Get that kid to college! #Startingisbelieving

If you have a child in the state of Florida, You can win one of TEN 2-year Florida College Plans from Florida Prepaid College Foundation. HERE  While, this post is sponsored by the Florida Prepaid College Board, through my role as a Believer Blogger, all thoughts are my own.

Bryce is first grade

As you all know, I am a proud mom of a sweet young man.  I still cannot believe how quickly time is going.  I remember the baby stages when I would wish that he could do things on his own, and now that he's older, he does. And most of the time, it is on his own with his friends.  He doesn't need me nearly as much as he used to. Now I long for those days.  I still get those moments every now and then, but they are few and far between. 

In the picture, Bryce was in first grade. It seems like just yesterday, but it wasn't.  Time is passing and it's passing so fast! Pretty soon he is going to be ready to go to college.  Am I ready? Emotionally? NO! Financially? Yes, I am preparing now.  

With Florida Prepaid I am giving Bryce, my son, the opportunity to go to college. His father and I purchased the plan when he was three years old.  I continue to add to it as well. 

Bryce and Coach

Doing this early in his life helped a lot.  Since he was 3 years old, I have been telling him that I have been paying for his college and I know he will be successful.  Think about that... when someone invests in you, you feel it inside.  You want to achieve what is put out there for you. It's been instilled in Bryce since he can remember that he
will go to college.  And I know he will because he now knows it.

Having this plan, will make it happen. My son knows that I did without so he could go to college.  And even though he tells me that he is going to get an athletic scholarship and won't need it, I know I have back up plan.  And if he does get an athletic scholarship, then we will use this money for something else. Florida Prepaid will allow that as well.

Did you know that a recent Georgetown University study estimates that a student with a bachelor's degree can earn $1.6 million more in their lifetime than a student with only a high school diploma? College matters!

For me, it's knowing that my child will have something set aside that will help us avoid the stress that others experience when high school graduation is imminent and they find themselves unprepared.

Florida Prepaid Open Enrollment begins October 15^th 

You can win one of TEN 2-year Florida College Plans!

With Florida Prepaid, you can save for college! It's simple and rewarding.  Register from now until October 29th for a chance to win ONE of TEN 2-year Florida Prepaid scholarships from the Florida Prepaid College Foundation.  Each day log into "class" for fun activities and complete "extra credit" to earn even more chances to win!

To enter click HERE  http://www.floridaprepaidscholarshipprogram.com/?utm_source=mindysfitnessjourney&utm_medium=ambassador&utm_campaign=scholarship

Once open enrollment begins (October 15th) you will use this link to enroll. http://www.myfloridaprepaid.com/?utm_source=mindysfitnessjourney&utm_medium=ambassador&utm_campaign=open-enrollment

You can save $25 off the application fee by entering Mindy1718  Using this promo code will also give you a chance to win more entries into the scholarship contest once you register.  The scholarship giveaway entry ends on Oct. 29th. 

The Day I Couldn't Stand Up... An eye opening moment

Disclaimer: This post is part of a compensated campaign through MedPress.  The opinions shared are my own.

All my life, I have been "fit," until I got divorced. I ate through my sadness and gained a lot of weight. I am still on the journey to lose this weight. The scariest, most eye opening day was when I was lying on the floor playing "airplane" with my son. I've never had any problem doing anything physical. I never thought twice about playing this over and over again. 

That night I was sitting on the couch watching TV, and I tried to get up. As I stood, I dropped immediately to the floor. I had NEVER felt the pain that I felt at that moment. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I couldn't even blink. Everything in my back spasmed. I had never felt anything as painful. It was close to midnight, and I had a young child in the other room. I tried to move to get onto the couch. That didn't work. I was on the floor like that for probably 2 hours, face down in agony. I finally was able to get to my phone and call my parents who lived 5 min. away. It was the middle of the night.

They both came over and took my son to their house. My mom get me some muscle relaxers after calling the doctor, and I was blessed to have them so close to take care of me. Any single mom knows that there is nothing worse than imagining your child seeing you weak or in pain. I knew that Bryce would have suffered. He can't stand to see me hurt. I was off my feet for almost a week. 

This is my son and I in Oct. 2013.

It took me a little while to figure out how this happened. Then, it hit me. I was over 50 lbs heavier than I should be, and I did this to myself. Unfortunately it took me about 6 more  months to have my real wake up call. But that was the beginning. I realized right then that I needed to change some things. I was damaging my body. I want to be here to see my son's children grow up.  That was when I started doing some workouts and some healthy eating. I have come a long way since that day and I sincerely hope that I will never have to feel that horrible pain again. 

It is amazing how back pain can debilitate someone. I wish MedPress.com had been around then. It is a community united to help those with chronic back and neck pain. It's a safe, encouraging environment for people who want as much information as possible about leading a rewarding life in the face of chronic neck and back pain.

Giveaway time!!!  You have 3 chances to win! The prizes are  an iPad Mini 16G (WiFi) and Amazon gift cards. To be eligible for any or all of the these, do the following:
1. Register as a user at MedPress.com by January 31st to be entered into a random drawing to win the iPad Mini.
2. Follow @MedPressForum on twitter, Like them on Facebook, and if you haven't already, register at MedPress.com (You can do all of this by using the rafflecopter below.)

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3. Last but not least, if you leave a comment here on my blog, you will be entered into a random drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card. The drawing will be on January 31st. 

4. TWITTER Chat January 21st at 8 PM EST.! Join me to have some serious fun chatting with some of the coolest hosts I know. Join @MedPressForum, me (@itsajourney1,) @denisermt, @JennyMetamorfit @CK_Lunchbox, and  @dadcentric for a chat about back pain and spine health using the hashtag  #healthyspine. We will be giving away 2 more $50 Amazon Gift Cards!!! We are going to have a blast! You have to be there!!! 

Flashdance, The Muscial! I was a Maniac! And Dietbet results

Flashdance, The Musical

Photo credit to Flashdance, the Musical website

When I was told that I would have the opportunity to be a guest of the  David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts on the opening night of Flashdance, The Musical,  I was so excited! Flashdance will be running at the Straz Center until the 24th. Don't miss it!  

Yes, I was a maniac! Yes, that really did happen! :) 

The first thing that I thought of was how often I did the Maniac dance in my bedroom when I was a little girl while wearing my leotard and leg warmers. I immediately called the woman who put up with all of my dreams as a child, my mom, and invited her to be my guest to the show.
When a few of my friends mentioned dressing up for the night, I was so excited!  I am typically not a dress up/Halloween type of person, but I couldn't resist cutting up a sweatshirt from the thrift store and finding some leg warmers to wear! And I did just that! As my mom and I walked up to the box office, one woman asked if she could take a picture of my leg warmers. I thought it was great. I didn't mind being the reason that someone got a good laugh. We jokingly told her that we had to hurry up because I was the understudy! We met my other friends and bloggers at the box office. There we were asked for a group picture too. It was so much fun!

(My blogger friends Chrissy from Loving Life, Caroline from My Fascinating Life, Denise from RunDMT,  Jenny from Metamorfit  and Raffi from Running Betty and our guests)

Photo credit https://www.facebook.com/FlashdanceMusical?fref=ts

Matthew Hydzik played the handsome Nick Hurley. Nick is the love interest for the lead, Alex. Matthew stole the stage when he was singing. I couldn't take my eyes off him. At one point he said something about her not wanting him, and my mom leaned over and said, "I'll take him!" I couldn't have agreed more. He was adorable and talented!  

I read the following on the  Straz website:

FLASHDANCE, the pop culture phenomenon and runaway international success, is now live on stage! It all started with a dream. To be bigger. To burn brighter. To dance harder. Now is the time to live the dream all over again. Based on the movie that defined a generation,FLASHDANCE – The Musical tells the unforgettable story of Alex, a working-class girl from Pittsburgh striving to make her dreams of becoming a professional dancer a reality. Directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Memphis, The Addams Family), this new musical features a score of smash hits including the Academy Award-winning title track “Flashdance - What a Feeling,” “Maniac,” “I Love Rock & Roll,” along with 16 original songs. Experience the magic all over again. FLASHDANCE will leave you begging for more!



This is a must-see show! It will take you right back to the 80s, and I have to admit, I loved the 80s!!! Tease up your mall bangs, find some leg warmers, and get yourself over the  David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts  ASAP!!! And you never know, I just may really be the understudy :) 

Photo courtesy of Straz Center Media Relations 

disclosure: I was given complimentary tickets to Flashdance, the Musical. All opinions are my own

Results from my #FFDietBet

And don't forget to enter my FitnessGlo 90-day online membership giveaway!

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FitnessGlo Review and Giveaway

Do you struggle with finding time to workout? It's no secret that I do! I am a single mom on the run and when I was offered the opportunity to try out the online fitness classes website FitnessGlo, I had to say yes, heck yes!!! 

The first thing I noticed about FitnessGlo was that it was created for women, by women, and it was designed for women for busy women to sneak in a workout during a busy schedule. That is why classes are shorter in duration and can be combined with other classes to create longer workouts. I feel so much better after a good workout. When I don't get my workouts in, I get grumpy. and let's be honest, without it, I start snacking. I also appreciate the balance tracker that makes sure that I have a good balance of strength, cardio and stretch each week. FitnessGlo's entire goal is for women to find balance in their lives, so this particular feature is an important one to keep an eye on throughout the week. FitnessGlo offers a wide variety of workouts. 

I got to use my ball, my step, my tube, and my hand weights. But, if you don't have any of those things, you will still find plenty of things to do. 

This year I haven't been able to join a gym due to finances and time. I have been working out on my own, but this last month has been great to have these workouts whenever I need them. I feel like FitnessGlo was made for people like me, moms like me. 

There were a variety of instructors to choose from. I found myself jumping around a lot, trying classes that I wouldn't usually try. I did Barre, cardio, step, intervals, stretch, balance and strength training. My favorite was the interval classes with Jeffrey Scott. I enjoyed Jeffrey's energy and enthusiasm, but there wasn't one that I didn't like. They were all great. I plan to do my first Pilates Core class this evening with Michelle Dozois. 

This is from the website for FitnessGlo:

And I couldn't agree with the last line more! 

I really did like the way I felt, as I do after every workout! The workouts go from 5 min stretching to 45 min. workouts. There is no excuse. We all have time for that! And if you want a longer workout, you just combine a few classes.

Another really cool thing about FitnessGlo is that they have an 8 week program that will guide you each week. No thinking, just show up and move! 




FitnessGlo is a membership-based website. You pay $12 per month and this gives you the opportunity to have your own personal gym in your living room, office, or where ever you need it. The website is offering a free 15-day trial. Everyone gets that, but one lucky winner will get a FREE 90-day membership to FitnessGlo from me! Yes, we are so lucky that they are offering a 90-day membership to one of my readers! Please enter the rafflecopter below!


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FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.