Promises Fulfilled

Giveaway: McCormick's Big Cookie Share and "The Treats Truck Baking Book"

2011-12-31T03:00:00.000-08:00

Update:
Using random.org to choose my winner, comment #5 was chosen as the winner! Congrats to TCC!!!

I enjoy trying new recipes and I enjoy eating a tasty cookie from time to time! So, I was really excited when my friends from McCormick contacted me to see if I wanted to participate in trying out some new cookies recipes created by them and Kim Ima. McCormick sent me Kim Ima's new book, "The Treats Truck Baking Book" as well as three new recipes that I could choose from. Although these recipes are not in her book, the recipes that are found in her book are recipes that Kim sells on her "Treats Truck" in New York City.

I decided to try the Little Peppermint Crispy Rice Squares, and I was not disappointed with the recipe. This new recipe is a minty twist on a classic crispy treat recipe...and I liked it better! If you have leftover candy canes from the holidays, you will want to try this recipe!

Little Peppermint Crispy Rice Squares

Prep Time: 25 minutes

4 tablespoons butter
10 ounces mini marshmallows

6 cups crispy rice cereal
1/4 teaspoon McCormick^® Pure Peppermint Extract
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
3 coarsely crushed candy canes

1. Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch pan.

2. Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a big pot over low heat. When the butter has melted enough to coat the bottom of the pot, add the marshmallows. Stir often until melted, then remove from the heat. Add peppermint extract and stir well.

3. Pour the rice cereal, white chocolate chips and 2 crushed candy canes into the pot and stir until the marshmallows and other ingredients are mixed together.

4. Use a bowl scraper or spatula to get the mixture into the greased pan. Pat into place. Use buttered hands or buttered spatula to press into the pan.

5. Garnish with 1 crushed candy cane to create a festive look.

6. Let mixture set for at least 15 minutes. Cut into five rows of five, and once removing from the pan, also slice the pieces to half the thickness to make little peppermint squares the ideal size for including in holiday cookie gift baskets or boxes. (I liked them "thin" - such a great idea!)

Makes 50 servings.

McCormick's Big Cookie Share (EDIT - the "Big Cookie Share" is no longer taking place as of 1/3/12)

You can also participate in McCormick's "Big Cookie Share" on Facebook. You can create a delicious cookie and then spread the love to family and friends! It is simple to do - simply follow these steps:

1. LIKE the McCormick Spice Facebook page.

2. CLICK on “The Big Cookie Share” tab, then choose a McCormick virtual cookie and frost it with a personalized message.

3. ADD flavor to the McCormick Kitchens recipe with additions like cranberries, nuts or almond extract.

4. SHARE your e-cookie and its recipe with a special someone or all your Facebook friends

GIVEAWAY:

If you like to make cookies (and pies, cakes, etc.), then you would LOVE this book! I am so excited to try all of the recipes that are in this book! Would you like to win "The Treats Truck Baking Book" by Kim Ima? McCormick will be giving away a book to one of my lucky readers! All you have to do is enter the giveaway!

To Enter:
1. Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite cookie is = 1st entry
2. Go to Kim Ima's website, look at the treats that are offered on her menu and leave a comment telling me which one(s) you would order and eat! = 2nd entry
3. Participate in McCormick's "Big Cookie Share" on Facebook. After you send your cookie(s), leave a comment here = 3rd entry. (EDIT - the "Big Cookie Share" is no longer taking place as of 1/3/12)
4. This giveaway is open to all those living in the US.
5. This giveaway will end on January 5th at 9pm. I will choose a winner randomly and will notify the winner. Please be sure that I have a way to contact you if you do win!

I am looking forward to an amazing 2012! Happy New Year to you!

Christmas Countdown

2011-12-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in this post, we are celebrating the advent season with learning more about the Names and God and also having some fun family activities! Yesterday was fun, but I am going to revamp how I present the information to my boys. They were so excited to get to the activity that it took longer than I thought to discuss the name of God and read in the Bible. I will keep trying to do it a little differently until I see what works best for my 3 and 5 year old!

I also made a paper chain countdown for each of my boys...which inspired my sons to make paper chains of their own! Their creations are hanging above our front door! I found the paper chain countdown idea that I made here on Make and Takes.

Can you tell that it is a Christmas tree?

I probably will make the loops a little shorter and wider next time. I would suggest a 1 1/2 in width...and maybe play with the length a little bit. I am not sure about that! I thought that it came out cute! I added the numbers on each loop, because I thought it would be a great way to determine which chain to tear off. My 3 year old did NOT want to tear off the first chain! I had to help him. I think that he is upset that we will be taking it apart...at least that is the way it was last night! I am sure that he will have fun with it as the month continues!

I need to finish prepping for tonight's activities! More on that later!

Our Advent Plans for 2011

2011-12-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

Today marks the first day of the beginning of our Advent season. As we look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus, Dawson and I wanted our family to learn more about God and also have some family fun. As I prayed about it and searched the Internet, I came up with the following ideas that we will do each day:

1. The Names and/or Attributes of God. Each day, the boys will open up a box and will find an ornament (made from chipboard - real simple) with a name or attribute of God. We will read scriptures from the Bible that mentions that attribute and then we will do a craft or activity that surrounds the meaning of that name. The information that I used, I found here, however I did change some of the crafts a little bit.

Today, we will focus on "Almighty" God, we will read Gen 17:1-3; Gen. 15:5; Gen. 35:11 and Ps. 90:1-2. For our craft, I glued yellow popsicle sticks together to form a star - and the kids will decorate it with glitter glue.

2. Fun Family Activities. After we learn about a name or attribute of God, the boys will then take out a slip of paper that lists a fun family activity that we will do together. I first found this idea on Simple Mom's blog. She posted a Christmas Countdown, and I thought it was a great idea. I have changed the activities a little bit to suit what we will be doing this month, but her list was a great place to begin thinking about what I wanted our family to do!

So what will our family be doing today? We will be decorating the Christmas tree (which the boys have been looking forward to doing) while listening to Christmas music! It will be followed by sipping some hot chocolate!

I will be sharing more of what we are going to be doing this month in another post! I hope that you are having a wonderful time with your family!

Preparing for the Advent Season

2011-11-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

Advent is almost upon us...in fact, it starts tomorrow for us. I know that for some, advent has already begun (November 27th), but here in our house, we will begin tomorrow...December 1st!

So, I am busy trying to get everything together! I am planning to do something each day to focus on God, we have a countdown that I have made for the boys, and then we will do a fun activity too! I will be sharing what I am doing soon!

What do you do to celebrate the advent season? Are you ready for it? Are you still preparing? Please share what you plan to do with your family this year!

Carmex Healing Lotion and Cream: Review and Giveaway

2011-11-29T07:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had dry, cracking skin on your hands during the winter months? I have, and I really do not enjoy it! I was pretty excited when Carmex contacted me to sample and review their Healing Lotion and Healing Cream! I was REALLY excited when I received my package in the mail to find a full size and a travel size of each type! That meant that I could keep the full size in my bedroom and bring the travel size tubes with me wherever I go!

I have used the products for a few weeks. They have a light scent and go on smoothly without leaving a greasy feeling behind. They worked great when I needed a little bit of moisture added to my hands. However, when my hands became really dry, I do not feel like the healing cream was rich enough to give my knuckles the moisture that they needed...I felt like I needed to add some of the other lotions that I regularly use on my knuckles in order to give them the moisture that they needed.

So, would I use the lotion and cream again? Yes, I would. However, if my hands and knuckles became really dry, I would have to reach for another type of lotion.

This lotion may work differently for each person - would you like to try it out for yourself? You do? Great! You can win the exact package of goodies that I received - one full size and one travel size of the Carmex Healing Lotion and Healing Cream!

Enter the Giveaway Now:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post for one entry - tell me what your favorite lotion is!
2. Facebook about this giveaway, and then leave another comment telling me that you did it!
3. Be sure that there is a way that I am able to contact you, in case you are chosen as the winner!
4. This giveaway will close on Saturday, December 3rd at 9pm EST.
5. This giveaway is only open to residents of the USA.

Note: Although I was given a free sample of the Carmex healing lotion and healing cream, all thoughts are completely my own!

Broken Nails

2011-11-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

When I came home from shopping the other day, I noticed that one of my fingernails had broken off! Do you know what thoughts came to my mind??? Well, I will let you in on how my mind processes things:

1. How did I not realize that happened? (Because all of the white broke off!) My nails were looking so nice...now, not so much!

2. My DNA is somewhere! What if someone commits a crime at the store that I was in...they could find my fingernail and place me there...not that it matters for me - but it is just weird to think that my DNA is laying around somewhere! I guess it is the biologist in me...and/or I have watched many CSI shows...or both - take your pick!

Winner: Freschetta Pizza Giveaway

2011-10-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

And the winner is.....

#8 commenter: The Gang's Momma! Congratulations!!!

You still have a few days to purchase a Freschetta pizza and enter the code on their website Freschetta Proud to Support Pink Program! For each entry, Freschetta pizza will donate $1 to help fund breast cancer research. I am going to enter my code tonight!

Eat Pizza, Support Breast Cancer, and a Giveaway!

2011-10-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Many companies are doing their part to raise money to support breast cancer research. The Freschetta company is presenting the Freschetta Proud to Support Pink Program. They have a goal of making a $50,000 donation to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Of course, you, the consumer play a part in Freschetta reaching their goal. How can you help? From now until October 31st, purchase a specially marked package of Freschetta Pizzas and Artisan Pizza Crusts (use the $1 coupon found on their site) and enter your code on the Proud to Support Pink website. For every code that is entered, Freschetta will donate $1, and you will be entered to win a pink iPOD shuffle - they are giving away 50 each week to those who enter a code...and each week 50 pink iPOD shuffles will be donated to four cancer centers around America for breast cancer patients to use during their treatments. I think that this is a great and easy way to help and support breast cancer research! Even if you only purchase one pizza and enter your code online, you will make a difference in someone's life.

the GIVEAWAY!
One of my readers will receive a coupon for a FREE Freschetta pizza PLUS two free pairs of Freschetta Proud to Support Pink earphones - one to keep and one to share with a friend as a reminder of proactive health.

One winner will receive this gift pack!

The Rules to Enter the Giveaway:
1. Leave a comment on my blog telling me what your favorite pizza topping is! (entry #1)
2. Gain a second entry by sharing this giveaway on facebook - be sure to come back and leave a comment telling me that you "facebooked it"
3. Please be sure that I have a way to contact you, if you are the winner
4. All comments will be closed at 10pm EST on Saturday, October 29th!

Be proactive and be sure to do your monthly self breast exam - it could save your life!

Note: The makers of Freschetta Pizza contacted me and provided a free coupon and earphones for me to review and keep! However, all opinions and thoughts are strictly my own!

Exciting Things Happening!

2011-10-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

I am excited about a few things that will be coming up...

TWO giveaways that I will be hosting - if you like pizza and soft hands, then you will most likely enjoy the giveaways that are coming VERY soon!!!

Yum, yum!!!

My hands definitely need TLC in the winter - perfect timing!

I am also going to be able to meet someone from the "blog-world" - I have been following her blog for a few years and I am really excited about that...more about that when I am able to give details!

The giveaways are coming soon! Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday Sis!

2011-10-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to one of the people that I have known my entire life - My SISTER!!! You are so special to me and many people around you! I hope that you have a blessed day and many more decades to come!

I love you very much and am so thankful that we live so close to each other that we can celebrate YOU together! Happy Birthday!!!

Winner: Carmex Giveaway

2011-09-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to commenter #3!!!

CONGRATS to TCC - you are the winner!

I will be contacting you to gather your mailing information! Enjoy your Carmex Prize package!

If you did not win, you can request to win a sample on their website - check it out here!

Carmex: Review and Giveaway

2011-09-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Recently I was given the opportunity to try out two new lip moisturizers that are made by Carmex: Carmex Lime Twist Stick and Carmex Vanilla Stick. I did not know what to expect because I have tried Carmex in the past and I found that it actually caused my lips to become chapped! However, I was willing to put the lip moisturizers to the test and see how my lips responded.

I tried each of the sticks for about one week each and I have to say that I loved the scent of each of them, they moisturized my lips, and I would definitely recommend them to someone who was looking to try a new lip moisturizer. If I had to choose one as my favorite, it would be the Lime Twist Stick. I enjoyed the citrus scent a little more than the vanilla, although they were both very nice.

Would you like a chance to try out the lip moisturizers too? If you do, then you can enter the giveaway on my blog that is sponsored by Carmex! You will receive everything that is pictured in the photo - the blanket too!

To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is:
1. Leave a comment and tell me what lip balm you currently use.
2. This giveaway will end on Monday, September 5^th at 9pm – so be sure to enter soon!

Update: 100 Books in 100 Days

2011-08-14T05:00:00.001-07:00

This summer has definitely turned out different than what I had originally planned back in May. I completed 2 weeks of the "home camp" ideas that I found over at "Life as Mom". I was having so much fun planning the units and working on the projects that the kids and I were doing, but "things" happened this summer and the ideas that I had for the summer had to change a little bit too. I did not continue the themes that I had planned for about 8 weeks of the summer, and I know that I can continue with those ideas when the timing is right. One thing that did not change was reading books with the kids.

We LOVE to read in our house. So, I came up with an idea to complete this summer that I called "100 books and 100 days." I challenged myself (and Dawson) to read 100 books to our kids - who are 3 and 5 - in 100 days. Back in May, I had listed 16 of the books that made it on to this list. I have not blogged too much this summer, so I have not had a chance to update the number of books that we have read...and August 31st, the 100th day, will be here before you know it!

I have to admit...I don't think that every book that we have read to them has made it on to this list, however, every LIBRARY book that we have read together or every book that we listed for our library summer reading has made it on to the list.

Below is the updated list of books that we have read to our boys this summer:

Down by the Bay by Raffi

Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath by Cynthia Rylant

Bounce by Doreen Cronin

Rainbow Fish by Finds His Way by Marcus Pfister

Swimming by Leo Lionni

Hungry, Hungry Sharks by Joanna Cole

Whales and Dolphins by Peter and Connie Roop

Rainbow Fish to the Rescue by Marcus Pfister

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin

Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin

Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack by Doreen Cronin

A Busy Day at the Farm by Doreen Cronin

Thump, Quack, Moo: a Whacky Adventure by Doreen Cronin

In the Garden: Who's Been Here? By Lindsay Barrett George

Big Chickens by Leslie Helakoski

Big Chickens Fly the Coop by Leslie Helakoski

Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson and Nancy Carpenter

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw

Funny Farm by Mark Teague

Hurry! Hurry! By Eve Bunting

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall

Spot Goes to the Farm by Eric Hill

The Cow Who Clucked by Denise Fleming

On the Farm by David Elliott

A Surprise Garden by Disney

Tiny on the Farm by Cari Meister

Apples by Gail Gibbons

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

Apples by Gail Gibbons

Summertime in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Lion Named Shirley Williamson by Bernard Waber

The Berenstein Bears Down on the Farm by Stan and Jan Berenstein

The Fish who Cried Wolf by Julia Donaldson

Birthday Zoo by Lynn Munsinger

The Bear went over the Mountain by Rosemary Wells

Grandfather's Dream by Holly Keller

My Mommy and Me by Laura Trayser

Open Wide by Laurie Keller

Finding Nemo

Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson

Stop Thief by Robert Kalan

A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza

ABC Safari by Karen Lee

Safari Animals by Missy Kavanaugh

I Went Walking by Sue Williams

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (we have read this many times...but it still counts!)

Ten Apples up on the Top by Dr. Seuss

Doggies by Sandra Boynton

Bounce Around, Tigger

Mama, Mama by Jean Marzollo

What did you Say? By Mandy Stanley

Can't you sleep, Little Bear? by Martin Waddell

I Love you, Little One by Nancy Tafuri

Bears in the Forrest by Karen Wallace

Buginnings: Colors by Max Lucado

The Big Red Blanket

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Coyote and the Laughing Butterfly by Harriet Peck Taylor

Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat by Cynthia Rylant

My Dog Talks by Gail Herman

Henry and Mudge and the Tumbling Trip by Cynthia Rylant

Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears by Cynthia Rylant

Henry and Mudge in the Family Trees by Cynthia Rylant

Dinosaur by Peter Sis

What Do You Say When a Monkey Acts this Way? By Jane Belk Moncure

Mabela the Clever Retold by Margaret Read MacDonald

Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch by Cynthia Rylant

Where's My Teddy? By Jez Alborough

I am really excited to see that we have already read (at least) 84 books to our kids this summer...and this does not include the Bible stories that we read to our kids from the children's Bibles! We will definitely meet and exceed our goal of 100 books!

Do you read with your kids during the summer? Do your kids read on their own? Do you do a little of both?

Grab Your Free Slice of Pizza!

2011-08-03T19:33:00.001-07:00

Who wouldn't want a free slice of pizza? Well, FRESCHETTA® will be giving away thousands of slices of their "By The Slice" pizza in a special live online event. Although I have not tried one of their pizzas by the slice, I did see it in the frozen section of grocery store last weekend and I would enjoy trying it for free! The FRESCHETTA® By The Slice pizza will be given away in 5,000 increments every half hour. There will also be fun, interactive contests where you can win additional coupons.

How can you get in on this deal? Read on for the details!

Date: August 4th, 2011

What: FREE FRESCHETTA® By The Slice pizza event (while supplies last)

Where: From the comfort of your own home

Details: visit http://www.freefreschetta.com/ to see if you are able to snag a slice!

Remember, this event will be going on all day on August 4th - check back every half hour for a chance to win! Good Luck!

A Few Rambling Thoughts...

2011-06-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

There are so many things that I could write about - so many things that have been happening lately...so I figured that I would write a little bit about what's been going on...

1. Vacation was great and I should write more about it :)

2. I have caught up with my laundry this week! Which is pretty good since we got home last Sunday from an 8 day family vacation!

3. I have a bunch of clothes to put away in storage that are waiting for the younger boy to grow into...and some that are out of season...they are in my bedroom at the moment, and really don't belong there.

4. Dawson and I "found our garage" as my neighbor put it. We took everything out of our 1 car garage, got rid of a bunch of stuff, put things where they really belong, and we realize that we still don't have room for our car because of the boys' scooters, big wheels and bikes...that kind of makes me laugh.

5. I have started to exercise regularly - meaning daily, and it feels good.

6. I am trying to be more conscious about what I am eating - and that feels good too.

7. Getting to bed earlier has been helping me to wake up earlier and have some time to do things before the boys wake up and that has been amazing...it usually includes starting a load of laundry, exercising, emptying the dish washer, showering and just getting the day started!

Well, there is more that is going on, but I really need to get to bed...so that I can start my day early-ish tomorrow!

Winner of McCormick Recipe Inspirations World Flavor Line Giveaway

2011-06-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who entered the McCormick Recipe Inspirations giveaway sponsored by McCormick Spices!

I used www.random.org to choose a number and comment #2 won....again! Last time I had a giveaway, it chose #2 also!

CONGRATULATIONS to Nonya who won the McCormick Recipe Inspirations World Flavor Line giveaway! I will be contacting you soon to get your information!

Have a great weekend!

Giveaway: McCormick Recipe Inspirations World Flavor Line

2011-06-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

I was a little skeptical at first. Buying prepackaged spices that will be used in one meal. Ummm, I think that I would rather spend that $1.99 on a new bottle of some sort of spice...or at least part of a bottle! Those were my initial thoughts when I first heard about McCormick Recipe Inspirations. However, when I was contacted to try out some of these recipes (courtesy of McCormick) I decided to give these little packets a chance.

For $1.99, you receive a packet that has all of the spices measured out that will be used for the specific recipe that is given on the back of the package. On the back of the package, you can see the whole recipe, what the package includes and what you will need to buy (or have on hand) to make the recipe. The back of the package is actually a recipe card that will tear off so that you can replicate the recipe again, even if you do not buy the spice packet again (it lists the amounts of each pre-measured spice included). I really liked that aspect of it.

I was given 6 recipe packets to try out and some fun music to listen to! So far, I have tried the Chicken Cacciatore. I did enjoy using the pre-measured spices and the recipe was SO DELICIOUS!!!! It was the BEST Chicken Cacciatore recipe that I have ever tasted. I grew up only knowing chicken cacciatore that was made in the slow cooker, and it was not my favorite recipe. So, would I buy these spices in the store?

In certain circumstances, I would consider purchasing one of the McCormick Recipe Inspirations. If I had a busy week and needed a quick meal, or if I did not plan for dinner one night and found myself in the grocery store thinking - "WHAT AM I GOING TO MAKE FOR DINNER TONIGHT?!?!?!?," I would be happy to easily fine a recipe that sounds delicious, and part of it is already measured out. I would have to pick up the rest of the ingredients, but since I had the recipe in my hand, I would not forget to pick up an ingredient!

Now, for the giveaway! Would you like to try out the new McCormick Recipe Inspirations? If you would like to receive these new packets and some fun music and a world map, then why not enter this giveaway!

Rules of the giveaway:
1. Leave a comment and tell me which herb/spice you like to cook with the most! (This giveaway is open to all USA residents.)
2. This giveaway will be open until Saturday, June 4th! At around 9 pm, I will close the comments and randomly choose a winner. The winner will receive everything that is pictured below, courtesy of McCormick!
3. Be sure that I am able to contact you if you are chosen as my winner!

This box of goodies could be yours!

100 Books in 100 Days

2011-05-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Brady finished preschool last Thursday, so summer vacation has already started in this neck of "the woods". I wanted to make this summer really special for my family and wanted to intentionally plan some activities for the boys and myself to do. So, we have started this week "strong" and I hope to continue with this same gusto as the summer continues!

Last summer we had season passes to a local amusement park, and we definitely got our money's worth from those passes, but this year we chose not to purchase those passes. We decided that we wanted to explore other places without having the thought, "but we have season passes, let's just go there!" I am not saying that it is "bad" to have a season pass to anything; we just wanted to try something different this year (and we will probably get season passes again next year - because we did have a LOT of fun!).

So, what is on our plate this summer? I don't have it all laid out yet, but I do know that it will include some "themed" weeks, bowling, watching some free movies, going to story-time at the library, swimming at my sister's house, playdates, soccer camp, and going on various "field trips".

I got the idea of having themed weeks over at "Life as Mom" - she creates a "home camp" for her kids and calls it "Camp Wannlaffalotta." I am using some of her ideas as a springboard for use with my own kids. This week, we focused on the "Oceans of Fun" theme. We have checked out LOADS of books from the library, made many crafts, had fun with food and watched a few videos! It has been a lot of fun, and I have been pretty flexible about it too.

We have SO many library books in our house - some from this week's theme and some for next week's theme. When I was looking at all of these books, I said to myself, I bet that we will read over 100 books...in 100 days. Today is day 4, and day 100 will be August 31st. I figured that I would make it easy on myself as far as the ending point to my 100 days...and that is how I chose the beginning date...and it really does not completely matter, because I am sure that we will read 100 books before August 31st anyway!

Here are some of the books that we have read so far this week - and notice that they are not all ocean themed:

Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House by Cynthia Rylant
Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble by Cynthia Rylant
Disney's the Aristocats
The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle
Duck, Duck, Goose by Tad Hills
Yummiest Love by Lisa McCourt
Otter on His Own: the Story of a Sea Otter by Doe Boyle
Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea by Lisa Wheeler
Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle
Exploring the Deep Dark Sea by Gail Gibbons
Rainbow Fish Discovers the Deep Sea by Marcus Pfister
Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale by Marcus Pfister
The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole
Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barrett
The Marshmallow Incident by Judi Barrett

We are well on our way to 100 books!

So, what are you doing this summer?

WINNER for Spring Brunch Anyone?

2011-05-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who entered the Spring Brunch Giveaway, sponsored by McCormick Spices!

I used www.random.org to choose a number and comment #2 won....

CONGRATULATIONS to TCC who won the Spring Brunch Giveaway! I will be contacting you soon to get your information!

If you did not win this week's giveaway, stay tuned for another giveaway coming soon, also sponsored by McCormick!

Have a great weekend!

Giveaway: Spring Brunch Anyone?

2011-05-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

I was SO excited when I was contacted to participate in a Spring Brunch Program sponsored by McCormick. I enjoy cooking and I already use McCormick spices, so this was right up my alley! When I opened the box that arrived on my doorstep, I found all of the spices and food coloring that you see below! Pretty amazing! Although I have not had the time to host a Spring Brunch yet at my house...I am looking forward to using these spices in some yummy recipes that my family will enjoy! There are a few recipes that look delicious on McCormick's website which include, Spiced Springtime Sugar Cookies and Cheesy Bacon and Egg Casserole or maybe this Stuffed French Toast! Plus, I have quite a few other recipes that make good use of the spices that were sent to me...I am excited to get into the kitchen and cook!

Would you like to receive this same package of spices on your doorstep?

If you said yes, then leave a comment on my blog and tell me which of these spices you use regularly/most often. I will close the comments on Friday, May 27th at 9pm and then I will randomly choose a winner! Please be sure that I am able to contact you if you are chosen as the winner! Comments left on facebook do not count as an entry.

Update: Blogger is seeming to have problems with allowing people to leave a comment on blogs at the moment. I am not sure what they are going to do to fix it yet, so if you would like to leave a comment, please hang on while we see what is going on! You can try leaving your name and url if you would like - I have heard that it might work that way....

Crest Pro-Health Winner!

2011-05-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway that I held for the Crest Pro-Health Invigorating Clean toothpaste and mouthwash. I chose the winner randomly using Random.org, and the winning entry was #5.

Congratulations to Uniquely Me!!!!! I will be in contact with you soon!

Stay tuned for more giveaways coming your way soon!

Review and Giveaway: Crest Pro-Health Invigorating Clean

2011-05-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little busy around here with parties to plan and parties to go to, and changing our diet to one that is more healthy, so blogging has not been at the top of my list of things to do. However, taking care of my teeth does not get pushed aside during these busy times. It definitely stays on my list of things to do! Enough dental work has taken place over the years, and I am really trying to take better care of my teeth! (Wish I did that when I was younger! Oh well - you live and learn!)

A few weeks ago, I was sent the Crest Pro-Health Invigorating Clean toothpaste and mouthwash. They work together to fight plaque and gingivitis while providing an invigorating clean! I was interested in knowing what this "Invigorating Clean" would feel like, so I was happy to try it out! Well, I have to say that after using the toothpaste, my mouth and lips felt fresh and a nice tingly feeling was left behind. I really did enjoy it - and I am still using it! I had to have Dawson try the mouthwash, because the Crest brand does not work well in my mouth...it gives me sores in my mouth (I have to use another brand that starts with an "L"...and that brand gives my husband sores in his mouth!). He liked the mouthwash - it worked great and his mouth felt tingly - kind of like the toothpaste!

So, would you like to try this out? If so, you can enter my giveaway for the Crest Pro-Health Invigorating Clean toothpaste and mouthwash! Who wouldn't like some free toothpaste and mouthwash - one less thing to put on the grocery list! So, read below for the details of entering!

To enter this giveaway:

1. Leave a comment on my blog and you can let me know what brand of toothpaste you are currently using (comments on facebook will not count)

2. This giveaway will end this Friday, May 13th at 9pm. I will then choose the winner and contact you - so make sure that I am able to get in touch with you in some way.

Good Luck! I will be having some more giveaways late this month, so stay tuned!

A Sneak Peak of My Monday

2011-04-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day, but a good day.

Here is a glimpse...well, let me backtrack to the middle of the night...

I was woken up in the middle of the night to take one son to the potty (which is much better than changing sheets the next morning...or middle of the night!) and then later on in my slumber, my 3 year old and his blankie came in to my room and climbed right into bed with me. I was so tired, that I decided to let him snuggle there with me. I am not sure how long he was there, but I eventually turned over to Dawson and asked him to take Smiles back to his bed...and he did! (He is the best husband!).

Okay, now back to this morning:

All of this happened before 9:30am: said goodbye to Dawson, showered/got dressed, folded some laundry, got the boys up, suggested clothes for them to wear today, helped them get dressed, fed them, and got them out the door

10-11ish Smiles had an eye doctor appt - everything went well, but they gave him those eye drops that dilate the pupils...which he does not like at all (who does?). I really like his eye doctor - he is awesome with the kids! (Even Brady likes him!)

11:30-12:30 Back home. Time to make lunch and call my mom - I need to take her to the chiro today...which is fine, b/c I could use an adjustment too.

12:45 - out the door to go to story time at the library

1:15-2:30 Story time and spending time at the library with some friends

2:45 leave the library and pick up mom. Go to the chiro and get adjusted. Stop by CVS - I am in there for about 10 minutes. Drop mom off at home and I go home

4:30ish ? Get home, give the kids a snack, get ready for the board meeting, throw some dinner together - and whatever else I had to do!

6:15 Dawson arrives home. I talk with him and give him the run down of what I am thinking of saying at the school board meeting. He prays with me.

6:45 I am off to stop at CVS - there is something else that I needed to get there.

7:20 I arrive at the school board meeting and talk briefly with a former colleague and then make my way into the board room. I say what I wanted to and listen to everything that is going on. I don't always like taking the time to go to the school board meetings, but I am thankful that I have gone to them and hope that I am able to continue to go to them so that I know what is going on in my school district.

9:30 Finally home from the meeting and find that my kids are wanting kisses from me...which only makes them hyper! So, they did not settle down until about 10pm!!!! Their bedtime is 8:30 the very latest!!!! Tomorrow morning should be "fun" to wake them up...I think that it will be breakfast in a bag and milk in a sippy cup which they can eat on the way to our Moms Meeting tomorrow morning!

This was a busy day, but not a "hard" day and not too exhausting - just very busy. I am thankful for my health, for my family and for my God who has helped me through this day without feeling stressed out. Normally, I would have been setting up for our Moms meeting, however, I was not able to because Dawson had to work overtime and I had the school board meeting.

It was a good day. Not everything turned out the way that I may have wanted it too. However, my son's eyes are healthy, our car is running fine, we borrowed the Nemo soundtrack which I really enjoyed (thanks for finding it, Brady!), we all got great and well-needed adjustments, there was food to feed my family, my husband has a job and makes me smile, CVS had some great deals, and I had the freedom to voice my opinion at a school board meeting.

I am so thankful that the Lord helped me move through this day with grace and ease. The dishes are not done, the laundry is backed up and I could name many other things here that are not "done" at the moment...but I choose to focus on the positive - I am thankful for the dishes and pots and pans that we have to cook with and eat off of and I am thankful for the clothes that we have so that we have more than one outfit to wear.

God is so faithful. God is so good.

Birthday Party Planning Thoughts

2011-04-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

If we had the parties in January, I would have thrown a McQueen party and a Rain Forest party for my two boys. However, since we had to push the parties off, this gave the boys time to chance their minds and now we are having a Winnie the Pooh party for my 3 year old (this Saturday) and an Under the Sea party for my 5 year old (some time next month).

Usually, my mom has helped with making special cut out cookies for the parties and my sister has made the cakes, however due to the limitations of health and time, all of that is on me...and I am taking it on! I am actually going to do some things a little bit different than I did previous years, and I am hoping that we will have nice weather.

The weekend, our guests will be visiting each of the Winnie the Pooh characters "homes" and doing some sort of activity while they are there. I still have to a lot to do to pull this off - but I think that it will come together! Time to put more of the thoughts in to action!

Project: Simplify - Week #5: You Decide!!!

2011-04-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, the 5th and final hot spot was revealed over at Simple Mom, I was happy to see that it was "Whatever you want!" That is kind of what I have been doing anyway, so that worked for me! As you may know, I thought that Project: Simplify was a great idea, but I did not follow along with the hot spots that were posted each week...I kind of worked on whatever I felt needed to be worked on - which could really have been anything in my house!

Ok, enough about that - have fun in whatever you may be working on this week! I am actually working on prepping for a (belated) birthday party for my 3 year old! LOTS TO DO!!!

Project: Simplify - Week #4: Pantry and Refrigerator

2011-03-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know that it is Wednesday already and I have not written about Project: Simplify - Week #4! This week, the hot spot that many people are working on is.......your pantry and refrigerator! If you want to see what is suggested that you do as you work on this hot spot, then head over here and check it out!

For my pantry, I use an inventory checklist that you can find over here at Organizedhome.com. This is such a helpful tool for me. I now know exactly what is located in my pantry and do not have to run to the basement to search my cabinet to see if I still have some diced tomatoes left! My husband is slowly catching on to the concept, but he is embracing this idea with me! I also use an inventory sheet for my freezers - it is really helpful when planning meals, and avoiding food from getting "lost" in the freezer!

I have not been completely participating in Project: Simplify like I have wanted to - however, I am trying to get things accomplished in my house!

I LOVE Date Nights!

2011-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

I can't wait...I am going on a date tonight with my man! I am so excited that we are going to see live theater again! I have always enjoyed live theater - both plays and musicals. I enjoy watching them and I enjoyed participating in a couple of them! I was in a musical when I was 13 - it was called, "With an Everlasting Love." I was the youngest cast member - most everyone else went to the Bible school where it was performed. I was in another one in high school called "Carousel." That was a lot of fun to be in since a lot of my friends were in it too! My best friend had one of the main roles - she was amazing! They were both so much fun to be in!

We are going to see, "Joseph" at Sight and Sound! It is going to be so nice to be on a date with Dawson again! My MIL will be with the kids - thanks, Mom! Date nights are so awesome!

Project: Simplify - Week #3: Toys and/or Kids Clothes

2011-03-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited about this week's hot spot reveal on Project Simplify! Week #3 is Toys and/or Kids Clothing! I might actually get it done!!! I will be focusing on kids clothing, not the toys at this moment in time!

Last week, I started to work on sorting through and boxing up the baby clothing that have been in my basement. I have been on a break from sorting the clothes since (about) last Thursday, but I will have to get back to it tomorrow. In fact, I think that I am going to bring up another box of clothing tonight and put it in my family room so that it is ready for me as soon as a wake up...or as soon as I shower & get dressed, help the kids get dressed, and make breakfast - although it might have to wait until after preschool drop off depending on how smoothly the morning runs! In any case - I will get back to decluttering the baby clothes in my house!

I have to say that it has felt really good to pack the clothes away. It has been fun to travel down memory lane a little bit while looking at the clothes, and it has also been really good to practice getting rid of things that are now considered clutter in my home! I will let you in on a little secret...I have been putting aside some of my favorite pieces of clothing and I am thinking of making (or having someone else make) a quilt out of some of the baby clothing fabric. We will see - BUT, only one box will be devoted to the clothing that will be saved! :)

The Big Reveal...Or Not!

2011-03-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the big reveal for Week #2 of Project: Simplify is not going to happen here today! I have had such high hopes to participate in Project Simplify that Tsh is hosting over at her blog, but when I was really thinking about what I needed to start decluttering in my house, I felt like it was the garage and the basement...although I DO need to work on the paper clutter too!

So, this week Dawson and I had a really nice, long talk. It was SO nice to do this again! With everything going on in our lives - helping out my parents, trying to find energy to get dinner on the table and clean something here and there in my house, and now mandatory overtime for Dawson during the month of March - there does not always seem to be a lot of time for us to sit down and have a nice long uninterrupted talk. We talked about so many things - and at one point, I was doing most of the talking; telling him about what has been on my heart and mind. Quite a few things came out of our talk - including what I decided to begin purging/decluttering out of our basement. Let's just say that my sister and I will hopefully make a few bucks this summer at our garage sales selling our baby clothes and other baby items. Yes, we do believe that we are done having children!

So, I may not have participated in this week's Project: Simplify - Paper Clutter, however, I did work on decluttering in my house, and I am ok with this! If you have participated in this Project - then good for you!!! I think that I am going to continue to purge in my basement, but I will post the new parts of Project Simplify, and keep it on my backburner!

Project: Simplify - Week #2: Paper Clutter

2011-03-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

So, I STILL did not complete Week #1 of Project: Simplify...but I WILL DO IT! Last week was a busy, not the most motivated, and draining week. This week will also be a bit busy, but hopefully I will get through it a bit better - and make more time to work on the decluttering that I want and need to do!

Today begins Week #2 of Project: Simplify! The Hot Spot to declutter is: PAPER CLUTTER! This is something that I have begun to work on, but still have much more to do. Later this week, I will share with you how I have begun tackling the paper clutter on my breakfast bar - although I still have quite a bit of tweaking to do in this area!

Some other things that I will be learning this week are:

*How long do you need to keep bill "receipts"

*How long do you need to hold on to a store receipt - and what is the best way to store/file it?

*What do you do with the receipts from the bank/ATM?

I think that I know the answers to these questions, but I need to put it into action...and I WILL get rid of the bill "receipt" from 2005 that I still have in my files...I don't think that I need it anymore! (At least it is in a file - right?) :)

You can check out the tools that are suggested this week to help you here. Tsh's basic plan for "Unleashing Vengeance on You Papers" is below:

1. Gather all your loose papers in to one large box — your receipts, your junk mail, your paid bills, the random notes, and even your kids’ scribbles just laying around.

2. Surround yourself with this main box, your recycling bin, your trash can, your “to be shredded” box or your shredder itself, and your “take action” box. Keep a pen or pencil nearby.

3. Start a movie marathon, IF it won’t distract you. Choose a dialog-heavy flick or one you’ve seen a million times (basically, you don’t have to stare at the screen). Inceptionprobably isn’t a good idea. (My sidenote - I would probably choose music instead!)

4. Start at the top, and work through the main box one sheet of paper at a time. If anything needs attention (a bill to be paid, an event to be added to the calendar), toss it in the “take action” box. If anything needs shredding, either shred it immediately or toss it in the “to be shredded” box. Then, deal with its contents when the three-year-old isn’t around to help you shred more than you bargained for.

5. After you’ve emptied the main box, return to the “take action” box and — well, take action.

6. Once all your paper has been processed, create a spot for paper to land where it can be processed weekly from now on. (My sidenote: I have a GREAT idea for this that I will share later this week!)

7. Take steps to minimize future paper clutter (go paperless with your bills, etc.).

8. Rinse and repeat, either weekly or monthly.

Click here to download and print a PDF checklist of this week’s hot spot (find the hidden irony).

Let me know if you are going to join me in this week's project...of if you already have this in order, leave a comment and let me know what works for you! Have fun!

Project: Simplify Week #1 - Not Done Yet!

2011-03-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

If you remember from this post, today I was supposed to be posting my before and after photos of my closet after I finished decluttering it.

Well, I have to say that this week was busy, tiring, and not the most "fun", so I have not been able to finish my decluttering. Truth be told, I have only gone through my "things" from "VS" and my sock drawer. I still have all of my clothes to go through. I am hoping to get this done this weekend...before the next project is announced!

So, stay tuned! Getting rid of things that are in good shape is hard for me to do, but I know that I must part with these "things" in order to move in this new direction...and someone else can enjoy the "things" that I no loner use!

Project: Simplify - Want to Join Me?

2011-03-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am determined to declutter my house. This time of year seems to be the "perfect" time to tackle the clutter in my home, with spring being right around the corner (or so I thought...we have snow on the ground again!) - it is definitely time to do some spring cleaning!

Simple Mom is hosting a five week project to declutter five areas our home. She has called it Project: Simplify. She has revealed this week's hot spot: your wardrobe and closet. It seems simple, but it is a great way to start the project, and it is important to take care of yourself! I agree with her - it is easier to take care of your kids' clothes than your own!

Oh, and one of the rules for participating it to take before and after photos! This should be an interesting task for me to tackle...I still have some boxes of clothes that are in the basement that are labeled "pre-pregnancy" clothes! LOL!!! It is definitely time for me to tackle this area of my life! Want to join me? Check out Simple Mom's blog for more info!

Below is the list that Simple Mom has compiled for attacking our wardrobe and closet. You can find out more information on her blog.

Make sure all your clothes are washed and in one place.
Set aside all items you already know you don’t want — wearable in the “give” box; unwearable in the “toss” box.
Try on all the rest of your clothes — no cheating.
Anything that doesn’t fit well, put in a separate pile.
Anything that isn’t the right color on you, put in the “give” box.
Anything that has un-mendable holes or stains, is unwearable, or underwear that’s seen better days, put in the “toss” box.
Once your closet and drawers are empty, clean them.
Hang, fold, and put away the clothes you know you’re keeping.
Reassess the items in your doesn’t-fit-well pile.
Tackle your shoes, jewelry, and other accessories.

I have to say that I am stepping out of my comfort zone to do something like this. However I am excited to be doing this! Let me know if you plan on joining in on the fun!

Hearty Ham and Potato Soup

2011-03-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

It's raining and the wind is blowing pretty hard here...which makes me want to cuddle up to a nice bowl of soup. I found this soup recipe on a blog that I read called Simple Organized Living, and it sounds and looks really good! Andrea, mentions that this soup does not freeze well, so I figured that I would pass that along to you too! Enjoy Andrea's recipe - I am going to!

Hearty Ham and Potato Soup

Ingredients

2 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
2 qts. water
6 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk or cream
1/2 lb. ham, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot and sautee onions until soft

Add water, potatoes, carrots, and celery

Boil until veggies are tender {about 15 minutes}

Drain and reserve all liquid {you will use some of this broth later on…and you can freeze the rest of it}
Set veggies aside
In the same pan, melt butter
Whisk flour and milk together and add to the melted butter, string constantly until mixture thickens
Add 1 cup or more of reserved broth — if you like thicker soup, add less — thinner soup, add more
Gently stir in cooked vegetables and ham.
You may add more broth if you want a thinner soup, or let it simmer for a while if it’s too thin. (freeze the reaming broth for future use)
Serve with salad and fresh bread, garlic bread, or rolls.

Update: I have to say that I thought that this soup was bland. It could have been that I only had 5 oz of ham instead of 8 oz, or it could be lacking in some herbs. It was good, but not the best tasting soup that I have made.

On the Decluttering Road

2011-02-28T18:39:00.000-08:00

I wanted the month of February to be the month that I decluttered my house - completely. I set my goal high, but due to sickness in my family (viruses) and helping out at my parents' house, I did not complete this goal. However, I started!

From what I can remember, I decluttered the following things from my house:

3 bags filled with clothes
1 cardboard box filled with various "things"
1 HUGE TV (we bought a flat screen last December)
1 toddler bed (that we gave to a friend)
we recycled at least 15 cardboard boxes that were in our garage
1 glider - we brought this to my mom's house for her to use (it is on "loan" for now!)

AND

Tomorrow, my MIL is going to watch Smiles while Brady is at preschool (thank you!!!)...and I am going to do some returns that have been sitting around my house since December! My Mom got seriously ill the day after Christmas, so this got put on hold for a while...I have been a little busy!!! I am so excited to finally get this "stuff" out of my house!!

Yes, I get excited about the little things...but to me, it is a pretty big thing! :)

Soup, Soup, and more...(Chicken) Soup!

2011-02-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been on a soup kick - making soup, eating soup, and giving soup away too - mainly to my parents!

It all started about 3 or 4 weeks ago (give or take). I decided to make a few freezer meals on a weekend and when I went to put it away in our garage freezer, I realized that I really needed to start making some more room in there. There were 2 whole turkeys in there and about 4 whole chickens that needed to be cooked and then made into a variety of meals. So, I began planning, defrosting (one at a time - I did not get through all of them yet!), and then the cooking began.

Initially, when the bird was done cooking, we would have the chicken or turkey for dinner that night along with a few sides. The bird would then be stripped of the rest of its meat, and then I used the bones to make broth for my turkey or chicken soup! I believe that the first soup that I made was the basic, delicious chicken (or turkey) soup recipe that I adapted from my mom's recipe - so delicious! Then I made some other meals - like a chicken and broccoli quiche - which is SOOOO delicious! I used the recipe found in one of my favorite cookbooks, Don't Panic, More Dinner is in the Freezer. It is a hearty quiche, filled with onions (which I saute), broccoli, chicken, cheese and the egg mixture. I also made it with chopped spinach, instead of broccoli!). Then...more soup...other types, which I will get to at another time! Today, I will share my mom's recipe with you! Enjoy!

Mom's Chicken (or Turkey) Soup

3 1/2 lb. stewing chicken (if I already have cooked chicken - I just use the leftover bones)

2 1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1 bay leaf

1 T. finely chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp. dried)

1 lb. carrots, chopped (can use 1 bag of baby carrots)

1 large onion, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup fine noodles (optional) - (do not freeze soup with noodles in it - add them later)

1. Wash chicken. Place in a large dutch oven and cover with 5 cups of water. Add seasonings.

2. Simmer covered 1 1/2 hours, or until chicken is tender.

3. While chicken is cooking, prepare vegetables...carrots, celery, and onions

4. When chicken is done, remove it, along with bay leaf from the stock. Skim off as much fat as possible from stock. Pour stock through a strainer/colander and into another pot. Be sure there are no little bits of bone left in the stock!

5. Bring stock back to boiling. Add carrots, onions, and celery. Simmer 45 minutes.

6. While vegetable are cooking, remove skin and bones from chicken, leaving chicken in large pieces.

7. When vegetable are soft, blend/puree at least half of them. This will thicken the broth! You can blend as much or as little as you would like to.

8. Cook noodles and add to stock, along with chicken pieces (you decide how much you want to add). Cook 10 minutes longer.

You can double or even triple this recipe - which is what I usually do! You can freeze some of what you made for a future cold day, or share some with a friend!

Getting ready to freeze some of the soup!

It Started When I Pulled Into My Driveway...

2011-02-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

It started when I pulled into my driveway...after we dropped off my 5 year old at preschool.

I looked around our minivan and saw some wrappers, papers, toys, etc. that did not belong in our van, and needed to be relocated.

My 3 year old wanted to shovel the snow.

So, we went inside for a moment, put on gloves and boots on my 3 year old, and we headed back outside in two point two (as my husband would say).

Smiles got busy shoveling the snow from one side of the lawn to the other, riding in his toy car, pulling his wagon around, playing with toys that we are going to get rid of, riding his big wheel, and helping me out too. He was so cute on the big wheel - he pedaled up the driveway (or is it down...well, towards the road) and then took his feet off of the pedals and let himself go flying backwards into the pile of snow - so cute!

I played with Smiles a little bit, but I was focused on cleaning out the minivan...which did not take too long, since Dawson cleaned out some things the other day. In the process of cleaning out the van (and no, I did not vacuum it today!), I opened the garage and saw the 3 bags of clothes and one box of "things" that were ready to go to good will...so, I loaded the van up with those items. It was nice to empty that little area of my garage, so I decided to continue on with my little cleaning/decluttering spree...which led me to boxes.

Boxes. Cardboard ones. We had loads of them in our garage. Most were from things that I ordered for Christmas. Online shopping was awesome this year! But with shopping online, you are left with cardboard boxes. One was turned into a plane; another into, well, I am not sure what it was - maybe another plane. I was forbidden to recycle those, per my 3 year old. However, there were probably about 15 other boxes, of various sizes that needed to be recycled. So, I broke them down and loaded them up in my minivan. You see, today was trash day, and our trash and recyclables were already picked up...and I really did not want those boxes in our garage anymore.

So, I drove them over to my parents house. Their trash day is tomorrow, and the boxes will be gone...along with 3 little trash bags of packing peanuts. Then, our journey continued.

Smiles and I picked up Brady from preschool, stopped by the house to have some late lunch, and we were off...we had one brief stop before I headed to Sal's. I made my first donation there with my kids in the car, watching what I was doing. My 5 year old asked what we were doing there, so I explained to him what donating items was all about. It felt good to let go of those things, and to lighten the "load" that is in my house.

I still have a long way to go...but I have resolved to declutter my house. I have begun, and I don't plan on stopping!

It started when I pulled into my driveway...

...or was it when I asked my husband to wake me up early this morning...

Time For Change...

2011-02-24T05:00:00.001-08:00

All of the rooms in our house can really use some sprucing up and making it "our own." Decorating, choosing paint or any other "accessories" is really not something that I know a lot about, but we finally mustered up some courage to branch out and try our hand at this...first up - our family room!

Back in December, Dawson and I decided that we would start our project after Christmas, however those plans have been put on hold, due to illness in our family...so, for now, we can think about it, dream some more, and do some more research - and actually choose the color that we want for the paint! :)

One item that we did purchase is a new LCD TV. It took us a while to decide which TV to purchase, but I believe that we are happy with the one that we chose. Now, we will have to decide whether we are going to mount it on the wall, or purchase some type of LCD TV stand. There are so many options to choose from, and I have a friend who refinished a dresser to use as a TV stand, you can check it out on her blog! I am not sure what we will do, but for now, our TV is on a little stand - it works!

I am really excited about our future projects, but I know that I need to find some ideas and inspiration for each of the rooms in our house. So, where do you find your inspiration? Any particular books, magazines, blogs, websites???? Help a girl out...give me some suggestions! I need to stretch and grow in this area...and I hope to eventually share future projects with you!

WINNER for the Campbell's AdDress Your Heart Giveaway

2011-02-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog and entered the Campbell's AdDress Your Heart giveaway!

To choose the winner, I used random.org to generate the winning number/comment. The number generated was #10!

Congratulations to EMILY! I will be contacting you today!

Giveaway: Campbell's AdDress Your Heart!

2011-02-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

I was asked to help spread the word about the “AdDress Your Heart” campaign. I was given a gift basket with a few samples of Campbell's healthy food options to try out. Some of them I already use – such as the healthy request soups and others were nice to try, such as their Swanson's canned chicken, which is a nice change from a tuna sandwich! You have a chance to win this nice gift basket too, but before we get to that, let me just tell you a little more about the “AdDress Your Heart” campaign.

For the fifth consecutive year Campbell’s Soup Company has partnered with the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement, and is mobilizing moms and people across the country to raise awareness for the fight against heart disease with their “AdDress Your Heart” campaign. This Year NBC’s Parenthood star Monica Potter and NFL mom Deborah Johnson have partnered with Campbell’s to spread the word about the importance of heart health. You can read more about it here: Campbell's AdDress Your Heart Campaign.

As moms, we are (usually) the ones that have a huge impact on what our family members eat. I believe that it is important to read the labels of the foods that we are allowing into out houses and into our families bodies, as well as our own. We should be the ones that are educating our children in making good choices in their lives, and especially in what they are eating. This could help to lower childhood obesity and in turn, lower the percentage of those that end up with heart disease. I try to avoid foods that contain MSG, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and artificial sweeteners. I am sure that there are other ingredients to avoid, but those are the main ones that I look for.

Now, for the giveaway! You will win everything that is seen in this photo, which includes:

A custom made fleece

An apron to wear while you cook your favorite meals – I like how it is easily adjustable to fit any size person

An assortment of Campbell’s “heart healthy” products

What do you need to do to win this giveaway??? (**you can get up to 3 entries!!!**)

1. Entry #1: Leave a comment – AND tell me if you are a label reader, and what ingredient(s) do you try to avoid

2. Entry #2: Share this on facebook

3. Entry #3: Follow my blog (and if you are already a follower, tell me that in a separate comment)

***Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!!! AND Be sure that I am able to get in touch with you***

This giveaway will be open through Monday, February 21. Comments will be closed at 9pm (or there about!). I will randomly choose the winner on Monday night and will do my best to post the winner on Tuesday, February 22nd. The winner will need to pass along their mailing address in order to be awarded the prize (please do not give that information in the comments!).

It's Been Awhile...

2011-02-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

It's been over a month since I have blogged, because it has been pretty busy in our family. I thought that the past month would have been full of planning birthday parties for my sons and having lots of little kids in the house, however that has not happened...yet.

To make a long (month+) story short...I have spent many days and hours in the hospital visiting my mom who was sick with pneumonia and a staph infection in her blood - she was a very "sick woman", as her doctor stated. She went from her doctor's office to ICU for 12 days and then to a rehab hospital for over 2 weeks, and now she is finally home. She is going to outpatient PT and OT and has made tremendous progress since the beginning of this sickness. We are so thankful to God for all of the healing that has taken place in my mom's body and are looking forward to her complete healing (and my Dad's too!)! My sister and I are still very busy helping my parents out around their house and taking them to their doctor's appointments, but we are so thankful that their bodies are healing and that we live so close to them, so that we can easily help them out. I love my parents so much!

So, I hope to make the time to plan my sons' "friend" birthday parties soon and to blog more and tell you how I have begun to do some of the things that I have wanted to do! :)

He is our Healer...Dad's Healer

2010-12-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday and today have been good days but hard days for me. Two of my cousins came down from Long Island to visit my Dad , and we had a really great time seeing them. When we went over to my parents house to see them and visit with my family, I saw that my Dad was in a LOT of pain. I could tell that it was the worst pain that he has ever had. It is so hard to see my Dad , my loved one, in so much pain...and there is nothing that you can so to help alleviate it.

I have not written a lot about my Dad and what he has been going through on my blog. It is a very personal subject to me, but I did feel that I wanted to express a little bit of what I am going through today.

I love my Dad . He is a fighter - he always has been. My Dad grew up in "the city" (Queens) and definitely had his fair share of fights that he went through as he was growing up. He moved to Long Island when he was 16 years old (fast forward), and that is where I grew up. He was always my protector, and I knew that if anyone ever "laid a hand on me" that he would take out their knees with a baseball bat, because that is what he told me ever since I was little! The baseball bat was in his closet and thankfully it stayed there, because there was never a need for it to be used. Besides physically protecting me, my Dad was also my spiritual covering/protector. Dad has these great big hands that I have always loved to hold, and I loved when he prayed for me. I just knew that when Dad prayed, God heard and I would feel better quickly. He prayed with such power, and he still does.

My Dad is still a fighter. He has been battling cancer for 12 years now, but it has only become really hard, weakening, and painful in about the last 6 weeks or so. I cannot even comprehend that amount of pain that he is in.

So, I spend time with him, hold his hand and enjoy every moment that we are together. I allow myself to cry when I am home, and pray to God for the healing of my father this side of heaven. I ask the Lord to renew my father's strength, to take away the pain, to flush the cancer out of his body and give him many more years of healthy living with his family. I ask the Lord to strengthen my mom, and sister and myself, and our other family members. I believe that my Dad is going to be healed. This is not the end for my Dad

God is good and He is God. He is the same God that healed the women who touched the hem of Jesus' robe about 2000 years ago. My sister reminded me that the women was battling the blood disease for 12 years, and in an instant, she was healed. You know what? He is the same God that healed my pastor of stage 4 leukemia, and his life and story have definitely been an encouragement to my whole family.

This has been a tough weekend for me (and of course Dad). However, with every tear that would well up inside of me and fall down my cheek, I still know and hold on to the fact that God is God and He is our Healer...Dad's healer.

One way that I have been encouraged is through song. I am thankful for every song that would be streaming through my mind, that I would suddenly start singing, or that would come on to the radio that I was listening to. They were exactly what I needed at each moment, and I hold on to each and every word and promise that He has given to me, my Dad and my family. I choose to praise and worship Him.

But as for me, I will always hope; I will praise you more and more (Psalm 71:14).

I Would Like To Do...

2010-12-11T00:30:00.000-08:00

There are so many things that I would really LIKE to do, but rarely find or make the time to so those things...and as I am writing this, there are even MORE things that come to my mind that I would like to do, such as:

Blog more - I would really like to do this more. In fact, I have another post that is waiting to be finished and a few more posts that are in my head! It is hard for me to sit down and make the time for blogging.

Build furniture - I would LOVE to build some of my own furniture. My friend Tiffany has built quite a few pieces in her home and I SO wanted to build some furniture with her...but I feel that now is not the time. If you really want to be inspired to get crafty, I encourage you to visit Tiffany's blog - she is SO talented and creative! There are other things that I need to tend to at the moment, so building furniture will have to be put on hold. However, I am hoping that I will be able to build things that are found on the Knock Off Wood website.

Read more books from cover to cover - I guess I need to make the time to do this. I read a little here and there, but I have not been able to get through a whole book in a long time. I tend to read a little bit in one book and then find another book to start, so I guess I am a bit of a "Book Hopper."

Organize my home - ok, I know that this is a process. I feel that I need some furniture to help with this, and then I face the dilemma - do I wait and build something at some point, do I buy from IKEA or some place that it not too expensive (but I don't want the furniture to fall apart!), or do I save for a nicely made piece of furniture...not sure about this. At the moment, I am trying to declutter and not hold on to things because, "I might need it someday." - yes, I am sometimes like that!

Begin painting and decorating my home - I often feel like I don't know where to begin...and by that, it is really just choosing a room. I also need to learn how to decorate. It seems silly to say that, but I don't feel like that side of me has been developed, and I am not sure how to develop that yet. However, I feel that I am on the right road for choosing paint colors - I think! LOL!

Get more sleep at night - I am a night owl, and that needs to change. This seems like one of the easiest things to change, but it really had not been. I need to change this though so that I have more energy to continue to be the wife, mom, sister, friend, child of God that He has called me to be. So, with that in mind, I am going to end this post, set it to post tomorrow morning and go to sleep!

What are things that you would like to do/change in your daily life?

And The Winner Is....

2010-12-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

#1 Chels!

I used http://www.random.org/ to generate the number of my winner, and it picked #1! That does not happen too often, but obviously, it does happen!

So, Chels, I will be contacting you about the prize pack that you have won! Please respond within 24 hours, or I will have to choose a new winner! Congrats!

Thank you all for participating in this giveaway! :)

Giveaway: V8 V-Fusion + Tea

2010-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

I was asked to sample, review, and giveaway the new V8 V-Fusion+ Tea, which is a juice beverage with the fruit-and-veggie benefits of V-Fusion plus the natural antioxidants of green tea. The goal of this new drink is to provide a delicious, lower-calorie option for afternoon refreshment (just 80 calories per 8oz serving). I was excited to try this new beverage and to provide a giveaway to one of my readers (yes, YOU!).

I was so excited when the BIG BOX arrived on my front porch and I found THREE FULL-SIZE bottles of the V8 V-Fusion+ Tea drinks, plus a new reusable shopping bag (and pretty tissue paper to boot!). I could not wait to taste test these new drinks, but before I did, I checked out the ingredients and found that there were a bunch of fruits and veggies found in these tea drinks - in fact it is 50% juice! That is a lot of juice to pack in to a tea drink! The one ingredient that I was not too happy about was the sucralose. We try not to bring artificial sweeteners into out house, so I knew that I would probably not buy these drinks again...but I was willing to taste test them, and I had some excited participants!

I gathered some small plastic cups and began the taste testing with Brady (4 years old), Smiles (2 years old), Dawson, and myself. Here are the results:

Pomegranate Green Tea

*Brady - Gave it a thumbs up
*Smiles - said "It was really good"
*Dawson - liked the taste
*Me - liked the taste, but could not taste the tea part of it. The juice taste was good and I would go for seconds!

Raspberry Green Tea

*Brady - Gave it a thumbs up and he asked for seconds of this one when the taste test was over
*Smiles - said "It was really good"
*Dawson - he enjoyed the taste of this one too
*Me - I did NOT like the taste of this one. I did not taste the raspberry in it at all. I would not drink this again.

Pineapple Mango Green Tea

*Brady - Gave it a thumbs up
*Smiles - said "It was really good" and he asked for seconds of this one when the taste test was over
*Dawson - he liked this one too
*Me - this was my favorite one. I enjoyed the Pineapple and Mango flavors and this would be my first choice for seconds.

I would have to say that my order of preference is Pineapple Mango Green Tea, Pomegranate Green Tea , and then if I was totally parched and needed a drink, I would then reach for the Raspberry Green Tea. I like the idea of the V8 V-Fusion+ Tea drinks - more fruits and veggies is awesome, however, I do not like the fact that they sweetened it with sucralose.

Now for the fun part - the GIVEAWAY!!!

What do YOU receive, you ask? EXACTLY what I did! Three FULL-SIZE bottles of the V8 V-Fusion+ Tea drinks PLUS that nifty reusable shopping bag - and who couldn't use another one of those!

What do you need to do to enter?

Complete one or more of the following:

Entry #1: Comment on this post for your entry in the giveaway.

Entry #2: Post a link to this post on facebook - and let me know about it in the comments below - that will give you your second entry to this giveaway.

Entry #3: If you become a follower of this blog (or you already are), let me know in the comments below - that will be your third entry. NOTE: I don't blog so people 'follow' me...and I am not the most regular blogger, but I figured why not give you a shot at a third entry.

This giveaway is open until, Thursday, December 9th and I will randomly choose and winner and post that on Friday, December 10th! :)

A few things for you to check out:

1. V8 V-Fusion + Tea has a Facebook page

2. The Fabulous Flash Performance “Bottle Song” - I LOVE to watch "flash mob" performances, so I was excited to check this out!

Thanksgiving Place Cards

2010-12-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

I had a great idea for a Thanksgiving craft for the kids to do - turkey place cards! I found an idea online for the general "look" of the place card, and then I got out my construction paper and traced and cut out the body of the turkey. It took longer than I thought it would to cut out!!! I knew that I needed some help to prep this craft...so, I called upon my artsy hubby, and asked him to cut out the feathers and do something for the beak and gobbler thingie. I have to say that the beak and gobbler thingie looks A-MA-ZING!!! We decided that it would be better for Dawson to glue the feathers together in a fan (displayed below), rather that have the boys attempt to do that part, since we had 15 place cards to do!!! So, here are the parts that Dawson did, and then we had the boys glue the turkey on to the feathers and then the completed turkey on to a place card (we used a folded 4x6 index card).

The finished products: My 4 year old wrote all of the names on the cards - didn't he do a fantastic job!!! I LOVE how the "Y" got carried to the top of the name, since he ran out of room!

This one says "Grammie" - I love it!

This is my favorite - "Mommy" :)

Our Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls

2010-12-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

It has been way too long since I have been able to post something here, but things got a little busy around here since we hosted Thanksgiving! We have been hosting Thanksgiving for the past 5 years! This year, we had a total of 15 family members that came! We had a really nice time and had way too much food...but it was fun to taste so many different types of food that was brought along! And to top it off, I had a root canal on Monday! Glad to eventually be rid of that pain...but I still have a little pain - I suppose from the root canal procedure itself! Well, enough of my pain...on to a new recipe that I tried for Thanksgiving!

I have not made it a habit to include dinner rolls as part of the Thanksgiving meal, although my mother in law made challah bread a few times - and that was so good! This year, I decided to try a new dinner roll recipe that I will have to share with you! It came from my new cookbook, Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining. And, no, it was not made in the slow cooker! It was one of those recipes that could accompany a slow cooker meal.

The Recipe:

Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

1 package (scant 1 Tablespoon) active dry yeast or 2 tsp. instant dry yeast, such as SAF

1 cup warm low-fat or whole milk (110 to 115 degrees F)

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup cold mashed sweet potatoes

2 large eggs separated

3 T unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 1/2 to 4 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T cold water for brushing

1 T sesame seeds (I used about 1/2 T)

1. In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in warm milk. Add a pinch of the sugar and let stand for 5 min. Add the remaining sugar, sweet potatoes, egg yolks, butter, salt and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining 1 1/2 to 2 cups flour to form a soft dough.

2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes (I usually spray my hands with nonstick cooking spray before doing this). Place in a bowl coated with nonstick cooking spray, turning once to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 28 balls (I did 32) of equal size. Roll each ball into a 10-inch-long rope (I just did it in my hands); tie each rope with a loose knot. Place the rolls 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

5. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with the cold water (you probably only need one egg white and can use the other one for something else), and brush the mixture over the rolls. Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. Baked until lightly browned, 15 to 18 minutes. (watch this - mine were done in about 12 minutes)

**If you like, bake these at 300 degrees F for 15 minutes, until cooked through but not browned. Cool, then store in the freezer for up to 1 month. When ready to serve, defrost in the bag and bake as directed.

***Making these made me decide that I REALLY want to try and make soft pretzels!

The Results:

Everyone LOVED the rolls! My sister asked to take some home with them! Be sure not to bake them too long, or they could get a little dry. I would definitely make these again! :)

THE Soccer Cake!

2010-11-18T10:43:00.001-08:00

Time sure does have a way of flying by! Soccer games has been over for almost 2 weeks - and I am just getting around to posting a photo of the soccer cake that I made for our soccer party! It was so much fun to learn how to pipe the frosting on to the cake - thanks sis! My sister is an awesome cake maker/decorator, and taught me some of the basics to piping the frosting out. I think that it turned out pretty great for my first time, and ALL of the kids LOVED it! I love being a soccer mom!!! GO BEETLES!!! :)

Recipe: Gingerbread Cake (or muffins!)

2010-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have never used Stevia in baking...or really in anything, but my sister in law inspired me to try it out! So far, I have only tried one of the recipes that she gave to me, and I think that the muffins tasted great...although I did over-cook them a little bit since I forgot to shorten the baking time, since I made muffins instead of a bread! Oops!!! My boys did not really like the taste of them...maybe because they were not really moist or it was a taste that they are not used to. I am going to make them again...and I will remember to shorten the baking time!!! Try them out and tell me what you think!

Gingerbread Cake

1 cup buttermilk
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar (Substitute 1 tsp stevia and about 1/2 cup oats)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup molasses
1/4 cup boiling water

1. Mix all ingredients together. (I mixed wet together first, then added dry ingredients and then added the hot water)

2. Pour into pan - bread/can pan or muffins

3. Bake for 350 degrees for 35 minutes, if in a bread pan.
**I dropped the temperature down to 325 degrees and I would bake them for 15-20 minutes, so that they remain moist.

I would include a photo of the muffins, but I guess I forgot to take one! So, just imagine muffins with a dark brown color! YUM!

Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore

2010-11-10T16:38:00.001-08:00

This is a recipe from my cookbook, Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. I have not made this version of the recipe before, but grew up with a similar version of it. However, I believe that this was the main (only?) slow cooker recipe that my mom made and was tired of it! I wanted to try new and different slow cooker recipes, which led me to find this cookbook, thanks to my friend Anne H. I have refrained from making this recipe for year, but I am tempted to try it again because this recipe in this cookbook is quite a bit different from what I grew up with and I like how they suggest to thicken the sauce. Enjoy!

Cooker: Medium or Large round or oval
Setting and Cook Time: HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or LOW for 6 to 7 hours

16 ounce jar Italian marinara sauce, such as tomato basil or about 2 cups of homemade marinara sauce**
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and sliced into half moons
1-3 cloves garlic, to your taste, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs and 4 chicken drumsticks, skin removed (or you can use 4 chicken quarters)
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 T all-purpose flour
2 T water (optional)
2 T dry white wine (optional - I always like to add wine when they call for it!)

1. Layer half of the tomato sauce and all of the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and chicken in the slow cooker (in that order). Sprinkle the mushrooms on top and cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through (180 degrees in the thigh), 2 1/2 to 3 hours on HIGH or 6 to 7 hours on LOW. The chicken will add some juices on its own to the dish.

2. Transfer the chicken to a warm platter. If you wish to thicken the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, water, and wine until smooth. Stir into the sauce in the cooker, turn the cooker to HIGH, cover, and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes (or transfer to a pot on the stove and cook there - be sure to stir constantly). Pour the sauce and vegetables over the chicken and serve.

**this is a little different from what I grew up with. I think it was more like add tomato sauce and then spices like basil etc.

I think that this always tastes good with rice or pasta - whatever suits your family's taste! If you try it out, please let me know what you think...and if I should give it another try!

End of the Season...

2010-11-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

The next two weeks wrap up Brady's first soccer season. It has definitely been a journey for all of us. Dawson was the coach, I was the team mom, Brady enjoyed soccer most days...but does not like bumping in the other kids(!), and Smiles was a wonderful encourager...and got to practice with the big kids at the last two practices!

Last night was the last practice. Saturday is the last game and the end of the season party, and then we have our awards ceremony on the 14th. I am excited to end the season with a party for the kids...and I am going to make a soccer ball cake for the kids! I will be piping the frosting all by myself! It will be the first cake that I have done on my own! My sister is also making one and will be teaching me how to do the frosting!

Today we bake!

Friday we frost!!

Saturday we PLAY, FEAST, and CELEBRATE!

GO BEETLES!!!

**photos of the cake will be coming soon!

Homemade Frosting!

2010-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, my husband got together with his two brothers to play a video game. Dawson decided to make a "box" cake to take with him to celebrate his oldest brother's birthday - which was actually on Sunday. Dawson mixed up the cake and took care of the baking...it was fun to watch him have fun in the kitchen again! :) However, when we looked for frosting, we realized that there was none in the house!

I was about to send Dawson out to the store to buy a new tub of frosting, but I decided to turn to my "Go-To" cookbook, How To Cook Everything, to see if there was a recipe to make your own frosting...and there was! I was so excited that I had all of the ingredients: butter, confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla and unsweetened chocolate - since I wanted to make the chocolate butter cream version! It was really easy to make and tasted great too! I think that I may make my own butter cream frosting from now on!

Doesn't the cake look great! The boys helped Daddy put the rainbow sprinkles on top!

Breakfast the Slow Cooker Way

2010-10-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try something new...well, I always enjoy trying something new, especially when it involves cooking! When looking through my new slow cooker cookbook, the breakfast section grabbed my attention.

It was interesting to read about the various hot breakfast cereals that you could make for the early morning meal, but the ones that caught my attention were the recipes for the steel cut oats. I heard of steel cut oats about 3 years ago, and wanted to try cooking them in the slow cooker, but I was never able to find them in the grocery store...but they were there, in the "healthy/organic" aisles! Anyway, when I was talking with my Mom about the steel cut oats, she said that she had some, and was not using them...so...I could take them and have some fun with a new recipe! Yay! :)

I decided to try the recipe that included fruit and spices because I felt that it would be tastier than plain oatmeal. One potential problem that I had was that I was using a medium size slow cooker and the recipe called for a small size slow cooker. So, I was hoping that it would not be overcooked. I love the fact that this cookbook tells me what size of slow cooker that I would use for each recipe. I have a large oval slow cooker and a medium round slow cooker (don't you love the one that is pictured above! It is classic...it was my Gramma's!). I am trying to decide if I "need" to invest in a small size slow cooker...we will see...

Well, when I woke up the next morning, I was sad to see that Dawson had not tried any of the oatmeal! He later told me that he did not know if it was done or not - I was actually making it for him! Well, I tried it and I have to say that it tasted pretty good - you know, they way oatmeal tastes with raisins and spice cooked with it! Dawson tried it later and he liked it too - he said that it was nothing out of this world, but it's oatmeal and it was tasty. He did suggest that I try some other types of recipes with it too - and maybe make some baked oatmeal...although that is not a slow cooker breakfast! It was a little chewier than "regular" oatmeal, but not in a bad way, just different. If you like oatmeal, I think that you would enjoy steel cut oats in the slow cooker. I would definitely make it again. One thing that I like about making breakfast in my slow cooker is that my husband has a hot breakfast to eat in the morning - and so do the rest of us, and I don't have to wake up early to make it - it is already done!

What's In Your Freezer?

2010-10-25T19:37:00.001-07:00

Do you know? Do you REALLY KNOW EVERYTHING that is in your freezer…or do you just have an “idea” of what is in there? Meat and veggies and who knows what else was bought when it went on sale at the grocery store, and then "thrown" into the freezer for a later meal...

I knew that I had some chicken, fish, veggies, fruit, maybe some shredded cheese, herbs and ravioli in my “inside” freezer…but, I did not know exact quantities. I decided that I needed to take an inventory of my freezer (like I did with my garage freezer) and reorganize it too. When I did this, I even found a few “surprises” in there - like some turkey soup that I made about a month ago!

Taking the inventory was really easy…although I had to be really quick when sorting through the food in the freezer, so that the food would not start to defrost! I used a free printable “Freezer Inventory” form that I found on organizedhome.com. It is a really helpful and easy to use form. You just write down the item that you are placing in your freezer and the number of items - you document this with slash marks. Then, when you take it out, you make another slash mark, to make an “x”.

This form is going to help me to keep my freezers organized, and I can be sure that all of the food will be used and not lost! Check it out!

Anyone Really Can Cook!

2010-10-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

I really believe that anyone can cook. You need to be able to read and follow directions, and if you can, then you will be able to place delicious meals on the table! The types of meals that you cook, is up to you! Find a cookbook (or cooking website) that you like and begin to experiment and have fun in the kitchen!

The other day, I made a chicken soup, black bean soup and apple sauce. That evening, my mom came over to watch Smiles for about an hour or so and she taste tested the different things that I made, and told me that I was a great cook! That made me smile. The chicken soup recipe was actually hers! I did not puree the whole entire soup base (like she does) - we like to have some chunks of carrots and celery to chew on while we are eating our soup. Did you know that if you do puree part of your soup, it makes your broth thicker? I have learned that probably in the past year.

Chicken Soup - This is such a delicious recipe! I tripled the recipe for this so that I could freeze it. I froze some of it in plastic storage containers and have read that if you place saran wrap over the top of your food before you freeze it, it will help to prevent crystals to form on the top of it. I also froze some of it using the freezer bag method, where you place the bag on a flat surface (like a jelly roll pan) and freeze it completely flat before storing it in another part of your freezer - this helps it maintain a flat shape and not some weird shape.

Black Bean Soup - I wanted to make a soup from my new slow cooker cookbook, and decided to try the recipe, Old-Fashioned Black Bean Soup. I am always a little excited and nervous when I try a new recipe…wondering how it will turn out. I left out the ham bone/ham hock, I did soak my beans overnight, and I did use the optional sherry in the recipe. My beans never came to a boil in the crock pot in the first hour, but I continued with the recipe anyway. To my delight, it was SO delicious! Dawson really enjoyed the taste and I made a second batch of it to share with my family when we watched football together on Sunday! It was a hit. I froze enough for two separate meals, with the freezer bag method.

Applesauce - Everyone should make this! It is SOOOO easy to make! There are a few different ways that you can make it (depending if you have a food mill or not). I do not have a food mill, so I peel the apples and then use my corer/slicer to chop the apples. I throw the apples into a huge pot and fill it to the top! Then I place about a half inch or so of water at the bottom of the pot and cover the pot, turn the heat to medium, wait until it boils, and then I turn the heat down a little bit so that it is simmering, stirring it now and then. After about 30 minutes or so (once the apples are mushy), I take it off of the stove and mash it with a potato masher, and there you have it - fresh homemade applesauce! YUM! You should try it! As you can see, I chose to use plastic containers to freeze the applesauce. The plastic bag method should work too, but for some reason, I wanted to freeze it in these 3 cup containers. This is the first time that I have frozen a lot of applesauce. I am excited that I will have homemade applesauce to feed to my family throughout the year! I think that I have made about 8 quarts of applesauce so far and I have MORE apples to process! I think that I will make some apple crisps to freeze too! :)

So, there you have it - 3 recipes that I have tried (ok, well only one recipe was new to me), have enjoyed and frozen part of it...so that I can enjoy it on another day! One thing to remember - be sure to label anything that you are placing into your freezer - date and name of item. You don't want to try and figure out what mystery meat is in there or what mystery red tomato-y things are in there - I don't think that it is sauce! I have those tomato-y things defrosting in the refrigerator as I type in order to figure out what it is! :)

Reading For "Pleasure"...

2010-10-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have purchased about 6 (or more?) cookbooks! I found some great deals at our local bargain outlet and purchased cookbooks that were priced at $14-25 for about $3-7! What a steal! I love to read the intro to the cookbooks before I begin using them. I feel that it gives me an idea of what this chef/cook is thinking when they put the cookbook together, and I think that when I read it, it excites me to try some of the recipes, which is the point of buying the book!

I will probably jump around a little bit with the cookbooks that I am using, but I will be sure to let you know where the recipes came from. At the moment, I am mainly using three different cookbooks (with a few other recipes thrown in here and there!). Which cookbooks am I using? You will find out soon enough!

I hope that you enjoy my journey of trying new recipes and hearing honest reviews of each recipe that is featured. I try to capture my thoughts as I am prepping/cooking/serving the recipes. I have been writing my thoughts down in a paper notebook (and then transferring them here) and have been thinking…I think that I need to get a computer notebook or laptop or something that is easy to transport…any ideas of what I should get? Let me know!

What's For Dinner????

2010-10-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

“There is no reason why dinner should not be on the table every night.” That is what I am thinking after surveying the amount of food (mainly meat) that I have purchased on great sales and have frozen in our freezer. However, I do find that it is not always easy to carve out the time to cook a healthy meal and have it ready by the time that Dawson comes home from work. Don’t get me wrong…I really enjoy cooking and I love to try new recipes and delicious recipes. In fact, I am not sure what recipes I really cook “a lot.” Well, maybe taco salad, since it is an easy meal to make with ground meat (turkey for my family!). However, time seems to get swallowed up and before I know it, the clock says 4:30pm…and I am not sure what I am going to feed my family! This does not happen all of the time, but since we started our 4 year old in soccer and preschool, it seems like it has happened more than ever before and I was tired of it and wanted it to change!

So, I have made strides in the past month to changing what has happened in the past. Writing out a menu for the week was not the only thing that would help me (and I really have not done that yet - that will come soon!). I needed to have meals that were already prepped and only needed to be cooked or reheated, and I am not referring to buying frozen or packaged meals. That is not the answer that I was looking for!

What I decided to start doing (again) is referred to as freezer cooking or once-a-month cooking (although I do not cook for the whole month!). There are many different ways to do this. You can plan and prep/cook the meals by yourself or with a friend or two. Cook for 1 or 2 days straight, or break it up into many days, maybe by simply doubling a recipe and freezing half of it for another day - whatever works for you. I decided that the best way for me to do this was by myself, plan the meals out with using a specific type of meat (either ground turkey, cooked chicken, boneless skinless chicken breast, etc), and cook each week or every other week, or whenever I felt led to cook or if the freezer is getting a little low! Some weeks I don’t only prep/cook the main course meal. I have also cooked/frozen apple sauce, muffins and healthy cookies. It has been fun, and I have begun to become more organized in dinner planning and prep. I am definitely inspired by the recipes and the process and my family has been enjoying the benefits of it…a homemade, delicious dinner every night!

What have I been making??? Stay tuned!

Throughts About Banners and other things...

2010-08-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

I should be working on the banner for my son's first "All Sports Parade," but instead, I have been procrastinating a little bit. Scratch that. I have been taking a little break from my busy (but good) day.

Today, I decided to take the boys to Hershey Park. We met some of our good friends there and did not get home until about 3:30ish. It was a really fun day today. The kids were all well behaved and I enjoyed watching them smile as they rode the rides, talk with each other, and ask me to go on a ride with them too! :) I also enjoyed talking a little bit with my friend, Thrills...in between helping the kids on and off the rides or riding the rides with them! :) The monorail was a lot of fun - we were able to ride it two times in a row! I learned something while I was riding it - don't point out something to your kids if they do not have the same view as you, because they will want to see it...and you have already passed it! (Thrills taught me that one!)

Well, I need to get back to figuring out what beetle pattern I am going to use for this banner and I need to stop stressing about the banner! It is very simple and basic, so I don't know why I am stressing about it. And yes, the name of their team is the "Beetles." I know, your knees are shaking at the sound of their team's name! These 4 and 5 year olds are so cute! :) We have a great group of kids that we were blessed with. Ok, I am really getting off now and getting to work on this banner...or maybe going to sleep!

Smoothie Time!

2010-08-30T12:30:00.001-07:00

I am praying for my Dad today and you can join me too! We are praying for complete healing and peace for my Dad.

On another note...I made a smoothie for my kids today. My kids love smoothies! (So do I!) I decided to make a peach smoothie. To 1 cup of plain yogurt, I added 3 large peaches...and then I decided to add 1 apple and 1 medium carrot. Why not!

Guess what flavor stood out the most???

The Carrot!!!

I don't think that the kids noticed too much, but that is what I tasted, and you know what? It was pretty tasty. It reminded me about the juice drink that my dad has been drinking: carrots and apples juiced together. It made me smile.

I love my dad.

Feeling a Little Emotional

2010-06-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight is one of those nights where I feel so full of emotions. I don't know whether I am going to cry or just have this feeling for a little bit. I don't mind crying. In fact, I feel really good after I have that kind of emotional release, but I just don't feel like I am actually ready to cry yet...just have that lump sort of in my throat.

I am not really sure why I have that lump in my throat. There are so many things that can be attributing to it...my Dad's health has definitely been on my mind a lot lately. He has been battling cancer for about the last 12 years. You would probably not realize that he has cancer when you are around him because he has a positive attitude about it and does not look sickly. I don't talk about it with people either...I guess I have not really known what to say, except, "He's doing okay and please pray for him to be healed here on earth." Various drugs have helped to control the increase in the cancer multiplication, but they are no longer working, so he is not on any type of medication at the moment. Right now, a second opinion is being looked into, and diet changes have been made. I know that this is not about me (well, I guess this post is!), but I am definitely effected by what is going on, and it is really hard for me. This is my dad, and I love him. I don't want him to leave this earth yet. I cannot imagine life without him and his stories, his laughter and his hugs. I know that I have to take advantage of getting all of that from him and all of my family members, because truth be told, we don't know how long that any of us will be here on this earth. I wish that I could do something more than pray for his complete healing here on earth. Okay, so I have cried a little bit while writing this. The lump in my throat is gone...although the emotions are still there.

I know that I need to lay my burdens and feelings down before Him. I need to release everything to Him, and I know that He will fill me with His peace. No matter what happens, God is God. I have to trust Him and look to Him in all things.

What's For Dinner???

2010-06-07T13:19:00.001-07:00

I was doing so well with making my weekly dinner plan a few months ago, but then "things happened" and I got tired and then sick with strep throat, and I got out of the habit...and I LOVE that habit...planning dinner is a GREAT habit to get into!

So, I sit here - for only a few more minutes - with a sad little face, because I do not know what we are going to have for dinner tonight. Well, I actually did decide what we will have for dinner tonight (just made the decision - it will be chicken that is in the freezer that is already in its marinade and maybe couscous, because it is easy to make and a salad and fresh veggies).

My point that I am trying to make, to myself, is that I need to start making weekly (or monthly) plan for dinners so that I do not have to "panic" about what I am going to serve my family in about an hour or so from now! Maybe I will have to plan some more freezer cooking days. I LOVED having meals that were ready and waiting for me to cook in the freezer. One thing that I will have to do different is plan when I will do freezer cooking ...Once a week? Every other week? I have realized that I really do need a plan and schedule in place for myself...it makes my life so much easier!

Well, off to make dinner...and decide what the rest of the dinners will be for this week! :)

Getting Organized: Laundry Week 1 Review

2010-06-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

I made it through my first week of my new laundry schedule, and I have to say that I really like it!

Here are the things that I liked about it:

1. I did not have to "think" or "decide" what laundry to do that day - my schedule told me what to do!

2. I would start a load first thing in the morning, and it was usually done and put away by the time that Dawson came home from work!

3. If I needed to do any "extra" loads, I could easily fit it in (such as a heavy comforter that I wanted to store away)

4. I did not have ANY laundry that needed to get done this weekend.

5. The laundry is "piling" up and it is not bothering me one bit - I know when it will get done! (and it is not "that bad" - I only have two children...although they do know how to get their clothes pretty dirty at times!)

6. I made sure that I folded and put away all of the clothes that I washed ASAP - that made it really nice to go to bed at night and not have a pile of unfolded clothes on our bed or in a laundry basket on the floor.

7. I am sure that there are some other things, but I cannot think of anything more at the moment! :)

At the end of this week, I also decided to look back over the week and to evaluate what I could improve about the laundry schedule or anything else that was related to laundry. So far, this is what I came up with:

Improvements Needed:

1. I think that I will have to try out the laundry schedule for a few more weeks to see how it really works for me. Like I said, so far, I really like it!

2. Right now, I have 2 hampers - one for lights/white and the other for darks. I would really like a 3-bin laundry sorter, but I am not sure which one I would like to invest in (because they are not cheap). I want one that is durable and will not fall apart...any suggestions??? (so far I know not to buy one from Target). I want a third compartment for Dawson's dress clothes - it would make it a little easier on me.

Last week, we did not go out too much because Smiles was diagnosed with strep throat, so it will be interesting to see how a busier schedule will impact what time of day that the laundry is done this week. Can I still get it done first thing in the morning, or will it have to wait? I know, the suspense it killing you! LOL Well, I am pretty excited about anything that makes my life a little more organized...it's the little things in life - right? :)

Getting Organized: Laundry

2010-05-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I had the privilege of speaking at our Mom's In Action Group at our church. I spoke about "Servanthood" in the role of wife and mom. I really had a great time speaking with the ladies and sharing with them what God has done in my life and what He is currently doing. One topic that I spoke about was laundry.

Laundry is a job/chore that is never completely done. You may "catch up" one day, but before the night is over, there are tops, bottoms, socks, etc. that are placed back into those empty hampers!!! The piles begin to form, and the mole hill turns into a mountain...if you don't stay on top of it! Sometimes, I have felt like "I just need a break" from doing laundry...unfortunately that break turns into a week or two...or until someone runs out of underwear, or my husband gently tells me that he has nothing to wear to work the next day! OOPS!!! "Are you sure that there is NOTHING that you can wear tomorrow, hunny????" I really do want my husband to look nice the next day at work, so I throw something in the washing machine and notice the piles that are in front of me, waiting for their turn to take a spin in the machine.

There has to be a better way to stay on top of this "chore"...without passing it off to another family member...although that is not a bad idea, however my 2 and 4 year old sons only know how to stuff the clothes into the washer and press the start button...I need to do the soap!

Flylady had a great idea - do one load a day, from start to finish. This means: wash, dry, fold and put away. Great idea, seriously, but somehow, this really did not work for me. (and I really do like Flylady's ideas!). I needed something more, but I did not know what.

Recently, I have been motivated to get more organization in my life and declutter my house so that I can start putting my dreams into reality. I have been praying and asking God to help me in this area - to stay motivated and to give me ideas and inspiration to get these things done, and I believe that he helped me do this!

So, last week, I decided that I need to come up with a laundry schedule that specified what would be washed on each day of the week...and leave the weekends free from laundry! I also decided that I needed to tackle my mountain and "catch up" with all of my laundry...so I ended up doing about 15 loads of laundry! I could not believe it!!! Now, that did included things like winter jackets that were waiting to be washed and stored away and tablecloths and various things like that...but still! WOW!

So, here is a peek at what my weekly list looks like:

Today was the first day, and I was really happy to get through my list and "be done" for the day. Tomorrow is a new day and I will be washing whites/lights...and there is a blanket that I took off of my son's bed that I want to wash and store for the summer, so I think that I will throw that in too.

I am really excited about my new schedule, and it seems like it is something that I will be able to easily keep up with.

So, what will my next organization project be...stay tuned!

And the Winners are...

2010-05-28T19:21:00.001-07:00

The winners for the following contests are:

1. Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield - is comment #1, TCC (since this was the only comment that was left...I did not need to do anything special when choosing the winner!) - I will be getting in touch with you soon

2. "got milk?" bundle giveaway - I used the random number generator at random.org and the number chosen was #1!

Congratulations, Nonya, you won the gift pack and I will be contacting you soon!

Thank you to all who entered!

"got milk?"...another Giveaway!

2010-05-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

I grew up drinking milk like it was water. We drank it all of the time and I really enjoyed it. I don't drink nearly as much as I did growing up, but I still enjoy having a glass of it now and then...I am more of a water drinker now!

I give milk to my sons to drink at each meal and inbetween meals too, but they differ in the amount that they will consume each day. My four year old enjoys drinking milk and I have no idea how much he actually drinks each day. My two year old is a different story. He drinks it because that is what his mommy gives him to drink (besides his apple juice/water mixture) getting him to drink 16 oz (two sippy cups) is not easy - sometimes, he will drink three cups worth, but I know that it is good for him...and he LOVES cereal with milk...so maybe we get another 6 oz in to him?!?

Well, the annual "got milk?" tour is coming this way and I am excited to be a part of it again! The name of their 2010 tour is "Milk the Moment.” Read more about it below and then be sure to enter the giveaway!

MILK MUSTACHE MOBILE TOUR VISITS HERSHEY!
The 2010 Milk Mustache Mobile “Milk the Moment” Tour has taken to America’s streets to educate families about the importance of healthy eating and will be making a stop in Harrisburg from May 27-29. This year, the tour is traveling coast-to-coast to showing moms that serving milk at dinnertime is an easy, and affordable, way to encourage healthy eating among her family and provide her children with the nutrition they need.

Did you know:
· Research supports the importance of parents’ role modeling a healthy diet for their kids; studies show that moms who drink milk are more likely to have daughters who drink milk.
· Research also demonstrates that kids who eat family dinners have higher fruit, vegetable and calcium intakes than their peers.
· Research shows that family dinners also are linked to better academic performance and mental health for kids.
· That three out of four Americans aren’t getting the recommended daily dose of calcium.
· Milk is the easiest way to get the 9 essential nutrients that you need every day.
· Milk, at only 25 cents a glass, offers more nutrition for your dollar than any other beverage.
· Leading health and nutrition organizations have recognized the valuable role that milk, including flavored milk, can play in meeting daily nutrient needs, and helping kids get the 3 daily servings of milk recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Health tips:
Check out a few interesting facts on how choosing milk can positively impact your family meal’s nutrient content.

• By serving fat free milk in place of that regular soft drink at the table with a typical meal of spaghetti, a side of broccoli, fruit and bread, you add an additional 300mg of calcium to your meal. Likewise, you increase vitamin D by more than 650 percent, and potassium and magnesium by about 30 percent (Visit whymilk.com for full dinner nutrition information).

• You want your family to be healthy and hydrated. And remember, beverages besides water can help with hydration too. Make the most of their dinnertime drink to help your family get the recommended three servings of milk each day. Along with a nutrient punch, milk is nearly 90 percent water!

• In recent years, soft drinks and sugary fruit drinks have been edging out milk at mealtime, but these drinks do not provide the nourishment kids need. Studies show that kids who regularly drink nutrient-rich lowfat milk (including flavored milk which has the same nutrient package as white milk!) have better quality diets and tend to be leaner than kids who drink little or no milk.

During the Milk Mustache Mobile events, you can:
· Play a fun, dinner-themed football toss activity sponsored by the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, which encourages healthy eating and 60 minutes of daily exercise
· Find out the benefits of setting the table with milk at the Mom/Health Tent
· Sample ice-cold milk from local dairies
· Speak with a registered dietitian about the benefits of milk and how Milk can help families stay healthy and relieve stress
· Pose for a celebrity-inspired Milk Mustache souvenir photo
Enter for a chance to win a trip for the ultimate family dinner experience with celebrity chef Tyler Florence

Event Schedule:
· Thursday, May 27, 6pm – 8pm, Harrisburg Senators Baseball
· Friday, May 28, 1pm – 6:30pm, Hershey’s Chocolate World
· Saturday, May 29, 11am – 4pm, Hershey Park

And now for the GIVEAWAY!

One "lucky" winner will receive a special bag of fun-filled prizes, which will include:

A "got milk?" T-shirt (size small), yummy recipes ideas, a lanyard, a frisbee, a pedometer, and chocolate milk mustache stickers!

To enter, please:

1. Leave a comment and a way for me to contact you. Deadline to enter is Saturday, May 29th at 8pm. (only open to USA residents)

2. The winner will be chosen randomly and I will contact you by email!

That's all!

If you are in the area, I hope that you are able to stop by and join the "got milk?" tour!

Giveaway and a Review: Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield

2010-05-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

I never had sensitive teeth until about a year ago. After one of my cleanings, one of my bottom molars was really sensitive. I called the dentist to ask them why does it feel this way and what should I do? Their response: "Well, this sometimes can happen is the hygentist "digs" too deep" - or they said something along those lines. They also told me that this really can't be healed, but to try a toothpaste made for sensitive teeth. I tried one for a little while, but then stopped because my gum area felt a little better. However, the pain would still come and go, and I am not sure really why! If I touched my gum with my finger, I would be in pain, and that was not a very fun experience!

Well, about two months ago, I was asked if I wanted to review Crest's Pro-Health Sensitive Shield line of oral care. I said sure...I have nothing to lose, and maybe it will help heal my gum/tooth area that was causing me pain.

So, after trying out their Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield Toothpaste, Oral-B Pro-Health Gentle Clean Toothbrush, and Crest Glide Pro-Health Floss for Sensitive Gums, I am happy to say that my tooth/gum area is not sensitive like it used to be.

I grabbed the following from their website, because it explains exactly what I must have experienced in order for the sensitivity to subside in my tooth!

"How Does Sensitive Toothpaste Work?

Sensitive toothpastes work by either occluding exposed dentinal tubules (Crest Pro-Health) or by desensitizing the nerve endings in the dentinal tubules with potassium ions (Crest Sensitivity Protection). Sensitive toothpastes also contain fluoride, which has been shown to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent tooth decay. For a complete oral care routine, combine sensitive toothpaste with a soft-bristled toothbrush, mouth rinse, and wide, soft dental floss."

So, now that you know briefly about my experience with Crest's new products, I would like to give you a chance to win your own bundle of Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield products!

So, what do you need to do to win?:

1. Leave a comment and be sure that there is a way that I can contact you if you are indeed the winner!

2. The winner will be chosen randomly

3. If you are chosen, I will be sending your snail mail address to the marketing company that contacted me and they will be the ones that will send the bundle to you...only enter if you do not mind me sharing your info with them - they will only use the info to send you the products!

4. Deadline to enter for this giveaway is Friday, May 28th at 4:oo PM EST. I will contact the winner by email as soon as I am able to!

Good Luck!

Dreaming

2010-05-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

I have always had pretty vivid dreams at night. I thought that everyone did until I started to talk with other people who said that they rarely remember their dreams. It is pretty neat. I feel that it is one way that God talks to me. I could go into some details about that, however, there is different dreaming that is taking place in my life that is new and fun and exciting!

I have begun to dream about how my house can be. How I want the rooms to look, what furniture I may want to add and subtract from each room. I have begun to realize that I can customize things and change things to be the way that I really want them to be! I have a long way to go in this area, but a spark has been lit! There is so much that is on my mind right now - things that I need to do, things that I want to do, waiting for catalogs to arrive, checking out some new-to-me blogs!

This new phase in my life is fun. I am enjoying this type of dreaming and planning. I have a long way to go...but I have to say that I am enjoying this new part of my journey!

Blogging...just haven't had the time!

2010-05-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

I have thought about this blog of mine...really I have...but I have been so busy with trying to do some other things in my house and life, that this has "suffered" a little bit.

So, what have I been up to...Oh just watching soaps and eating bon bons...you know, what every SAHM does! HA! Just kidding...I don't even watch any TV during the day, except an occasional show with the kids!

OK, what have I REALLY been up to??? Well, that will have to wait for another post!

In the meantime, stay tuned...I am going to have a giveaway for you soon...just need to take the time to write about it!

Helping to Relieve Stress

2010-03-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dawson's company has been blessed with a lot of work...unfortunately stress comes along with that blessing of work. There are deadlines to meet and more hours to be spent on the jobs than they actually have, so with that...comes overtime! With overtime comes less time with your family and less sleep...which bring on more stress which can be expressed in different ways. Dawson has actually had a break from overtime for the past 1-2 weeks, but there are other co-workers who now have "their turn" with working overtime with the projects that they are working on. It is not fun, but it is a necessity.

So, I am going to try and help to bring some smiles and cheer into their office! I am going to be very busy in my kitchen over the next few days...baking some goodies and maybe making some chocolates too. Reaching out to those guys (and a few gals) with one way that I know how, and that is through baking!

Right now, my list includes: brownies, mini banana muffins and chocolate covered pretzels!

What would you include on this platter of goodies? I would love to hear any suggestions that you may have!

Prayin', Prayin', Prayin'!

2010-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

My husband, Dawson, is studying to take an EIGHT HOUR test in April! You read that correctly - 4 hours in the morning, then they have a lunch break, and then 4 hours in the afternoon! Does not sound like a fun Saturday to me!

What is this test all about? It is the PE exam, or Professional Engineering exam. It is not an easy exam, and they test of such a vast amount of knowledge! He has been going to a review course every Tueday night from 6:30-10:30 pm since November (I think?), and next week is his last class. Tuesdays are very long days for BOTH of us! He leaves between 7-7:30AM and is not home until about 11:15PM (the class is about 45-60 minutes away from where we live). He brought his study materials to my parents' house and has been studying there for about 2-3 days each week. I am very proud of him!

So, I have been doing a lot of praying for him - that he will be able to absorb everything that he is reviewing and studying, and that when he goes into the exam, there will be a peace that washes over him, and that he will be able to complete all of the problems and pass! Hoping to share great news with you in June! (that is usually when the results arrive)

Chocolate Dipped Cookies...and Marshmallows too!

2010-03-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

I had some chocolate wafers that needed to be used up and I also had some heart shaped sugar cookies that I made that needed to be decorated...so, I decided to do a fun little activity with my four year old, and here are our results:

Brady asked if we could dip marshmallows too, so we did...and I added the bananas for fun - but I thought that they were hard to dip and keep in their shape! We had a lot of fun dipping - and Brady enjoyed lots of samples as we were decorating the cookies and marshmallows! I think that they came out so pretty...and the boys have been enjoying the final product of our little activity.

Dinner's in the Freezer!

2010-03-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night, I realized that I still had two HUGE packages of chicken in the refrigerator that REALLY needed to be washed and "dealt with." I was so tired, but I knew that I needed to do something with this chicken. I did not want to just wash it and freeze it...I wanted to make it into some meals for the family! So, that is what I did...and got into bed about 3 hours later!!! (Should have started sooner - oh, well!)

I was able to get about 8 meals out of it...which does not include the leftovers that most will provide! Since I am only serving 2 adults, one four year old and one 2 year old, four chicken breasts will feed us about 1 1/2 dinners. I was pretty psyched about it!

So, you are probably wondering what I made, aren't ya? Here is my list!

1. Chicken Pistachio (Salad) x 2 (South Beach blue book p.141)

2. Oven Fried Chicken with Almonds x 2 (South Beach gold book p. 217)

3. Balsamic Chicken x 2 (South Beach blue book, p. 151)

4. Chicken Capri x 1 - I prepped the chicken by pounding it out and will make it either tonight or on Wed. (South Beach gold book p.214)

5. A Citrus one from a Rachael Ray cookbook, and I cannot remember what it was called - I wrote it on the package though! It is one that I can grill.

I am so excited that I was able to do this! I have been wanting to do some freezer cooking and get a little ahead of myself in dinner prep, and I was able to last night...unfortunately way later than I intended to stay up though!

Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about a chicken dinner for a little while, because I know that dinner is in the freezer! :)

Funny Kid-Sayings

2010-03-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

My kids are so adorable and I love to listen to them pronounce something a "little bit" incorrectly...it makes me smile.

Here are a few of the most recent ones:

Smiles (2 years old)
"frigilator" = refrigerator

Brady (4 years old)

background: he was sleeping in Smiles' room, and when I closed their door, he said:
"Smiles, look at the stars and meat-eaters (on the ceiling)! Look at the stars and meat-eaters!" = Meteors

I know that there are more that they have said recently, but those are the ones that came into my mind at the moment and brought a smile to my face!

Spring is Here!

2010-03-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

The first day of spring was a gorgeous one yesterday! Our whole family was outside. The boys rode their new big wheels and bikes (with training wheels). They also enjoyed wearing their new helmets and Brady even wanted to wear his new elbow pads and knee pads - too cute!

All three "boys" (including Dawson) drew some fun pics with the sidewalk chalk, and I think that Dawson outdid the elephant that I drew last week...well, I know that he did - drawing is effortless for him...not so much for me! :) The boys also enjoyed hitting the ball off of the "T" and pushing the toy lawnmower around too! I enjoyed taking a few hits with the bat also...and the boys enjoyed running after the ball! It was a fun, sunny day and I look forward to many more of these!

I may even break out the finger paints next time!

Dawson also took some time to prune the pear and apple trees that we have in our backyard. I am really looking forward to eating out pears...and watch the birds peck away at our apple tree. We have never been able to eat any of the apples from our tree - they do not grow very well, and the birds get to them first....but our pears! I love our pears! They are so tasty and we usually get so many of them! I will have to wait until August rolls around, then I will be able to taste them! In the meantime...I have been thinking about growing a vegetable garden this year! I need to do some quick planning and get moving on my ideas...we will see if it actually happens this year!

Snow!

2010-02-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

We got a bunch of snow yesterday...maybe 4 inches...but it was enough for us to do this:

I had so much fun building the snowman with my boys! Don't you just love the branch sticking out of the head of the snowman! Brady told me that is was the snowman's hair! So cute! I hear that we are suppose to get about 10+ inches this weekend! Can't wait!

Perspective

2010-01-29T14:56:00.001-08:00

The last week and a half have not been the easiest. Dawson has had to work overtime almost every night, the kids have been sick - fever, cough and gagging on mucous while coughing which led to my 4 year old throwing up about 5 times, earlier this week we got water in our basement, and then I started to get sick yesterday! Because of the sickness, we had to postpone the boys' "kids party" that was scheduled for this Saturday...

You know what I kept telling myself and others - it might not be great, but there are people out there that are worse off. Some people don't have a job, their kids might be in the hospital and maybe they are foreclosing on their home. It's all in how you look at it....

PERSPECTIVE.

While I was laying in bed last night trying to get my head to feel better, I was conversing with the Lord and He brought some clarity on a few things that I have been asking his guidance on. Did it actually take me getting sick for me to stop and actually wait on Him and listen to Him? I guess that it did at the moment, and it also reminded me to take time with the Lord - which is not always easy for me to do - I let other things get in the way of that time. That is something that is going to have to change.

So, although I am not thankful that we have been "hit" with some of this "yuckiness," I am thankful that it made me slow down and think about life. I am thankful for the life that God has given to me and the family that He has given me.

Perspective. Think about it.

Oral-B Giveaway: And the WINNER is...

2010-01-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

Since I only had five people sign up for my giveaway, I decided to choose the winner in a very scientific way. I wrote the numbers 1,3,4,5,6 on separate pieces of paper (I skipped 2 since, Emily commented twice. lol). Then I folded up the pieces of paper, threw them up into the air and let my 4 year old choose the winning piece of paper!

AND THE WINNER IS.....

#4

I will contact the winner by email!

Giveaway: Oral-B Gift Pack

2010-01-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

Although Christmas has passed, Valentine's day is right around the corner! Many children will obtain some little sweets either from their parents or from a party at school. My children are not in school yet, but I will be giving them some Valentine candy, since they are my little Valentines! One thing that we will be sure to do is to continue to brush our kids' teeth after they eat the candy (well, maybe not RIGHT AFTER they eat it...but at least by that night!) Although I do want them to enjoy their treats, I certainly do not want my kids to get cavities ever...especially at a young age!

Thanks to a representative from the Oral-B company, I have learned about the importance of having a toothbrush designed for the stage that they are currently at and I also learned how to continue to teach my children to brush correctly. It is important to teach our children good oral hygiene, which includes correct brushing and flossing techniques, along with using a toothbrush that is designed for their current age.

EDIT: There was a video that I am not able to embed for some reason! Check out the video here that was taken at a blogger event in New York that features some great information from Dr. Jennifer Salzer, M.D., who is a dentist and a mother too.

I did appreciate the information that was included in this video. I was given a toothbrush for each of my children to "try out" and I have to agree - they really love the character that is on their toothbrush! They look forward to Pooh or Tigger "helping them brush their teeth"!

Here are a few other tips that Oral-B Stages put together to "Make Brushing Fun"

Brush your teeth with your child to set a good example. This also helps your child to learn by watching and imitating you.

Choose toothbrushes and toothpaste with popular kids’ characters, like Oral-B Stages, to help establish positive oral care routines with familiar friends like Winnie the Pooh or Disney Princesses.

Sing your child’s favorite song, such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” for two minutes to encourage brushing for the dentist-recommended time. For older children, play a song from their favorite pop singer for two minutes.

Making your child’s brushing routine fun will encourage proper habits early and help prevent oral care issues later in life.

For more information please visit, http://www.oralb.com/en-US/smilestages/

To educate parents about children’s oral health, Oral-B Stages and Scrapblog.com have partnered to provide parents a unique and easy way to document key ‘Smile-Stages’ in their children’s oral health development. Smile-Stages are important milestones in children’s oral health development, such as their first smile or the loss of their first tooth. A Smile-Stage is also a specific time of year when children’s oral health is especially important, like Christmas. Now that Christmas is over and parents have all those adorable photos of their kids in their Christmas best, parents can capture their children’s best Smile-Stages moments by visiting www.oralb.com/smilestagesand creating personalized multimedia scrapbooks that can be viewed and shared online. Be sure to check it out, if you are interested in making one!

Now, for the GIVEAWAY:

A representative for the Oral-B company will be giving one of my readers with a gift pack filled with Oral-B products to try out! It will most likely look like the gift pack that is pictured above. How cool is that!

All that you need to do to enter is submit a comment which includes a way for me to contact you (either an email address or through your blog). This is open to bloggers and nonbloggers. Only one comment per person.

Comments will be closed on Friday, January 29th by 5pm. I will then choose a winner and contact that person!

They're Just Talking!

2010-01-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

We went to the Farm Show on Saturday with Dawson's brother and his two boys, and we had a really fun time. The kids enjoyed seeing and petting the cows and the sheep...well, Smiles did not like the sheep very much - they were too loud for him. We kept telling him that they were talking to each other. So, now when Smiles tells someone about the Farm Show, he says something like this:

Smiles: "sheep...BAAAA...talking"

Besides petting the animals, the boys really enjoyed seeing the large farm equipment, sitting on the tractors, and drinking the delicious milkshakes - which are SOOOO good! It is like drinking ice cream that has melted a little bit - YUM! We had a great time and look forward to going again next year!

HOT DEAL for CROCS!

2009-12-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Mercedes over at Common Sense with Money, I just saved 36% on my order at Crocs.com! PLUS, I will be getting back 4% of my purchase amount, since I shopped through Ebates! If you are new to ebates, you can sign up here, and by using this referral link, you will get a $5.00 cash back bonus!

This is what Mercedes had to say:

Wow! just caught wind of this super deal thanks to some bloggy friends. There are currently two 20% off codes available for Crocs.com that can be stacked to get you 36% off already reduced items. Outlet items have an additional 30% that’s applied once you add the item to your shopping cart. Here’s a very sweet deal I just did:

Wall-E Caymans $17.99 (once added to cart $12.59)
-$2.52 when you use code DEALMOM20 for 20% off
-$2.01 when you stack with code MYCOUP20 for another 20% off
-$0.80 when you stack code C6VMRVKY3ISA for another 10% off (this is actually taken off first)
=$7.25
Choose economical shipping and you get it free!

Contest Alert: $100 Gift Card!

2009-12-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

Want to win a $100 gift card to any store that you choose? Well, head on over to Money Saving Mom, and sign up to win! This contest is only open for another 10 minutes...so hurry! This is sponsored by Shop at Home, which is a great way to shop and get money back from what you purchased! I am going to have to try them out!

Recipe: Cinnamon Apple Streusal Muffins

2009-12-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

I am so glad that my husband did not "build up" the taste of the Cinnamon Apple Streusal Muffins that I made today, because I was not expecting much as far as the taste of it...he said, "it's okay, the topping gave it some sweetness."

Let me tell you that my taste buds were pleasantly surprised when I sunk my teeth into one of those tasty muffins! Y-U-M! I think that they are very delicious, I am glad that I doubled the batch and I think that I may even make them again! They are more tedious than other types of muffins, but definitely worth the little extra time. So, if you have an apple or two hanging around, waiting for a purpose in its life, you may want to head over here to get the recipe and then make some for yourself!

I think that another taste testing will be in order after dinner! :)

"The End of the World"

2009-12-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

While I was out this morning with my almost 4-year old son, Brady, I kept thinking about the slices of BBQ chicken pizza that were at home in my fridge. Well, I wasn't thinking of them the whole time, but when I thought about what I would eat for lunch, that popped right into my head. Yummy, homemade pizza, with "my name" on it.

So, after Brady and I got home from running our errands, I said something like this to Dawson, , "I am going to have the BBQ chicken pizza for lunch!" His response..."oh, um, Smiles and I ate it for lunch..." I looked at him and said something like, "really?" and he said, "Uh huh" - or something like that!

I could not believe it!!! I had made two pizza pies a couple days ago, and so far I had only eaten two pieces...TWO!!! There were only three slices left this morning, but they were all for me (if I really wanted them)...or so I thought!

Well, I have to say, that I lost it! I am not proud of that, but I could not believe that Dawson ate my yummy pizza when I had just reassured him the day before that I was going to eat my pizza...it wasn't going bad! I did not yell, but I sure did "let him have it" in front of my almost four year old...REALLY NOT proud of that. I was just saying things like, "I can't believe that you ate my pizza! I was going to eat that today! There were other things that you could have eaten! etc." As I was saying these things, I DID realize that I was not being a good example to my son on how to handle a situation calmly, but I had already let it out...

My son's response went something like this, "Mommy, it's not the end of the world or anything. (Pause) Daddy is just kidding with you!"

I think that I have used that phrase with him before when he has become really upset, and now my words were being used on myself! I did take some time to calm down and forgive my husband - yes, over pizza! So, I ate homemade turkey noodle soup - although I forgot to add the turkey because I was not in the best of moods!

What did I learn out of this???

I have a great reminder that my son(s) do absorb what we are teaching them, and that I am an example to them 24/7. I cannot control what others do, but I can control my own behavior. That is what I am trying to teach them...and that is how I need to live too!

(I have to admit, that when he said what he did, it made me laugh a little!)

Radio Flyer "Big Wheel" for $30!

2009-11-29T21:02:00.000-08:00

EDIT - it appears that the price online has gone up to $39 today (glad I did this last night), but when I called the store, they are selling it for $30 - some people have reported it ringing up at $21. So, I would call the store to see if it is in stock, and what the price is!

When I was a little girl, I remember going to my cousins' house and watching them have fun on their big wheel and also taking a turn on it. I remember having so much fun - and my male cousins would do things like a spin out or something like that. Well, for over a year, I have been thinking about buying my son(s) a big wheel. I did some research on the original big wheel, and I have to say that I was not impressed with the reviews...and that made me sad! I could picture my sons having a great time on them! However, things changed today!!!!

Mercedes over at Common Sense with Money posted about a great deal on Walmart.com for the Radio Flyer Big Flyer. They are selling it for $30! I have seen this being sold at other stores for almost $80!!! The reviews seemed good, overall. So, if you were thinking of buying one of these for your little kiddo - this might be the time for you to get it! Oh, and don't mention it to my boys, because it is going to be a Christmas present!

Mercedes also mentioned that if you use Bing Cashback you can get 15% cash back. You can read her post about it here.

Ebates offers 3% cashback on Cyber Monday, and if you click on this link, you will get an additional $5 sign up bonus from using my referral link.

Free Christmas Photo Cards*

2009-11-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

Do you have your photo(s) picked out already, and are you waiting to make up your Christmas photocards? Well, if you are ready to go, there is a way to order a total of 100 cards and only pay for the shipping! You will have to complete TWO separate orders, since each code is only good for 50 cards, but if you want the same card for all 100 of them, just save your project, and go back and make another order - shipping is only $3.19 per order! I just completed mine, and I am VERY EXCITED that I only paid $6.38 for 100 cards!

***THIS EXPIRES ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30th!*** (as far as I know)

So, here is the information that is found on Money Saving Mom's blog:

Here's how to get 100 custom photo cards with envelopes for free:

::Just go here to set up an account with SeeHere (or login if you already have an account) and then upload and create your photo card. Mine took me about 30 minutes to put together--but that's because I had to wade through photos and figure out which ones to use!

::After you've set up your photo card, be sure to save it. Then put 50 photo cards in your cart and go to the checkout and use coupon code newbaby and you'll get all 50 for the price of shipping, which is $3.19.

::Log back in and click on your saved items and order another 50 photo cards this time using the coupon code from Freebies4Mom here, which is freebies4mom-1109. Again, you should get 50 for the price of shipping, which is $3.19.

A HUGE thanks goes out to SeeHere for providing this great offer for us and to Freebies4Mom, and Money Saving Mom for telling us about it!

Looking For Ants

2009-11-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, my extended family spent the morning together taking some family photos. We had a great time taking both posed and candid shots. This photo is a combination of the two. My boys were having a great time looking for ants...as well as any other little insects that decided to show up!

Surgery: Update

2009-11-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Having a bone removed from my body was not on my list of things to do this year, however, it is something that had to be done! (I began posting about it here.) I was having pain in my foot everyday from walking around the house, the yard, walking through a store or exercising. It was something that I knew I did not want to live with, if I did not have to. So, after an MRI took place, it was confirmed that I had avascular necrosis in my toe, and the only way to get rid of the pain, was to remove the bone.

I have to tell you that I was not really excited about the idea of this surgery, however, I am looking forward to being able to walk with out any pain! That being said, I will give you a little update about how I am doing!

When I got home from the surgery, I was in a lot of pain. I could barely get from my bedroom to the bathroom...the night of my surgery, I had to call to my husband to come and help me get back into bed. They told me to treat my foot like it was glass - and I did!

It has now been almost 3 weeks since my surgery, and I am doing better, overall. The stitches are out and the bruises are getting lighter. I was actually surprised at how bruised my foot was...and I only was able to see it after the wrap came off 10 days after surgery! I wonder how bad it actually looked! I realized that I did not have full feeling in my toes, but that had improved over time too. I am not able to walk on it for long periods of time without pain, but it is getting better each day, and I have regained a lot of feeling back in my toes. I also need to keep it elevated a lot of the time or it will start to throb and get swollen, but that will eventually get better too. I was just reading that full recovery should take place in about 6-8 weeks, although my doctor said that it may swell for about 3 months. We will see what happens! I am praying for a speedy recovery!! I don't have to take a lot of pain meds anymore, so I know that I am on the road to recovery! Oh, and I have had to wear a surgical shoe since the day of my surgery, but I will probably be out of that and into a sneaker full time within the next week.

I have been very grateful to my family - my mom, dad and sister have been so instrumental in my recovery. One (or more) of them have come to my house each day, for most of the day, to help take care of my 1 and 3 year old boys, so that I can rest and heal. That has meant so much to me! It is really hard to rest when I have to "run" after the boys! I am also thankful for my family and friends who have volunteered to make a meal for our family. What a blessing that had been! Trying to make a meal in the kitchen is not ideal when you have had surgery on your foot! I tried it last Saturday, and I paid for through Sunday! My foot hurt so much that I had to just sit in the recliner and elevate it for most of Sunday afternoon. So, I am trying to figure out a better way to get meals together for my family, so that I do not have to be on my feet for so long. Dawson and I may need to put the meal together the night before, so that I can just pop it in the oven the next day...we will see what works!

So, in a nutshell - the healing process is taking place, I will be out of this surgical shoe soon and into sneakers full time, and I am looking forward to exercising again!

Keep me in your prayers!

Surgery: Fun Highlights

2009-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Some fun highlights of my surgery:

*It was outpatient - so I was able to go home the same day

*You know how on TV, they will show the view point from the patient's perspective, and all they see are the doctors and nurses hovering over them in sort of a circle - all looking at the patient? Well, that happened to me in real life, and it made me laugh and I told the doctors and nurses what I was thinking, which made them laugh too!

*When they were wheeling me down to my surgery room, the anesthesiologist said that he was "giving me something" and that I would feel it by the time that we got to the room. We were almost to the room, and I was like "yea, right, when is this going to happen..." and then it suddenly "hit me" and a warm feeling went through my body - very weird.

*They "put me under" - which is really weird. One minute I was looking at the clock on the wall and the next minute, I was waking up in recovery. This is the 3rd time that I was put under...and they never tell me to count backwards!!! TV is so not real! :)

*I also got to see the bone that they took out of my foot - it was really cool! They showed it to me twice, to be sure that I would remember them showing it to me! (I asked them if I could see it after the surgery was over, because, well, that sort of thing interests me!)

My Foot Surgery

2009-11-10T15:18:00.000-08:00

It is pretty amazing that I have not posted anything for about a month - and to be fair, I really have not posted much for the past few months! It's not that there is nothing to write about...because there is! However, taking the time to sit down and write has not been a top priority for me lately! Sometimes, you just have to take a break! I don't want to say that I am back, because I don't want to get all 2 of my readers too excited, but I will say that I am going to try and post something a little more often!

My most recent happening has been my foot surgery on October 23rd. It's a long story that I will try to shorten for now...somehow, I injured a bone in my right big toe which caused the blood supply to be cut off from the bone. The bone began to die, I had a lot of pain exercising and walking for over a year and there is really only one "cure" to remove that pain - they had to do a sesamoidectomy . A sesamoidectomy is the removal of the tiny bone in my foot. If you click here, you can see photos of what they did to my foot...although that is not my foot in the photos...mine are not hairy like that! I would show a photo of my foot, but I will spare you that for now!

I will share a few more things about my surgery and recovery in the next few days (hopefully!).

Free Pregnancy and Ovulation Tests

2009-10-14T13:27:00.001-07:00

Are you trying to get pregnant? Well, if you are, you know how expensive pregnancy tests can be! I found out a great deal from Money Saving Mom! You can get any combination of free ovulation or pregnancy test for free (up to 10) from Sacred Heart Mission. Just go here and sign up for them!

Couldn't You Use Something New Too?

2009-10-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

I just found out about a great way to put some money towards a new electric range/oven that I could really use! You see, only 3 of the 4 burners on our electric range are working at the moment and at times, I feel that another one is ready to "kick the bucket" too! However, since it is still usable, it is not at the top of our priority list to replace...this year...unless we would win the $200 gift card from Best Buy that is being given away at the blog Totally Together Reviews!

Check it out, and enter here! I am sure that you could use this giveaway just as much as any of us!

Free Diapers - size 3 and 6

2009-10-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have not posted something on here in a very long time. I have a lot of things that I could post about, but do not have the time at the moment to sit down and write! However, I did want to take the time to tell you about two new diaper trials that are available to you!

Arquest is providing two diaper trials in the next two weeks. Next week only, will be a trial with size 3 diapers, and the week after will be a trial with size 6 diapers, for both boys and girls!

So, what happens exactly?

You will receive a package (or two, depending on the study) of diapers - the brand varies. When you receive the diapers, you read through the survey and start using the diapers on the date specified. The same person needs to change the child while using the diapers, and then fill out the questionnaire when you are finished. You will be called at a specified time, and asked to read your answers. This takes about 5 minutes. Then, you will receive a $10 thank you check in the mail about four week later! It is a really great deal!

Are you interested in trying it out? If you are, call the following number today!

BOYS 1-888-342-7372 ext. 634

GIRLS 1-888-342-7372 ext. 646

If you have a child in diapers, but they are not wearing a size 3 or 6 , I suggest that you call and let them know what size diaper your child wears, and that you would be interested in future studies!

Week #2 Theme: The Jungle

2009-08-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

First of all, I would like to say that last week was fun, but I did realize that if you have something like VBS scheduled in the morning and nap time scheduled in the afternoon, it is hard to fit in the activities that I had planned on the specific days. However, we did have fun, the books that were suggested for us to read were great, and we just fit in the stuff that we missed on other days. The only thing that we did not do was the nursery rhyme and Brady did not want to color the letter A printout (so Smiles did it!), but I am really not too concerned about that. He already knows his letters, and he does know how to write the letter A.

This week we will be learning about the jungle, the color green, the letter B, the number 2, another nursery rhyme, and a new Bible verse! I have some more fun wood cutouts for Brady to color as well as some glue-ing for him to do! Over the weekend, he painted a ceramic lion - that was fun and also interesting...it started out white, then he painted it completely brown and then changed it to completely black! :)

This will be interesting to see what we will be able to accomplish each week, but nap time is not as long as it used to be, so if we are out in the morning, I am going to try and do some of the activities with Brady after I put Smiles down for his nap.

Moving Forward in Victory!

2009-08-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Back in March, we started to potty train Brady, and he had a lot of success in peeing and pooping on the potty...yes, this post does involve the subject of pooping! However, after about one week of pooping on the potty, he regressed. We tried a few different ways to encourage him to poop on the potty, but nothing was working!

There are a few details that I am going to leave out at the moment, but let's just say that with lots of prayer (for patience for me and for Brady to poop on the potty), having Brady clean up after himself, and telling him that he could not go to VBS if he did not poop on the potty...we had VICTORY!!!

He almost made it to the potty last night - it was an awesome try - so, he was allowed to go to VBS today...and then at VBS today - he pooped on the potty!!! Although I missed it because I was in another room, I was able to rejoice with him right after he did it! A HUGE thanks to Thrills for taking him to the potty and for telling me right away!

I am so excited and did a little happy dance for my son! We are praying that this continues in a positive direction!

Our Theme Week #1: Cows

2009-08-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

I suppose I just needed some focus, something that made sense to me. I don't think that I was wired to regularly pick things randomly...once in a while is okay, but I needed some type of system...some type of curriculum!

I enjoy doing crafts with my kids, but lately I have not felt inspired to do any - I was not sure what I wanted to do. I needed something to kick start me again, so I decided to turn to the Internet and look for some ideas. What I decided to look up was preschool curriculum, since Brady falls in to that category (he is 3 1/2). I found this website called Brightly Beaming Resources, which has free preschool curriculum, and it seems to be what I was looking for!

I have decided to start with the preparatory curriculum, just to get our feet wet with this program, but we will see how things go...we may move a little more quickly than the time frame given, since he knows a lot of the info in it already. I am really taking it one day at a time and ready to have some fun!

So, this week, we will be learning about cows, and working on writing the letter A, the number 1, drawing and cutting out squares, learning a nursery rhyme, and I am also going to teach him a Bible verse each week too! Along with that, we will be doing cow related crafts, reading books and poems about cows and singing songs!

Today, I started peaking Brady's interest in the theme by having him complete a craft - he colored a wooden cow with markers. It cost 30 cents from Michael's - and it came with a rooster too.

I still need to finish making our Learning Poster and somehow binding his counting book (that can actually wait another day or two) before I go to bed tonight...I feel like I am back into teaching again!

Library Requests

2009-08-04T17:41:00.001-07:00

I have just tried something really cool! I requested books and DVDs online, to pick up at my library! How cool it that?

So you know what that means? It means that I do not have to take the time to look for the books that are on my book list, and then spend time with the librarian while she/he is placing requests for me at other libraries for the books that they do not have. Now, don't get me wrong...I enjoy spending time at the library and talking with our librarians, but I don't like trying to find things/standing around while my toddler is still in "take every book off of the shelf" mode...he is getting better, but still enjoys being a "house wrecker".

Have you ever done this before? If not, maybe you want to try it out too! Just look up your library system online and then go to the request page! Easy Peasy! (ok, I never say that, but it was fun to write!)

So, that is something that I did tonight...what have you been up to?

Funny Happenings

2009-07-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

A bowl of cereal at the edge of a counter + a curious 18 month old = a mess on the floor!

Oh my!

I was definitely grateful that no milk was present in the bowl of cereal! I was right there, but not close enough to intercept what I saw happen! I definitely need to remember that his reach has increased quite a bit, and he is interested in the world above him!

Anything funny happen to you today?

What Have You Done?

2009-07-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

Once you get married, life certainly does change. Two schedules suddenly merge into one. Life changes more than you thought that it would...then, when you add kids into the mix, there is a lot more activities to juggle than when you were single! With each new addition to the family, life gets a little busier...but it is a good busy!

There are park dates and play dates, trips to the library and stores, errands to run, appointments to keep, practice and games and performances. These things add enjoyment into our lives, but they also can wear us down a little bit too.

Sometimes, we need to take care of ourselves - not in a selfish way, but in a rejuvenating way...a little bit of "me" time. There are different ways to take care of yourself - today, I am going to focus on the "me" time. What is something that you can do just for you? Paint your nails? Get your hair done? Buy some new underwear - (by yourself)? Go for a jog? Take a nap? Get a massage? What is is that will help you to feel refreshed and renewed?

I am going to make an appointment to get my hair cut! I am so excited to do this. I have put this off for over a year (sad, I know), and I think that it is time to "treat" myself to a nice haircut (and maybe highlights??? We will have to see about that!)

What are you going to do for yourself? It does not have to be anything expensive, but it should be something that helps you to feel refreshed and renewed! Leave a comment and let me know what your plans are!

Oral-B Giveaway Winner

2009-06-02T04:40:00.000-07:00

Since I only had five entries on the Oral-B giveaway, I decided to do it the old fashioned way and fold up pieces of paper with the entries listed on it. I had Brady pick the winning entry...and the winner is...

TCC!!!

Congrats, sis!

Motherhood: "So, What Do You Do?"

2009-05-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

What is your response when someone you have just met asks you this question,

"So, what do you do?"

If you are a SAHM, I bet that a thousand things could come rushing into your head that may include (depending on your kids' ages): get the kids up, change diapers (throughout the day), dress the kids, feed the kids, clean up the dishes (or pile them in the sink for later), have a playdate, run errands, play with the kids, go to the library and try to make sure that your 16 month old does not take every book off of the shelves and dump them on the floor (maybe that one is just me!), make the kids lunch, put the dishes in the sink, nap time - or more play time if your kids do not nap, laundry, get dinner ready, feed the family, clean up the dishes for real this time, family time, bath time, brush kids teeth, get kids to bed - read books, sing, pray, etc, and then you have some time to do whatever else needs to be done...and I am sure that my list is not complete! (Whew, I am tired after writing all of that!)

Getting back to the question that you were just asked by someone that you just met...how would you answer that? Would you tell them all of that or make up some cool sounding title? Or, are you unsure of how to answer that question...maybe you say,

"I am JUST a Mom."

Whatever you may give as an answer, do you ever feel that you feel less significant than another person who works out side of the house?

I have to admit, that when I first began to stay home, my answer would be something like, "Well, I taught biology and chemistry for the last 7 years, but now I stay at home with the kids." I don't feel that there is anything wrong with saying that, however, I have also realized that there is nothing wrong with saying,

" 'I am a wife and mother and proud of it!'
(With great pride in our chosen career, we must share with people that we are in the profession of motherhood)." (p. 18*)

As a SAHM, I think that what we need to realize that motherhood is a profession, especially if a profession is something that we feel is "Important enough for our time and our energy, and it also enriches our lives in some shape or form." (p.28). Motherhood definitely fits that definition of profession and what we need to do is shift our way of thinking. What we do has value. We have chosen this career, and we may not get paid monetarily, but it is a career, and we can be proud of what we do.

There is no shame in being a SAHM...and may I add, there is also no shame in being a working mom - you need to be doing what the Lord has called you to do for your family. It does not matter what other people do or think...it really only matters what God thinks of you and what you are doing.

How have you responded to this question in the past? Are you ready to shift your way of thinking...if you haven't already? If you have shifted your thinking, please share your thoughts too!

This post contains ideas and quotes from the book Professionalizing Motherhood, by Jill Savage It is a continuation from my original post about Motherhood that you can read about here.

Dinner is in the Oven!

2009-05-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been quite tired. I definitely enjoy staying up late, but with kids, it is not wise to do that, especially when they wake you up at 6:30AM...and today Brady woke me up at 6:00AM! Today I was surprised at how early it was, but I he climbed into bed with me and we will snuggled for a little bit until I felt that I needed to get out of bed and shower (then he snuggled with Dawson)! I love snuggle time!

Anyway, back to me being tired...I was really becoming unproductive and impatient. This led to barely getting dinner on the table and getting frustrated easily too. This weekend, I was able to catch up on my sleep - I "allowed" myself to take a nap on Sunday while Dawson and Brady were at a baseball game (and Smiles was taking a nap), and then I made myself get in to bed a little sooner than normal - which is around 11:00PM (I know, that is not really early, but it is earlier than midnight!).

I have felt more refreshed today that I have felt in over a week, and I am thankful for that! I will need to remember to continue to get to bed by 11:00PM - seven hours of sleep is wonderful!

...and dinner is in the oven! (lasagna tonight!)