Backyard Campout + $50 Kohl’s Gift Card Giveaway

Disclosure: This post is sponsored. While I was not paid to write this post I did receive product from Kohl’s

The giveaway has closed. Thanks to all who entered.

I know many families who camp with little kids. Some as young as three weeks old. I applaud you parents out there who are so adventurous and have this camping thing down. Josh and I on the other hand do NOT have this down yet. We decided to play our first family “campout” safe and pitched our tent in the backyard.

Coleman 8 Person Tent

Backyard Campout

This tent is not like any tent I remember from my camping and backpacking experience. It set up quickly and features a built-in closet with shelves and hanger bar to organize gear and clothes. It easily fit a queen size air mattress plus the two sleeping bags for the kids.

Caden Air Mattress

Jumping Air Mattress

The kids favorite was the air mattress. And it wasn’t because it was super comfortable but because they treated it like their own personal trampoline. Josh and I didn’t have a problem with them jumping on it all because it is made that well. No need to worry about the mattress deflating.

Inside Tent

Since we didn’t have any sleeping bags for the kids we ordered them each their own kid size sleeping bag. They look so cute in them and the kids seemed really comfortable.

We knew that our backyard family campout would be a big success in the eyes of the kids and to keep the fun times rolling we set up their very own Kids Coleman Wonder Lake 2-Person Dome Tent indoors. For the price (under $35), this tent is pretty awesome. If you were going backpacking or didn’t mind sleeping close to another person this tent can fit two adults. There wouldn’t be room for anything else in the tent with you but I mention it because it is well made and would work if you are on a budget or looking for a small easy to assemble two person tent.

Coleman Kids Tent

Coleman Tent Kids

Lastly we received this amazing Coleman lantern. This lantern has 4 detachable side panels that can be used to light up separate areas of your campground or combined for a more traditional lantern experience. When I told Josh I had ordered a lantern he wasn’t super thrilled until he took it out the box and actually saw how it worked. It runs off batteries and offers up to 75 hours of light.

Coleman Lantern

For our backyard campout we grilled hotdogs and had chili but the highlight of our camping food was our oven made s’mores. They are super simple and easy to make. I was even able to find some GMO free marshmallows!

Oven Baked S'mores

To make oven baked s’mores preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay 1/2 of the graham crackers on a cookie sheet. Top with chocolate pieces to cover. Use kitchen scissors to snip the marshmallows in 1/2 horizontally. Place the marshmallow halves on graham cracker. Bake until the marshmallows are puffed and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining graham crackers, pressing down slightly to make a sandwich. Serve immediately, while still warm.

Now that we have done this backyard campout I feel a little more at ease to graduate ourselves to actually going camping in the woods.

Thanks to Kohl’s you have a chance to win a $50 gift card! You can check out their awesome selection of camping gear and let me know what you would purchase if you win! That is all you need to do to enter. Tell me what you would get if you win! Also I would love to know have you gone camping with your kids? Or where is your favorite place to go camping or hiking?

Good luck!

Winner is Amanda S., please check your email and respond back in 24 hours. Thanks to all who entered.

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Day In The Life + Garmin vívofit 2 Review

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Garmin through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about vívofit 2, all opinions are my own.

I thought it would be fun to do a day in the life post. I have never done one before and I always love reading them. With Caden in preschool two days a week, workouts, bible study, swim lessons, MOPS, church, and various other activities that we participate in our family is always on the go.

Even though we are out and about these activities involve lots of sitting. Sitting in the car driving, sitting at bible study, anyway you get the picture. At the end of day I can feel tired not so much from the amount of movement but just from the volume of activity.

Exercise in a modern context can actual create disease. Today, the average office worker sits for about 10 hours, first all those hours in front of the computer, plowing through e-mails, making calls or writing proposals — and eating lunch. And then all those hours of sitting in front of the TV or surfing the Web at home. Studies have shown again and again that a lack of movement in your day increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and depression, as well as muscle and joint problems.

The World Health Organization estimates that 95 percent of the world’s adult population is inactive, failing to meet minimum recommendations for health of 30 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity five times a week. Yikes! That is huge!

I have recently been using the Garmin vívofit 2 activity tracker which features an audible move bar. After 1 hour of inactivity, the vívofit 2 gives you an audio alert and displays a red move bar that builds every additional 15 minutes. Just walk a couple of minutes to reset the move bar. Hope you enjoy seeing how much a move during a typically day in my life!

Tuesday November 3rd, 2015

5:15am – Wake up and exercise. I used Cathe Live and did a 45 minute cardio workout at home that was just the right amount of challenge and sweat for me this morning. I used my Garmin Premium Heart Rate Monitor (Soft Strap) during the workout. Using my iPhone I synced my watch after the workout to the Garmin Connect app.

Garmin's vívofit 2 HR Screenshot

Garmin's vívofit 2 Activity Tracker Screenshot

CatheLive Garmin's vívofit 2

After my workout I am at 4308 steps. Not bad for 6am. A quick shower is followed by making myself and the kids breakfast and getting everyone ready for the day.

9am – Caden has been dropped off at preschool and Maisie was unhappily left with loving nursery workers at church so I could go to bible study. Two and a half hours later we all get back in the car to head home for lunch.

Armor of God Garmin's vívofit 2

1:30pm – The kids are asleep for their naps, the house is a mess, and my vívofit 2 is redlining me telling me I should be moving because I have been inactive for over an hour while I played with the kids on the floor.

Naptime Garmin's vívofit 2

5pm – Maisie is home with Daddy and Mommy and Caden are at swim lessons. My watch is still telling me to move.

Swim Lessons Garmin vívofit 2

After lessons we are home for the night! Yay!

7pm – Bedtime for the kids. We really love reading the The Jesus Storybook Bible to them each night.

Jesus Storybook Bible Garmin's vívofit 2

I am not sure if you can tell in this picture but there is a little plus sign on the bottom of the screen that lets me know that I have met my step goal for the day. Each day the Garmin vívofit 2 adjusts my step goal depending on how I am doing getting moving every day.

Here is how I ended the day…

Garmin vívofit 2 Step Screenshot

Garmin vívofit 2 Sleep Screenshot

I really do love this watch and all that it has to offer. Hopefully you enjoyed reading about what a typically busy day looks like for me. I wanted to break down a few more of the features and let you know what else I thought after using the vívofit 2.

PROS

vívofit 2 activity tracker specs

The picture above speaks for itself in regards to what the vívofit 2 activity tracker offers. My favorite features are listed below…

  • 1+ year of battery life. I love not having to charge the vívofit 2.
  • Water resistant. I can swim with it!
  • Heart Rate Monitor. The HR strap is an additional purchase but well worth the money in my opinion to be able to take advantage of this feature.
  • Red bar of shame. Hahaha. I mean the move alert bar. This bar will eventually go across your entire screen if you are inactive for an hour. I dread it but it is a great way to remind yourself to get moving.

CONS

The week that I received my vívofit 2 activity tracker was the same week Garmin updated the Garmin Connect app. I downloaded the older version of the app, the new update came available, and once it was downloaded anytime I used my HRM with the vívofit 2 the data wouldn’t sync. I thought maybe it was just me because I was still in a learning curve but after visiting Garmin Fitness on Facebook I read comments that quickly let me knew I wasn’t the only one having this issue. Garmin was quick to respond on Facebook to mine and others questions and soon had the issue resolved with another update for the app a few days later.

I know that is not really a great con because the issue was soon resolved but so far that has been my only issue with this tracker. I really love everything about it and all the features it offers. The only other thing I will add is that I tested the vívofit 2 activity tracker on the treadmill for a run and it recorded me as running 1.70 miles when I had actually run 2.25. I don’t typically run on a treadmill so this is not a big deal to me and most activity trackers will not give accurate step counts on cardio equipment.

THE VERDICT

It is a keeper! If you are a swimmer, runner, or looking for motivation to get moving, this is the activity tracker for you. It is super comfortable and I don’t even mind sleeping with it on my wrist.

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Train Like A Boss Workout

Disclosure: I have received this product in exchange for highlighting this business. All opinions are my own.

Who doesn’t love a nice sweaty interval workout? I know I do. But here is the problem that I have always run into. Timing my intervals. I have tried using a stopwatch, my heart rate monitor, and numerous apps on my iPhone which work, but still leave me continuously having to glance down at the screen. This gets annoying. Today I am happy to announce that I have discovered a solution to my problem. Meet the GYMBOSS.

GYMBOSS

How adorable is she! This little beauty is my new favorite workout buddy. She is small, super easy to setup, and can be used as a interval timer, stopwatch, countdown timer, or a clock. There are numerous types of workouts that this little timer is great for including running, CrossFit, HITT,  and weightlifting. My favorite feature is that it can be clipped on to my waistband and the alarm can be set to either beep or vibrate at me. I love knowing that I will never again be having to glance down at a screen to know when I need to switch up my exercises.

It is hard enough sometimes getting in my workouts at home on days I don’t go to the gym and this little device sure makes it easier. If you hadn’t noticed from my previous workouts Caden likes to be right in the middle of everything. I love that he wants to be involved but sometimes it can be challenging when he runs off with my cell phone and I am in the middle of an interval workout. I am looking forward to many more workouts using my GYMBOSS :).

This little piece of equipment has allowed me to take control of my workouts again. No more excuses that the baby ran off with my timer for me. It is time to train like a boss! Here are the exercises for this workout. I did not include pictures for Alternating V-Ups or Plyo Lunges. If there is any confusion on these exercises just let me know and I will do my best to clarify.

SINGLE ARM COBRA TO DOWNDOG

Single Arm Cobra to Downdog

  1. Place one arm behind back. With other hand on the floor press up into cobra pose.
  2. Tuck your toes and left your hips to down dog.
  3. Lower hips back to floor and bend elbow to release chest to the mat. Repeat on other side.

PLANK HOP TO POWER JUMP

Plank Hop to Power Squat

  1. Start in plank postion. Hop both feet up to hands.
  2. Explode off your feet and jump up bringing your knees to hip level and tap knees to hands.
  3. Land with bent knees and return to start position by hopping feet back to plank.

KNEE TAP FOREARM PLANKS

Knee Tap Forearm Plank

  1. Lie face down on a mat with your legs straight and place your forearms on the floor.
  2. Raise your body up into the top of a push up position, resting on your forearms and toes and hold.
  3. Tuck your tail bone under and keep your core strong by pulling your belly button in towards your spine.
  4. Slowly tap knees to floor and return to straight legs. Repeat.

SPIDERMAN PUSHUPS

Spiderman Pushups

  1. Start in push-up position with legs straight, hands below shoulders.
  2. Begin to lower body down by bending your elbows, as you lower down bring your right knee to your right elbow.
  3. Push back up and reverse leg movement back to starting position. This completes one rep.

ALTERNATING V-UP

  1. Lie on your back with your legs straight and your arms stretched out overhead.
  2. Raise one leg straight up while also lifting your upper body off the floor and reach your opposite hand towards your foot, keeping both your arm and leg straight.
  3. Lower both and repeat using the opposite arm and leg.

PLYO LUNGES

  1. Stand upright with one foot forward, dropping your back knee down.
  2. Push off your front and back foot to jump switch your legs.
  3. Repeat.

And now for the workout. You will do 50 seconds of work for each exercise in the order listed below followed by a 10 second recovery.  Perform for a total of 4 rounds resting 1 minute between each round.

TRAIN LIKE A BOSS WORKOUT

I know you want your own GYMBOSS now too. These little babies cost under $20 and come in all sorts of fun colors. Do your workouts a favor and go order one today. I promise you will love it just as much as I do.

Let me know if you tried this workout and what you thought! Have a great day!

Injury disclaimer: Not all exercises are suitable for everyone and this or any other exercise program may result in injury. To reduce this risk of injury, please consult your doctor before beginning this, or any other, physical fitness program. 

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