Wordless Wednesday: Happy Halloween!

My1story: Classics For The 21st Century {Review & Giveaway}

I love to read and could not wait for my daughter to be born so that I could start reading to her. Through the years there have been several children's books that have given me reason to wonder if I would want to read them to my child. It's not that the stories are bad, in some cases they are classics, it is just that I think a small child might find them scary.

My1story has created "Classics for the 21st Century". What they have done is revamped classic fairy tales, taking out the scary parts and adding in positive lessons for children. They currently have two books available from their series, I Love Cake! and Jack and the Magic Beans. Each book in their series has a plush character to match.

2012 Pumpkin Patch And Fall Festival

We made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch this past Sunday. One of the local churches has THE BEST pumpkin patch set up with tons of pumpkins and bright fall colors. They also put on a super fun festival for the kids with pony rides, train rides, bounce houses, games and activities. We used to make two separate trips - one for pictures and one for the festival - but for the past two years, we have been combining the two for an afternoon of pumpkin patch fun!

Melissa and her family drove up for the day, and after we had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, we headed out to the pumpkin patch. Bryce didn't waste any time grabbing up his first little pumpkin.

Get Sweet With Nevella To Go #sweetnesstogo

Over the past several weeks, I have been trying to shed a few pounds to get ready for our upcoming cruise vacation. I have changed my eating habits drastically, and I have also changed my drinking habits. When we go out to eat, not only do I attempt to order healthier menu items for my meals, I often skip my favorite fountain soda to avoid the extra unnecessary calories.

I drink plenty of water during the day, so when we do eat out, I want something other than water. Since I am trying to cut back on soda, I usually order unsweetened iced tea. The tea at some restaurants tastes great, but at others, it can be quite bitter. Adding sugar to that tea gives me more calories, so I'm stuck with those little packs of zero-calorie powder that don't ever seem to dissolve properly in my drink.

Nevella To Go has given me some convenient options for making my iced tea a little sweeter while I'm out. These portable, guilt free liquid sweeteners are available in Sucralose, Monk Fruit and Stevia, and are small enough to toss in my purse on my way out the door.

My Tips For Making Laundry Day Easier #MaytagMoms

Do you all remember that movie "The NeverEnding Story"? It had that catchy little title song that I bet some of you have already started singing. Well, around my house, the words to that song have changed. It is now "The NeverEnding Laundry", and I seem to be singing that tune just about every single day around here. And if I'm not singing it, my husband is singing it for me as I walk through the house with the next pile in my my arms. He thinks it's funny. Me? Not so much.

I have no idea how four people make as much laundry as we do. Sometimes I feel like I'm back in basic training and washing clothes for my whole flight of more than 30 women. Sound like fun? Well it's not. In fact, sometimes it is quite overwhelming and I feel like the laundry piles are closing in and taking over. But thanks to my Bravos XL Washer and Dryer from Maytag, I can get through those never ending piles of laundry faster than ever before. With the size of these units, I can consolidate the piles and end up doing less loads of laundry overall.

~*~Winners!!!~*~ American Doll Room, Energizer, Kidtoons

Congratulations to all of last week's winners!

American Doll Room

Weekend Win It - October 27-28 {Giveaway Linky}

Welcome to Weekend Win It! This giveaway linky 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!

Giveaway: ShareBytes Ends: 10/31 Prize: 2 Packages of Dane-Elec USB Drives

Giveaway: Michael Angelo's Ends: 11/4 Prize: Six Michael Angelo's Italian Entrees

Five Question Friday - October 26th

Happy Friday! For those of you getting fall weather, I hope you're enjoying it. It has still been pretty warm here, and now we're getting some yucky weather from Hurricane Sandy. The weekend is supposed to be nice, though. Thank goodness!

The kids are having fun gearing up for Halloween. They have been talking about Halloween and fall at school this week, and I have to show you Rylie's latest craft project...

Celebrate World Pasta Day With Barilla #BarillaWPD

We work. We play. We go to school. We attend birthday parties and playdates. We participate in dance and sports. We volunteer. We blog. Today's modern family is busy. With all the running that we do, to say our lives are hectic is putting it mildly.

There is one thing I try to never allow our busy lives to interfere with, and that is family dinner. It is very important to me to have everyone at the table together for dinner so we can talk about our days and enjoy a few quiet minutes as a family. This is all my kids have ever known, and I hope we can continue this tradition for many years.

Barilla recently conducted a survey addressing meal time barriers. Check out what they found...

Hang Out With The Coca-Cola Racing Family #CokeRacingHangout {Giveaway}

I love fast cars! I always have. I grew up with a father who always owned some type of fast car, and then married a man who, up until Rylie came along, was always behind the wheel of something super fast. Both my dad and Brian raced their cars periodically, and I will never forget the first time I went flying down the track with my dad. Talk about an adrenaline rush!

We're not die-hard race fans, but I have to admit that there is something thrilling about watching those cars speed around the track during NASCAR races. Brian even experienced that thrill first hand a few years ago when he got to drive a race car at speeds you just can't reach out on the open road.

Wordless Wednesday: Pirates

Mungi Bands Are Fun To Connect & Collect {Review & Giveaway}

Raise your hand if you have ever had a silicone band around your wrist. OK, you can lower your hand now, because chances are that silicone band is slipping further down your wrist. When the yellow "Livestrong" bracelets came out several years ago, the silicone band craze took off. Since then, I have seen silicone bands for just about every organization out there, and even Disney themed bands for the kids.

Mungi Bands are the latest in the silicone band craze, and kids will love to connect and collect these magnetic bands. With cool designs for girls and boys, these award-winning bands connect to each other with a magnetic click and allow kids to express their mood of the moment.

~*~Winners!!!~*~ Hallmark, The First Years, Mega Bloks

Congratulations to last week's winners!

Hallmark Text Bands

Bryce Can Swim Too!

I know, I know. It's the middle of October and I'm writing a post about swimming. If we had gas in our tank, we would still be swimming, but since we're too cheap to heat the pool, swimming season is officially over in our house, even though we're still experiencing 80+ degree days here in Central Florida.

I actually meant to post this a while ago, and I just realized that I didn't. I posted about Rylie's graduation from swimming lessons last month, and I told you all I would update you on Bryce's progress, so here it is. I have to start off by telling you about the kick-in-the-butt I got that made me finally enroll the kids in swimming lessons...

We have a safety gate around our pool. At the beginning of the summer, the rule was that no one was to open the gate until Bryce had his SwimWays Swim Vest on. He didn't know how to swim, but the kid was so fearless that he would just jump right in regardless. So one evening Brian and I came home from work and my mom and the kids were out by the pool. Rylie was swimming and Bryce was walking around the pool, without his vest on. I was standing there reminding my mom about the rule when all of the sudden I looked toward the jacuzzi and saw Bryce's head under the water. I was only a few feet away, so I started running towards the jacuzzi screaming "swim Bryce, swim!"

Change Your Clock Change Your Battery On November 4th {Giveaway}

Night seems to be coming earlier and earlier these days. We got home at 7:30 tonight, and I noticed how dark it was already. On Sunday, November 4th, it will get dark even earlier, though, since that is when most of us will be turning our clocks back one hour, marking the end of daylight savings time. Not only will you turn your clocks back one hour that day, you should also change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, thirty-eight percent of fatal fire injuries occur in homes with no smoke alarms, while 24 percent occur in homes in which at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate, frequently due to dead or missing batteries. Since my biggest fear has always been that my house will catch on fire, I know that we will be changing our smoke alarm batteries when we change our clocks this year.

Weekend Win It - October 20-21 {Giveaway Linky}

Welcome to Weekend Win It! This giveaway linky 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!

Giveaway: American Doll Room Ends: 10/22 Prize: American Doll Room for 18" Dolls

Giveaway: Energizer Ends: 10/24 Prize: Two Packs of Energizer 2032 Coin Lithium Batteries (3 winners!)

Go Green In The Kitchen With PaperlessKitchen {Review & Giveaway}

For as long as I can remember, I have lived in a house that recycled. I'm not sure what year it started back home, but it quickly became something that I did automatically. Besides recycling in the bin that was provided by the city, I didn't usually go out of my way to make sure I was being "green". That all changed when the hotel that I worked for became "green certified". Suddenly, I became very conscious of items that were recyclable, and realized through my clients that it was something that was very important.

When my husband Eddie & I bought our new house early last year, it was outside the city limits. That little blue recycling bin that I had "taken" from our last house suddenly became obsolete when we realized that our new neighborhood had a private trash company that didn't offer recycling. Since I worked at a green hotel, I decided to start bringing my recycling into our back dock and dispose of it there. Twice a week people stared at me as I crossed the street in a suit with a trash bag. We must have had other neighbors that didn't like not recycling, because when the neighborhood contract was up in April, the HOA was able to negotiate recycling into our schedule! The waste company delivered an 84 gallon recycling bin, and I never have a problem filling it up each week.

Five Question Friday - October 19th

Happy Friday my friends! I'm actually writing this post up on Friday morning (for once) because after working on a huge spreadsheet for 9 hours at work yesterday, I had a horrible headache last night and couldn't even think of looking at a monitor. The kids spent the night at my mom's since Rylie didn't have school today, so Brian and I enjoyed a peaceful dinner out and then we watched TV. I needed a night off.

It was a busy-as-usual week, and to make it even more fun, I have been sick all week too. We had our first parent/teacher conference with Rylie's teacher, which actually went very well. I'll post more on that next week.

This weekend is a busy one, too. We have dance and a birthday party tomorrow (does that surprise you?), and then on Sunday I am going to be cleaning out the kids' closets and making a trip to the mall to replenish them with fall and winter clothes. I don't know if they even have any pants that fit them!

Sea World's Halloween Spooktacular {Event Review}

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to attend Sea World's Halloween Spooktacular Media Day. My nephew, Michael, is two and a half and I thought he would love to go to Sea World and take part in their Halloween festivities. We arrived at Sea World shortly after 10:30, and we waited approximately 15 minutes to get in once I received my Media lanyard.

Being that this was Michael's first time to Sea World (and his Mom, Justine's, first time too) we had to get a picture with Shamu...or try to anyway! Michael was a little intimidated by the big, walking whale.

Wordless Wednesday: "Dinosaur Hair"

SeatPets Make Car Rides Comfortable {Review & Giveaway}

I quit work at the end of June this year on a Friday, and that evening, my mom and I left Texas with my two girls and the dog in our car. We knew it would take most of the weekend to drive the almost 1,600 miles. We left town at 5PM knowing that after dinner, the kids would fall asleep and we would be able to drive a few hours in peace without impacting them too much or having to stop a lot for food or potty breaks. We made it to Baton Rouge that night around midnight before we decided to stop for a few hours of sleep in a hotel.

Kennedy's car seat was in the middle row, and my mom sat in the chair next to her to help entertain Haley and her. Hershey was back there wherever she could find a comfortable place to lay down. Haley's car seat was in the 3rd row where we had only half of the seat up (the other half was occupied with luggage and the stroller). As Haley fell asleep, her head was rested against her car seat, but after a short while, her head bobbed forward all of the way. We knew it couldn't be comfortable for her, and my mom tried putting one of Kennedy's blankets under her neck, but it didn't really work.

Join @MomCentral For The #MaytagMoms Twitter Party!

I have been a Maytag Laundry Mom for a few months now, and I have to tell you, I have never enjoyed the chore of doing laundry like I do now. In fact, it isn't that much of a chore any longer!

Maytag delivered dependability to my door when they delivered my Bravos XL washer and dryer, and I can only hope that these appliances will last for 40 years like my mom's Maytag dryer did. I still have more posts coming up in which I will tell you more about how awesome my new washer and dryer are, but until then, how would you like to chat with some other Maytag Moms and the Maytag Brand? Tomorrow you can!

That's right! Mom Central will be hosting a #MaytagMoms Twitter Party on Wednesday, October 17th. They will be chatting about dependability and how the Maytag brand brings that to consumers. Here are the deets:

Summer Infant Peek Plus Internet Baby Monitor System {Review}

I have learned a lot about baby products over the last 5 years. There are some you need, some you want, and some that are just a waste. I have also learned a lot about the brands who make baby and toddler products, and Summer Infant is one of those brands I keep going back to. Many of my favorite products are from this great brand, like the SwaddleMe blankets, Ultimate Crib Sheets and the Best View monitor.

We were recently in the market for a video monitor for Bryce's room, and naturally, I turned to Summer Infant. I found out that they had just released a brand new video monitor with internet capabilities, and I was thrilled to try it out!

~*~Winners!!!~*~ Dunkin Donuts, JJ Cole Collections, Sealy

Congratulations to last week's winners!

$10 Dunkin' Donuts Gift Card

Auto Correct Makes Me Look Like A Dummy #VZWA

We have all seen those websites that post screen shots of auto correct mishaps. I am usually in tears from laughing so hard when I visit those sites. Until just recently, though, I had never fully experienced auto correct and didn't really understand how that happened so often. Well thanks to my Droid Incredible, I totally get it now.

I resisted the on-screen keyboard craze for the longest time. Every time we were thinking of purchasing new phones I would always tell my husband to just get what he thought was good, as long as it had a slide out keyboard. I liked being able to use two thumbs to type (I got pretty dang good at it), being able to actually press the letter I wanted, and keeping my full screen without half of it being chopped off by the on-screen keyboard.

I had to give up the slide out keyboard when I received my new Droid Incredible, and it has been an adjustment for me. I am finally getting used to using swipe to type texts and emails, and it actually isn't that bad. Well, except for when auto correct makes me look like a dummy.

Learn How To Create A Delicious Holiday Meal With Michael Angelo {Review & Giveaway}

I love Italian food! LOVE. Unfortunately, I wasn't blessed with the cooking skills that my Italian friends have, nor do I have much time to spend in the kitchen. Therefore, when we want Italian food, we either have to eat out, or buy frozen meals from the grocery store. The frozen meals are more convenient, and usually more affordable than eating out, but many of them are loaded with preservatives. When I do purchase Italian frozen entrees, I look for preservative-free varieties like those from Michael Angelo's.

Michael Angelo's is a family owned and operated business that creates authentic Italian frozen meals, and is celebrating 30 years in business in 2012. As a third-generation Italian-American family, founder Michael Angelo and his mother Sara have a passion for good Italian food and a commitment to never compromise on quality. As Michael says, "If you can't find it in Mom's kitchen, we won't use it in our food." For more details on how this duo prepares their entrees, visit the About section of the Michael Angelo's website. They have a great story!

Sara learned to cook from her Sicilian grandmother, Foti, and is ready to share some of her kitchen secrets through the Publix Apron's Cooking School series with Central Florida fans. Michael and Sara will be creating a full Italian holiday meal, complete with an appetizer, pasta dish, meat dish and a dessert, and guests get to sample each delicious creation.

Fijit Friends Are Our New Interactive BFFs! {Review}

It was around this time last year when we started seeing the Fijit Friends in stores. Most of the major toy retailers had display cases set up, and every time we visited a toy store, Bryce had to "beep the button". He would spend several minutes just sitting in the cart dancing along with the funny looking creatures and thought they were so fun! We thought about getting him one for Christmas, but since the recommended age on the box was 6 and up, we decided to wait.

When I was given the opportunity to review a couple of these interactive toys, I jumped at the chance. I knew that both of my kids would have a blast with them. We received one of the original Fijit Friends, Willa, and also one of the new Fijit Friends Yippits, Scooch.

Weekend Win It - October 13-14 {Giveaway Linky}

Welcome to Weekend Win It! This giveaway linky 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!

Giveaway: The First Years Ends: 10/15 Prize: Compass B570 Pathway Booster Car Seat

Giveaway: Mega Bloks Ends: 10/16 Prize: Dylan Dump Truck & Sonny School Bus (2 winners!)

Five Question Friday - October 12th

It's Friday! It's Friday! Can you tell I'm excited? This week has just draaaaged on, and I'm ready for the weekend!

We had a first this week, but it wasn't a good first. Bryce ended up going to bed without any TV time Monday night because he was being defiant. He got so upset and had a total meltdown. It broke my heart, really, but I stayed strong and didn't give in. That was the first time I have put my little boy to bed in tears. Then Wednesday night my mom brought over cupcakes for the kids to have for dessert. They didn't eat their dinner, so they didn't get a cupcake. You would have thought it was the end of the world for Bryce. But again, we didn't give in and he didn't get a cupcake. I know that kids need consequences for their actions, but dang, does it have to be so painful for us?

ShareBytes - Cool USB Drives For Kids, Teens And Young Adults {Giveaway}

When I was in school (you know, back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth), we packed our backpacks with folders, paper, pencils and pens. The coolest things we had were fancy electronic calculators. Times certainly have changed since then.

Now, kids of all ages are stuffing more electronic devices into their backpacks, and more work is done on computers. In order to get that work from school to home and back, kids need USB drives to transport that information. Along with school work, kids like to share photos, videos and movies with their friends, which is as simple as plugging a USB drive into a computer and downloading a file or two.

Wordless Wednesday: Sparkly!

Tell Your Love Story And Enter To Win {Helzberg Diamonds Contest}

My first "real" job out of college was at a small investment management firm. It was a cool place to work, and for the most part, we were all like family there. There were a group of us who went to happy hour on Friday nights, hung out on the weekends, and even formed a softball team. Brian was one of the men in that group.

Brian and I ended up becoming very good friends. We ended up hanging out together a lot in a smaller group, and we talked about anything and everything. We talked about relationships we had been in and were currently in (or trying to be in), and just life in general. As the months went on, we grew closer.

At some point during those months, I realized that there was a possibility of becoming more than friends. There was a spark there. A few of us were hanging out at Downtown Disney one night after happy hour, and at one point in the night, it all just came together. We looked into each others' eyes, and at that moment, I knew he was "the one".

~*~Winners!!!~*~ Juicy Drop, Honey Bunches Of Oats, And More

Congratulations to last week's winners!

Juicy Drop Taffy After School Pack

The Fun Never Ends

Busy busy busy. That's the story of my life. If you're a parent, then I'm sure that's the story of your life too. There is always so much to do, but there are just not enough hours in the day. We don't ever stop. Our weekdays zoom by, and of course the weekends go by even faster. We seem to always have a birthday party or some type of other event going on each weekend, or we are visiting with friends or family.

This blog keeps me super busy too. Now that I have a couple of contributors I am starting to feel my load lighten some, but I'm still playing catch up from the last couple of months. I still need to write about my trip to Atlanta with Coca-Cola, Disney on Ice, and several products that I have received for review. However, I started this blog not only to share our fun times with family and friends, but also as sort of a diary for me to chronicle our lives so I can always look back and see what we were up to. So those other posts will just have to wait another day or two, because I have some serious fun to post about from our last couple of weekends.

Since we visited Aunt Melissa a few weeks ago, we haven't stopped. We've been to birthday parties, had a super fun sleepover, and attended a wedding reception for Brian's cousin. Let's back up to two weekends ago, shall we?

Weekend Win It - October 6-7 {Giveaway Linky}

Welcome to Weekend Win It! This giveaway linky 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!

Giveaway: Kidorable Ends: 10/6 Prize: Child's Hooded Towel (winner's choice)

Giveaway: Dunkin' Donuts Ends: 10/7 Prize: $10 Dunkin' Donuts Gift Card

Five Question Friday - October 5th

TGIF!!! And it's a good thing I am off today, because I don't think all the coffee in the world will help me. Apparently Bryce had a bout of insomnia last night, so no one really got much sleep. When I was ready to go to bed shortly after midnight, I found him playing with his toys in his room. I brought him into our room thinking that he may go to sleep, but he had other plans. Then at some point Rylie ended up in there and they were fighting over who got to sleep next to me and who was touching who. Yeah, I'm tired today. I sure do miss that little boy who used to sleep for 12 hours straight!

As always, we have a busy weekend planned! I'm off to get my hair done today, and then I desperately need a pedicure. Tomorrow starts off with dance, and then we have a birthday party to go to in the afternoon. It is going to be super fun with bounce houses, sno cones and cotton candy! Rylie's best buddy Peyton will be with us all day and night, so I imagine that we won't get much sleep Saturday night either. Then we're off to Brian's cousin's wedding reception on Sunday. The fun never ends!

Kidtoons Is Now Playing: Chuggington: Traintastic Adventures {Free Ticket Offer & Giveaway}

Are you looking for something fun to do with your little ones this weekend? How about a Kidtoons Matinee? Whether it is your child's first movie experience, or they are regulars at the theater, Kidtoons matinees are great fun for the whole family!

Since 2004, Kidtoons has been bringing beloved and well-known children's brands and entertainment to cineplexes nationwide. We provide a family friendly, affordable, co-viewing experience that parents can count on each month, year-round to bond and create treasured memories with their kids. Each monthly program is designed for kids 2-8 and their parents.

Now playing during the month of October:

Energizer Batteries Now With Safer Packaging {Review & Giveaway}

We all worry about our kids, right? I do. I constantly worry about them getting sick or hurt, and I do everything I can to keep them safe. My worries, though, tend to border on the whole "paranoid mom" thing, and while my husband thinks I'm over the top with my worrying, sometimes it is justified.

Take battery ingestion, for example. I learned how dangerous this can be for children shortly after Rylie was born, and that, of course, was added to my worry list. But did you know that serious injuries and medical complications caused by coin lithium battery ingestion is on the rise? In fact, the number of cases resulting in serious injury or death has more than quadrupled in the past five years.

Parents SHOULD worry about this, and every parent needs to be aware of the risks of battery ingestion. Energizer has teamed up with Safe Kids to establish The Battery Controlled to help raise awareness of the issue, and every parent needs to watch this video...