That Blozzz

If you have not used Swag Bucks before, it is a great time to join. My wife and I have been using them for a long time and they always pay out. It is simple to use and you get swag bucks for doing what you already do, search the Internet.

So far, we have cashed in for many Amazon gift cards and no I just cashed in for a free t-shirt which arrived in the mail today.

The shirt is cool looking and only cost 55 swag bucks.

To earn bucks, you search and the bucks come randomly. You also get bucks when people you refer search and earns. It is fun and easy with no crap like many other prize sites.

To join, go to Swag Bucks and follow the instructions to sign up. There are no hidden fees or credit card sign ups or any other tricks. This is straight up, you earn bucks for free searching and referring and they pay out great prizes from Paypal money to gift certificates to free clothing.

Hope you join and have fun and let me know when you cash in for your first prize.

I have been working hard at losing some weight since the beginning of the year. I was at 205 pounds when i joined the YMCA on January 2nd. I have been hitting the gym between 4-6 days a week every since. I have lost over 6% body fat and have lost thirty-five pounds of weight to a current weight of just under 170. I am very excited that I am getting very close to my weight loss goal of 50 pounds to reach a goal weight of 155 pounds.

I am 5′7 and I was in a size 40 waist for pants and I was beginning to feel like crap every time I buttoned up a pair of jeans. I just got back from Walmart where I tried on a pair of 34 jeans and they not only fit but they were a little loose.

I have always been told that once you hit your forties, it is very hard to lose weight. I have found that to be the case. I am currently 42 and five years ago when I tried to lose weight, it fell off quick. This time, it has been a struggle and I hit several plateaus. It was hard hitting the gym and not seeing any weight come off but I kept going. Not only have a lost the weight, I have improved my strength and increased my weight lifting ability. When I started struggled to get five reps on the bench press with 90 pounds. I am currently benching four sets of seven reps at 155 pounds and have a quick recovery time. I would most likely be able to do even more but I do not try to push too far since I lift solo with no partner to spot for me.

As far as my eating, I have cut way back on crap and try to stay at 1800 calories a day with a little protein with every snack or meal. I take one meal a week and eat anything I want. This seems to help keep my metabolism pumping. I did not count calories for the first few months but started to count when I could not budge below 175 pounds. I am now back on a slow steady weight loss and I am hoping in the next couple of months to finish off and star on maintaining my weight. At 175, I started eating a little bad for a couple of weeks but seemed to maintain no matter what I ate as long as I exercised. I am hoping with sticking with this for seven months now, I will be able to maintain once I reach my goal weight. I think adding a little more muscle mass has helped to speed up my metabolism a bit.

I encourage anyone of any age to get up and get going. You will feel better and once its a habit, you will start to crave exercise and eating great. You can take ideas from different diet plans but most are crap, the key is will power, exercise, more exercise, and eating right. I will write more about what I did in the next couple of weeks. Please share and success you have had by leaving a comment here.

Well it has been an interesting and rainy summer here in Northern New York. I have not been keeping up with much with my blogs. Karen and I have finally decided on our vacation for this year. It was a little more than I planned to spend but we ended up booking a Disney World Vacation.

We booked directly through Disney and we booked 8 nights at the Coronado Springs Resort. Our package includes the dinning package, airfare, and 7 days worth of tickets in the theme parks. This is our second time in Disney World and the first was just a 3 day trip. The trip is planned for August 24th through September 1st and we are super excited.

We have been searching for Disney tips and planning just about everything. Here are a few tips that I will share for those who are planning a trip.

1. If you have the dining package, book reservations for table service restaurants as early as possible. (up to 90 days ahead) We had trouble getting reservations for many places we wanted. We found out on some forums that people book more than one dinner in a night and cancel the ones they don;t want when they get there. Others are selling their reservations. Neither practice is fair or right but each to their own.
2. Bring your own snacks and bottled water or other drinks. At $2.50 and up per bottle, you can spend a small fortune in water. You can get free ice water at most food stands but the water taste bad. If you are flying, you can ship stuff ahead to the resort. We are going to order a case of water and a case of organic milk in non-perishable packages from Amazon. You can also ship it yourself but if you find free shipping, it will be cheaper.
3. Plan and plan more ahead of time. Disney’s website offers a free itinerary maker to plan your trip. We planned out the theme parks to match the extra hours offered by Disney for their resort guests.
4. If you have something to celebrate even if it is not the exact date, let Disney know. Our anniversary is in June and we are celebrating late due to work schedules. We were told that their may be perks like free snacks, gift cards or other treats. It does not always happen but the cast members jobs are to make your stay magical.
5. Watch email and phone messages. Many people have received free upgrades prior to their trips. It seems to be the value resorts that this happens but you never know. This is rare but their are many claims of receiving them.
6. Be willing to compromise to get what you want. If they do not have a dinner open for one of your restaurant choices, call the reservation phone number and see if they have a late lunch or something a different time. We end up booking our big meal for lunch one day because that was all that was open.
7. Plan carefully so you are in the same location any certain day as where you are eating dinner. It would suck to figure out that you have to travel an hour to get to your reservation.
8. Be sure to take advantage of Disney shuttles. They are free to all guest not just resort guest.
9. Have loads of fun and don’t stress.

If you have any other tips that you would like to add to help us and others, please leave a comment.

I was shocked and angry to hear the news about Governor Mark Sanford’s recent scandal. The whole thing is nothing new in politics; however, this one hit me personally. I have had very little faith in politicians over the last several years. Lies, scams, and lack of morals have infected our nation and have taken all our faith in public representatives. I have not heard or seen any candidate that I could believe in or trusted.

That was until I first heard Mark Sanford speak. He said the right stuff and stood for true fiscal responsibility. He stood up against the stimulus package and even fought not to take it for his state. I was excited to hear him speak and it did not hurt that he was from South Carolina which was my home for fifteen years. I finally felt that there was hope for our future and that he was for sure the up and coming leader to take the White House in the 2012 election.

I have not had this kind of faith in a politicians in several years and I was excited. Well all I can say is “Thanks Mark!” You have restored my pessimistic attitude towards politicians. I once again am restored in my belief that politicians are sleazy double talkers who care about nothing but power and self-interest. It is like the feeling you get when you have evidence that there is a real Santa Claus only to find out that it was all fake.

Affairs happen and his marital business is between him and his wife. However, his lies and cover up and possible taxpayer trips make me crawl in my skin. This man is lower than the creeps like Barney Frank who do not hide their sleazy underhanded nature. If he has any respect for his state and the nation as a whole, I think he should man up and resign tonight!

I am glad this came out now instead of later when he became a candidate for president. Are there no clean respectable leaders left in the world. I am not asking for perfect! I am just asking for a leader who has some self respect for himself/herself, respect for their family, and respect for the people they serve. A leader with morals and character with honesty to admit they have flaws but have the desire to give their very best to do what is right for the people. I do not think such a person exist! If he/she does exist, they have no desire to climb into the sewer with the scum we now have leading our states and country.

Please let us have one true hero step forward to serve with dignity and respect!

How do you feel about Sanford? Should he resign?

I have been extremely busy with work this school year and have hardly even had time to check email. I have not had time to do much in the way of updating my blogs. Here is a quick update why.

First since the first of the year, I have been going to the YMCA gym to work out and get in better shape. This was tough at first but now I love to go to the gym and even got my wife to join. I lost about 29 pounds and packed on some much needed muscle. I now have some definition in my biceps and legs and I am still working on my abs. I am also trying to eat a bit healthier.

I am heading into summer vacation so I will have even more time to focus on my weight loss and health. I also am reviving my blogs with new and updated posts. This blog has suffered a wee bit from some Google voodoo but I am working hard to get back my rankings in both the SERPS and the Page Rank.

More updates soon about the new spring chickens and other happenings. Take care for now and please drop a comment or two!

Many promises of change that Obama promised were out right lies. He promised fiscal responsibility and that he would pay as he goes. He turned around and passed the largest spending bill in the history of the world. This is pure flat out lies.

Listen carefully! “You pay as you go.”

Liar!

Do Obama voters still trust him? I never have and he has proved me right!

Can you say socialist?

I tried weight loss diets before and lost weight but it all came back. I have decided to really try to change my life style. The beginning of the year, I joined the YMCA and Karen and I have decided to eat at home a majority of the time. Real health comes from long term and not quick fixes.

I have stuck now for a little over a month with going to the gym 5-6 days a week. The YMCA has a mileage system that tracks how many miles you perform. For cardio, it goes by the machine and for weight lighting you get 1.5 miles per hour of strength training. I have been averaging about 25- 30 miles a week for over a month. I feel great and though I am extremely busy, I look forward to going to the gym everyday.

As far as diet, we are just trying to eat 90% healthy and cutting out the fried and overly processed foods. I have upped my protein which includes my fresh eggs every morning for breakfast. We have one anything goes meal a week and otherwise, we try to eat as healthy as possible.

I have lost about 10.5 pounds since January 3rd but I have gained a bit of muscle mass so I rely very little on the scale number. I have about 35 or so pounds to go but if i keep gaining muscles, that number may change.

Anyone else trying to get healthy? What are you doing?

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I first saw Thought.com when it was first created. I thought that it was going to just be another free blog site. Honestly, I thought it would be a fly by night and not be around for long. I was wrong on both accounts. It is still around and has grown into a very interesting site.

Thought.com is a great social site that offers its member a chance to have their own Blog for free. However, unlike Blogger and the free Word press site, they have a full and active community to meet people and form bonds of friendship. Besides their free blogs, they offer very interesting forums that allow you to express opinions, share your thoughts and even have a heated debate or two.

The site seems to have a balance between a social site like MySpace and the free blog sites like Blogger. It is a cool place to check out and a great way to get your feet wet with blogging without paying any money. Whether you want to upload pictures and videos or you just want to browse the sites, this site will provide hours of entertainment and maybe build a lifelong friendship.

The whole site is set up with an easy to navigate system and everything is very easy to find with great tags and very clearly laid out web design. If you are looking for a cool place to set up a free Blog, Thought.com just might be the right place for you.

Many professionals are too busy to do many of the chores needed around the house. This could range from gardening to cleaning to a big summer project. When this need arises, it is time to seek out some quality help to do the job or assist you with the job.

I found a great site that offers a search for local help for all areas of the country. The site, Hire A Helper.com offers a great place to connect workers an people who need to hire them. It is an easy way to compare prices and there are even reviews to see if the person you are trying to hire has a good reputation.

If you are planning to make a move and thinking about hiring one of the Moving Companies, this website has a great selection of options to find the right mover. It does not matter if you are looking for New York Movers or you need to Hire Chicago Movers or some other area of the nation, this site can connect you to the right people. By hiring your own moving truck and helpers, you could save a bunch of money over many of the major moving companies.

The process is quite easy. It is easy to navigate the site and easy to make a purchase. As a customer, you provide your payment credit card to the website. In exchange, they provide you with a code. Once the worker completes the job and you are satisfied, you give the code to the worker and they claim the money from Hire A Helper. This is a safe way to make sure the price quoted is honest and you pay nothing to the worker until the job is complete. You may cancel anytime up till the time the job is completed.

This is a great way to do business and keep your money safe until the job is done. This is the wave of the future and I highly recommend checking out Hire A Helper.com if you are in need of local help.

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