Christmas with best...and a frugal tip

 Yes, those are all stockings.....and we only have 4 children in the family. I guess we should be a bit embarrassed but have I mentioned how much Christmas means to my family?  The bags at the end of the table are the dogs stockings....because those are still in the process of being sewn. everyone gets a stocking filled with all kinds of loving gifts. For those of you who know how budget conscious I am, you should know that my contributions are often a lot of the review items and freebies that I get through blogging and such.  Believe me this is not really a budget type of thing to contribute to 18 stockings and 4 bags. i do get awesome things in my mail and really great packages consistently so it makes my life a lot easier at Christmas time.

As a great tip for those of you who want to get a head start for Christmas next year.... consider joining www.mypoints this great site has easy surveys and mail to check that rack up to points. It is also a reward system used by BzzAgent, another one of my go to sites. The reason I am suggesting this is usually by Christmas I have racked up enough points to purchase at least 2 gift cards to be used to purchase gifts or as gifts themselves.  Without spending one dime and just a  bit of time throughout the year you can cross gifts off of your list.

My Dream Christmas Wish Came True!

You may all dream of sugarplums and other such nonsense...My dream come true just became reality! I cant even begin to tell you how excited i am that two days before Christmas my sweetheart hammered this sign into our front yard. Yes I realize our yard looks brown and disgusting....but this is south Texas in December and we are in a drought. he did add a bow on top so i cant really argue with it being a gift. now we just have to clean, pack, sell, move, buy land, build....oh gosh what have I gotten myself into?

Review: Passport to Purity

 I first became aware of  Passport to Purity about two years ago when my good friend Cheryl told me about the amazing weekend she and her daughter shared together. She explained all about the kit and lessons along with activities and adding your own fun that it all entails. This kit is supposed to help your preteen start their spiritual journey in deciding to remain pure until marriage.

Then last year I took Regan on our own weekend in San Antonio and she a had a wonderful time. The lessons are progressive over two days time period. It starts with the most important lesson. The parent being the authority and why. It demonstrates through activities why mom and dad are the foremost people you should turn to as a teen in your life. the next lessons show how it is important to choose your friends wisely and that the people we hang out with influence us and our reputations. Further in the lessons it progresses to our dealing with the opposite sex and what God and the Bible has to say about those relationships and their development. It does go into more intimate details but all with a guide for mom and dad and a workbook for your child. the Interactive CD's don't leave the burden of what to say and do all on the parents. It encourages and helps you and your child develop trust and form a bonding relationship.

This year it was Becca's turn and we did things a bit differently. We went away for the weekend with four other moms and daughters. Everyone got their own hotel rooms and ran the lessons personally and privately. then we all met for dinners and activities together as a group. It was fun to discuss and watch the girls know that they were all learning the same things and they had the support of their parents.

I highly recommend Passport to Purity if you are looking at broaching this tough topic this year and wanting to make sure your darling is on a good path and can come to you with al ther worries and concerns as those tough teen and high school years lay ahead.

Yet Another Awkward Holiday Item

I can appreciate the concept of having Jesus in your heart and it will help eliminate some of life's costly mistakes. That being said, I do not want to literally use baby Jesus to erase any mistakes I make on paper.  It just seems to me that there are much better ways to represent the blessed event of Christ's birth then this tragic eraser nativity set that I came across in a Christian catalog (on the front cover no less). 

These little erasers are also puzzles, which has me wondering, do their heads come off? That seems a little sadistic if this is the case. Not only can I erase with Joseph, but I can also make him headless! I can see me going through Becca's pencil bag and finding half a shepherd, or Mary leftover from a year of math work. How on earth does the true meaning of Christmas get expressed through these? Does anyone else find this a touch sacrilegious? 

November 17: World Prematurity Day

      As much as I wish that time hasn't flown by so much that come this Sunday I will be the proud parent of a sixteen year old; I am extremely happy to be living in this time in history for the medical breakthroughs that have allowed Regan to be with us this day. As many of you long time blog readers, family, and friends know she was born a 24 week preemie. With today's medical breakthroughs and technology she was able to breathe, survive and even thrive to be the stubborn and adorable teenager she is today. 
     This is why it is so important for me to jump on the bandwagon on World Prematurity Day to help bring to light some very important medical issues that preemies are particularly susceptible to.  

Many parents of preterm infants are unprepared for the special medical care preemies often require. According to a March of Dimes survey, this is because most expecting parents don’t discuss preterm birth with their doctor during prenatal care, even if they are at high risk. On November 17 - World Prematurity Day - we’re hoping to help change this.

     The main cause of concern for preemies is contracting RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), which in full term newborns is most often like a common cold because their immune systems are better developed, but in preemies can lead to severe sickness and even hospitalization. 
     I am happy to team up with MedImmune to bring you awareness of RSV and of how precious the health of a preemie can be. Here are a few facts to bring to light the seriousness of this issue.

RSV Quick Facts:

• RSV is the leading cause of infant hospitalization, responsible for more than 125,000 hospitalizations and up to 500 infant deaths each year.
• RSV occurs in epidemics each fall through spring. The CDC has defined “RSV season” as beginning in November and lasting through March for most parts of North America.
•  Certain regions have longer RSV seasons than others, with the season beginning as early as July (e.g., Florida) or ending in April.
• Despite its prevalence, one-third of mothers have never heard of RSV.

    So How do you protect your child from the evil RSV? The answer is really simple WASH YOUR HANDS PEOPLE!!!! Seriously, that is the main thing that spreads RSV, is hands and germs. So the solution to safely protecting your preemie through the dreaded winter germy filled months is lots and lots of hand washing from everyone who comes into contact with your baby.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

The Curse of the Glasses

     Glasses for Regan are a necessity of life in our house, and it has truly been both a blessing and a curse. The blessing of course would be that things are much clearer for her with them on, especially in her left eye which is the worse of the two. The curse being that Regan is the only one in our house who wears glasses, and so sometimes if she doesn't remember them, then chances are that no one else will either. To make matters worse since we sometimes give her time off of them like in the summer or weekends, and then when we really need them for church or school it is almost luck when we see them lying on a table as we leave the house or find them at all. 

     The downside for all of this is the we could use back-up pairs, but with the prescription changing minutely every year, she really can not use any of her older glasses. There has been the odd tragic school day when she resorted to a magnifying glass, and I felt like a horrible mother as a result. So a realistic and reasonably priced result needed to be found.

     There is a great solution at Glasses.com a brand new site by the makers of 1-800-Contacts.  They have a huge selection of eyeglass frames for women and the site is easy to navigate. I love that you can upload a picture of yourself and try all the styles on your own face. Regan and I spent a long time figuring out what color and shape she would like best and trying them all on her picture. We know she looks best in rectangular or oval shapes with thin frames, and that is the beauty of the virtual try-on  because you can see for yourself on your own face. I also liked that they have free shipping and free returns, so if it doesn't work just send it right back at no additional charge. It is nice to be equipped with a back-up plan, and no more magnifying glass!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Glasses.com for which the writer was compensated.

Is there a Febreeze Support Group?

     To say that my family has a Febreeze obsession is probably putting it mildly. It is strange  how much that brand has become an intricate part of our lives. I have two bottles at all times, one in my house and one in my car because I can't stand smells in my car. Rebecca on the other hand has her own personal bottle, a room spray and her two bedroom fresheners so she is probably more in need of a support group than I am. She even travels with her her room spray to youth camp this summer and insisted on spraying down our cabin at least once a day so that it would have the smell that she has come to love. The funny thing is the other day when we were shopping she wanted to buy yet another bottle, and I told her it wasn't necessary, and then she said she would spend her own babysitting money because she really wanted a particular scent that she claims smells like Skittles candy. The child really cracks me up!
   The point of Febreeze in Rebecca's room is actually a necessary item. Right now she has volleyball practice at least four mornings a week  with Games on Monday afternoons. She has school cheer practice about twice a week with football games on Thursday evenings. She has competitive cheer on Sunday afternoons and a tumbling class Tuesday evenings. To put it mildly the child is a sweaty energy machine, and by the time I remove all the dirty clothes from the floor....it has still permeated the room. Febreeze not only spares our noses, but also helps her sleep at night without any offending odors. It fits perfectly on the nightstand without being obvious and since it suits her typical chaotic teen room decor. It doesn't stick out like a sore thumb and scream...I am an air freshener!

     To prove my point, here is a picture of her nightstand and you will notice not one Set&Refresh by Febreeze, but two. The one closest to her bed on the left is the scent linen and sky, and then if you look to the right you will see her Hawaiian Aloha scent that she liked this summer. I asked her why she still had the orange one out on her nightstand and she replied that she just liked the color (orange is one of her favorites). But, since the Set &Refresh come with convenient refills I can assure you she will be adding no more colors to her collection just different scents.

     I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Febreze and received a Set & Refresh unit plus refills to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

When did Facebook become my Major News Source?

    On Sunday night I was at church with the girls happily involved in videoing the new rules for the children's ministry program we call Team Kids, when I received an unexpected text from John Mark. There were uncontrollable fires in his parents subdivision in Bastrop, Texas and they had just been evacuated. Armed only with my trusty iphone I immediately checked my news apps....and found nothing. I then turned to the Bing Search engine app, and found a little bit of news through the Austin news station, but not what I was looking for. All information I received came to me from my sister in Austin via text messages or John Mark with news about his parents.
   As Regan and I left the church for the evening (Rebecca was staying the night there to continue taping) I tuned in to my favorite AM news stations, and found the typical evening talk radio political programs.  Didn't Anyone realize there was a wildfire raging through central Texas? There was plenty of news about flood updates on the east coast but nothing yet on any fire burning through our drought ridden land.
   When I arrived home I tuned into the San Antonio network affiliates and all I could find was their late night lineup with still no real news. Next I tuned into the Weather Channel, and finally in the midst of their evening updates was a photo of the massive blaze out of Bastrop Texas, but nothing about where it was headed and what kind of damage had been done. I ended up staying awake waaaay to late looking for some information and there was truly nothing to be found. There were massive evacuations going on and hundreds of homes burning....there were fires popping up all over Texas and I could find out almost nothing when I tuned into the media.
   By the next morning, I was completely frustrated!  When I checked my Facebook though I started to get the real news of what was happening. This is because I found the Texas Storm Chasers page that several of my friends had "liked" and struck a gold mine. There were the actual people involved and affected by the fires updating constantly. They would post where new fires had sprung up all over Texas. There were tracking maps so you could see where the latest blaze had started. And if there was help needed in supplies or evacuating people and animals, this is where people were posting it. Unexpectedly Facebook had become my entire source for all the news I needed.  So in this day and age the lesson learned is that for worldwide news there is still the necessity for FNN, CNN, and MSNBC....but if you want to truly know what is going on in your part of the world you better be on Facebook.

Game Time: Tackling the Past...the Family Movie is Back!

I am a big believer in family movies, and especially if they are about football a sport a truly love. Some of our family favorites include "Remember the Titans", "Radio", and "The Blind Side". it is touching to tell a story with a sport that is so all-american and relatable. Which is why I was thrilled to be able to get a sneak preview of "Game Time: Tackling the Past" brought to you by Wal-Mart and Procter&Gamble who are partnering for a series of family movie nights.

I don't want to giveaway to many details because i want you and your family to enjoy seeing it for yourselves, but I will give a few lessons that I learned. 

• All the fame, glory, and money in the world will not get you what is really important in life.
• Family is everything and sometimes a tragedy can make you realize what you have had all along.
• A  moment of glory at the cost of someone else is never worth it. 

Game Time: Tackling the Past is on Saturday, September 3 on NBC at 8pm ET/7pm CT.  Looking for more information on family movie night and upccaoming events that your everyone can enjoy then go to http://www.facebook.com/familymovienight. 

It is already set on my TIVO  to record it for my family to enjoy with our tradition of popcorn and movie bonding, I hope after seeing the trailer that it will be set on yours too. 

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

If you Give Christine a Contractor

If you give Christine a contractor, chances are she will want a garage door repairman to go with it.

So you get the repairman to install a new door and fix the remotes, and all that electrical work will remind her that she needs an electrician.

The electrician comes out to replace two lights in the dining room, and the soft glow makes her reminisce about sunrises and sunsets so she decides she needs a painter.

Now the paint in the dining room glows from sunny yellow to deep gold depending on the position of the sunlight and she thinks the look will be complete with some crown molding.

With now a carpenter hired to finish the look completely it will remind her that crown molding would look excellent in two other rooms as well. so you agree to her whims and let the carpenter tackle additional rooms.

All this rearranging of rooms will make her realize she has way to much stuff cluttering the way and Christine will contact her friends to throw a huge garage sale, and completely pack up several tons of junk.

Having a garage sale means Yeah! Extra money....and wouldn't it be nice if the fence were repaired and some yard work done as well.

So to appease her you hire a gardener to help make the adjustments to the yard. Seeing all the beautiful work done reminds Christine that she needs to share the changes with others as she takes pictures to text and post to friends and family.

Talking to friends and family makes her realize that she really misses them and wants them all to come over and see the new house and yard so she starts to clean extensively.

While cleaning it gives her time to see how many changes she would make to the house if she could start all over from the ground up so she decides to put it up for sale.

With the realtor called and the house on the market the family will need a new house to live in.

....and chances are if you need a new house to live in you will probably need a contractor  to go with it

Doing the Safety Dance

   Let me preface this post with saying that pretty much everyone in my house is a Facebook addict to some degree. It is isn't quite at obsession level for me, but I do like to see what my friends are up to on a daily basis. Regan would be on Facebook 24/7 if I let her and as grown up as she is at 15.....she is also very naive. If somebody posts a link on her wall that she can click it to get a "free i-pad" then she believes it because it is from her friend. She has a very hard time seperating spam from reality. This is partly why I am so thrilled to be a part of the Trend Micro Titanium Security campaign through my good friends at bzzagent where I have been an agent for many years. For a limited time right now you can get a discount when you purchase online at the Trend website by putting in the code "BZZ30" when you check out or if you prefer to purchase it yourself instead of downloading it from online then feel free to use this printable coupon from  Best Buy that will let you save $30.

   So how can Titanium™ Maximum Security help protect your digital life? Here's the scoop.

Your devices: Titanium™ Maximum Security protects your PC, Mac and even your mobile devices
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Today I am Experiencing Photo Envy

   Hmmmmm....It has been one week since my girls started school this year, and I have to admit I am slightly bitter. Why? You might ask. Well for the first time ever they both refused to pose for me on the first day of school for an official picture. At the time we were in a rush to get going and I didn't push the issue. Believe me on that morning there was already enough drama going down without me trying to push that battle through. For instance Regan was unhappy with the breakfast choices, and proceeded to pout because I wouldn't let her throw it away and start over. Rebecca couldn't find her "perfect" shoes that were set to match her "perfect" outfit of choice. Picture taking was a moot point, I was just happy to get us on the road to school at all!
    The bitterness really started to seep in later that day as I logged into my Facebook and scrolled through all of my friends and their gorgeous children all happily smiling out at me with their freshly pressed looks, and clean shiny faces. I sadly went through and liked all those precious photos.  Then later in the day another friend of mine had the brilliant idea to just take one of her child after school....after all it was still the first day of school and even though she had forgotten before school it still counted, right? It was a brilliant plan....that I instantly forgot about right away. It was time for mom to do homework when the girls got home from school (Why is it that I always have more homework than they do on the first day back???). With paperwork all read and signed, and then supper to fix, and life just in general getting in the way the photo went completely out the window. I wonder if I could get them to sit still for a first month of school photo? That could still count as scrapbook worthy right?