~*~Winner!!!*~ Coca-Cola Games

Thank you to everyone who entered my Coca-Cola Family Night Giveaway! The winner of the Coca-Cola Games Prize Pack is...

Happy Halloween!

~*~Happy Halloween!~*~

From Rylie the witch...

...and SuperBryce!

Weekend Win It - October 29-30 {Giveaway Linky}

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!

I have some great giveaways going on right now!

What is Klout? - A Late Night Friday Funny

61. That is my current Klout score. If you are a blogger, then you know what I'm talking about. Or at least you should know what I'm talking about.

If you are not a blogger or a serious tweeter, you may not have heard of Klout yet. According to the Klout website, The Klout Score measures influence on a scale of 1 to 100. Basically, it is a measure of how much a person influences others through social media. It analyzes your twitter and Facebook feeds to find out which topics you influence others about. Right now, I am influential in topics like Blogging, Children, Disney and even Sandwiches. Yes, Sandwiches. In fact, I am currently in 4th place, just under Subway, as having the most +K in Sandwiches.

Five Question Friday - October 28th

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week! It has been a rough one for me work-wise, but today is the last day of that nonsense, so TGIF! We have a busy weekend planned with two Halloween parties to go to, and I know the kids will have a lot of fun. What is everyone else up to this weekend?

Make sure you stop back by next week for the Countdown to Black Friday giveaway extravaganza! Starting Tuesday, my good friend Colleen and I will each have a giveaway a day until Black Friday. We're going to give you some great ideas to put on your Black Friday shopping list!

Do You Ever Ask Yourself "What If?"

I am not one to dwell on the past. I don't generally contemplate what my life would be like if I had chosen a different path than the one I ultimately took. Every now and then, though, something will come up that makes me think "what if?"

Take my career choice, for example. I have had a rough week at work this week, and the other day I said to myself "I should have been a pharmacist." You see, when I first started college, that is what I was going to be...

photo by RambergMediaImages

What Are Some Of Your Sweet Moments?

A month or so ago I was having a not-so-great day. We all have them, but I seem to have had a lot of them lately. I had been doing some running around that afternoon and when I got home I saw a little box on my doorstep with the "perishable" sticker on it. I came in the house, took my dog outside, and then brought the little box in the kitchen to see what was in it. I opened it up to find a package of these...

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkin Patch Over The Years

~*~Family~*~

Make Halloween Frightfully Delicious With Tombstone Pizza

After all, Tombstone Pizza is the "Official Pizza of Halloween"!

Halloween is just around the corner, and boy are my kids excited! Rylie is going to be a witch (a sassy witch, that is), and Bryce is going to be Superman. Since we live on a busy road that doesn't get any trick-or-treaters, we take the kids to the mall for trick-or-treating. I love going to the mall because we don't have to worry about the kids running out into the street, or worry about someone tampering with their candy, and best of all, it is air conditioned. Yes, we are usually still wearing shorts on Halloween here.

She's Lucky She's So Cute

See this face?

Cute, right? Now really look at that picture. In fact, go ahead and click on it so you can see the full size image. I'll wait.

Did you see it? What I'm talking about is the lotion that is smeared all over her face. You see, I left the house the other night to get some snacks for the pumpkin patch and left Daddy in charge. Usually that isn't an issue. In fact, I have been known to tell people that he is the better parent. He seems to wrangle my two little mischief makers better than I do.

That wasn't the case Saturday night.

Our Annual Pumpkin Patch Trip #CBias #MurphyUSA

Every year we make at least one trip to the pumpkin patch. Last year we found out that our favorite pumpkin patch also holds a fall festival, so this year we went on the day the festival was being held. I love the fall and all of the colors (even though we really don't see them here in FL), so the main reason we go is to take pictures. We always try to get a good family photo, and this was the best we got this year...

We knew that we were going to have a pretty full day at the pumpkin patch since we were staying for the festival, so I headed out to Murphy USA on Saturday night to get some snacks. I got Dr. Pepper for Brian, Vitamin Water for me, and V8 Fusion drinks for the kids. I also purchased some yummy treats like Nabisco Nutter Butter cookies, M&M's and more!

Ride Safely In A Britax Marathon 70 {Review & Giveaway}

We all want to keep our kids safe. There are some things we can't control, such as a nasty bump to the head when they trip over something while they are running full speed. Let's face it, we can't have our kids running around in helmets at all times. We also can't control car accidents that are not our fault. You can be the most defensive driver out there, but if someone runs a red light, or is busy talking on their phone and doesn't see you stop in front of them, there is not much you can do. What you can control, though, is making sure your child is protected as well as they can be while riding in the car. That is where Britax comes in.

When Rylie started to outgrow her infant seat, we did a lot of research before choosing a convertible car seat. After looking online at the many different brands out there, visiting stores to check out the various seats in person and reading as many consumer reviews as we possibly could, we ultimately chose Britax. Britax has been a leader in the car seat industry for years, and after owning four Boulevard convertible car seats, I can see why. Britax car seats are top of the line! As soon as you lift the seat out of the box, you know your child is going to be well protected. The seats are sturdy, put together well, and come with features that a lot of car seats don't have.

Creepy Eats And Treats: Halloween Recipe Ideas

Pinterest. Why oh why did I have to find this site? I know, most of you are saying "You just now found Pinterest!?!?" and yes, it is true. For some reason I resist new websites such as these. Maybe it is because I know I will become addicted and sit there and play on it until 3AM like I did this morning? Just what I need...another time consuming activity!

We have been invited to several Halloween parties next weekend, and I want to bring some creepy treats to contribute. I was searching the internet for some fun recipe ideas and somehow I ended up on Pinterest. I found so many! Some of these I will try to make, and some I know are way too complicated for my novice cooking skills. Either way, though, they are all really cool, so I thought I would share a few of my favorites...

Jack-o'-Lantern Burgers

Source: tasteofhome.com via LeeAnn on Pinterest

Saturday Playdate - Kiddies Corner Deals

Welcome to another fun Saturday Playdate! Today we are playing with Nichol from Kiddies Corner Deals. Nichol is a SAHM to two adorable kids who has learned to save money by shopping for deals online, and never paying full price. Her blog is all about the deals she finds, along with product reviews and some great recipes. This girl can cook!

When you're done here, please check out Kiddies Corner Deals and give Nichol some comment love. Tell her you stopped by from the Playdate.

Change Your Clocks Change Your Battery {Giveaway}

I am generally a very careful person. I don't take too many risks, and I take precautions to keep my family safe. One of the ways I look out for the safety of my family is by having smoke detectors all throughout our house. We have smoke detectors in every room, directly wired in to the house. We also have one downstairs and one upstairs that are wired into our alarm system, so they can alert the fire department if one should go off. After witnessing a house fire in my neighborhood, I know they can happen through no fault of our own. If a fire were to occur in my house, I want to be alerted to it immediately so I have time to get my family to safety.

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, Nov. 6. As families change their clocks, it’s a good time also for families to review their home fire safety plans, starting with changing the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs are asking families across the country to join them in this year’s Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® campaign. The message is simple, and the habit can be lifesaving. Thirty-eight percent of fatal fire injuries occur in homes without working smoke alarms, while 24 percent occur in homes in which at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate.

~*~Winners!!!~*~ Real Steel, Kidtoons Spookley

Thank you to everyone who entered my Real Steel Giveaway! The winner of the Real Steel Prize Pack is....

Weekend Win It - October 22-23 {Giveaway Linky}

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!

I have some great giveaways going on right now!

Five Question Friday And Weekend Plans

Happy Friday! Today is a Friday off for me, so YAY! I'm getting my hair done this morning (it is beyond gray right now and it has only been like 4 weeks!), and then I'll be working on blog stuff for the rest of the day. I have to get caught up before the huge Countdown to Black Friday giveaway event starts up in just NINE DAYS!

We have had a pretty good week, except for the fact that Bryce has croup (again). On Wednesday morning he woke up with that tell-tale cough, so off to the pediatrician he went. They gave him an oral steroid and he really hasn't coughed since. If you catch that early, it doesn't get real bad.

I'm starting to like our new camera more and more, now that Brian is messing with the settings some. We just keep snapping pictures when we can. Like these...

~*~Winner!!!~*~ Farberware Coffee Maker

Thank you to everyone who entered my Farberware Giveaway! The winner of the 12-Cup Programmable Coffee & Tea Maker is...

Get A Quick And Accurate Temperature With The Exergen TemporalScanner {Review & Giveaway}

It is starting to feel like fall out there, even in Central Florida. The air is a little dryer, and the temperatures are starting to drop. I really enjoy this time of year. We always have fun at fall festivals and Halloween parties, we enjoy the yummy food that Thanksgiving brings, and then we get excited to gear up for Christmas. There is one thing I don't like about this time of the year, though. The sickies.

Not only is fall upon us, flu season is too. My kids and I were vaccinated for the flu this year, so I'm not overly concerned about us getting the actual flu, but there are many other viruses that are also spreading from person to person during the fall and winter months. Since both of my kids are in daycare, we tend to have several sick days from now until the spring.

Wordless Wednesday: New Backpack

Sometimes I just have to post pictures of the cuteness...

Create A Just-Like-Me Doll With My Twinn {Review}

Rylie loves dolls, and I don't say "loves" lightly. We have all types of babies and "friends" at our house, along with plenty of accessories for them like strollers, a high chair and a bassinet. She isn't too picky about her dolls, and likes them in all shapes, colors and sizes. When I asked Rylie if she wanted a doll that looked just like her, you should have seen the excitement in her eyes!

Rylie and I recently got the chance to create a My Twinn doll. These dolls are 23" dolls that are designed by artisans to create the doll of your child's dreams! You specify certain features such as eye and hair color, and then the artisans will create a likeness of your child by hand painting features on the My Twinn doll face.

An Only Child Weekend

Happy Monday! I hope the week is off to a great start for everyone! I found out last week when I posted Five Question Friday that some people were missing my more "personal" posts, so I am going to try to add a few in here and there. After all, that is what this blog was created for. So since it is Monday, I thought I would give a recap of Bryce's "only child" weekend. Plus, I can post some of the pictures I took over the weekend. Brian is getting our new camera figured out, and we're starting to get some good pictures again.

My mom had to go to Alabama to pick up my sister who had been staying with my aunt for a couple of months, and she asked if Rylie could go with her. Of course Rylie was thrilled to go and they headed out Friday morning. That meant that Bryce got his mom and dad all to himself this weekend.

Who Will You BOO This Halloween? #DontBeTheDarkHouse #CBias

~*~BOO!~*~

I have heard of Boo Bags before, but I have never given one, nor have I been a recipient of one. The concept is simple, and so much fun. You fill a bag with treats and leave it on someone's doorstep. The recipient is then supposed to "pay it forward" and "Boo!" someone else.

I recently had the opportunity to make a Boo Bag for a blogger friend and mail it to them. When it came time to choose which blogger friend to send it to, I knew exactly who to choose. You see, this person isn't just a blogger friend. This is someone I consider a "real life" friend also. Sure, we met through blogging, but our friendship goes way beyond our blogs.

Get Back To Basics With Coca-Cola Family Night {Review & Giveaway}

Can you believe we are already halfway through the month of October? The lazy days of summer are over, and everyone is back into the hustle and bustle of the school year. The holidays are quickly approaching, which means life will get even busier for the next few months.

Coca-Cola wants to help your family get back to basics with Coca-Cola Family Night through My Coke Rewards. Whether it’s new snack recipes, tips on at-home activities or the latest in gaming technology, Coca-Cola has some great ideas for family togetherness.

Add Your Loved Ones To LIFE's Insure Your Love Picture Mosaic

Life Insurance. That is a topic that a lot of people don't want to discuss. No one wants to think about what would happen if their time on earth were to come to an abrupt end. Our days are much more pleasant when they are filled with thoughts about watching our kids grow up, and all of the excitement that life will bring. But what if? What if something happens to you? Have you thought about how your family will manage?

Once we had kids, Brian and I had that "what-if?" discussion. It was certainly not a fun discussion, but one that needed to happen. We both then purchased life insurance through our employers, and we met with a lawyer to have wills drawn up. We are a two income family, and if something happened to one of us, the other would most likely suffer a financial hardship. There are immediate needs to consider, such as funeral costs, and there are also the long term needs for our children like cars, college and weddings. We both now have ample life insurance coverage that will protect us if the unthinkable should ever happen.

Saturday Playdate - Crazy About My Baybah

Welcome to another fun Saturday Playdate! Today we are playing with Lolo from Crazy About My Baybah. Lolo is a busy working mom to an adorable little boy known as "Baybah". Her blog is a little bit of everything that includes posts about her family (with tons of adorable pictures), crafts, product reviews and giveaways.

When you're done here, please check out Crazy About My Baybah and give Lolo some comment love. Tell her you stopped by from the Playdate.

Groupon Finds Food Allergies Funny

I, personally, do not. Last Christmas Eve, Rylie ate a cashew. Just one. That was all it took for the skin around her mouth to immediately turn bright red, and her tongue and throat to swell up. Then she vomited. All over my house. We then spent the rest of the evening in the emergency room at the children's hospital and I didn't even get to wrap my kids' Christmas presents. What is funny about that? Nothing.

Last night I was alerted to two posts by Groupon in which they joked about food allergies. The first post was a guide on how to build the ultimate tree house. One of the tips they suggested was to Ditch that outdated "No girls allowed" sign in favor of the modern "No peanut allergies allowed."

Weekend Win It - October 15-16 {Giveaway Linky}

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!

I have some great giveaways going on right now!

Late Night Snack Cookies {Recipe}

These yummy chocolate cookies are crammed with all your late night hosts’ favorite snack foods- chewy, chocolatey caramels, salty potato chips and crunchy waffle cones. With these cookies on hand, we don’t blame you if you raid the pantry late at night.

Sweet and salty together? Now these are my kind of cookies!

Fighting Writer's Block With Five Question Friday

Happy Friday, my friends! As you may have noticed, it has been a little slow around here lately. Do you hear the crickets? I seem to have a little case of writer's block this week. It isn't that I don't have anything to blog about, because I do. The problem is that I just have no desire to do it. So I stopped worrying about it for a couple of days, and took a little break. I imagine we all need a break sometimes.

I am very busy these days, and I think I have reached the point of exhaustion. Once Bryce's birthday hits in September, it seems like we are non-stop until after Rylie's birthday in January. We just closed our fiscal year at work, so I am really busy there too. I am also trying to finalize our schedule for the awesome Countdown to Black Friday event that I am working on with my good friend Colleen. It is all adding up. There just aren't enough hours in the day for everything I want to do.

Wordless Wednesday: Locked Up

Get Fashionable With dENIZEN Jeans {Review}

I have a love/hate relationship with jeans. I love to wear them, but I hate trying to find that perfect pair. Most jeans that I try on are too tight in the waist, but if I go up a bigger size, then they are too big everywhere else. I can't find a good length, either. I have tried on several pairs of jeans in the last few months, even brands I know and almost-love, and while the regular length is always too long, the ankle length is always too short.

Since losing all the weight I have lost over the past year or so, I have had to retire all of my jeans, and don't have any that fit really well at the moment. So when I was asked to review the new dENIZEN jeans from Levi's, I was happy to oblige in the hopes that I would find some jeans I love.

Boxed Wine Cupcakes - Champagne {Recipe}

Cupcakes flavored with bubbly champagne and sweet passion fruit give reason to celebrate.

Is Your Child Fit 4 Algebra? Sylvan Can Help You Evaluate

When I was in school (you know, way back in the old days) I was always good at math. In fact, I actually enjoyed it. I did really well in all subjects, but math seemed easier than the rest.

When I was trying to figure out what I was going to be when I grew up, people would say to me "you are good at math, you should be an accountant." Well, after deciding that I didn't want to deal with people yelling at me like the patients of the physical therapist that I shadowed yelled at him, and after not doing so well in a 7AM chemistry class that I needed in order to be a pharmacist, I decided that accounting would be my career path.

I Can Take Pictures Again!

Well, at least I think I can. Do you remember the camera crisis from last week? The one where I dropped my camera and messed it up so bad I could no longer take pictures? Well we ordered that Canon PowerShot ELPH and ended up hating it. It was all so irritating to me. I NEED a camera. I need it for blogging purposes, but I hated not having it around to grab when something funny went on with the kids, which happens on a daily basis around here. So Thursday Brian started researching cameras again, and he decided to take the DSLR plunge! We are now the proud owners of a Nikon D3100 DSLR camera!

Even though I have this new camera, I have no idea how to use it. Until we figure it out, it is on full auto mode, so at least I can take pictures. We played with it some over the weekend, but we are definitely going to have to get all of the different settings figured out. I am not 100% happy with the photos I took, but I'm sure once I learn how to use the camera they will be better. Now I just need to find some time.

It was a rainy weekend here in Central Florida. It started raining early Saturday morning, and as I sit here and write this on Sunday night, it is still raining. We had a fun weekend planned, and while the rain didn't totally ruin our weekend, we did change our plans around some.

Boxed Wine Cupcakes - Zinfandel {Recipe}

Here's a better way to served boxed wine - in cupcake form! Red Zinfandel complements the chocolate flavor in these wine cupcakes.

Activia Selects: Delicious And Nutritious Snack Options {Review}

Over the past year or so, I have been on a quest to lose weight and try to live a healthier lifestyle. I have lost some weight and I am pretty happy with where I am now, but I am still working on making healthy food choices on a day to day basis. If you are a busy mom like me, you know how difficult it can be to find an easy, nutritious snack option that still tastes great.

One snack that I always have in my refrigerator is yogurt, and I generally have a cup every day between breakfast and lunch. Not only does yogurt taste good, it is good for me too. Activia by Dannon is one such yogurt. Activia, with Bifidus Regularis, helps naturally regulate your digestive system when consumed daily for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. I have always had some digestive issues, and I am a firm believer in the benefits of probiotics like the one you find in Activia.

Saturday Playdate - Ready Or Not

Welcome to another fun Saturday Playdate! Today we are playing with Amy from Ready or Not. Amy's blog is "a humorous blog about teaching middle school, being a single mom to a kid with personality plus, and other random topics."

When you're done here, please check out Ready or Not and give Amy some comment love. Tell her you stopped by from the Playdate.

Weekend Win It - October 8-9 {Giveaway Linky}

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!

I have some great giveaways going on right now!

~*~Winner!!!~*~ Baby Bullet

Thank you to everyone who entered my Baby Bullet Giveaway! The winner of The Baby Bullet Baby Care System is...

Blood-Red Sangria Cocktail {Recipe}

Thirsting for Blood...Red Sangria? This citrusy martini gets its striking layered appearance from drops of sangria-inspired simple syrup made from red wine and dark sweet cherries (after all, “sangria” means “bleeding” in Spanish!). An “impaled” cherry adds the finishing touch.

Kidtoons Is Now Playing: Spookley The Square Pumpkin {Giveaway}

Welcome fall! Well, everywhere except here in hot central Florida. My favorite part of fall every year is taking Rylie and Bryce to the fall festival and the pumpkin patch. I love pumpkins, and all of the pumpkin flavored goodies that fall brings!

This month, Kidtoons is bringing us a movie about a very special pumpkin. His name is Spookley, and he isn't your average pumpkin. Spookley is different from all of the other pumpkins. Spookley is square.

Slushee Cup Cakes {Recipe}

Go to the head of the class with this new twist on the traditional poke cake. Two cupcakes are “poked” and splashed with fruity slushee syrup, then topped with colorful cherry or blue raspberry frosting and glittery sugar. You’ll give them an A!

~*~Winner!!!~*~ Tommee Tippee

Thank you to everyone who entered my Tommee Tippee Giveaway! The winner of the Closer to Nature Newborn Starter Set is...

Real Steel Hits Theaters October 7th {Giveaway}

I missed the local screening of Real Steel, but after reading all of the stellar reviews it received, I can't wait to check it out! This action packed movie opens in theaters this Friday, October 7th!

Wordless Wednesday: Mater Teeth

Disney And Disney*Pixar Favorites Poised To Return To Theaters In 3D

I don't post too many press releases here, but I am super excited about this one and just had to share. After viewing The Lion King in 3D, I was hoping Disney would bring more of my favorites back to the big screen. Well I found out today that there are four Disney and Disney*Pixar favorites that will be returning to theaters over the next two years...

BURBANK, Calif. – October 4, 2011 – On the heels of the phenomenal success of The Lion King 3D – which will cross the $80 million mark at the domestic box office today – The Walt Disney Studios has announced limited theatrical engagements for four of its classic films for the first time in 3D. The following titles from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios will be released in 2012 and 2013:

Silly Pink Rabbit Adult Malts {Recipe}

This colorful adult malt is inspired from the classic Pink Squirrel cocktail- but adds childhood favorites like ice cream and Trix cereal to evoke the flavors of childhood in a completely grown-up way.

Silly rabbit, Trix are NOT just for kids!

Farberware 12-Cup Programmable Coffee & Tea Maker {Review & Giveaway}

For over 100 years, Farberware has been bringing timeless quality and every day excellence to kitchens everywhere, with innovative products like the first line of stainless steel appliances in 1955 and the first countertop convection oven in 1973.

Farberware recently launched three new small kitchen appliances that combine modern technology with Farberware quality, timeless craftsmanship and refined style: 12-Cup Programmable Coffee & Tea Maker; 10-Speed Blender with Pre-Programmed Settings; 12-Cup Food Processor with 4-Cup Nested Workbowl. These new Farberware products offer features that speak to kitchen aficionados. They also have unique and elegant features at a value price point.