Friday, May 24, 2013

Rodan and Fields Skincare

Today marks the day of a new adventure for my family and I.  I have been praying and researching and I have decided to become an Independent Consultant for Rodan and Fields skincare.  I am a major advocate for skincare and have always budgeted money so I can take care of the one face I have.  Here is my story......

Growing up I never had a huge acne problem, but of course those occasions did arise naturally.  I also have really sensitive skin, so I would get red cheeks often or itchy and dry skin from being a competitive swimmer and living in chlorinated water.  I was a big Clinique fan and used their system which worked at the time.  Going forward to my college years I was introduced to Proactiv and it really worked for my skin. On top of using birth control - I was regulated.  The pros on the product was that for once if I was consistently washing my face and using their product my skin was great.  The cons were that I received it too frequently and therefore ended up having a stock pile of the product and I was told by many not to use it when I was pregnant (I never found out the truth behind this).  When I got pregnant with my first baby I decided to not use the product and cancelled my membership and man did my face act out.  It was embarrassing and painful.  I had to pile on a lot of makeup to cover blemishes and it made it worse.  I am not a big makeup person to begin with.  Don't get me wrong I love makeup, but I don't like to spend the time putting it on or the money it cost.  Below is a picture of my face during this time!





 Lots of redness and scars.  Once I had my baby I got back on birth control and continued using my stockpile of Proactiv.  I knew the day would come when I would run out and was fearful of what I could find cheap at the grocery store to help out and I also knew one day I would have to stop birth control again because we wanted more children.  I never really found that product that has helped out my face and I have not found lotion that really soothes my sensitive skin (which is really bad after every child I've had and my hormones getting back into check).  UNTIL I found out about Rodan and Fields.  What an amazing company and model they follow.  Rodan and Fields created Proactiv, but what is cool about Rodan and Fields is that there isn't just one skincare product, there is skincare lines that match with whatever skin issues you may have.  A personalized skincare product for me!!!??  I'm sold!  And the beauty of it is that it works amazingly and fits right into my budget.  Also you can use the product for 60 days and if you end up not liking it you can send it all back and get a full refund.  How awesome is that!!!??
No risk - thats what I'm talking about.  I use the umblemish regimen, my husband uses the soothe regimen, and my mom uses the redefine regimen.  There is also one more regimen for sun spots and dullness.  We also offer sunscreen, and eye cream, and sunless tanning spray.  We all love it and have seen changes in our skin. I can not express how passionate I am about these products and how I know you will also love them as well.  The price is affordable, you can try it out at no risk, if you are a preferred customer you can get free shipping and 10% off your products.  And if you want to make money - become a consultant on my team!!!

Nick and I are going to post our before and after pictures soon, so be on the look out for it.  We are also about to try the new Macro Exfoliator tool - super excited about it.   I will post reviews on this product too. 



Check out my website and in the words of my 4 yr old Connor - "try it you just might like it."  Whats the risk!?

https://aprilbryan.myrandf.com/

Thursday, May 23, 2013

What's Cookin For Dinner......

I have really been budgeting our food lately and planning weekly meals for us to try.  I am a very picky eater so it is very hard for me to cook things for other people that I do not like.  I'm doing better at it and really trying out flavors and learning to try new things.  In the long run I am saving us a lot more money and we are eating healthier because it is not boxed or processed foods.  Of course I've gotten a lot of them from Pinterest and then another fave site of mine is The Six Sisters Stuff.

Here are some of our favorites so far:

Crock Pot Meals: (they are awesome for our family and our busy schedules)

Crock Pot Chicken Soft Tacos - this is what I'm making tonight


Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan


Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken


Ham and Potato Casserole - (Codi's Favorite)


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Pesto & Cheese Stuffed Chicken





Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese


Roasted Garlic Lemon Shrimp (Mommy's Favorite)


Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf (The Boy's Favorite)


Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta (Nick' Favorite) - can't find the recipe right now but here is how I made it:

Cook bowtie pasta - 8oz
Cook chicken in garlic and olive oil and then pour in about 1/4 chicken broth
In a mixing bowl add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 3/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, 1/4 milk, parsley, basil, pepper to taste, Classico Alfredo Sauce Jar
Then add in chicken mixture and pasta
Pour into 2qt dish and sprinkle with parmesan
Bake at 350 for 15 min in a 2qt dish covered and another 10 min uncovered


Ham and Cheese Sliders


Sweet and Sour Meatballs


Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken



They are all great recipes!  Have fun trying them out - I promise you won't go wrong.