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July 31, 2010

Saturday Playdate - Mommy Of a Monster


Happy Saturday!  I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!  I'm so glad that you stopped by for our playdate.  Today's playdate is with Natalie from Mommy Of a Monster (I Mean Toddler) & Infant Twins.  If you all have ever wanted to meet a super mom, now is your chance.  For real.  Natalie has 3 children under 3!  And I thought my house was nuts.

So yeah, 3 under 3.  But not for much longer.  Her adorable little boy "Tater" is almost 3, and her beautiful twin girls "Ms. L" and "Ms. M" are almost 1.  I have a feeling there will be some HUGE birthday parties in that house in August for many years to come.  Stop by Natalie's blog sometime and say hey, and read about all of their fun times!  I'm sure you will see exactly why she is, most definitely, a super mom!

I am loving Natalie's post and I am so glad she came over to play today!  I am struggling with a lot of these same thoughts these days...



Mommy of a Monster

Firsts and Lasts

All three of my children were born during the month of August. In fact, the twins are 6 days short of being exactly 2 years younger than my son. So I am currently in the process of planning one huge birthday celebration for all three of them. My son, Tater, is going to turn three this year. The twins, Ms. L and Ms. M, are celebrating their first birthday. I can't believe how fast time flies.

As a mom, I look forward to lots of firsts: first smiles, first steps, first birthdays, first time jumping from the side of the pool alone, first day of kindergarten...the list goes on and on. What I didn't realize is that there would be lots of lasts, too.

During the last few months that I was pregnant with the twins, both of them were breach. So we knew that I was going to have to have a C-Section. My hubby and I made the decision that at the same time, we'd have the doctor go ahead and tie my tubes. That means that my pregnancy with the twins was my last pregnancy. Which at the time didn't bother me at all because being pregnant with twins was neither as fun or as easy as it was when I was pregnant with Tater! But after their arrival and when things settled down enough for me to think, I was kind of sad about never feeling the flutter of another baby inside me. Of never again experiencing the excitement of waiting to "meet" another child. Of seeing my child for the first time and falling instantly in love. That's when I realized that there were lots of "lasts" coming my way.

And over this past year, I've continued to experience sadness over other lasts. With each new first, also comes a last...do you know what I mean? When Ms. M rolled over for the first time, it was also the last time that one of my children would ever do that again for the first time. The first time that I got a smile from the twins was the last time I'd ever see a first smile again. Last first belly laugh. The last first time our children would sit up...crawl...take steps.

With each new "first" I keep thinking about it being the last time we'll experience it. I know there are a ton of firsts that we haven't even thought about yet, and I'm excited about all those firsts...well, maybe not all of them. I'm not excited about the first time Tater will talk back. I'm not excited about the kids doing stupid things that we told them not to do. But for the most part, the firsts are always exciting.

But the lasts? The lasts seem so sad! Even though I'm happy to see some of the lasts go (like getting up every couple of hours at night to feed babies), I'm going to miss those, too! I'll miss never breastfeeding again. Or teaching our children how to clap. How to play peek-a-boo.

While I bid adieu to each last first, I try to see the bright side. Even though it's many years away, I will experience the firsts again...with my grandchildren! And that thought brings a smile to my face and a flutter of anticipated, unconditional love to my heart.


July 30, 2010

Weekend Win It - July 30


Welcome to Weekend Win It! This is a great way to spread the word about your giveaways, or find some great ones to enter! And remember...you don't need to be a blogger to enter these giveaways! All you need to do is know how to leave a comment. It's that easy!

Here are a few of the awesome giveaways I found this week...


Of course I have a cool giveaway to tell you all about from one of my favorite blogs, Thanks Mail Carrier! As part of her Anniversary Bash, Xenia is giving us a chance to win a $100 gift certificate from Hayneedle.  Hayneedle is a collection of over 200 specialty stores, so I can already think of plenty of things I could spend the $100 on. Head on over to Thanks, Mail Carrier and enter the Hayneedle Giveaway!


I think that Little Tikes Sand & Sea™ Play Table would be a great addition to our fun backyard! Doesn't it look like fun?  And it is so cute with that umbrella!  Right now you can enter to win one over at My Silly Monkeys!  Head on over there and check out Jess's Little Tikes Sand & Sea™ Play Table Review & Giveaway.


I also found another great giveaway over at My Silly Monkeys.  This one is for the awesome Pirate Ship Rocker by Guidecraft!  Guidecraft makes some really great childrens' furniture.  Isn't that ship adorable?  To win one, head over and enter the Guidecraft Pirate Ship ($250 value) Review & Giveaway.


And all I have to say about this one is WOW!  What an awesome water slide!  I know that Rylie would go absolutely nuts over that thing!  That is the Tropical Wave Water Slide by Kidwise, and you can find it at BounceHousesNow.com.  And even better, you can enter to WIN one over at J. Leigh Designz.  Would you like to have one of these in your back yard?  Go enter Jennifer's BounceHousesNow giveaway!

What are you waiting for? Head over and enter these great giveaways now! And if you are hosting a giveaway (or twenty), please link them up below! I would love to find some other great giveaways to enter! Please come back and let me know if you win a giveaway that you found at Weekend Win It.

Have a great weekend!



Five Question Friday - July 30th

TGIF! Today is an off Friday for me! Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE having every other Friday off? Today is a busy day, though, so there won't be much time for relaxing, that is for sure. I have a hair appointment this morning that I desperately need!  People are going to start thinking I am Rylie's grandmother with all of the grays I have. Then I have to go put the deposit down at the park for Bryce's party (more on that some other time) and do some shopping.  I'm in desperate need of some new makeup that matches my not-so-pale summer glow, and some clothes that actually fit.  I won't even talk about all of the chores I need to get done, because that will just ruin my day.

If you're here for the first time from one of the fabulous Friday blog hops, welcome! Please leave a comment and let me know you stopped by so I can come check out your blog.  If you are one of my long time friends, welcome back! I'd love to hear from you all too!

Are you ready for some 5QF fun? If you want to join in, just head over to My Little Life and link up!


1. Did you have a favorite blanket or toy as a kid? If so, do you still have it?

Yes! I had "Fuzzy". And I still have her.  Although she doesn't quite look the same as she did 35 years ago.  My dad bought Fuzzy from the hospital gift shop when I was born.  She was this fluffy pink mouse.  She used to have hands, feet, ears and a tail, but my childhood dogs took care of amputating all of her limbs.  She used to be clean.  I can't even describe what she looks like now.  A dirty sewer rat, maybe?

A couple of weeks ago, I was telling Rylie about her "Fuzzy"...which is the closest thing Papa could find to my Fuzzy when Rylie was born.  I told her that Papa bought that for her just like he bought one for me when I was a baby.  So she wanted to see my Fuzzy.  She couldn't wait! The excitement faded, though, when I pulled my stinky, old Fuzzy out of my closet...



(Yes, that is probably the crappiest cell phone picture I have posted yet, I know.)

She decided she likes her Fuzzy better. But even if she is stinky and dirty and no longer has any limbs, I still love my Fuzzy and I will keep her forever!

2. Do you dream in color?

I think so.  I don't remember ever noting that my dreams looked like some old black and white movie.

3. How tall are you? Do you wish you were shorter or taller?

I am 5 feet, 5 1/2 inches.  Yes, I count halves.  My husband always laughs at me when I stick that half in there.  Well, that is how tall I am, damn it!  I do like my height for the most part, except on the few occasions that I have had to buy "short" pants.  Really?  I'm over 5'5" and I need "short" length?  Who decides who is short, regular and tall, anyway?

4. If you could have anyone's (celeb or other) voice as the guide on your GPS, who would it be?

The Geico gecko.  Most definitely.

5. Do you return your shopping cart to the corral or leave it wherever in the parking lot?

I try to return it.  I really do.  If I have the kids with me, I try to park by one of the corrals.  If I can get a spot close to one, obviously I return it.  If I can't find a spot near one, though, I am not about to leave my kids in the car while I try to return the cart.  Sorry.  And if there isn't a corral, then yes, I usually leave it wherever in the parking lot unless I am close to the entrance of the store.  In that case, I will usually walk it back up near the doors.  Again, providing the kids aren't with me.

Have a great weekend everyone!  Be sure to stop back by tonight for Weekend Win It to check out some great giveaways going on, and link yours up.  Don't forget about Saturday Playdate tomorrow!

July 29, 2010

Daycare Updates

Thank you for all your comments and emails when I was feeling like a big fat liar yesterday.  As usual, I made a mountain out of a molehill.  Rylie either forgot all about me telling her that I would play with her outside, or she just didn't care.  When I picked her up from school I told her how sorry I was that I didn't get to stay and play with her and she was like "um, ok, whatever".  I still felt bad, though, so on the way home I told her that if we got done with dinner quick enough we could go swimming.  So after dinner she says "come on Daddy, let's go swing!"  I was a little bummed that she didn't even remember the swimming thing (which really surprised me), but so happy that I didn't have to beat myself up any longer!

I have received some emails over the last week or so asking how the daycare situation was going after the whole separation anxiety debacle, so I felt like I should give an update here.  Things are definitely better.  After all of that happened, I had a long talk with the center director.  I made it clear that I did not want Rylie isolated if she was crying after I left in the morning.  To my knowledge, it has not happened again.  One of her teachers usually takes her over to the other classroom to feed the fish if she starts crying.  That usually works the best.  If there are too many children, though, for a teacher to leave for a minute, someone always comforts her.  She still has good days and bad days, but at least on the bad days I don't have to leave thinking someone is going to be mean to her.  And by "mean" I mean in her eyes, since I honestly don't think anyone there is ever intentionally mean to those kids.

So we're staying put.  At least for now.  I don't think there is a perfect daycare out there, and when it all comes down to it, I really do like the daycare we are at.  Here are some reasons why:

1. The ladies that work there genuinely love my kids.  Rylie has always been a "teacher's pet" of sorts since day one.  She does get some special treatment in some ways, and I feel really blessed that there are so many other people that love Rylie the way they do there.  She has "chocolate Friday" with Ms. C, Ms. D always makes sure she gets graham crackers when she leaves for the day (even if she has to go in the kitchen and get them), and Ms J. and Ms. S fight over who her best friend is.  And Bryce...well they just all want to take him home with them!

2. Rylie's teacher is a saint.  I'm not even kidding.  I cannot thank Ms. B enough for all she has done with Rylie!  I have to give her most of the credit for potty training her.  She really made it easy for us.  She teaches those kids so much and I can tell she really loves her job.  I have NEVER seen her frustrated, even when that place gets crazy like it sometimes does.  She ALWAYS has a smile on her face.  She is always willing to talk to me and really listens to anything I have to say.  The other day when I was there for "family day", she pulled out Rylie's file and showed me a huge stack of index cards on which she had been writing down different things that Rylie said and did.  She doesn't have to do that, but I am grateful that she does.

3. I feel comfortable leaving my kids there every day.  I have been there for well over two years now, and for the most part, I know how the place operates.  I know my kids are 100% safe there.  I know that they are being stimulated and educated at the level I feel they should be.  The rules are reasonable and not crazy strict like that other place I looked at.  And for the most part, I think the kids are comfortable there...even Rylie.  That has been her "other family" for most of her life now, and I do think she knows how much she is cared about.

4. The center cares about the families.  I mean, why else would they try to get a group of two year olds together to try to sing a song for the Spring Gala?  They are always having meals for us, or little programs like that, and even the "family day" thing they tried this week.  They really want to get us involved and I think that is great!

5. And even though I didn't mention every teacher, I think they are all wonderful! They all have their strong points and I am grateful to every single one of them for everything they do with, and for, my kids.  I respect each and every one of those women, because I don't think I could do that job.

So that's that.  I feel like I'm rambling now (probably due to the fact that I can barely keep my eyes open), but I hope I made my point.  I know we will still have issues arise at times, but when it all boils down to it, I really do like it there.  And so do my kids.  And as long as I can continue to make suggestions, and my suggestions are listened to and responded to, that is all I can really ask for.  I told the center director tonight that she is stuck with me, and all of my complaining, and she just smiled and said "and that is just fine".

Happy Birthday Sean!

Our friend Sean has just been dying to be mentioned in my blog. (Last night he wanted me to talk about how Dora taught him to play with a monkey, or something like that???) I figured there is no better day than on his birthday to give him a shout out. So...

Happy Birthday Sean!!! I hope you had a great day!


Sean's wife (and one of my bestest friends) already blogged about his birthday today, so now he should feel extra special that he was featured on TWO blogs in one day.

Picture provided by the birthday boy's wife. Apparently she thinks I need to add a little spice to my blog!

Tiny Takes Thursday - Rylie's Little Brother



Welcome to Tiny Takes Thursday! Hosted by Shibley Smiles and The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! Wanna play? It is simple! Just let your little one snap a picture and post it for everyone to see.

One of my really good friends (Debi) always dresses her little boy in collared shirts, and I usually don't. So when I put a collared shirt on Bryce one morning I wanted to take a picture to send to her because I knew she would be so proud of me. ;-) I asked Brian to get a picture of him while I was trying to finish getting ready. Well, guess who ended up with the camera? No, not the dog, silly. Rylie!


Not a bad picture for a 2 year old, huh?

We want to see your Tiny Takes! Link up below and join in the fun!



July 28, 2010

I Am A Liar

And you can add “crappy mom” to the list of things I am today. I feel like I let my little girl down today. I can’t stop beating myself up over it either. I know I am probably making more of it than it is, but I’m still upset nonetheless.

Today was supposed to be “family day” at daycare. You could basically spend all day with your kid. Last night when Rylie wanted to pick out her bathing suit to wear for water day I had to explain to her that water day was going to be on Thursday this week because there was something special planned for Wednesday. I told her I was going to have breakfast with her and stay and play with her for a while. Then she asked “are you going to play outside with me?” and I told her I would. She was so excited.

You see, my plan was to stay there through the morning activity and leave right before lunch. Even though I am ridiculously busy at work right now and have a couple of big deadlines that have to be met this week, my very awesome boss agreed that it was important for Rylie to have her mom at school for at least part of the day today. That plan changed, unfortunately, when I got there and was the only parent there. Obviously the parents of kids in daycare have to work, or else they probably wouldn’t be there in the first place, but I thought at least a few of the other parents would attend. Nope.

I had breakfast with Rylie and a couple of her friends and then I decided that it would be much less disruptive if I didn’t stay. Being that I was the only parent there, I thought it would be a good idea to just let them get back to their normal routine. Of course Rylie didn’t like that idea, and I knew it was going to be hard for her when I left, regardless of how long I stayed. Her teacher put some music on and we did the Cha Cha Slide. Rylie laughed and giggled the whole time. I left after that and she was OK because she went over to the other class and fed the fish, which she really likes to do.

I got in the car and got about a mile down the road and thought “OMG I told her I would play with her outside today!!!” I felt like such a liar. I felt like I should turn around and go back. But I didn’t. Instead I just turned on the tears and came to work.

For those who don’t know me personally, I am the biggest cry baby EVER. I cry when I’m sad, mad, angry, happy, excited. You name the emotion, and chances are it produces tears for me. Unfortunately Rylie has seemed to inherit that trait from me, and I feel so bad for her for it. It has made for some pretty embarrassing times for me throughout my life, and it makes it nearly impossible for me to get involved in any type of face to face conflict.

Anyhow…I have literally been crying ever since. I can’t help it. I should have stayed. I should have kept my promise to play outside with her. I didn’t mean to let her down, and I feel so horrible that I did.

Wordless Wednesday: Bus Driver


I want to see your Wordless Wednesday posts! Link up below! And for more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out The Florida Hogans, Angelica's Awesome Adventures and Shibley Smiles. Happy WW!



July 26, 2010

McFatty Monday - Week 17

I did it! I am officially back down to my pre-Bryce weight, and then some! 156.0, my friends. Honestly, though, I have no clue how that happened since I really haven’t been eating as well as I should be. Maybe since I have been staying up way too late blogging and not getting much more than 4 hours of sleep a night, my body is having to use my fat stores for energy??? I dunno. But whatever, I’ll take it!

That was my first mini-goal. Now I’m on to the next, which is to get down to 150. Of course by "standards" I should probably weigh less than that (I’m 5’6”, medium build), but that is what I feel is feasible for me, right now. I just can’t don’t want to devote that much time and energy to weight loss at this point in my life. I don’t have the extra time to devote, anyway. Once the kids get a little older and I have a little more time (that WILL happen, right?!?!), then I can reevaluate and really push myself to lose some more weight.

So for now, I’m happy. I’m happy about how well I have been doing with this, and I am motivated to meet my next goal.

Happy Monday all!

July 25, 2010

Sunday Funnies And Other News

Another weekend is almost gone. I hope everyone has had a great one! We have had a lazy weekend...well, as lazy as you can get with a toddler and a baby, and 3,957 loads of laundry to do. Mama and Papa are here visiting and Rylie and Mama are out on their second shopping trip for the day. She loves hanging out with Mama, that's for sure. And of course there has been some swimming.

I haven't had any real funnies to share lately. I mean, Rylie is always amusing us with her antics, but she hasn't done anything that is so hilarious that I'm like "ooooh I need to jump on the computer and blog about that NOW."  She was putting on a show for us last night that had us giggling a little bit, though.  We went to Target and she scored all kinds of new stuff.  When we got home she and my mom were dancing around to a CD my mom brought.  A few minutes later I look over and she had on her new flip flops, and an entire arm full of Silly Bandz (of course she was in her bathing suit), and she was shaking her booty big time.  Of course as soon as we grabbed the video camera she stopped.  It was pretty funny though.

Check out her new flip flops...



I think she would have slept in them last night if I had let her.  Rylie needs more flip flops like I need more dirty piles of laundry, but those caught her eye and she just HAD to have them.

Bryce has definitely been quite amusing lately.  Every day he acquires a new skill and wants to show it off.  Yesterday he was practicing standing.  He kept climbing up on Brian and then he would stand by himself for a few seconds until he fell.  He did this like a million times.  By the time I grabbed the camera he was getting tired of it and wasn't standing as long, but I still managed to get a cute video that will probably make you laugh...



Yes, he is in a cage.  GASP!  More on that to come.  It was so funny to watch him, though.

And in other news...

Like I said, Bryce seems to be acquiring new skills every day!  Last Thursday he was the only baby at school and apparently his one-on-one time with his teacher really paid off.  When I picked him up, he was standing by himself and seemed to have really gotten the hang of walking straight when you held his hands.  And then on Friday I was so excited to find out that he had been walking unassisted with a push toy!  We practiced that at home this weekend and he loves it.  He just cracks up laughing the whole time he is pushing that thing around.

So back to "the cage".  With Bryce's increased mobility these days, he is all over the place.  And while I like to give him room to crawl around and go from toy to toy, I can't take my eye off of him for a second because he ends up stuck under the table or something.  So yes, we brought the cage back out.  It isn't really a cage, obviously, but that is just what we ended up calling it the first time we set it up for Rylie and it stuck.  Really, guys, it is a play pen, so don't go calling DCF on me just yet.  For the most part, he loves to play in it.  I was actually able to get the dishes done today while he played.  (YAY! That is quite an accomplishment these days.)  But a lot of time he wants someone in there with him.  We have have all had fun playing in the cage this weekend!  And believe it or not, Rylie asks to get in with him all the time.





Mama and Rylie should be home from shopping soon and then the nightly ritual will begin.  Back to work and school tomorrow.  Why can't the weekends be 5 days long???

Have a great week everyone!

July 24, 2010

~*~Winner!!!~*~

A big thank you to everyone who entered my Boogie Wipes giveaway!  The winner is...


And the winning comment was...


Congratulations The Florida Hogans! (aka Tiffany)  Your beautiful little girls will be so glad they have Boogie Wipes the next time they get the sniffles!  And don't forget to save your UPC codes to get them their own little Boogie Buddy!

Saturday Playdate - Life With The Ardies


Hello Friends!  (Hmmm, did I just sound like DJ Lance there?)  Thanks for stopping by to play!  Today's playdate is with Heather from Life With The Ardies.  Heather is another awesome friend I met through a blog party a few months ago.  She hangs out over here with me all the time and leaves the sweetest comments.

Heather is a doctoral student in psychology.  So is her husband.  They both go to school full time, work and take care of their beautiful "Babygirl".  (And here I thought my life was crazy!)  Babygirl is just a couple of weeks older than Bryce, and if they lived closer, we would definitely be having some real playdates!  She blogs about their life (duh, look at the title of her blog), and all of Babygirl's awesome moments and milestones.  She also posts other silly stuff that makes me laugh (or at least giggle along with her) often.

When you're done over here, definitely go check out her blog and say hi!  But I have to warn you, you may want to hang out and play over there for a while.  So grab a cup of coffee, or maybe even some wine (it is five o'clock somewhere, right?) before you go!




Big thanks to LeeAnn for inviting me over for a play date today! Play dates rock and I wish I had more of them. I’m one of the first of my friends to have a kiddo, so thank goodness for the one friend I can have play dates with. I can’t wait for more of my friends to have babies because rumor has it that I like to bring wine to my play dates…

With that said, I brought a Riesling and a Chardonnay. What would you like?

All set? Good!

So… hello everyone! My name is Heather and I am a mother of a beautiful baby girl. I’ve written this post nearly 15 times and probably edited it another 50. There are so many things I wanted to talk about. But since my daughter will be turning the big numero uno at the end of next month, and because a year has nearly flown by, I’ve been trying to think about how far I’ve come in life. So here it goes…

My motherhood journey has been small in the grand scheme of life, but I’ve learned so much about myself in these short 11 months.

I remember my friends in college telling me that I was going to be an amazing mother. Not sure exactly what they were referring to, I always smiled and said thanks. I never really believed them though. I wasn’t worried about not having enough food or a roof over my child’s head. And I wasn’t worried about hurting my child either. Instead, I wondered whether or not I was fit to be a “mom”.

My idea of a mom was the standard stereotypical mom: A person who is too practical, wears outdated and/or baggy clothes, never has make-up on, sports a bad haircut, is uptight, frazzled, and stressed. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I’d let my kids come first or if every decision I made would be dependent on my kids.

Growing up, I took pride in being a strong, independent woman. I had a great group of friends, but hated the feeling of someone depending on me. I hated that feeling so much that I would distance myself as soon as I felt one of my friends “needing” me. I enjoyed my freedom. And I enjoyed me. Call it conceited. Call it spoiled. I don’t care. I loved everything being All. About. Me. I loved being able to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I thought life was great and I didn’t want that to change when I had kids. Now don’t get me wrong, I wanted to have kids, but it was more of a that’s-just-what-you-do-as-a-woman-when-you-grow-up kind of thing.

Fast forward a few years. I’m newly married and slightly more mature. Still enjoyed my freedom and independence, but sharing those things with my husband was great. We could do anything we wanted, whenever we wanted.

But as time moved on I started thinking about having kids more and more. I had baby cravings, but my main goal was to earn my PhD and have a little fun in the process. I knew that having a child would keep me from making progress academically. And having a child would hinder the social life just a wee bit too.

Ok, maybe a lot.

But that’s beside the point. I got pregnant right smack dab in the middle of my graduate program. And I was going to have a baby regardless. I was thrilled and nervous at the same time. Nervous for many reasons, but mainly because dropping out of school was not an option. We needed my income. And my job as a teaching assistant required me to attend school. Full-time.

Let me reiterate that… I’m talking about going to graduate school full-time and working part-time. When and where am I supposed to have a baby AND raise the baby in that process? I couldn’t quit school. I didn’t have a maternity leave. And say goodbye to that feeling of being free and being social.

Fast forward to August of last year. The newest addition of the Ardie household had arrived. The absolute nanosecond I saw my daughter for the first time, my whole world changed. I didn’t care about my freedom. I didn’t care about my social life. I didn’t care about someone depending on me. I didn’t care about grad school (at least not at the moment). All I cared about was my family, my daughter, and whatever I needed to do to ensure she was well taken care of.

So I guess my friends knew something I didn’t. Yes you have the stereotypical moms, but you can be a great mom without being outdated and uptight. I am, however, guilty of wearing baggy clothes more often than not. And leaving the house without make-up more often than not. But I don’t really consider myself to fit the prototypical “mom”. But a good one, nonetheless.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe I questioned myself as a mother. Something happened on August 31st of last year. Call it a new hormone that is released once you give birth. Call it magic. Whatever it is, it changed me and it changed me for the better.

The love a mother has for her child is beyond words. I love my pets and I love my husband, but NOTHING even remotely compares to the love I have for my daughter. There isn’t one single thing that will stand between me and Babygirl. It’s only been an 11 month journey, but knowing that I’m more of a mother than I ever thought I’d be has been one heck of a journey thus far.

Gone are my social butterfly days. Gone are the days of my freedom. Gone are the days I considered to be the best days of my life.

Those days were the best days of my life. Until now. These days are the best days of my life. Without a doubt.


July 23, 2010

Weekend Win It - July 23


Welcome to Weekend Win It! This is a great way to spread the word about your giveaways, or find some great ones to enter! And remember...you don't need to be a blogger to enter these giveaways! All you need to do is know how to leave a comment. It's that easy!

Here are a few of the awesome giveaways I found this week...


Xenia over at Thanks, Mail Carrier is having an Anniversary Bash to celebrate her 1-year-of-blogging anniversary! I hope you ran over and grabbed her cool button after I told you about it last week. Her first anniversary giveaway is for a 4moms MamaRoo!  I have tried and tried to win one of those and haven't been lucky yet.  Maybe this will be the one!  Head over and enter the MamaRoo Giveaway at Thanks, Mail Carrier!


Anyone who knows me knows that I love Britax car seats and I recommend them to all of my friends.  The Britax Advocate CS is the Mack Daddy of all car seats!  You can enter to win one over at Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous!


Even though we have recently added to the fun in our backyard, I think it would be even better with a water table! Tricia at Night Owl Mama posted a great CSNstores review and is currently hosting a giveaway of a Step 2 Naturally Playful Sand and Water Activity Center!


My friend Colleen currently has two great giveaways running right now over at Shibley Smiles.  The first one is a Blog Design Giveaway!  She has the cutest designs to spruce up your blog!  The other is a Brugo Mug Giveaway.  Brugo Mugs are the latest and greatest in travel coffee mugs!

What are you waiting for?  Head over and enter these great giveaways now!  And if you are hosting a giveaway (or twenty), please link them up below!  I would love to find some other great giveaways to enter!  Please come back and let me know if you win a giveaway that you found at Weekend Win It.

Have a great weekend!



Five Question Friday - July 23rd

Happy Friday! This week actually went by pretty quickly, thank goodness! This is a working Friday for me, so it isn't quite as happy as last Friday was, and next Friday will be. But still, it is Friday! Yay!

Welcome friends - old and new! Thanks for stopping by today! If you're here for the first time, I hope you have a minute to take a look around, and that you'll enjoy what you see. If you're here for the 100th time, well, I guess it is pretty obvious that you like it over here.

It is time for Five Question Friday! This is always so much fun! To join in, just head over to My Little Life and link up!


1. What were your school colors?  Blue and White. And just for poops and giggles, our mascot was the "Rebel". Ahhh, the good old days. Or not.

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?  This is tough.  I love all compliments.  I mean, who doesn't?  I guess one compliment that really stands out in my mind was when my dad told me what a great mother I am, and what a great job I do with my kids.  I have always wanted to make my parents proud, and I still do.

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?  Is Charmin considered cheap or expensive?  I am actually very picky about what I wipe my butt with, so that is the only kind we buy.

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?  Yes!  My 16th birthday was a surprise party.  It almost ended up not being quite a surprise thanks to my friend that was supposed to get me there.  But when I walked into Chuck E Cheese thinking we were dropping her brother off at a party and saw all of my friends and family there, yeah, I was surprised.  So yes, my 16th birthday party was at Chuck E Cheese.  And it was great!

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?  These days, my laptop.  I think I would seriously get the shakes if I couldn't blog.  :-D

Don't forget to stop back by tonight (after 10PM EST) for Weekend Win It!  I have some cool giveaways to tell you all about and I'd love for you to share yours with me!

July 22, 2010

The Yummy Goodness Of S'mores

S'mores! My mouth is watering just thinking about them. Who can resist the yummy goodness of marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate, all melted together and gooey? I can't.


We love to make S'mores! The great thing about them is that they can be made almost anywhere, in a variety of different ways. My favorite time for S'mores is during a backyard barbeque, over an open flame. Yum!

How do you like your S'mores? Visit Kraft More S'mores. More S'miles for recipes and other fun ideas!

Disclosure: I am entering a contest for a S’mores prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club. I really do love S'mores, though. Who doesn't?


Tiny Takes Thursday - Rylie's Friends



Welcome to Tiny Takes Thursday! Hosted by Shibley Smiles and The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! Wanna play? It is simple! Just let your little one snap a picture and post it for everyone to see.

Today I have a picture that Rylie took of some of her "friends". She loves her friends and usually has at least three in bed with her every night. She rotates through them so that she doesn't show favoritism, I guess.


We want to see your Tiny Takes! Link up below and join in the fun!



July 21, 2010

Tommee Tippee Explora Review

I am so excited to be part of the Tommee Tippee Summer Tour with the Mom Bloggers Club!  The best part about this tour is that I found out about some awesome products that I will definitely be buying more of!

Tommee Tippee is the number one brand of infant feeding products in the UK, and is now available in the US.  You can find their products at Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores, as well as BabiesRUs.com.

When Bryce eats, I usually don't allow him to have bowls or plates because they always end up on the floor.  Well not anymore!  Two of the products I received to try were the Explora Weaning Bowl with Spoon and the Explora Non Slip Easi-Mat.  The bowls came in a two-pack with a lid.  In the lid there is a space to store the spoon, so these would be great for on-the-go meals.  The mat sticks to any surface, and on one side has a suction cup that you put the bowl on.

I have to say I was a little skeptical at first about the power of the suction cup on the mat.  You know how those things usually are.  Most suction cups that I have had experience with just don't work.  But let me assure you that this one does!  Bryce pulled with all of his might to get that bowl off the mat, and to his frustration, he was unsuccessful.  He finally just gave up and ate his dinner.



Yay!  No more bowls on the floor!  And most of his food managed to stay contained in the bowl too.

The other product I received to try was the Explora Truly Spill Proof Water Bottle.  I can't tell you how many "spill-proof" cups I have purchased that end up leaking all over the place, usually at the worst possible times too.  But not this cup!  Rylie loves to "accidentally" spill her drinks, but with this one, it is literally impossible.  I think she was a little surprised that I actually wanted her to tip her new cup and shake it all around.  No leaks!  We will definitely be using this cup for all of our outings away from home!



These products are great!  I am so glad I was able to try them!

Right now through July 23rd, you can buy any Explora item (cups and toddler feeding), and get the second 50% off at BabiesRUs.com.

You can also find Tommee Tippee on Facebook and Twitter!

Disclosure:  The opinions in this review are my own.  I received the items for review for free from Tommee Tippee and I am a reviewer for the Mom Bloggers Club.  No other compensation was received.

 
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