Lauren Turner

When Mike and I first got married almost five years ago we had to get a new bed, I had a queen sized bed and my 6'5" husband's feet would hang off of the edge.  Since I was relocating and looking for a new teaching job and Mike was just an intern, we got a cheap generic bed that we found at a warehouse outlet.  It was so uncomfortable!  So we bought a memory foam topper...... Which made it better, but it doesn't fit right, and it can get really hot.  Here is our bed: I saw a link to  Serta's... Read Full Story

I am so excited that I was asked to interview Brandi Chastain! Brandi Chastain played for many years on the U.S. National Soccer Team and will be coaching this year's team in Germany.   Brandi is also the new spokesperson for the  Holiday Inn Express's  new Team Travel Center.  Perfect timing too since Gavin is starting his first soccer season this August! Here are her enlightening answers to my interview question: 1) My son Gavin, who is close to your own son's age is starting soccer this... Read Full Story

  Color it by Numbers   is amazing and educational on so many levels!  This fun game is Gavin's favorite computer program by far.   They have three different motifs, animals, princesses, and vehicles. Reasons why Gavin loves it: It is all about numbers, his favorite! So many vibrant pictures of vehicles, dump trucks, trains, and boats galore! You can follow the color guidelines or mix and match your own Has fun and entertaining music Doesn't take too long at all Don't have to worry about... Read Full Story

Like most moms, summer is a time of go-go-go!  It is very hard to stay on track, feed your family good wholesome foods, and most of all - STAY AWAY FROM DRIVE THRUS!  I have found a very quick and healthy way to feed my entire family for less than $6 per dinner.  Perfect in this economy and a mom's hectic life!  Plus, every meal is delicious and will have the kids asking for more! The answer is Trader Joes!   Meal #1 - Penne Pepperonata - Only 5 Points Plus!  $2.99 + $1.99 bagged salad on the... Read Full Story

 Last Saturday my entire family and I ran at the Magic Shoe 5k Run/Walk!  Mike and I ran the 5k and my parents ran the 1k Fun Run with my four year old son, Gavin after.  It was a wonderfully cloudy morning, so it was nice to run in. Before I started  Weight Watchers  5k training program I couldn't even run a quarter mile without stopping.  With only three weeks of training (I was sick for a month during) I was able to run for seven minutes at a time without stopping!  I ran approximately two... Read Full Story

Right before I started writing the blog entry before this one I went to sync my iphone to get all of the pictures I took of my family and I during our 5k.  Unfortunately during the sync I lost everything!  Including videos!  Luckily my most recent videos were saved on    KinKast !   KinKast  is not only a great way to store and share videos privately, it also gives you a piece of mind.  I am truly devastated about losing all of my iphone photos, but thankfully I still have the first video of... Read Full Story

I have just tried another delicious recipe from Weight Watcher's Kitchen Companion  and had to share it with you!  Definitely another family favorite, it was so yummy! Since the burger was 8 points, I filled the rest of the plate with some zero point fruit salad and spinach salad with a one point serving of Wishbone's Rasberry Walnut Light dressing.  We loved it so much, I am going to share yet another recipe with you, my lucky readers: Just going to say this in advance.. "You are so welcome... Read Full Story

When my Weight Watcher's contact emailed me asking to participate in a 5k challenge I laughed outloud, then I read on and saw that you could walk it, I figured... why not?  Then after an hour or two I got into the shower mulling over my up and coming 5k walk and thought, "why don't I run?"   Remembering that I do not run, I mean maybe if a guy with a knife was chasing me I would run, but other than a life threatening situation or one in which I needed to rescue a child or animal, I DO NOT RUN... Read Full Story

Thursday night I tried yet another easy, delicious, and nutritious Weight Watchers Recipe from their amazing Kitchen Companion .  My family and I loved it so much I wanted to share it with my readers: This recipe uses things you most likely already have in your pantry and refrigerator.  The only ingredient I didn't have on hand was the parsley, which I sent my hubby out to get.  It was so easy, I was able to prepare this meal in less than ten minutes while answering my four year old's... Read Full Story

Applied Labels  First Impression: As soon as I opened up the envelope from Applied Labels I was so excited to see little Ellianna's name with a little crown next to it!  The labels are just adorable! I also received shoe shields to put over her the tags in her shoes to insure maximum effectiveness, as well as blank tags to label the dates are on her bottles. Style/Choices : You can choose from three different fonts; Cutie, Elegant, and Standard.  I of course chose cutie for my cutie.  You... Read Full Story