It is nap time

Just a little further away please...

2011-12-09T15:47:00.001-06:00

Well apparently not only have I partially lost my mind over the last couple of years but now that I am 39 I seem to be having a extra vision problem!

I have been near-sighted my entire life. I have had contacts since I was in the 5th grade. Well recently I have noticed that in certain light things are a little blurry and... wait for it...

I have to hold whatever I am reading a little farther away from me! eeeeeeeekkkkkkk! My Mom said it started happening to her around 40 so I guess all I can say is reading glasses here I come!

Do you have reading glasses? Do you just buy the drugstore one or do you have prescription ones?

Simple Solutions to Christmas Stressors - A Guest Post

2011-12-05T20:59:00.001-06:00

Now that we’re officially into December, most people willagree that the holiday season has officially begun. The stores are busy, radiosjoyful and soon Santa will be gracing the floors of local malls. While this seasonis famous for the parties, food and décor, it’s also well known as one of themost stressful times of the year. Expectations and emotions can run on high andthe pressure to have everything just right can be seriously overwhelming. It’strue, lots of things can go wrong at Christmas, but this year you’re going tobe one step ahead. These simple solutions to common holiday problems will haveyou laughing the face of stress so that you can sit back and enjoy copiousamounts of homemade eggnog.

Your beige couchlooks a strange shade of brown: It’s almost inevitable that at some pointover the holiday’s you’re going to have visitors and, whether you like it ornot, your furniture is often the focal point of a room. Children, pets andgeneral wear and tear can have a huge impact on the appearance of yourfurniture. Luckily, cleaning them is a breeze with a few key supplies – withsome rubbing alcohol, a scrubbing sponge and a soft brush and you’ll havethings looking like new in now time. Check out these greatdirections from Robin over at Chris and Robin’s Nest for step-by-steptutorial.

Not one more thing can fit in yourfridge: It’s crazy how full a fridge can get this time of year. Your goalin the days leading up to a big meal should be to have one full shelf that youcan designate to holiday food items. Take an inventory of what you currentlyhave and make a decision about what is absolutely necessary. Combine anythingyou have double of and remove things that don’t absolutely need to be in thefridge, like bread and some condiments. The key to making extra room in thefridge is to organize like things together. If you have a few extra plasticbins around the house, these are great for adding space – having small stuff ina bin will take up less surface area than if it was sitting there alone. Doingthis also helps you to see what you have and what you might need. Jenn at Cleanand Sentisible has even more great tips, as well as a picture of what areal, organized fridge actually looks like.

Via Clean and Sentisible

Thanksgiving dinnerleft your oven a black, charred mess: Stoves and ovens get a lot of useduring Christmas season, so keeping them in fine form is very important. While theywork really well, store bought oven cleaners smell absolutely horrible and areeven worse for the environment. Instead, combine natural ingredients likebaking soda, lemon juice and vinegar to create a paste that’s just aseffective. Apply the paste to the areas of your oven with caked on debris, letit sit for 4-5 hours and then scrub off. To get rid of funky smells, place asliced up lemon in a casserole dish with a bit of water and bake for 20 – 30minutes.

Your Christmas tree keeps falling over:You’ve bought the best stand, the sturdiest tree and still come home to smashedornaments and broken trees. A great trick to keep Christmas trees in theupright position is to secure them by tying the trunk to a nail in the wall.While this isn’t always the best option for those who are renters, if you’re ahome owner you’ll want to decide which is more inconvenient – filling a hole orcleaning up broken glass. If you position your tree in the same place eachwinter, you can camouflage the nail by painting it the same color as yourwalls.

You forgot to turn on the turkey: Firstof all, take a deep breath and relax – you’re not the first person this hashappened to and you certainly won’t be the last. The solution to your problemslies in pieces, literally. Take your turkey out and start cutting it up into chunksthe same way you would a chicken. If you haven’t already, cover your turkey inspices and oils to keep the moisture in. Next, place each piece in a fryingpan, searing each side for a couple of minutes. Place your turkey pieces into acasserole dish and straight into the oven at 350 degrees for roughly an hour -when it reaches 170 degrees internally, you’re all done!

You have the time -plan ahead: If you do one thing this holiday season, planning ahead shouldbe it. While there isn’t always time to head out and shop early, or pick up thethings needed for the big dinner, make an effort to squeeze in a few extraminutes for list making. Write things down, like who you need gifts for, whatyou need to buy, ingredients for your pie, rum for that eggnog and where youhave to go to find everything. Having this information sorted ahead of time canmean the difference between a 30 minute shopping trip and a 2 hour one. If youdo have some spare time in your day, it’s also a good idea to try out a recipewell in advance of when you’re going to need it. Knowing for sure that a mealis going to go off without a hitch will take a big load off your shoulders.

You can almost guarantee that something will pop up thisholiday season, but keeping these quick fixes in mind should help put out a fewpotential fires. Regardless of what happens, remember that the season is meantfor friends, family and fun … so relax and enjoy it!

Jessi is a guest blogger who is interested in all thing DIY and has a passion for the holidays! She comes to us from PartSelect.com, online resource dedicated to helping home owners with every step of a repair and retailer of major appliance parts including Whirlpool parts.

Tea - Cute clothing for my boys! - A Review

2011-12-02T17:43:00.000-06:00

Travel opens anyone's heart and mind to people and places that we don't know. The clothing we create at Tea transforms the foreign world into a smaller, friendlier and more familiar place. We believe that we bring a little bit of that world home to you. - Emily Meyer, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer

Tea is a women and children's clothing company that travels to different destinations based on the inspiration behind their current line. How do I get a job there - right?

While preparing for this post I really enjoyed checking out the Tea website. Here are some things I learned... The company was founded in 2002 in San Francisco. The name Tea was chosen because tea is a drink enjoyed all the world, the company Tea is about bringing people all over the world together. I am also pleased to see that they support a charity that helps children all over the world. If you have a chance stop by their web site and look around. Don't forget to check out the Modern Mexico pictures!

So I recently got the chance to try out some of Tea's boys clothing! I was very pleased with the cute soft and well made clothes. When I pulled them out of the box and showed my 5 year old the Modern Mexico designs, his response was "awesome!"

Here is a picture of Hunter in his Modern Mexico holiday outfit...

I know, model material!!

Here is my same big boys showing off some Star Wars characters! Just so you know he picked this shirt out himself!

This particular outfit might make thoughts of needing a new baby boy just for Baby Boy’s Clothes enter your mind.

Love these pajamas! Cute cute cute!

Tea children’s clothes are available in more than 400 stores includingBloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Takashimaya, and fine boutiquesthroughout the US and abroad.

I did receive outfits to review.

Black Friday - not this year...

2011-11-25T20:23:00.001-06:00

We had a great time at our 2 family Thanksgiving gathering yesterday. Everything went pretty much as planned and well you can't ask for better than that!

JL has a nighttime cough going on and therefore I did not sleep very much at all the 2 nights we were out of town. There were times I had the zombie thing going on. I thought for sure I would "pass out" as soon as my head hit the pillow last night, but unfortunately that did not happen. I did get a small nap in once we got home today and it is amazing what 45 minutes can do for you!

So, once again I did not participate in Black Friday. I really think I want to one year. Do you do Black Friday shopping? How much money does it save you? Are there certain things that you only buy on Black Friday, such as TVs, gaming systems, bridal lingere ...

I did look to see if a certain item I am wanting to get Brad was going to be on sale, if it had been I might had ventured out. Since he reads here from time to time I can't tell you what it is...Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. Don't forget that life is short and it is not all about us, do something kind for some one as often as you can!

I need a name for my psuedo casserole!

2011-11-23T14:41:00.001-06:00

So here is a dish I made today for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow...

It has cubed butternut squash, spinach, some olive oil, Gorgonzola cheese and a bread crumb topping.

I am trying to fix something a little more fresh, whole and healthy. I can't wait to see how it goes over with everyone. I also need a name for it. I am taking some baby steps to healthy but it still has to taste good. I am hoping that after my 2 meals tomorrow, I will not need to buy maternity clothes!

I will put it in the oven tomorrow to heat and brown the top a bit. Hope it is good!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-23T09:08:00.001-06:00

Wow how fast this year has gone. And how Thankful I am for it (the year not the speed of it)!

It has been a crazy (along with me) year. 2 rambunctious boys in the house make for a ~~long~~ exciting day, everyday. I also added extra work hours which is one more thing I am thankful for. I think I am finally adjusting to a new normal. I have found that normal doesn't have to mean everything goes smoothly.

I think I am going to make an A in one of my classes, I still have the chance to make an A in both but one is like a never ending time consuming Easter egg hunt. Just not sure I can find all the "eggs" before I have to turn in my basket... But I am very thankful for on-line classes!

I have noticed a thing going around Facebook, "what if you woke up tomorrow to find only what you thanked God for today." I think this is very profound. I feel that sometimes I am so self centered and selfish and so worried about my family and my kids having more more more that I forget to stop and just be thankful for how much we have.

I look around and I see these amazing people that give so much of themselves to helping others and suddenly I feel so very small. I think that one of my "resolutions" for the year was to be more helpful to others. I don't think I have fulfilled this at all. I may have written a few more checks and even though that is definitely needed, I don't know that for me it was a real sacrifice. Yes, we are a paycheck to paycheck kind of family (trying to fix that as well) so an extra check here and there may be a small significance but I think I need more. I think I need to see the difference. I think I need to touch the difference. So in an effort to be more appreciative and thankful I am going to do more hands on giving in the coming year.

So what am I thankful for? God, Jesus, my husband, my boys, my family, second chances, love, you, people who sacrifice, freedom, soldiers, my home, my country, TV, seasons, school, pre-school, church, friends, food, clothes, kindness, generosity, patience (whatever that is), forgiveness, medicine, Benedryl, Sprout, on-demand, naps, emotions, therapy, and the list goes on and on and on.

What are you thankful for? Are there things about the way you feel and give thanks that you want to change?

Quick, Easy and Yummy - Bread

2011-11-21T10:26:00.001-06:00

Just because we are rushed, busy and maybe if you are like me not the best baker in the world, that does not mean we don't want fresh homemade bread!

So, I got this opportunity from Mom Select to have a Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Bread party. Unfortunately, each time I planned to fix the bread for a get together, things did not work out.

However, I did get a chance to make this bread for my family! I also gave some samples to several friends but I have not heard back from them yet.

I should let you know that I love to cook. However, when it comes to baking I am a bit challenged. I don't know if I have just not had enough practice or if that really doesn't matter in my case.

Also, as you know I work and I have to young boys so time is always an issue around here! I was really excited that this was homemade bread in an hour! Everything you need is in the box and there are even instructions for those that have a bread maker.

So, I mixed it and I let it sit to rise (which I was pleasantly happy to see that it did - don't forget my baking handicap...) I then put it in the oven to bake...

This was my finished product. In my case, I think I really needed to let it bake a few more minutes and I forgot to set the timer (maybe we are seeing my baking problem) and I kept checking it - which I probably should not have done. However, it still tasted great and I am plan on using this in the future!

If you are looking for some bread that you can make at home when you don't have a long time to let the dough rise, then Simply Homemade is the way to go. There are 4 varieties - Country White, Stoneground Wheat, Multi-Grain and Italian Herb. You will also find some great stir in ideas on the website!

I really like the thought of having homemade bread at your fingertips. You never know when a meal might call for it and not having to run to the store for fresh bread it always a plus!

Stationery card

2011-11-19T18:52:00.001-06:00

Joyful Memories Christmas Card

Turn your favorite photos into Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Are you ready for some holidays????

2011-11-14T17:50:00.001-06:00

Well November has arrived and it is that time of year to get CRAZY! I actually do love November and December, I love getting together with my family, the food, the laughs, the memories being created. However, it is such a busy busy time that it is not hard to get lost in the motions. The planning, the buying the organizing...

Hunter's birthday is also in December so there is the party to be planned there and of course gifts to buy. However, I am going to try really hard to remember that the fact that I am "crazy busy" with all the plans and planning is such a huge huge blessing!

I am also going to make an extra effort to give more than I did last year at this time. I should clarify that I mean give to those who are in need. For some reason this particular thing - charity - has been on my heart a lot lately. I feel like there is so much much much much more that I can/should do. Gonna try this year to start stepping it up.

On a different note, I have been trying to clean up my computer a little bit. I have been having a problem with my wireless internet connection dropping off several times a day. So I got a new router and so far that seems to have corrected the problem. I am still running slow at times and I am not a patient person! Plus, when you work from home this can be extra irritating! So, hopefully cleaning off some unnecessary items will help, if not maybe I can find some dell home coupons and wish for a new laptop for Christmas!

So, whatever your holiday plans, I hope they go smoothly and sanely and that you do a little something for yourself as well as something for some one less fortunate!

Honda Heads or Tails: Lighting Upgrades for your Vehicle

2011-11-07T13:11:00.000-06:00

Though there are many parts of your car that technically light up, such as dash displays and interior overhead lights, there are two major lighting sections included on the exterior of every Honda: the headlights and the tail lights. Without effectively lit headlight or tail light arrays, not only will your Civic, Accord, or other Honda vehicle looks less appealing in the dark, you as the driver will also be putting yourself at greater risk of collision due to poor personal visual range and visibility to other drivers. So if your Honda needs some new lights for either its front end, rear side, or both, you won’t want to rely on the flip of a coin to see you upgrade through.

Headlights
There are numerous headlight upgrades you can make to your Honda vehicle that will result in improved on-road lighting. Simply changing out the stock halogens for a set of OEM replacements will fix lights that have dimmed over the years, though the actual lighting capacity of your vehicle won’t improve over the manufacturer’s standards. Using Honda HID kits, you can do those halogen replacements one better. Honda HID headlights are designed to shine up to 3x brighter than halogens, and can last nearly 10x as long. HIDs also provide improved peripheral vision at night for enhanced views of your surroundings, and the light will reflect better off of highway signs and road markers. Better yet, you can customize your Honda’s headlight array color, something that’s been popular in Civic tuning for years but can be done on any Honda model.

Tail Lights
Tail lights are tricky to maintain because it’s so difficult to notice when they’re out, thanks primarily to the fact that they sit at the rear end of the vehicle. These lights may not seem all that necessary at first, but consider how difficult it is for a driver to your Accord or CRV’s rear to see when your car is braking or even just where it is on the road after dark without well-lit tails. For tail light replacements known for their longevity and incredible energy efficiency, consider upgrading to LED tail lights. Ultramodern, sleek, and immensely bright even at a longer range, they’re about as hard to miss as any lights. Plus, LED lamps use most of their available energy to emit light, whereas incandescent bulbs can expend up to 90% of the energy they receive by converting it into heat. So for a ‘greener’ Honda, this is the right choice, though there are other popular options like Altezza lights available as well.

So whether you stick with replacement halogens, go for the Honda HID kit, or light up your Civic or Accord’s rear end with LEDs, you now at least know what the available options are, and what performance results they can provide you once used.

This was a guest post submitted by Rob Lobitz

My little Rant of the Month

2011-11-03T12:04:00.003-05:00

Wow, Americans really let the banks know what they thought about paying $4/month. I guess when everyone decided to change to institutions that were going to save them $4/month, the banks had no choice but to reverse the fees. Too bad we can't change Congress that easily - since they are unable to manage our "more than $4/month" we give to them. Oh wait we can - it is called voting! Let Congress know how you feel about how they are spending your money. Don't forget, the US government is not a business that "makes money" - the government's money is the tax payers money!

Hurry! Animals Need Your Help!

2011-10-28T13:16:00.001-05:00

Through November 2, for each pet tale shared online, Purina and Kroger will make a $1 donation, up to $25,000, to animal welfare organizations nationwide. Nineteen animal welfare organizations from across the country will receive a $5,000 donation simply by participating in the campaign.

I just submitted my story...
It was about Maddie hiding her whale at the boat so it could not be thrown in the water anymore because she was so tired!

Now you do your part!!! You can complete an online sweepstakes entry form at www.TalesForThePetLoversHeart.com for the chance to win a year’s worth of groceries from their local Kroger affiliate, a year’s supply of Purina pet food, plus a $50,000 donation will be made in the winner’s honor to a participating animal welfare organization.

For more information on the fourth annual campaign, visit the Facebook page!

2011-10-28T12:57:00.003-05:00

Okay, so we are almost at 2 weeks post surgery. I am still not 100% but feeling better everyday. I really did not expect to be "under the weather" this long. One of the side effects that I didn't anticipate lasting so long is my sense of smell not being up to par. With a dog and 2 boys this might be a small blessing except for the fact that I have missed a couple of smelly diapers and now my little man has a bit of a rash. :(

I guess the loss of smell, which led to the loss of taste and appetite, which led to some weight loss was a nice plus but that too is now leaving and I am eating more. I just have to make sure I try to eat the right things most of the time! I often wonder how those who have Food Preparation Worker Jobs keep from eating all day long. Maybe smelling food while you fix it fills you up???

Oh, on a totally different note, I got a "new to me" vehicle yesterday. It was my SILs. I am very excited. I have wanted a Tahoe for about 8 years. Not such a long wait! :)

I leave you with a photo from this past weekend...

My boys and my brother's girls...

LeapFrog Party!

2011-10-26T13:22:00.000-05:00

I was so excited when I found out I was chosen to host a LeapFrog party!

We already had a few LeapFrog products at our house. We have a Leapster 2 and one of the older versions of the Leap Pad. So, I was already aware of the educational fun that could be had with the Leap Frog "toys".

What I was not entirely prepared for is how much my almost 5 year old was going to love the Leap Pad. Before the party, we went through 2 rounds of batteries. It is great in the car.

Now I can't deny that out of my party pack the LeapPad was by far my favorite. However, the Tag Reading System with the interactive Map was something that I could sit and mess with for hours. Geography is not a strong subject for me so playing with that could definitely teach me a thing or two or three, etc!

Having a child that is in the process of learning to read, I love the LeapFrog products! The LeapPad and the Tag Reading System help kids by giving them confidence. They don't have to wait for Mom or Dad to say the words for them. Being able to read by playing a "game" or by using electronics is more interesting and fun for these little people!

LeapFrog has so many products for the different ages. Just bought my 2 year old the microphone for Christmas, don't tell him! He loves music and I can't wait to see him play with it.

Below are some pictures from our party...

I received free LeapFrog products in order to host a Learn, Create and Share Party. LeapFrog did not influence my opinions expressed here as a result.

Mamavation Monday - Nothing like surgery to knock of the pounds!

2011-10-24T16:25:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the absence the last couple of weeks! October has been such a busy busy month! On the 9th, I turned 39. We went out of town for the weekend. We took the houseboat out and had a great fall weekend!

The following week was crazy busy with work and I was having a cookout at my house on Saturday. So it was pretty much "head down" all week. I had made a mistake at work and was working on rectifying it. I must say that it had me so stressed out that I was even beyond my stress eating! I think I lost 2 pounds that week.

The following Monday I had a Septoplasty. If you are squeamish you may want to skip this part... The doctor had to go into my nose and remove part of one of my turbinates and put my septum back where it belonged. So this past week has been very uncomfortable (read miserable) for me. The silver lining was that I could not smell so I did not have much desire to eat. I only ate so that I could take my medicine. So I did manage to lose about 4 pounds over the last week.

I am not sure about non-scale victories. I am excited to see if the surgery takes care of my migraines that I get when I get hot - so maybe I won't be so scared when I try to jog that I am going to be down the rest of the day. Also, I hope I can continue my habit of not overeating and eat smaller meals. I feel like I have been given a little jump start and I hope to take advantage of it!.

This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by New Balance. The question to be answered is...

How would you brand your health and wellness lifestyle? How do you want others to know you in this area?

I would say we are a family of "over moderation". What does that mean? Well we get moderate exercise, we eat moderately well, yada yada yada. I would really like to take it up another level and have been slowly trying. But now that my surgery is done and hopefully so are the migraines I really want to be known as a more physically fit person! I want to be the one that does a lot of 5ks! My goal for the Music City 1/2 Marathon this year is to run more than walk. Bet those New Balance shoes would come in handy for that!

“This post is sponsored by New Balance and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women“”

Yes, I am another Year Older!

2011-10-19T21:04:00.001-05:00

Woo Hoo! I have made it another year! As a self confessed hypochondriac, it is always great to celebrate another birthday!

It was a great birthday. We took the houseboat out and enjoyed a gorgeous fall weekend. Family and friends, I could not have asked for more, well of course world peace and a cure for cancer - trust me, I am always praying for those.

For my birthday, we got a Wii and I got some great necklaces. Around here, sending roses for a birthday is not something we do. Not that they would not be greatly appreciated!

We also had a little fall gathering here the following weekend. And then on Monday I had nose surgery. Not cosmetic as my husband tries to jokingly tell people. I had a septoplasty, basically fixing my septum which had been pushed out of place by my turbinates which had grown incorrectly. Yeah, not sure I understand it all either.

So, since Monday I have not felt great and oddly today was my worse day thus far, hoping for a better day tomorrow...

Here are a few pics from the past few weekends...

Life Insurance Awareness Month

2011-10-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

No one likes to think about leaving their children without one or both of their parents. For me it is a cause of great anxiety. Unfortunately, as we know Life Happens and sometimes parents die way too soon. That is why having life insurance is so important.

My husband is an insurance agent, so for us it was a "no brainer" - we each have a policy. And even though The Life Foundation celebrates Life Insurance Awareness Month in September, that doesn't mean you can't take care of business now!

Life Insurance Awareness Month was created in response to the growing problem of too many families not having adequate life insurance protection. According to the industry research group LIMRA, 11 million U.S. households with children under age 18 have no coverage. Those families are just one illness or accident away from a financial crisis. To help bring awareness to this problem, The Life Foundation created the "Insure Your Love Picture Mosaic."

The "Insure Your Love Picture Mosaic" is designed to recognize and celebrate those who have made the responsible decision to protect their loved ones by owning life insurance, while also introducing them to a larger community of others who have made the same choice. People are encouraged to upload up to 20 photos of their loved ones, whose financial future has been safeguarded by their decision to purchase life insurance.

By adding your photos to the mosaic, you will also be helping out a great cause. For each photo uploaded, $1 will be donated to the LIFE Lessons Scholarship Program, which provides tuition assistance to students who have lost a parent and are struggling to achieve their dream of a college education.

You can upload your own photos here... LIFE Foundation's Facebook fan page, located at www.facebook.com/lifehappens.org.

I uploaded this picture to the mosaic. I would do anything to protect my 2 boys. Life insurance is the least I can do!

Mamavation Monday - Ready to Rumble

2011-10-03T08:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am ready to rumble, I am ready to fight my fat! Last weeks vacation was great. It was the first time our family of 4 have been away and it just be US. I was a little scared about that. My 2 boys are WILD and well extra hands are always appreciated! But it worked out great and we had a great time!

So, I started the 2 week challenge while on vacation. I am so glad it happened that way. With Brad there to coral the boys I had no excuses. So today is day 7 and even though I am dreading it, I know I will do it. I have to confess I am still in the stage of abhorring (we don't us the H word) this type of exercising. I hope for the day that I love it and I know that I am doing my body good by doing it but I end this run on sentence by re-emphasizing that I abhor these type of exercises!

I am restarting Weight Watchers today. I forgot to cancel this month since I have not been using it so the payment went through. I saw this as a sign that I needed to go ahead and start back. Hoping the accountability will help me drop the weight I need to drop. Which now includes an extra 6 pounds from vacation!!!

So with the help of WW and my fit pal Rachael, water drinking, 2 week challenge I will get healthy and in shape!!!

I have been sticking to the Brita Challenge. If you have not taken the Brita Challenge I encourage you to click on the link and join! I must say that I can tell a difference in the way I feel since I have started making sure I get at least 8 glasses of water a day!

Hope everyone has a great week! Be kind and be healthy!

“This post is sponsored by Brita and I took the Brita Challenge http://bit.ly/oRnbqd to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women .”

Mamavation Monday - the short vacation post

2011-09-26T15:51:00.000-05:00

I am at the beach! So this will be short and sweet! I have been drinking my water. I am trying not to be as bad a eater as I usually am on vacation. I have done 2 days of my fit friends workouts - Thanks Rach!!! I am starting the 2 week challenge tomorrow. I am sending productive mamavation vibes to everyone!

Information Blankets - A guest post

2011-09-21T19:10:00.000-05:00

Sweet Baby!

Lack of information about newborn health is a serious, insidious contributing factorto infant mortality in underdeveloped parts of the world. Unfortunately, babiesdon’t come with instruction manuals. So, in response to PSFK’s The Future ofHealth” report, I created the Information Blanket, which acts as a mechanism thatdelivers memorable and easily accessible information to empower mothers in needand encourage behavioral change. The Information Blanket is highly effective inareas with low literacy rates, as it uses clear iconography to communicate necessaryinformation, such as vaccination schedules and growth charts.

Last May, I traveled to Uganda to launch the blanket with my NGO partner, ShantiUganda, a birthing center two hours north of Kampala that provides pre- and post-natal care and midwife birthing to local women. We distributed more than 250blankets that week. Since then, that number has grown to more than 600.

This trip had a deep impact on me. I grew up on a pig farm in rural Kentucky in afamily that had very little. As a child, I always felt unlucky for having been borninto that situation. During my trip to Uganda, the arbitrariness of the situationinto which one is born struck me once again. These children are deeply unluckyto have been born in a region where their chance of surviving their first year oflife is severely diminished because their mothers cherish their new babies butdon’t have access to healthcare or accurate healthcare information. Many of thesewomen cannot afford the pair of gloves or needles required for a “clean” birth, letalone a blanket. The Information Blanket is designed to give these infants and theirmothers a fighting chance.

In June, I decided to leave my post as a Partner and Executive Creative Director ofa creative agency in New York to pursue this effort full time. Our sales have begunto skyrocket, with orders for English-language blankets coming in from multiplecountries and even different continents. Recently, we were lucky enough to partnerwith the Daily Grommet, a website that features a cool new consumer product everyday.

The Information Blanket is now running as a for-profit social enterprise built ona “one for one” business model, much like TOMS shoes. It works like this: I sellan English version of the blanket online and in retail stores. For each blanket Isell, one goes to a mother and baby somewhere in the world. Although they arecurrently only being sent to Uganda, I’m looking to expand blanket distributions toHaiti, Bolivia, South Africa, Cambodia and Afghanistan by the middle of next year.Eventually, I would like to set up local manufacturing sites in the areas where wedistribute blankets. This way, we can use the profits from the English-languageblankets to stimulate the local economy.

For more information, or to purchase blankets, please visitwww.informationblanket.com.

The first recipients!

A Mom with blankets...

Floating

2011-09-21T10:53:00.000-05:00

I used to drink a lot of water. Always drink water when I eat out of course we don't do that a lot. For some reason over the last 5 years, except when breast feeding, my water intake has gone way down.

I even recently had the fact that I do not drink enough water show up in my blood work!!! What????

So, I have taken the Brita Challenge and for the next 8 weeks I am going to try and drink at least 64 ounces a day! Watch out bathroom, here I come! Yesterday I succeeded and I am on my way today. Are you drinking enough water?

Last night the little was up A LOT coughing so of course I was up A LOT. I think I used the bathroom no less than 4 times over night. Haven't done that since I was preggers.

Trying to make healthy changes around here! Next thing you know we will be getting a composter. That is actually something we have talked about. But we are all about baby steps around here!

Have a great Day!!!

Mamavation Monday - Ups and Downs

2011-09-19T17:10:00.000-05:00

So I am going to start this post with a bit shout out to all those that did the 2 week challenge! Way to Go! Proud of you and plan on being a part of the next challenge!

Also, I would like to congratulate the Mark and Leah on their awesome news.

Now I will rehash my past 7 days...

I started off pretty strongly on Monday and Tuesday. Got some walks in ate pretty well. Tuesday and Wednesday night meals were very healthy and fresh.

On Wednesday I started getting very stressed about work and school. Had stuff that was not working properly so I could not get my reports finished on time and I had a paper due. This is my first "paper due" in about 15 years so my paper writing skills are a bit rusty!

I think I went a little crazy on Wednesday and Thursday - had some of those couldn't get a hold of myself moments. I should have gone for a walk, I know that it helps.

I did wear my pedometer for a few days. I also won a new one from Welcoming Weight Loss - Thank you Katie!!! I have not started using it yet - I know I know. But I will!!!

I did better last week about drinking my water too!

The scales did not move but at least they did not go up. So it is chin up. We leave for the beach on Saturday and no I am not where I wanted to be but that is okay we are still going to have a great time!

Hope everyone else has a great week!!!

After School - What to do... A guest post

2011-09-15T06:28:00.001-05:00

Today's post is a guest post by Lauren from Betterfly. Hope you enjoy and out of curiosity, what after school activities do your kids and family do? We are actually doing nothing right now but looking into karate for the oldest... Now on to the message from Lauren

Everyone is already getting geared up for back-to-school season, and with it come the age-old questions:
Does my child need a new backpack? Where can I buy five new binders for under twenty bucks?
And finally, what the heck is my kid going to do after school? As parents, we understand the value in
exposing our children to a variety of activities in hopes of sparking their interest in one thing or another.
But often times, getting those activities set up is more stressful than what we’re ready to deal with. This
year, try utilizing Betterfly.com, where it’s fast and easy to find tutors, teachers and coaches in your
local area. Below at the top 5 trends to try for school year 2011-12:

1. Learn a new language. There are countless benefits to picking up a new language, especially
since this particular kind of learning stimulates a special part of the brain that otherwise
remained largely unused. Plus, kids pick up languages much faster than adults, so it’s the perfect
time to get them started. Encourage their interest by trying new foods from countries where
people speak the language or exploring maps of those nations.
2. Try Zumba! Everything about this fantastic fitness class can be summed up in its tagline: “Ditch
the workout, join the party!” Imagine a cardio dance class centered around Latin dances like
rumba, salsa and meringue. It’s exciting, fun and will definitely get your kids moving!
3. Pick up an instrument (or two): Music is another one of those activities that promotes healthy
brain activity. Too expensive, you say? Filter your search on Betterfly’s Music Teachers page by
price and you’re likely to find someone within your budget. Don’t expect the next Led Zeppelin
to teach your child guitar, but instead embrace the local high school or college student who’s
passionate about music. Chances are, they’re a lot more fun and your kid will be able to relate
to someone closer in age.
4. Get crafty. Recently, there’s been a huge revival in the craft community, bringing back
wholesome hobbies like crochet, scrapbooking and jewelry making. Take a look at sites like Etsy,
and the interest is obvious. If your child is into the arts, think about setting up an introductory
class with a craft teacher. They’ll often supply materials at the beginning and give your child the
chance to show off his or her creative side.
5. Find your inner chef. What parent doesn’t want a helper in the kitchen?! Get your kids
comfortable in the kitchen by setting up a family cooking class. Everyone will learn new recipes
and techniques, and you might even find that your picky eater is a lot more open once he or she
is involved in the meal-making process.

Lauren is originally from Boston, but now that she's made her home in New York City, she works on maintaining her fluency in Spanish and hopes to get into practicing Pilates. Lauren is known among her friends as a master baker of all things sweet!

Ah, Just a Little Chocolate!

2011-09-14T07:07:00.002-05:00

I don't remember when it happened exactly, but one day I became a chocolate lover. It is one of those things that if it is in the house I want to eat it all! This of course not a good thing, everything in moderation, right?

Well as well all know I am trying to get healthier and hopefully that will all lead to being smaller...

So, when Stephanie from Hershey's contacted me about trying out their latest creation, Hershey®’s Air Delight™, I will not lie, I jumped on it. However, I did think to myself, "just what I need, extra chocolate in the house!"

My package arrived, early in the day and on dry ice - it is Summer in the South, and I ripped open the box! I must admit I curious to know how they were going to taste.

They were delightful! Pun intended. But you know what was really great, I could have a few of them and not feel guilty! If you eat one of the bars (and are like me and you are not going to just eat a bite or two) it is 200 calories. You can eat 5 of the "kisses" and stay under 100 calories. Perfect when nothing will do but some yummy milk chocolate! I know that dark chocolate is better for you but I am sorry, I can't make myself like it. Don't judge me for my milk chocolate preference! :)

Here are some Hershey®’s Air Delight™ facts...

Hershey’s Air Delight Chocolate is designed to help chocolate lovers savor and enjoy every chocolate-filled, lasting moment.

Hershey’s Air Delight Chocolate has a light and airy texture that causes the chocolate to melt with ease making it the ultimate chocolate experience.Hershey’s Air Delight Chocolate’s smooth and creamy consistency offers a whole new way to truly enjoy pure Hershey’s chocolate for an experience that is uniquely satisfying.

Hershey’s Air Delight Chocolate is available in 1.44 oz. single-serve take-home bars and 9.4 oz. bags of Hershey®’s Kisses® Chocolates.

Hershey’s Air Delight Chocolate marks one of the first aerated chocolates for the company.

Hershey’s Air Delight brand is currently available nationwide at mass, grocery, drug and convenience stores.

For more information, visit www.hersheys.com

Now go enjoy a piece of chocolate, I am sure you deserve it!

A new Monday - Mamavation Post

2011-09-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

I really feel that I have "slow go" into this Mamavation Sistahood. But I am trying harder and am going to continue to do so.

I reluctantly stepped on the scale this morning but was a pound down so I will definitely take that!

Friday afternoon I decided to try and shake my mood by heading out on a short walk. I walked a mile and know that I was better for it. Saturday morning I forced myself to the track and walked 4.2 miles. I am certain that it helped in a number of ways.

I currently have several things causing me stress, work, school and then just the normal being a Mom and wife things. But I know that there are people dealing with so much more. So, I need to put my big girl panties on, deal with life and take care of myself so I can take care of everything else!

Today is Monday, it is a new week and I am going to increase my exercise and decrease my calories! I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.

So can you!

Hey Saturday, Let's get it on!

2011-09-10T11:14:00.000-05:00

Yes! It is Saturday and for us it is a rare Saturday spent at home. So, I walked 4.2 miles this morning, I managed to get in a couple of hours of work. I have some homework to do and of course my house is a mess from the previous week so I am hoping to tackle some of the mess around here.

Today is my Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! She is taking care of Papa, who had his surgery Wednesday to remove his prostate. Everything went well and we are of course hoping for a full recovery.

I have been a little anxious this week, not completely sure why but hoping that the exercise will help take care of that. I have not desire to go back to the "crazy hypochondriac place". This time I may have to send out Moving Announcements if my sensebilities take a hike! Forwarding address closest inpatient psychiatric facility...

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I am stealing this quote from Andrea over at Tales of An Overstuffed Princess...

"It is not who you are that holds you back, It is who you think you are not!"

Dear Nick Jr.

2011-09-08T17:29:00.000-05:00

Okay, if you have young kids and aren't one of those people who would judge me for allowing my kiddos to ~~be babysat by~~ watch TV. Then you have probably watched a little Nick Jr.

Well my 2 year old, whom I think is going to be a Rock Star, loves Fresh Beat Band. However, the on-demand only has 2 shows and the adults in the house have quickly tired of those 2. I have since recorded some so we get a little variety.

So here is my plea, either put more On-Demand or better yet, for car travel and vacation and weekends at the lake, how about a DVD! I would pay good money for a Fresh Beat Band DVD. Yes, I would rather spend my money on other things... clothes, home renovations, used bar equipment (for when I need my strong drink so that I can't endure the 10th Fresh Beat of the week). You get my drift...

I leave you with a mini Jerry Lee Lewis in full performance as he watches The Fresh Beat Gang...

This Mama needs some Motivation - Mamavation Post

2011-09-07T07:47:00.002-05:00

I am posting my Mamavation post late... I feel this is how my week is going - late.

We went to the lake over the weekend and I ate way to much. I knew that it was going to happen and vowed to start fresh on Tuesday.

When I stepped on the scales yesterday, I was happy to see that I did not do as much damage as I had feared. And yesterday I did not do horribly.

However, I am still struggling with getting my booty moving!!! And this morning I woke up with a horrible catch in my back. Uggghhhh.

I apologize for my short and unmotivating post but I fear that if I post too much it will be all gloom and doom.

So I leave you with the promise that I will do better this week.

Hope all of you ladies and I think now gents, have a Great Mamavation Week!!!

Why is Budget Such an Ugly Word for Me?

2011-09-01T14:14:00.001-05:00

Yes, I am finally serious about a budget. And let me clear, I am not a new convert to the fact that a budget works, I have never doubted that. But in our previous financial situation/s I have not wanted to put the numbers to paper. I always knew that after I quit work and then baby 1 and then baby 2 came along that we were living above our means. By living above our means, I am not talking about jet setting or fancy cars, for us it was just normal living but it was still above our means. And I was not willing to give up cable or organic milk so I buried my head in the sand and chose to ignore it.

So, when Mom Central sent me chance to try out a new prepaid card by American Express and speak about on my blog I said yes. It seemed like the perfect timing with what was going on in our life right now.

So I went to the American Express Prepaid Card site and ordered a card. It was a relatively easy process and I did not have any problems. Here is the information passed on to me from Mom Central

"The new American Express Prepaid Card is a reloadable payment card that you can use for everything from gas to groceries. The card offers you a practical way to spend, with no activation or monthly fees - along with some other key benefits. An alternative to debit, credit, or cash, the Prepaid Card eliminates the need to carry around lots of cash without overspending.

By using the American Express Prepaid Card, you take control over weekly or monthly spending. It can also come in handy while traveling, when you have a kid attending college, or for a babysitter - as you can create and manage additional user cards for others. The card has no fees for purchasing the card online, monthly maintenance, activation, balance inquiries, alerts, card replacement, foreign currency conversion or loading via bank account.

The funds you put on the card do not expire, and if you lose it, it can easily be replaced. Users have full control via an online account - with the ability to load money, view transaction history, and set up alerts. Plus, with the Prepaid Card you get some of the same benefits you've come to expect from American Express like Roadside Assistance, Purchase Protection and 24/7 Customer Service."

For me the biggest problem was/is figuring out how I am going to utilize this into my budget. There are numerous ways. And of course different families have different needs. If we had a teenager or college student it would be a great way to help control their spending while teaching them good budgeting skills. But we don't, I do have a 4 year old that wants everything under the sun but I don't think I am ready to hand him a credit card - even prepaid.

For us I think that it will be used as a way to control "luxury" spending. For instance, we will allow ourselves so much a month to eat out. This amount will be put on the card and that will be the only card we use to eat out.

What are your biggest budgeting hurdles? What budgeting "secrets" do you have that might help others?

“Iwrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consultingon behalf of American Express and received a promotional item to thank me fortaking the time to participate.”

Well That Was Fast - Thank Goodness

2011-08-31T21:05:00.001-05:00

I am talking about the month of August. I knew it was going to be a bear. I said it over and over. I set myself up for the pain. We made it through, I do wish I had done it with a bit more class, charm and smiles!

I did manage to work 35 hours each week, I did manage not to harm my children (physically and I hope that anything I did mentally will not take too much time in therapy.) I knew it would be tough, they are 2 and 4 they need me, they need attention and I enjoy giving it to them. However, this month, the month without the sitter and the month before preschool starts I needed them to need me less. I do have occasional conference callsand that can be interesting when John Loyd is doing his "tween that has seen Beiber" scream!

I know this is a bi*** session post but I feel like I need to purge or might spontaneously combust!

My little sweet 2 year old is such a "get into everything" busy body. I ~~yell~~ say "No JL" at least 10 times an hour. His new thing is jumping on the couch. It. Makes. Me. Crazy!

Another bad thing to come from the crazy is, I can't stop eating. It is my M-O, it is not surprising but it is another thing to bring me down a bit. But again, light at the end of the tunnel - it is me walking and jogging and getting fit! I am going to. I will!

So, here we are on the other side of August and I can see the light and I am pretty sure that it is not a train. I have been able to get my work done, I even got my first week of 2 classes under control. (I am going back to school to get my teaching license and then my Masters. I have a fear that my work at home gift may end and I have to have a back-up) The house is a mess but it is not in "DCS is being called" shape. So, we are doing it.

If it were in the budget (a new post on us and our new budget tomorrow), I would have a part-time house cleaner but it is not to be and now that I have vented, I need to make clear that I KNOW how BLESSED I am. I spent a lot of this month praying for myself as well as many others. I did not want to have a useless meltdown. I didn't really have the time.

Thanks for listening. I do feel better now. We have along weekend coming up and there will be extra hands so I can relax and maybe even get a little ahead on some of my studying. Then on Tuesday The Boys Start PreSchool!!!! Woo Hoo!

Easy big scary horse...

2011-08-31T08:18:00.000-05:00

Oh busy days and some sleepless nights! But we are here, alive and surviving. I feel like I dwell on getting through each hour. Work, kids and now school are making me a little crazy but I have to remember to enjoy the now! So many people are fighting for their lives and I need to make sure I take nothing for granted.

Enough about that!!!

Back at the end of July we did our annual lead line at the county fair. The kids had a great time but JL refused to ride his horse, I am thinking I will not be buying horse equipment for the little guy!

Here are a few pics from that night...

Hunter and Papa

Cowgirl Ava

Annalee was very happy on the horse!

Hunter again...

Mallie is such a cute cowgirl

Yes, there was a horse left in the trailer!

However, he rode behind Hunter long enough to get his trophy, shown here with Po

Ragu - Fresh Ideas and A Giveaway

2011-08-29T22:08:00.002-05:00

Seems like as Moms we spend a lot of time planning, worrying, thinking about and then eventually buying, fixing, and cooking food for our families. "Will they eat this?" "Is this healthy enough for them?" It is a never ending 3 meals a day plus snacks cycle.

MomSelect and Ragu sent me a jar of Ragu sauce and $20 to have dinner on them! They asked that I tell you about Ragu's neat Facebook page where you can get some fresh dinner ideas! You will also find the latest video "Pasta is like a Blank Canvas" - Spaghetti Tacos anyone? There are also other videos to watch!

We are big spaghetti eaters. My mother is not a fan of cooking but growing up she tried to make sure that we had hot meals and spaghetti was a staple. I love to cook and I love spaghetti, so it is a staple here as well. Especially in the fall and winter. So, Ragu pasta sauce is something that I purchase regularly.

If you read this blog with regularity you know that I am always talking about food in some way. Trying to lose weight is always going on but lately I have been trying to change directions to eating in a healthier way. I just posted about how we are going to try to go more unprocessed and eat more "whole". We are still in the process of figuring our families rules, but one is that on the "whole" days if something is packaged it needs to have minimal ingredients and we need to be able to pronounce the ingredients and know what they are. My jar of Ragu arrived after we had initiated this conversation. I admit, I turned the jar around to read the ingredients and was a little worried. Guess what? I could read the few ingredients very well, it was like listing items in my garden!

So, some Ragu, whole grain pasta and a nice salad and you have a very healthy well rounded meal! Each 1/2 of Ragu contains 2 vegetable servings!

Don't forget to check out the Ragu's Facebook page for some recipes to Spice up your next meal!

The GIVEAWAY

If you would like to enter for a chance to win a $20 Visa Gift Card follow the steps below:

Main Entry: Leave a comment on this post about one of your dinner challenges.

For 1 extra entry follow me here on twitter. Leave a comment that you did/do.

For 1 extra entry follow this blog using the Google friend connect on the upper right sidebar.

This contest is open to US residents and will run until September 9th midnight cst.

Good Luck!

“Iwrote this review while participating in a blog tour by MomSelect on behalf of Ragu and received a promotional item to thank me fortaking the time to participate. The $20 Visa Gift card is supplied by and will be sent form MomSelect”

Mamavation Monday - Not Such a Good Week

2011-08-29T07:06:00.000-05:00

I will start with my non-scale victories. There were several days that I ate well. It reminded me that I know how to do it and it not only doesn't hurt it feels much better!!!

We are also putting a plan into place to start eating a little healthier in the way of more whole foods and less processed foods. This will be a very slow journey but we are going to take it.

Now for the fussing at myself section...

So I did my weigh-in this morning... Not so good.

I thought that I did better on my eating and I did through the week but this past weekend - not so much.

After commenting on Bookiboo.com on the "Scales" conversation that my scales were just a tool, I kid you not, this morning I wanted to pick the things up and throw them through the window!!!

So, I do know where my problem is. First and foremost, I AM NOT MOVING ENOUGH! I have got to implement some consistent exercise into my life. I do not know why I refuse to do this. Oh I have a list of excuses - kids, tired, work, school... but bottom line I am lazy and apparently refusing to do what I need to do to make myself healthier!

So lessons from this past week. Move Toni Move! Eating well feels good!

Hope everyone else had a good week and has a Great week this week!

How Processed Are We?

2011-08-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

Hunter and his watermelon from our garden...

So yesterday hubby happened upon a blog about a family who took a 100 day unprocessed challenge. Last night at dinner he brought it up. If you are wondering what we were eating when he mentioned it... Grilled pork chop, white rice, baked beans and salad. Not horrible but if you are a "whole" food eater or unprocessed eater, I am sure you are shaking your head and just dying to tell me where I need to make changes...

So, Brad suggested that we try 1 day a week. I immediately picked Wednesday for several reasons, both kids are in school on Tuesday so I can travel alone to the farmer's market and any other places I need to go to make this happen and only Hunter is in school on Wednesday so I only have to fix one lunch in this new way - in case it is a lot harder than I think.I feel like I should include a little background about our current eating habits. From my point of view we do not eat horribly. But I guess that most people feel that way.

What we have going for us...
1. We eat at home A LOT. This past Monday through Friday the boys and I ate every meal at the house.
2. We don't fry a lot of things. It smells up the kitchen and I am not great at it. A couple of times in the summer when the squash comes in we fry squash.
3. Our beef and eggs as well as corn come from my Dads farm.
4. My kids love fruits and some veggies.
5. We currently eat whole grain wheat bread. However, just read the ingredients and think I will be going to the local bakery from now on.
6. For well over a year, I have tried to buy more natural and organic when the budget allows, sooo I am not foreign to how expensive eating better can be.

What I think will be some of our hurdles...
1. Snacks.
2. I LOVE CHIPS AND DIPS
3. Hunter's lunch - usually peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
4. I work almost full-time so until I get used to it the planning and shopping might be a little overwhelming
5. Finding our way as to what our "rules" are
6. cost

Now, I expect the above list to grow as we get into this thing. I am excited, I don't think anyone WANTS to be unhealthy and I hope that by taking it slow and steady we will become a more healthy family.

Any encouragement or advice is appreciated!!!

My Inaugural Mamavation Post

2011-08-22T15:53:00.000-05:00

As anyone that reads this blog, or has ever read this blog, you know that I am always struggling to eat better and exercise. Of course I want to lose weight but essentially I want me and my family to be healthy.

So, in an effort to get support, ideas, motivation, and just meet and chat with some great women (and maybe 1 man?), I am looking to join the Mamavation Sistahood. For my first post I think I will just tell a little about myself and why I seem to have a motivation problem to begin with.

I am a work at home mom of 2 boys. They are great and rowdy and well, BOYS. My oldest is 4 (and 1/2 - gotta add that) and the little one just turned 2. This summer I had a college girl come to the house a few hours a week to watch and tend to the boys while I work.

I am an analyst for a health insurance company and work about 30 to 35 hours a week. So, I spend a lot of time seated in front of the computer. It is a GREAT opportunity! I feel really blessed. And yes there is a but in there, but sometimes it is a little overwhelming right now because my little sitter has gone back to school and the boys preschool does not begin until September.

This leads to one of eating issues. I tend to go straight for the chips or any other crunchy munchy thing that is not good for me. It is how I zone out the crazy I feel.As a family we do not eat horribly. We cook a lot at home and aren't huge drive-thru people. However, I really want to be better about eating fresh foods and getting more veggies into our systems.

My boys are on the move all the time. I really want to be in better shape and healthier to ensure I keep up with them. I want to be tone and fit but essentially I want to be able to go to my closet pull out anything and put it on and feel comfortable! I know that exercise is essential I just have a problem getting started. I did walk a half marathon in the Spring and stuck with my training and felt so much better during that time. But then I stopped and I have such a hard time restarting.

So, I did weigh this morning (eeeeekkkkk) and hopefully next week I will be able to report that I have lost a pound and that I exercised a lot!

Anyone have a good on-line exercise keeper upper I should try?

We Did It, We Did It

2011-08-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, in my mind Dora or Diego are singing that! My now officially today 2 year old is really into those 2 right now!

So what did we do? We made it through, kicking and screaming, week one of no school and no sitter/nanny. There were times that I had my doubts but we did. It was not always pretty and shockingly, I worked 2 more hours than normal... We did not go many places, I have become a wuss over the summer since I did not have to have the boys tag a long for errands. I guess the plus side is that no mental breaks took place out of the house and we did not require emergency roadside assistance!!! No, all my mental breaks took place in the comfort of our home! I jest, sort of.

So this next week my Mom is coming down for a day or two. It is working out that while she is here, I have a meeting at the office and JL has a doctor's appointment so the timing is perfect. Sometimes I kind of shudder when I think about adding classes to my crazy schedule but the boys will be back in school by then and maybe this month of August will help prepare me for the crazy. You know I am looking for the silver lining!

So Happy Saturday and Happy Birthday to JL!!! These pics are from JL's birthday celebration last weekend at the lake...

Had to add this one of Brad's brother's middle son and my brother's oldest. I think my brother had better watch out!!!

Blue Bunny Ice Cream - Review and Giveaway

2011-08-11T10:37:00.004-05:00

Can you possibly have Summer without ice cream? You might try because Summer is also swim suit season but it is really not necessary. We all know the phrase, "everything in moderation."

Recently I was given the chance by Mom Central and Blue Bunny to host a Bachelorette viewing and Blue Bunny eating party!

The first think I had to do was choose with Blue Bunny flavor I wanted to try. I chose the White Chocolate Raspberry. I thought I was going to have to hide it from my husband after letting him try one!

Of course there are many other flavors to choose from: Birthday Party, Bunny Tracks, Super Fudge and Banana Split - just to name a few! (Did you notice in the picture of the "personals" that they come with their own spoons? The kids LOVE that!)

So, my ice cream arrived, exactly when Mom Central said it would (good job delivery guy!) I put it in the freezer and invited my sister-in-laws and another couple of mutual friends to come watch The Bachelorette and eat some yummy Blue Bunny ice cream.

Unfortunately, due to other obligations, school and work only one of my invitees could attend. However, we had a great time catching up and eating spinach dip! Even though neither of us are big Bachelorette fans (several of the others were...) we watched and had lots of commentary about the show! I hope that Ashley and JP can find a life time of happiness together. And I am sincere, as I read it to myself, it comes across as sarcastic.

Here is a picture of Sail and her ice cream...

I had sent the "men" of the house out for the evening and when they returned I let them each have a Blue Bunny Personals. It got a thumbs up from each (see spoon reference above.)

I will be buying Blue Bunny in the future. We tried the frozen yogurt and I am looking forward to trying the other varieties. They have a light and "no sugar added" selection as well.

If you go and sign up at their web page right now you can get a $0.55 cent coupon! Currently Blue Bunny is on sale at one of my local stores so you might be able to get a very good deal right now!

GIVEAWAY
But if you want to hold our for FREE Ice Cream, enter my giveaway!!!

2 lucky readers will win a coupon for a FREE carton of Blue Bunny Ice Cream!

To enter leave a comment on this post about what your favorite ice cream flavor is.

For an additional entry (after you have left the "favorite flavor" comment) you can follow me on twitter. @naptime Make sure you leave a comment that you are following me!

If you would like 1 more entry tweet about this giveaway... You can use this: #Win a FREE carton of ice cream @naptime http://bit.ly/nO5ohs Make sure you leave a comment that you tweeted!

The giveaway will run until Friday August 21st at midnight! It is open to US residents. Good Luck!

"I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Blue Bunny and received product samples, coupons and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Silver Linings...

2011-08-05T15:40:00.001-05:00

Recently my Mom had to change health insurance, she is retiring and I guess that is why. Anyway she carries herself and my step-dad, Bruce. So they had to have physicals and blood work done for the insurance.

So, when the blood work came back Bruce had high levels that indicated risk for prostate cancer. However, he had just spent a week on a ranch horse riding. I say this because one of the things that could elevate the number was bicycle riding. Anyway, they scheduled an ultrasound which is standard. After the ultrasound they scheduled a biopsy.

Sure enough he has prostate cancer. I must admit we were all a little shocked - he was showing no symptoms what so ever. So silver lining here is - thank goodness they changed insurance!!!

The prognosis is good. He will have a scan to make sure there is not any cancer anywhere else (to me this is terrifying.) Then he will have his prostate removed.

He seems to be taking it in stride. He is joking about it right now, "I don't have to do that, I have cancer." I wonder if there are any funny tshirts that say something similar.

I must say it all makes me very anxious! I have lost an uncle to cancer, and several friends. I also have friends who have suffered great losses because of cancer. I pray often for a cure, I try to donate to cancer research, not sure what else to do.

So, say a little prayer for my step-dad and for the doctors who are seeing to his care.

Thanks!

Show Us The Money

2011-08-02T12:29:00.000-05:00

Well the House and Congress have voted to increase the national debt limit. To many this is a victory. I am still on the fence. No, I don't necessarily want our great country to default on our bills. No, I don't want interest rates and whatever else could possibly rise to rise. BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS...

I AM ANGRY!

You know that I am not one to do political posts. I have a lot of political opinions but I have really used the blog to express them.

So, here it goes. If anyone else was managing my money this poorly I would fire them.

This is my money. I pay taxes, I have paid taxes since I was 15 years old. These taxes should ensure that I have roads to drive on and a military to protect a long with a few other things.

Seriously Washington, Get it Together! Stop using my money as a bargaining chip against each other! Why are you talking about college tuition in reference to my money?

If you don't agree with me that is fine, but I am so sick of my money being used for things that have nothing to do with me! Now, I am not against helping people that are trying to help themselves!

Why does it seem that when Washington talks about money it sounds like it is Washington's money - no IT IS MY MONEY and if you and your family pay taxes IT IS YOUR MONEY!

Something has got to give. Washington needs to buck up make the cuts that need to be made and manage MY MONEY better! NOW!!!

In my opinion if you are "making deals" with my money you are fired. Do what government is suppose to do with the money you have and do it NOW!

It Is Friday! Long Week Almost Over

2011-07-29T07:58:00.001-05:00

Wow what a busy week we have had. I am not complaining, I feel blessed to have had such a busy week. The work portion of it could have gone a little smoother and I could have magically gotten the number we needed. But I am just thankful to have my job and really enjoy it, so no fussing there.

Some of the other things that have kept me busy this week was a play date on Monday! We have some Moms and kids come over and it was big fun! Again so blessed to have that opportunity. Also my wonderful Mom came down and helped me clean my house and prepare for Monday. The kids had a great time and it was nice to have some Mom conversation.

Thursday night I got to help with an adoption benefit! Friends are adopting a little girl from China. It was at a wonderful gift shop and all proceeds go towards their adoption. Right now 9 families from our church are or have just finished adopting!!! I was in charge of food (of course) and also did a little shopping. Anyway, even a rfid blocking wallets could not protect my money last night. Got a few fun things for me and marked some gifts off my list!

Today it is back to work and tomorrow the boys and I are going to a family reunion. Next week may be a little less busy but after surviving this week not sure if that is good or bad!

PupCakes anyone? A BabyCakes cupcake review

2011-07-26T21:27:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Mom Central and babycakes we recently got to try the babycakes Cupcake maker. Or as my oldest would say a "PupCake" maker.

To say that my boys (especially Hunter, the oldest) loves all things sweet is an understatement. So when I showed him the box when it was delivered he was beyond excited!

Here is our babycakes cupcake maker!

We received the cupcake maker about a week before my husband Brad's birthday. So perfect reason to make cupcakes, not that you need a reason for cupcakes. It seems that cupcakes have become the "new black", I mean they have their own shows now and everything!

The cupcake maker comes with some great recipes! I will talk more about those in a bit. We decided to just use a cake mix. {Side story: I am measuring out and giving Hunter the stuff to add to the mix; He started mixing the batter. I noticed that something looked looked off. I had switched the oil and water amounts. Needless to say we had to trash that mix and start over!} So now that you have had a laugh on me, back to the babycakes cupcake maker. So, we got the second mix going, correctly...

Hunter making the batter.

We pour the matter in and now it is time to wait. But here is a fun fact, you only have to wait about 5 minutes! Yep, that is right, not long at all!

Cupcakes getting ready to make!

Here is where you the one and only think I would change about the cupcake maker, a timer. With 2 young ones running around 5-6 minutes goes by quickly. I can see myself letting them stay too long. Knowing myself, I set my oven timer and all was great!

Our finished products, which cool really quickly!

Included are some tools to help make your creations perfect! So we iced the cupcakes and of course added a few little colored sugar crystals and Daddy had a wonderful birthday surprise! They were delicious. My 2 year old can now say "cupcake"!

After all was over, I wiped the cupcake maker clean (with a paper towel) that was all that was needed! All in all it was very easy to use. I was very happy with the product. (Except for my missing timer.)

A couple of the recipes that were included were neat ideas like pies and tarts. Also corn muffins and for the appetizer freak like me, spicy cornbread ham appetizers. Mini quiches and empanadas are also in the recipes! You can also find recipes and tips at the babycakes cupcake maker website!

Can't wait for our next creation!

“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Babycakes and received a product sample and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Rob Lowe's, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, A Review

2011-07-20T20:36:00.001-05:00

I will admit up front that there may be some bias where my review of Stories I Only Tell My Friends is concerned. No, I did not receive the book for free and no I am not being paid to review it. I have just always had a special place in my heart (as well as my walls at certain times in my life) for Rob Lowe.

Okay, I am quickly realizing that the beginning of this post is going to be more about my affection for Rob Lowe, I promise there will be a review. Just let me rattle on about my crush for a minute. And, yes, my husband does read this blog and yes he is aware of my crush.

...where was I? Oh yes, Rob Lowe and his place in my heart. One of the very interesting parts in the book is Rob's experience auditioning for "The Outsider's". I must admit my attention during that movie was on Matt Dillon. My crush on Rob began with "Oxford Blues", I can not tell you exactly how many times I watched that movie and if right now, I saw that it was on, I would watch. After that was "St. Elmo's Fire", that was it for me. I may even be able to find a therapist who will let me blame my years of liking bad boys on Billy Hicks.

As an adult, I stopped watching "West Wing" once Sam was gone. It was a tough decision because I developed some other crushes while watching that show but it was time for me. I do still watch "Brother's and Sister's" but that may be because I have a girl crush on Calista. I have only watched "Parks and Recreation" a couple of times (after I found out Rob was on it.) Note: I think that Parks and Recreations is a funny show that I would really enjoy, not sure why I did not start watching it from the get go... It must have interfered with something else I was watching. You know I do love TV.

For some reason I have always felt that Rob would be someone that would come across as an "human". I know that may sound odd but so often we put actors in this superhuman category and then we expect them to act that way. I am not sure why I felt Rob Lowe would be different. He has supernatural looks, grew up around people that would make a name droppers head explode and dated a princess!!! But still something in those gorgeous eyes just seemed down to earth. I also have always liked the fact that you don't see he and his gorgeous wife plastered all over the celeb magazines. (I must disclose that I don't really read them that much so if they are plastered all over them, I stand corrected.)

So, now to the book. Do you even question that I am giving it 4 out of 4 stars?

The only reason I knew about the book is because I picked up a magazine with him on the cover, decided to buy it (not a big magazine person unless I am on vacation) and there was an excerpt from the book. It was part of the "Outsider's" portion of the book and I could not put the magazine down. I knew that I had to read the book.

I love to read. It is one of my favorite ways to relax. On a 7 day vacation (before kids) it was not odd for me to read 5 books. One caveat... I.Can.Not.Read.Non-Fiction.

When my book arrived I was a bit apprehensive, I really wanted to like it and I really wanted to read it all. That seems to be my problem with non-fiction, I can never finish.

I did it. I read a non-fiction book cover to cover. And I must say I read it as quickly as I could. When I was unable to read, I was thinking about the book.

Maybe it is because Rob Lowe's life reads a lot like fiction, like a Hollywood Movie. The boy has a dream, the boy achieves the dream. The boy has troubles and valleys but pulls through. Boy eventually chooses the right girl.

The way he tells his stories with humility and ownership of mistakes helps you to see the man behind the pretty face. You also realize that is what he wants you see. Despite the party years where the tabloids did love him, you come away from this book feeling like celebrity has nothing to do with his trade. And then is resonates that maybe it is that way for more "celebrities", it is just hard to realize it in a world in love with tabloids.

I long for a day when there were no "reality celebs". Stories I Only Tell My Friends takes you to this place. You see an actor who loves his job and not for the recognition of it. You hear about auditions that took place before "blockbusters" existed. Plus these early movies and times in the book take me back to my younger years when life was a little slower and more innocent than now.

I leave with one of my favorite themes (if you will) of the book. The suspense factor. He talks about being on the set of a big movie, drum roll... He is talking to a young actress who is going to take up singing, drum roll... He is at a famous movie stars house (unbeknown to him), drum roll...

If you get a chance and love movies and/or TV pick up this book. It is a good read!

(I borrowed this pic from Amazon)

You can link to the actual book at Amazon here.

(Again, I disclose, I get nothing from the link or review)

Phone decisions

2011-07-15T14:43:00.002-05:00

It is FINALLY time for me to get a new phone, well 13 more days. As much as I am looking forward to a new phone, I am NOT looking forward to making the choice.

Two years ago when I got my first smart phone there were not a lot options. Now I am going to have to decide between a phone like the new htc incredible s or the iphone.

I would really like to have 4G so that might help make my decision but I don't know. I have been researching but I. Just. Don't. Know!

Any ideas?

Where does it go?

2011-07-15T13:44:00.001-05:00

The time that is. July is half way over. I have a confession to make. Sometimes my fear makes me kind of glad that time flies. My fear of illness or trauma makes me give it a big "whew" when another day passes without something bad happening. Not a good way to live!

But the mother in me that thinks my kids are growing up to fast, I can't believe that we are over half way through the year. Just last month I was blogging about fathers day ideas at personal creations and now I am thinking about buying Christmas gifts.

I need to get control of the 24 hours a day I have. I need/have to start exercising again. We each have 24 hours a day, how we choose to spend them is up to us. I have to keep that in mind. I need to start making list again. I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!

Photo Card Creations Review and Giveaway

2011-07-11T10:28:00.002-05:00

I been given the opportunity to tell you about the new features offered at Photo Card Creations.

Let me start by saying this, and I am not trying to scare you, but do you realize exactly how quickly the "send out Christmas Cards" time is approaching. It seems like yesterday I was taking down the tree and it is almost the middle of July!!!

For me Christmas Cards are a way for me to connect to friends and family that I do not get to see often. So, it is important for that the card reflect our style and our lives.

But don't get side tracked by Christmas Cards if that is not your thing, Photo Card Creations carries Birth Announcements, Party Invites and Thank-You Cards as well.

Here are a few examples of their cards...

A little about the company..

Photo Card Creations is a leading online retailer of premium custom photo cards, announcements and invitations. They specialize in wedding, baby and holiday cards. They offer hundreds of Card Designs and a variety of Paper Types to choose from, many of which are hard to find elsewhere. Their cards are printed on the highest quality paper using leading edge printing technologies. With a professional graphic designer personally handling each order, they offer a more hands-on approach to customer service than many of their competitors. This Fall, they will be adding over 50 new products and introducing a new user-friendly, online card preview system, which will allow customers to upload their photos and customize and view their cards online before placing their order!

Here is the information I received about Photo Card Creation's new web site feature...

Photo Card Creations is excited to announce that we will be adding a great new feature to our website this fall that will enhance our customer’s online experience! This new feature will allow our customers to completely customize, view and approve their cards online before ordering! After selecting the card you’d like to order, you will be able to customize your card using our online custom design wizard. You will be able to upload, instantly view, zoom, reposition and convert your photos to Sepia or Black and White. If you don’t like the photo(s) you originally added, you replace them with alternate photos, experimenting with different photos until you find the photo(s) that look best on your card! You will be able to choose different background & photo border colors. You will be able to fully customize your text, using suggested greetings available on our website or your own custom greeting. You can also change the Font Style, Ink Color and Font Size for your greeting anywhere on your card. You be able to toggle through drop menus to create the perfect card design, watching changes occur as you make them. Once you are finished designing your cards, you can preview your final card online and then place your order, which will be shipped to you approximately 3 business days later!

Now for the giveaway!!!

Photo Card Creations is giving one of my readers a $50 gift certificate to apply to the purchase of their great cards!

This contest is open to US residents and will run until July 25th, midnight, CST.

To enter visit their site and leave me comment letting me know which card is your favorite.

For an extra entries follow me on twitter and tweet about this contest. Be sure to leave me an additional comments, one additional comment if you are following me and another additional comment that you tweeted about the contest. You can use this: Win $50 gc for #PhotoCardCreations over @naptime http://tiny.cc/yip17

Good Luck!!!

Coupons, coupons, coupons, coupons

2011-07-10T18:02:00.000-05:00

Okay, I am trying once again (why is that I always seem to say that phrase, it seems I never try something and either succeed or stick with it) anywho, I am trying once again to be better with the whole coupon thing. I do not think that I have it in to play the "coupon game" the way a lot of savers do but I could be more diligent about looking for coupons before shopping.

I have once again started getting the Sunday paper and I fixed my printer so that I can print on-line coupons. There are several sites that will allow this and many many Mom blogs that will help you as well. I am also making sure that I look for coupons codes when I am doing my on-line shopping. Sometimes my lack of patience and "always in a hurry" attitude makes me forget to do that but I am going to better!

Maybe I will not have to use that opening phrase for this topic again!

Acceptance

2011-07-09T09:47:00.000-05:00

No, this is not some insightful post about accepting others and tolerance, although I do have a lot of thoughts and opinions on those topics. No, this is a post where I tell you that I got accepted (on special terms) to graduate school!!!!

Special terms is basically because I applied as non-degree seeking. I will change that but I wanted to get accepted so I can go ahead and start taking classes this fall to get my teaching license.

Still yet to do: take the MAT which I am doing next week and figure out my financial aid stuff. Hopefully that can come through when needed, or I will have to be looking into cash advances!

I am excited! Brad bought me some candy (those Lindt truffle things) to congratulate me, and of course, in true Toni fashion, I ate way to many in one sitting and was a little sick last night. But they are so good!!!

Where is the noise?

2011-07-08T08:33:00.003-05:00

I had my post drafted in my head and then I logged into Blogger and saw the new set-up and forgot everything else...

I am sure that I will eventually really like this new format but right now I think I need to go read Who Moved My Cheese!

Back to the story at hand. We had a wonderful long weekend at the lake. It was of course busy and I think we entertained about 60 different people over the course of the 4th holiday. So needless to say I am still tired and now playing catch-up with home and work.

Hunter stayed up there for "Papa/Granna Camp". He and Ava are having a blast. However, this will be the longest time I have spent away from my big boy and I admit that I miss him! It is quieter but that is not always good. Every once in a while a Mom likes to hear things that sound like pots banging on undermount stainless steel sinks. It lets us know everything is okay!

Here are a couple of photos from the weekend...

First attempt at getting a family photo... Didn't go to well!

Finally got a keeper!

What's going on????

2011-07-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

Wow, I thought I had finally gotten back into my blogging groove. Well apparently a few little changes have knocked me off my "groove".

I have started working more hours. This is a great thing! The boys are being good for the most part when I am trying to work. That is making it pretty easy to get my hours in.

I have also decided to go ahead and start school this fall. Instead of going for a Master's in Special Ed, I am going to just get the hours I need to get my teaching certificate. I will do it at the graduate level so that it will count towards my Masters.

This week I have also been preparing for our 4th of July celebration at the lake. When I get back I am going to hone in on my blogging, even if I have to get a couple of rifle scopes to do so.

I have so many things to blog about and things I know my readers will want to know about and a few things they will want to win!

Speaking of winning, I had no bites on my What to Expect giveaway. I guess I will hand those off to some pregnant people I know.

Everyone have a great weekend!!!

Blogger's Block

2011-06-27T12:43:00.000-05:00

For some reason even when I have the little bit of time to blog during the busy last couple of weeks, I don't seem to want to.

However, I do have a few reviews and a giveaway to do. So look for them in the next couple of days!!!

Also, enter my What to Expect When Your Expecting Giveaway!!!

What to Expect! Review and Giveaway!

2011-06-15T16:17:00.002-05:00

Oh how scary can pregnancy can be. The little pains, the big pains, the movements, the non-movements. What to eat, what not to eat, and on and on.

Well when I was pregnant with my first child one of the books I relied on a lot was What to Expect When You're Expecting.

A good friend who had been pregnant years before said that it was such an asset for her, she knew I would love it. She was right!!! One of the things that I really liked about this book is that it tends to answer questions you either don't want to ask, don't know how to ask or didn't even know you needed to ask!

Not only are the books wonderful, Whattoexpect.com is a wonderful on-line resource! It sends you updates and you have answers to your questions literally at your fingertips!

But wait there is more! Do the questions really stop after you have the baby? No they multiply by 100!!! That is why there is What to Expect the First Year. And now, I am jealous to know, there is What to Expect the Second Year! How exciting!

I don't think I can say enough how these resources both written and on-line can help an expecting and then new Mom!

So, now I want to give you a chance to win!!! I have several books to giveaway!

I have 2 What to Expect When You're Expecting
I have 1 What to Expect The First Year and
I have 1 What to Expect The Second Year.
There will be 4 winners.

Here is how it will work.

You can get one entry by leaving a comment and let me know which book you would like to win. If you would like to be entered for a chance at all 3 that is fine, but you need to leave 3 comments. However, you will not be able to win more than once.

You can get another entry by following me on twitter - (naptime) and tweeting about this giveaway. This can only be used for one entry so leave me a comment that you followed me or do follow me, tweeted about the giveaway and which book you want the entry to count towards. You can copy this to tweet... Win a @whattoexpect when expecting book @naptime http://tiny.cc/urzd3 #giveaway

The contest is open to US residents and will run until June 30th, midnight - central time.

Good luck!!!

2 down 2 to go!

2011-06-14T14:23:00.000-05:00

We are half way through VBS! Busy Busy week. But hang with me! I have some great giveaways coming up! I also have some reviews. I have been reading several books (about to finish my 4th) by the same author and want to tell you about them/her. They are suspense novels...

So come back Thursday or Friday and hopefully I will have some new content for you!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Message to my Small One

2011-06-09T16:29:00.004-05:00

The smallest of mine, would be the young gentleman on the left. The cute princess on the right is cousin AL...

Dear Smallest,

I loved you the moment I knew you had been conceived, I loved you when they cut my belly opened pulled you out and put you in my arms. I will love you forever no matter what!

BBBBUUUUUUTTTT - Here are a few things I would like you to know, study and try to adjust to.

1. When I am sitting at my computer working, my leg is not a slide. I know that to you it may appear to be as big as a slide but it is not. So "climbing" and "sliding" down it yelling "weeeeeee" is not a good thing for me.

2. Squealing like a tween that has just seen Beiber EVERY time something appears not to go your way is really unnecessary!

3. You are almost 2 years old. Sleeping through the night should not be an issue. Could you please do it at least a couple of nights in a row each week! MOMMY NEEDS SLEEP!!!

4. I did not mind having you "attached" to me for nine months, I felt you were safe, I did not mind have you "attached" to me for 9 more months while I fed you, I knew it was good for you and me. But now your desire to have one of my arms or be on my back and be "attached" to me while I work is not necessary.

5. When I am changing your dirty diaper, you putting your hand on your bottom or grabbing and shaking your diaper is TRULY not necessary!!!

6. Also, trying to use your legs to "head lock" my arms when I change your diaper, please stop! Trust me, I will have you wrestling when you turn 3!

7. I am all about oral hygiene! But having to brush your "teeth, teeth, teeth, teeth, teeth, teeth" every time I step foot into the bathroom is taking it a little overboard.

8. Saying "sorry" before you do something wrong does not keep you from getting in trouble.

JL, I love you very much and always will!

Video Killed My Computer Confidence!

2011-06-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry! I also now have Video Killed the Radio Star in my head as well! So, I have been trying to upload my Flip videos.

I consider myself somewhat computer literate. But this has me bumfumbled!

So I am going to, hopefully successfully, try again! I have some videos that I want to share. So be on the look out!

The Bad Attitude Post

2011-06-07T08:02:00.000-05:00

This post is nothing more than a big old piece of complaining. At 2:00 am this morning I had a clever/funny (to my sleep deprived mind) post running through my mind but at this moment all I want to do is B****!

So, yes sweet baby boy did not sleep well last night. He was up for more than an hour and a half in the wee hours. Then I had trouble going back to sleep. Read a little of the book I am reading and finally fell back to sleep.

I ended up sleeping until almost 7 this morning, that meant no exercise for me. So that put me in a small foul mood to begin with.

My next frustration was a call to the Corp of Engineers to secure a primitive camping spot on the lake. You have to call 60 days in advance. They open at 7:30, I called at exactly 7:30 and it was gone! So apparently I need to call before 7:30 - soooo frustrated!

Now, I need to work and I am being short with my kids and I need to get over it. Hopefully putting it out on here will help me flush it out!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Getting back on track

2011-06-06T09:01:00.000-05:00

Last week I did not exercise at all and I ate like crap! We had a bunch of leftover snacky things from the weekend and apparently I have NO will power against that stuff.

So this morning I got back on the treadmill and did some running. I am going to give it a real try on cutting back on my eating this week! I know that I would feel better about myself if I could lose just 10 pounds.

I have seen a lot lately about Mamavation but I don't think I am ready to make that commitment.

Yesterday the kiddos got a little muddy after an after shower so Brad blew up the little pool and let them splash and play...

The Great Veggie Caper

2011-06-05T13:23:00.000-05:00

I wish I were that Mom that could could these wonderful veggie packed meals that my children would eat. I would know how to cleverly combine spinach into a smoothy or maybe get carrots in the form of a french fry... Plus I would have the time to do this.

And yes, I know that there are cookbooks out there just for this.

So, for the first time I gave something a try. Now, around here finding the time to puree the squash or grind the whatever is not going to happen. So what I did was buy some baby food, squash to be exact and I mixed it in with the macaroni and cheese.

It worked! They ate it. I ate a bite or two as well and I could taste just a bit of the squash but not much.

This mom is feeling pretty clever right now! Will update you the next time I pull a veggie over my kids taste buds!

The Pasta Salad that Never Stops

2011-06-04T08:23:00.000-05:00

I recently told you about a yummy pasta salad that I had tried. You know that as far as I am concerned, Summer can't exist without several different Pasta Salads being made! I am so excited to have this one added to my rotation!

Well I made it last weekend and it is good!!! One thing I forgot to add the first day was the bacon bits. Added them the second day and it made a huge difference.

I would even suggest making it the night before you are planning on serving it. It is one of those dishes that is even better after the first day. I wish I had taken a picture but I did not, next time!

So write it down...

Tortellini Pasta Salad
1 lg. pkg tortellini (prepared as package says)
1 pkg coleslaw
1 pkg spinach
2 bottles peppercorn ranch salad dressing (The ones that are refrigerated are suggested)
1 jar real bacon pieces
grape tomatoes halved
1 red onion
1 can large black olives halved
1 small english cucumber diced
sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Let me say that you need a big bowl to mix this in!

Dig In!!!

Ye Who Judge First...

2011-06-03T08:11:00.000-05:00

We say we won't but we all do it. We judge other Moms and Dads. For this article I am sticking to saying Mom's but it can apply to parents in general.

I am taking a funny approach to a somewhat serious thing. It is serious if you are feeling like you are being "judged" and thus feeling like a "not so good" Mom. Let me get the serious out of the way...

Try your hardest not to judge other parents. Now I am not talking about the Mom who is addicted to drugs and leaves her kids at home to go get a fix. I am talking about most Moms that are doing everything in their power to make life good for their kids. We have no idea what is going on in others lives and every person is different thus you have a combination of parent and child that matches no other. So all you Super Moms be careful with the looks you give us other less wonderful Moms. :)

Now on to my funny side of this story. My brother and his wife had the first grandchild. Ava is a strong personality and was not a good sleeper. 18 months later I had Hunter. I worked hard at making sure he slept and slept in his own bed. I weaned him correctly, I let him "cry it out" just enough. We could put him in the bed awake and he would put him self to sleep and sleep 12 hours. Wow I was great at this parenting thing.

I would tell my Mom that my brother and sister-in-law needed to put their foot or collective feet down and get Ava on a sleep schedule. This is not Ava's fault it is theirs. Now before you judge me for my judging, I didn't mean to do it. I always said that I would not judge other people's parenting styles but for some reason, this Queen of the Sleeping Child could not stop herself!

So, a few years later along came my second child, JL. Hmmmmm, Queen of the Sleeping Child can't seem to get this baby to sleep through the night. Wow, Queen of the Sleeping Child can't seem to get this baby to sleep in his own bed. The "there is nothing wrong with co-sleeping but we just aren't those people" Mom is co-sleeping. Ye Who Judge First...

Okay, I am not going to give you just one example of my judging indiscretions...

My very good friend has 2 kids, the oldest who is a few months older than my oldest. One night they stayed here at the house and I noticed that Marsha had a several sippies (I am being told that is not a word, really, have we not added to sippies to the dictionary) filled with milk. I inquired. Apparently, Aiden gets up several times a night to drink milk. Hmmmm. Well that is not good. And I did not just judge from afar on this one. I told Marsha she needed to fix this, this is not good. You need to put a stop to it.

Well fast forward to my second child, JL, getting up about 3 times a night wanting milk. Yep, there I was filling that sippy as many times as was needed to get him to go back to sleep. I would have given him the entire half gallon if I thought it would let me get another 5 minutes of sleep. Remember this is the kid that would not sleep through the night, to be exact he would allow me about 4-5 hours of sleep a night and that was usually an hour at a time. So here I was again eating my judgment. In case you wonder not even sugar sauce helps the crow go down!

Now, I have apologized and make fun of my self often over these offenses. So I am not the Super Mom my first child made me out to be. It is okay, no one really is. I am sure if you look under that Super Mom's rug that you know, there is some dust there!

PS. My oldest had his Paci until age of 3...

A new on-line Mom's resource

2011-06-02T08:27:00.001-05:00

I recently was informed of a new "Mommy" place on-line. It is called Mothers' Notes and it lets you give ideas, support, suggestions and such to other Moms by making posts.

One of the neat things about this site is that the publishers of articles (The Moms) get 70% of the ad revenue. So if people are reading your articles and clicking on the ads you are making a little money!

It is free to join so go check it out. While you are there, read my article, Dealing with Mommy Anxiety, and do me a favor and click on an add when you are finished!

Hope you find something helpful there!

Some more photos from the weekend

2011-06-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

My Mom's retirement party went really well. I think that I injured my leg running around (working) in shoes that were not meant for that. But all in all, it was a success.

Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. My Mom's twin brother had some of his music playing peeps there so there was some great music playing in the backgroud. Good food, although I had a fear we might not have enough, and that is not my M-O. Lots of mingling and just good times...

Here are some photos...

Me, Mom, my Brother

My Mom and her oldest brother

One of the cakes, it is a replica of our houseboat...

The other cake

My Uncle Don and the girl with her back to us is my cousin's daughter. She is amazing on the cello.

My Mom's twin, My Mom and one of her sisters

My Mom and 2 of her nephews.

My Mom and me with some cousins and second cousins and Aunt Gale

My Aunt Pam (Mom's sister-in-law) and Emma and Mallie (2 of my cousins' kids)

A little Memorial Day 2011 Recap

2011-05-31T07:30:00.000-05:00

Woo Hoo! What a great Memorial Day weekend! The weather was awesome! The kids were good. Of course we had plenty of good food to eat.

Hunter was a little shaky about the water. Of course, despite the heat, the water is still really cold. He finally got a little bit of confidence and understood that his life jacket would hold him. John Loyd played a lot in the little blow up pool on the top of the boat. He was not very happy when we took the little boat out for a boat ride. I am hoping these fears will pass quickly. Otherwise as they get older I might lose my family boat time to Golf Invitations or something!

Here are a few pictures...

Cascade Complete All-in-One ActionPac - Review and Giveaway

2011-05-26T17:23:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying I was very skeptical of this 24-hour challenge. I almost did not sign up because I did not think it would work (especially with my dishwasher - more on that in a bit) and I did not want to have to give a bad review and offer a giveaway about something that did not work.

The press packet says:

With new Cascade Complete – you won’t mind taking turns at the sink. And if the thought of dirty dishes in the sink has ever made you think twice about making a favorite meal, Cascade Complete is here to help.

The excess scrubbing of cookware and dirty tableware is not only tiring, but time consuming. Allowing the remains of a delicious dinner to set in its baking dish could mean water logged fingers and hours in the kitchen.

Put your pre-soaking days behind you, and lighten your load with Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs. They break down, dissolve, and rinse away tough food particles, leaving your hands free and your dishes sparkling. Sound too good to be true? We dare you to take the 24 Hour Challenge.

Instructions:

Bake a Blueberry Cobbler.* Enjoy!
Set the empty baking dish out for 24 hours
Without rinsing, put it in the dishwasher with Cascade Complete

I decided I would give it a try - we (read I) really want a new dishwasher, I feel that our current one does not get stuff clean and I end up washing more by hand so that I don't have re-wash what comes out of the dishwasher. So, my thought was maybe this can actually work and I can put off getting a new dishwasher.

I did not make a blueberry cobbler as the 24-hour challenge requested but I did a pasta bake with red sauce and cheese. It was yummy! And I actually left dish unwashed for 36 hours instead of 24...

Here is a photo...

You can see the baked on sauce and cheese on the sides.

Now for the After photo...

I am not joking it worked! The proof is in the picture!

So, now I want to give 6 of my readers the chance to take the same challenge. 5 winners will receive a trial pack of Cascade Complete and one winner will receive a $15 Walmart gift card.

You must be a US citizen and the contest will end June 10th midnight central time.

To enter just leave me a comment about the meal you hate to cook because of the mess.

P&G provided me with the Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPac Kit, 6 trial packs, information, and the $15 Walmart gift card to giveaway through MyBlogSpark.

Cooking with Kids - Guest Post

2011-05-26T08:12:00.000-05:00

Hello Readers! Have a treat for you today. A guest post by Sarah from Primrose Schools! Please read what she has to say about Cooking with Kids!

Tips for Kids Cooking at Home

“The kitchen is often the most popular place in the house for families to gather. It’s a place for learning and sharing, where the family can enjoy quality time. Children can also develop a sense of responsibility by participating in daily tasks,” says Dr. Mary Zurn, Vice President of education for Primrose Schools.

Parents can help their budding chefs practice kitchen skills at home, keeping some simple ideas in mind for fun and safety:

Set some ground rules. Children need supervision when they’re in the kitchen, so establish a list of basic safety rules and make sure children are always within sight. Teach children to wash their hands before and after handling food to avoid spreading germs. Discuss on a regular basis what’s safe to touch and what’s not. Make sure the handles of pots and pans are turned inward on the stovetop so you and older children don’t accidentally bump them and spill hot liquids or food.
Build up skills step-by-step. Children can develop many essential skills in the kitchen, such as following recipes or counting slices of bread. For more advanced skills, start slowly and have your child master easy tasks before attempting harder ones. Teach older children to use a knife by starting them off with cutting soft items like cheese and cooked noodles with a dull spreader. As your child’s coordination develops, they can move on to slicing or sawing vegetables and fruit with a plastic knife.
Keep it fun. Cooking can be messy even without children, so don’t stress over the “oops” moments. If the cookie batter ends up on the floor instead of the baking sheet, offer some guidance and let your child try again. You can make cleaning it up fun too!
Engage your child meaningfully. Think about what tasks your child can do independently. Completing simple jobs like mixing batter, rolling dough and measuring water can boost a child’s sense of pride and accomplishment. Tearing lettuce, adding sprinkles to sweets and shaking parmesan onto pasta are other safe, satisfying tasks children can easily accomplish. Even very young children can get involved – give them some pots, pans and wooden spoons so they can pretend to cook with you or use them for music-making. The tuneful accompaniment will let you know they’re safely engaged and give them a way to feel like they’re helping too.

Bon appétit!

-Submitted by Sarah Morris on behalf of Primrose Schools, the educational child care leader with a Balanced Learning® Curriculum and locations across 19 states & growing.

Sleep update

2011-05-25T08:54:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have updated on JL's sleeping. He is now 21 months old and even though things are better, he is still not sleeping through the night every night.

Most, okay, All night but last night, I let him fall asleep with me and then I put him in his bed. Some nights, he sleeps through and others he wakes up once usually around 3am.

For a while, I would get him some milk, change him and then have him go back to sleep in his bed, this usually took about an hour. Then I got in the lazy habit of putting him in bed with us and letting him go back to sleep there.

Well last night because he would not lay still I made him fall asleep in his bed and he did wake up once but did not cry long and fell back to sleep.

So, yes we have made some big progress but we still have a way to go. My ultimate goal is to get him out of the crib and in a big boy bed. However, I think we have a ways to go!

Here is a pic of JL and Hunter with their cousins(on Brad's side) and Brad's parents...

Retirement, Lake, and Baseball - Oh My!

2011-05-24T08:48:00.000-05:00

I am really looking forward to this weekend!

It is Memorial Day weekend. Which I should say here and now a big THANK YOU to all those who have fought for America and given their lives for my freedom.

We will be going to the lake this weekend. JL and I will be going up Friday and Hunter and Brad won't be coming up until Saturday. Hunter has a baseball game Saturday morning. I would have stayed back for the game except that we are having a little gathering Friday night to celebrate my Mom's retirement.

Now, as far as my Mom's retirement, I don't think my Mom will ever really retire. However, she is no longer going to be working full-time for the school system. I am hoping that will mean a few more days at my house!!!

I hate that I will be missing Hunter's last baseball game but seeing as how he is 4 I hope I will have many more to watch!

The Dreadmill

2011-05-23T08:09:00.000-05:00

As I know you are tired of hearing, I am exercising. I know, "Big Woop". However, for me it is. I have not consistently exercised this much since High School - a whopping 21 years ago!

I am not a fan of the stationary machine. I get bored very quickly. This morning I went over to a walking track that I use to do my walk/jog. Well after a 3 laps, I usually do 9. It started to rain on me. So I packed it in and decided to go home to the... DREADMILL

What I had forgotten is that it is much easier to jog on a treadmill than outside. So, that part of it was nice and since I have been do all of my exercising outside since March it was not as bad as I anticipated. I was able to do a second 15 minute jog. Don't get me wrong, I will not be perusing a catalog printing to find more stationary machines but it is good to know when the weather forces it, getting on my Dreadmill is not as bad as I thought!

Lovely Evening

2011-05-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

A friend and co-worker is having a baby. They have been married close to 16 years and this is their first child. My friend is 40 and I think that this whole thing has been an excited shock.

Last night we threw them a little couples shower. Fun times! I think they really enjoyed it and they got a lot of nice things. Some of the things I had never seen. Someone got them this foamy bath thing to put the baby on while you wash them. It looked awesome!

Now on to the important stuff - food! There was this pasta salad/slaw stuff that one of the hostesses made. Delish! She is going to e-mail me the recipe and I will post it on here for all to have. It had tortellini and slaw and this peppercorn Asiago ranch dressing... I brought a little home, I am trying to wait until lunch time to dig in!

I ate so much last night, plus this big delicious cupcake - waiting for the adult acne to hit! There were also these chicken bites wrapped in bacon with brown sugar sprinkled on them. Yum!!!

I have made myself hungry, going to get a bit of something before church... Happy Sunday!

A Fake Plateau

2011-05-21T08:35:00.000-05:00

I want to say that I have a plateau but that is not really true. I have about 15 more pounds to lose but the scales have stopped moving. Sounds like a plateau but I have not been doing all I need to do.

The last couple of weeks have been busy and a little hectic so I have not been keeping up with my intake like I should. Plus when I get stressed, agitated, whatever, I want to eat and I want to eat bad stuff!

So it is not fair to the whole plateau concept to say I have plateaued. So, I am going to add some exercise to my week. I am currently walking/jogging an hour, 3 days a week. So, I am going to add some low impact cardio and weight training stuff to 3 other days. Hopefully this will not have me hurting myself and having to fill out a disability application! So, with added calorie burning and getting back on track with keeping up with my intake, I will start losing again!

What do you do when you plateau during weight loss?

Rocky Raccoon

2011-05-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

along with some missing socks and anything else I have looked for that has made me arrive late to somewhere!

I am seriously starting to envision a little raccoon bandit living in my attic. I think he comes out while we are gone and takes things he knows I am going to be looking for!I envision finding a stash of office supplies

Over the last several months things have gone missing. Things that I know I just used and amazingly things that 99% of the time I put back in a place so that I know where to find them.

Today it was the thing I put around my arm to hold my mp3 while walking/jogging. Had it Wednesday, my mp3 player and earbuds were where I always put that stuff but not the holder.

A while back it was the usb cord for my camera and of course none of the other thousand usb cords we have fit my camera. That is why I have not shown many pictures lately, they are all stuck on my camera!!!

There is probably other stuff missing but seeing as we have WAY TOO MUCH stuff - how would we know!!!

So Rocky Raccoon beware I am on to you!

What's that sound?

2011-05-19T21:05:00.001-05:00

Busy morning! I had it planned out - take JL to Brad's office, go to H Man's school get him out early, let him deliver his teacher gifts and then watch the graduation.

Well, on the way to Brad's office, I heard a strange sound. Wait wait wait. Let me back up just a bit. Earlier this morning after dropping Hunter off at school, I heard a strange sound, I called Brad and said, "Will you check the oil this afternoon?" He replied that he had earlier this week. So, I thought maybe the odd noises were just the road and did what I expect everyone does, I turned up the radio.

So back to driving towards Brad's office...

I hear a noise and my first thought is - Did I just blow a tire. So being smart and safe, I turn loose of the wheel to see if it pulls. Nothing. Then I feel like I am hearing a louder sound so I roll down the window and sure enough an ugly sound is coming from my left front tire area. Then the pull begins. So, I can see the shell station up ahead. I know I can't drive very far or I will ruin my wheel. But I make it to the shell and call Brad.

Luckily his office is not far, as in a couple tenths of a mile not far. So he comes to the rescue. Then JL and I have to cram into "Topper", Brad's little Toyota truck that is like a 11 years old. So week I say squeeze in, I mean squeeze in.

Now for the "keep up if you can part". I take Brad and JL back to Brad's office, I go pick up Hunter at school, Brad and JL take his bosses truck back the flat tire. Hunter and I go back to our house and grab the Accord because we need a vehicle the entire family can fit in. Then we meet Brad back at the office. We all get into the accord. This is car seat change number 2. They drive me back to the flat tire, which now has the spare on it. I drive it to the shop to drop it off. Brad, Hunter and JL go back to our house to meet someone that is picking up the lawn mower which needs work.

Then they come pick me up at the service station and we go to lunch. By the time we finish lunch my car is ready and we go back to the service station. Car seat change number 3. And we all go on our merry way!

Now, just for fun can you make all of that take fewer trips? It would have helped if Brad had driven the Accord this morning but he didn't...

Now, after all that I make have Brad sign up for a massage therapy program online!!! I need some relaxation!

Run Toni Run

2011-05-19T09:36:00.000-05:00

I am still doing pretty good at keeping up with my exercise. Yesterday, I actually ran 30 minutes of my hour. Not all at once, but still that is pretty good for me. I went 5.4 miles in 60 minutes. Not too shabby for someone who was not really exercising in January.

I am hoping that in the next few months I will be able to run a 5K (without passing out!!!!) Maybe if I keep this up I won't be tempted to try slimvox! I want to feel comfortable in my clothes and especially in my swimsuit.

My wonderful Mother bought me some clothes yesterday and a swim suit. I am not quite ready to be in a swim suit but I am getting there. Just gotta keep running!

Moms ARE Role Models

2011-05-16T17:14:00.000-05:00

As a female who grew up with a great Mom, I can't really say when I realized that my Mom was one of my biggest Role Models. This might seem like a strange statement because as an adult with my own children the statement - "Moms are role models", seems like something a we would say "Duh". However, when I was younger I am certain that if asked, Madonna, the Brat Pack and countless other "teen idols" would have been on my short list of whom I considered my role models.

Now, as I realize that my responses, my actions, my values so much mirror my Moms and I can easily say, "Thank Goodness!!!"

As a mom, it is so easy to forget that the little eyes that watch us are learning every minute how to act. How to treat people, how to react to situations (both good and bad), how to lose and win graciously. Sometimes with 2 boys I can get so frustrated that I yell when I should not. I then notice my 21 month old "yelling" in frustration and I am reminded that I need to get myself in check. I AM a role model.

My Mom taught me kindness, dedication, commitment, achievement, love, God, perceptive and many other values that I want to pass on to my boys. I want them to know charity and for charity to be second nature. I want them to know that doing good works for others should be a very big part of their lives. In a word full of commercials and stuff I need to be a role model of what is really important.

Another area where it is important to be a good role model is the area of nutrition. This is a little more difficult for me. The food I love is the food that is not necessarily good for you. So, I make sure that I am trying to get my boys eating habits to be better than mine and at the same time working on improving my own. We eat lots of fresh foods and whole grains. Lucky for me they both love milk!

Check out the Got Milk Role Model campaign on Facebook! Go ahead and "Like" it while you are there. You can send and e-card to someone you love and why not make your own Milk Mustache photo!

Would love to hear your role model stories!!!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the National Milk Mustache got milk? Campaign and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Giddy Up!

2011-05-15T19:54:00.000-05:00

I went to Steeplechase yesterday. To call the weather in our area rainy lately is an understatement! So, I had to make a game day decision. I decided to ditch the sun dress and just go with a denim skirt, t-shirt and rain boots. And also thanks to my Mom's insistence, I grabbed a coat. Yes, I am 38 and my Mother is still having to remind me to "take a coat!"

Had I not I might have been looking for something warm to buy at the race! However, I don't recall seeing the convenience of a barcode scanner so I might have been out of luck.

As it was we had a good but cold and wet time. However, I might be getting a little old for the walk to the spot. Going to have think about that the next time I attend!

Chin Up and Smile!

2011-05-13T13:25:00.000-05:00

I feel bad about this post before I post it. It is a vent post (like I do enough of those), it is a poor pitiful me post, it is, for lack of better words, whiny whiny whiny.

I feel like these moments right now that I am supposed to be relishing and loving I am taking for granted because they seem so hard! My 21 month old is driving me crazy, it seems that there is another new money crisis each week and my house is never going to be clean or for that matter "fixed".

Yes, I know I am blessed, very very blessed and I need to get myself a personalized happy camper t shirt and wear it proudly!

Thanks for listening - be on the lookout for a giveaway post coming hopefully Sunday!

Work work work

2011-05-11T19:56:00.000-05:00

I think I have mentioned before how blessed I am to be able to do part-time work from home. I must say that I always fear that it will get taken away from me. Unfortunately, right now we depend on what little money I bring in. So it would be a big adjustment if it did. I may have to look for other work if it happened - haven't looked for a job in a while so not sure what is available for my skills. I don't think I would look outside of our area, no charlotte jobs for me right now.

It makes me see how important it is that I get my masters as quickly as I can. On that note, received my undergrad transcripts the other day - yep they were worse than I remember! Better start studying for the GMAT yesterday!!!

Chop Chop

2011-05-10T21:51:00.000-05:00

Been cutting and chopping veggies in an attempt to eat better. Maybe I need to look into getting a ginsu knife. I made some spicy fresh slaw yesterday for fish tacos. I cut up some cabbage, added some dill relish, mustard, onion, a little bit of wasabi mayo.

Doing pretty good so far on my diet and exercise. I went 4.8 miles this morning. Jogged part of it and finished in 56 minutes, felt pretty good about that. I did have a small "heat" headache for a while today. Not as bad as they have been in the past so maybe my Claritin, mucinex, nose spray combo is helping.

Busy week for with work and home chores. Have some family coming in this weekend and I am going to Steeplechase. So, I better get busy! Chop Chop!

Mama's Little Angels

2011-05-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love those boys! Even though the smallest is standing beside me crying "at me" because I won't let him wake his brother up. Even though the smallest had me up more than not last night. I am tired and I am hungry (remember my diet) and I don't want to be cried at all day!!!!

Yesterday was Mother's Day and we had a nice day. There wasn't a Retractable banner stand with "Happy Mother's Day" on it. But there was an Awesome homemade card and I purchased some new cookware a few weeks ago that was my gift.

So if you take away the gall bladder attack and the sleepless night, I will say it was a winner. Now if you will excuse me I am going back to softly banging my head against the wall.

Bang My Head

2011-05-05T17:34:00.000-05:00

Okay, the youngest has me wanting to bang my head against the wall or maybe get me some equestrian clothing and ride off for a while!

Yes, this is a "venting" post!

I know that to say JL is a "difficult child" mind seem like I am taking for granted a healthy child. I know that people struggle with children who are physically challenged or have autism or learning disabilities,etc. So, please know that I am not. I know that I am blessed and there are billions of people that have it worse than I do.

Again, this is a venting post...

This child has hung on me, kicked on me (not in a mad way just kicking on me) cried at me, yelled at me, been into more things than I can count that he should not be in. All of this while I am working. Amazingly, I was able to accomplish finishing the reports I wanted to finish today but not with out some mental and emotional anguish.

I have prayed a number of times today myself (I have prayed for others too, I am not that selfish). Anyway,here is to the end of the work day!!! It is time for Daddy to be home and I think I just heard the door! Thank Goodness!

Can procrastination be good sometimes?

2011-05-05T09:35:00.000-05:00

In trying to keep on the "sunny side", I am going to attempt to put a good spin on me procrastinating and not getting my paper work filled out in time for the fall semester.

I will admit over the last several months I have been a little stressed about starting school this fall. As it stands I have my two boys, the smallest who is with me all by 5 hours (mother's day out) a week. And I am trying to put in at least 20 hours a week work. Add dishes, meals, laundry, the very occasional dusting and floor cleaning and of course my TV shows, well I am busy. Seriously, as I type this the littlest is literally hanging on my back.

So, when I realized that I had missed the deadline, I actually had a little sigh of relief. Hopefully, by the spring, JL will be a little easier because he will be a little older. I guess if all else fails I can look for franchise opportunities to broaden my horizons. But really I want to teach so I can be on the same schedule with the kids. So I will get everything filled out for Spring Semester!

Hubba hubba hubba

2011-05-04T13:19:00.001-05:00

Please note that this next line is to read in a singing voice... "Here we go again..."

I am once again taking part in the weight loss plan that allows me to track points. I will say that I have done this program several times and as long as I stick with it, it works.

I think I may be the only person that can train for 2 months to walk a 1/2 marathon, walk/jog a half marathon and actually gain weight!!! I mean who does that???

So, "Here I go again..." If this does not work I may have to try the sensa weight loss plan.

Here is an after the marathon photo that is me on the far left in the back.

Crossed the Finish Line

2011-05-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

Yes, I crossed the Music City 1/2 Marathon finish line. Yes, I am very proud of myself. Yes, I am so sore that I cringe when I walk and almost cry when I take the stairs. Yes, finishing was worth every sore step I am feeling today!

I must say it was quite a high crossing the finish line and getting my medal. I was happy with my time and looking forward to beating it next year. I said it. My plan it to do it again next year but with much more jogging/running. I hope to post a picture or two soon.

If I can't walk better in a few days, I may have to make a disability appeal!

Slacker!

2011-04-13T12:46:00.000-05:00

I have not walked this week! Rain, sleepy, lazy, I can come up with 100 excuses I am certain!

I really meant to start doing push ups this week as well, my dress for Steeplechase will show my arms and would like for them to be a bit more toned. However, as usual, I am all think and no do. I need get going or my Mother's Day gift will be plus size lingerie!

We've come a short way, Baby!

2011-04-12T20:42:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I think I did "type" too soon. Our stretch of 3 nights sleeping through the night did not last. However, we are only getting up once and it usually does not last past an hour so that is SOME progress!

Now if we could get over the "in the dishwasher, toilet, trashcan, dog bowl, trying to add Mommy's computer to the refurbished laptops list, making people feel sorry for Mommy at gymnastics" phase. Who knows maybe I would stop having random heart palpitations!

Hip HOP Chocolate! Review and Giveaway!

2011-04-08T15:05:00.001-05:00

I will admit it; The first Cadbury Egg I see each season makes me salivate just a little. Not one Spring goes by that I don't eat at least 3 Cadbury Eggs, if not more.

Well it is about time for the Easter Bunny to hop and I for one am excited about sneaking the chocolate out of my little one's baskets!

Hershey's has come out with some new Easter Goodies this year...

Hershey’s Chocolate Creme Egg

Whoppers Mini Robin Eggs Bunny Bag

Reese’s Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Eggs 12-Pack Tray

And to celebrate the movie Hop Hershey's has these new Easter candies...

Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate HOP The Movie Magic Bunny*

Cadbury Egg Scepter of Destiny: Hollow Milk Chocolate Egg filled with Cadbury Mini Eggs Candy*

Hershey's was kind enough to send me some Easter candy to review. They sent on the very large Chocolate Creme Egg, Some Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs and the always lovely Cadbury Egg. Of course the Reese's Eggs were gone in no time. And of course the Cadbury Egg barely made it out of the package! As for the Chocolate Creme Egg, let me say RICH. If you are a chocolate lover this is the candy you want to steal out of the kiddo's basket!

There are some really great and fun ideas at Hershey's website to help you celebrate Easter! Go to the Celebrate with HERSHEY'S website. Great recipes, crafts and basket ideas! I am thinking about trying the KISSES Macaroon Cookies.

If you would like to win a HERSHEY'S prize pack go to the web site and tell me what you want to try! Good Luck! This is open to US residents and will the contest will end Friday April 17th at midnight.

Be very very quiet

2011-04-08T15:04:00.000-05:00

I do not want to jinx myself. But the little has slept through the night the past 3 nights!!! Last night I took 1 Excedrin PM and for the first time in what seems like years I slept for 6 and a half hours straight!!! I am a bit surprised that I am a little sleepy right now!

So hats off to JL for sleeping. However, now I need to work on the other things; getting in the dishwasher, opening the basement door, climbing on the step stool, getting on the bed and jumping, climbing on the toilet, getting in all the drawers, yada yada yada...

Mudders and Fahdders

2011-04-07T07:39:00.000-05:00

Well the days are coming it is getting close to time for Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts. Now that is all I will say about Mother's in hope that maybe my husband will read this...

So Father's, oh what to get Father's. It gets harder and harder every year. Most Father's either have what they want/need or it cost more than you can spend. Well a neat place to look for http://www.redenvelope.com/fathers-day-gifts-rfdfv is Red Envelope. They have unique gifts. And hopefully you can find something for that Fahdder that has everything...

One More "After the Storm" Comment

2011-04-06T13:30:00.000-05:00

After my post yesterday I stepped outside. I realized that after you take away whatever bad stuff happens from a storm like the one on Monday, what is left is a "clean" Spring day!

Everything smells clean, everything looks clean. It is like God says I think today will be a cleaning day! I stepped outside and immediately had to take a couple of deep breaths. It was like my body insisted on taking in that clean air!

Now you know me and you know I want my warm days and warm nights, you know I want to move the speaker stands outside. But for these few weeks where we have nice cool breezes and "after the rain" cleanliness outside, I am going to enjoy it!

Day after the storm

2011-04-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had some pretty rough storms. Mostly strong straight line winds although a few places did have a tornado touch down.

I had to take the boys and dog downstairs for a bit and if you saw my post yesterday, I was not exactly feeling my best. But the boys had a good time swinging on the treadmill. At least it got some use!!!!

While we were down there, I was once again reminded that we need to do something about the floors down there. I want tile or maybe some pergo flooring. Anyway, financially it is going to have to wait for bit.

Apparently, there was a lot of damage at one of the boat docks at the lake. We were lucky in that the dock where we keep our boat there was not much damage.

Looking forward to spending some time there in a few weeks!!!

Beautiful Spring

2011-04-04T07:48:00.000-05:00

Loving the fact that Spring is finally arriving. Love being able to be outside and every once in a while it is warm enough to actually eat out there. Things are getting green, there are beautiful flowers blooming and the sky gets that awesome blue color.

However, my head and face are killing me!!! My allergies/sinus issues are driving me crazy! Between my head about to explode and my legs and feet hurting from my long walk I am going to have hauled around on casters!

So here is to Spring, I really do like you but I also give a big toast to allergy medicine!

Not out of town - sort of

2011-04-03T21:15:00.000-05:00

Wow one of the most on the go weekends I have had in a while!

Yesterday morning, I got up and walked 11.5 miles. Yes, I said 11.5. That took almost 3 hours. Then I came home chowed down, Mama was hungry, got ready and went to Hunter's baseball game. Came home got Hunter's stuff packed up to go meet Granna, about an hour way, for Hunter to go home with her. He spent the night with her and Papa last night.

Then went to the outlet mall for a couple of hours and then home. After dropping John Loyd off and my friend Denise I ran to the grocery store. Got back home and spent a little time outside then ate supper. Then to bed.

Today we got up went to church, taught Sunday school and then to lunch with some of Brad's family. We then went to my Dad's where Hunter, Ava, Granna, Papa, my Dad and his girlfriend were riding horses.

It was a beautiful day! One of those throw the plantation shutter open kind of days. So I did manage to sit on the front porch swing and take it in for a bit before the horse riders returned. Then we ate supper and loaded the car for the 2 hour drive back home.

So, even though officially we were not "out of town" it just took me almost 30 minutes to catch up on Facebook! :)

Friday! Friday! Friday!

2011-04-01T11:49:00.000-05:00

Looking forward to the weekend! Nothing special planned but it is supposed to be nicer outside. I am a little over the cold gloomy weather right now.

Hunter has a baseball game Saturday and then I am driving him up to stay with my Granna and Papa Saturday night. He is then supposed to be going horse riding Sunday. It will be his first trail ride; crossing my fingers all goes well.

Tomorrow I am supposed to walk 11 miles! Will keep you updated on that. If I were a smoker I would have me some romeo julieta waiting to celebrate if I finish. But I am not, so I won't.

Oh Uncle Sam...

2011-03-31T15:54:00.000-05:00

No, our taxes have not been filed. Is it just me or do you sometimes pretend that your taxes are going to be like the lottery. You dream that there is going to be some secret deduction that is going to give you extra extra money.

The next step is to start spending the money in your head. A new back door, tile for the basement, a new dishwasher,modern extendable dining tables, pay of a boat load of debt, yada, yada, etc, etc...

Back to reality. No, our taxes have not been filed yet. And the work that has been done on them tells me that most of my "lottery dreams" are not going to be answered. Guess it is back to work...

Busy Week

2011-03-31T14:48:00.001-05:00

After being a bit on the lazy side last week this week has been "Pumped Up". I have needed to work extra hours to make up for not working last week.

Of course both boys are back in school. So there is that preparation.

Also, our church is hosting a book fair in an effort to raise funds to help an inner city school. The plan is to give each of the 500 students 4 books to have at home. So I helped with that a couple of times this week.

Hunter and I also both had dentist appointments. I need to get used to this pace. As you know I have been looking into teaching degrees and would like to get started this fall. I am certain the craziness of adding me in school will take a little adjustment! So, now to take another look at the teaching degrees and decide which one is for me!

Batter Batter Swing

2011-03-27T21:25:00.000-05:00

Saturday was Hunter's "Opening Day". So he got his uniform, team photo and a couple of scrimmages. It was cool and rainy out so John Loyd, my Mom and I only made it to one scrimmage. But for a 4 year old, Hunter did pretty good! All the kids seemed to be having a great time and that is all that is important.

After we watched the scrimmage, My Mom (who came into town to hangout and help clean up my house for the weekend - great Mom!) JL and I went and ate sushi. JL loves miso soup and some free appetizer thing that the waitress brought out. We then went to the mall, Mom bought the boys several shirts and me a couple of new tops. We had a great time. My Mom could shop for days at a time without rest. Me, I start looking for the exit signs after a few hours.

Brad and I went out for a bit to a writer's night. Good weekend all around!

Spring Break for PreSchoolers

2011-03-25T20:23:00.000-05:00

I understand that the teachers at the preschool need a Spring Break but my 4 does not really need those 3 days off! Or I should say his Mom needs him to be at school!!!

Of course since right now the boys go to 2 different places. We had 2 different Spring Breaks. This did allow Hunter and I to have a day to ourselves. So while John Loyd was at Mother's Day Out and Daddy was trying to sell cheap auto insurance, Hunter and I went to a small science museum.

We had a good time and it was a great Mom and Son day! Next week will hopefully get back to our normal.

So Spring Break for PreSchoolers is pretty much being at home with Mom but they don't stay Preschoolers long so this Mom is trying to relish it!

Double Update

2011-03-24T10:18:00.000-05:00

First off, John Loyd slept through the night last night. So that means that at 19 months my younger son has slept through the night a total of 3 times. The 2 nights prior to that he only got up once so maaaayyyyyybbbbbeeee we getting somewhere. I am here to tell you this child is a hard one. He is fun, he is lovable and often very sweet but he makes this Mama work!

My second update is that I did walk my 8 miles (towards the end I was wishing I knew an eminem song to sing! Anyway this week I have been walking between 4 and 5 miles and hope to do 9.5 on Saturday. They are calling for rain so we will see. Maybe I need to find some best post workout supplements to help with my training... Probably what I will need is a double dose of ibuprofen to ensure I can walk on Sunday!

I leave you with this picture of Hunter helping Brad plant the garden last Saturday...

Baby Steps

2011-03-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

That is baby steps to fitness!!! Yes, I am planning on walking a half marathon at the end of April. Saturday I will attempt to walk 8 miles. I mapped it out today and I must say that it was a little intimidating to look at.

For me it is not really the exhaustion of the activity or as much about how out of shape I am but more about the boredom! Hopefully walking a different path Saturday will help. Who knows if, I mean when I actually complete the 13.1 miles I will celebrate my "baby steps" by sending out photo birth announcements or rather photo accomplishment announcements...

If you build it they will come...

2011-03-17T13:19:00.000-05:00

I recently became in charge of creating and managing the website for my Moms Group. I really think that I thought it would be as easy as it is to manage my blog. I was not exactly right on that.

I have been around computers a lot and have even held a job as a programmer/analyst. But I think I was thinking a little too highly of myself. I was able to use the drag and drop features and I do have a web site up. It just does not look anything like what I had in mind. Maybe I should have used a site that compares website builders. Well wish me luck as I try to finish this thing and then figure out how to get people to look at it!

Dance Dance Dance

2011-03-14T15:01:00.000-05:00

I need you to vote, vote, vote, vote, vote! That is right you can vote 5 times a day for my family's video!

The Primrose Schools has been hosting a Family Dance Party that can not only win a few families some money it can also win money for The Children's Miracle Network! What can be better than helping children???

There is still a little bit of time for you to get in on the party as well. Just record a 30 second video of you family getting your dance on and upload at the Primrose Schools website!

Here is our video...