girl meets life.

freely be presents: kick the habit.

Before you can change the world, you need to be able to change your own. To share freedom, one must be free themselves. In an effort to bring that freedom, on August 1st Freely Be will be launching Kick the Habit.

Is there something in your life that just isn’t good for you?

Addicted to smoking?
Spending too much on cocktails?
Taking cabs when you could be walking?
Can’t stop the urge to shop?

Then its time to kick the habit.

From August 1-31 we want to hear your stories and challenge you for the month to improve YOU! So get ready to send us your emails, videos, tweets, etc. on how you Kicked the Habit and are encouraging others to do so as well.

We’ll also be opening up the Freely Forums so you can discuss your kicked habit with others who might share the same one.

Think you’ll want to take it a step further? We propose taking the finances you would use on that habit, and donate it towards the Gilgal School & Orphanage - click here for details and to donate.

You take on the challenge - help others, help yourself. What have you got to lose (other than yellow teeth and early-onset wrinkles)?

Feel free to help spread the word by placing this button on your blog/Tumblr/Facebook page:

…And email at us at info@FreelyBe.org if you’d like to find out about other ways to get involved!

More details to come, but for now - please help us spread the word so others can begin to Kick the Habit!

- Freely Be Team

my first bachelorette party.

Nicole is getting maaarrrriiieeeeed

Yesterday was her bachelorette party, and as the title suggests, it was the first I’d ever been to.

I headed back to PA on Friday night so I could get up bright and early to help set things up for the all-day event. We kicked things off with a day at the spa, which my sore back and nasty New York feet were very appreciate of.

Pardon the TMI.

We also enjoyed the typical bachelorette party fun and games, like (grown up) arts and crafts…

..and playing dress-up…

…which I clearly had a bit too much fun with. Ahem.

After some more games and opening gifts at Nicole’s sister’s house, we headed to a big sushi dinner.

The rest of the girls went out on the town after dinner, but I had to make an early exit to return my parents’ car (one of the few downsides of being a car-less city girl ). But I did have an amazing day with the girls and Cole-Bear, and I couldn’t be more excited for her and Shaun’s big day!

And the next round of celebrations belongs to…

Chrissy!

Have you ever been to a bachelorette party? How did you celebrate?

all good things.

Hey there, friends! Today I’ve got some reviews for you that have all received my GML approval. Maybe I shouldn’t have given that away off the bat, but hey – sometimes I just want to scan through photos of a blog post too First up…

Siggi’s yogurt.

I’ve seen Siggi’s around for a while now but always went for my favorite Greek yogurts instead. I assumed it was just like any old yogurt, but it turns out that Icelandic skyr yogurt has an interesting texture of its own. It’s definitely more mild in the flavor department than Greek yogurt, but it’s thicker and creamier than regular yogurts. I’ll definitely be getting Siggi’s more again. GML approved!

Goody Spin Pins.

I was first introduced to Spin Pins by none other than the style diva herself, SnackFace. My hair is pretty thin and doesn’t usually hold well, so I was skeptical that these little gadgets would actually hold a bun in place. To my excitement, though, they really do! Now a ballerina-style bun is my hairstyle of choice during the day. My favorite part, though, is that when I take the bun down my hair has a really fun wave to it, which I can’t usually get when I use regular hair ties. The verdict: 100% GML approved.

Slingbox.

My dad installed Slingbox on my laptop a few months ago, but I never really got around to seeing just how life changing it really is. The actual Slingbox looks similar to a cable box, but what it does is stream home-cable to any Internet-enabled computer. We have one hooked up to the basement television in our PA home, so I can access that television with hundreds of channels via my computer from just about anywhere! And, let’s just say that definitely comes in handy when your train breaks down and you have to wait an hour in an unknown town to get picked up by your parents. Ahem.

Slingbox costs a couple hundred dollars, but if it’s something you think you or your family would utilize, I give it two thumbs up. GML approved.

The Protein Bakery.

Before you go on judging the (lame-ish) name, let me tell you that these are seriously some of the best packaged baked goods I’ve ever had - healthy or not. According to the website:

Our idea is simple: use the highest quality, natural ingredients, baked to perfection. Don’t add any preservatives or flavors. And as our name suggests- we use the purest whey protein isolate available. Each cookie, brownie, blondie has more protein and a few less carbohydrates than most snacks available. This nutritional balance prevents a heart rate change and won’t spike your blood sugar. Also of note: for people with wheat allergies, our products are wheat free.

They have a ton of different cookie, brownies, and blondie options. I’ve tried the Colossal Trail Mix Cookie and the Coconut Walnut Dark Chip Blondie, the latter being my favorite so far (although the cookie was pretty good too). I don’t know what else to say other than the fact that - as a lover of all baked-goods – The Protein Bakery makes me a very happy girl. GML approved.

I’ve found their products just about everywhere around NYC, but you can also order them via The Protein Bakery website.

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What do you think about “healthy” baked goods? A good idea or an oxy-moron?
And – be honest – how often do you just skim the photos of a blog post? (I won’t tell anyone!)

oh, hi!