for two full weeks so you have plenty of time to head over and get started!! Hint, hint, hint. $100 at stake here people!

There is a lot of entry opportunities since this is a two week promotion. You can enter them all at once, come back and answer one each day… up to you. But the more entries you leave, the better your chances. Just sayin’.

Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each of the following (I’ve answered the questions too!):

• REQUIRED:: What is your eBay user id? (Mine is treasuresinco)
• WHY did you start selling on eBay? (I’m in it for the money)
• What project/goal/vacation would you like to fund with eBay sales?? (HAWAII!)
• Have my eBay experiences inspired you to sell on eBay? (Well, YEAH.)
• What was the last item you sold? (a dvd)
• What do you have lying around that you need to get listed on eBay? (Boys clothes)
• What was the most money you sold one item for? ($170)
• When did you start selling on eBay? (3 years ago this month)
• How many items do you currently have listed? (2)
• Follow Single Mom on a Budget on facebook.
• Read the what works for the working mom article on eBay Stories and tell me one thing you learn.
• Ask a question about eBay that you would like the answer to.
• You are welcome to leave a link to one of YOUR listings. You can do this once per day.
• You may come back once per day and leave a daily entry. Your choice of topic, but please let it be eBay related and be sure to leave your eBay user id.

One winner will win one $100 eBay gift card. This giveaway will close on Friday, June 1st, 2012  at midnight MST. Winner will be chosen at random and notified within three days. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail. If I don’t get a response I will choose another winner.

Good Luck!!

Need more eBay help? Watch this tutorial on how to list an item on eBay. You can also read this post on how to figure out how to price an item on eBay and how to ship an item on eBay.

Disclaimer: I am a member of the eBay Parent Panel and this post is sponsored by eBay, but all opinions and experiences are mine and yes, I mean what I say. The $100 eBay gift card for this giveaway has been provided by eBay.