Zoom Albums... So Neat!!

While checking out some sponsors on the SITS blog I found Zoom Albums, and I just HAD to share!! I have never heard of Zoom Albums before, but I really want to get one and try it out now. So what is a Zoom Album? It's a mini photo album that you make at home!!! I thought they'd be really cheesy or cheap looking and difficult to assemble. But after viewing the videos on their site, I'm convinced that even I could make one of these cute little puppies!!

And best of all, all you need is a computer, your digital pictures and your inkjet printer!! Once you have the software downloaded and your kit, you just follow a few easy steps: 1. Select and arrange the 12 pictures you want in your album in their software. 2. Print the pictures on ONE special sheet of photo paper from the album kit. 3. Follow the directions that are right on the back of the paper to fold it. 4. Place the folded sheet of pictures in the album. 5. Enjoy your album or give it as a gift!!! It's that simple!!!

I love having pictures of my boys with me when I'm out and about, but it's nearly impossible to find small photo albums that easily fit in your purse. And just the other day I found the little photo inserts that come in wallets...and boy were those pictures a mess! This is such a great way to carry pictures around with you, and they'd make great gifts for grandparents, new moms or for friends with pictures from a fun outing! Check out the Zoom Album website for more details and to shop!! Happy Album making! :)

Our Quick Trip to the Park!

It was a little rainy today, but ended up being pretty warm outside. So, after lunch I talked my hubby into going to the park with me and the boys. And we had so much fun! The kids were so excited to see the park!! They bolted straight for the giant red spiral slide! And naturally, my hubby went and I headed to the swings. We had a blast watching the boys run around and burn off some of that extra energy and chasing them all over the place!

But my favorite moment.... when my husband decided it would be fun to go down the giant tunnel slide, until he got to the bottom. As I said earlier, it had been raining earlier, so there was a puddle at the bottom and he didn't want to slide in it! He sat in the slide for several minutes trying to figure out how to get over the water. This is a picture I snapped of our oldest son watching his daddy act like a little sissy not wanting to get wet!! :)



And while it did make me wish it was Spring, I'm just grateful that it's finally getting warm enough to venture outside every now and then.

My Little Scare!

Two nights ago I woke up at 1:30 in the morning feeling sick as a dog. I ran as quickly as I could to the bathroom...barely making it in time! The worst part was that along with the fact that I had just thrown up everything I had eaten that day...was that I starting getting some braxton hicks contractions. I went and laid back down in bed trying to fall back to sleep. Long story short...I was up all night getting sick and therefore causing some horrible braxton hicks! At 4:30 the contractions started getting really uncomfortable and really frequent. I was so scared I was going to go into labor...and I was only 34 1/2 weeks! It's too early yet! I ended up sending the kids with my mother in law for the entire day so I could rest. Which was wonderful...but strange at the same time! I never realized how much I do on a daily basis with the kids home! But I'm glad I sat around. The contractions stopped and I'm not in labor! Yet.... ;)

I LOVE Baby Showers!!!

I don't know why, but I LOVE baby showers, maybe even more than most women! It's so much fun to see all of the new baby stuff that the new mommy is getting. And I can't help but nose through all of it to see what I don't have, but now want to get!! :) And the cheesy games that you play at the showers always brings out my competitive side! I can't help it!

At the last baby shower I went to for my best friend, they tied a balloon around her husband's waist and made him tie his shoes without popping the balloon. The only problem was that unlike a baby, the balloon moved! It was still really funny though! I have to admit, I was a little jealous sitting there watching her open up all of her little pink outfits, as I sat and thought about how badly I wanted a little girl, but the yummy cake at the end made it all worth it!!! Here's a picture of me and my best friend at her baby shower over the weekend! I was 34 weeks with a boy and she was 35 1/2 weeks with a girl!! :)

Win a Free pair of Pedoodles Shoes!!

As a mom to two boys, and another who will be here any time now...I'm always searching for good kids shoes. But I have a terrible time finding any that I really like, and that are comfy for the boys. I'm so sick of walking into a shoe store and the boys selection of shoes being so small. Most of the time stores don't have the sizes I need anyway. Ugh! But alas... there are several great shoe shops online, just for little ones. I just recently found them while searching other blogs, and I'm so excited! My favorite is Pedoodles. They are adorable...and VERY affordable!! All of the shoes I looked at were under $40! Which is great, considering that's how much a little pair of goofy looking sneakers from the mall is! These shoes are also eco-friendly and were made with the little one's developing foot in mind! The shoes are made from quality leather and have soft, flexible soles...a must for little feet!! And right now, you can enter to win a pair of Pedoodles shoes by visiting the Busy Mom Blog!! Click their button on the side of my page to take you there now!! And be sure to check out the Pedoodles website as well!! Happy shoe shopping!

The Mom Song!

One of my friend just e-mailed me the "Mom Song". I can't believe I've never heard it before! It's so funny... and soooo true! It's everything that a mom says to her kids during the day, sung in 2 minutes to William Tell's Overture. It's so funny!! Here's the link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESe-AysF9mw Enjoy!! :)

Pancake Day!

Tomorrow, Feb 24, is National Pancake Day! And IHOP is celebrating by giving away free pancakes to everyone, from 7am-10pm! They are asking for a donation to help out Children's Miricale Network and other local charities. They are hoping to raise $1millon. So if you're in the mood from some pancakes tomorrow.... hop on over to IHOP and help out those in need!!! (I just realized I said hop to IHOP... no pun intended!!) Check out their website for more info: http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/

Free Sample of Betty Crocker's Warm Delights!

Being 7 1/2 months pregnant, I'm obsessed with food! And when I saw the ad for Betty Crocker advertising a free sample of their Warm Delights Minis....I just had to click!! Here's the deal... go to Betty's Website and sign up for thier free monthly e-mail newsletter and receive a free sample of their delicious little mini treats in the mail in about 6-8 weeks. In addition, the newsletter will send you new recipees, baking ideas, coupons, other free sample and much more! Check it out!!

Choosing a Name for the New Baby

Why is choosing a name for a new baby so easy for some, yet an overly daunting task for me?? My husband and I have always had a difficult time agreeing on boys names...and given that we have 2, and a 3rd on the way... naming our babies has set us into some heated debates.

My biggest issue...what to consider when choosing a name. With hundreds of articles about effects of names on a child and more than 60,000 names to choose from, just thinking about where to start is overwhelming. I always sit down with my baby name book and make a list of names that appeal to me, then I go back through and make sure none have horrible meanings. Then my husband will add his 2cents and somehow other family members, such as my parents and in-laws always get ahold of my list and let me know how much they hate all the names I've written down, except for one....which is always my least favorite.

So what is important in a name? Should it be Cool? Trendy? Classic? Common? Unique? Original? Easy to pronounce? Simple? Made up? One of a kind? Popular? Strong? Short? Long?

Should you tell your friends and family before the baby is born? Should you decide with 100% certainty before you meet the baby? What if you know someone with the name you like? Should you name the baby after a family member?

There's just too many questions!! In my opinion it boils down to one thing.... this is your baby, and your decision. While it's not something to take lightly, it's not something to dwell on endlessly either. I do think that a name can impact a child later in life. For example, if you name your son Sissy, or your daughter Butch, they might have some social problems in schools. But I don't think that a name is a pre-cursor to crime, as a recent study suggested. Pick a name that you're happy with and that you wouldn't mind going through life with....that's what we're doing!

I Got an Interview!

I just got an e-mail yesterday with a time for my initial interview on March 6 with the local school system!! I graduated in December with my M.Ed in School Counseling and put in an application shortly after graduating. I'm hoping to get a position as a School Counselor in a local school for the 2009-2010 school year. I'm a little nervous about having to put the 2 youngest in childcare, especially the baby....who isn't even here yet! But I know moms do it all the time, and I can't wait to start working! I'll update once it's over! I'm so excited!!!

My Favorite Accessory

A few months ago my Mother in Law got me a Pandora charm bracelet for my birthday. I had heard of them, but had never seen one before. It was beautiful! I instantly fell in love with my new charm bracelet....the first charm bracelet I've ever owned. She had gotten me 3 beads, 2 birthstones for my boys and a baby carriage for the baby on the way. Over the next few months I slowly obtained a few more beads from family as gifts for various occasions. There are hundreds of different beads that you can get for the bracelets, including silver, gold an glass beads. The starter bracelets start out at $35 and beads start at about $25. My favorite is the silver clasp bracelet. It is beautiful and I've never had such a secure clasp on a piece of jewelry. The beads are beautiful with stunning details and elegant designs. If you're looking for a great gift, this is it! She can add to it and change it in any way she wants. And it makes for very easy gift giving for holidays and special occasions to come! Check out www.pandora-jewelry.com for a list of retailers, more detailed information on their jewelry and to start designing your own bracelet!!

Here's a picture from thier website that shows their stunning love themed beads, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Finally got Baby's Coming Home Outfit!!!

My mom and I went shopping at Kohl's today and we found some great deals on some adorable outfits for my new little baby boy!! They had several racks of winter clearance, up to 80% off! But our mission was some Spring outfits....and they were all 30-50% off! It was great! But my favorite is the little blue bib set that I plan to bring my little man home in. It's so cute! I love the little buttons on it and the tiny frog and snail, even if it is a cliche`!

Keeping Busy- My Key to Sanity

As I sit back to reflect on the week that has just flown by I realized that it was a great week...and pretty busy too. We had several playdates this week, including a mall walk on Monday, a playdate in my home on Thursday and a story time at the library today. I also had another OB appt. this week, fun fun! And yesterday the boys and I went to MOPS and then out to lunch with my best friend and her son. And Jake had soccer practice one night too! Geez! That was a lot. But we stayed so busy and my house hasn't been this clean in weeks! Not to mention that the boys have been going to bed by 8pm and sleeping in until around 8am!! Woohoo!

It can be so difficult to schedule so many events into one week, and just as difficult to motivate myself to get up and leave the house for the events! But I'm always so glad that I do. The boys really, truly enjoy themselves, and I do too. It's nice to have some adult conversation throughout the week instead of being cooped up in the house with just the kids. And I think the boys have really benefited from all the socialization that they're getting. They still have a ways to come with their manners and social skills, but I think every outing helps. I'm so glad that I've gotten into all of the activities that I have and I want to start taking the boys to church regularly too. I think that as a mother it's important to keep yourself and your kids involved with activities other than family events.

Two Ways to Earn FREE Pampers Diapers!

Over the last few weeks I've been shocked to learn how many moms to be and moms with little ones in diapers don't know about some of the easiest ways to earn free pampers diapers! I'm not talking about signing up on any of those bogus websites that you have do things for or by getting others to enroll on another site. There are 2 legitimate ways to earn pampers. Here's how:

1.) Sign up with pampers.com and enroll in their Gifts to Grow progam, it's completely free! Then save the little green stickers from inside pampers diapers, training pants, swim diapers and wipes and enter the codes on their website. For every 125 points you save up you can redeem them for a coupon for a FREE Jumbo package of Pampers diapers! It's that easy!! It's really easy to save up the points too, you can earn anywhere from 1-10 points per product. You can also redeem points for gift cards to places like Starbucks and Gap, as well as for Snapfish prints and photo gifts, and toys or books. Pampers also has a great online community with tons of helpful articles and advice!

2.) The second way to earn free Pampers is to sign up for a new rewards card with Toys R Us/ Babies R Us. This new rewards card allows you to earn "R Us Dollars" (or a $5 coupon for every $150 in qualifing purchases. But the best part.... for every 9 boxes of Pampers diapers you buy, you get the 10th box FREE!! You can't beat that! Especially if you use their coupons and manufacturers coupons as well!

Happy Diaper Shopping!! :)

My Much Needed Nap!

Well last week I caught the bug.... I was sick as a dog all day and didn't feel right for about 2 days after that. I was just drained! But the second day of it all I was actually able to get both of my boys to nap...at the SAME time!!! I still can't believe it! My 4 y/o was a little fussy, so I asked him if he wanted me to lay down in bed with him for a little bit, "just to rest"....and he agreed. Hmmm...ok. I'll take that. Then I got my 22 month old to come and lay down with us. Sweet! Before I knew it the big guy was snoring so loud he could have woken the dead! And about 5 minutes later the little one was sound asleep as well. So, naturally I attempted to make myself comfortable....laying on my side and being very careful not to lean back at all so I didn't smash my 4 y/o and trying to hold onto the little one so my big pregnant belly didn't knock him off the bed! BTW- we were all in a little twin bed, with several over sized stuffed animals! If anyone would have come over to visit at that time they would have gotten a good laugh! But oh well, I got a nap, for almost an entire hour that day! And all I've been able to think about since then is another nap!!!