Journal Buddies Review

As the mother of a 5th grade girl.....life is drama! Rebecca is just at that age where every girl feels like it is a competition to be the top dog and put down all other girls. Recently I had a conversation with her school principal because she had come home in tears because another little girl was ugly to her. He informed me that I was the third mother from her class he had talked to in the last month, and there are only eight girls in her class. It is just that age and how their starting to develop their brain and enter into puberty. This is the most important time to keep promoting their self esteem and worth.

Thanks to Jill Schoenberg and her incredible book Journal Buddies it has made our life a lot easier. This is a really great approach to a journaling this difficult age. The concept is that each time you journal do it with a friend or loved one. The first task in each section is to write three things about each other that you like. For example: The other day when I was Rebecca's Journal Buddy I wrote her three things that I like about her were that she was outgoing, smart, and fun-loving.

The next part in each Journal Buddies section gives a concept word you can work with such as confidence, best, beauty, and joy. You can write something about the concept or draw a picture that represents it. You can also use craft supplies to illustrate it like scrapbooking.

Then there is a part where you can actually journal for you and your friend a memory, experience, hope or dream to motivate you in down times. Rebecca has journaled with two of her friends and her sister and I. Last night she was going back and reading one of the entries just to boost her spirits...here is the pic I caught.

Want your own empowering journal for your tween/teen? There is a boy version as well as a girl version that is specifically designed for each perspective. You can purchase one through Amazon.com. If your child is going through the drama that my little mama is....you don't want to miss out on this one. A special thank you goes to the Family Review Network for this wonderful opportunity.

Letter to Gym M

Dear Mother of Obnoxious Gym Child,

I dread Tuesday afternoons and trying to teach your child! Yes I understand she is precious to you...and in your words "a little strong-willed" but I hate to break it to you...she just needs a firm hand and a spank to the butt or flick on the nose (very effective on my two). Here is the list of things it was not okay for your child to do in my tumbling class yesterday.

• spit on another child and laugh
• eat food off the floor
• hit another child
• throw a screaming fit like I was torturing her for holding her hand while walking to the trampoline.
• encourage two other children to not participate forcing me to restructure the whole class.

Okay, Mom of said Brat: The gym is not a babysitting service to leave her for an hour (although if said child were mine I would probably dump her at every available opportunity). We are also not disciplinarians....in that the worst I can do is talk to her firmly and withhold gum or lollipop at the end of class for misbehaving. Then when I try to talk with you at the end of class when you came to pick her up....to laugh and roll your eyes and talk about what a little rascal the child is....just encourages the behavior.
To sum it up: Your child is a demon seek help now!
Thanks to you the Margaritas ran aplenty last night....and I am thinking about asking for a raise.

A Wintry Day and a Challenge

Well a norther has blown in, and I am freakin' cold.......I don't know how y'all northerners do this, but it drops below 40 and I am one unhappy puppy!

Today as I normally do on Tuesday afternoon's, I went to the girl's school to work with the gifted and Talented group. I thought i would share today's quick challenge with you to see how all of you in blogdom solve the kids problem.

You are given 11 toothpicks and must turn them into nine without taking any away, hiding any, or making a "9" just using the toothpicks.

Yes it is possible it just takes a little outside the box thinking which I absolutely love to do.

Feel free to ask me any questions and if you know the answer comment away!

Day 3....No DDP

Blurry vision: Clearing I see I have two children again and not ten (but I know the girls had friends over so that could account for the miscalculations)
Brain Fuzziness: Still There, but that could attribute to the homeade dewberry wine that was a gift to me yesterday.
Headache: Due to lack of caffeine....defintely the loss of my beloved Diet Dr. Pepper.
Overly Annoying Children: Still there....I can't seem to make them understand that I don't find them funny without my caffeine...and I do not want to practice cheerleading at the top of my lungs or sing along to Pink's "So What". I just want to crawl into my bed and get a Diet Dr. Pepper IV installed.

I know I will feel great later this week....but not now!

Geocaching the Day Away

If I could have lived my life differently I would have been Indiana Jones in female form. I would travel to remote locations and find glorious historical artifacts that change the world. Since I can't seem to mesh my dream with my reality....I settle for being a geocacher.

What is geocaching....have you not heard about the ultra fun world wide phenomonon? If you have a GPS this is something you want to get in on. The basic premise is a lot of people have hidden containers all over the world from small film containers to very large themed boxes. Basically you go to Geocaching.com and put in your zip code and it will show you the treasures hidden around your area.

Today I took Rebecca and her friend K around out town to do the six local ones. It was a fun morning and some were challenging to find, and some were very easy. One thing for sure we had a lot of fun. I keep a small bag in my car that I throw in small toys, buttons, junk jewelry, stickers. etc and those are the items I leave as treasures, with every item you leave you can take an item and sign the log that says you found it.

We have quite a few of the girls friends who have gotten addicted to geocaching with us, and are always asking when we are going again, and if they can go to. Today was K's first time to go and she had a blast. Since her dad had gotten a GPS for Christmas she was excited to be able to share the game with her family.

If I'm a nut...can it be pistachio?

Well I am very proud of myself for eating better this month as part of my New Years Resolutions and because I finally went and got my root canal done I can honestly say I am listening to my body and making better choices. I thought of course my next big day of ruin would be Valentine's Day and all that chocolate that John Mark usually spoils me with....but I had forgotten about one of the biggest snack days for us SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

Every year we go to our good friends the Morris Family along with about 40 other friends that we typically hang out with. The kids all run around and the Men gather around a projector screen and a BBQ pit. The women gather in the kitchen naturally around all the snacks and desserts that we all bring as potluck. I guarantee I can gain five pounds in a single evening if I am not prepared. Luckily this year I am coming armed with my favorite snack to try and keep myself on track.

Pistachios

Here is why they are currently my weight loss snack of choice:

• About 30 pistachios are a 100 calorie snack
• They are heart healthy and absorb cholesterol
• They are filling and you will snack less if you start with these.
• They have protein and fiber and and leave you satisfied
• You actually slow down your eating by having to "shell" them

So while my snack to bring may not be the most fattening snack at the super bowl party, I am not bringing them to win a popularity contest. Hopefully I can help a few of my friends stay on the healthy track along with me, and still have a wonderful time with my family and friends enjoying the game.

What do you do at 10:00 at night?

Well if you live at my house and get the munchies like John Mark does.......you order Pizza Hut, and then let the girls know you are ordering Pizza Hut and then encourage them to get out of bed by dancing around the house and in general cause fun-loving mayhem on a school night!!!!!!! There is going to be heck to pay tomorrow morning getting the grouchiest kids known to mankind ready for school with out a decent night's sleep.

SOOOOOOOO.....I am surrounded by fruitcakes happily munching Pizza and watching "King of the Hill" reruns....and it is waaaaaay to late for some of these people to be up!

What do you do at 10PM?

Tiny Prints Valentines Giveaway

I adore Valentine's Day because it has just always been a great day for me. I can remember when I was young the thrill of picking out that special valentine....and hoping a little boy in class detects it's true meaning. Each card and message was always chosen and made with such special care.

That is why I was thrilled to see all the cute cards at the tinyprints.com site. They are just the types of Valentines I would have chosen and I will share with you my girl's picks for their classes.

Rebecca chose:

She liked it best because it was pink and looked yummy.

Regan chose:

She thought the puppy was the cutest, and all her classmates would like it.

Now you have the opportunity to choose your own Valentine's by winning a $50 gift certificate to shop at tinyprints.com. I am excited to offer one of my readers this great opportunity to win.

To Enter:

1. Visit Tiny Prints and check out their Valentine's Day Cards, Valentine's Day Party Invitations and Valentine's Photo Cards. Select your favorite card that is on eco-friendly recycled paper . Click "Save to Favorites" from the link with a heart graphic directly under "personalize." You'll need to enter your email address and contact information to save the card.

2. Leave a comment sharing why you selected that particular card. Use the same email address here that you used on Tiny Prints when you chose your favorite.

For additional entries:
Save another card as a favorite....everyone you save and comment back here on is another entry
Follow My blog and leave a comment letting me know
Stumble this post and leave a comment with Stumble ID
Twitter this post and leave a comment with Twitter ID

Anyone else hear the Hallelujah Chorus?

At lunch today I am jumping for joy and eating mashed potatoes.

I can hear Handel in my head and I feel at peace finally .......since November. Want to hazard a guess as to why?

My Root Canal was this morning!

Now as odd a thing that may be to celebrate....when you have put it off as long as I have and twice needed to go in for quick fixes to tied you over, it is such a relief to have it over and be done with it. So I will endure my mashed potatoes (lovingly made by john mark with real pieces of bacon mixed in) and I will sip my smoothie....because later I am eating real food I can chew and tonight I will sleep peacefully.

Juice Plus Review and Giveaway

I am more than willing to admit we are a house divided. John Mark and Regan are meat and potato people, while Rebecca and I are fruit and veggie people. I love fresh fruits and vegetables, and a lot of my groceries are from the produce section....but getting the other half of the family to actually eat them is another story.

Several years ago I heard about JuicePlus on the Oprah Winfrey Show in fact it was one of her favorite things. Then my sister and her family started taking them and I got the real information. The people at juice plus understand that vitamins and supplements do not work because they have extracted them from the fruits and vegetables where they originally belonged. Instead the revolutionized the health industry by dehydrating down to powder whole fruits and vegetables in their full original form. Each capsule contains 7 fruits (red bottle) and 10 vegetables (green bottle) in each capsule.....WOW! Here is what the company has to say.

Juice Plus+® . . .The Concept
Vegetable gardens. Fruit orchards. They give us nature's bounty and provide the foundation for healthy living and good nutrition.

The latest dietary guidelines and clinical research consistently emphasize that people need to eat more fruits and vegetables to improve their chances of living long and healthy lives. And scientists learn more every day about the nutritional power packed into every tomato, cranberry, and piece of broccoli. Antioxidants. Phytonutrients. Vitamins. Fiber. And more.

Juice Plus+ provides the nutrition from 17 different fruits, vegetables, and grains in convenient and inexpensive capsule form. Juice Plus+ Orchard Blend contains seven of the most nutritious fruits around: apples, oranges, pineapple, cranberries, peaches, acerola cherries, and papaya. Juice Plus+ Garden Blend contains ten nutrient-dense vegetables and grains: carrots, parsley, beets, kale, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, and rice bran and oat bran.

Taking Juice Plus+ capsules every day provides the nutritional foundation we so desperately need that is so lacking in our diets today

In my personal experience we have been taking our capsules daily for two years now. The girls have been a lot healthier in that they very rarely miss school, have colds/flu/viruses. Regan has had better focus, less allergy problems, regular bowel movements, and she works better in school. I have been really healthy with no major illnesses for two years, I have a lot of energy. For my mother it has helped boost her immune system....but don't just take my word for it.

One of the things that makes JuicePlus amazing is the independent research done by major universities and research associations. Including studies in the Journal of Nutrition and backing from the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Association. It is also highly endorsed by my favorite renowned pediatrician Dr. Sears.
Now you can try it on your own and see the results for yourself. One winner on this blog will get the choice of one of these JuicePlus products:

1. One Month Adult supply capsules (one red bottle of fruits one green bottle of vegetables)
2. Two month supply of Children's Gummies ( Red container of fruits and green container of vegetables.
3. A canister of Juice Plus Complete to make protein drinks and smoothies with all the added benefits of Juice Plus in a Vanilla Powder form.

To enter this giveaway please go to JuicePlus and tell me something you learned from the site and leave a comment on this post.
A second entry can be earned by stumbling this post and leaving your stumble ID in a comment
A third entry can be earned by twittering this post and leaving your tweet in a comment
A fourth entry can be earned by becoming a follower of my blog
A fifth entry can be earned by blogging about this post and leaving me the URL in a comment.
This is an incredible giveaway that I can back and personally endorse because I use it myself daily. I really hope it make a difference in your life like it has made in mine. This giveaway open to US residents only and will close January 30th at midnight CST.

Thia giveaway is being held in conjunction with the Bloggy Carnival 2009 don't miss all the great giveaways

Footbo Review and Giveaway

My nephew Kyle is a soccer (football) king. He has helped to lead his High School team to the finals for the last three years, and hopes to go to college on a soccer scholarship when he graduates next year. His family pretty much lives and breathes the game. I had introduced him to the Footbo.com site over the Christmas Holidays....and was actually tickled that I could lead him to a website he had not known existed. This is a pretty cool site for any of you that are fans of soccer.

One of Kyle's favorite parts of the site was that they had a whole section devoted to amateur clubs of the game.
He spent a good part of the afternoon reading stats and in general seeing how his high school team stacked up against those he read about. Amateur teams can create their own personal team page, with a team photo, logo, other photos/videos, and team history. Team pages give players the ability to let the Footbo community get to know their team and keep track of the latest events.

He also really liked that they have sections of the site devoted to certain teams complete with fan clubs and message boards. His favorite team is Manchester United and he enjoyed reading the messages written by their fans.

It was really nice for me to be able to share the Footbo.com site with someone that I knew adored the game of soccer, and if you are a fan you can also follow the Footbo network through Twitter:www.twitter.com/footbo and join fans on Facebook.

The wonderful people at Footbo.com are allowing me to host a giveaway that is sure to thrill all you soccer fans. I have one soccer ball shaped USB reader.
This Giveaway is to US residents only and will close on January 29th at midnight CST.

To enter this giveaway please visit the Footbo.com site and leave me a comment on what useful soccer information you found there.
Enter a second time by becoming a follower of my blog and leaving me a second comment letting me know that you did.
Enter a third time by stumbling this post and leaving a comment with your stumble ID
Enter a fourth time by twittering this post and leave me a comment with your twitter ID
Enter a fifth time by blogging about this giveaway and leave me a comment with the URL to that post.

I would like to specially thank the Family Review Network for this awesome bonding experience with my nephew through this site.

This Giveaway is being held in conjunction with the Bloggy Carnival 2009 so don't miss all the great giveaways this week only!

Argh! Isn't he Cute!

You know I always talk about my girls, and just mention John Mark in passing for the most part (well-except for his birdbrain post recently). He truly is the most wonderful guy. John Mark and I have been married for 14 years in April, and he is awesome. He is one of those people who is a friend for life. He doesn't hesitate to drop whatever he is doing and go all out for a friend who needs him.

He has driven with a friend 800 miles just so he wouldn't be alone going to his grandfather's funeral. A few weeks ago he changed his flight schedule so that he would have several hours to layover in a city where a friend of his was depressed and needed some one to talk to and give him a hug. John Mark is the guy you can call at three in the morning and he will do whatever it takes to solve your problem.

It is why he is still friends with people he went to Kindergarten with, and he was best man or groomsman in going on at least 12 weddings (he has two this year). I just adore that bout him , that he is as loyal as they come. I just wanted to share a bit about my sweetheart and why it is so easy to love such a devoted guy. Of course it helps that he is such a hunk to!!!! (I always did love those big preppy golfer types)

The real "Beef" Auction

Well this evening Rebecca and her best friend "C" both begged me to take them to the rodeo arena where the local stock show was happening. They both told me how much they wanted to go see all their friends who were showing their animals(rabbits, goats, steers, pigs, and chickens). My first clue that there was more to their scheme should have been the fact they were getting all beautified up and doing their makeup and hair. I mean who need makeup to impress a goat?

They both got all dolled up with boots and jeans and of course as soon as we got there they proceeded to ditch me at the door where they ran squealing up to a half dozen other 10-12 yr olds who all greeted them with squealing, hugging, whispering and pointing. Thus began the real reason for our being at the stock show....all the boys were there.

So along with the livestock being paraded and auctioned in the center of the arena....the girls paraded up and down the aisles and chatted and giggled about various guys. Then one particular boy (who I was informed was "really hot") went into the auction ring with his steer....and I overhear Rebecca say to her two friends..."I wish he was being auctioned off....cuz I would definitely bid"

Okay, I know I have a boy crazy child, but that is not what I want to hear come out of the mouth of my ten year old. She might as well be wearing a hard hat and learn to whistle and make catcalls.

I am contemplating a nunnery....do you have to be Catholic to enroll your child into the sisterhood?

The Day my Darling became a Birdbrain

This morning I was doing laundry and I noticed that buzzards kept swooping across the back yard. Now technically I live in city limits but on the edge, so we are surrounded by pasture on three sides. I assumed that something had died in the back pasture. A little while later I glance out the window and they are congregating in my back yard and all along the back fence. That just completely creeps me out....makes me want to check that there is no hooded guy with a scythe behind me.

Well I called John Mark at his office downtown....and in typical male fashion says Cool! I'll be right there. He is home five minutes later and getting out the BB gun (Okay, how old are you?). He succeeds in getting a few shots off and the flock disappears. I then tell him to go find out what had died in the yard that attracted the dang things in the first place.

He starts laughing and tells me it was the chicken he couldn't get to grill properly last night.....he had just thrown the whole thing over the fence, and then poured the BBQ sop in the yard. I just turned to him completely stunned!

"You Did What?!!!!!??????"

"Well the pit never got hot enough to grill that whole chicken so I threw it over the fence."

I know his mother raised him better than that....in fact she would be completely mortified! Apparently my husband has decided (without consulting me) to become a full-fledged redneck. I reminded my complete idiot sweetheart that we in fact do own a trashcan and disposal....and that in no uncertain terms were buzzards ever to visit my yard again because of him.

Today's Post brought to you by the letter "F"

Well I want to thank Keri at It Flickers Dimly For this really fun letter meme. I have to admit to being intrigued when I saw it on her site, and I thought I can do this just throw a letter at me (except please not X, Q, or Z). Imagine my relief when I got the letter "F". now I have to list ten things starting with the letter "f" that just appear in my head....very scary I know.

1. Fruit Smoothie: this is what I am eating for lunch right now because I go for my root canal next Wednesday morning....and I honestly can't chew a thing on one side of my mouth.
2. Ferrante Family; This is my sister who is my best friend in the whole world....she just completely gets me warts and all, and her husband and daughter are so much fun to be around. I can't wait for the 2nd Ferrante girl to make her appearance next month.
3. Futbo: a future review campaign coming up, that I have used my high school nephew as a consultant on....because he is king of all things soccer.
4. Facial: I could really use a spa day...they used to come around a little more often, but now that they are under my budget...not so much. I love pampering luxuries but I hate spending my own money on them.
5. Frugal: I just love a bargain. I can't help it....I search them out and savor them with every fiber of my being. Especially when it is something name brand that I can get a better deal on.
6. Fit: i need to get back in shape....that may seem odd since I work at a gym three nights a week, but teaching kids to do cartwheels does not make you fit. Although I love a good trampoline workout.
7. Flips: I am proud to say at age 36 I still love to do flips. I can do my back handspring on the trampoline still, and I love to do back flips into the foam pit. I even showed my mother last week when she came up to visit, and she was amazed.
8. Ferraro Rochere: I am a huge fan of anything that has chocolate and hazelnut....I am expecting a few of these in the mail sometime soon, and I am anxiously awaiting their arrival (yes I know it conflicts with being fit)
9. Flip flops: They are so cute and cheap plus go with everything.....except me. I have never learned how to properly walk in flip flops, and end up making a racket while they "flop" a lot and I struggle to keep them on my feet.
10. Facebook: I just don't get it....but apparently everyone in my family is on it. If you want to find me and know how I am doing visit my blog....I don't need no stinkin facebook


Well that was fun! Are you feeling challenged? If you want to do your own letter meme leave me a comment and tell me you want to play. I will contact you with your letter you have to work with.

I Have a Gratitude Attitude

I want to thank my fabulous readers who are like ongoing therapy for me. I mean really who needs counseling? Just start a blog. You can spill all your thoughts and have lots of people help you and affirm what you are doing. Yesterday, for example, I really wasn't quite sure what to do about Regan's limited fine motor skills and her acne, but you guys came through with lots of brilliant ideas. It even prompted me to look up what kind of pills could be found as acne treatment, and I am buying toothpaste next time I go to the store. I had used that trick myself in college and it works like a dream. I remember somebody telling me because real toothpaste was made with diatoms(?) or something like that and they dry pimples up quickly. Anyway y'all completely rock and I am sending out warm fuzzies your way(can you feel them yet).

When Pimples Rear their Ugly Heads

Poor Regan not only has she shifted into near full-on puberty...but it is beginning to show on her face. She has enough going against her at the moment with struggling at school, struggling in her new walker, struggling to adapt to a changing body, and now a changing face. Now John Mark and I both have oily skin so we knew both our girls would be blessed with pores large enough to keep your spare change in....but for Regan it is even harder.

I gave her some facial scrub to help when she is taking a bath....but it got up her nose and in her hair. It was not something her fine motor skills could completely master. As she is blowing chunks of Apricot Scrub out of her nose she asks me "You want me to do this every night, Mom"?

Then of course she has no idea of how to pop a zit when it gets a white head on it...so John Mark is pinching her face and she is screaming at us. I assure her we are only helping, and keeping your skin healthy is an important part of keeping your body healthy....then I resorted to the age old wives tale that was handed down to me....the good thing about having oily skin is that you are less likely to wrinkle as much later on....In your 40's you are going to be completely rockin it!

I wonder if her occupational therapist would take me seriously if I added zit popping to her list of IEP goals?

I have to be honest I had no idea what a shielding lotion was when I was asked to look at Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion. I had not any idea what it did or how it would compare to any other lotion I have used, but after trying it I am glad to tell you what a difference it feels on my hands.

A Shielding lotion is different from regular body lotions because it doesn't just stop at moisturizing your face, hands, and body but also adds a protective shield over your skin to protect it from chemicals and damaging natural elements. It has the added bonus of having sunscreen added in it which is a huge bonus since I live in South Texas and the UV rays are always strong.

The one thing I have a problem with is that I have oily skin and most moisturizers that also contain sunscreen feel oily...and will cause me blemishes within days (ugh 36 and still dealing with acne). I haven't had that problem at all with Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion. It has no greasy residue on my face, and I have not broken out since using it for the last two weeks.

If you need very specific things from a lotion here are a few other details:
Outperforms other skin care products such as moistu?rizers
Prevents Dry Skin
Non-greasy
Hypoallergenic
Fragrance and Colorant Free
Dermatologically Tested
No Animal Products and Testing
Paraben Free
Non-comedogenic (will not clog pores)

Now you have the chance to try Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion for yourself by winning a 4oz bottle to try for yourself. This contest is only available to residents of the United States and is open until January 22, 12:00 midnight CST. If you are commenting anonymously please include your email address.Here are the rules.

Entry one: Leave a comment with something you learned by visiting the Skin MDsite.
Entry two: Become a follower of my blog or leave an additional comment if you already are.
Entry three: Stumble this post and leave a comment with your Stumble ID
Entry four: Twitter This post and leave a comment with your Twitter ID
Entry five: Blog about this post and leave a comment with the URL link.

A special thank you to Family Review Network for this wonderful opportunity.

Resolutions...About That....

Well.....I completely suck at this whole resolutions thing. I have not been able to kick my caffeine to the curb, because I haven't been sleeping well, and I need to function in the mornings to get the girls to school. I have not gone swimming after I take the girls to school because I haven't caught up on the things to do at home yet...so heading to the gym in the next town over to swim for an hour seems like to much work. No worries, I will not resort to anything drastic like, Lipovox. I also have not been taking better care of myself...hence the reason I am holding an icepack to my jaw while I work and waiting for the Aleve to kick in since my cracked tooth that I was supposed to have resolved in November is finally catching up with me again....and I am in desperate need for a haircut ( I won't even mention that my eyebrows are beginning to french braid themselves).

The one thing that I have been doing better at is putting God first again in my life....in fact I have been talking to him a lot this past hour...as in please God take away this pain, and please make the supper dishes wash themselves, and God could you do this one tiny favor and put Regan to bed for me so she won't bump into my jaw again and make me double over in pain....

I am officially a mess and January isn't even over yet.

*Warning: Grocery Shopping with Tweens is Hazardous to your Health

I used to not embarrass easily at all. That was until Friday when I made the mistake of letting Rebecca and her two overnight guests go into HEB (Texas Grocery Store Chain) with me. Here is a list of things I was absolutely mortified of them doing.

1.They giggled over guacamole calling it booger dip.....then tracked down a high school boy working there and asked him to price check the booger dip. The only reason I discovered this was when he tracked me down in the store to quote me the price of guacamole and I gave him this completely blank look, and the girls started giggling like crazy.

2. They thought it would be fun to shake up some of the 2 liter bottles of soda and "surprise" people who bought it. I explained to the heathens that it was a waste of time because by the time anyone took it home it would be back to normal again.

3. They discussed at length picking up queso and bean dip and then giggled endlessly of how bad the living room where they are sleeping will smell when all three of them have eaten bean dip.

4. At the checkout lane they asked for buddy bucks (an incentive for younger children) and then hurried over to the machine to get the stickers that go with said bucks.

Needless to say the girls couldn't have been happier just giggling away and blissfully unaware that my face looks like a tomato. On the plus side in my hurry to get out of HEB I forgot to buy the chips to go with the bean dip and queso....so no smelly living room.

I am soooooo shopping alone next time.

Scattergories is Fun

I am a board game addict! It comes with the territory of being extremely competitive. My mom used to play this game with us for years before the board game even existed. We would just draw of a chart with different categories (countries, animals, bodies of Water, etc. and then place alphabet letters on the side and see who could fill out the most on their charts in a ten minute time period.) I am thrilled to be stealing this fun meme from my good friend Allison at My Mommy Said. Go check out her "A" answers and see how well you can do.

If you're lost I'm talking about Scattergories and this is how you play.
Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things. Nothing made up! Try to use different answers than mine if you have my same initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.


1. What is your name? Christine
2. A four-letter word? Chat.......naturally!
3. A boy 's name? Carson
4. A girl's name? Claire ( my future baby niece due next month)
5. Occupation? Communications Expert
6. Color? Cobalt......I love dark blues
7. Something you wear? Cashmere (not often in South Texas, but I looooove this fabric)
8. Beverage? Chambord...because everything tastes better with rasberry liqueur
9. Food ? Chocolate....was there ever any doubt?
10.Something used in a bathroom? Charmin...double ply nothing but the best
So now it's your turn!

President of the "I Hate Spooning" Club

Who: For those of us who crave space at nightime and are the self-professed anti-cuddlers.
What: We will meet to discuss the need for King Size beds, and gently getting rid of clinging sleeping spouses who want to sweat against our backs (gross!)
When: Any night is fine by me.....maybe then he'll be asleep when I come home and I can carve my own space on my side of the bed.
Where: Anyplace will do...just to escape.....for a bit.
Why:You know honestly I don't know why anymore it's not like he didn't become aware when marrying me....I am a very space oriented person. Not sure why nearly 14 years later this is still an issue....oh well, lol

Anyways...I am self-proclaimed President for life...do I have any other members out there?

The Camp Domino Effect

Last week I started the discussion on some of Regan's camps. This week I wanted to move onto Rebecca's camp.....just one....not four like her sister. Although Rebecca's one camp is one month long. This started as my all out addiction to "The Parent Trap" and the fact that I loved summer camp so much as a kid that I never wanted to stay just a week...I wanted to stay all summer. Well Rebecca goes one month every year to the Texas Hill Country for complete girl empowerment and every activity known to mankind. This year will be her third year and she just loves it! She has best friends from all over the country that she writes to and keeps up with all year and then every June they see each other again for a whole month.

Basically all year round I gather stuff to add to her trunk to get ready for her activity schedule....she is not an arts and crafts kind of girl she only likes the sport activities, and most importantly horseback riding has become her new favorite. Last year we borrowed a riding helmet for her because I saw no point in buying one if she wasn't going to like it. Well she adored riding so I am looking to buy her a helmet this year. I want to make sure she is covered for any horse supplies she might need, and that way I have some of her packing already started.

I Haven't forgotten...so Thank You

Oh Keri.....I bet you thought I had forgotten....but I am an awards sucker! I just covet them with every fiber of my being because it shows me some love. Yes, I was hugged as a child, so it is not that I feel neglected. It is just that I am an oldest child and competitive as heck. *back in gracious mode now*

Keri is awesome! I actually read two of her blogs pretty faithfully. You can find her at It Flickers Dimly and at Life of Logan. And Yes, Keri, I am aware that there appears to be something wrong with my button....but honestly I have been to lazy to figure out what I did wrong yet....so if any of you html savvy people want to suggest to me in my comment section what could possibly be wrong with the "grab my button" html....that would be completely groovy of you!
The Rules of the Stand:

*****Huge Edit Here********

Well to be honest I did get this award from more than one blog. I am just an idiot and got my messages crossed. I am sooooooooo sorry, because I hate offending anyone. It is part of that constant need to feel liked. I want to thank the Misadventurous Mommy(Allison) at My Mommy Said. Definitely head over there for a game of Scattergories (which I am so stealing) and see how well you can do. Thank you Allison for including me on your list of blog friends.

Fist show me some linky love and then pass it on to some of your favorite bloggers....the rules come with a suggestion of 10...but if that is to much for you to handle...hey I'm cool with that! This go round of awards season I decided to thank some of ya'll who follow me for all your different reasons. Everyone need a little bling on their blog (That's my philosophy anyway). Here is my linky love!

1.KiKi's Corner
2.Brooklyn Ashleigh Butler
3.Caring For Cole
4.Life's a Hoot
5.weeping widow

In Need of a new Clotheshanger

In the past decade I have had a few different clothes hangers in my room. They have been large, took up space, and parked in front of the television for maximum exposure. I have loved them all and called them by different names, such as treadmill, bike,and stepper. They have held clothes for many months, and then we realize that all along we should have been hanging our clothes in the closet where they belong. We then get rid of our monstrous clothes hanger. It seems though that every time January comes around that I want a new clothes hanger. John Mark just gently reminds me that clothes really do belong in the closet and that gym memberships are much cheaper.

Worst S'mores Recipe on Record

It has been nice here the last few days...today in fact it is the 70 degree family which I just love and makes for a perfect January as far as I am concerned. Rebecca was lamenting that it wasn't a little colder because then John Mark could light a fire in the fireplace and she and her buddies who are spending the night tonight could all make s'mores.

I love s'mores! They are awesome anytime of year as far as I am concerned....let's just fire up the grill and cook it outside over those flames....is what I was thinking....until I heard Rebecca still talking away (whoops I had tuned her out it actually hapens more often than you think.

"I just love how melty the marshmallows get on top of the chocolate and grahamcrappers"

grahamCRAPPERS!?!

did she really just say that?

"Rebecca, honey did you just call them grahamcrappers?"
"yeah, cuz that's what they are right?"
"No, honey....that would be graham crackers...with a "k"sound...not a "p" sound. If we ate your recipe I guarentee no one is coming round for seconds."

It dawns on her what she had said.....and she starts giggling..."eeeeeeewwwwww, mom that would be disgusting!"

Remind me never to eat her cooking

I have burrowed in waaaaay deep

This morning I woke up with a dull pain in the middle of my eyes, and John Mark took one look at me and seriosuly gasped. I mean really who looks great first thing in the morning? But to actually get a gasp from your husband was a little to much! I made my way to the bathroom mirror and saw my sinus cavities on either side of my nose had blown up to slightly the size of Nebraska. I opened my own mouth to gasp, and my jaw popped....yes it popped! I had clenched it so tightly overnight that it had to pop to open.

I was looking way beyond the pale and I just wanted to crawl back into bed. My head hurt my teeth hurt because as much as you people can rant and rave at me I still have not scheduled that root canal that I was supposed to have had in November....and whatever was dancing around in the air obviously does not agree with me. In other words today I was a mess!

Thank heaven John Mark kicked into high gear for all of us. I got Regan bathed and dressed while he showered and ran out for breakfast (we covet breakfast tacos on homemade tortillas from a local tex-mex stand in the mornings). He then packed up the girls for school, and sent me back to bed with some benedryl and an aleve to help with any pain. I woke up briefly to read yet another wonderful chapter in Heidi's book and went back to sleep again til lunch time.

It was just one of those days...not really sick, but just needing some major burrowing back in bed and sleep. I awoke refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of the rest of the day....and I promise tomorrow I am going to schedule that root canal!

ARD Tears

Yesterday was Regan's annual ARD meeting....which I believe the acronym stands for admission, review, and dismissal. What it means is the annual meeting where we plan the goals for Regan's next year. These include all her school based therapies (PT, OT, RT) and what her classroom goals are, and what we are going to do about her standardized testing. These meetings are long and tiring....but also emotionally exhausting, and every year I cry.

I can't help it. It is difficult to sit in a meeting about your child and hear how she really is in class and what they are adapting for her, and how she can handle 7th grade to some extent, but she has "issues". Basically it is hard to have you child judged so every year I desperately look around for the closest Kleenex box and get ready for all the straight shooting, because I know we are planning the best possible strategies for her success...it is just the parts where she falls short remind me that she really does have some learning issues and social issues along with her cerebral palsy.

I hate the ARD meeting, but I like the goals and strategies that come out of it. Maybe next year I'll skip the assessment part and just ask to be called in for the goals.

Co-Host on BlogTalk Radio

I am super-psyched today to be co-hosting The Classy Closet show with the owner of The Classy Closet, Jen. Today's topic will be parenting girls VS. parenting boys and should be loads of fun. It is being broadcast live from Blog Talk Radio at 11:00 am CST. If you would like to pop in and listen that would be awesome! If you can't make that time period then you are more than welcome to listen at any time because it will be posted in the Blog Talk Radio/Classy Closet archives. Come back by and leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!

Vaseline Clinical Therapy Review and Giveaway

A few months ago I developed a weird dry patch of skin on my stomach.....some sort of eczema. Not a big deal, but awfully itchy and persistent. I was trying several different lotions around the house (mostly B&BW stuff) that just didn't work. Well I had gotten in on this campaign for Vaseline Clinical Therapy lotion and I thought to myself...if this doesn't work I am going to have to talk to my doctor next time I go on and have a prescription written out. Within a week of using Vaseline I have had no more dry itchy patch, and definitely no reason to mention it to my doctor.

Vaseline started in Kodiak; one of Alaska's many small towns, that has a population of 6,000. Due to the location, Kodiak endures an extremely icy climate leaving many of its residents with dull, dry and cracking skin. This very reason is why Vaseline thought the demographic would be perfect to demonstrate the effectiveness of Vaseline Clinical Therapy lotion.

Vaseline turned to Petal Ruch, a voice coach and 50-year-old mother of four, who tried the product and felt it really worked, to start a word-of-mouth campaign for new Vaseline Clinical Therapy Lotion. If she liked it, she could then freely "prescribe" it to anyone else she thought needed it. Through word-of-mouth, her experience spread to more than 600 townspeople—including 39 cousins, a Russian music group, a knife maker, police detective, owners of fishing vessels, and many others-- whom also discovered that Clinical Therapy works.

Clinical Therapy Lotion provides 60% more moisture than a prescription lotion, and is available without a prescription. It comes in two varieties ~ lightly fragranced and unfragranced.

Through most of the year I have more oily skin brought on by the fact that I live n the South Texas Coastal Plain with tone of humidity and mild winters. But my elbows...and of course the strange odd dry patch both are very grateful to Vaseline for this extremely effective lotion.

Now I would like to share the amazing results with two of my lucky readers by giving away two bottles of Vaseline Clinical Therapy lotion to try for yourselves.

This Giveaway is open to US residents only. It will end on January 17, 2009 at 12pm

Entry 1: Leave a comment with a way that Vaseline Clinical Therapy will help you
Entry 2: Leave a comment if you are a follower of my blog or become one
Entry 3: Leave a comment if you Stumble this post with your stumble name
Entry 4: Leave a comment if you Twitter this post with your twitter name
Entry 5: Leave a comment if you post about this giveaway with the URL to your post

I would like to thank the Family Review Network for this wonderful opportunity.

Life of a Pajama Junkie

Ok it is no secret among the people who know me best......I love pajamas! I would absolutely go Hugh Hefner and lounge all day and be completely comfortable and happy. Why do they not make clothes that feel as comfortable as my pajamas feel. I do have my favorite brands though.

I love Vera Wang's pajamas at Kohl's. These are my everyday favorites. In fact I own the pair that are in the picture! I probably have about five pairs that I just wear out during the winter months. They are that smooth brushed cotton that is just so comfortable. For the summer months I love PJ Salvage little spaghetti strap nighties in that same brushed soft cotton.

I am a pajama fiend...much to my poor husband's dismay who groans every time I squeal with delight at a new pair. Any of you pajama companies out there needing PR...I am your gal!

Raising a Savvy Shopper

Well I love being a frugal shopper, and Rebecca is learning her way to finding great bargains. Saturday the girls and I headed to the local metropolis (about 45 miles south of our small town). I had gift cards to Target that I "had" to spend or die, and Rebecca had $40 from babysitting and of course her awesome fireworks stand tip that she could not wait to spend.

Her first stop to shop was Aeropostale where she slowly stalked the store like a lioness on the prowl, til she found an obscure shelf with T-shirts $5.99 each. I mean we live in South Texas....t-shirts are year round here. She grabbed 3 of them and still got change back when adding Tax.

Then at Target I showed her where all the clearance racks and shelves were located, and she got a shirt, a bra (yes she is ten and buys her own bras....lol), a spiral notebook for school, and a box of Christmas Ferrero Rochere Chocolates all for $12 including Tax. The child went home with change to spare and halfway finished with her summer wardrobe.

She is my fashionista....and now she can buy it for herself and bargain shop to boot!

Texas Summer Camps for Cerebral Palsy

It is time to start planning Regan's summer camp schedule. I am completely serious! It just turned January, and I got email reminders from two of her disability camps that the applications are now online....and since it can be pretty competitive to get the weeks we want, I am scurrying to get them filled out, and sent off so that we can plan for the other two camps she would like to fit in her summer schedule.

What can I say, My girls are summer camp crazy! Luckily there are several disability camps within a three hour radius of our house. In fact there are five that I know of.

We first sent Regan to camp at age 10....to one that was about 45 minutes from us, because I was terrified of her being on her own for a week, and well just unsure about how the whole disability camp thing worked. Well every year since that first week she has added one camp a year. So this year we are up to four camps....possibly five if we can figure out a way to get into the beach camp she would really like to go to.

Now to be honest we are very lucky. The main three camps she has attended are all free to us. Lions Camp, and Texas Elks camp are sponsored by those fraternal organizations and each child is fully funded and sponsored by a local club. In fact John Mark is a member of both of those organizations just to help raise money for the both camps. Camp Smiles is a cerebral palsy only week at camp and is sponsored completely by UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) and they raise the money for those kids for that week.

The two she would like to add both would cost us a bit of money, but in reality with all we save it would not be that big a deal, it just depends on what our budget looks like when the applications come out and are due. Anyway....it is weird to think about planning our June and July weeks for Regan right now as the temperatures have dropped and I have just traded my shorts for a warm up suit. I will be posting more about disability camps for my readers who are interested to let you know what to look for and our experiences as the months progress.

House Inspirations

I have written before that we are intending to sell our current home and hopefully embark on building our dream home within the next two years. The main reason for this is to have the girls (especially Regan) in what I consider the ideal school district in the area. My main goal for the next year and a half is to get my home ready to put on the market...which fortunately is still a good real estate market at the moment.

There are many things that are on my to-do list to get the house market ready...like having matching garage doors (when we needed one replaced a few years ago....the store no longer carried our previous style), replacing rusting gutters, installing crown molding in the master bedroom and dining room, and tiling the master bath and girl's bath. I am in the process of researching the best, most frugal, and very flattering decorative hardware that would get attention from potential buyers, and not cost me a bundle.
I have been inspired by the Inviting Home website and all of their beautiful home decor. A lot of it has that Southern Living Traditional style that I covet with every ounce of my being. The only problem I have when I troll through the website is that I keep taking notes of things I want for my future home instead of concentrating on quick fixes for the home I have. I have been particularly distracted by the gorgeous shutters which would be a perfect addition to our next home should we be in danger of evacuating for yet another hurricane or as potential protection against the random tornado. As you can see there are way to many pretties at this site....I need to focus on my reality....not the dream of what is to come.

Curse of the Bone Pirates Review

I had the wonderful opportunity to review a really cool book called Curse of the Bone Pirates by B. T. Hope thanks in part to Family Review Network. I love reading mysteries, and have always had an affinity for the teen genre....so this was right up my alley. It had such a great combination of intrigue, a little supernatural, throw in a bit of teen angst, and some interesting eco-friendly information, and you have the makings for a great book.

Now I am not the "greenest" person I know, but there are a few tips that I thought were really interesting concerning ecosystem conservation, and working in symbiosis with our environment to coexist without feeling like you give up on life's luxuries by doing so. I also really enjoyed the characters.....especially Sam, she is so cool! I am looking forward to their next adventure have passed on my copy of the book for Regan to read. She is right now on chapter 2 and loves it so far.

Here is the synapses as put out by Amazon.com:

An evil force is destroying the natural wonders of Nui Island, and it’s up to three new friends to solve the mystery. When Big B is dragged from his comfortable life and close friends in Chicago by his grandfather’s mysterious affliction, he’s sure he’s going to have the worst summer ever. But soon after arriving in the tropical paradise of Nui Island, he is caught in a web of danger and intrigue. The Maemae reef is dying, his grandfather’s brilliant mind has been infected and creepy Island legends are coming to life. Big B and his new friends, Sam and Nalu, rely on wit, courage and strength to unravel Nui’s ancient mysteries. What they uncover will help them save the Island, restore his grandfather’s soul, and break the curse of the Bone Pirates. With a captivating plot, fascinating characters and an important ecological message, Curse of the Bone Pirates: Nui Island Eco-Logical Adventures will haunt and delight young readers.


If you or someone you know likes action, adventure, pirates, girls with purple hair, surfing, bats and bacteria, then this book series is definitely the one for you! Curse of the Bone Pirates, the first book of the Nui Island Eco-logical Adventure Series, is like taking a virtual summer vacation on a tropical island, daring you to get caught up in its fun-filled pages. It will haunt you with the past, thrill you with the present and inspire you with your future.

Cool stuff hidden between the covers of this book include: poisonous sea snakes, black gold, biomimetics, Sirius, seagull poop, how to say paradise in Polynesian, hidden volcanic caves, Shakespearean verse, the Cliff Hanger, a shell phone, bioluminescence, names to call your friends in Spanish, dinoflagellates, waste water webs, carrot toothbrushes, drinking green slime, rainbow salsa, getting worked by a wave, the Bloodlust, archeology, screm do kafle, vaporous cannonballs, katuk, an anamorphoscope, eating ants, banana-mobiles and much, mucho, more.

Read it. Life may depend on it.

Well not only am I impressed by the book, I was also intrigued by the sponsor and I think you will be too because the Nui company believes in showing kids a healthy lifestyle and through this book, how easy it can be to have an eco-friendly conscience. They donate half of their beverage profits to children's and environmental charities. There are several activities available on the website like character profiles, coloring pages, and product information.

If you are looking for a great read for yourself or a way to excite tween/teen readers about mysteries and environmental education then this series will deliver. If you are looking for a fun adventurous read....then it will not disappoint.

A special thank you to Family Review Networkfor this review opportunity.

Resolutions for 2009

The girls and I decided to make some resolutions....I thought you would enjoy

Regan: Has decided to give up school and homework (she will be breaking this on Monday I guarantee you that.

Rebecca: Eat healthier (she constantly has her head in the closet trying to bake cookies, or make sandwiches, and eat cheese and crackers...she is my carboholic)
Be nicer to people: she is a little quick to temper like her dad...so she loses patience with people easily and is not afraid to let them know. I have begged her to work on kindness.

by the way she also thought New Years resolutions were only for January...so she had to be corrected in that I expect her to be nicer for longer than one month.

Me: Cut the caffeine, lose a few pounds, try to be a little cleaner around the house....and above all else make more time for God. I sometimes forget to turn to him and put him first in my life. I think a daily devotional would help me a lot.

The Teeth Dilemna

Well, with all the fun issues that come with Regan having cerebral palsy....I have a new one to try and solve. What do we do about her teeth? I know this is very odd, but I would love some input from others.

Okay here is the lowdown:

Originally her mouth was very small for her permanent teeth, and then she fell in her walker at about age seven and chipped one of her front teeth. The dentist fixed it by puttung a little "fake part on there"

Then her doctors/therapists told us she needs to really brush her teeth on her own because not only is it good for her fine motor skills.....I mean she is 13 people....I can't brush her teeth for her. She brushes her teeth every day, but just doesn't do a great job, because she has a difficult time controlling the toothbrush, and doing all she has to do.

Basically her teeth look awful...but at least no cavities so far. They are a yellow that no amount of bad brushing seems to fix, and the fake part on the front tooth is now discolored, and she has two more teeth that now have no room to go growing in from her gums in front of other teeth. Her mouth is basically a mess.

The dentist has of course recomended an Orthodontist that we are going to see in January. We are sure that he will want to discuss an expander and braces with us.....but I can't even imagine Regan taking care of teeth with braces on them any better than she takes care of her teeth now. I am sure we will end up with a mouth of rotten that we just covered up with expensive orthodontia.

If it just weren't the most sadistic awful thing in the world I would have all her teeth removed and just have dentures made. Then she could take them out and clean them or soak them overnight! I know.....bad mom thinking my teen would be better of with dentures

I guess I need to figure out if I fight her own pride and therapist recomendations, and brush her teeth for her....or what kind of other options am I not thinking of?

Thanks for any ideas you guys float my way

National Security Mom Review and Giveaway

Among my holiday reading this year has been National Security Mom by Gina Bennett. It is an interesting book which discusses the similarities of guarding our country and how we deal we foreign threats and how we parent our children.

Amazon.com lists the synapses as: "National Security Mom" offers the basics of current terrorism trends and national security policy making from a parent's perspective. Written by a mother of five and 20-year veteran of counterterrorism in the US Intelligence Community, this book de-mystifies the underworld of terrorism and offers a unique comparison of how the super-secret intelligence approach to securing our nation is surprisingly similar to how parents secure their homes and families. By comparing the expertise parents gain while running their households to the skills required to govern, "National Security Mom" empowers America's parents to engage with confidence in the public national security debate. The simple premise, that everything we need to know about securing our nation we have learned from our family life, offers hope that no matter what security challenges America faces, our nation will be proud and secure. We need only follow the guidance we give our children, such as "clean up your own mess," "tell the truth," and "don't give in to a bully," to ensure our nation's welfare. Moms know that the most important lessons they teach their children will last a lifetime. Who better to entrust the security of our nation than mothers?

I was very intrigued when looking through National Security Mom to see what Gina Bennett's perspective was, and although she made some good points, It honestly was a difficult read for me. I found myself struggling to make the same comparisons on the scale that she did. For example kids needing "timeouts" to me personally are on a whole different level than a country needing a "timeout" to evaluate and make decisions following a terrorist attack. I got lost in the pages of security information, and found I really wanted some more personal references, and real mom skills that were comparable. I read the book, and recommend it to those who wonder about the trials of a working mother under such humongous duress with definitely one of the most stressful jobs I could imagine. I admire Mrs. Bennett's ability to multitask, and handle a home life and high stress job. I did take away with it the importance of getting involved civically even on a small local scale, which is something I think is very important as well.

The wonderful people at Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing have agreed to let me host a giveaway in conjunction with this review.

To five lucky winners I have links to the National Security Kid Center which has:

• downloadable children's pages
• links to online activities
• a printable poster
• Contests to win prizes, and
• a chance to be in future books

To enter this contest please leave a comment below with something you learned by visiting National Security Mom and telling me something you like about the site.

A second entry can be earned by becoming a follower of my blog and leaving me a comment

A third entry can be earned by stumbling this post and leaving your stumble ID in a comment

A fourth entry can be earned by writing a post on your blog and leaving the link in a comment.

This giveaway is offered worldwide, but the link to the security center will not be avalable til January 24th. Giveaway ends Januray 10th at midnight CST, Good Luck!

*********Edit Here*****************
This giveaway is now closed, and everyone who entered won the link to the URL. Thanks for enetering.