#GirlBoss Review

Now that the kids are in school all day together, I've had a unique opportunity to watch tv or movies while I work! And I finally don't mean cartoons or YouTube toy reviews! Okay, I can tone down the exclamation points, but I am a little excited.

My first week-long binge was the one and only season of #GirlBoss, based on the book of the same name (and because I love book/movie pairings, it's now on my short list to read too). The series loosely told of Sophia Amoruso's life as she founded Nasty Gal, an online vintage clothing retailer. It was entertaining, and I got exactly what I hoped for each time I sat down to watch an episode or two.

GirlBoss was a great way for me to pass a little downtime, but I can't see myself talking too many people into watching it. It was highly predictable, while making me feel super-old, and I really, really found Sophia's best friend to be way more likable than Sophia. Which should be okay, except I felt like I should be pulling for the actual star of the show, instead of the supporting cast.

Here's some of Sophia Amoruso's comments published on Zimbio about the series, which was canceled by Netflix after one season:

"So that Netflix series about my life got canceled," Amoruso wrote on Instagram. "While I'm proud of the work we did, I'm looking forward to controlling my narrative from here on out. It was a good show, and I was privileged to work with incredible talent, but living my life as a caricature was hard even if only for two months."

The 33-year-old, who sold Nasty Gal to UK e-retailer Boohoo in April, went on to address how she was portrayed by Netflix.

"Yes, I can be difficult," she admitted. "No, I'm not a dick. No, someone named Shane never cheated on me. It will be nice to someday tell the story of what's happened in the last few years. Ppl read the headline, not the correction, I've learned."

Overall, the show was quite watchable, and I'm happy to have seen it all. I will keep an eye out for further projects from Britt Robertson (who played Sophia, and was actually in Cake as well) and Ellie Reed (who played Sophia's best friend Annie. And I really loved her haircut.).

Planning Ahead for Valentines Day

In case you're wondering, NOW is the time to start planning for Valentines Day. Whether or not you've found someone special, you can make it a good day for yourself with a treat from EdenFantasys, and they want to help you with that!

From toys you don't want to discuss with your mother, to massage kits, oils and accessories, to books and videos covering every aspect of intimacy and romance (my mom reads this blog - I'm embarrassed to use the 's' word!) - you can find it all here.

What I especially love about the EdenFantasys website is the product reviews. Real people who have used the actual products and read the books for sale give their honest assessments. They talk about aspects of the products that I wouldn't even consider, and they have honestly influenced my purchases!

I encourage you to check out their site and see what might enhance your Valentines Day. And they're encouraging you too - they're giving a $50 gift card to one of the readers of my blog! I'll accept entries until January 14, 2011. - GIVEAWAY ENDED :)

• To enter, just leave a comment to this post saying why you want to win (but not necessarily what you'd buy! This is still a family blog ;) ).
• Want two more entries? Promote the giveaway on your blog and let me know in an additional comment.

I'm receiving a gift card from edenfantasys for my objective review. Additionally, edenfantasys is providing the giveaway gift card to whichever of my readers wins it. Yay for honest disclosure :).

KettleWorx Works!

I was recently provided with the KettleWorx DVDs and Kettlebell to offer my review of their program. In a nutshell, it's great!

The package I received consisted of an e-book that primarily outlined an eating plan for the six-week workout and stressed the importance of the garbage-in/garbage-out philosophy. Another thing that stood out to me in the book was the recommendation that in order to transform your body, you'd need an attitude shift. No more going around talking about your inability to lose weight or get in shape - that's 'Fatitude'! For the six weeks of the workout, at least, you'd need a 'Ripitude' - the attitude that you could accomplish your fitness goals, and you would!

The DVD workouts were great! Each of the three main DVDs (Cardio, Core and Resistance) has six different 20-minute workouts. The whole six-week program will be completed without doing the same workout twice! I've been rotating the DVDs so that on Mondays I do Cardio, Wednesdays I do Core and Fridays I do Resistance. When I pop in the DVD, there are six workouts to choose from - I just pick the number of the week I'm on. I've finished two weeks so far, and I feel great!

If you're looking for a workout that is easy enough to keep up with, doesn't take much time (just 20 minutes three times a week), but leaves you feeling like you're accomplishing your fitness goals, I'd recommend the KettleWorx program!