Beef Contest For the Heart

The Kansas Beef Council has stated May is Beef Month and in honor of that they are doing the Kansas City Heart Walk this morning. Now I cannot make it down there, however I will definitely do some walking this morning. But they would also like to reward one lucky reader by giving them a $20 Hy-Vee gift card.

Here are a few beef facts you may not know:

· There are 29 cuts of lean beef, each with less than 10 grams of fat per serving.
· Calorie-for-calorie, lean beef is one of the most naturally nutrient-rich power foods.
· A 3-ounce serving of lean beef is low in calories, but high in nutrients, and gives you 50 percent of your protein needs for the day.
· Lean beef provides protein that helps build muscle mass that aids exercise and weight management.
· The protein in lean beef plays a role in the management of Type II diabetes and heart disease.
· Lean beef helps maintain muscle, helping you stay stronger as you age.
· During exercise, protein helps fuel the workout by helping the body to maintain normal blood sugar levels.
· In addition to protein, beef provides a rich source of iron which aids in the oxygenation of muscle cells as they are working hard during a training session.
· Protein builds muscle, and muscle is your body’s primary calorie burner. For every pound of muscle you add, you burn an extra 30 to 50 calories per day.

For those of you that are at the beef walk or going to it don't forget to give the Kansas Beef Council your passport for your own $20 Hy-vee gift card, which the first 100 people will get.

Prize: 1 winner will get a $20 Hy-vee Gift Card
RULES: You must live in Kansas or Missouri (sorry everyone else)
- Comment and tell me one recipe you like from the "Beef its what's for Dinner" site or one beef recipe you would like to share with us.
- Make sure you use a working email

Extra Entries: Blog this or twitter it

Deadline: June 8 (my anniversary)

Join the Kansas City Start! Heart Walk

Have you heard of the Kansas City Start! Heart Walk? If you haven't you should head on down and check it out. It officially begins in a few minutes, however the walk doesn't start until 9 am Central time.

Fee: Free event.
Participants are encouraged to collect donations.
Location: Theis Park 47th & Oak
(3 blocks east of the Country Club
Plaza)
Kansas City, MO 64111

The 2009 Kansas City Start! Heart Walk on Saturday, May
30th is our "mission in action." Through the Start! Heart Walk, we can create
opportunities for people to improve their health by walking and simultaneously
raise funds to help fight heart disease and stroke.Walkers can organize teams at
the companies where they work or with family and friends. Walkers ask
others to support their walk effort by sponsoring them with a donation to the
American Heart Association.

8:30 am Late $
Turn In
8:55 am Warm Up
9:00 am Start! Heart
Walk

Will you be there? I'd love to see some pictures? Stick around for the contest.

Wordless Wednesday: Graduation

SoccerBoy going up to get his Certificate of Completion of Elementary School.

My little Graduate! So proud and not very happy that mom is making him get his pic. Happy WW!

SoccerBoy's 6th Grade Graduation

SoccerBoy graduated 6th grade last night (May 26,2009) which for those wondering, it means he has completed elementary school and is moving into Jr.High in the fall. Which also means momma's first born is now almost grown which is the weirdest feeling of all. Last night, as we drove up to the store before his graduation I was stuck in that time warp. I kept thinking of all those things in the past, you know the whole bringing the baby home, first steps, first days of school, etc. Now I'll be here for the next round of first, but those are the ones I worry about. haha.

You know that first REAL girlfriend, first driving lessons, first dance at school, football game, etc. But there are some good things too, which I hope he shares with me as much as he has in the past. You know stuff like the lockers that just won't work, that most-boring-school-teacher that has the voice that puts everyone to sleep, most stern teacher, the gossip (okay he's not a girl so maybe not), to all those other things. Okay well I guess I can let him move to Jr.High then.

Once at the school he dashed off with the autograph item I got him to have all his friends sign it and get ready for "the walk." Mom, dad, two sisters and his brother waited in the very HOT gymnasium. Thankfully it didn't take too long for it to begin (however it took forever once it was started, haha), they showed a display of each child graduating and their baby pic. I was up there when he walked in, snapping away and there he was just laughing and smiling and giving me that look that said "of course."

They sung two songs before sitting back down to get their certificates. But during the song he kept looking over and smiling at me, it was funny because you could tell he really did not want to be up there but when he spotted me his bored face broke in a grin. Made me feel good. He might be growing up but he still smiles for his family. Once he got the certificate and was released we went off to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse and I made him eat something besides a cheeseburger. I swear that's all he ever orders, last night he was kind and ordered ribs. Woo hoo! He changed something. hehe. How many of you have a child that only orders one thing no matter where they are? I whispered to him, "It's graduation, get something different." haha.

Either way, he graduated, I got my pictures and he got his paper.

Memorial Day Activities

Wow, I'm so behind in posting about my life. As always we did honor Memorial Day, I know ya'll didn't think we'd let that day slip right past. Of course we enjoyed a BBQ, but not before we (kids and I) stopped over at the cemetary and thanked all those that have served in the military. The hubby stopped off at the store before the kids and I went over and got us 3 dozen roses, which we would lay on the graves. It was a very interesting thing to see how the kids reacted and know next year we'll have to save up for a few more roses so that all the graves get at least one flower on them. I hated leaving when I saw some that served in the military but we had nothing else left for them..besides our thanks. How did you spend Memorial Day?

Table Gating Party Giveaway

Kim Burton, wife of Nascar Driver Jeff Burton, has teamed up with Libby's Vegetables and she is sharing her tips on how she eats dinner 3 nights a week with her family. For those that may not know or haven't read my post: Interview with Kim Burton, Jeff Burton is the CAT driver (#31). Libby's wrote me and asked if I would like to have a giveaway in honor of their very own contest "Table-Gating Recipe Contest" in the hopes of bringing families back to the table at dinner. I couldn't agree more.


Prize: (1) 6-in-1 tailgating kit & 10 cans of Libby's Vegetables


Rules: Tell me one way you add veggies to your meals, or a cheap meal idea for the whole family.

- leave working email

Extra points:

- stumble this post, blog it, etc (you must come back here and post a comment with your link)

Deadline: May 31, 2009 I'll announce the winner on June 1. Course if you are in Dover, Del from May 29-31 you can visit Kim Burton and the rest of the Nascar and Libby's family at the track. But don't forget to stop by the tent for some fabulous tips on making those family memories at the dinner table and recipes to go along with them.

US Only please.

Skinny Cow Ice Creams...Delicious

Okay I'm not going to lie when MomCentral first emailed me to see if I'd like to review the Skinny Cow (low fat) ice creams I said yes, with all intentions to have the kids try them. Today though, I couldn't help but want one. You know they look just the same as the "fattening ice cream," just as delicious and smooth. After passing out the first two I couldn't resist and took one for myself. I sat down and devoured it.

The shocking bit of info: (Here's a list of Skinny Cow Products)

- blueberry muffin has 380 calories (WOW, more than any)

- glazed donut has 242 calories <--OUCH

- brownie 1oz (my favorite) has 227 calories

- Skinny cow ice cream sandwich has 140 calories <-- half the amount a donut and it is ice cream. YUMMY!

They also have the low-fat ice cream cones with 150 calories, the fudge bar and vanilla truffle bar both have 100 calories. So even if you are planning on cutting calories you can still enjoy the summer with some ice creams.

By the way BalletGirl (age 8) says: It tastes really rich I like this. When I told her it was low-fat she didn't believe me. "But mom it tastes real. Doesn't taste gross."

SoccerBoy said he'd tried it before, he thought he had because the ice cream tasted normal.

So if you are worried about the taste, don't be, it tastes the same just with less calories. Head on over to Skinny Cow website and check out their tips on losing weight and keeping it off.

My kids get out of school in just a few days for summer break, you can bet that my freezer will be full of these. It'll be healthier (low-fat) than the regular ice creams and cheaper than the ice cream truck that'll be on our street daily. Okay off to the store to buy another box since this one just got demolished when the other two came home and heard we'd tried them. hahaha.

Interview with Kim Burton

Earlier today I got the privledge of interviewing Kim Burton, wife to Jeff Burton, Nascar Driver. Kim has teamed up with Libby's Back to the Table and help moms on the go or just pressed for time. She will do this by sharing with us her favorite recipes and tips on how to get the kids all to sit down at the same time and enjoy the meal, even when they don't like what's at the table.

How many of ya'll eat at home with your kids all at the table? Okay, I see a few hands but not all. Those of you that actually do, do you do this every day? Okay I see a few heads nodding but not all. So, basically this should help everyone that has children.

Me: How do you spend dinner with the family?
Kim Burton: We like to try for at least three nights a week. Families that eat together, stay together.

She also discussed how they tend to basically live in a motor home that follows the race so the entire family can be together. I think this is one of the best things, it is hard enough when one member of the family has to be away from the family but this seems to be a life where that would be constant. The family tends to stay inside the motor home though instead of going out and eating like many would do. Why? She wants to spend quality time with her husband and kids, when they go to a restaurant they end up spending much of that time with the fans and press. glad she was able to find a way to make racing and family work together. For those that don't know, Kim is a mother to two children, a girl and a boy.

Kim Burton was approached by Libby's and asked to partner up with them, be there "On the Go Mom" that would help share her knowledge of eating healthy and being with your family at dinner time. Kim accepted.

Me: Why did you join up with Libby's?
Kim Burton: It sounded like a lot of fun and I believed in the family values they have. I'm all about family meals and getting my kids to eat healthy. Right now Libby's Get Back to the Table is having a contest where mom's share ideas on how to make healthy dinners using Libby's Vegetables. There will be 5 winners that go to New York and do a cook off with Sara Evans and one grand prize winner will get to take their family of 4 to Daytona.

What Kim doesn't mention is she is keeping a blog on the site as well about her experience as the Libby's Mom and the race. But not to worry I've added the link called Hannah's Blog. She talks about the day and trying out the new Libby's recipes that are at the tent and on the site. I'm going to have to try the meatloaf she mentions and the cornbread. Hannah from Total Mom Makeover and Hannah, Help Me also blogs there.

Me: How do you get your family to eat a healthy meal when you are always on the road or at the tracks?
Kim Burton: We grill a lot, well Jeff does. But that helps a lot. Sometimes I get the kids involved in cooking too.

Me: What are a few of your favorite quick and easy meals?
Kim Burton: Pasta and seafood. I love lobster.

Sounds like we'd have a great time out, I too share the love for seafood.

Me: Do you have any tips for making a quick meal?
Kim Burton: Mac n cheese with veggies in it, there are also crock pot meals and by involving the kids it can make it quicker to cook a meal.

While I've made mac n cheese I've never tossed in veggies but will have to try it out tonight. I have tossed in hot dogs and beans on the side. I do toss veggies in top ramon though.

Me: How do you get your kids eat the green stuff?
Kim Burton: Hide it in the food, I put it in mac cheese or rice. Just chop it up very thin or resort to bribery.

I'm going to try hiding the veggies today, hopefully it'll fly. I'll report back this weekend sometime on that.

I also got to ask Kim if she had any funny stories on trying to get her kids to eat something. My story was when my 3 year old didn't eat meat, but we slipped and got her chicken nuggets from McDonald's as we were moving and on the road. Next thing I hear is fly birdie fly, she was chucking the nuggets out the window so she could save them.

Kim's Story: We were at school and all the kids were eating grapes but mine wouldn't. I asked him just to try it and see what he'd think. He put the grape in his mouth and immediately got sick.

Okay, guess he won't be eating those again.

But Jeff Burton isn't the only family member that's been in a Nascar. That's right, Kim recently had a chance. Kim Burton got to get inside The #31 Caterpillar Crew.

Me: How did it feel to be part of the pit crew challenge?
Kim Burton: Dan blizzard got the idea a few weeks prior actually. Once they are done with their jobs on the car they must roll the race car so far and get it across first, without turning it on. They needed the lightest person in the car to roll it.

Me: How did you feel to be asked?
Kim Burton: Honored and nervous. I was worried about stopping it right. You have to keep pumping the brakes. Then the car didn't stop immediately and it was going right at the fans.

For those that didn't get to watch, Kim/Jeff Burton team did win the Pit Crew Challenge. The team had very few mistakes which is what got them to the victory. Congratulations to the team! Thank you Kim for a wonderful interview.

Contest Alert: Table Gating Recipe Contest

First, I will be announcing my own giveaway in a few hours but I wanted to let ya'll know about the one that Libby's is doing. The Table Gating recipe contest is for any of ya'll that have a nutrious recipe that you are willing to share. Not only are their 5 really great prizes but you are helping other mothers/fathers out that can't think of any new meal ideas.

Fill out the entry form here: (http://www.getbacktothetable.com/content/table-gating-recipe-contest) and head over to the "Libby's Get Back to the Table Tent" at any of the following races and see if you won. One person from each of these events will win.

Charlotte, N.C. - May 22-24
Dover, Del - May 29-31

Now you do NOT have to go to the races to enter, you can also enter online via the link above. There will be four winners, four picked from the four races and one online winner. They will be flown into NY and do a cook off with Sara Evans. Finally one lucky winner (best recipe that beats the competition) will get to go down to Daytona, FL with their family. But if you do go to the races you can meet Kim and get her autograph.

Let me know if any of ya'll enter and win. GOOD LUCK! (coming up next, my interview with Kim Burton)

Wordless Wednesday

She's growing up, that's all I have to say. :(


She starts kindergarten this fall. Happy WW, I'm off to field day at the school. Kids are getting wet at the park.

Pepsi Throw Winner

Wow the stories were great, I loved reading all the memories. Have you all found the new Pepsi bottle? I haven't yet and I'm looking everywhere. :( The winner of the pepsi throw is.....

What a great giveaway! My favorite memory of Pepsi during the 70's is the US
Bicentenninal Celebration in July 1976. My friends and I were 18 and had just
graduated from high school. We all went to the local parade (on the 3rd because
the 4th was on Sunday, sacred back then), and of course we took Pepsi with us.
Back then, Pepsi came in red, white and blue cans. My best friend's mom took a
picture of the six of us hoisting our patriotic Pepsi cans.
#
posted by Stephanie Reed : 11:06 PM

Email me at homemom3@gmail.com with your mailing address. Congratulations, you've just won an awesome prize!

Wordless Wednesday: The Slide

We hit the park this weekend. Can you see they love the slide? He would actually hold the bar above and yell "wee" before dropping down. Happy WW!

Weekend, storms and College

Boy it has been a great month of May, as many of you know May is one (not the one, but one) of my favorite months. I mean who can't love May, the month to celebrate moms and mother nature and watch new life spring up right? Okay yes I'm a bit sentimental but I don't care. It's just amazing to watch the snow thaw and see these tiny green buds come open on trees and eggs burst into baby birds.


This past weekend we had a ton of fun and went to the park for a Mother's Day Picnic. In fact I posted one of the pics earlier for Wordless Wednesday. Oh and in honor of Mother's Day I had a few giveaways. Some winners got the new clorox dispenser and another will be getting a $35 GC to Jiffy Lube. We weren't able to stay at the park too long but did spend about an hour before we felt the sky give way, thankfully we got home just in time. Each child presented me with their own gifts, some home made others bought but they all hold that special place. I'll be posting some of them on here probably next week.

After the storms calmed SoccerBoy and I hit up CVS and Walgreens. He came out only spending .75 and I came out spending a bit more than that but not by much. He's on a quest to beat me every time. (Course we don't buy the same items)


As for college, today is the last official day of my online college classes. If you recall I'm taking two of them. Sociology and Marketing, I absolutely loved marketing and look forward to that next class. However, it'll be about a month or two since kids are coming home for the summer vacation at the end of the month. No need to stress over school, work and being a mom. So far I have got my final grade back on Sociology and that's an A and hope my marketing is as well. I do still have one class remainding but that one isn't over until next month, it's business and fits right into the area I love. I'm actually looking forward to the remainder of this class, it deals with marketing.


Finally we get to storms, in which has kept SoccerBoy from attending his field trip. I got a call earlier that said they had to cancel it due to the possible tornado/thunderstorms later this evening. So yep, we are on a look out but I doubt it'll happen. I have heard that many are getting ready to head out and chase the storms and are trying to predict where that first tornado will hit. I can only imagine the adrenaline rush that would be, but not with kids. I'll keep ya'll updated.

Mother's Day Jiffy Lube Winner.....

By the way the first winner could not win due to leaving off an email: (bike story on the front of the car)

So the new winner is......

pamelashockley(AT)netscape(DOT)net

I live on a piece of property where the driveway slants downhill and there
is a retention pond across the street.One day when getting out of my van my
toddler son told me that my van was rolling backwards down my driveway and then
my children and I chased it screaming.My van ended up sitting on top of the
water in the lake in front of our house and then began slowly sinking. Oops!!We
then watched the fish swim around inside it in front of the windshield.Then we
watched as the firemen put on scuba suits and dove down into the lake to hook my
van up with hooks so some ginormous truck could pull it out.I also remember my
neighbors all coming and taking pictures of my mishap. I'm still famous in my
neighborhood for this.!!

You will have 24 hours to respond, my email address is homemom3@gmail.com please send me your mailing address. Have a great day!! Congrats!!

Mother's Day Winners (Clorox)

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:4
Timestamp: 2009-05-11 17:01:17 UTC

I drew my mom a picture of our dog, and she got it framed and amtted and still
hangs on the wall #
posted by MOMFOREVERANDEVER : 2:07 AM

But since I am late posting this I am giving away one more: #15

My mother has always been quite the seamstress. She sewed most of our clothing
when we were little. We didn't have much, though as a kid I never remember being
without. My mother could squeeze a penny so tight she'd make Abe Lincoln cry.
She was always working on one project or another. So, the first year I remember
buying her a Mother's Day present I walked to the Walgreens and bought her the
neatest thread dispener. I was so proud to give her such a clever present. She
graciously accepted my gift with a big smile. It wasn't until many years later
that I found out the thread dispenser was actually dental floss and that my
mother had dentures. :)heatherg_cna@yahoo.com

Please email me at homemom3@gmail.com with your address and I'll have this mailed out to you.

Giveaway & Review: Evenflo Comfort Select

I have four children, each of which were breastfed babies. Obviously I have nothing against breastfeeding and would encourage it if asked, this does not mean I frown on those that can't or don't. With all four of my babies (yes I still call them that) I had dealings with all types of boob talk, by this I mean breasts leaking in public, spilled milk, the pump, breast pads, etc. If it dealt with the milk supply, I've probably experienced it. Yes, I've even had mastitis.

With all this being stated I want to inform you that thanks to MomCentral and Evenflo I got to review the Comfort Select Performance Dual Automatic Cycling Breast Pump. (Man try saying that two times) I really, really love these pumps. I've never been good with the pump I would always do something wrong or when I tried a pump it wouldn't get enough suction or too much. I'll also be giving away one of every item I mention. So Stick around for the giveaway.

Comfort Select Dual Action pump: Comes with it's very own black bag with zipper compartments, a shoulder strap, nursing pads (4 pads and a .50 coupon for more), breastfeeding info card with websites, instruction booklet. All that is inside the front pocket.

Up top are two zipper compartments, the small one has two ice packs for you to freeze. 2 suction cups and the cord to plug it in. The two pumps and 4 oz bottles come as well. The only thing that doesn't is the 6 batteries. The box also states "without BPA" which I know makes many feel a lot better. A positive you don't have to have them both going at once, but you can if you choose to do it. This is the perfect bag for those on the go, someone traveling across country (perfect for the summer) or just needing to pump your milk. You can also adjust the tightness and min or max speed.

Comfort Select Disposable Nursing Pads with Lanolin: While I do like the ones you don't have to throw out and can wash again, I like the occasional toss away type. The with Lanolin is great because it'll help those of us that have chapped nipples. I don't know about you but I got that plenty of times breastfeeding. These light liners as I call them are thin enough to catch everything but not make you look bulky. I know you know what I mean. These are the ones without the tape on the backside of it, so you do have to worry about it slipping out but not about it yanking on the nipple because during the middle of the night it got flipped over.

Both the with lanolin and without have 48 pads in them. Now who wants to win the breastfeeding package?

GIVEAWAY:

RULES: Leave me a comment (with your email in it) telling me one reason you love nursing or why you want to nurse. Or you could tell me a funny nursing story. (ie, the time the mailman had a package and you opened the door and flashed him with your boob because you had been breastfeeding, or maybe the time you were in the doctor's office and heard another child cried and you leaked through that tiny blue sheet they have you wear, or just that moment when your eyes meet their eyes for the very first time and it is just you and your baby, yep all happened.)
Extra Entries: stumble this, tweet it or blog about it.
Deadline: May 30, 2009.
GOOD LUCK!! US ONLY.

Jiffy Lube Giveaway for Mother's Day

How many of you have ever needed your car worked on/repaired/etc? I'll never forget the time my husband was overseas (Iraq) and I had some problems with my vehicle. You may remember me talking about it making really funny noises and finally convincing some Marine to look under my hood. He had told me I needed to pop off the thing with the cap, I remember doing this and a bunch of HOT green stuff flew out of it. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. I'll always have it fixed by the car shops, never on my own. Do you have a story to share?

I also remember changing the tires with my dad when I was a teen. I was new and learning how to do it. Only problem...he never checked my work. He'd learn really quickly never to NOT check again. He was driving a few hours away to one of my track meets and ended up flying off the road when his tire loosened. He learned I hadn't got them as tight as his were. Ooops.

Okay I have a Mother's Day Surprise for ya'll.....

In honor of Mother's Day, Jiffy Lube would like to give one lucky "The Life of a Home Mom" Reader a gift certificate.

$35 Gift Card to Jiffy Lube

The $35 Jiffy Lube Gift Card is redeemable towards goods and services at any
Jiffy Lube service center. Jiffy Lube Gift Cards are available in monetary
values from $5 to $300, have no expiration date and no inactivity fees. For more
information on the Jiffy Lube Gift Card or to find a location near you, you can
visit http://www.jiffylube.com/

RULES: Write your story of something that happened car related.
Make sure to have a working email.
Extra Entries: Tweet, stumble, blog this contest. (leave a message letting me know)
Deadline: Mother's Day, I'll announce the winner on Monday.

US Only.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Wordless Wednesday: Waiting to Eat

This is BabyGirl coloring on her menu as we wait to eat. There was just something about this picture. I just love it! Happy WW! Dont' forget to scroll down and enter my giveaways.

When the Dryer Breaks...

The words I never, ever want to hear again are, "Mom, the dryer doesn't spin" or "Mom, I did the clothes two times and they are all still wet." Eeek, I know this can't be good. Yes, the dryer quit working for us and this was after I had piles of laundry waiting for me and one that was actually in the dryer and another waiting to be dried. So what do you do in a situation like this?

Normally a person would just hop in their car and drive to the laundry mat. Nope, I tried hanging them outside on the patio but guess what happened. You guess? haha. It started to rain. So today, after another good washing cause I don't trust clothes the two youngest and I went to the laundry mat. First, those dryers are scams I tell ya. I poppped in tons of quarters to get my clothes dry and I had half a load as I figured it might do that. Only problem is even when it should've been dry they were still all damp. UGh. This was going to be a VERY long time.

I decided to do this at lunch as I still had homework to finish. But what happens when you do something at lunch with two kids. That's right, tons of screaming and crying as Little A did NOT want to sit in a stroller. He wanted to run, only problem there were tons of people in there. Then when I attempted to see what he'd do he wanted to try putting his hand on the dryer. So to prevent a burn he went back in.

Topping it off I ran out of quarters and the hubby only gave me a $20 so I had to get $20 in quarters. EEEK! Ever try walking around with a pocket full of quarters, your pants tend to hang. Finally the laundry finish, well I thoguht it did and with Little A crying and BabyGirl patiently sitting nearby it was time to go home. But I did manage to get 4 1/2 loads of laundry done. Phew. How's your laundry going?

Here's a quick question: What laundry soap do you frequently use? (I'll have a giveaway soon)

Mother's Day Giveaway

Clorox recently sent me one of their brand new Disinfecting Wipes (lemon fresh scent) in the new dispensers. First, I love Clorox because I know it cleans everything and with all these scares these days I prefer to wipe everything down. You might remember me talking about the "Clorox Wipes" back in May 2008 but now with these little canisters (dispensers) they are cute and convenient. They've definitely spruced up the canisters and I think they look more girlie, at least mine does...it's pink with flowers.

They actually have 8 designs at the moment and there are green and blue for you men out there. But right now they also have a contest going on for all those that like contests. Head on over to Design Your Own canister, two lucky winners will be picked and they will win:

Trip for two to New York City
Once in a lifetimes opportunity to shadow Macy's Designers/creative team in Herald Square
$1000 Macy's Shopping Spree

Two winners will get a HP Touch Computer

Sounds good doesn't it? Heck the shopping spree alone, course I could hear my family screaming for that second computer since I now use it at night and during the day due to work and school.

Well since I loved my new Clorox Dispenser I'm going to give one away so follow the rules and enter. I want to know I'm helping ya'll keep your house free of germs.

MOTHER'S DAY GIVEAWAY

RULES: Tell me one story about mom. I don't care if it is happy, sad or something you got mom when you were a kid. I just want those Mother Day Stories.

Extra Points: stumbleupon, twitter or blog this and leave me a link.

Make sure to leave a working email, not everyone does and they lose out. This is US Only, sorry ya'll.

Deadline: I'm announcing the winner Sunday, May 10th, so you have until I announce the winner.

Contact Homemom3

For those of you that want to be able to reach me without having to pop up another screen and email me at homemom3@gmail.com you can use the form below.

I LOVE Borders Bookstore

Okay two nights ago the family and I all went out to our now favorite restaurant "Chili's." We had a fun time and it was definitely worth the amount we spent and I can see us going again in the future, but maybe not this month. We've went twice, the first time we had servers that didn't want to serve us because of us having four children. They automatically assumed we would have disruptive children and leave a bad tip. How do I know this? At the end of our long stay our elected waiter told us how well-behaved children we had and that he was surprised and it was the one reason the two waiters did not want to serve us...they weren't sure. We had been judged by having kids. How many of you go to restaurants, besides McDonald's or Taco Bell with your kids? How were you treated?
This week's experience was much better, the waitress even spoke with each of our children and paid extra attention to our youngest. Needless to say she got a nice tip. After Chili's the hubby dropped me off at Border's bookstore and he took the girls to Best Buy. Now I went in knowing I was buying $30 in books, I came out paying $29.96. By the way I left the store with 4 books, three of which were on sale.

The Ultimate Mom: Uplifting Stories, Endearing Photos, and the Best Experts' Tips on the Toughest Job You'll Ever Love (Ultimate Series) (paid full price) $14.95

Finding the Next Starbucks: How to Identify and Invest in the Hot Stocks of Tomorrow $3.99

Rock Star Momma: The Hip Guide to Looking Gorgeous Through All Nine Months and Beyond $3.99

The Romance Readers' Book Club $3.99

Have you read any? I'd love to hear your reviews.

School's Almost Out

Guess what? The kids only have 17 more days of school left. EEEEKKK! By the way this is school days not actual days but I'm sure if I asked the kids they'd tell me exact days. How many of you remember the count down to the last day of school? I remember counting down not only the last day but those last few minutes until it got to seconds. We'd all sit there and watch the clock and then count down from a minute and dash out the classroom door. It wasn't that we were going anywhere different but it was the fact that we no longer had to sit in a classroom every day until 3.

I remember a few instances when some of us would be totally prepared for the after school fun. Growing up in the desert made for a very hot walk home, that is unless you brought water guns and balloons. hahaha. That's right we'd fill these up and have our little wars all the way home. It was a lot of fun and full of memories. Course it was also a time when we didn't get in trouble for bringing water guns and no one thought they were anything but fun. Another memory is everyone saving their money and going to the PX (I was a military child) and purchasing all types of junk food and sodas. We'd meet up at a park or go to the top of the hill behind the hospital and just have at it. It was simpler times, at least when you compare it to today. Children were free to roam and didn't have to worry and you saw more of them. I've noticed out here you don't see them as you drive around, not unless it's on your own street.

It's been many years since that last countdown but even that day was fun, for me though it would mark the beginning of my married life. Well, almost...we actually got married two days after I graduated. Got any memories to share?