Adventures Across A Sea of Blue

Today's Life Lesson: Spontaneous Combustion

2010-07-05T21:22:00.004-04:00

I never cease to amaze myself. Today, it was my stupidity.

See, the other night I went to one of my friends homes for a Mom's Night In. We all got together to watch a movie and chit chat, kid free. Everyone brought something to eat and I brought a bottle wine. Which, I will admit, was great!

The problem, however, started with the trip to the liquor store. I couldn't decide how much wine I should get. I wasn't exactly sure how many moms would be drinking. So I decided to get 2 large bottles. One was cold and I took it inside with me.

The other, was not cold and I decided to leave it in the car. My thought process was that I would have a second just in case, but if we didn't need it, I would just take it home with me and drink it another time. Genius! Everyone would be happy!

The problem continued when I forget to take the extra bottle out of the car that evening.

I left it in the trunk. All day. In 95 degree heat. Hmmmm......

The next day I popped the trunk open and was smacked in the face with the smell of wine. Apparently, if you leave a bottle of wine in a hot trunk long enough the cork will pop and wine will leak all over the place.

Thank goodness for spontaneous combustion!!!

It's a shame that my bottle wasn't sitting upright and then tilted itself and poured the wine into glasses after the cork popped!!!

Well, we'll just chalk this one up to another lesson learned.

The Best Confirmation

2010-07-01T14:20:00.005-04:00

As a mother one of my biggest fears is that my children won't know how much I really love them. I know that they know I care about them. They know I'll protect them and feed them. I'll nurture them and take them to the park. But do they know how much I really truly love them???

Earlier today I have my 3 year old a big hug and hold him, "I love you." Just as I do all the time. He usually looks at me and says, "I love you too." But he didn't today.

Instead, today, he looked at me and said, "Mommy, I know."

Those three simple words gave me confirmation that I must be doing something right. I hope my kids will always know that Mommy loves them!!!

My Utter Impulsivity, Take 2

2010-06-24T22:52:00.003-04:00

We all know that I can be impulsive. It's a bad habit that I can't break. I do and say things without ever thinking about the consequences or what I'd do next. Now, I know everybody can be impulsive at times. But lately, it's gotten really bad!!

Over the last couple weeks I've been going into work a few days a week to put in some summer hours while all the kids are on vacation. It's nice being able to go in and work without students. I have been very productive! However, when I go in during the summer I'm almost always the only person in the whole building. And just in case you're wondering, empty schools are freaky!!

On the last day of school all of our lockers were cleaned out and opened. And they're still open. All of them. Every single locker, empty and left open. And there I am all alone with them.

Every now and then I have to leave my office to go somewhere in the school, usually the copier.... and when that happens I have to walk by said lockers. This is not a good thing!!

See, every time I walk by those lockers I get this uncontrollable urge to run down the hall as fast as I can and slam all of the locker doors shut!! Wouldn't that be fun?!?! If I did it right, I could get the top row and the bottom row at the same time, in one swift move!! It's be sweet!

But there are cameras, and I'm afraid of getting caught. So I try to resist. But to be honest, I'm not sure how I'm going to make it all summer without shutting them all!!

By the way- I still sometimes get the urge to lick the TV. Only sometimes though. :)

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

2010-06-20T22:40:00.002-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there!!! I hope you all had a great day! And I hope all of you moms, wives, daughters had a great day with the special men in your lives!

And a special Happy Father's Day to my dad. I couldn't dream up a better dad than you. And I couldn't imagine my life without you. I am so grateful for everything you've ever done for me and for everything that you continue to do. You have helped make me the strong, caring, independent woman that I am today. Thanks, dad!! You truly are the best dad (and Grandpa) EVER!!!!

Search for the MIssing Phone

2010-06-18T23:03:00.003-04:00

I've been known to be pretty absent minded sometimes, and today was no exception.

Tonight, the boys and I took my hubby our for dinner to celebrate Father's Day. After dinner my hubby took the boys home and I went shopping to get Father's Day gifts for all the daddy's in my life.....

I got fed up and decided to head home, after not being able to find anything I was looking for. About 10 minutes into my almost 30 minute drive I reached for my cell phone......
And it wasn't there!!! Uh OH!!

Where the heck did it go?!?!?! I SWEAR I didn't leave it anywhere! Great! Now what? I began searching frantically as I drove down the road. I emptied my purse, several times. And my wallet, several times. I triple checked the seats and my pockets. I even checked the center console, which I knew I hadn't opened.

I couldn't find it. Great. I must have left it at the last store I was at. I was checking the time when I was in there. Sigh.... Guess I'll just have to turn around and go get it....

So I turned around went back to the store I had just come from. And 15 minutes later, I arrived. Upon arrival I jumped out of the car to head into the store....

And low and behold, when I got out of the car there sat my cell phone on the seat of the car....

I had been sitting on it the whole time!!! Geez!! I really wish someone would have called me so I'd have heard it ring!! :) Oh well.... at least I found it!! Next time I'll check the seat before I turn the car around!

The Simple Ways they Melt My Heart

2010-06-14T20:30:00.003-04:00

I've always believed the saying, "It's the simple things in life that matter most."

But lately I've been trying really hard to pay more attention to those simple things in life.

Today I noticed the little things that my boys do that bring a smile to my face, even if I'm not in a good mood......

How'd my little loves make me smile today???

Every day when I get home and go pick up the boys I always greet each of them with a big hug and kisses. Today, I gave my 5 year old a hug and he pulled back and just looked at me. Then he said, "Mommy, let me smell your hair." So leaned in and let him smell my hair. He gave me a big sniff and then looked at me and said, "Hmmm, it smells really nice!" LOL!! Thanks, honey!!

Later, I was standing in the kitchen at my mother's house and my 14 month old started yelling "BOO!!" He cracked up when I would pretend I was scared of him, it was so cute! I scooped him up and he kept yelling "BOO", so I started yelling back at him. He started laughing so hard that he would get confused and sometimes his "BOO" would be a combo laugh/boo. Then he'd shake his head, look at me and yell "BOO" again.

On the way home tonight, my 3 year old says to me, "Mommy, can you do this??" I looked in the mirror and he was making the 'I love you' sign. I said, "Yep, I love you." And he got this huge smile on his face and said, still making his sign, "I love you too, Mommy!"

My boys melt my heart each and every day!!

Today's Life Lesson: Get Up and Go!

2010-06-11T22:27:00.002-04:00

We've all heard the say, "You learn something new every day." And I will admit, I use it quite often. I, however, never really put much thought to the saying or whether or not it was true. But when I stop to think about it, you really do learn something new every day. Sometimes it's a new fact that you never knew, sometimes it's a bit of insight and other times it may be something that you already knew, but hadn't thought about lately, or now look at in a different way.

My life lesson today??

JUST GET UP AND GO!

About 3 weeks ago I started jogging in the mornings. Ok, so I started speed walking/ slowly jogging. I run about 2 miles every morning around my neighborhood. And I'm happy to report, I've been doing pretty well. I never thought I'd like running, but I LOVE it! I have a ton more energy and I just feel better about myself.

But some mornings it's hard to get up and get motivated to start running. This morning was one of those mornings. I kept pushing the snooze button. And to make it worse, I knew that I could sleep in today and it was a groggy, humid morning. But alas, I got up and headed out.

When I returned everyone in my house was still asleep, so I got in the shower and got ready. I had energy to keep up and play with my boys all day. It was great.

Now I just need to keep this motivation up and keep going!!!

Pushing our kids too much?

2010-04-23T09:41:00.000-04:00

Why do we push kids to be mini athletes? It's a fact that less than 1% of all high school athletes will be professional athletes one day. And we all know that many of the little 5 year olds playing sports will not even play high school sports. So why do we push out little ones to play so perfectly??

Our 5 year old is playing t-ball in for our local little league this year. At a recent game a father repeatedly yelled directions at his young son. Every time the boy was in the field we would hear "Jacob stand up! Jacob look at the ball! Jacob pay attention!" And on and on. When he was up to bat the father was yelling over the fence how to stand. Now I'm not saying that a parent should never give directions, I yell directions occasionally. But this was excessive. Every few seconds this father way yelling.

I can't help but wonder what will happen to the self-esteem of children treated like this as they grow. How will a child like this boy handle failure? He is going to have such big shoes to fill. What if he just simply can't do it?

It's a fact that kids want to please their parents. Even though they won't say it and some times it won't seem as though they want to please their parents, in their hearts they do. As parents we need to teach our children to do their best. Don't set expectations too high. Allow room for failure and teach them how to cope with failure.

Teach your children that it's ok to miss the ball. It's ok to strike out. Even if there are 2 outs and the bases are loaded. It's ok to strike out. It's ok. What's important is that they try their best. It's important that they get up the next inning and try again.

Foster resilience, push for growth and allow for failure. Don't strive for perfection, they will only let you down if do.

Wordless Wednesday: Our Soldiers

2010-04-21T22:14:00.003-04:00

Because there's so much more to our soldiers than mysterious uniforms and big guns.

Support Our Troops! If we don't, who will?

For more amazing Army photos and details of the pictures posted here check out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/

There Should be a Warning Label!!

2010-04-09T21:32:00.002-04:00

There should be a warning label on Bath and Body Work's Stress Relief lotion. What would such a warning label say???

"WARNING - This product will not always provide stress relief. In fact, at times it may cause a rapid increase in stress."

Why would you need such a warning?

Because while you're getting ready, your 5 year old will take the bottle and empty it into your 3 year old's hair. The two of them will then begin to rub the lotion all over the 3 year old's head and arms. By the time you peak your head out of the bathroom to check on them, approximately 2 minutes later, said 3 year old will be such a mess you will have stop what you're doing and go give him another bath.

And if you're really lucky, while you're bathing the 3 year old, your hair (which you were in the middle of blow drying) will become frizzy and you'll have to double the amount of time you spent fixing it. At the same time your 5 year old will go down to the kitchen and spill a bowl of cereal and your 1 year old will attempt to help you give the 3 year old a bath and will get so wet, he'll require a new outfit.

Morale of the story? Keep your stress relieving lotion up out of reach of your little ones.

Music Makes Me Dance!

2010-02-25T22:52:00.003-05:00

I've always heard that music can really connect with a person's emotions. Music can make you laugh, cry, think, dance, or who knows! We've all got that one song that evokes some type of feeling or brings back memories whenever we hear it. I have several. :)

For example, every time I hear "Strawberry Wine" it takes me back to the awkward 8th grades dances in middle school. I still remember how badly I wanted to dance with my crush, we'll just call him "Bert". And of course, what did Bert and I dance to? Strawberry Wine!!

And "Genie in a Bottle" reminds me of high school. I remember choreographing that song in the basement of one of my best friends houses.

The list could go on and on. But I never really thought about how much music really can have an impact on someone until today.

I had a horrible day. NOTHING went right. I had problems with co-workers, students and some nasty parents. It was just one of no good, horrible, terribly bad days. I then got off work and went to the sporting goods store to get snow pants for the snow tubing field trip I got suckered into tomorrow. And of course, there were NONE. But the clerck did say that they'd have more next year!! Ugh! Then I headed home and found the kids sitting in my mother in law's kitchen eating ice cream, BEFORE dinner! Seriously?! They were so wound up. Headache!!

Anyway, on the way home Michael Buble's new song "Haven't Met You Yet" came on the radio. I turned it up and started softly singing to it. I slowly got louder and louder. Then I started dancing to it as I drove down the road. By the time the second verse started I was belting out the song so loud passing cars could probably hear me! And I was trying so hard to dance in my seat that those passing cars probably thought I was having convulsions!

But I noticed I felt so much better. I had a smile on my face. Everything was ok. None of the 'bad' things of my day really mattered. I remembered that I just need to LIVE IN THE MOMENT! Enjoy life. Have FUN! Live a little! Dance a lot!!

Try it! Turn on some of your favorite tunes the next time you're feeling down and see what happens! I'm convinced that no matter how bad my day has been all I need is a good song and some cute dancing shoes (or socks)!!

Snow, Snow, Snow!

2010-02-12T23:02:00.004-05:00

Over the last week my area has been pounded by snow. I'm not in the hardest hit area, but over the last week we've gotten around 3 1/2 feet where I live. The roads have been horrible. Many roads have been closed for days. Some areas have had driving bans to try and keep people off the dangerous roads. After the first snow storm my husband and I took the boys out to play, and I thought I'd share some pictures. These were all taken earlier this week, after the first band of snow. We got another 18 inches the day after these were taken.

My husband decided to jump off of our porch into the snow, just like the big kid he is!! :)

Poor little Bear didn't like being put down in the snow!

At one point I looked out the window and 4 of our neighbors were all out with their snow blowers, and several others with shovels. They were all helping each other. This man was snow blowing paths from house to house down the middle of the road, which hadn't been plowed.

Writer's Block

2010-02-08T22:49:00.002-05:00

I have writers block.

Well, maybe I'm just not a writer, because I have "writer's block" nearly every day. Hence the reason I only write a few times a week.

But I have noticed that there will be times during the day that I think, "Oh, this will be so good to blog about!!!" But later that evening, as I sit down at the computer, one of two things happens.

Either, one, I can't remember that "great" idea that I had earlier. Or, two, that "great" idea is totally lame and boring.

For example, earlier today I broke my toothbrush. It's one of those fancy electric toothbrushes, that my mom got me for Christmas last year. One of the little parts with the bristles on it popped out and was vibrating all over the place. It was very annoying. I thought I could fix it, and pushed it back together. But it popped out again. So I pushed it back in, harder this time, jamming it. So now it just makes a strange grinding sound. Sigh....

Anyway, I was so upset this morning about my toothbrush, I thought, "you know, it is true, you never how much you'll miss something until it's gone." Then I stared at my toothbrush a little longer, wondering how much a new one would cost me and thinking about how horrible it would be until I got a new one. Then it hit me.... BLOG POST! Yes! I have something to write about!! WooHoo!!

And guess what?! I even made a note of my amazing brain storm!! The problem? When I sat down this evening I remembered thinking that I had something to say, but couldn't remember.
Then I remembered my note.... so I went and looked at it. Then I realized how stupid my toothbrush story was. (Yes, I know, I told it anyway. But in a different way and to illustrate a purpose, so it's ok.) :)

I love blogging. I really do. But I have the hardest time coming up with material sometimes. Hmm.... what shall I write about tomorrow?? I'll have to remember to keep taking notes!! That really helped tonight!!!

Five for Friday: 5 Reasons I have a Headache Today

2010-02-05T07:52:00.000-05:00

1) I ate all of my chocolate yesterday, which left me with none for breakfast this morning.

2) My 5 year old kicked a ball which hit me square in the side of the head.

3) My kids think that they are the Jonas Brothers, even at 6:30am.

4) I was graced with my special visitor this week.

5) I ate all my chocolate yesterday.

My Utter Impulsivity

2010-02-01T12:06:00.004-05:00

Last night my husband turned on the Pro Bowl and took his usual position on the couch. I walked into the room and asked him a question about the game, pointing at the TV. Now I didn't touch the TV, but I was very close to it, within an inch or so.

At this point my husband looks at me and yells: "Don't touch the TV!"

I replied: "I didn't touch the TV, but so what if I did. If I want to touch the TV, I will!"

I turned and started to walk back to the kitchen, but of course I just had to walk back in and say: "In fact, if I want to lick the TV, I will!!"

And I hate to admit it, but it took every bone in my body to NOT lick the TV!!

Ugh! My husband really brings out the best in me!!

Wanted: Industrial Strength Ear Plugs

2010-01-29T09:21:00.000-05:00

Wanted: Industrial Strength Ear Plugs

Mother of 3 is desperately searching for a set of industrial strength ear plugs. It is imperative that the ear plugs be able to block out sounds at all octaves. They must be able to block the sound of 3 children having a screaming match in the back seat of the vehicle. They must also be able to block out tattle tales, children's cartoons (especially Barney), loud toys, and complainers.

Additional desired features: Able to block out husbands, mother in laws and the telephone.

Will pay top dollar for product!!!

I'm so sleepy!!

2010-01-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

I struggle to wake up every day. Last week there was a day that I hit the snooze button for an entire hour. Needless to say I was nearly late to work that day.

Of course the obvious solution to such a problem would be to go to bed earlier, hence getting more sleep at night. Easy enough, right?

Well, there's a reason I never make it to bed early. See, my children have devised a plan to drive me crazy. Every night I put my boys to bed and then to go about my evening. A short while later I'll go crawl into bed to wind down and watch TV or read.

And every night, just as I'm turning out the light one of my little ones wakes up, most likely Jellybean. Here's a chronology of my typical night:

10-11 pm I go to bed

11pm Jellybean will wake up and I'll go and settle him down and then go back to bed.

1am Bear will wake up and I'll feed him and put him back to bed. This will be immediately followed by Jellybean waking up once again.

2am (Nearly an hour after Bear woke up) I will finally be able to go back to bed.

4am I will hear Little Man coming and crawling into bed with me.

5:30am My alarm clock will go off and I will hit the snooze button every 10 minutes for the next 20-60 minutes.

Of course during any given night any one of the 3 boys will wake an extra time, causing me to get even less sleep.

I love my boys, but it's quite obvious why I am always so tired in the morning.

But that's ok, I only have about 5 more years to go and then they should all be sleeping through the night!! WooHoo!! Come on 2015!!

So Stressful

2010-01-25T08:22:00.000-05:00

When you become a parent you will inevitably hear "Enjoy them while they're young, they grow up too fast." Or "You'll miss these days when they're over." Or "These are the happiest days of your life." But is this really true??

I do believe that my babies will grow up too fast. And I'm sure I'll look back on these days and will wish my boys were still so small and innocent.

However, while listening to the radio a few days ago they were talking about the most stressful time of a person's life. The most stressful time? Mid 20s- Mid 30s.

The least stressful times? The college years and retirement.

Hmmm...... I'd have to say, I think I agree with this. I know that my college years were not very stressful at all. Granted I did have to stop partying occasionally to keep up with my school work and I did travel home many weekends to work. However, overall, college was just plain fun.

By contrast, the last few years since becoming a mom have been extremely stressful. Of course I wouldn't trade my life or family for the world, but I sure am stressed. Parenting is fun, but the little ones require so much time and attention it can become quite overwhelming.

That said, I do wish that people would stop telling me to enjoy my kids now and that this is the happiest time of my life. I know that my kids are growing up too fast, I don't need you to remind me of that. And I know I'll miss these days when they're gone. But that doesn't mean I don't have other things in life to look forward to. Like baseball games, graduations, weddings and grandkids!

I'm Back!

2010-01-23T21:32:00.003-05:00

Wow! It's been over 4 months since I've made a post!! What happened?! It's been a busy couple months! Granted I wasn't a die hard blogger with thousands of visitors, but there has always been something about blogging that I loved. I love being able to share my thoughts and stories with others. Though I have to admit, after a couple of months I started to wonder if it had been too long.... Should I even continue my blog? Should I just start a new one? I think I'll stick to what I know. So here's your fair warning.... I'm back!!! :)

Wordless Wednesday - Blackmail is Beautiful!

2009-09-23T08:17:00.000-04:00

I can not wait until Little Man is 16 and giving me a fit! I'm going to whip this picture out so fast he won't know where to hide!! Hehe!

What a Busy Weekend!

2009-09-22T21:58:00.005-04:00

Saturday was a big day for our little family. Little Man celebrated his 5th birthday with a small birthday party and Bear got his first tooth!!! Of course Jellybean was floating around all over the house during this time... Unfortunately he did not hit any milestones this weekend. Poor guy.

I still can't believe that my oldest is 5 and in school already. It feels like just yesterday I was laying on the couch, 4 days over due, still waiting for him to make his arrival so that I could walk again. Celebrating a birthday is such a bittersweet occasion. It's exciting to see how big they've gotten and to stop and reflect on all I've accomplished as a mother in the last 5 years. But it's also sad when you look at how quickly the time has gone by.

(When it was time to cut the cake we all sang happy birthday to him, and then I yelled "Make a wish and blow out your candles!" He then proceeded to lean over his cake, close his eyes and loudly whisper, "I wish I had a race car!" and then blew out his candles. It really was too cute!!)

It's also bittersweet when your baby gets his first tooth. It's exciting because you know that soon he'll be able to eat real food and will no longer require spoon feeding, but it now hurts when he grabs your hand and starts to chew on your finger. I know it's just one little itty bitty tooth, but boy is it sharp!!

We're Buying a Home!!

2009-09-14T08:10:00.000-04:00

As many of you know I recently started working full time. Well as you all know with a full time job, comes full time pay!! And well, lets just put it this way.... my husband and I LOVE to spend money! So what will we do now? We've decided to buy a house! I'm so excited!

We started looking at homes about 2 weeks ago. We found a few that we really liked. Unfortunately they were all under contract. We were so bummed. Then we found this huge beautiful home about 10 miles from where we currently live. We fell in love.

And with any great love affair, comes a commitment. So on Friday morning at 8am we placed an offer. And on Friday evening at 8:30 pm we got a call from our realtor. They had accepted our offer!! (No, they didn't accept it just like that, but that's a whole other story!)

My husbands I screamed into the phone when she told me the news. I don't think I did. He's delusional. :) But we are very excited! So now comes all the fun parts... packing, paperwork, money, inspections, more paperwork, more packing, more paperwork, more money and more paperwork!! I hope you all will enjoy my ramblings as I document our venture as first time home buyers!!

We Will Never Forget 9/11

2009-09-11T20:31:00.000-04:00

September 11, 2001

We Will Never Forget

Paper Culture Review

2009-09-04T23:35:00.000-04:00

I LOVE cards! I love sending and receiving cards! Really. I know that snail mail is going out of style, but I still love checking my mail every day. Especially when I get a fun letter from a friend instead of a bill!! Maybe that's why I love Christmas time so much.... all the cards I get to send and receive. Well, I try to send them, when I don't forget. So when I was chosen through MomFluence to review a few products from Paper Culture I was more than a little curious and excited!

A few days later I received a little package in the mail. Being absent minded like I am I had no idea what could possibly be in the little brown envelope. I ran inside thrilled to have a 'fun' package to tear open! What was it? An assortment of brightly colored samples from Paper Culture!

Here's some background on the company:

The products are Eco-Friendly!! They come from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, are generated by wind power, and printed on FSC certified paper. This company really truly cares about our environment and is making every effort possible to provide outstanding quality products while respecting the environment. To learn more about all of their extensive eco-friendly practices visit Paper Culture here. And don't let the eco-friendly paper fool you.... it's super thick and GREAT quality!! I was shocked! It's much better than a Shhh... Hallmark..... Shh card!!

Paper Culture is also very modern in design! I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely the designs were! They pride themselves on the bright colors and are influenced by brands such as Apple and Kate Spade!! Have I ever told you I LOVE Kate Spade?

And my favorite part about this awesome company? The convenience solutions it offers! Seriously, if you read no other part of this post.... please, READ THIS PART!!!! Paper culture will actually stuff, address and mail your letters!! I know what you're thinking.... that's too expensive. No way. But it's not! The only charge is the price of the stamps!!! How cool is that?! Remember how I was saying I love Christmas cards, but always forget them? Well, here's my solution!! It's so simple!

What exactly do they sell? Invitations, announcements, thank you cards, and much more!!

How much are they? The card are as low as $1.49 each. And they're only $2.29 if you buy only one card! That's way cheaper than that standard run of the mill card that you can pick up in the mall! And now through September 30th you can save $15 on a purchase of $75 or more!!

I really to do LOVE this company!! The stationery is affordable, fashionable, high quality and environmentally friendly. Coupled with the convenience factor... you can't beat it. And I'm not the only one who loves it! Paper Culture has also been featured in Cookie magazine and in the 2009 Tony Awards Gala gift bag!!

Get more info!!

Website: http://www.paperculture.com/ Email: contact@paperculture.com

Phone: (877) 77-CULTURE (877-772-8588)

Paper Culture Location: California (Northern, Bay Area)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/paperculture

Twitter: http://twitter.com/paperculture

About Us Page: http://www.paperculture.com/about-us.html

My 100th Post!! With a Target Gift Card GIVEAWAY!!

2009-09-02T22:03:00.002-04:00

On November 15, 2008 I wrote my first blog post. It was a post about our sonogram results... when we found out that baby #3 would be another boy! Now, 9 1/2 months later, I've written 100 blog posts! Can you believe it!? It's my 100th post!!! I can't believe that I've written 100 posts! I didn't think I'd make it to 10 when I first started! It's so hard to really get into your groove and figure out what to write about, especially when you first start! But don't worry..... 100 posts later I have LOTS to say! Ok, then again, that may be a reason to worry....

And of course, I have to take a minute and reflect on all the fun I've had since I started writing!! I've "met" so many wonderful people blogging!! And I've even gotten a few awards! Personally, I've graduated from grad school, given birth to my 3rd son, celebrated my 5th wedding anniversary, had a child start kindergarten, had a husband get laid off of work, and then thankfully find a new job, and I went from being a stay at home mom to working full time! Holy cow! It's been a busy year! :) And there was even a few weddings and a funeral somewhere in there two! Shew!

Ok, well here's the fun part..... I'm going to be giving away a $15 Target giftcard to one of my lucky readers to help celebrate my milestone!!! Why Target? Well, it's my favorite store! And since it's MY milestone on MY blog, that's what I pick. :) (And because I thought all of you would like it too!)

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory 1st Entry: Tell me how you found out about this giveaway. For example, you already follow me.... or you found me through a link somewhere..... tell me where that link came from. You MUST do this to be qualified to win.

Extra Entries!

(1) Extra Entry- Follow me on blogger (or tell me you already do)!

(1) Extra Entry- Follow me on Facebook

(1) Extra Entry-Follow me on Twitter

(1) Extra Entry- Tweet this giveaway, be sure to link back to this post! This can be done once per day.

(2) Extra Entries - Leave a comment on another one of my posts here and then come back and tell me which one.

(5) Extra Entries- Blog about this giveaway!! You must leave a link to your blog post here.

Fine Print: Contest open to Continental US residents only. You MUST have an e-mail address easily accessible either on your blog or on your profile. I am horrible at scavenger hunts, so make sure I can find it, or just leave it with your comments. The contest ends at 12Midnight EST on Saturday, September 26, 2009. A winner will be chosen using Random.org within 24 hours of the contest closing. I will notify the winner by e-mail, and the winner will have 72 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn.

Thanks for entering! Good Luck!!

And be sure to check out the other giveaways going on around the blogosphere!

http://www.brentriggs.com" />

I HATE Kindergarten!

2009-08-31T07:29:00.000-04:00

So this past week while everyone else was writing blog posts about their little one's first wonderful days of kindergarten I was getting the silent treatment from my little precious angel. See, contrary to popular belief, kindergarten isn't always fun.... for the kids or the parents!! Let me explain....

The day started out wonderful! We all woke up and got ready. My hubby and I tag teamed packing Little Man's lunch for his first big day! We loaded up all 3 of the boys and all of their gear and headed out... with time to spare! (Which if you know us, that's a miracle in itself!)

So we dropped the 2 little ones of at Grandma's for the day and then headed to school. We pulled in the parking lot and took our Little Man to his classroom.

When we finally reached his classroom door, he walked right in! Not only did he walk right in, but he remembered where his cubby was and put in lunch box away!!! Then he hung up his book bag and went to his desk.... and he remembered which desk was his on the first try!! Oh, and he do I even need to mention that he didn't even look to see if I was still standing back there!? Sigh.... I know he's a big boy and can do things on his own, but come on now!! At least ACT like you NEED your MOTHER!!! Geez! So once I realized that he really didn't need me AT ALL, I snapped this picture of him doing his warm up at his desk and headed out.

Now I didn't cry at all. (Though I probably would have it my darling hubby hadn't been complaining all the other parents there.... but that's another story.) But, fast forward to the end of the day......

I got off work at 4 pm and then went to my mother-in-law's to pick up our two little ones. Then I headed to pick up Little Man from school. He gets off at 3:15, but this day he had to stay in the after care program because there's no way I'd be there when he got off. So, at 4:40 I pulled in the school and rushed into the aftercare room. When I got there I scanned all the little boys playing and didn't see mine! I started to panic! I finally noticed a little one curled up on a mat in the corner, sleeping... yep, that one's mine!!

Apparently, Little Man didn't understand what I meant by staying after school and when I didn't pick him up with the other kids in his class he had a melt down. Now of course the school played it off like it wasn't a big deal. They said he was upset and they talked and then he was fine.... but he was SLEEPING when I got there! Seriously? My kids don't nap! Not a good sign!

Long story short..... I got the silent treatment for almost an hour after I was able to stop the tears as we left school. And he will no longer be staying for aftercare.... my mother and mother-in-law will be taking turns picking him up. I hate kindergarten.

McKlinky Blog Hop {8/25/09} Time to Laugh!

2009-08-25T07:13:00.000-04:00

I LOVE old vintage photos. I have a set of magnets on my fridge with old vintage pictures and risque sayings. I love them, even though the hubby thinks they're inappropriate. :) Here's a few spoof vintage ads!

Guess where I've been!!!

2009-08-24T06:45:00.000-04:00

Yep! You guessed it, the dog house. Why? Because I'm a horrible wife? No? How could that be? What did I do? Well.... remember a couple weeks ago I was talking about getting a job? And remember how I kept second guessing myself and whether I could really do it all? Well this past week I proved that I can't. At least not perfectly.

I forgot my husbands birthday. Ahh! Gasp!! I know, I know. How in the world could someone forget their spouse's birthday? I don't know. I mean I didn't forget. I just forgot that morning and afternoon.... until I heard someone else (my father in law to be exact) wish him happy birthday! Opps!! I knew there was something I meant to do!!

Well, needless to say, he was more than a little upset with me. Actually, today... 5 days later, he's still upset with me. I spent my whole weekend trying to make it up to him.... taking him out to dinner, letting him go shopping with no limits (yeah, stupid idea... I don't suggest trying that.... now I have a huge bill to pay)!

Am I the only bad wife out there? And just for the record.... I had made plans the day before his birthday with my mother in law to sit the kids so I could take him out. I just forgot that I had made those plans on the day of. I guess I need a brighter highlighter for my calendar.

I Got 2 Awards! Yay!

2009-08-21T22:01:00.000-04:00

Ok, so several weeks ago I received 2 'awards'. Yay! I guess it's time to post them and pass them along!!

First, I received the Honest Scrap Award from the fabulous Christen over at La Vida Lista!

Now for the rules:

-Thank the award giver
-Copy the logo and place on your blog
-Link back to the award giver/s
-Name 10 things about you that people may find interesting
-Nominate and link up to 10 other blogs for this award
-Comment on each blog to tell them about the award!

So here's 10 semi-interesting things about me:
1. I love to take pictures... so much that if I could I'd quite my day job and be a professional photographer.
2. I suck at taking pictures, which is why I'll never quite my day job.
3. I want to learn to sew.
4. I secretly want another baby.... I really want to try again for a girl!
5. I'm a horrible speller.... spell checker is my life line!
6. I once kissed a rock star!
7. I can't cook. Really, just look at how skinny my children are!
8. I hate to clean. Seriously, my house looks like ToysRUs and the laundry mat collided going 200 mph!
9. One day I want to publish a book... I don't care what it's about, just a book. Maybe it'll be about boogers. Who knows.
10. Number 6 is a complete lie. I just wanted to feel interesting.

Here are a few blogs that I'm bestowing this wonderful award to!

1. Slee @ Paisley and Pretties
2. KT @ Sneaker Teacher
3. Misty @ The Queen of My House
4. Melissa @ Frugal Creativity
5. Kris @ House, Hands and Heart full

And here is my Kreativ Blogger Award! It was given to me by My Bargain Mom! (Who by the way has some terrific tips to save money!)

Here are the RULES of this Award:
(1) Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
(2) Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
(3) Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
(4) Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
(5) Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
(6) Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
(7) Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

And well, I'm not that interesting.... so you can refer to the above list for 7 interesting things about me. And don't worry... I don't care which 7 you re-read. :)

And here are 7 Kreativ Blogs that I love reading!

1. Kayla @ My Simply Chaotic Life
2. Christen @ La Vida Lista (and no, it's not just b/c she gave me an award... she really is fabulous!)
3. Monique @ Resident Mommy
4. Billie @ Bugs and Snails
5. Cindy @ Chalk it Up!
6. Amy @ Happily Ever After
7. ItsyBitsyKnitsy

Help Me Fight Hunger!!!

2009-08-13T22:15:00.000-04:00

Did you know that last year 35.1 million Americans did not have enough food to meet the basic nutritional needs? That's 1 in every 8 Americans!! And elderly and children are becoming more and more at risk! That's scary!!

A few weeks ago I was contacted to help spread the word about ShopRite Partners in Caring's quest to fight hunger. And while I'm a little late getting this post up.... this is a cause that is to good not to share with you all!!

What is ShopRite Partners in Caring? ShopRite Partners in Caring is a "year-round, community-based, hunger-fighting initiative that works with 50 food industry manufacturers to provide $2 million annually to qualified charitable agencies in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Rhode Island."

This year ShopRite Partners in Caring is celebrating 10 years and has donated $20 million to over 1,400 charities!!! These charities have included senior citizen programs, battered women's shelters, emergency food pantries, after-school programs, programs for disabled and others!!

And the donations aren't just food! They donated other much needed essentials such as toothpaste or pantyhose thanks to the partnership with the 50 manufacturers they work with!

How Can YOU Help??

Easy! There are several ways that you can help!!

1.) Shop at ShopRite stores and look for specially marked items with the ShopRite Partners In Caring shelf tag , and you'll be donating to one of the 1,400 charities that ShopRite works with!! "It’s that simple."

2.) Don't have a ShopRite? That's ok! Leave a comment to this post by August 20, 2009 and ShopRite will donate 1 box of cereal to a food bank in ShopRite's trading area for each of the first 30 bloggers that leave that said comment!!! How cool is that!?

3.) Check out ShopRite Partners in Caring's website with more ways you can help!!

So really, all you have to do is leave me some love right here..... anything.... tell me what your favorite charity is or your favorite aspect of ShopRite Partners in Caring! Anything! Just leave a comment and get a box of cereal donated!!

Here's some quick links with great info!

Check out ShopRite Partners in Caring's info here.
Get more information about hunger here!
Get information on ShopRite Partners in Caring's featured charity here.
Read up on the latest news about this great program here!!!

Wordless Wednesday- When My Husband Sleeps....

2009-08-12T07:23:00.000-04:00

When my husband sleeps he snores so stinkin loud!! How loud you ask? This is what he sounds like.....

A Tug Boat

A Freight Train

Someone sawing logs!

This makes me wish I still had my cats!!

We've had this conversation!

And please, don't tell him I told you!

I Survived my First Day!

2009-08-11T22:11:00.003-04:00

Well, I did it! I survived my first day! Though my vice principal said he could see steam coming out of my one ear by the time I left! Hehe! It was very overwhelming and I'm still a little nervous, but I did enjoy myself. My biggest worry now is little Bear. He's refusing to take any solids and they tried to give him formula once, and he refused that too!! And today I wasn't able to pump a whole bottle! Luckily I have some on reserve, but I don't know what I'm going to do! I really hope that I'll be able to get better with pumping at work. If anyone's been through this... I need help!! LOL!

And after a day, I think it will be good for me to be at work. I really enjoyed my time with the boys tonight. Even cleaning up the popcorn that Jellybean so willingly smashed into the floor with his food on purpose, wasn't annoying. I think this will give me a new perspective on parenting and on my kids!

And in other news..... I enrolled Little Man into Kindergarten at a local private christian school yesterday! He'll start in about 2 weeks!! I'm so excited, but so upset that he's grown up so fast! Sigh... where does the time go??

And thanks to those of you who have visited and left such sweet comments over the last few days. I'm sorry I haven't been able to get back to you yet.... it's been nuts! But I haven't forgotten you all!

And why do I seem to have to start every new paragraph with "and"? My high school english teacher would be soooo upset with me! :)

Can I Be a SuperMom?!?!

2009-08-09T07:04:00.000-04:00

I AM SCARED TO DEATH!!! Really. I just want to go crawl under my bed and hide! Ok, maybe not under my bed, maybe just in my bed. But I do want to hide! Why? Because I got a job!! I know, most people would be jumping for joy (especially with this economy right now). But I'm terrified to start working.

I've been a SAHM to my 3 little guys since Little Man was just a baby.... almost 5 years! And starting this Tuesday I'll be working full-time as school counselor at my county's alternative school. I am really excited to start my job. I know I'll LOVE it! But it's going to be so hard to leave my babies, especially little Bear, who just turned 4 months old last Monday.

I think my biggest fear is whether or not I can really pull off being a SuperMom! Can I really take care of a home and my family while working full-time? Sure, other moms do it all the time! Key word in that statement: OTHER.

Can I live up to the definition of a SuperMom?

Here's how Merriam-Webster defines a Supermom:
Main Entry: su·per·mom
Pronunciation: \ˈsü-pər-ˌmäm\
Function: noun
Date: 1974
: an exemplary mother; also : a woman who performs the traditional duties of housekeeping and child-rearing while also having a full-time job

Wow! Exemplary?! And since 1974? Hmmm.... I wouldn't have guessed that this term had been around that long. I guess all my lovely mental pictures of carefree days in which the mothers didn't work aren't from the 80's!

I know what you're thinking.... "Geez, Heather! Come on! Suck it up and just do it!" Ok, ok. I will. Just please say a little prayer for me on Monday evening! I'll keep you posted with how it all goes!

Solo Cup Photo Contest!

2009-08-08T21:43:00.000-04:00

Don't you just love family get togethers and picnics? I know I do! Every summer my family and I attend numerous picnics with family and friends to enjoy the warm weather and company. The boys always have a fun time playing with friends and family they rarely see and I (and my hubby) enjoy the food! And you can almost always count on one other thing... Solo Cups! Yeah, yeah... I know. That line's a little cheesy. But it's true! Thinking back over all the picnics we've gone to and parties that we've thrown, there are always Solo brand plastic cups.... you know the red or blue cups that you used to drink beer out of when you were in college?

Right now Solo is trying to spread the word about a new cup design, the Solo Squared™. How are they doing this? Why, a contest of course!! And not just any contest... a photo contest featuring Solo cups!

Here's the details from an e-mail they sent me:

And because winning great prizes is always fun, we have a great contest opportunity for you! To celebrate decades of great entertaining and the new Squared party cup, Solo Cup Company has launched an online photo contest with a grand prize of $5,000 for the best photo featuring a Solo Squared cup. You'll be able to enter your favorite photos at http://www.solocups4ever.com/start/ until August 14 and the winners will be announced on August 21, 2009. In addition to the grand prize, two $1,000 runner-up prizes will be awarded at the end of the contest. By entering, you'll also have the chance to win daily and weekly prizes of gift certificates and Solo products.

So basically, go through your old photos and upload them to win a daily or weekly prize (ie. free product and coupons!) and then take a cool picture of the new Solo Squared cup for a chance to win $5000! Have fun with your pictures!!!

Five For Friday! {5 GREAT Giveaways!!}

2009-08-07T15:37:00.004-04:00

There are so many great giveaways and contests going on right now! Here are just 5 of my faves!!

1. Enter to win one of four gift certificates to Ju Ju Beane Boutique. One grand prize winner will get a $100 gift certificate and 3 winners get a $25 gift certificate to the baby boutique. Enter at The Shopping Mama by August 19.

2. Win a $100 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Enter at Frugal Creativity by August 14.

3. Win a $150 gift card for back to school shopping at KidsCoats.com. Enter at One Bored Mommy by August 18.

4. Win a Coach wallet, sponsored by Jomashop ($228 value). Enter at Southern Girl Reviews by August 30.

5. Win a Bumbleride Indie twin stroller valued at $650!! Enter at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House by August 11.

Wordless Wednesday! {Flashback to Early 1940s}

2009-08-05T07:04:00.001-04:00

A few years ago we came across some old pictures of our family. I recently was able to get ahold of the discs which held these priceless family treasures and just had to share them with you all! These are all pictures of my grandmother taken between 1940-1943.

1940 With Her Older Sister, Jane

1941 By the Barn

1942 New Puppies

1943 Professional Photo

1943 With Her Uncle

His Tattling Backfired!!

2009-08-04T07:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I went downstairs to do the laundry. I wasn't down there but 2 minutes and I heard Little Man screaming "Mom!! Mom!! Come look was [Jellybean] did!!" He then proceeded to come downstairs, since I was ignoring him.... or in his mind, I couldn't hear him. Here's how the conversation went:

Little Man: "Mom! Come look what Jellybean did!"

Me: "What did he do?"

Little Man: "You have to come look!"

Me: "Can't you just tell me?"

Little Man: "No, you have to come look!!!"

Me: (Knowing that Jellybean was starting to push one of my couch cushions off as I walked downstairs) "Well, go tell him to put the couch cushion back on the couch."

Little Man: (Looking at me with a strange stunned look.) "And he's in trouble and can't go to Granny's house, right?"

Me: "Yep, he's in trouble, but if he can't go to Granny's house, then neither can you."

Little Man: "Huh?"

Me: "If he can't go to Granny's house, then you can't either. I can't take one of you and leave the other at home alone."

Little Man: (Took off running upstairs as fast as he could while yelling) "Wait Mom! Wait! Don't come upstairs yet! Ok, Mom?! Don't come upstairs!!"

I quietly went up the stairs right after him and peeked around the corner. Jellybean was sitting in the middle of a pile of toys that he'd dumped out and Little Man was putting the couch back together. :) Hehe!! The mind of a 4 year old is a beautiful thing! Maybe that will teach him not to tattle so much!

First Years Nursing Wrap Review

2009-08-01T23:23:00.000-04:00

You all know I have 3 boys. But you may not know that I nursed my first 2 until they were each about 15 months old and never had a drop of formula. I plan to do the same with my 3rd. Even with my experience, breastfeeding can be challenging. Especially when you're always on the go.

I have found that this time around it's been much harder for me to make sure I was home when the baby needed to eat. Having 2 older boys who like to go out and explore places makes it difficult to stay home all day. So for the first time ever I've started breastfeeding in public. Now there were times with my other 2 that we'd be out and I'd sneak back to my car, or hide in a dressing room. But this time it's much harder to do that.

As of today I've nursed at a T-Ball game, in my mall's food court, at a friend's house during a playdate, in a restaurant and in my in-law's living room. All places I'd never dreamt of breastfeeding my child at!! I hate seeing moms walk around in public with their shirts pulled up and a baby attached to an exposed breast! Please!

So how did I do it? With a fabulous nursing wrap by The First Years! I LOVE this cover and I'm so glad I have it! It travels everywhere with me! It completely covers me and the baby and is adjustable to that I make it tighter if I want. My favorite feature is that it wraps the whole way around you. It doesn't just drape over your front, like all the others I've seen. I loved this because I've always been afraid that someone standing behind me could see. Not anymore!! There's no way anyone's getting a peek! I also love the fabric of this wrap (though you can also get it in black if you prefer). Bear loves to stare at the swirls while he's eating, it's so cute! It's also very light and cool. This wrap is also very inexpensive, I paid around $12 for mine at Wal-Mart.

I have heard other moms say that this cover isn't big enough. I have found that it could be a little bigger, but once I get it situated right, it covers us up completely (as you can see in the picture of me and Bear!) The product also claims that the adjustable loop allows you to maintain eye contact at all times, but I have found this difficult if not impossible. While you can situate the wrap so that you can see the baby, when you or the baby move more than just a little, you have to readjust. This isn't a problem for me, I don't mind since I never sit there staring at him the whole time anyway, especially while in public, but this may be more important for others.

Quick Overview

Cost: Around $12

Where to buy: Target, Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us or find an online retailer here

Pros: Inexpensive, Great fabric, Easy to use, Comfortable, Great coverage including from behind

Cons: Could be slightly longer in front, Difficult to maintain constant eye contact

Spotlight on PR: Who Am I?

2009-07-31T22:44:00.005-04:00

Earlier tonight I was telling my hubby about all of the amazing opportunities floating around on the blogosphere. I've met so many awesome people (and I know there are lots more out there that I have yet to meet)!! And I have found about some great new products as well! (Not to mention won a few myself!)

But it can all get a little overwhelming when you're a new blogger like myself. I don't know where to start to all of PR. But I do know that I'd love to be more involved with companies, organizations and other people. Now I just need to figure out how to do that... Hmm... Well, that's where Adrienne and Tara come in. I found a post on Tara's blog, Feels Like Home, called Spotlight on PR. Here's the gist... basically those of us who are new to PR write a post about ourselves, our blog and what we'd like to do and link it up. Simple enough, right? Well, I thought I'd give it a try, so here's some information about me!!

Who Am I?
Well, as of right now I'm a stay at home mom. I graduated in December of 2008 with a Masters degree in School Counseling. I know I'll love my job when I start working, but I'm sure I'm ready to head out into the work world yet. I love spending my days playing with me 3 boys. (Yes, I have 3 boys!!) My little rascals are 4, 2 and 4 months. They keep me on my toes, but I couldn't imagine it any other way. I love to take pictures and scrapbook, and I would love to learn to sew. I'm tired to staring at a dust covered sewing machine that I have no idea how to use!

My Blog?
Hmm... Well.... What can I say? I'm still pretty new and trying to get more into my blog. The bulk of my blog is personal stories and parenting experiences. I also recently started a Five for Friday post in which I list 5 various things, such as pet peeves. I plan to start including more tips, some crafts, and fun new products.

My Direction?
I would love to expand my blog to include product reviews. Though I have never done a review, I love reading them and would like to give them a try myself! I love learning about new products and services and sharing them with my friends and family. How fun would it be to be able to do this with all of my bloggy friends too?!

At risk of becoming too overwhelming and spilling too much I'm going to stop. If you'd like anymore info please check out my profile, where you can also find my e-mail address!

And for more info about the Spotlight on PR that Tara and Adrienne are hosting click the button below!

Five For Friday! {5 Pet Peeves!}

2009-07-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

Five for Friday- {Five Pet Peeves!}

1. When someone calls you and then doesn't talk, forcing you to wonder why they called in the first place.

2. Drivers who pull out in front of you and then honk their horn.

3. Parents who think it's ok that their 8 year old just body slammed your 2 year old into the ground.

4. Sitting at the table with someone who chews like a cow.

5. People who don't wash their hands after using the restroom. Yes, lady, I saw you sneak out the door! That's gross!!

Big Decison.... What to do, What to do?

2009-07-30T14:13:00.002-04:00

At the beginning of the summer I started interviewing for local school counseling positions in my county, 3 to be exact. When I didn't get any of the jobs I started getting used to the thought of being home with my boys for another year.

Then last week I got a call to interview for another, unexpected opening at the county's alternative school. I decided to go and see what it entailed. After the interview I had mixed feelings. In a way I thought it would be nice to have a job, any job. And I thought that it wouldn't be so bad working with these challenging kids. But I still thought I had a slim chance of getting the job.

Well, today I was told by 2 counselors which I interned with that I had unofficially gotten the job. Now I just need to be approved by the school board! Yikes! Now don't get me wrong, I know that in this economy I should be thankful for anything that comes my way. But I'm not. I'm torn between going back to work and staying home with my kids just another year. It's so much harder than I thought it would be!

I don't have child care. I have nothing to wear. My poor baby has no milk stored. I feel like a mess! Ugh! Oh, and did I mention that the new teacher academy starts next Monday. So I'd likely be called one day and asked to start the next.

It is such a big decision and I'm scared to tell my husband because I know he'll just tell me to buck up and take the job. Maybe I should. Wish me luck! I'll keep you posted with my decision!

McKlinky Blog Hop {7/28/09} Favorite Kid Photos!

2009-07-28T09:52:00.007-04:00

This is so hard! I have so many pictures of my kids. But here are my favorites from our trip to Hershey Park this past week!

This is Jellybean with his cotton candy! How yummy! (And messy!)

This is little Bear.... he had such a good time!

Here's Little Man and Jellybean on one of the many rides they got on that day!

Click here to enter your link in the blog hop and view the entire list of entered links...

MasterLock's New Locks and $5000 prize!

2009-07-24T09:49:00.003-04:00

I remember when I was in high school always having to go and get a lock for my locker. I would search through the racks for a lock that wasn't black. Then I'd go home and write my combination (which was always pre-set) into several different places because I knew I would forget my combination more than once. I always did.

Now Master Lock has created a new set of locks in bright colors which can be set with your own combination!! How cool is that?! Even if you don't have a kid with a locker, these are great for all sorts of things around your house, like your shed or in my case, the suitcase hiding the kids' (and hubby's) Christmas gifts. Shhh.... don't him they're in there! I wish these cool locks would have been around when I was in school! And they're inexpensive, at just $6-7 at huge national retail stores, such as Staples and Home Depot!! To get more information on these locks visit Master Lock!

Oh wait! That's not the best part! Master Lock has also launched a new facebook application and is giving away $5000!! This would be so great to win!! Head on over to facebook to play for a cash prize from Master Lock!!

WebMD's 15 Best Diet Tips EVER!

2009-07-18T07:30:00.002-04:00

I have tried to diet so many times and it almost never works. Though I have been able to control myself a little better at some times more than others. But right now I really need some major diet overhauls. I'm not looking for the next fad diet that's going to make me cut out all my carbs so that when I start to eat bread again in a few months I'll just gain it all back. I want to diet in a healthy fashion without driving myself crazy.

So I went to WebMD.com. I LOVE this site!! It's got wonderful information! While I was there I found an article with the "15 Best Diet Tips Ever" written by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD!! How cool is that?! The article and all the fancy letters after her name! And no, I have no idea what they mean, but they must mean she's important and knows her stuff!

These tips were so great that I just had to share them with you all!! Below you'll find the tips I pulled off of WebMD in bold, followed by my wonderful babblings! :)

Best Diet Tip No. 1: Drink plenty of water or other calorie-free beverages.
Ok, this is easy enough. My favorite way to drink water during the day? Pulling out my favorite fancy wine glass!! It helps motivate me to want to be that sexy mama!!

Best Diet Tip No. 2: Think about what you can add to your diet, not what you should take away.
I love this tip!! I hate restrictive diets. I always fail with them. But adding good foods, such as fruits and veggies... now that I can handle! I've also found that keeping fresh fruits and veggies in a bowl, already washed, at eye level in the fridge really helps. They're right there and easy to grab!

Best Diet Tip No. 3: Consider whether you're really hungry.
This is one I can have trouble with. Especially when I'm sitting here on the computer in the evening! I'm not hungry... I just feel the need to eat something! And yes, it's usually sweet.

Best Diet Tip No. 4: Be choosy about nighttime snacks.
Oh man! They've been watching me!! Quick! Cover my windows and hide my bowl of ice cream!!

Best Diet Tip No. 5: Enjoy your favorite foods.
Shew! So I can still eat my ice cream, just a small amount and not so late at night.

Best Diet Tip No. 6: Enjoy your treats away from home.
This is a great idea!! Limiting those special treats for special family outings is a great way to add family bonding time to your diet and will create special memories for your kids as they grow older. I mean who doesn't look back at their childhood and remember special trips to the ice cream parlor!

Best Diet Tip No. 7: Eat several mini-meals during the day.
This is a relief, since I never have time to sit down and actually eat a meal during the day while trying to take care of 3 kids!!

Best Diet Tip No. 8: Eat protein at every meal.
This is one I need to work on for breakfast. I'm not crazy about eggs or breakfast meats, so I need to work on adding yogurt or nuts to my routine.

Best Diet Tip No. 9: Spice it up.
Spice it up, eh? I guess I'm just too sweet! Oh dear lord, I'm turning into my mother! I can't believe I just used her line!!

Best Diet Tip No. 10: Stock your kitchen with healthy convenience foods.
This is another I really need to work on! I don't keep a very good stock of healthy convenience foods. I do, however, have a couple frozen pizzas in the freezer!

Best Diet Tip No. 11: Order children's portions at restaurants.
This is a great idea, especially if you're like me and hate to drag home leftovers. I also have a tendency to eat everything on my plate, not because I'm hungry, just because it tastes good and I don't want it to go to waste! Oh man, it's no wonder I've picked up weight! Sheesh!

Best Diet Tip No. 12: Eat foods in season.
I am in love with our local farmer's markets. You can find tons of great locally grown foods that are fresh and usually really cheap. We also live in an area where there are a lot of Mennonite farms which sell what they grow. I love to stop by these places and get good, fresh produce!

Best Diet Tip No. 13: Swap a cup of pasta for a cup of vegetables.
Spaghetti IS the ENEMY!!

Best Diet Tip No. 14: Use non-food alternatives to cope with stress.
What?! Seriously?! I told you they've been watching me!

Best Diet Tip No. 15: Be physically active.
Well, they saved the best for last! This is definitely the 'tip' that will give me the most struggle! I can't seem to get myself motivated to exercise. I can, however, find several excuses for why I haven't exercised on a particular day. Maybe they should add a tip No. 16: Stop making excuses and just do it!!

Good luck all of you who are dieting right now! I hope you'll find these tips helpful! They really are some great ones! Be sure to check out the full article on WebMD. They give details about each tip and ways to incorporate each into your lifestyle!

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Five For Friday! {5 Things a Grown Women should NOT Wear!}

2009-07-16T22:38:00.005-04:00

My 5 this Friday is just my opinion.... but I believe that there are just some things that once you become an adult, you should have to give up wearing!

1.) Hooker Shoes. Unless you're dancing around a pole, please leave these shoes in the closet or better yet, get rid of them!

2.)Extremely Low Cut Jeans with a G-String sticking out. Seriously? We don't need to see part of your underwear! It just makes your butt look even bigger!

3.) Plastic accessories. I'm not talking about the cute ones that are made for adults. I'm talking about the neon Hello Kitty barrette that you stole from your 5 year old. Give it back!

4.) Sheer Tops With nothing underneath. These are horrible! No one, but your spouse, wants to see your tatas or your red lace bra for that matter!

5.) Mini Skirts. It's not flattering when you bend over and your whole butt hangs out anymore, sorry.

Chain of Confidence Challenge

2009-07-15T22:44:00.003-04:00

Have your heard about Tupperware's Chain of Confidence Challenge? They're having a "Pay-It-Forward" contest in which you submit an essay about someone who has empowered you through an act of kindness. Three winners will each receive $5,000 to the charity of their choice!

This is an amazing campaign and it is so easy to join!! Visit the website ChainofConfidence.com and simply fill out a short form with your personal info to join in. They submit an essay about someone who has inspired you. You can also read more about all the great things that Tupperware has done around the world, including supporting the Boys and Girls Clubs of America's SMART Girls Club and similar programs in Canada and Germany, all of which help young girls make good decisions.

BTW- I chose my mom for my essay (that's her in the picture!!). She's always been my inspiration! You can view my essay, and help me by voting on it (hint hint!) here!! And be sure to let me know if you submit as essay as well so I can come check it out!! :)

Blog Hop- 3 Things You Didn't Know About Me!

2009-07-14T07:30:00.003-04:00

Today's Blog Hop theme is 3 things you didn't know about me. Hmmm. Well....

1.) I'm still afraid of the dark. And no, I don't still sleep with a night light, but I secretly wish I could sometimes!

2.) I HATE cooking! Especially with the kids. I know, it's a great learning experience.... blah blah blah. I still hate it!!

3.) I graduated in December with a Masters of Education in School Counseling. My lifelong goal is to get my doctorate degree and publish a book. But I guess I need to go back to work first! :)

Day 1- Body After Baby!

2009-07-13T22:44:00.002-04:00

Ok, so today was the first official day of the Body After Baby: Fit by Labor Day, 8 week challenge. I have to say I think I did ok. I didn't do as bad as I could have.... I mean, I did resist the delicious white birthday cake with vanilla frosting....mmmmm..... my favorite!! Oh no, I just realized something... my birthday is during this challenge! Great! So much for that week!

Anyway... I did good with my diet. The worst thing I ate today was a few marshmallows. And that's pretty good for me! :) Though I didn't get any real exercise in today. I walked around the mall a little bit with another mom, but it wasn't really exercise. Oh well.

Tomorrow I am going to save the world!! Or at least work out a little bit!! I'm going to have to start my 30 day challenge on my EA Sports Active over since it's been 30 days since I've stopped! Shhh! Don't tell my "trainer"! Good luck to all the other ladies (and 2 men) who have joined me in the quest to regain our bodies after baby!!!!

They Grow up so Fast!

2009-07-11T09:33:00.005-04:00

Baby Bear out grew his newborn clothes almost immediately. And he outgrew all of his 3 month clothes a few weeks ago, but I just stand to pack them up. He's gotten so big, so fast! Now don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier to have a perfectly healthy and happy baby. But even though he's my 3rd, I had already forgotten how little they are and for such a short time.

So last night I finally packed up all of his tiny little onesies. The adorable little baby hats, most of which he never wore. The outfits that had been passed down from one child to the next. I carefully refolded each piece and placed them in a big plastic tub.

And it hit me as I folded up the little pieces of clothing, the next time I pull these clothes out will likely be to pass them along to someone else to use for their little boy. I actually cried as I packed them up. Pathetic? Probably. Do I care? Nope. Since my hubby doesn't want anymore, and I really can't blame him... 3 kids is a lot of work, but it was so sad to think I'll never have another one so little in my house again.

This morning I woke up to little Bear looking right at me, smiling, this sweet little smile that just melts your heart. And about a half hour later Little Man woke up and came to join us in bed. We laid and talked for awhile, Little Man spelled his name and counted to 100! Geez! He's really grown up!

I need to remember to stop and enjoy every day with my boys because they really do grow up so fast!

A quick Thank You

2009-07-10T22:19:00.007-04:00

I just wanted to post a quick 'Thank You' to all my readers who are still following me and to the ones that stop by my blog to let me know that they're really out there. It's so nice to know that someone actually reads what I write! Who would've thought?!

I also wanted to thank a few fabulous ladies that I've recently won things from and just haven't gotten a chance to post a proper 'thanks'!

Ashley over at Swoon gave away some great kids CDs and a DVD that the boys and I won, and LOVE!

Joanne, from Barely Domestic Mama hosted a wonderful Tastefully Simple party that I am SOOOOO glad I joined! I won some lovely TS desserts! I can't wait to get to try all these yummy new foods! Though I'm not sure my waistline will appreciate it! :)

And Cindy, over at Chalk it Up! just had a giveaway for a beautiful chalkboard and adorable handpainted chalk case! We can't wait to receive this one!!

Make sure you stop by each of these ladies' blogs. Each of them is very different and wonderful!! Thanks again!

Five For Friday! {5 Annoying Toys}

2009-07-10T10:17:00.004-04:00

Five for Friday- 5 Annoying Toys in my House!

1.) Legos - Why? They Hurt and Get Lost! These little pieces get lost so easily and have to be kept up from the little ones... which can start a battle with my almost 5 year old! They also really hurt when you step on them!

2.) Board Puzzles - Why? Easily Lost and Make Random Noises! I can't tell you how many puzzles we have that are missing pieces, but I can tell you that we only have 2 or 3 that have all the pieces!! The worst are the ones that make noise.... if you're missing a piece they will randomly make noise, forcing you to crawl out of bed at 1am to put the talking dog out in the garage!

3.) Bulky Playsets- Why? Just make clutter! I used to love buying all the little playsets, Little People was my favorite! But after almost 5 years and 3 little ones, I have too many of these playsets... and nowhere to put them! They line the wall of my family room because they don't have anywhere else to live.

4.) Musical Instruments- Why? Sheer Noise Level! I'm all for teaching kids to appreciate music. I think it's crucial to kids being well rounded. However, when you're on the phone with your bank and 2 children come up behind you, one with a drum and one with a whistle... Forget it! The noise is enough to drive any sane mom straight to the crazy house! CD players with a microphone also fall into this category!

5.) Plastic bats/ Golf clubs- Why? Instant weapons! I have a stash of close to a dozen various foam swords, plastic bats and little golf clubs which have been taken away from my boys in the middle of an all out battle. The fit that ensues when these are taken away very well might be the most annoying part!

Of course this list is not complete in any way, shape, or form.... these are just 5 of the toys that in the last week have made me question why I haven't had a yard sale lately! Have a great day with you toys!!

I'm Joining the Body After Baby Challenge!

2009-07-09T21:48:00.003-04:00

As you all know I recently gave birth to my 3rd precious baby boy just over 3 months ago. And of course you all also know how I gained a good deal of weight and I'm determined to lose it! Well, needless to say.... I haven't been doing so good. But I'm getting better! Really!

Yesterday I took a 30 minute walk with Bear strapped to me! Though I did come home and make a box of brownie. But have no fear! There aren't any left for me to sabotage myself with! :) So, tonight, I'm snaking on carrots as I type! See! I'm getting better! And, no I didn't eat ALL of the brownies... just a lot of them!

Anyway... I found this adorable little blog, Mama Notes, written by Samantha who I think sounds a lot like me. So when I read about her Body After Baby challenge I just had to join!! She's currently getting ready to start an 8 week challenge... Fit by Labor Day! Woo Hoo!! Just in time for my cousins wedding! Opps! Did I let that slip! OH well, we all have to have some type of motivation!

So here it goes.... well, starting Monday! I'm going to start walking, eating better and lose this weight!! Want to join us? (BTW- it doesn't matter when you had that baby..... even if he's starting school this year, that's ok!) Check out the Body After Baby Challenge Here!! And when you visit her blog, be sure to also check out all the great articles she's written previously about dropping the pounds (they can be found by clicking on the label 'Body After Baby')!

Wordless Wednesday! Happy 4th!

2009-07-08T11:33:00.006-04:00

Wordless Wednesday! Here are some pics from our family picnic for the 4th of July!

Jellybean showing off his cookie!

My uncle "arresting" my cousins as they did the YMCA!

I don't know who's idea this was, but I think they had fun! ;)

Blog Hop Tuesday

2009-07-07T22:38:00.006-04:00

So I know I'm a little, ok a lot, late posting this.... but here it is! Today's Blog Hop Theme is a Favorite Picture!! That's easy! Kind of. Here's one of my many favorite pics! This one is of Little Man, taken in the summer of 2007 at the beach.

Responsible Sports Parenting

2009-07-06T21:45:00.005-04:00

While browsing the internet tonight I found a contest on twittermoms.com that posed this question: "As a parent, how do you encourage and reinforce the positive aspects of youth sports?"

Hmmmm..... I don't know. Do I? I know I encourage my son to do his best and to play fair. But do I truly reinforce the positive aspects of the sports I've put him in? To help me answer this question I visited ResponsibleSports.com, a program that's been put together by Liberty Mutual, Positive Coaching Alliance, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey and the Amateur Softball Association.

Here's some of the info I found:

A Responsible Sports Parent fills two key roles:

Ensuring your youth athlete's safety
Helping your youth athlete apply life lessons from sports on and off the field

The major areas of safety that responsible sports parents must address are:

Conditioning
Hydration
Nutrition
Equipment
Injury Prevention and Treatment
Driving

Some possible positive goals of playing youth sports include:

Become a good athlete
Learn to play the sport
Win
Gain self-confidence
Learn to deal with defeat
Physical fitness
Learn "life lessons"
Have fun
Make friends

Well, I think I've done a pretty good job with reinforcing this positive aspects thus far. I've definitely gotten safety pretty much covered. I make sure to always have water for Little Man to drink and make sure he lays the bat down, rather than throwing it as he sometimes does at home.

As far as teaching him the positive life lessons? I think he's learned a lot in just the one year he's been playing youth sports. He's definitely made some friends and had a blast! I also know that he's beginning to understand that it's so important that you be the best on your team, but simply to give it your best. It was bitter sweet during the award party the coach threw for his indoor soccer team when they called each kid up and said how many goals they had each made.... and Little Man was the ONLY player that didn't make ANY goals during any games!! But he simply walked up, took his medal and proudly wore it home saying that he didn't make any goals, but he was still a good player! And he is!! :)

I think that in order to be responsible sports parents we need to step back and let our children learn at their own pace. Sure, it was a little disappointing that he didn't score any goals. But he'd played great! And he was a wonderful goaly! And we made sure that we told him that too! I liked to sit down and have a good conversation with Little Man after each practice and game (during both soccer and t-ball) and go over what happened at the practice. Even if all we really talked about was how he shared his bat with his team because they didn't all have their own. That's fine.... it's still teaching him how to be a team player! Way to go Little Man!

To learn more about being a responsible sports parent and about Liberty Mutual's program visit their website, ResponsibleSports.com

Paint Your Appliance Pink!!

2009-07-05T22:47:00.005-04:00

PartSelect is having a Paint Your Appliance Pink contest to help raise $10,000 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! The contest is running July 1, 2009- September 30, 2009. For every entry that PartSelect receives, they will donate $25!! And you can enter up to 5 different major appliances.... meaning you could help donate $125!

What's in it for you? Besides a good excuse to decorate your appliances? Well, each picture will be entered to win 1 of 3 Pink Prize Packages which includes a Pink KitchenAid Stand Mixer, Pink Stand Mixer cover, Pink Silicone Mixer Spatula, Pink Silicone Heart Pan, Pink Measuring Cups and Spoons Set, and Cook for the Cure Apron!

So get out those paint brushes and get to work!!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T10:00:00.005-04:00

Happy 4th of July!! I still can't believe that 2009 is more than half way over! Where has the time gone? I sure don't know what I've done with the first half of my year... well besides having a baby. :)

Now it's time to celebrate!! I hope you all have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!! And don't forget to send out a big THANK YOU to all of our service men and women who are working everyday to keep us free!!

Happy Independence Day to all my bloggy friends!

(This is a picture of Jellybean watching the fireworks at my mom's house last year.... right before the cop showed up and busted us!! This year we'll be going to the show that the city puts on instead!)

Five For Friday! {When You're the Mom of a Baby}

2009-07-03T10:32:00.004-04:00

Here are 5 indicators that you're a mom of a new baby:

1.) You're up several times in the middle of the night because someone other than yourself is hungry or has soiled their pants (Bonus points if they soiled on you).

2.) The attention you got over the last 9 months is completely replaced, and you start to wonder if your visitors even remember you exist.

3.) The last shopping spree you went on included diapers and baby clothes and most likely nothing for yourself (ok, maybe some deodorant).

4.) Your camera which once contained pictures of you partying with your girlfriends is now full of pictures of a chubby little bald person.

5.)You've rinsed your hair out in the sink because someone threw up their last meal in it. (Bonus points if you've done this in a public sink!)

My Mid-Year's Resolution!

2009-07-01T08:46:00.002-04:00

Well, as you all know I have not been doing so well with my exercise and dieting. But that's no surprise! :) But I've decided to take charge and make a change, starting today. I'm calling it my Mid-Years Resolution!!

Here's the way I see it.... New Years Resolutions never last. Here's why:
1.) It's January, which means where I live it's cold! So, you're stuck inside.
2.) Since it's cold I can wear baggy clothes to cover up those extra pounds! No biggie!
3.) Since it's cold I stay inside! I hate the cold!
4.) It's January 1st and I still have all those yummy Christmas cookies and left overs from all the get togethers that HAS to be eaten!
5.) If you're like me, you get food, mostly chocolate, for gifts. And you can't let gifts go to waste!
6.) A year is such a long time to achieve a goal, you don't REALLY need to start right away.
7.) It's much easier to sleep in during the winter months!
8.) During this season you're in the mood to give... and dieting/ exercise is not very 'giving' if you ask me!

So, you see... the list could go on and on.... but what it comes down to is this:
It is NOT YOUR FAULT that you didn't keep that New Year's Resolution.... it's Mother Nature's Fault! :) (I know, some people would disagree with me, but just humor me now!)

So here's my Mid-Years Resolution that I hope I can keep:
Drop these extra 35 pounds of baby weight I picked up with this last pregnancy. (This will take me from my current 180 down to 145.) My goal is to be there by Christmas. I think it's doable, but I'll really have to work at it

My plan? I'm going to re-start my 30 day challenge on my EA Sports Active (since I only got through 3 workouts before throwing in the towel last month). I'm also going to start walking. My goal will be to start with 1 or 2 days a week and work up to 5-7 days a week. (I know me, I have to start small!) I'm also against diets of every kind, so I'm not dieting per se. I will, however, be watching what I'm eating. This will be the hardest for me to achieve!

We'll see! Wish me luck! Or better yet, come join me and make your own Mid-Year's Resolution!!!

Write your own Mid-Years Resolution and add your link below!!

They're Sending Him Back to Iraq

2009-06-28T22:15:00.005-04:00

In two weeks my brother in law will come home for 14 days. He will then return back to the Army base is currently resides at to prepare for a second tour in Iraq beginning in August 2009. This tour will begin approximately 13 months after the end of his first tour and just under 90 days later than his scheduled release date.

(This is photo of my brother in law with my boys, Little Man and Jellybean, at 6:45 in the morning, approximately an hour and a half after he landed on US soil after his first tour in Iraq was through last summer.)

How can this be? He in part of the 82nd Airborne. Basically, he is trained to jump out of planes and to run the front lines (or "he shoots his gun a lot", as my boys would say). Because the unit he is part of is scheduled to go back to Iraq within 90 days of his release date the Army is able to enact the Army Stop Loss laws.

The purpose of the Stop-Loss is to make the units deployed more cohesive and effective. Which in theory, sounds great. Due to this law the Army has reached it's goal of having an end strength of over 547,000. And they met the goal 3 years early!

But I, for one, have a huge problem with this law which currently impacts about 7,300 active duty Army soldiers. Maybe I'm just confused. But I don't understand why soldiers who have served their country overseas are being forced to go back when the rate of new recruits is up so high.

I think what really pisses me off is that the Army doesn't Stop-Loss every soldier that falls into the Stop-Loss criteria. Several other guys that my brother in law joined with and has been serving with for last several years were allowed to go home. He was the only one that was Stop-Lossed. Why? He was told that the others were not dependable, but he was. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, I suppose.

My brother in law did question this at first, but didn't push it. He chose to join the Army and serve his country by his own free will. He understands that he has a duty to serve and will uphold that duty until it is done. He will serve his country with great pride, to the best of his abilities and will not hesitate to do what he is asked to do and will not complain. He's a wonderful soldier, a true American, a terrific uncle to my boys, a great son, an honest friend and an undoubtedly reliable man. He's someone that I'm proud to be connected to.

So for now, while the world is more interested in the death of a freakish celebrity, don't be offended when I tell you I don't care. I'm more interested in what's going on with the war our country is fighting, bills that are being passed while we look the other way, and the overall state of our nation. And in a few short weeks all my family and I will be thinking about is spending time with our soldier. And once August comes, we will all be praying that he makes it back again, alive and well, after his second tour in Iraq is through.

Do You Social Network?

2009-06-27T22:38:00.002-04:00

For the longest time I refused to join any social networking sites. I thought they were only for middle school kids. But as time went on, and the site grew, so did the pressure from my college friends. They insisted I join so they could keep in touch and see my kids. I finally gave in and created a myspace page. I added all of my college sorority sisters who were all still single and childless and shared pics of my little man.

Over time I found people I had graduated with and met throughout the years and lots of my family joined as well. It was especially handy when my brother in law was in Iraq a couple years ago. Just this week I was looking over my "Friends List" and got to thinking. The girls I thought I'd be so close to from college are merely little thumbnails on an Internet site. I rarely talk to them, let alone see them. Though I can tell you what almost every one of them is up to right now.

It's also amazing to look at the girlfriends I've re-connected with and met all because of these social networking websites. Of course there are still people out there who just don't get it, no names mentioned, my husband. But I am so glad I'm online. Though I do wish I wasn't so addicted sometimes! Now after about 3 years I've joined myspace, facebook, cafemom, a few other mom sites that I rarely check, and most recently (as of yesterday) I gave in and started tweeting as well. I have to say, this is one of those things that I thought I'd never do, but am so glad I jumped on that bandwagon! Aren't you?

I Need to Re-Focus

2009-06-25T13:05:00.004-04:00

What is my problem? I just can't get motivated or stay focused, but I really do want to loose some of this extra weight that I put on while I was pregnant. When the Wii introduced the EA Sports Active game and I heard how great it was, I ran out and bought it. And I did really good the first week. But I kept flip flopping with the level of intensity I wanted to do, and eventually I just stopped working out. Then I said I was going to start walking.... yeah right! That hasn't happened! The only walking I do is a leisurely stroll through the mall about once a week! But the worst? My eating habits! Last week I made some lovely home-made peanut butter eggs. Don't they just scream "eat me"!?!?! And I can't curb my ice cream addiction... but that's NOT my fault! (I'll explain that another day). Ugh! I need to stop sabotaging myself... Maybe now that I've written down how badly I've done for the rest of the world to see I'll start doing something for myself!! Like not making anymore of those yummy peanut butter eggs for awhile! Wish me luck!!

You Never Know What You'll Come Home To!

2009-06-24T22:18:00.005-04:00

I got the opportunity to go out tonight for a kid-free dinner with one of my best girlfriends. I was so excited! This was the first time I'd gone out in quite awhile and it was the first time I'd left the baby to do something for myself since he'd been born. And I'm sooooo glad I did! Granted we only went out to dinner and just sat and talked for 2 hours, but it was WONDERFUL! It was great to not have to constantly wipe a face, change a diaper, pick up dropped food and spoons, or tell someone to be quiet! ;) I have to say, I'm looking forward to another kid free dinner sometime very soon!!

As nice of a time I had, I was a little surprised to find out what had gone on while I was gone. The boys were playing at my in-laws and well, found a nest of baby bunnies!! Apparently, they must have ran over the next (by accident of course) with their car and baby bunnies started running all over the place! And of course Jellybean just had to play with them like they were toys! Here's a few pics that my hubby took of Jellybean with the bunnies while I was enjoying my peanut butter pie! :)

After looking at the pics I was left with two thoughts: 1) Those poor bunnies and 2) I hope my hubby washed his hands really good!!!

It Happened to Us! Our kids got locked in the car!

2009-06-24T09:17:00.002-04:00

I've read stories and seen clips on the news of kids getting locked in a car. And I swore it would NEVER happen to my kids! Boy was I wrong! I got the biggest scare of my life two days ago when my hubby and I took the kids to visit my in-laws.

We all piled into the truck and drove to Grandmas. When we got there, my husband and I both got of the car, shutting our respective doors simultaneously. However, when I reached to open up the back door to get the baby out, it was locked!! I tried to open the door several times, like it would magically unlock if I pulled it enough times! Ha!

Then I started screaming at my husband... who had left the keys in the ignition!!! Ugh! The car was off, but the hubby has a habit of leaving the keys in the car, which I've told him 100s of times to stop doing. Did he listen? Of course not! So World War III began. We were both screaming at each other and I ran inside my mother in-laws house to call a lock smith while my mother in law and her father tried to get Jellybean (who was sitting by the door) to unlock the door.

Fortunately, Jellybean was able to unlock the door from the inside and they were only in the car for about 2 minutes. Though it seemed as though the whole ordeal lasted an hour. I was so mad and my husband and I haven't gotten into such a bad fight in I don't know how long (if ever)!

So please, learn for our mistake! NEVER have all of the door shut on your vehicle if there is a child inside. And if this is something that you practice on your own (as I do), don't let you guard down just because your husband's there (as I did). And just an FYI- a good friend of mine told me that any lock smith will let kids who are trapped in a car out for free. Good to know! :)

I Am Boycotting Dick's!!!

2009-06-20T22:34:00.003-04:00

After the experience I had today, I've decided that I'm boycotting Dick's (the sporting goods store that is... get your head out of the gutter!!). Now I know I shouldn't have waited until the day before Father's Day to finish my shopping, but I like to wait until the last minute. It makes me move faster! :)

Anyway... I stopped by Dick's today to pick up some golf balls for my hubby and a gift card for my father in law. I pulled into the parking lot, unbuckled the two older boys, then walked around and grabbed the baby, then walked back around the car to get the boys out of the car and we walked inside, piled into a shopping cart and went searching for golf balls.

Once I had wasted 15 minutes pondering how much I should spend and why on earth some of the little balls were $40 for 6 balls, I picked up 2 packs that were on sale and went to the register. I stood in line for a few minutes with 3 very impatient children, when a 3rd register finally opened I scooted to the next line.

When it was finally my turn I sat the golf balls on the counter and told the male cashier who looked to be in his mid-late 20s that I also needed a gift card. He looked at me (with my 3 children) and said "I hate to make you do this, but I need you to go over and get a gift card off the rack on the other register."

What? Is he serious? I just stood there for a second, then I looked behind me... in that tiny little isle 10 other customers were now filed in behind me, waiting. I looked at my kids, then back at the line, then over at the other register. He's not really going to make me drag these kids over there, right? Then he says, "See them? There under the orange sign?" All I could think was, he's seriously going to make me go and get a gift card! Jerk!!

So I take one last look at my kids, as I'm considering leaving them there in the line.... then I look behind me once again at all the people standing there, blocking my path to the dreaded gift cards. Finally I start backing up the cart with all 3 boys saying "excuse me" with every step I take. I had to go back out of line, go through the next line and then ask a lady that was standing in the first line to hand me a gift card because I couldn't get to them. I was so embarrassed. Then I had to maneuver the cart and the kids back through that line and around all the people standing there waiting in my line.

I was so mad. People were starring at me and were clearly annoyed. I was so mad I could feel my face turn bright red and I felt as though the temperature in the store rose 25degrees. I could feel myself starting to sweat and I was fighting back tears I was so angry!! I just wanted to scream at the jerk!!

I just have 2 questions: 1) Why on earth wouldn't they have gift cards at every register? And 2) What was he thinking sending me over to get one? Doesn't he get paid to provide customer service? Wouldn't it have been easier for him to scoot around the front of his register and go grab one? (Ok, I know, that ended up being 4 questions... but 2 points!). Ugh! I'm still so mad!! I'm sorry, maybe I'm over reacting. I don't know, but I'm still furious and I'm not going back to Dick's!

Nothing's Sacred When You're A Mom!

2009-06-19T21:03:00.000-04:00

Apparently when you become a mother you simultaneously give up the right to pee without an all out audience!! Or so it seemed the other day. I swear nothing is sacred anymore! I sat the baby down in his bouncer in the bathroom, just so I knew where is was and could make sure that my 2 year old wasn't rubbing ketchup all over his face. :)

Anyway... I guess I forgot to lock the door. My butt no longer and touched the toilet and in came Little Man, barging right into the bathroom, yelling! What was he yelling about? He was informing that Jellybean was in the other bathroom unrolling all of the toilet paper. Great! Not 5 seconds later, in comes Jellybean to defend himself. You know, I love my boys. I really do. But there are times during the day that I wish I was all alone. Just for 30 seconds!! I guess I need to start remembering to lock the bathroom door!

BTW- Just in case you're wondering... Jellybean had unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper. How he did it so quickly, I still have yet to figure out. But if anyone hears of any contests that reward toilet paper unrolling skills, let me know! He's being entered!!

Me and My Big Mouth!

2009-06-17T09:08:00.002-04:00

I am so sick... I have a serious case of diarrhea of the mouth!! I don't know what my problem is, but it seems as though I have trouble thinking about what I'm about to say before I say it!

My last big oops? Well, a few days ago I made the mistake of telling my hubby that if he wanted a truck then he could get one. STUPID! He's wanted a truck ever since we got married and had to get rid of his old one. I did give him some criteria that he had to meet: it needs to fit all three of the boys' carseats, be new, not used and be the same payment as our car (which we'd trade in), and we can't loose too much on our car, which is only a year old.

Ok, I know what you're thinking.... "There's no way he'd be able to trade in a car for a big truck." That's what I thought anyway! Now he's on a misson to find a pickup! Ugh! The problem is, besides the fact that he won't talk about anything but a truck now, is that he might actually be able to pull this one off!! I really don't want a truck.

Please, if you've actually made it to the end of this post, be sure to take one point with you.... THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK, ESPECIALLY TO YOUR HUSBANDS!!!!! :)

They're Spittin' Images of Each Other!

2009-06-12T21:25:00.007-04:00

I've always said (and been told) that my boys look alike. They look so much alike it's almost freaky! Even my husband got them wrong on the first try when I showed him these pics!! Here, see for yourself!!

Here's Baby #1

Now, Baby #2

And finally, Baby #3

Need a hint? Here's a recent pic of all three of them before I tell you!!

Ok, Baby #1 is Jellybean (my middle child), Baby #2 is my oldest, Little Man, and Baby #3 is little baby Bear!! They all look different now at different ages, but if we look back at pics of Little Man when he was two, he looks just like Jellybean! Or Jellybean looks just like him?! :)

Unique Father's Day Gifts

2009-06-11T19:17:00.013-04:00

With Father's Day just around the corner it's time for me to start my usual routine of decision making. Every year I debate between several stereotypical gifts: a new tie, a "best Dad" tee or hat, a new book, maybe some golf balls, a grilling kit or a shiny new screwdriver. This year my husband has asked for two things: a tattoo and the ugliest pair of swimming trunks I've ever seen (and they're $65!!! Ugh!). And I still have no idea where to start for my own dad or my father in law!

So, today I started browsing from some gifts for all the father's in my life. I have to say I have found some very fun and unique gifts!! So far, here are some of my favorite (and most unique) gifts I've found!!

Beer of the Month Club from AmazingClubs.

This gift keeps giving all year, even after Father's Day is over he'll get a little reminder every month that he's the center of your world!! For around $32 a month, he'll enjoy 12 bottles in up to 4 different varieties of micro-brews for a whole year! They also have smaller clubs that only last for 3 or 6 months. Ohh, wait. Dad doesn't like beer? That's ok, there are plenty of other monthly clubs you can get him! For example, AmazingClubs also has monthly clubs for BBQ Sauce, Chocolate, Dinner and a Movie, Ties, and Steak, just to name a few!

Custom Ralph Lauren Shirt

Ralph Lauren new has a line of Create Your Own shirts. You can choose from several different styles and then add your own custom embroidery options. I love this Custom-Fit Oxford with the monogram. (Too bad you can't buy the man in shirt too!!)

Don't like the personalized version? Check out all the other great products for dad that Ralph Lauren has to offer!!

Personalized Hershey's Chocolate

Who doesn't love chocolate? Especially Hershey's chocolate!! You can create one of a kind chocolate gifts at Hershey's website, or choose from a wide variety of other chocolaty gifts, from tees and hats to gift baskets.

I love the personalized tie and the World's Greatest Dad card, made out of a pound of chocolate!!

Moon Real Estate

Ok, this one may be a little far fetched for some, but I thought it was interesting. You can actually buy an acre of "land" on the moon! No joke!! And gift packages start as low as $29.99! Now, I don't know what you'd do with your moon land investment, but it could make for an interesting dinner conversation one night! And you I'm sure dad's never received that gift before!! Wait! The moon isn't enough for you?? You can also add some Mars territory to your gift!! (No, I'm not kidding!)

Give Dad the Gift of Experience

This is by far my favorite!! Cloud 9 Living offers a wide array of "experience" gifts. You know, another gift that just keeps on giving! And we were talking about interesting dinner conversations? Think of the conversations if you sent dad to be a fighter pilot for a day! Or he got to dive with sharks? Or take private DJ lessons? How about drive a stock car? The experiences range in price. Some were around $70, like bungee jumping , and others were over $100,000, like starring in your own movie!!

There really is something for everyone on this website!!

Happy Father's Day shopping!!!

Product Recalls

2009-06-10T10:50:00.001-04:00

Do you follow product recalls? I did for the longest time and have to admit I haven't done so well lately. But while I was following the recalls I was shocked at the number of items we actually had in our home that were recalled!

All of our recalled items were toys, but there were several of them over about a 2 year span. We had toy cars that were recalled for lead paint, a toy farm house that was recalled due to a choking hazard and a large play table in which children could get their arm stuck in! All of the items we had recalled were very easy to fix or get replacements for.

I don't know why I stopped watching for recalls, but in an effort to start doing better, I'm going to start featuring some recalls here on my blog.

Why is this important? Well take toys, for example, in 2007 there were 18 toy-related deaths in the US and around 232,900 toy-related injuries that were treated in emergency rooms, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. 73% of these injuries were to children under 15 and 34% were to children under 5 years.

In addition to toy-related deaths and injuries, nursery products pose a huge risk to children under 5 years. (Nursery products include cribs, car seats, high chairs, strollers, play pens and baths.) In 2007 there were around 62,500 emergency room treated injuries caused by nursery products in children under 5. And 238 children under the age of 5 died in a 3 year period due to nursery products.

Here is a list and links to some of the recent products recalled in these two categories.

About 4,300 Step2 Play Up Gym play sets sold at Toys R Us were recalled in May 2009 due to fall hazard.

About 71,000 Eddie Bauer Soothe & Sway Play Yards sold online and at Target, Sears and Burlington Coat Factory were recalled in May 2009 due to a suffocation hazard.

About 2,900 Bonavita “Hudson” and Babi Italia “Pinehurst” Drop Side Cribs sold at Babies “R” Us, Baby Basics, Beautiful Beginnings, and Buy Buy Baby stores and other retailers were recalled this month due to entrapment and suffocation hazards.

About 2,000 Bonavita “Cabana” Drop Side Cribs sold at USA Baby, Beautiful Beginnings, Buy Buy Baby and other retailers were recalled this month due to entrapment and strangulation hazards.

About 22,500 Bugaboo Bee Strollers sold online and at various retailers were recalled due to risk of brake failure.

***These are not all of the products that were recently recalled. Check out the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's website to get a list of all the recent recalls and instructions about what to do if you own a recalled product. ***

Tastefully Simple Catalog Party and Giveaway!!

2009-06-08T20:46:00.000-04:00

My great friend Joanne over at Barely Domestic Mama is having a Tastefully Simple catalog party that I just had to share with you all!!

First of all if you've never heard of Tastefully Simple it's a direct sales company that sells food products. They strive to offer "easy-to-prepare gourmet foods designed to help people spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the rest of their lives." Sounds great to me!! And the best part is that the Tastefully Simple website also provides recipes to incorporate their mixes into full meals!! So just because a product is sold as a dip mix doesn't mean that it's just for dip!! Which is great for not so domestic women like myself! ;)

So here's the deal, Joanne is hosting the catalog party, since you purchase the products from a consultant this is a great way to get started buying! She's also doing 3 giveaways!! I'm still flip flopping on exactly what I want to buy yet, but right now the Chocolate Bliss Cheeseball and the Warm the Oven! Savory Cheese Dip mix are at the top of my list! Yummy!!

I Just Wanted to Hide!

2009-06-07T21:01:00.000-04:00

I love my boys more than anything else in the world. But there are days that I just want to run and hide from them! Ok, maybe not whole days, but moments in the middle of a hectic day, like when all three of them are crying at the same time!

The other evening I was attempting to make dinner (which if you know me you'll know it was just an attempt), and it turned into one big cry fest!! It started out ok. Bear was sitting in his little chair watching the lights, Little Man was sitting on the couch playing a game, and Jellybean was on the couch napping.

A few minutes into my dinner making (if that's what you can consider a boxed pizza kit), Bear started to get a little restless and well, whiny. The next thing I know, while my hands are covered in oil and pizza dough, Little Man decides to wake up his sleeping little brother.

How did he wake his brother up you might ask?? By licking him on the head!!!! I'm not kidding either! Jellybean was so mad! And understandably so. So he was crying and wanted to be held, but remember, I was covered in pizza dough... So, I told Little Man to sit down for a time out and he started a hysterical crying fit!!

So here's a little re-cap of my life at this moment: Bear is now screaming in his chair from being ignored and all the noise around him, Jellybean is crying at my legs, begging to be picked up, and Little Man is in the next room throwing a royal fit and screaming because he apparently thinks it's ok to lick your brother.

And at that moment in time all I wanted to do was run and hide in my closet. Except my closet has no locks on it. I'm considering buying some big padlocks for my closet, and a good set of earplugs. Or maybe a cute little lock like this one that will match my pink walls! That way the next time my little rascals go crazy I'll have a place to sit quietly and pretend that my life isn't so crazy! :)

I Won My First Award!!!

2009-06-07T10:43:00.000-04:00

To say I'm thrilled would be an understatement, to say that I'm bouncing off the walls with uncontrollable excitement might be a better description!! Why? Because Valerie, over at It's A Wonderful Life, just gave me the Love Ya award!! My very first award!! WooHoo!! Thanks again, Valerie, it means a lot to me!! If you haven't checked her out yet, do so Now! :)

This award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

Anyway, it's now my turn to pass the torch, so to speak, and here are 8 other blogs that I think deserve some attention!!

1.) Joanne @ Barely Domestic Mama (this is the blog, and the woman, that got me started!!!)

2.) Molly @ Stilettos and Diapers

3.) Cheryl @ The Coolest Mom on the Block

4.) Mandy @ All Day Everyday

5.) Melissa @ My Life and How It's Going

6.) Becky @ Magness Family Mayhem

7.) Shannon @ Furious Shirley

8.) Deanna @ MommyGaga

What Would You Do?

2009-06-03T21:54:00.000-04:00

If you saw kittens in a storm drain?? I hate to admit it, but I think I'd feel really sorry for them and then walk away. Well, I might try calling the SPCA, but that would be about it for me. However... not all people are as cruel as me. My husband's grandfather, for example.

He works as a crossing guard and noticed 3 small kittens in a storm drain a few weeks ago at his post. He's been watching them ever since and had tried to call the SPCA and had no luck. He then called a local radio station and got some attention to the kittens. Well, earlier today while he showed up to his post and some county workers had some and removed the storm drain to try and rescue the kittens, but weren't having any luck. Then a few firefighters stopped by, but couldn't do anything.

Well, just before he left a lady who had heard about the kittens on the radio showed up to help and the two of them rescued them with a net! Apparently it was quite the ordeal trying to get them, especially when they tried to escape, which one did, until he was caught again! Now, my hubby's grandfather is stuck with the cats until he finds a home for them. The SPCA told him they'd be put to sleep today if he left them there because they had too many cats. So he brought them home!!

Aren't they cute?!

I Won my First Giveaway!!

2009-06-03T21:49:00.000-04:00

Woohoo!! I'm so excited!! I've entered so many cool giveaways on other blogs over the last few months... but I've never won anything. It can be such a bummer. But, I finally won something! I entered a giveaway that Valerie was hosting on her blog It's A Wonderful Life to celebrate her 200th post! And I won a pair of earrings! Yes! I can't wait to get them!! :) Thanks again, Valerie! And be sure to go check her out!

She Gave my Infant a Carrot!!

2009-06-02T22:53:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend my in-laws through a big picnic and all of my hubby's family was there. Bear was the only baby there and was getting passed around like the bowl of peas at Thanksgiving dinner. Kind of annoying, but not a big deal. Anyway, he started to get a little fussy while my hubby's cousin (who has 3 teenagers of her own) was holding him so I could eat.

She was trying to get him to settle down for her when her mom comes up and says that the baby wants some "Real food." We all laughed at her, thinking she was joking. The next thing I know she picks up a baby carrot and sticks it in the baby's mouth!!! Are you kidding me?!?! I didn't know what to do! All I could manage to say was "he's not even 2 months old, he doesn't want any real food!"

I was mortified! But at the same time I'm a little afraid of this woman. She's a little rough around the edges and I'm pretty sure she could smack me across the room if she wanted to. But why in the world couldn't I get myself to stand up and say anything! Ugh! I think I'm more upset with myself now. Crazy aunts!!

When Does Your Summer Start?

2009-05-29T10:55:00.001-04:00

Ever since I was a little girl I always considered the last day of school the first day of summer. Makes sense, I think. It is the first day of summer vacation! Though now I know that summer doesn't officially start for almost another month (it's June 21st this year), I still can't help considering it summer!

For me summer means picnics and swimming. It means getting a tan and not minding getting sprayed with a hose on a hot day. It means I can start wearing my flip flops and sun dresses without looking silly!! Oh, and of course it means barbeque's and outdoor parties!!! And well, all of these have happened already this year and the weather is beautiful!

So I'm declaring my Summer Officially Here!! I just can't take anymore cold weather!! :)

Fabulous Handmade items being GivenAway!!

2009-05-23T10:47:00.000-04:00

Do you love handmade items?? How about giveaways?? I know I do!! I have recently fallen in love with Etsy. Etsy is a site where you can buy all things handmade!! It's wonderful. There so many talented artists and designers on the site. You can buy things for baby or jewlery, handbags, and bath products for yourself!!

And if you love Etsy as much as I do you need to check out this blog: Etsy It Up!! This blog features new Etsy shops all the time and there are always great giveaways too!

Here are some of the great giveaways going on now!!

You can enter to win a Personalized Sterling Silver Guitar Pick from Birth Designs.

This would make a great father's day gift!!

And you need to check out their store as well. My favorite piece is the Mother's Circle necklace. It's gorgeous!

You can also enter to win this beautiful bright blue floral bag made by Girl Des Vignes. This bag is values at $58.

And there are lots of other fabulous, must have bags in thier Etsy shop!!

There is also a handmade stroller liner to be given away!

The stroller liner is one of many wonderfully made items from the shop Lollipop Designs.

You have got to stop over and check this shop out. I love the personalized car seat covers. They're great!

What a Mess!!

2009-05-22T21:15:00.001-04:00

The other night our 4 year old had fallen asleep on the couch after a long day, so the house was quieter than usual. And Jellybean was trying to entertain himself. He disappeared back into the nursery, which I didn't even think twice about because he goes back there to play all the time. After a few minutes of almost total silence I went back to check on him and this is what I walked in on!!!

He had stripped down to nothing and grabbed a bag of baby diapers and the baby powder. The babies diapers were pulled out of the bag and all around him and he was covered in baby powder, as was the changing table and everything surrounding the changing table!!

While my first instinct was to scream, I'm very proud to say that I kept my composure, grabbed the camera, took a few shoots and then drug him to the bathtub. I'm still finding baby powder in little hiding spots on that changing table. But at least I'm learning to sit back and enjoy the messes now! :)

An Inspirational Video to Help Pick You Up!

2009-05-20T09:22:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had a time in your life when you feel like you've fallen and smacked your face so hard on the ground that you just can't get back up? I know that I have, many times, while caring for my three little men. I love my boys so much, but there are days that I just feel beaten down and I don't know how I'm going to keep going. If you have ever had a day like that you need to watch this wonderful inspirational video!! It's about 5 minutes, so make sure you watch it when you have time to see the whole thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MslbhDZoniY

Baby Bear Smiled!

2009-05-08T11:01:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I know this isn't as exciting for everyone else as it is for me... but hey, it's his first major milestone!! Last night he started smiling, on purpose! I swear, it wasn't gas!! You still have to get fairly close to him so he can focus on you, but when I'd draw him up close to me (or squat down and stick my face in his), he'd start cooing and smiling! I was so proud!! Just had to share with someone!

The Boys' Trip to Africa....

2009-05-06T11:06:00.000-04:00

My 4 year old decided to go on a trip to Africa yesterday afternoon. And no, no one we know has ever gone a trip to Africa!I'm still not sure where it came from. When I asked him where he'd heard of going to Africa he looked at me like I was stupid and replied, "I just made it up Mom! It's called get in a boat and go on a trip to Africa. It's a game, Mom." And he sounded so annoyed!

He then recruited his brother to help him pack everything on the boat... aka the middle of my living room floor. They then drug all their toys out to the center of the room for their trip. And I cant forget my laundry basket which they used as the passenger part of the boat!

A child's imagination will never cease to amaze me!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2009-05-05T16:20:00.001-04:00

I remember getting so excited about Cinco de Mayo in college. I knew that it meant May 5th in Spanish and was some sort of Mexican holiday. I could never remember what the holiday was exactly, but I remember thinking it was like the Mexican Independence Day... and more importantly, an excuse to drink!!

Well, a few years out of college I decided to look into what Cinco de Mayo really meant. Here's what I found out in a nutshell: It is Spanish for 5th of May, but it is NOT a Mexican Independence Day (that's September 16). It is however, a holiday to celebrate Mexico's victory over the French on May 5, 1862.

The most interesting thing to me was that it is not a federal holiday in Mexico, but rather a holiday that one can choose to observe. Yet it is celebrated widely in the US and other countries to observe Mexican heritage. I would have never guessed that!

It is nice that we take a day to celebrate Mexican heritage here in the states... though I venture to guess that today is more like another excuse to throw a party to more Americans. Either way, Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Has My Identity been Compromised?

2009-04-23T13:58:00.000-04:00

I woke up on a mission today... to pay off all of our credit cards. Ok, well to pay off the last two credit cards with balances... both of which are in my name. But that's besides the point. Anyway... while looking at one of my online statements I realized that my bill had gone up almost $65 since last month... and I hadn't used the card! In fact, I hadn't even activated the card (the account had been opened when I consolidated some other cards a few months ago). Needless to say I was a little confused.

When I looked under my recent transactions I had 3 charges from True.com that I hadn't made! I called the credit card company and apparently the website is a dating website! Umm, sorry, but I'm married, definitely didn't make those charges! They were able to recover my money, but I can't help but worry that this may be the start of something more. So, I'm calling all of my other credit companies to get new account numbers and cards. What a mess. I hope it doesn't get any worse!

Little Man's T-Ball Game!!

2009-04-19T10:38:00.001-04:00

I finally got to go and see one of my Little Man's T-ball games yesterday! I was so excited!! We all had a blast. Unfortunately my husband was down the road training for his new job and wasn't able to make it, but lots of our family were there. My best friend, who's son plays on the same team, was also there with her little girl, who was born 2 weeks before Bear was. (Who by the way, is doing great! As of last Tuesday he was back to his birth weight- which was a 13 oz gain in one week!!)

Here's some pictures that I just had to share from yesterday!!!

This is Bear, with his girlfriend in the background!!!

And here is Little Man conversing with the other team.... he was playing second base. He would get the other kids so engaged in conversation that they wouldn't realize they were supposed to run and the coaches would have to come and move them along!

Here he is taking a good swing!!

Our team! The kids were all lined up waiting for their pictures to be taken.

I'm Officially the Mom of 3 Boys!!!

2009-04-14T09:14:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I've been able to get online and actually type. I spent the last few days of my pregnacy going back and forth to doctors visits and in the hospital for observation due to my high blood pressure and swelling. Looking back I guess I was being stubborn, but I really didn't want to be induced... and thankfully the baby came on his own!!

Baby "Bear" was born at 11:10pm on Friday, April 3, 2009. He was my biggest baby by far at 8lbs 9ozs and 22 1/2 inches long!! He had his days and nights mixed up at first, so the first few days were rough. But he's doing very well for me now and sleeps in 3-5 hour stretchs at night! Thank goodness!!

His brothers adore him and are doing great with him. Though we have had a few eye pokes and Little Man landed on him while rough housing with daddy the other day.
But nothing too bad, yet. This is my first day home alone with all three since Baby Bear has been born, so it should be interesting! Especially since I have a millon errands to do today, including taking baby in for a weight check... hopefully he's gained all of his weight back!!

I do NOT want to be induced!!!

2009-03-31T22:03:00.000-04:00

I went into the doctors this morning for a routine ob check up and ended up with a lot more than I had expected! To start, my blood pressure was up. I wasn't anxious and hadn't rushed around that morning, so it didn't make much sense as to why it was up. Well, I did gain 5 lbs this week.... which my midwife said was all fluid. Though it sucks, I am so relieved at the same time because I have never been so swollen in my life! At least now I know it's temporary! On top of this I'm dilated to 3cm. Which could mean nothing, but considering that it's my 3rd and how quickly I had Jellybean, it is a little nerve racking.

Anyway... long story short, they wanted to induce me tomorrow, but I really don't want to be induced. I don't want to pick my baby's birthday, and I don't want to spoil the only surprise I have left! So they did some blood work, took my blood pressure 3 more times and did a sonogram. At the end of it all I think they still wanted to induce me, but there was no problem with the baby, and no huge issues with me yet. So they let me go home. I'm a little torn between what to do now. I really don't want to be induced, but I am so ready to meet this little guy.

But until he comes, here are some awesome sonogram pics that they were able to get today... at 39weeks 3days!! The top one is a picture of him with his toe in his eye! :) And the other is just a great face shot!!! I thought these were so cool!!

A Beautiful Baby Shower

2009-03-29T23:09:00.000-04:00

I went to another amazing baby shower this weekend for a great friend, Sarah, one of my sorority sisters from college (and sophmore year housemate!). As you all know, I LOVE baby showers! But this one took the cake! It was by far the fanciest and more upscale baby shower I've ever been to. It reminded me of something you'd see pictures of in Martha Stewart.

It was very laid back and everyone was sitting around all dressed up and drinking wine. (Thank goodness the one thing that still fits me well is my one decent dressy outfit!!!) They had a huge table set up will all these little appetizers, a shrimp cocktail, and fruit and cheese. I was quite please.... but even more pleased when they said there was lunch... complete with crab quiche that was to die for!! I mean come on now, who am I, at almost 9 months pregnant to pass up lots of yummy food that I could never make! :)

After we were all stuffed (at least I was anyway), we played a few games. The funniest was watching some of my prissy sorority sisters who aren't married and have no kids try to guess which candy bar was melted inside of a diaper. You had to be there... trust me, it was funny!

Then I got to sit there and watch her open all of her amazingly cute girly gifts. I have to admit... I was a little, ok, a lot, jealous. Shhh... don't tell my hubby I still want a little girl one day!! I made her a bouquet filled with baby items (onesies, socks, washclothes, etc.) I am very proud... so of course I had to add a picture of it!!

And here's a picture of me (at 39 weeks) and Sarah (at about 35 weeks). I look so terrible in this picture! LOL!

And to top it all off.... I even got some cute little cakes to take home. Which where very yummy!

I am so looking forward to another baby shower! Now I just need to wait for another friend to get pregnant.......

Little Man Started T-Ball!!

2009-03-27T09:51:00.001-04:00

I still remember being pregnant with my little man almost 5 years ago and everyone telling me how quickly they grow up. I know that one I'd agree, but I never thought it'd hit me so hard. But this week my little man started his first t-ball season!! I have been looking forward to this for so long! I so badly wanted to be one of "those moms" who drove their kids all over for different activities. I know, I don't know what I was thinking. But watching him play ball with the other kids his age really hit me as to how fast he has grown... which is amazing and heart breaking at the same time.

I did have to laugh to myself when we first showed up for practice. Little man was the only kid on his team in full baseball gear. All the other kids were wearing sweatpants and old sneakers.... which is what I had planned to put him in. However, my MIL had gone out and gotten him a complete baseball uniform... and he looked so grown up!!! Here's a few pics of him playing!

Win a SAKS bag stuffed with Books!

2009-03-25T13:02:00.000-04:00

Avon books (a division of Harper Collins Publishers) has partnered with thesak and is giving away a Cambria Medium Round Tote bag stuffed with contemporary women's fiction books from Harper Collins Publishers. The bag is adorable in bright colors, perfect for the Spring! And to make it even better, they're filling it with some great books! Check out thesak's website to enter to win!!

I am so ready for baby!!

2009-03-24T20:33:00.000-04:00

I am now 38 1/2 weeks pregnant. (That picture was taken late last night.) And I feel like a stuffed turkey with sausages for feet. Seriously! My husband actually told me to rest and prop my feet up yesterday.... which he NEVER does! I was shocked, but took full advantage of the opportunity to sit and watch mindless television for an hour without moving at all. Boy was it wonderful! Maybe my feet should have swollen earlier in my pregnancy.... Ok, maybe not, but it was still great. But now I'm really ready for this baby to get here and grace us with his presence.

And to make matters even harder, my best friend just had her baby girl over the weekend. She's beautiful! But after visiting them in the hospital I'm doubly anxious and excited for this baby. Though I wasn't nervous about labor at all before this weekend.... I am starting to feel a little nervous now. And I'm blaming my nerves on my friend, who called me from the hospital, while she was in labor... having contractions every 2 minutes! Ok, now who does that?! Though I do wish it would've been me. So please, cross your fingers and pray for me that I have a quick delivery... and soon!! I'm so tired of craving every food that isn't in my house (of course), and feeling like you could pop me with a needle!

And the Winner is...

2009-03-24T20:28:00.000-04:00

The other week I participated in my first giveaway in conjunction with SITS Spring Fling. (Which was a blast, even though I didn't win anything!) But the winner of my gift basket was Lauren from the blog LAURENSPIRED. I was really excited to do my first giveaway, and come to find out, this was the first giveaway that Lauren had ever won. How fun! I hope she likes it!! And I hope that I'll be able to do some more fun giveaways soon!!!

Friday the 13th!

2009-03-13T14:35:00.000-04:00

It's Friday the 13th! Does that mean that it's not safe to go outside today? Or that I shouldn't fly on a plane? I don't think so... but plenty of people do. Apparently the superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th have become very common during the last 100 years.

So why is Friday the 13th so unlucky? Well, for starters, 12 is the number of perfection: there are 12 months in a year, 12 hours on a clock, 12 Apostles of Jesus, etc. Therefore, 13 is said to be an irregular number and is unlucky. Further, Friday is said to be unlucky day. Jesus was crucified on a Friday and there were stock market crashes on Fridays during the 1800s.

How do these superstitions affect us? According to the Stress Management and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina 17-21 million people in the US are affected by a fear of Friday the 13th. Some are so affected that the will divert from their daily routines, stay off the roads, cancel flights, etc, just in fear of this day. (BTW- Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the term for a fear of Friday the 13th.)

Friday the 13th occurs at least once every calendar year, and can occur up to 3 times a year... this year we will have 3 Friday the 13ths- February, March and November. The next year in which 3 Friday the 13ths will occur? 2012!

Personally, I think it's just another day. Though I have to admit the social stigma surrounding the day can be quite a downer! Actually a friend of mine was possibly going to be induced today.... we joked last week about how horrible of a birthday that would be! :)

I Need Chocolate!

2009-03-13T14:03:00.000-04:00

Why do pregnant women always have cravings? I have always had the weirdest cravings with my pregnancies. With my first I ate ice cream and stove top stuffing almost every night. No, not together, but one right after the other! No wonder I gained almost 100 lbs.! With my second, I was hooked on ice cream again, but this time I wanted cheese balls too! And regular cheese just wouldn't cut it... it had to be one of the soft balls of cheese with the nuts all around it. And now, all I can think about is chocolate!

I realized how bad it was getting the other day when I lied to husband.... We were organizing our bedroom and I had hidden a bag of peanut butter cups in a gift bag with some other baby gifts I was starting to get together for a pregnant friend. I didn't think he'd ever look in a baby gift bag! I was wrong! He found them and asked me why I had them in a gift bag. I spent the next 10 minutes attempting to convince him that he was seeing things and that there weren't any peanut butter cups in the whole house. :) Needless to say he dropped it, and hasn't touched them....he's probably afraid he'd lose a finger! Poor guy....

SITS Spring Fling is Today!! Here's my 1st Giveaway!!

2009-03-10T22:22:00.000-04:00

The fabulous ladies from SITS are throwing their Spring Fling today!!! If you've never checked them out, you need too! They're great! And today they're giving away hourly prizes and other SITS readers are giving away lots of fun prizes too...including me! (As of 3:30pm, there were over 300 giveaways listed!!) To help celebrate, and get my new blog going I'm going to be giving away a fun girly gift basket that is filled with a mini-pedicure set, a purple jade bangle bracelet and a tube of Bath and Body Works Anti-bacterial hand lotion (I LOVE this stuff!!).

Open to US Residents Only, please. Contest ends Friday, March 13, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. A winner will be notified via e-mail.

To enter to win just leave a comment here!

For an extra entry, help me get my blog going by becoming a follower!!

Jellybean's 2nd Birthday Party!

2009-03-08T20:43:00.000-04:00

My little Jellybean is turning 2 tomorrow... sigh....

The time has gone by so quickly! I can't believe how much he's grown and learning in just two years. It's wonderful to watch them grow up, but a little sad at the same time.

To celebrate we had some close friend and family over yesterday for a small party. He had a fabulous time playing with the other kids and getting tons of attention! And I'm pretty sure that the cake and presents helped too! :)

Here's a few pictures from his party that I wanted to share!

Had my Screening Interview Today...

2009-03-06T20:39:00.000-05:00

At the end of last year I put in an application for a School Counselor position in the county where I live. About a month ago I got an e-mail to set up a screening interview during a teacher recruitment fair...which was today. I have never seen anything like it! I guess it's pretty typical for teachers, but this was the first interview I've been on since I applied to be a cashier at Circuit City my sophomore year of undergrad!!

When I pulled up to the school there were cars parked all over the place and on the roads surrounding the school. When I got inside there were so many people! They had 30 tables set up and there were 2 interviewers at each table...so 60 interviewers!! Of those 60, 3 of them were interviewing just for guidance counselors!! So they must have interviewed 20-30 people for the same position I applied for! Great!!

When I got up there, the lady who interviewed me only asked me 8 questions and wasn't allowed to look at my portfolio! Ugh! I know that this was just a way to weed out those that weren't qualified, but it's so frustrating!! I feel like I should have elaborated more on the questions I was asked or something. Oh well. I hope I get called back for a real interview now! :) Keeping my fingers crossed and praying!!

Some great contests going on now!

2009-03-05T16:56:00.001-05:00

There are some amazing contests going on right now in other blogs. Here are two of my favorite's that I have entered and wanted to share!

What's That Smell? is giving away a WAT-AAH prize package which includes a case of WAT-AAH and other cool WAT-AAH prizes. Check out their blog and check out WAT-AAH's website too. WAT-AAH is sugar free water with extra's like calcium and electro-lytes that are essential for kids. And the best thing about WAT-AAH it's being kid tested, and kid approved as we speak!! The company is currently doing a WAT-AAH challenge...which my boys will be participating in so stay tuned!!

To celebrate her trip to NY to meet Dr. Reivich, the developer of Fishful Thinking, Tiffany at The R Family Diaries is giving away two $100 Target gift cards! Now, the gift cards are great.... but the reason behind them is even better!! Fishful Thinking is a program that is being sponsored by Peppridge Farm to develop resiliency and optimisim in children. I can't tell you how many children I worked with during my short time as a counseling intern who would have benefited from this program! I'm so excited to learn about all the amazing resources the program has for parents to help kids and can't wait to see what else comes out of this project! Be sure to check out both The R Family Diaries and the Fishful Thinking website!!

Zoom Albums... So Neat!!

2009-02-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

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!

2009-02-27T22:46:00.000-05:00

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.