(mamavation girls — my mamavation stats/goals are at the bottom of this post!)

Yep, you read correctly.  I am one of the FIVE finalists for the nationwide #Mamavation campaign.

H.O.L.Y.  C.O.W.

What does this mean for you?  Why, it means you get to do something philanthropic today (and every day through April 12th) and VOTE for ME!!!!!!!

Yes, I want each and everyone of you to vote for me.

Why?

• Well, let’s start with the fact that I’m 215 pounds and officially (thanks to the lovely BMI scale) considered “Obese” for the first time in my life.  Yuck.  That needs to change.  Not just change — that rating needs to GO AWAY!

• I want to be healthy — no worries about an obese rating, no worries about health issues, no worries about dying young.

• I want to get my PCOS under control  (that’s poly-cystic ovarian syndrome for the rest of you); it’s the primary reason behind my infertility struggles, weight struggles, acne struggles, cystic ovaries, etc., etc., etc.  It also puts me at a higher risk for developing diabetes during my life.  Um, no — don’t want that.

• I want to be able to play outside with the Little Lady and Mr. Boy without huffing and puffing after 3 minutes.

• I want to feel sexy, beautiful, lovely, pretty, attractive, yaddi, yadda, yadda for my husband again (I’m sure he’d appreciate me being a little more confident in that area as well; he ALWAYS tells me I’m beautiful, but I never believe him.  Sigh).

Is Mamavation going to be a quick fix? NO — it’s essentially an 8 week boot camp designed to kick my butt.  But, that’s what I want and that’s what I need.  This is the start of a new Rachel — or, the return of the old Rachel.  The one who used to be slim, healthy — the one who took care of herself and stayed active.  I let that girl disappear and it’s time she came back in the picture.

So . . . how does one vote?

Click HERE and look for the voting widget in the right sidebar.  Select “Rachel_L.”

Voila — you’re done

(go ahead; I set the link to open in a new window. I’ll wait while you finish voting)

Ok, done?  Good.

Now — YOU MUST REPEAT THOSE STEPS EACH DAY!!!!

The voting widget is open for votes now through April 12th.  You may vote once per day (per IP address).

This means you’ll be voting for me 7 times (per IP address . . . hint, hint).

***ETA: the voting widget is on a 24 hour cookie, so you will have to wait a full 24 hours in between votes.

* * * * * * * * * * *

GIVEAWAY!!!

Now, let me tell you how YOU can get something out of this.

My sister, Hannah (from That Officer’s Wife), and I are BOTH going to be hosting a “My Favorite Things Giveaway . . . If Rachel Wins.”

Huh?  What?

Here’s the deal.  I want votes — your votes, your husband’s, your mama’s, even your dog (if he has his own computer).  In an effort to encourage lots and lots of voting . . . and to encourage you to spread the word to others, I’m having a giveaway — the only condition is that I MUST WIN IN ORDER FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO WIN!!!!!!!

Yep, I’m ruthless like that.

If I end up being one of the Official Mamavation Moms, I will use random.org to pull a winner.  That winner will get to choose a $25 gift certificate from one of my favorite stores:

Gymboree

Sephora

Barnes and Noble

Starbucks

Target

All you have to do to enter is VOTE!  Each time you vote, leave a comment on THIS post.

That’s it.  Vote — then leave a comment here.  Vote — then leave a comment here.  Vote — then leave a comment here.  (oh, and make sure I have a good way of contacting you (i.e. EMAIL ADDRESS!).)

You can do this once per day from now through April 12th (or more, if you have more than one computer!!!!)

Hannah?  She’s doing the EXACT same contest on her blog, except she is varying a few of the stores.  She isn’t really into Gymboree yet since she’s a newlywed.

So, technically, you could win both contests!  WE don’t care!!!!!!!

Want extra (unlimited) entries?

Just tweet about what’s going on.

Here, I’ll make it easy for ya — just tweet the following message:

She’s one of the #mamavation finalists! Let’s start voting – help her become a HEALTHY MAMA! Choose “Rachel_L.” http://tinyurl.com/y9nq9f4

After you tweet, make sure to come back to this post and leave another comment.

That’s it, folks.

The contest will end 7pm (central time) on April 12th, which is when the Mamavation Launch Party kicks off.

IF I WIN THE TITLE OF MAMAVATION MOM, I’ll pull a winner and announce it on my blog.

Got it?

Good — now vote and spread the word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***ETA: again, the voting widget is on a 24 hour cookie, so you will have to wait a full 24 hours in between votes.

* * * * * * * * * * *

In other Mamavation news, this is my second week working on being healthier.

Here’s what I accomplished:

• Upped my water intake to the minimum daily requirement of 64 ounces.

• STOPPED eating sugary snacks. No cadbury eggs, peeps or jelly beans crossed my lips.  Cross my heart!  It was so hard, but I did it.  Wow — still can’t believe I haven’t had ANY chocolate all week.  This has NEVER happened before!
• Spent at least 15 minutes/day playing outside with the Little Lady. Each game was something active: running (I totally won every race), kickball, etc.

Yeah, little steps for most but pretty big for me.

Goals for this week:

• Raise my daily water intake to 80 ounces.
  

• Begin “real” exercise — complete at least four times during the week. I’ll probably walk (or attempt jogging) around the neighborhood, yoga (my ol’ favorite), and cardio.

• Modify our week’s meal plan to include healthier choices that focus on fresh veggies (instead of red meat!). I’m looking into our local farmers markets — I haven’t been to one in so long.  Can’t wait!
  

• See my first weight loss since starting Mamavation. I don’t care if it’s only half a pound; I’m ready to see some changes!

• Encourage my husband (and myself) to work on portion control during meals.

• Become one of the OFFICIAL Mamavation Moms!!!!!!!

APRIL 12: COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED!