Mom with never enough time

Yo Gabba Gabba live tour and a Twitter party

2011-09-20T09:19:00.004-04:00

Last year I was lucky enough to win tickets to Yo Gabba Gabba live tour in Rochester. My fiance and I took our two youngest kids. While the baby really wasn't into it my then 4 yr old loved it. The show was only about a 1hr long which is perfect for little kids with short attention spans. There was also alot of interactive things like balloons, bubbles and beach balls that helped keep the kids entrained.

I am excited that they are touring again this year and are coming to buffalo! My youngest is now older and loves Yo Gabba Gabba. She runs into the room if she hears it come on. The tour this year is being presented by Kia motors and is going to more then 50 cities! I am sure you can find one that will be close to you out of all those cities. For more info, tickets and to find a city near you you can go to the Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! site. I hope to see you there!

On Sept 20, 2011 from 9-10est there will be a #Gabbatour party on twitter. It is hosted by @StacieinAtlanta with co-hosts @crissy @mommyinsider and @jollymom.
They will be giving away Seven CD/DVD Prize Packs and tickets to the show. For more info and to RSVP check out the Divine Miss Mommy Hope to see you there!

Our walk around Niagara Falls

2011-09-11T20:07:00.006-04:00

I grew up in Niagara Falls so I am always in shock when people say that is one of the places they most want to visit. Growing up the Falls was no big deal. You went down there for picnics in the summer or to walk around when it was really hot since the mist would cool you off. In the winter there was the festival of lights that you could walk around and look at. So after hearing numerous people say they would love to visit Niagara Falls I decided it was time to show my youngest daughter it.

I have heard from family members that still live there ( I live in the area just further away) that the area around the Falls has changed allot. I was not fully prepared for how much when we got there though.

One of the major things was you had to pay for parking. I knew that they were charging for parking now but the price to park on Goat Island (it overlooks the Falls) had my jaw dropping. It was $10, yes $10 (I am still in shock) Growing up parking was always free. We would drive to Goat Island, park and then do our thing. I had the most romantic kiss of my life on Three Sisters Island (they come off Goat Island) in the rain when I was a teen.

The area surrounding the Falls growing up was a mall (no longer there), the winter garden (a big indoor plant house attached to the mall) and the turtle (Native American history building shaped like a turtle). Now it is a big empty mall, the winter garden is torn down and the turtle is a tourist area. the walkways where they would have the festival of lights set up is now all banners proclaiming souvenirs. This is all clogging up what I feel should be a natural walkway way to the falls.

With that all said the Falls is still breathtaking. To stand there and see the water pouring over to hit the rocks below is awesome. Three Sister's Island reminds the same and is still my favorite part of Niagara Falls. Here are some pics I took on our day there.

Tastes from Home with Frito-Lay recipe contest and giveaway (closed!)

2011-08-22T19:02:00.014-04:00

As a mom I am always looking for new recipes to try. When my grandmother passed away a couple of years ago I ended up with all of her old cookbooks. Looking through them I saw that there were quite a few I could use and some of them that reminded me of her and home. One of these recipes was honey-mustard chicken. So when Frito-lay emailed me about a recipe contest that reminded me of home I had to submit this one.

Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken (makes 4 servings
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
4 chicken breast halves (we use skinned and with bone about 4 oz a breast)

Preheat oven to 375
Combine honey, brown sugar and mustard in a small bowl and stir well. Place chicken in a 11 x 7 x 2 inch baking dish. Spray dish with cooking spray or coat with butter. Brush glaze over the chicken. Cover and bake for 20 Min's (15 for smaller breast). Uncover and then broil chicken for about 2 Min's until golden brown. Then serve (we usually do a mashed potato)

I love Frito-lay chips and they have some tasty ones. They have come out with Regional chips that were inspired by popular regional cuisine. Here are some of them

Northeastern U.S. – Lay’s Honey Mustard
Midwestern U.S. – Lay’s Creamy Garden Ranch
Northwestern U.S. – Lay’s Balsamic Sweet Onion
Southwestern U.S. – Lay’s Chipotle Ranch
Southeastern U.S. – Lay’s Cajun Herb & Spice

**All of the Lay's Regional Flavored potato chips are made with all natural ingredients and cooked in healthier oils, like corn and sunflower oils, which contain 80% or more of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat - the "good fats." They also contain 0 grams of trans fats per serving.

**There’s also less sodium in them than you might think – a 1-oz serving of our Lay’s Regional Flavored potato chips contains less salt than a plain bagel!

I can't wait to try the Cajun Herb & spice and the Balsamic Sweet onion.

Giveaway is closed. winner was chosen via random.org and emailed. Thank you all for entering.

Now on to the giveaway. Frito-lay is letting me giveaway to one of my readers a multi-pack of Lay’s Regional Flavors.

Mandatory Entry: Share a flavor or recipe that remind you of home

Extra entries (leave a comment for each thing you do):
Follow Frito-lay on twitter
Like Frito-lay on facebook
Like me on facebook
Follow me on twitter
Follow me via GFC
Tweet (1 daily and leave link.) #Win a variety pack of the Lay's Regional Flavors potato chips from @mellanhead http://tinyurl.com/3mebmvs
#FritoFlavors

****One entry per household. Giveaway ends 9/4. I will email winner who will have 48hrs to email back. After 48 hrs with no e-mail a new winner will be chosen. Remember to leave e-mail if not in your google profile!

*Disclaimer:All opinions are my own. Frito-Lay provided me samples of the Regional Flavors chips and my blog post is an entry for the Tastes from Home with Frito-Lay contest.

A theme?

2011-08-10T23:55:00.002-04:00

I was at a twitter party the other night (yes I am addicted to twitter parties) and it was about having a blog. One of the things that was brought up is that you need or should have a theme. So this got me to thinking, should I have a theme and what should it be?

The first one that came to mind was deal blog. That thought was quickly followed by does the world really need another deal/coupon blog. I follow about 6 (it might me more) and they generally post the same thing. Do I really want to follow a pack? No, so that one is out.

Next up was a parenting blog, that is out. I like to do my own parenting thing. My belief is what might not work for one parent might work for another. Also I am done having kids and not going to research baby stuff.

How about a Buffalo blog? This might work except for the fact I hate Buffalo and NY state. Could I blog about a city I hate? I think I could. I mean me hating it has nothing to do with blogging about area activities and companies (and we do have some great ones I will admit) .

My last thought was a vlog. I like doing video more then I like typing. I have enough cameras to do this and it would be better forum for me to show my personality. Also I wouldn't spend all night rewriting what I wrote.

In the end I want my blog to reflect me. I think that above all I blog should reflect a person and not a specific theme they stick to. So for now I will write what I want to write about and if I threw in some deals, videos or Buffalo things then it is all good.

I painted my sons toenails

2011-07-11T23:02:00.003-04:00

I painted my sons toenails, twice. He wanted them painted and so I did it with dark blue nail polish. He even stopped biting his toenails so I could do it. Why did I go along with his request is what you are probably thinking. Here is my take on why I felt it was ok....

1) He hangs out with me (his mother), older teenage sister and baby sister most of the time. We paint our toes. He liked how it looked and saw we were all doing it so he wanted it.

2) This is not going to turn him gay. Honestly I don't know how anyone can say that about a 4yr old child, they don't even now what that means yet. If he is gay then he is gay, my painting his toenails when he is 4 is not going to make him so.

3) I painted my two younger brothers nails when they were little and the world didn't end

The reason for this post? People need to stop being so judgmental about things as little as this. My son is a sweet little boy who saw his siblings doing something he wanted to do. I let him do. I will leave you with this thought though...why is a girl considered a "tomboy" and not gay when she does what is considered "boy things" but a boy that wants/likes "girl" things is?

How he proposed

2011-07-10T23:13:00.002-04:00

Let me start off by saying that I had no idea he was going to propose that weekend. Here is the story:

We had made saturday night dinner reservations for a steakhouse called BOA and then were going to the Penn and Teller show after. I was looking forward to dressing up again as with three kids it does not happen alot. I wore a little black dress and he dressed up in his black suit. We decided to walk over since it wasn't far from our hotel.

We got to the restaurant, sat down and ordered our food. We both had steak and a glass of wine. After we finished our dinner and ordered dessert I finally decided to broach a subject that had been bothering me. I turned to him and told him that we needed to come up with a different name for what we were. That after 7 yrs boyfriend/girlfriend sounded silly and husband/wife didn't work because we are not married. I went on for awhile explaining my reasoning. I finally stopped to take a drink of my wine and when I turned back to him (we were sitting next to each other) he had the ring out and said "how does Fiance sound?" . After a moment of stunned silence I of course said yes.

It turns out he bought the ring the day before we left for Las Vegas and had been carrying it with him ever since. He was sure that my teen daughter had told me beforehand because I brought up the boyfriend/girlfriend thing (she didn't tell me).

Now this might not have been a fairytale proposal with flowers and one knee but it was uniquely ours.

Rawhides and My dogs

2011-06-05T22:00:00.007-04:00

I now have two dogs. Our oldest dog is a golden retriever named Nala who is a little over 4yrs old and we now have a dachshund/Chihuahua mix named Coco who is 6 months old. We got Coco from my older brother who was having a hard time training her. I agreed to take her in because we love animals and since I am a stay at home mom I could give her the attention she needs during the training process. One of the problems that Coco has (and really all puppies do) is that she chews everything in sight. I am also big on all natural items for my children and my pets so when Pet-Ag sent me some all natural Beef hides from their Rawhide Brand to try I was very excited.

When they arrived I opened the package and immediately gave a little bone to Coco. She loved it! I would say that she spent about a good 10 minutes chewing on that little bone. My older dog Nala even took a beef hide and she is a really picky about which kind she will chew. I especially love that these Beef hides are Grass-fed beef hides and have no antibiotics, hormones or preservatives. They also didn't have a smell to them like other ones I have tried.

My dogs loved these beef hides so much they chewed through the package in a a little over two weeks. I have also not come home and found chewed up shoes or toys. They also took to hiding pieces from each other which I thought was cute.

.PetAg carries a great section of pet nutrition items for alot of different pets. So check them out for all your pet needs.

I received a pack of Beef-hides from PetAg to facilitate this review, the opinions expressed are my own honest opinions and were in no way influenced.

My father

2011-05-19T10:09:00.002-04:00

My father passed away yesterday morning after a week and a half in the hospital. He went in because he was weak (could barely stand and couldn't swallow any food). After a couple of tests it turned out he had stage 4 colon cancer that had already spread to his lungs and other places. On top of this he had a hole in his bladder, a hole in his colon and his liver was shot. The hospital was great but we knew that there was no hope for him.

It is difficult as a child to see your once tall strong father go into being a weak stick person. It tore at my heart to hear him babble about his wallet and glasses because he was confused on where he was. I tried to visit him as much as I good but with 3 kids it was difficult to get out there everyday. I am glad that I have 5 siblings that were able to visit. My two youngest siblings T & K really stepped up and took great care of our father by going everyday.

My father passed away quietly with his mother and younger brother there with him. I am sad he is gone but happy he is away from the pain.

I love my father and will miss him everyday.

Hayneedle twitter party!

2011-05-04T19:44:00.003-04:00

I love a good twitter party and Hayneedle throws some good ones. They are having one Thursday, May 05, 2011 from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (CT). The prize list for this part is a doozy, it includes a porch swing, a gas grill, dining set and more. Who wouldn't want to win that?

Participating in a twitter party can be a little intimidating at first,. My advice for your first few parties is to just follow what the host is saying and answer their questions (in this case @hayneedle) As you get more used to twitter then branch out to jump into the conversation of the other party goers.

For much info on this party and to RSVP go to
http://hayneedletwitterparty.eventbrite.com/

I hope to see you there!

Our trip to vegas and a surprise

2011-04-05T19:20:00.004-04:00

I had won a weekend trip to Vegas on twitter at the end of the summer and we just took it in the beginning of March. It was for 4nights and 3 days at the Venetian with airfare for two. Since my boyfriend and I haven't been anywhere alone together in a long time we were really looking forward to this trip. We left on Thursday morning with no problems. Our plane was on time and the sky was clear. We made it to Vegas with no problems and immediately felt the gambling pull. There were slot machines in the terminal! lol We took a taxi to the Venetian and the ride was crazy. The traffic there is unbelievable!

Let me say that the Venetian is a gorgeous hotel. As soon as you walk in there is this statue (my boyfriend in front of it) and these murals on the ceiling

Our room was great also with a huge bathroom that had double sinks , a shower, sunken tub, and vanity table. I miss that bathroom.

Vegas itself was great. We did allot of walking along the strip. Saw The Amazing Jonathan and Penn&Teller for shows. I was able to go swimming because it was almost 80 there while my boyfriend went for a massage. It was very relaxing being able to get up and not have to run someone to school or worry about dinner. I loved visiting Vegas but would not want to live there.

Now for the surprise.....while at dinner one night while in Vegas my boyfriend proposed and I said yes :) I will save that story for another post

I am fabulous

2011-03-18T15:55:00.002-04:00

I am fabulous! Now why I am a fabulous you ask? Because I am me and don't try to pretend to be something I am not.
I am also loyal but if you do something that hurts or potentially hurts my family you are out. Case in point: I have 5 siblings (we are all pretty close expect for the second oldest who is a loner) and we grew up next door to a family that had two children. A boy and a girl..the boy B is a yr older then me and the girl S is about the same age as my younger sister. One night B,I another friend M and younger brother T went out drinking. B got really drunk. We got him to our parents house (remember he loved next door) and brother t (joking around) said something that pissed B off. So B grabbed him by the throat and went to punch him. Now B is like 6 foot and big while my brother T is 5'9 and skinny. B would have punched him but I stepped in between while M went to get B's dad. B's dad took him home and that was the end of the altercation. M and T have forgiven him but I on the other hand can't. I will still do talk to him when I see him out but no longer hang out with him.
I love my family. I am glad all of my siblings are close with the exception of one. I would do anything for them and drop everything to help them. Which I have done.
There are other things that make me fabulous but that would be one long blog post to type out and read lol.

Don't complain

2011-03-06T21:52:00.002-05:00

My sister in law likes to complain about my mother. Which really is not that big of deal in the normal world because hey who doesn't complain about their mother in law. But in this case it ticks me off. Why? because my mother babysits her child for free. So her complaining about my mother not doing the dishes (which she specifically told my mother not to touch when she first started babysitting) gets me a little ticked. Then there are the dogs, not only does she babysit the 6 month old but also the 4 dogs they have.
Now my mother watched my youngest back when I was working full time. I knew there would be days when she needed or wanted to go out and had no problem with her taking my child. My sister in-law on the other hand does not want my mother taking my nephew out at all when she babysits. Really? You expect her to sit around your house 3-5 days a week doing nothing?
Then there was the couch issue. They got a new couch and my sister in-law was complaining to my sister that our mother got a stain on it and blamed the dogs. Now if my mother actually got a stain on it she would have fessed up and tried to clean it. I know this because she spilled sauce on my new living room carpet and promptly busted out the carpet cleaner. Second, you let the dogs on everything! The couch, the bed, you name it. So it is quite feasible your dogs got the couch dirty.
So far I have only got this second hand from my mother and sister (my sister and sister in law were best friends before they became sisters in law). I am waiting for the day that she slips and complains to me. They don't call me the mean sister for nothing.

Princess Dilemma

2011-01-13T23:25:00.003-05:00

I was reading Parents magazine and came across an article where they did an interview with Peggy Orenstein author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter. This article got me thinking about how much princesses and the like affected my teen daughter during her early years.

One of my favorite movies is Beauty and the Beast. So my daughter saw that movie a lot along with the other Disney princess movies The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. I bought her toys with princess themes and dress up clothes. We even went to Disney World where we met them. How did this all affect her? It didn't. She is who she is today not because of some princess movie I let her watch when she was younger or even for toys she played with. She is the way she is because of the things I taught her and the way she was raised.

I am not saying that some kids will not be effected by this entire princess attitude out there but parents have a job of deciding exactly what their child takes away from it. Yes my oldest is now 15 so it is different with all the clothes, toys and other things out there now. Kids now have Hannah Montana while she had Britney Spears but the same principles of what you teach your child are still the same. I didn't want my child wearing the short skirts that Spears was wearing so I didn't buy them. I didn't want her acting like her so I taught her how to act.

Us as parents need to teach our children what to take away from anything they see be it Princess Movies, cartoons or even everyday life. Also remember that these "princess" movies were made over 20 yrs. ago when values and thoughts were different.

I still have one more daughter to go that will go through the princess stage. Yes I will let her watch the movies, dress up and wave her wand. I will teach her while she is watching to be true to yourself, follow your heart, stand up for yourself, help others and always be kind.

When will this sickness end

2011-01-09T13:12:00.003-05:00

We started out the week with the two youngest kids sick yet again. C started to get a cold early Sunday night, by Monday morning is was worse with a barking cough we didn't like. After a trip to the doctors come to find out he had Croup. He has gotten better since and now just has a cold.
The youngest Izzy started out Sunday with a cold also. She still has it on top of getting her molars in. Talk about a crabby toddler. She has been whiny and fussy all week.
Then comes Friday night where not only I come down with a bad head cold but so does my BF. We have been sneezing, blowing our noses all weekend while trying to deal with two little ones that have colds and are starting to get cabin fever.
The only one that is not sick is the oldest B. She almost never catches anything we have. I just want this to end...

Artic Puzzle wrap up

2011-01-03T11:07:00.003-05:00

We have had the Maclaren Artic puzzle for about a month now and we still love it. My 4yr old loves to do it once a day (usually after school) and I find it a great way for me to get a mommy break. I think he will be playing with this puzzle for awhile as I have found different ways to make it new once he gets bored with it. One way I have tried it taking a piece of black construction paper and covering the bottom of the puzzle board where the outline of the shapes are. This makes it a little tougher to do the puzzle and makes him use his thinking skills more.
I especially love this puzzle because of how sturdy and well made it is. I know that it will last past my son so his baby sister can use it. My only problem with it I wish there was a top to snap on or a bag to carry the puzzle in. My 4yr old has a tough time carrying it to where he wants it without the pieces falling out.

Maclaren produces alot of great items like strollers, toys , nursery and the beginning line of bath products. So check them out on twitter and facebook.

I received the Arctic Puzzle from Maclaren.com to facilitate this review, the opinions expressed are my own honest opinions and were in no way influenced. :)

Arctic Puzzle take 3

2010-12-27T13:59:00.002-05:00

We have had the Arctic Puzzle for awhile now and I must say that my son still loves it. The puzzle came in really handy this past week as he was sick from a stomach bug for a few days and this kept him from getting bored. I would recommend this puzzle to anyone who has a child and it would make a great Christmas gift, Easter gift or a birthday gift. I would even give it as a reward for doing a good job like keep their room clean. lol

All in all this puzzle would make a great gift no matter what it was for. It is educational while being fun.

Arctic Puzzle a few days later

2010-12-16T22:25:00.001-05:00

We have had the Arctic Puzzle for about a week now and while my son is not as excited about it as the first day we got it he still loves to play with it. He hasn't tried to play with it on his own and the reason may be that it is kind of bulky for him to carry himself. He likes to be able to do things on his own (carry and such) and if he can't carry it himself to where he wants it whenever he wants to he gets a little frustrated.

Other then that he has been playing with it with us. He loves to do it with his father when he comes home from work each day. They look so cute sitting together at the table. He loves saying what each animal is before putting the animal into it's place. This also helps us because he has a speech delay and we can correct him without making it seem like we are.

Another thing I have noticed it that is my 14month old daughter also tries to play with it. Obviously she can't get the pieces in all right but she will sit with me and try to do it. It is really cute how she will stack them up first before putting them down.

This is a great puzzle and so far the only thing we have noticed is how bulky and heavy it is for my son to carry himself. I am going to remedy that by putting the pieces in a cloth bag so he will be able to carry it.

I received the Arctic Puzzle from Maclaren.com to facilitate this review, the opinions expressed are my own honest opinions and were in no way influenced. :)

New Arctic Puzzle from Maclaren

2010-12-08T14:02:00.000-05:00

I was picked a couple of weeks ago to be a kid tester for Maclaren and we get to test out their brand new Arctic Puzzle. I was especially excited to be testing out a puzzle as my 4yr old son Cole loves puzzles. This is also a 3-d puzzle and we haven't done one of those kind yet so I was also looking forward to seeing how he did with it.

We received the puzzle today and my first impression was that it was a very well made puzzle. The bottom board is a nice thick wood so I don't have to worry about it breaking. The actual pieces were also sturdy so no worry there about them getting broke either. I like that it has the outline of the shapes on the bottom so that child can get a feel of what goes where. Overall this is a great puzzle and I can already see ways to make it more challenging when he memorizes the layout.

Cole's reaction was in a word priceless. He was excited at first because I let him open the mailbox (he doesn't get to open often since I have Christmas presents coming in lol) but he went beyond excited when he saw the puzzle. It took less then a minute for him to open the box and get the puzzle out.

Our first reactions to the puzzle were very favorable. At first glance this puzzle would be a great addition to any home. Please check out what else Maclaren has and follow them on twitter and facebook where they give out great info and do giveaways!

I received the Arctic Puzzle from Maclaren.com to facilitate this review, the opinions expressed are my own honest opinions and were in no way influenced. :)

Snow day!

2010-12-02T13:54:00.000-05:00

I know it snows here and sometimes quite a bit but it doesn't mean I have to be happy when it does. I love snow, don't get me wrong, but I hate when there is so much of it you are literally trapped in your house. Here is my car (yes it is under there) I figure it will take me all weekend to dig out .

Here is my kids toy set that is in the backyard. It is so high back there that our dog will not go to the bathroom because it is over her head. lol

We go through this at least once a winter and after living here for over 30yrs I am still not used to it. the kid on the other hand love it because they get a snow day from school.

I think it is time to move to a warmer climate

Please vote for me

2010-11-13T00:37:00.000-05:00

I hate entering contests where you have to get votes to win but I really want to be a Brand Ambassador for Inglesina Baby USA . I have done research on this company and I would love to try out their products with my two youngest. It also doesn't help that I have a stroller fetish and love trying new strollers (if I had the money I would buy one of every kind lol) So please go vote for my video so I can try these great products out and show everyone how great they are! It is a contest where you can vote daily :)

Here is the link :http://bit.ly/b8cxH1

Thank you so much!

My Christmas Cards

2010-11-12T19:26:00.000-05:00

I always do a photo card as a Christmas Card and this year I was lucky enough to win 50 cards from tiny prints at a twitter party last month. As I haven't used them before I was looking forward to seeing what they had to offer and boy it was alot. They have hundreds of different designs so finding something that I liked was easy.

After much deliberation and designing at least 5 different cards I settled on the Christmas Circus Ornament Card. I loved the idea of it being able to hang on a Christmas Tree like a ornament would. I also went with this card because I have three kids and getting them to sit still together for a nice picture is almost impossible. With this one there are three photo spots so I was able to pick out the pics I liked best and stick them in.

On to the actual designing....it was a snap. I love how I was able to select the picture and once it was in the right place I could adjust to where I wanted it. You are able to move the picture back/forth or side to side. You can also make it smaller or make it bigger. If you want to change the color you can even do that.

After I was done it was onto ordering. Since I had won mine I did not have to use a CC but still went through the checkout process and that was easy as well. I ordered them Nov,7 and got them today Nov 12. Now that was fast! I was impressed with how they turned out...my only thing is Idid not realize how big they actually are (I thought they were smaller cards lol)

So after all this you have to be wondering what my card looks like so here it is.......... You will have to excuse the blurriness. I took it with my camera phone because my regular camera battery died.

So if you are looking for cards I would definitely check out Tiny prints, these also in addition to the Christmas cards they also carry Thanksgiving Cards, Hanukkah greeting cards and others.

Disclaimer: I was not given anything from Tiny Prints for writing this post. I won these cards at a twitter party held for Tiny Prints. This in no way shaped my opinion on their cards or website. The opinions expressed here are all my own.

Wordless wednesday

2010-11-10T21:41:00.001-05:00

Never done one but I love this pic so here is some peace for you :)

Yes my kids do strange things.....

2010-11-06T23:01:00.000-04:00

Yes my kids do strange things.... At this moment my 1 yr old thinks she is a dog. How do I know this? She was licking up crumbs from the floor with the dog tonight. I was both amused and disgusted at the same time. I did just clean the floor today but ewwwwwww. She has also sat down and eaten out of the dog dish with the dog , I moved that one quick. I am waiting for her next words to be barking. lol
Onto my 4yr old son.....he has a hair fetish. I don't know if he gets it from his teenage sister or what but you can't touch his hair and it has to be down all the time. Those cute little boy Mohawks or spiked hair you see? I will never have that. As soon as I attempt to do that to his hair he has to run into the bathroom to brush it down. I guess I should look at the bright side that he will not be doing crazy hairdos as a teenager.
Then my teenager.......way to many things to list. She is a teen they all do things we find strange.

Getting old sucks

2010-10-08T19:59:00.000-04:00

My birthday is Monday and I have to say getting old sucks. I am getting closer to the dreaded 40 and as I think back I wonder where the hell did all that time go? It seems like just yesterday I was wrestling with my younger brothers in the yard or playing Jail Break with the neighborhood kids. Now I am tired by 9pm and forgot about running around all day. Which leads to me to what for a birthday present.... Wii Active.

Now I know you are thinking "What? Who asks for that for their birthday?" but I really feel the need to get into some kind of shape after my last child. We have the Wii and I have heard great things about Wii active. Plus my two younger ones can make like they are playing with me when I work out. So that is what I asked for and hopefully I will actually get off my butt and use it. lol

EdenFantasys

2010-10-08T09:53:00.000-04:00

Yes I will be talking about sex and sex toys so don't continue reading or stop if you are under 18 :)..........................

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to win at a twitter party hosted by Eden Fantasys a Fairy mini wand massager. I was really excited to try this out as I love trying out new things :). I was also pleasantly surprised by how fast I received my prize. Usually when I win from a twitter party it takes weeks for my prize to get to me. Eden fantasys had that out to me within days and I had it within a week.

I am in love with this massager. It has various speeds that go from nice and slow to really fast. The head is ribbed and flexible so it doesn't feel stiff when in use. I like the design on it as it makes it easier to hold when it use. The Fairy also comes with attachments that you can buy separately for even more fun. It even comes with a little cloth bag so you can keep it clean and hidden. The only thing I can see that might be a pain is that it is a plug in (no batteries) so you need to be near a wall socket to use it.

So if you are looking to buy anything new to spice up your sex life I highly recommend this. It works great and feels amazing. The Fairy Massager comes in different sizes so it is easy to find that works for you.

I received the Fairy wand massager as a prize from a twitter party and no other compensation ...the thoughts and opinions are all my own

Me

2010-08-26T22:08:00.000-04:00

I am going to start working on my blog more. I want to do it but everytime I start something comes up. Hopefully when the two oldest start school that will free up some time for me to do what I want to do. lol One can dream....

Ten Tips for Planning a Unique Baby Shower

2010-08-26T17:13:00.000-04:00

I haven't planned a baby shower in awhile but the ones I do plan I like to be unique in that they reflect the personality of the Mom 2 Be... here are some tips if you are planning one...

1) Have the party reflect the Mom's 2 be taste and not your own. She is a bit on the wild side? Use darker items. More on the girly side? Then use softer colors. I would use red and black or dark blue and chocolate for a mom that seems edgier and Pink/purple or yellow/green for a softer mom.

2) Think of having the party outside the norm..... how about a day at the beach? Or a day at the spa? For a spa party the Mom 2 be can be pampered with a pedicure, facial and manicure while the guests get mini ones. For a beach party have a cookout. Make some burgers and hot dogs and have the Mom 2 be layout on the beach with a drink.

3) For favors you can make up key chains or coffemugs with a cute baby or mom saying. You can also make bookmarks with a sonogram pic. They would give guests a great way to remember the shower.

4) Everyone likes to play games and two of my favorites are guess how round the belly is and guess the candy bar. For guess how round the Mom 2 be is, you give everyone some string and they cut it to where they think the length would go around the belly. The one closest wins. For guess the candy bar...you grab some diapers and stick some unwrapped candy bars in them. Everyone gets to guess what kind they are. The one with the most correct guess wins.

5) Food is important. Take into consideration whether your guests are gluten free or vegetarians. You can also serve up different types of fare like some Thai or Mexican. The one baby shower I went to had little slider burgers and some spicy noodles.

6)Everyone likes to get invitations and I love personalized ones. Tiny Prints has adorable baby shower invitations that are really affordable. Put a sonogram pic on there or just a pic of the mom 2 be showing off her beautiful belly. You can get some great ideas at http://www.tinyprints.com/baby-shower-invitations.htm

7) Everyone loves cake. Instead of cake though I like to do different flavors of cupcakes and frost them in the colors the Mom to be loves. If you have a bakery that does custom orders you can even put figures on top. For my Sister in laws bridal shower we had monkeys on top of all of hers.

8)Have a sideshow. You can have a sideshow playing on a TV or wall featuring the Mom 2 be as she grows up, gets married and other things. This would be a great way for party guests to reminisce about the mom 2 be and also for them to interact with someone they don't know.

9)Shower decorations... I love getting mine from party city but there are many places on the web you can order them from. Themes are great for baby showers. For my baby shower we did all animals because I wanted animals for the baby's room. Find out what the Mom 2 Be's theme for the baby's room is and use that for decoration ideas.

10) Keep the Mom 2 be happy and relaxed. If something goes wrong she doesn't need to know about it. Also when she is opening presents have someone stand by with a garbage bag for wrapping and to help pile up the presents out of the way. This way they are not cluttering up the party space.

"I wrote this blog post while participating in the Twitter Moms and Tiny Prints blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 tiny prints gift code plus 25 free tiny Prints greeting cards (Valued at$149.75) For more information on how you can participate click here http://tinyprints.twittermoms.com/about))

Depression

2010-08-15T23:25:00.000-04:00

Ahhh depression I how I missed you so! NOT! I hate being this way and not being able to do anything about it. I have tried doing things I know will make me happy to no avail. It just keeps getting worse. I was on Paxil before but went off when I got pregnant with my second and didn't go back on. I guess it is time to go back on to it again. I can't keep living like this.

MIA

2010-07-22T23:10:00.001-04:00

I have been MIA awhile because we are remodeling our kitchen. What was suppose to be a quick remodel has turned into 3 weeks of hell. Never again am I remodeling a kitchen. We had to gut the entire kitchen because the tiles on the wall were so old the glue behind was hard a s rock. The ceiling had to come down because the electrical was really bad.

We are getting close to being done and I am getting more crabby the closer we get. It just seems to be dragging. I spent two weeks away from the house with the kids but had to come back because i got a job. Also, every time I turn around there is another mess to keep up.

I just wish it was done :(

My Febreze house party

2010-06-28T20:16:00.001-04:00

I had my Febreze house party this weekend and it went great! With all the products that I was sent I was able to give everyone a goody bag and do a door prize for one each of all the samples and the apron. The party started out great indoors. I had opened samples and put them out in different rooms so people could see them and smell the new scents. I also did a little demonstration of each product and by far every ones favorite was the new set and refresh

After goodies and showing the new scents and products we took the party outside where there was swimming and golf! lol My siblings decided to take a empty pot and start trying to putt into it.

Here are some pics of the party

and after lol

Win A little Tikes Bounce house!

2010-06-27T10:03:00.000-04:00

One Savvy Mom is giving one of her lucky readers a Little Tikes Triangle Bouncer. This is a great bouncer for kids and since it is a triangle will fit great in all yards! So head on over to http://savvycouponmommy.blogspot.com/2010/06/little-tikes-triangle-bouncer-review.html and start entering today!

Rayovac Powers your Summer event!

2010-06-22T10:30:00.000-04:00

Rayovac is having a Powers you summer 30 day giveaway! From June 21 to July 20 you can enter to win great prizes! They are giving away cameras, bikes, camping gear, supplies of Rayovac batteries and more. Just enter at http://www.rayovac.com/PowersYourSummer/ everyday and tell them how you power your summer. There is not correct answer so have fun with the question! You must be 18 or older to enter :) Also make sure to like them on Facebook www.facebook.com/RayovacFans

There is also a twitter party to go with this event! There will be over 20 giveaways so a great shot at winning something fun from Rayovac!
Rayovac Powers Your Vacation Summer Promotion Twitter Event
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010Time: 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST
Location: #rayovac
Follow: @Rayovac_Battery, @5minutesformom, @CirclePRMary

Twitter parties are fun and you have a great shot of winning something! I won a Disney gift card at the last twitter party for Rayovac. So if I can win so can you :)

Disclosure:"the first 99 bloggers to promote the rayovac powers your summer twitter event won a prize package from Rayovac"

Houseparty

2010-06-18T22:11:00.000-04:00

I have said it before and will say it again...I love houseparty.com! I just received my Febreze party pack today and it is great. It came with a ton of stuff that I will use for goody bags for my guests. There are also a ton of great coupons that I will be handing out. Check out Houseparty.com and sign up! IF you get picked for a party they send you almost everything you need to throw one great party.

Win Flo-Tv

2010-06-14T21:58:00.000-04:00

One savvy mom is giving one of her lucky readers a Flo-tv with 6months of service! This would make a great Father's day gift.. http://savvycouponmommy.blogspot.com/2010/05/flo-tv-review-fathers-day-giveaway-ends.html So head on over for your chance to win

Win a bounce house!

2010-06-06T12:08:00.000-04:00

Want to win a bouncehouse(I sure do!) than head over toMy Organized Chaos where they are giving away a SUPERSTAR Bounce House from PlayHouseBouncers.com. It is really easy to enter and who knows maybe you will be the lucky winner! Just click here http://www.myorganizedchaos.net/2010/05/superstar-bounce-house-playhousebouncers-review-giveaway/ and away you go!

Great prizes

2010-06-06T11:50:00.000-04:00

Love dressing up your little girl? Want to win some great prizes for your photography studio? Head on over to Julie MayRee Photography. She is giving away some amazing prizes! http://www.juliemayree.com/blog/?p=621

Things I have won lately

2010-06-04T23:02:00.000-04:00

I like entering blog giveaways,sweepstakes and other things. Here are some things i have won recently....

From Sugar Pop Ribbons I won Untangled Anyware Collection. I just received this in the mail a couple of days ago. I was impressed by how fast I got this prize as I had just won it on the 24th of May. My son loves this set. He is so excited to have his own dish set that is engraved with a lizard(it is a gecko but he thinks it is a lizard). I love this set because it is easy to clean and I don't have to worry about him breaking it.
Sugar Pop Ribbons hosts great giveaways so please check out her blog at http://sugarpopribbons.blogspot.com/arpopribbons.blogspot.com/ and enter some.

From Chubby Cheeks thinks I won her Simply FaBOWlous®! giveaway of a hat and headband. I also won Simply FaBOWlous®! sharing giveaway on Facebook where I won another great hat(It is the pink one and still a little big on her but I couldn't resist.lol). All of these items are well made and I am surprised that my 8month old daughter left the hats on! Chubby Cheeks thinks also has great giveaways and can be found here http://chubbycheeksthinks.blogspot.com/. So go enter some!

You should check out the awesome items that Simply FaBOWlous has here http://www.fabowlous.com/info_gallery.html

Win a Cloth diaper package

2010-06-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

When Chubby Cherubs Cloth Diaper Naturals on facebook reaches 2000 fans they will be giving away a cloth diaper package worth $450! So head over and fan them so they can reach their goal and give out this great giveaway!Just click on this link and start spreading the news http://tinyurl.com/2fb56hw

Great weekend

2010-06-01T13:34:00.000-04:00

We didn't go away this weekend but decided to stay home and relax. It is a good thing we did, I had a cold that i managed to give to everyone else. Having a sick boyfriend, a toddler and a baby is not fun. We did manage to go swimming and take Cole to the first parade he was in. He started playing T-ball and the league has a parade to kick off opening day every year. HE loved being able to ride in the back of the truck and throw candy to people. He doesn't have his first game until Thursday but we can't wait to see him play.

I won from My Four monkeys

2010-05-25T21:28:00.000-04:00

I love entering sweepstakes and have just found blog giveaways. I actually won my first one last week from My Four Monkeys. She was holding a giveaway for a $25 GC to Axl's Closet and I won one. I was able to get these two fabulous shirts for my son .

My Four Monkeys have alot of great giveaways going on now so head over and enter some. You never know what you can win.http://http//myfourmonkeysproductreviews.blogspot.com/

And if you want to check out all the cool clothes at AXL's closet they can be found here.... http://www.axlscloset.com/

I'm Trying to WIN an iPad™

2010-05-22T09:57:00.000-04:00

One Savvy Mom is giving one luck reader a Apple® iPad™ with Wi-Fi-16GB. All you have to do to eneter is visit her site at http://bit.ly/c2EN8Z . Good luck everyone!

Houseparty

2010-05-20T11:20:00.000-04:00

Houseparty.com is a great party hosting website. I found out about them a couple of months ago and have already hosted two parties.

If you go to http://www.houseparty.com/events you can sign up. Once you are signed up you can apply for any party that is open. Right now they have two Kraft parties(Red Bull Barbecue sauce and Oscar Meyers Hot dogs), Febreze, Bic and more. IF you are chosen for the party you applied for houseparty will send you a package that contains everything you need for a party. For a DIGIORNO one I did I got coupons for free pizza, pizza cutter, coupons for $4.00 off a pizza, a apron and many more items.

Right now I am a host for the Shrek/McDonald's party and the pics are just some of the items Houseparty.com sent me for the party. I had also got shrek watches, shrek happymeal toys, coupons for free snack size Mcflurrys, coupons for free apple juice, arch card to buy food for the party and more.

So if you haven't done so go on over to Houseparty.com and start applying for parties! You will not regret it.

Cookies for cancer

2010-05-14T12:23:00.000-04:00

http://www.cookiesforkidscancer.org/ is helping to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer. One way you can help out is to hold a bake sale. The site can give you recipes , ideas, location ideas and tools to help you along.

My idea for a good place to hold one is during a block garage sale or block party. You could also sell some water and/or lemonade also. One recipe I like is popcorn snack

Ingredients
3 quarts popped popcorn
4 cups Cheerios® cereal
4 cups Corn or Rice Chex® cereal
2 cups salted peanuts
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
In a large greased roasting pan, combine popcorn, cereal and peanuts. In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup and butter; bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; quickly stir in vanilla and baking soda until mixture is light and foamy. Immediately pour over popcorn mixture; mix well. Bake, uncovered, at 250 degrees F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely.

You can bag the mix into little bags, tie with a ribbon and card that thanks them for their support.

So do something good and positive and raise money for a great cause!

Deal Wise Mommy

2010-05-11T15:45:00.000-04:00

Deal Wise mommy is one of my favorite blogs. She posts allot of freebies and does some great giveaways. I love her blog because she always answers questions and is a super friendly person so please check out her blog at http://www.dealwisemommy.net/ Thanks!

Clash of The Titans

2010-05-09T15:26:00.000-04:00

Clash of the Titans is one of my favorite movies. I have watched it many times over the years and was excited that they were remaking it. So yesterday for mother's day my BF took me out to dinner and a movie....I decided we will go see Clash of the Titans. I wish we hadn't. I have been been so disappointed in a movie in my life. They completely changed around the storyline and left out major parts. I can understand changing some things around but this movie in no way comes close to the original. We should have went to see Iron Man 2 instead.

Britax Car seats

2010-05-04T11:06:00.000-04:00

I have a Britax Decathlon and I love it! This car seat is very comfy, and has a 65 weight capacity. My son is getting ready to move up to a booster and we are planning on getting him the Britaz Frontier 85. This will allow us to harness him up to 85 pds. Brtiax makes other great car seats like the Advocate CS. They come in a variety of colors (the one picture is the Kathryn pattern) and patterns so finding one you like should be easy. If you want to know more about Britax Car seats visit their site at http://www.britaxusa.com/.

You also have a chance to win the Britax Advocate CS at http://www.twoofakindworkingonafullhouse.com/2010/04/ride-safely-with-britax-advocate-cs.html or click on the Two of a Kind button to your left. She always has great giveaway and I love reading her blog!

Nice sunny day

2010-04-30T22:56:00.000-04:00

Well today I decided it was time to teach my oldest daughter who is 14 to mow. She didn't do to bad only missed a spot and still has all her toes. My SIL thinks it is great that I taught her because she at 29 still doesn't cut the grass. I think this weekend I will teach her about tire pressure and car care. I want a daughter who doesn't have to rely on a man to get things done that she is able to do herself.

Twitter

2010-04-29T07:14:00.000-04:00

I hate twitter. To me it is the most annoying thing in the world. Half the time I can't figure out what people are saying. Also for me when I twitter something most of the time it won't go through. IT has not posted at least 5 things I have wanted it to this morning. ARGHHHHHHHHH

WIN a Bounce House at Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House during her Outdoor Oasis Event!

2010-04-28T20:37:00.000-04:00

Want to win a bounce house for your kids? Than head over to Two of a kind working on a full house. Just click the button to your right and off you go. She does alot of great giveaways so make sure you head over! or copy and paste the link here....

http://www.twoofakindworkingonafullhouse.com/2010/03/rock-crawler-bounce-house-from.html

Getting used to blogging

2010-04-23T23:37:00.000-04:00

Blogging is really neat once you figure out what you are doing. lol Today I learned how to put someone elses button on my blog (without totally losing everything!) Now I just have to go get some followers.....

Getting excited

2010-04-21T12:06:00.000-04:00

Shrek 4 is coming out in a month and I can't wait. We love all the Shrek movies and can't wait to take Cole to see his first movie ever in the theater. Houseparty.com is also having people host a Shrek/McDonald's party. Go to Houseparty.com and sign up and maybe you will be one of the lucky ones to host a party!

Sick

2010-04-14T10:13:00.000-04:00

Why is it when men are sick they just get to lie around and nap and rest while we as mothers don't? A couple of weeks ago my BF was really sick so I took the kids out of the house so he could have some quiet and nap. This week I am sick and I get nothing...still making dinner, doing laundry,taking care of the kids and everything else. I need to go lie down

It is crazy

2010-04-09T22:39:00.000-04:00

Life is crazy...it never seems that you have enough time in the day anymore to do the things you want to do (like read) let alone the things you need to do (which is clean...yuck) Which brings me to some cleaning products I have discover,,,,,tide stain release works great! I had bought this on a whim since it was on sale and I had a dollar off coupon that got doubled. I am so glad I did. My son had left a crayon in one of his pants and I didn't notice it until after that load had went through the dryer. About half the clothes were totally ruined(or so I thought). I figured since I had the stain release downstairs I would give it a try and it worked great! Out of those clothes I only ended getting rid of two shirts. I decided to try them on my BF's oil stained jeans next (which never get clean) and while it didn't take all the oil stains out it did make them noticeably lighter.

The other new product I tried(which was again on sale and which I had a three dollar off coupon for) was the new scrubbing bubbles power sprayer. This to also worked well. It did freak me out a little in the beginning since the sprayer does shot out jerkily and not really smoothly. It did clean my tub well and it stayed cleaned for a good 5 days(bottle claims it would work for up to 4days cleaning). It also has a nice scent to unlike the original.

That is it I am off to bed!

OMG

2010-04-08T00:14:00.000-04:00

I am doing a blog! Whoo hooo! I guess I am going to have to learn how to post stuff now. lol A little about me...I am a mom (a stay at home one right now) and I love entering contests, clipping coupons and trying new things out. One of my favorite sites right now is Houseparty.com. Everyone should check this site out. They have different parties that you can apply for and if you get chosen to throw the party they send you a party pack with free stuff! I did a DiGiorno pizza one and it was great. I got coupons for free pizza for the party, $4.00 off coupons to give out, bead necklaces, coasters, a apron, pizza cutter and games to play. My favorite party they are going to be doing is the McDonald's Shrek party for Shrek 4 everafter that comes out May 22(I believe) so head over and sign up! They don't send spam and the parties are fun to host.