Blends. Blogger friends. Whatever you call them…

NOT TODAY!

Once upon a time there was a blogger lady whom I knew—but not too too well.

I liked her writing.  I wished I possessed her knitting skills.  I COVETED HER CRANIUM (she.one.smart.protein-cookie.)

And then my birthday arrived. 

And then said blogger lady emailed me a you tube link.

A link to her sharing a familial tradition and reading the entire Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Book! (he’s one smart FITNESS-cookie too)

Not only was her accent quite possibly the most. relaxing. thing. ever.—I was touched by her kindness.

The child & I made her a video in return and learned, the awkward hard way, her name rhymes NOT with CAMERA but with CahMAREahhh (that’s your tip of the day. Dont be me! Dont be us!).

When I FINALLY met her in person I learned not only do we love the same things:

ahhh Fluevog purples.

Not only do we laugh at the same things:

Yay DRUGSTORE POPCORN TEES!

She’s one of those rare few who are MORE amazing, smart, wise, insightful and KIND offline than on (and she’s pretty damn A.S.W.I.K. online!).

Today Im LIVING not blogging about life & frolicking around OAKtown with her.

TalkingPlayingTalkingHangingoutTalkingConnectingTalkingLaughing.

Im bringing her to my special place.

Look for us here, too.

I shall return tomorrow.

Refreshed, rejuvenated and reminded how a day away from social media is quite often the SOCIAL connection I need.

We *all* need.

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10 Things You Tell Friends That You Should Be Telling Yourself

Why are we so hard on ourselves?

From hating our bodies to thinking we are aren’t enough, it’s time we stop being our own worst enemy and start to treat ourselves the way we treat our friends.

Here are 10 things I’m sure you’ve told a close friend at one time or another. Maybe we should show ourselves the same kind of kindness.

10. “You look great!”

I’m so guilty of this, it isn’t funny. I rarely dress up and when I do, I pick apart my outfit, my hair, my shoes, etc. I focus on everything I think is a flaw instead of confidently looking in the mirror and saying, “You look great!”

9. “Maybe you should take a break.”

It’s so easy for us to look at our friends’ lives and tell them to slow down. Yet I bet there’s always something more you HAVE to do.

8. “No worries. It’s cool.” 

Why does it seem exponentially easier to forgive our friends than ourselves?

7. “Oh stop, you aren’t fat.” 

I’m going to bet, regardless of how much your friend weighs, you never, ever agree with her when she calls herself fat. Why? Because fat talk is negative, destructive behavior and does no one any good. Next time you start to utter, or even think those three little words (“I’m so fat”), show yourself the same respect you show your friends. STOP IT.

6. “You’ve GOT this.” 

We confidently pat our friends on the back all the time because we know what they are capable of. We have faith in their abilities, yet we constantly doubt ourselves. Why?

5. “Everything will be OK.” 

Is that not the first thing you say to your friend in crisis? Next time, try to repeat it to yourself when things get rough.

4. “Maybe it’s time to try something new.”

Sometimes it’s easy to give friends advice because we are outside looking in with a completely different perspective.  And sometimes that’s exactly what we need to do for ourselves.

3. “You are amazing!” 

This needs no explanation. Say it to yourself sometimes, OK?

2. “You should do what makes you happy.”  

It’s advice always given to others, yet rarely done ourselves.

1. “Love you.” 

I don’t care how cheesy it sounds. Show yourself some love!

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The VitaCake Date Mate Contest: Win a 24 Pack for You and 3 Friends!

A few months ago Little Guy and I had a blast reviewing the new Vitalicious VitaCakes. Check us out…

As you can see, my favorite VitaCake pairing is Hot Cocoa. I love, love, LOVE a frozen VitaCake dipped in a hot cup of chocolate.

This gave me an idea. What if I hosted a VitaCake Date Mate contest where you share your favorite or most creative way to eat a VitaCake.

Never had a VitaCake? No fear! You just need to leave an idea to enter. How fun and creative can you get with a 50 calorie piece of chocolate cake? Maybe a little frozen yogurt on the side for an a la mode? What about cut in slices and made into a parfait with berries and whip cream? The possibilities are endless!

We are looking for the most creative idea while still being in the lighter/healthier realm. No smothering the VitaCake in butter and topping with decadent ganache. Think fruit, yogurts, granola, nuts, etc.

The most creative idea (as judged by Vitalicious) will be featured on the Vitalicious Facebook page and the winner will receive a 24 pack of VitaCakes and 3 additional packs for 3 of their friends. This contest is all about sharing the love. Share your VitaCake ideas and then share your prize with your friends! It’s a win-win-win-win-win!

For inspiration click here to see the VitaRecipes on vitalicious.com. There is a fun list there using all sorts of Vitalicious products.

We will accept entries until Monday April 23 and I will announce the winner on tuesday the 24th.

Sorry winners can only have prizes shipped to the U.S. Product must be frozen on arrival.

If you’d like to order a case make sure to use the code RonisWeigh for 10% off! Click to check out their other products.

Full Disclosure: Vitalicious is a paying sponsor of Roni’s Weigh. However, all opinion expressed in this video and all my reviews are my own.

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Just Friends

Manic energy and an agreeable level of comic insanity turn Just Friends into the kind of brainless comedy you can enjoy as a modest guilty pleasure. If you liked director Roger Kumble's previous comedy The Sweetest Thing (and let's face it, that movie had some really funny moments), chances are you'll get at least a few solid belly-laughs from this not-so-high-concept premise, in which a formerly fat high-schooler named Chris (Ryan Reynolds) is transformed, ten years later, into a womanizing music executive with a high-profile client (Anna Faris) in the Britney Spears/Christina Aguilera mold. As it zips along with some broad-stroked slapstick and snappy one-liners, the screenplay by Adam Tex Davis contrives to reunite Chris with Jamie (Amy Smart), the former cheerleader who was the great, unrequited love of Chris' miserable high-school life. By his narcissistic logic, he'll seduce her by treating her badly (i.e. she'll want what she thinks she can't have), but he gets unexpected competition in the form of a "Mr. Sensitive" type (Chris Klein, from American Pie), and it's pretty much Hollywood formula from there on, as Just Friends loses momentum without losing its basic appeal. And while Reynolds invests his character with an unexpected degree of emotional nuance, Faris (Scary Movie 3) pulls out all the stops, going deliriously over-the-top to maintain her reputation as a rising comedy starlet with a (hopefully) promising future. We're not talking rocket science here, folks... just sit back, take off your thinking cap, and have some fun. --Jeff Shannon

Price: $14.98

Click here to buy from Amazon