Bird Comes Smashing in....

Hmmm, what to blog about today. Well, early this morning a bird flew up and smacked right into my glass door and dropped down. I felt horrible, but I guess you can say Windex really does make it shine through. Okay that wasn't really funny, the bird actually got hurt and didn't seem to be able to fly. It kept hopping up like it was trying but would fall back down. By the way my glass door is on a balcony, which means he/she couldn't just drop down or hop around. In a way it is my fault, two days ago I spayed the window with Windex, I have my little garden growing by the window (outside) and I lay out two pieces of crumbled bread every night. Hey, I like waking up to watching the birds eating it. It brings a bit of peace to a soon to be chaotic world...ya know when kids begin fighting and fussing. By the way the bird disappeared about 30 minutes after hitting the wall but I'm not sure if it fell and hopped away or flew away and landed in the trees. I'm hoping it is okay though, it wasn't on the ground when we went out to search for it.

I also wanted to address, no I was not at Blogher. One was because the lack of funds and getting up there. I'd really, really love to go and I'm hoping to go next year. I even read some have already bought their tickets for it. How much does it actually cost? The other reason is I wasn't sure if it was actually part of Blogher, like the site. If it is they've never approved me as a member. Oh and yes I've sent them my info twice, even faxed it twice which does cost a pretty penny out of my pocket, but never heard back. Guess they don't like me. Either way, I'd still like to show up to one of these blogging events, they sound like a lot of fun. But I did participate in the BlogHop 09 and am still making my rounds.

Right now we are just relaxing and d0ing those last minute things to sign the kids up for school. For example: BabyGirl is currently doing an eye exam at EyeVisionCare, I didn't even realize they needed these. We also got a call from the school yesterday telling us the nurse forgot to mark that she got her Polio shot, thankfully it wasn't too big an issue and we were able to get that fixed. Most of today was doing my blogging and when that was done I played SIMS with SoccerBoy, watched a movie with the girls and played with cars with Little A. I sure am going to miss them when they go to school this year, I'll only have Little A at home with me, but at the same time I'll get more done. Plus one-on-one time with the Little man. How's your week going?

Make Life a Little Better Blog Tour

Summertime is all about making those beautiful memories you'll share with your loved ones for the rest of your life. So why not also start them small? I have four kids and I've learned that it is the smallest of things that really count with them. They don't care that they had the most birthday gifts, best school books, etc. It is the time you spent with them, the picnics you shared, swings you swung on and meals you cooked together. Do you agree?

MomCentral recently asked if I'd take a peek at MakingLifeBetter's Family Fun E-book and see what I thought of it. To be honest I normally dread anything that is an ebook, I love books in print. But this is short, sweet and full of yummy recipes for you and your children to try at home. Each recipe has a picture to go with it, which of course only makes you want it even more and the price of how much it will cost to make. There are even little tips when the author thought you'd need them, for example one suggests using candy instead of chocolate, or suggesting the use of cranberries inside oatmeal cookies.

For those of you that actually get a break from the kids every once in a blue moon, there are romantic meals for two that are quick and easy to make. I believe the biggest, errrr, most expensive meal per serving was the lasagna,but that is to be expected.

We are going to try the Skippy Dippin' Sundaes later today, I never would've thought to actually melt the peanut butter and use it as a topping. this is great, I can't wait to go over the rest of the menu idea. Ya'll know how much we love to have picnics, I think we are going to try doing their Living Room Picnic. First you spread out a blanket, grab those paper plates and eat. They have recipes such as Chicken & Avocado Wraps (Hellmann’s)or even Shedd’s Snack Mix (Country Crock). I don't typically have a big meal for lunch so this would work out great.

For dinner we could do the DVR Drive in, since we always rent DVDs from REDBOX. They suggest a few ideas, these are the two we are thinking of: Grilled Chicken & Veggies Over Rice (Knorr Sides & I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!) or Bertolli Creamy Fettuccine Primavera (Bertolli Sauce)by the way, all of this can be made with your kids. Which I think is the thing that will help them remember all the fun times you had this summer. Make it a family day and you'll be making life better.

You can get your own for free here. Don't forget you can lower the cost of many of the Unilever items by using coupons. There were a ton of the Knorr Sides in this past Sunday paper.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on
behalf of Unilever/Making Life Better. Mom Central sent me a gift card and a
copy of the Family Fun Book to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Starbucks and Boob shirts

Since it takes me a whole day before getting back to Starbucks, it means I don’t always get to write about newer things on my mind. Such as the following:

The girls are currently cleaning their room, SoccerBoy has just finished mowing the grass and Little A is sitting in front of the TV watching a “So Smart! Video” which we’ll review in a day or two, right now I’ll just say he LOVES Iggy on it. Yesterday wasn’t all that exciting here, we drove around searching for a book on Greenland but no stores had one and believe it or not Borders only had one and that was just a page. So we are a bit disappointed. We told the kids that we’d begin making one meal every payday from a different country that one of them picked out. We thought it would be neat for them to select a country, learn about it and discuss it on the day we had whatever the meal was. Course our first one we’ve now had to postpone because we can’t find anything. Know much about Greenland?

I’ve been reading the Blogs that are in BlogHop ’09 as well as the ones attending BlogHer09. I must say I’m so jealous of all those that got to go up. I mean I totally wanted to meet Mr.PotatoHead like ClassyMommy did.

Since being inside Starbucks today, I got to watch the fire truck run. By this I mean when the fire truck pulls up and everyone gets out to come and get their drinks. A couple beside me talking the whole time about old memories and things they hope to accomplish in the future. It was so nice to hear them as they are a bit older and it was just cute to see them. The man sitting across from me had me almost in tears of laughter when I spotted him outside wearing a black t-shirt that red (in pink writing) I heart boobs and had the little pink breast cancer ribbon in the heart. On the back it reminds people that Breast cancer awareness month is coming up on October. Yes it is a great cause but to see a man wearing a shirt that talks about loving boobs was just too much for me.

Have you seen anything funny today?

The Life of a Home Mom: Blog Hop '09

Alright ya'll, as you already know I am not going to be at BlogHer, no matter how hard I click my red shoes together. But I am going to jump in and join all those wonderful blog ladies that are doing the Blog Hop 09. What does this mean? Oh I simply introduce myself and the family.

Howdy ya'll, how ya doing? Let me Welcome you to The Life of a Home Mom! I'm so happy you can make it and hope that you will leave a comment that you stopped in to visit me so I can return the favor.
For those that don't know I'm Eliza, many of you may know me by Homemom3. Hmm, now ya'll want to see a picture of me? Man does it really have to be current? Okay, well my daughter took one a few days ago so that'll have to do. Hey no laughing, that just isn't nice. Okay laugh, I'm in pigtails. I've been married now for 13 years, we were once in the military but got out a little less than two years ago. Life outside the military has been a bit of an adjustment, but we are getting through it. I'm over 30 but younger than 40 and am the mother of four wonderful children but sometimes they can drive me up the wall. Yes, that's how the handprints got up there. The kids are two boys and two girls, the girls are our middle children. (ages 12, 9, about to turn 6 and 2) We don't have any pets either, but dream of having a farm with plenty of animals one day.

I named my blog "The Life of a Home Mom" because one day my kid asked me about my life and that's just how it got started. The Homemom3 part was because I had three children when I began writing and I was a homemom. By the way, the blog was kind of a remark my oldest had said, it's just a blog about your life mom. You will always see me chatting about my life, the kids, things that come to mind, reviews, giveaways. Hey, if it comes into my life, it is all fair game. So gear up folks I'm almost back online completely and I think I'm getting a little bit sassy. Who knows. Leave a comment so I can get to know you and once again welcome to The Life of a Home Mom! Don't forget to read about the other bloggers that are joining in on the Blog Hop '09.

Killing Time & Getting a Break

Okay I'm still waiting but I hear I should have that little device on Monday. So ya'll wish me tons of luck. Honestly it hasn't been all that bad, I've discovered that I won't die with my internet off for a few days but I will come very batty. I mean you take out the TV, four kids that don't always want to play with mommy and only movies you've already watched a bazillion times and tell me what you get. haha.

So I'm currently sitting in Starbucks, drinking my coffee (frap) and watching the people that come in and out as I type. I've seen the funny faces and things do in the cars when they don't think you are watching. I got to see another woman that had just got engaged and picked out her wedding dress run in and tell everyone here. You can see the family, friendly atmosphere buzzing around here, old friends that walk in and spot someone they haven't seen in a while. The smiles that someone has when they leave with their favorite drink. I heard someone order 15 things in one cup, I know it was just her low-fat version of whatever the heck but I must ask....How do they (cashier) remember everything that was just said? haha

It's warm outside, people sitting at the tables, others walking past, there aren't as many cars on the road which makes me think they are at home or the nearby lake. Where are my kids? Oh they are out with dad, I think he took them to Chinese for lunch. Either way I've learned that even though it is a bit harder to work online here over the home, it is also relaxing. I've been getting a break the last couple of days and it is a break I think I needed. Which I didn't even know. Oh and to those of you that read this blog, leave a comment. I've learned I can save your RSS feed to the computer and I can read it when I'm not connecting so I can still read your blog.

Okay I have to get back to work now.

Bad Week and I broke the Internet Connection Now

Hmmm, what can I blog about today? Well for starters, I broke the connection to the internet. Ya know that little part that you stick in the side of your computer to connect it? Well I won’t go into full details but we’ll just say I tripped and it fell on its side and broke off that little piece. I now have to wait until Friday to get it and hope that they will have it in the store on Friday. If not we have to wait until it arrives. Cross those fingers for me people. I’m trying to do all my work now from the comfort of my favorite and least favorite place…STARBUCKS.

Keep in mind I’m trying to cut Starbucks out of my diet but having to get online there makes this a bit hard if ya know what I mean. So I’m typing this from home and hoping to put it on the blog once I get there. Oh I’ll also be missing my class tonight as well.

Ya never realize how much you use the internet until it is missing. However the house is MUCH cleaner and the kids and I sat down today (we have no TV either, haven’t in over a year) and worked on a 500 piece puzzle together. This was courtesy of Nature’s Gifts. By the way we did get it done, but it seems that the girls accidentally lost two pieces. Take a peek at the end results. Isn’t it pretty?

Other than that life is good, kids are still arguing with each other, I think school will be a needed change for them. Little A though may have a bit of an issue not having them around, however I have plenty of plans for him. I’m already preparing our tiny learning checklist for this upcoming year.

I just can’t wait for this week to end, I mean Tuesday Night I caught our stove on fire and then Wednesday I break our internet connection device. UGH. But in all this time off I’ve been writing ideas to query magazines and ideas for my blogs. Now to order that Writer’s Market for the new year so I can send these out. I’m so proud of myself right now.

Wordless Wednesday: Mom & Daughter

Happy WW! I decided since I don't normally post pics of myself this would be the perfect one. I did post it on facebook for those that follow me there you may have already seen it. This was done at the request of my daughter who said, "Mom, please take a picture of me." Then she requested I put my hair in pigtails too.

Happy WW! Leave a comment so I can visit you too.

Walking and Shots

Yesterday was The "S" Day, which for those about to start school it means.....SHOTS! Ya'll may remember the last time BabyGirl got her shots the needle broke off in her arm so she was not exactly looking forward to going again. Thankfully though this lady knew what she was doing, however BabyGirl did tell her the story and made her promise to be easy. This lady was great, I had no clue shots could be done so easily and softly. Granted there was a bit of stinging involved when it first punctures the skin but other than that BabyGirl didn't cry. Sure a tear slipped through because of the initial pain but nothing else. The lady stuck the needle in going down into the arm, unlike the last nurse that went straight into the arm/shoulder part. Oh and now BabyGirl is no longer afraid of stickers, she asked the nice lady for one. See she had a fear of stickers for two years now because of that needle incident.

After the SHOTS, we went over to the school and waited a bit. It was strange, we walked into the school and there was NO ONE there. After about five minutes the janitor came over (hearing me yelling anyone here) and asked if we needed something, then asked how we got in. Ummm, the door was unlocked and sign said open from 9-3pm. We were about to leave as everyone thought the principal must've just left when she appeared. I gave her almost all the necessary forms, still need to bring in the proof of residency and right before we left we were asked if we'd like something to go home with. (ice cream)

I normally would've said no but two things bounced in my head.

- 1. we had walked and it was a hot day.

- 2. I had promised BabyGirl Dairy Queen on the day she got her shots. (I hadn't got paid yet so this was postponed)

Of course I said yes. Oh and they were Dairy Queen Dilly bars so that worked out perfectly. Not to worry we are still planning on taking her this weekend. We did end up walking to the gas station for a drink before we arrived at the house too, I mean the ice creams were gone by that point. Course Little A was a MESS! I wish I had took a pic but it didn't dawn on me at that point. Okay I better end now because I plan on writing another post later today. (had to beat the kids awake)

Midwest Dairy Winners

The two Midwest Dairy Winners are Smart Cents mom & DenyseG. I loved reading over the recipe ideas that ya'll liked, course I can't wait to eat some more pumpkin pancakes/muffins, etc. Please email me at homemom3@gmail.com with your mailing address so this can be sent your way.

Congratulations this is one really cool prize, just the Hy-vee Gift Certificate makes it worth it. I mean imagine all the milk and cheese you can buy now.

Playing in the Sun

Oh this was a fantabulous (daughter's favorite word) weekend where we played in the sun the entire time. First up we decided after a bit of food shopping that it was a nice enough day to go out, since we'd just missed breakfast and IHOP was way too long to wait we did quick drive to Taco Bell and ordered a few things.

Where'd we end up? Oh the park of course, I mean what else do you do on a hot day. We spent about an hour there letting the kids run up and down the slide and ate at the picnic tables. I think this is one of our favorite things to do as a family, it's just those memories that'll last forever if ya know what I mean. Some people were taking advantage of the sunny weather and hitting a few balls in the baseball field, another family was having a baby shower and then there was us. I do believe there was a dad there with his two little boys as well. When time was up there was no crying or moaning for everyone knew that the next sunny day we'd most likely be there again. I remember the first few times this year Little A would throw a fit thinking it was his last time, not even he cries now.

Once at home we went to our own spots and just cooled down, but a few hours later the hubby took the kids outside to chalk on the sidewalk. Course being him this also meant cooling down the kids with the water hose. They had a ton of fun playing sprinkler and getting soaked, it didn't matter that two were wearing pants, another a dress, etc. It was fun and they kept cool. I thought it was funny that even when Little A had purplish lips he still refused to go in. Soon enough though we heard some singing music coming from a van. Ya know the summery type that most parents dread? The Ice Cream Truck, but this time we decided to stick around and got each of the kids (and myself) an ice cream.

What a great way to spend a weekend right?

No PR Blackout Here!

I've been asked by several online friends if I'd be taking part in the Mommy blogs: PR Blackout. Honestly, I don't see the real point so no I will not be jumping on this bandwagon. It actually sounds like a horrible title and a strike. I know it is not for all but for some it is sounding like it may be, they've also forgot that this is a PR person's job. For those that are curious or burned out, MOMDOT (blog) is encouraging all those mommies out there that have been writing reviews or giveaways on their blog to take a vacation. One week off but not from blogging but doing reviews/giveaways. They still want you to blog but about being a mom, which I think you should be doing anyways. By the way, I really do love her blog but I thought I should mention why I'm not doing it.

Here's part of the post:

MomDot is challenging bloggers to participate for one week in August in a PR BLACKOUT challenge where you do not blog ANY giveaways, ANY reviews, and Zero press releases. In fact, we dont want you to talk to PR at ALL that whole week. We want to see your blog naked, raw, and back to basics. Talk about your kids, your marriage, your college, your hopes, your dreams, your house and whatever you can come up with for one week.

For those that do plan on taking part, there will be a linky to post your blog for that week. I know some are going to take this opportunity to go on a vacation like Trisha is. (I hope you have a fun one) They will also give a list of ideas for you to blog about. Hmm, here are a few:

- Birth stories
- Birthday party ideas
- Favorite school memories (your own and children)
- Prepare for 1st day of school
- Your first kiss
- potty training experience

With all this being stated I just want you to know I'm not against any that are doing it, or those that aren't doing it. But for me this isn't making much sense, if you really wanted to take one week off just tell the PR people that you need one week break. I believe they'll understand. It sounds like just a bunch following suit because no one will strike on a group. I will continue to blog as I do without changing anything, if by some chance I don't mention a product for a week that's just because it happened that way, not because of the strike. So to the PR people out there and other bloggers not doing this, feel free to visit and comment away. If anything you'll read a lot about school since three will be starting in August. To all those doing the PR Blackout good luck to you and I can't wait to read all about your families. Please make sure to leave a link so I can read about them too.

Kids & Rashes

Both girls woke up today in some itchy rash, course they did not tell me until about an hour ago. Currently they are laying in the living room on blankets under the ceiling fan and another fan blowing on them. Kids are so hard to figure out, they just figured they were getting early zits as they called them. (hehe) It may just be a heat rash since the two dressed up all day yesterday and for most of it in long sleeved night gowns that were a bit too big. They pranced around from one outfit to another before deciding what to wear.

Speaking of rashes this reminds me of two incidents with Soccerboy. The first he came down head to toe in a rash that looked very much to me like a heat rash, instead it turned out to be "Rosieola." (not sure on spelling) This happened back when he was a year old on Mother's Day. The second time was immediately after eating Thanksgiving Dinner when he was four years old. Apparently he was allergic to something, figuring it was yams I made turkey sandwhiches the next day and it happened again. Yes, he is now allergic to turkey.

Kids can be so strange when it comes to illnesses and reactions to things. With roseiola he never said or did anything, he just looked funny. Allergic reaction he was really itchy and now with the girls they just thought it was itchy zits. hehe

Speaking of kids, earlier this week Little A thought he was superman and decided to jump from one plush dining room chair to another. Somehow he found the one part of the chair that wasn't plush and nailed his lip. Okay not with a nail but he hit it against the wood and bit down. OUCH. He is fine now, lots of blood at that moment though (scared me thinking he might need stitches) yet this didn't stop him, he tried an hour later to do it again. Guess he's one of those that believe practice makes perfect. SoccerBoy however seems to be trying to pull a mommy, over the weekend he decided to hit his feet againt the playpen too. He got a purple toe but it has already healed, unlike mine.

Are your kids accident prone? Do they get weird rashes? Talk about them.

Wordless Wednesday: BalletGirl's Bday Photos

Okay I told ya last week that the camera wouldn't send the photos so here they are. HAPPY WW! My favorite is her sticking out her tongue at me. Oh and did you read my Momfinitions?

MomFinitions

Twittermoms and Parent Connect have put together a little contest since the dictionary doesn't have any of these "Mommy Terms" in it. What's 5 of yours? Here are mine:

1. Mimi- Ever since my little ones were newborns we've always called their milk source "Mimi's" it wasn't because we thought it was cute but the oldest tried once calling it milk but came out mimi. So ever since mimi's became milk. Oh milk also means breastmilk until they reach a certain age. Be careful as you could end up with a boob bite. A boob bite is when a baby bites down on the nipple with all their might. I'm going to say one word OUCH.

Also in this category is:

Cow milk- this refers to the milk the other children drink. My youngest started this when he knew about cows we explained he could have the "cow's milk" instead of "mommy's milk."

Mommy's Milk- this refers to breastmilk.

Mommy time- many are familiar with this. It means to jump in the shower/bath/bed and get a few moments to ourselves before we are bombarded with "Mommy, she/he did such and such."

2. Mommy's drink- there's only one drink this refers to and that's my Venti Carmel Frappacino from Starbucks. This is the ONE drink the kids are NOT allowed to touch.

3. Butt- This refers to poop or a diaper. "Did you need a new butt on?"

4. Toynado- Umm, this refers to a bedroom after a child has been in it. Mine typically dump out every toy in the toy box and then play. Yeah they aren't your typical children that only play with one toy at a time. Is there such a thing? So bacsically it looks as if a tornado went through toyland.

5. Its8oclock- haha, this is one many moms and dads are familiar with. The stricking phrase, "Its8oclock" simply means bedtime.

Whoshungry?- Whoshungry may sound like a question but it actually means dinner/lunch/breakfast because we all know by the time it is on the table someone will be saying they are hungry and when's bfast/lunch/dinner.

Time for 100 Day Reality Challenge Again

Okay, is anyone doing the 100 Day Reality Challenge? For those that don't know there is a facebook page: The 100 Day Reality Challengethat will explain it a lot better than me. Basically though you make up a list of things YOU WANT out of the 100 Day Challenge.

- Do you want to lose weight? How much?
- To get a new job? What type? What's your dream job?
- To write a book? What type? How many words? Dream publisher?
- Change your looks? Exactly what?

Remember when you put it out there the Universe will only grant it if you believe it. Don't just say I wish to lose weight because you will lose weight. You might just lose a pound and gain it back or just lose one pound period. I'm gathering up my list of things I want to challenge myself and I'll update in the next week or two. I'd love to do this with someone as well if there are any of ya'll wanting to challenge yourself, that includes a clean house. :) Just drop me a line so I can cheer ya on and you can cheer me on.

So far I know a few things I want: I want to lose 20 pounds and keep it off. I believe this can be done in 100 days. I also want to write at least half the book I'm about to begin, or more. I'd like to get more of a schedule with college, kids school and my work and be able to not just stick with it but to be able to have fun with the kids. I had so much fun the last time learning about myself so I hope to continue to learn more about who I am.

My Muse Came Back

Isn't it funny the things that slowly seep into your head and inspire you to do the things you've been meaning to do but just haven't done? I know I probably sound like I'm talking in code but I'm not, not entirely. As many know I'm a writer dreaming to publish her books, in the last few years I put them inside a drawer and stopped writing them. Even though stories come into my mind from time to time I ignore them.

The MUSE is back and it won't leave me alone, instead it visits me when I sleep and throughout the day. So it looks like for a while I'll be trying my hand back at it. I really miss writing my stories and poetry so this could be a pleasant change, or a scary one since I tend to write thriller stories.

I'm also noticing more I'm reading more books once again just to get to that magical side of a writer's life and movies about writers: The Muse (trying to find it), Alex & Emma and many others. Thankfully the kids are enjoying my adventure back since it means we are all brainstorming ideas . Have you been struck by a writer bug or some other hobby?

Winners from YoBaby

The two winners of the YoBaby Giveaway are: 11 & 45 but isn't letting me post my pictures from random.org.

#11 kdkdkd said...
the blueberry apple pack or the vanilla
banana pack



#45 Gianna said... Pear/Peach :)

Congratulations!! I cannot view your emails though as they weren't left in the comments so you will have until 10 am Central time tomorrow (Monday) to contact me at homemom3@gmail.com or I'll be forced to pick a new winner.

Wordless Wednesday: 9th Birthday

Yesterday was BalletGirl's 9th birthday so here are a few pictures of her in the past few years. I wanted to show yesterdays but my phone refuses to send them. Happy WW!

Ruby Tuesday: Red Dress

Welcome to Ruby Tuesday where we post something red. Today's entry goes out to my BalletGirl because today is her birthday and I know how special each child feels when they get their picture (no matter how old) on this blog. This is BalletGirl when she was 2 going on 3 and as you can see she was my little gardener. The red dress was her absolute favorite, she would wear this as often as she could. Happy Tuesday!

July 4th Weekend

What did everyone do for the fireworks celebration? For us it was a quiet day, besides the popping of firecrackers out in the street. We watched a ton of videos on Veoh.com and once it was time for the fireworks to get started we ventured off down the road. Oh we decided to stay in town since there is an area across the cemetary that you can see in a 360 direction of fireworks everywhere. So we got to see everything without the crowds and traffic or screaming babies. I also got my starbucks which of course made my day.

Midwest Dairy Giveaway

The Midwest Dairy Council of Missouri recently contacted me to have a giveaway done on "The Life of a Home Mom" for all those that have a Hy-Vee near them. So if you are one of them make sure to sign up for this giveaway.

The Dairy Council wants you to know about Dairy Makes Sense. Many of us forget how important dairy actually is until it is too late or unless we read about it somewhere. So lets take a moment to think of dairy. For me I actually lack it, however my kids are my little dairy nuts. My son will eat gobs of cheese all day if I let him. H e also likes to eat his daily yogurt which I just read giving him one yogurt actually covers over half his dairy needs.

Here's some dairy facts for ya:

Milk packs nine essential nutrients at only 25 cents per glass. Many designer drinks, sodas and fruit drinks are high in calories and expensive, which won’t help your wallet or your waistline.
· Though protein is one of the most expensive parts of the diet, dairy foods are one of the most economical sources of protein and calcium, both of which are important for the growth and development of strong bones and teeth.
· A one-ounce serving of hard cheese, like cheddar, contains 8 grams of protein, and an eight-ounce serving of yogurt provides nearly a third of your suggested daily calcium intake.

The Dairy Council would love for you to visit, "Diary Makes Sense" and have fun exploring...they even have a neat little Cow-Culator to add everything up. I stopped off and looked over the recipes and I think I'd like to try making the pumpkin pancakes, those were always my favorite around Thanksgiving. Why not try them now? Or does a tuna melt sound good for lunch? At the bottom of each recipe they have the nutritional facts sheet so you know what you are getting.


GIVEAWAY

Prize:
(2 winners) $25 Hy-Vee Gift Card and 2 Borden Cheese coupons

RULES:
Head over to the Dairy Makes Sense and tell me which recipe sounds good to you. If none sound appealing tell me what you would make using dairy.

Bonus Entries: Twitter this, stumbleupon this or blog about it and make sure to link back so I know.


Deadline: July 12th, 2009

US only please

A Day with Bubbles

Yesterday the kids and I decided it was time to hit the outdoors since the weather was good. By good I mean not pouring down rain and not super hot that we were going to burn. I've had enough of peeling and am not chancing it. So what does a mom with four kids do outside when no one else is out there to play?

Grab out the following: Giant thing of bubbles, three wands, chalk, chalk kit and kids.

That's right, we had a blast blowing bubbles and drawing all over the driveaway with the sidewalk chalk. We had recently bought the Chalk Tools by Crayola and finally got to use them. Now about the chalk tools, you do need their size chalk, not generic. I had chalk but it wouldn't fit in the little holes, thankfully Crayola supplies their own pack with these kits. Either way the girls and Little A had the whole driveway filled with pictures of their wonderful artwork. Now I'm just waiting for someone to complain about this.

Oh I forgot to gripe, we recently got in trouble for having our truck in our drive since it doesn't have a license. Course the problem is it doesn't have a license as we need to fix it to pass the inspection. But apparently someone complained it was in our driveway, in OUR OWN driveway. Can ya believe it?

Okay back to being outside, we spent a good two hours outside just enjoying each other. SoccerBoy was able to get on his bike and ride around for a bit but he blew bubbles with us first and then went off. So I got my pictures, hahaha. Little A is fascinated with the bubbles and gets so excited when he sees the big bottle of bubbles and when one actually comes out of his wand. He spent more time with the bubbles than the chalk. The girls took to the chalk and drew their pretty pictures and played school.

Wordless Wednesday: Another YoBaby

Little A informed me I forgot to post the giveaway so check out the Yobaby giveaway and have a Happy Wordless Wednesday!

YoBaby Giveaway

I don't know about you but everyone in my family eats yogurt and to be honest even though it is good I worry about giving it to the youngest. Recently Stonyfield asked if I'd be willing to try their YoBaby yogurt and have a giveaway and I said yes. I mean it is made just for babies, therefore it wouldn't be harmful.

I went to the store to get my Yobaby and picked out the strawberry banana since he absolutely loves bananas. He loved that it had babies on the front, he kept saying "Awwww, babies." When we got home I immediately sat him in his chair and opened it up. You do need to stir it like all yogurts but it makes it smooth and creamy, there are no thick chunks like many fruit yogurts. (hope the picture shows you how smooth it is)

YoBaby has DHA & Zinc vitaminss added to help your child, plus it is all organic. YoBaby does have a variety of types they are offering plus a group of flavors, here's a list of some:

YoBaby Plus Fruit & Cereal
Raspberry Pear
Strawberry Banana
Apple
Mixed Berry

- Organic & 100% natural – Made without the use of antibiotics, synthetic
growth hormones, and toxic, persistent pesticides. More nutritious than
ever. YoBaby yogurt helps develop and support

- Brain – Whole milk which pediatricians recommend for children up to age 2 for healthy brain development
- Immune System – 25%DV of Zinc to support a healthy immune system
- Growth – 25%+DV of Vitamin D, Calcium and Protein, plus other
essential nutrients to support strong growth

I was able to purchase this at Walmart and used the coupon they sent me for a free one, however after Little A tried it and ate up the first bunch I had to go back for more. I definitely recommend and even tasted it and must say it does taste good. At Walmart it cost $3 for 6 of them.

GIVEAWAY: There will be two winners. 1 YoBaby bowl with lid, an organic YoBaby bib, and a coupon bundle of 5 Free YoBaby coupons

RULES: In order to win your YoBaby package comment below on what YoBaby you'd probably purchase. You will need to visit their site to tell me which Yobaby. Don't forget to sign up for their newsletter to get those free future coupons.

Bonus Entries: Tweet it, blog it, stumble upon it. Make sure to leave an additional comment to show me you did this.

Deadline: July 10th I'll announce the winner that afternoon.

US only folks