This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Slim·Fast.
*****We spent our first wedding anniversary at a Baltimore Ravens game...
On our second anniversary, we watched cops chase a car thief through
our backyard (that's a story for another day)...
But I really remember our third anniversary. I was seven months
pregnant with our first child. I wore a long black skirt, a blouse
with orchids on it, and sky-high heels. We went out to Olive Garden
after work. I remember eating my chicken marsala and talking about
how we should do something special for our 5th. We should go
somewhere. Our child would be two and I figured we could surely
enlist some grandparents to watch him or her while we got away for a
weekend... right?
Little did I know that our fourth anniversary would find me one month
shy of delivering our SECOND baby.
It probably goes without saying that we did NOT get away for our fifth
anniversary. Matter of fact, I spent that landmark day driving four
hours round trip to a children's hospital to pick up my baby girl's
first pair of glasses. Good times, good times.
No problem. We'd just push that goal forward. We'd do something
exotic and romantic for our TENTH anniversary. By then, our children
would be five and six and not so hard to watch or care for. Surely
we'd be able to find someone to keep an eye on them for a night or
two. Right?
We welcomed baby #3 in 2009.
Sooo... our tenth anniversary is happening this year. Our children
will be 6, 5, and 2 at the time. It's not as easy to find someone to
watch three kids. People work. They have their own kids. It's just,
well, complicated.
But, since this been rolling around in my head for about seven years
now, I'm determined to make it happen. I'm also willing to be
flexible.
The plan?
- Take a family vacation (<-- read: yes, our children will be along) to somewhere warm and exciting.
- Make sure there are children's programs and events so that my main squeeze and I can have some adult time while the littles have a blast.
The steps I'm taking right now?
- Squirreling away any extra money from bonuses and blog-work.
- Deal seeking and comparison shopping bunches of different travel sites.
- Working to get back to the six side of an eight.
- Setting expectations for the children.
So... guess what we're planning on doing? Anyone?
A cruise. Later this year. Probably Caribbean. Almost definitely
Carnival. We've been on five cruises before, but never with children.
Who says you can't take children along on a romantic trip? After all,
they're a huge part of the joy we've shared over these past ten years.
Bon voyage to all of us.
*****
It's exciting to celebrate major milestones! For many, looking our best (*ahem*, that would be the 6 side of an 8 I'm aiming for!) is a part of that. While I'm mostly an exercise girl when it comes to losing weight, Slim-Fast (Visit the Official site) is another option to help achieve those goals.
I'm happy to able to give away a a Slim-Fast gift pack (worth $100) to one of you! To enter, please leave a comment answering the following:
What's your favorite way to get in shape for a major event?
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment
on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.
The Official Rules are available here
*****
For even more chances to win, please see the BlogHer round up page and visit the Promotions & Prizes Section.
Sweepstakes will run: 3/28-4/20
