CrAzY Working Mom: January 2010

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Let it Melt, Let it Melt, Let it Melt

On Thursday, we began the watch for winter weather. In Arkansas we were under a "Winter Weather Advisory". My first grader told me that her teacher asked them to pray for snow. All of the prayers must have worked because we were snowed in on Friday. Actually the snow didn't start until late in the afternoon, but the ice was predicted to come before the snow and it was quite a doozy. I am sure that the school personnel was cautious as they did not want children to get to school and not be able to get from school. The kids were super excited when the snow came. They could not wait to get outside! We did gather up enough snow this time to make some snow cream also since we forgot last time.

We had been outside all of 15 minutes when they decided that they were ready to come in. I made them gather in front of the woodpile for one last shot. This is how it came out:

Yes, Emily has socks on her feet. We could not find her hat and gloves and there just was not enough time to look for them. They had to get outside immediately! They were just as eager to get inside and drink some hot chocolate! They thought that was the deal of the day, as we're southerners and we're just not accustomed to this cold weather and SNOW!

The Boys Are Back

If you're looking for a good stay at home, curl up on the couch kinda movie, THIS IS IT!!! This movie had me filled with emotion from the very beginning. This is an amazing story of an independent sportswriter who is struck with immense, life altering tradgedy. This film is actually inspired by the true story of Australian Simon Carr. The Boys are Back DVD includes exclusive bonus features: a behind-the-scenes photographic tour and a visit with the three special guys who lived the story. Clive Owen does an amazing portrayal of this man who loses his wife and is suddenly left with the responsibility of raising two sons while dealing with his own grief. This movie made me laugh and cry (A LOT!). This is your only warning that you will need a box of tissues to get you through this one. I watched this movie only days after the death of my sister-in-law's sister who had a 12 year old daughter. So, already my emotions were a little crazy. But, I really did enjoy this movie and I suspect you will too. The Boys Are Back is available now from Miramax Films and Buena Vista Home Entertainment. See the trailer below for more details.

* I received a review copy of this DVD in exchange for my opinion of the movie. No other form of compensation has been received and the opinions stated above are my own. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Why Do Mom's Have An Easier Time Losing Weight?

I realized today as I was eating breakfast why I am losing weight! As a Mom, when I make me something to eat, especially if it's different than what my children are eating I NEVER get to eat all of it. You see this morning, I made all three of the kids peaches and cream oatmeal per their request. I decided that I'd rather have a whole wheat bagel with a teaspoon of peanut butter. Out of the whole bagel, I'm sure I only ate one half of it. I did still count the whole thing when figuring my daily points. This also happened last night. In order to break the monotony of the day since we were snowed in for the day, I let Tyler and Shelby make their own pizzas. Under my supervision they rolled out dough and they put their own toppings (which consisted only of sauce and cheese) on and watched it cook in the oven. This was a fun thing for them to do and they enjoyed eating something that they made themselves. I had a microwaveable diet pizza in the freezer, so I opted for one of those. By the time I sat down to eat mine, everyone else had finished eating. They all tended to migrate to my plate and wanted pizza like mine. It was the only pizza that I had like it, so I had to share. In other words, I didn't eat all of the pizza. Thank goodness I made a yummy side salad to eat with it.

When doing my work outs I have awesome support from my children as well. I do the EAS Active Workout for the Wii. I am currently doing the 30 day challenge. My little (16 month old) Emily will sit on the Wii Fit Balance Board while I am working out and watch me. Every now and again she will do squats, lunges, or run in place with me. It's the cutest thing. I wish I could get a picture for you, but I can't hold the camera along with the nunchuck and Wii remote to take a photo, so you'll just have to take my word for it and enjoy this shot I got of her yesterday while she was playing! Tyler, my four year old also loves to run with me. Usually the last exercise is a long run. By the time I get there sometimes I feel like I can't finish. Tyler will stand beside me and run with me cheering me on! It's great motivation! So, what kind of support do you have?!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Looking @ The Sky on Friday

For information on Looking at the Sky on Friday, including graphics click here.

To find out why Looking at the Sky on Friday was created, click here and here.

Hey Moms: Want Some Free Diapers?!

Although they are not actually on sale yet, starting today, you can request a free sample three-pack of Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max on Pampers.com. If the sample sent includes a diaper stamped Team USA (randomly inserted in select sample packs), you will win a year’s supply of Pampers diapers! How cool is that?!?! We have used Pampers with all three of our children. I found after trying many different brands that Pampers seemed to be the best bang for your buck!

Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers Diapers with Dry Max will be available at retail across the country beginning in March 2010. Product will be available where Pampers products are sold, with the same retail pricing as the current Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers Diapers. Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers with Dry Max are the brand's new high performance diapers and the biggest innovation for the Pampers brand in the last 25 years. Pampers Diapers invented the Dry Max technology and applied it to the current Swaddlers and Cruisers core, which allows the diaper to be thinner than before. This game-changing diaper - Pampers' driest ever - helps lock wetness in for up to 12 hours and its less bulky design helps give flexibility and comfort - perfect for all of babies' play. The new diaper design also helps families reduce their impact on the environment by containing 10 percent less material weight. In fact, if current North American Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers users switched to the new Pampers Cruisers Diapers with Dry Max diaper, they could together throw away the weight of 1 billion less diapers every three years (based on 08/09 volume for Swaddlers/Cruisers).

I would love it if one of my readers were to win a year's supply of diapers, so click over now: RIGHT HERE and get your free sample! Do it now, because supplies are limited and they will go fast!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Pizza Hut Gift Certificate Winner

Thank you all so much for the overwhelming response we had in the Pizza Hut Gift Certificate Give-Away here at CrAzY Working Mom. I'm so pleased that we had so many entrants! Unfortunately there can only be one winner...drum roll please!!!

And the winner is, Sara Cart of The Elect Lady. She's also known as Mrs Cart, the English teacher for 6-8th grade at Luther Memorial School in Cleveland, Ohio. Stop on over to say hello to her. Not only did you win a $10 Gift Certificate to Pizza Hut, Sara but you also win some linky love from CrAzY Working Mom:

Sara, please send me your e-mail address (mine is on the left under Mail Me) so the sponsor can get in touch with you in order to get you your prize! {If I do not hear from you in 48 hours I will have to choose another winner.} Once again, thanks to everyone who played and congrats to Sara!

Don't forget Pizza Hut's $10 pizzas on Superbowl Sunday. Did you know???

Football’s Biggest Day is Their Busiest

* With Super Bowl being their biggest ordering day of the year, we plan to see a 55% increase in orders over any typical Sunday. Take these statistics, for example:
* Pizza Hut will sell enough pizza to cover more than 50 football fields.
* Pizza Hut employees working this day would cover all 32 football fields lying head-to-toe.
* If each slice of Pizza Hut pizza sold were laid end to end, the pizza trail would stretch halfway across the United States.
* Pepperoni is the most requested pizza topping, followed by Italian sausage and extra cheese.
* Honey Barbeque is the most popular Wing Street wing sauce, followed by Buffalo Medium and Buffalo Mild.

Look for a brand new contest to start in the coming days! My kids are going to help me review this product!!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The State of My Union...and Other Ramblings

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. What a CrAzY week! We buried my sister-in-law's sister on Monday. She was 39 years old and lost her year long battle with ovarian cancer. It's been a tough situation altogether. She was a mother to a beautiful 12 year old girl. Please keep the family in your prayers as they go through the healing process.

Tyler has been sick this week. I am not sure what was wrong with him. He lost his little voice, had a belly ache, and cough. He seems to be feeling better. He seems to think he needs to stay home from pre-school ONE more day. ;) We'll see how it plays out tomorrow.

The weekend was fun. We attended a birthday party on Saturday for my nephew, Jerimy. Unfortunately I left my camera (can you believe that I would do something like that) at my sister's house. She's bringing it to me tomorrow when she comes into town. So, I have no pictures to post yet.

Sunday we went to The Big Buck Classic, hence Tyler's camo picture. He was all decked out and ready to go. We had a nice time. The kids got to see the Rattlesnake wrangler. Funny, and TRUE story: Emily Grace, my 16 month old daughter was pushing her way to the fence to see the rattle snakes. Her eyes were wide and she was so excited! There was a double fence so I guess that she couldn't have touched them, but once she got too close, I snatched her up and held her in my arms. She screamed! People thought that she was scared. But, she was ANGRY that I wouldn't let her get close to the fence. The fence where 50-60 rattlesnakes were piled up in the corner. The fence that just might have let her tiny little fingers slip through within striking distance of those venomous reptiles! Eeeeewww...the thought just makes my stomach turn.

All in all we had a fun weekend, followed by a not so fun week. Tonight was the state of the union address. Brien and I skipped it and decided to watch a movie instead. I get so frustrated when I watch things like that. I can tell you the state of our union isn't too great right now! We're small business owners who at the end of the month will have no health care coverage because my COBRA coverage from my previous employer has expired. So, right now we're playing the insurance marketing game. He has sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and is a smoker. We cannot get an insurance carrier to write a policy for him. Since Emily was sick with RSV last winter, the only one who would write a policy for her wanted me to pay a 110% increased premium and have a pre-existing clause where nothing related to RSV or ear infections was covered. It's disgusting to think that my husband and I both work hard to provide for our family and can't even get simple, affordable health care coverage while there are people who won't even attempt to find a job are handed vouchers for food, formula, provided them free childcare and health care at no out of pocket cost to them. So, who's pocket is it coming out of?! While you take a guess, I'm going to finish watching this movie and try to forget the state of THIS union!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Conversations with Shelby and her Classmates

Last weekend Shelby and I were home alone. The two younger kids were staying with Grandma and Daddy was out of town. We took the opportunity to rent some movies and have some time relaxing together. One of the movies we rented was Aliens in the Attic. She was discussing her weekend with two of her school mates.
Shelby: I got to watch Aliens in the Attic this weekend. It was so funny.

Classmate #1: I've watched that one before. I loved the part when they said, who turned off the gravity?!

Classmate #2: You can't watch that because it's PG13 and you're NOT 13.

Shelby: I did watch it, with my Mom.

Classmate #2: Well, I can only watch PG13 movies with my Mom and she covers my eyes on the "bad parts".

I love to listen to the conversations these kids have when they think no one is listening. I hear all sorts of things, from who is suffering from CONCERTA and ADHD Symptoms to guessing what that actually was on their lunch plate. Oh, to be young again! FYI, the movie is PG and it was pretty good. There weren't any "eye covering" parts. ;)

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Diet Recipes - A Great Source

If you're in the market for some great recipes, I would like to suggest a website: Aimee's Adventures. I am doing Weight Watchers and this website is FULL of awesome recipes that also gives you the points to each recipe. Of course it is always a good idea to re-figure points as you cook because they can vary from recipe to recipe depending on the different ingredients you may use. If you do WW online like I do, you can use the recipe builder (which has been a life saver for me) to help you figure up the points on various recipes.

Aimee also has links to other sites full of recipes as well as dieting tips. Did you know that if you get a sweet tooth at night you can drink a glass of water and brush your teeth to subside it? It's true, the water will make you feel full and the sugar will trick your brain into thinking it's getting something sweet! Not only is this a great way to lose weight, but also keep your teeth nice and bright!

So, hop on over and check out this awesome site. It's a great resource for any diet, no matter what kind of diet you are doing. So, now I've helped you out in the dieting department, but if you need help with allergy bedding you may have to look elsewhere. ;)

Friday, January 22, 2010

How to Spot a "Mom"

Thursday afternoon we went to Wal-Mart to get the supplies we needed to make Valentine's Day boxes for the kids' Valentine's Day parties. They had Taco Bell for dinner and I had a Weight Watchers Smart Ones (7lbs down so far!!!) dinner. I had ~~promised~~ told the kids they could watch a DVD in my bedroom since we would have some extra time this evening. They ended up playing until bedtime. This swift conversation ensued between Shelby (my seven year old daughter) and myself:

Me: Okay, guys it's bedtime.

Shelby: But, Mom you said we could watch a movie. When do we get to watch a movie?

Me: Well, you guys played and now it's bedtime so you'll have to choose one tomorrow and watch it after you do your homework.

Shelby: First we can watch a movie and now we can't AND it's bedtime...you're such a MOM!!

This conversation got me thinking about being a Mom, the funny things that happen to me and ways I think others might be able to spot a "mom" in the crowd. Here's what I have come up with. Feel free to contribute to this list in the comments.

How to spot a "Mom"

We'll start off with her appearance:
- Her hair will most likely be tossled. It's the "bed head" look and thank goodness it's in style now 'cause Mom's don't have time to "un-bed" their head.

- Her shirt will most likely have some sort of cheesy, sticky, or powdery residue located on it. It is also a high probability that it will be in the form of a small hand print located right on her hind end.

- Yes, I'm sure you've noticed that this is the third day in a row she's wore those jeans. The stains are small and that hole in the knee made those things jump in value from $40 jeans to $80! The most likely reason she's worn them three days in a row is because she hasn't had time to do laundry and she only owns two or three pair. This is due to the fact that she is on a diet and refuses to buy a new pair until she drops at least one size! Oh, and that is a half eaten gold fish on her rear end.

- Those slip on shoes that she's wearing probably don't even come close to matching that cheesy coated shirt but they are easy to get on when she realizes that the kids get out of school in fifteen minutes and the baby isn't due to wake up from their nap for another thirty! Please don't tell her that one of her socks are blue and the other is black. This could cause a melt down.

She'll be driving:
- Most likely a mini-van or some sort of SUV. There will be car seats and booster seats scattered throughout. It might be fun to make some sort of game out of this one. Who can find the most half eaten foods under the seats?! It is guaranteed that there will be at least one half eaten french fry, piece of fruit, chicken nugget, cheese stick, chip, pretzel, fruit roll up, or the likes in this form of transportation. If not, she probably just got her oil changed and got deluxe package with the free vacuum.

In her purse (depending on the age of her children) you might find:

Bandaids
A pacifier (even if she has a kindergartner, this could still be lingering!)
Crayons
Any form of half eaten foods mentioned above
Hotwheels
Slap Bracelets
NO Quarters (they're all used on the machines outside of Wal-Mart)
A tube of chapstick with NO lid
The Car Keys...yes, she's been looking for those for nearly a half an hour and she's late to pick up the kids. Get outta the way!

Of course there are mothers out there who are always perfectly put together who have perfectly white teeth thanks to that implant dentist Plano. Their children are always well behaved, make straight As and are the teacher's favorite. These mothers will drive perfectly clean vehicles, have matching accessories and beautifully chosen outfits. These mothers will have beautiful homes with clean floors and spotless furniture. You can watch them on television, but it's highly unlikely that they exist in real life! ;)

Looking at the Sky on Friday

In the past few weeks, it's been tough for all of us in LATSOF, I know! There has been far and few days where we could actually get out and actually get a good photo for our fun Friday meme(try saying that five times fast!). The weather has been terrible here, rainy and unbearably cold! Thankfully over the last week it has warmed back up a bit, but the rains seemed to have found us again. For this week's photo, I'm digging through the archives and pulling out a photo from warmer days! Look at the leaves on the trees! I hope you all enjoy it. I'm ready for this cold weather to be gone. The eczema and chap stick can go on the hit the road! Bring on summer, baby!! Don't forget to sign Mr Linky if you're playing along and please do leave a comment to let me know you've been here! Happy Friday ya'll! Have a beautiful weekend.

For information on Looking at the Sky on Friday, including graphics click here.

To find out why Looking at the Sky on Friday was created, click here and here.

Weekend Plans

My calendar of events for the next few days looks pretty full! We had a birthday party on Saturday for a nephew who turned two on Friday. Thankfully we went to the store and got him a gift on Thursday afternoon and the toy aisles in Wal-Mart were like a a ghost town so we picked him out a Woody doll quick and easily. Of course I heard a few "I wants" from my kiddos but overall, it was an easy trip. Sunday we're planning on attending The Big Buck Classic, Arkansas' largest Deer Hunting and Outdoor Sports event in Arkansas. Hubby loves to go there to see the deer mounts. I like to see the vendors. There are always lots of cool things to see and they usually have live animals and the big fish aquarium there to keep the kids entertained. There's also a crazy man there that handles rattlesnakes. He'll even let you pet them if you want to! NO THANK YOU, Crazy Man!!! There are lots of things to do in Little Rock, Arkansas. We don't make it there often since it's a little bit of a drive for us. But, when we do go we always have fun. So, what's on your agenda for the weekend?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Valentines Day DVDs

If you're looking for some Valentine's Day gift ideas for your sweeties I have some suggestions. DVDs make awesome gifts because unlike candy once you get to the end, you can start all over! Now Available from Disney DVD, Winnie The Pooh: A Valentine for You and I ♥ Jonas.

This Winnie the Pooh DVD contains three special episodes: A Valentine for You, An Unvalentine's Day, and My Hero. It also includes a fun bonus feature, Catch the Love Bug Game as well as Valentine's Day cards for your little ones.

~~Our~~ My favorite story on this DVD was most definitely A Valentine For You. Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Rabbit see Christopher Robin making a valentine for a girl and find he's been bitten by a "Smitten" and is lovesick. Worried that he'll no longer have time for them, and hoping a second bite from the love bug will cure him, they set out on a wild adventure to capture the Smitten. This was a cute story and quite believable since I have a 7 and a 4 year old child. We talk about "cooties" all of the time around here and this story made me chuckle to think of the silly things that kids will come up with, and believe! The run-time on this DVD is 60 minutes. It will go fast though as there are three episodes. Grab ya some conversations hearts and tropical punch and enjoy an hour of fun with your kids! This DVD is on shelves NOW!

I ♥ Jonas will most definitely be a score for the Jonas fan in your family. It contains 155 minutes of genuine Jo Bros! Shelby, my 7 year old was completely stoked when she found out about this one. This DVD contains seven episodes of the hit Disney television show, Jonas. It also includes a bonus episode, You've Just Been Jo Bro'd - Jordin Sparks. Which I loved because I am a huge Jordin Sparks fan. The DVD also contains (while supplies last) magnets featuring each of the Jonas Brothers. Yes, that was a tween girl screaming in the background! :)

I ♥ Jonas will hit the shelves on Tuesday, January 26. If you plan to get this one, I would suggest getting it early because it's sure to be a hot item this Valentines Day!

* I received a review copy of the proceeding DVDs in exchange for my opinion of the movies. No other form of compensation has been received and the opinions stated above are my own. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

The Most Fun You Can Have on The Phone

How about starting your day off with some fun!? I've always loved Nestle Crunch and it seems that they've made it just as much fun to call their phone call center as it is to eat their delicious candy. So, here's how you get in on the fun, call the Nestle Crunch Hotline at 1-800-295-0051. When you are asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, wait quietly for about 10 seconds. Keep going and press 4. Listen to the options. Seven is very funny as is five. Listen to them all if you have time! What a fun idea! It's great that a company can invest the time and money to make their call center so much fun. It might give you a bit of a break from searching for jobs in south philadelphia or whatever it is you were doing. Now back to our regularly scheduled program, already in progress!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Funnies from the Homefront

Laughs from Emily:

I got up this morning and stumbled past Emily's bedroom and peeked in to check on her. I looked into her bed and she was not there. A small surge of panic shot through my body as I traced the trail of blankets from her bed to the floor...I found her, all snug on her new carpet:

Laughs from Shelby:

We tried a new recipe tonight, a squash and sweet potato mixture. It was

pretty yummy, with brown sugar (I used the splenda blend), cinnamon, and nutmeg. Brien and I liked it, but the kids did not. They are not fans of sweet potatoes or squash so it was no surprise to me, but I digress. DH jokingly declared that he thought we should become Vegetarians. I laughed and said, I don't think so!! Then I asked the kids if they knew what vegetarians were. My seven year old daughter, chimed in of course she did.

A vegetarian is someone who takes care of animals! That's what I want to be when I grow up.

After the laughter subsided we informed her that she was wrong. She said, "I know, that's a Vetertarian!"

Laughs from Tyler:

As we watched American Idol, a young man of Asian ethnicity

came on (who had an amazing voice, by the way!!!). He was the fella Shania Twain said had a nice "bottom end" and lips. When he came on, Tyler informed me that he looked like a "cooker". I thought that since he was wearing a white shirt, he might look like he had a chef's coat on. So, I agreed. Then, my four year old son elaborated on what kind of "cooker" he looked like...

"You know, Mom he looks like the guy from that place where they light the fire and cook your food on the table. The Japanese Steakhouse, ya know?! I don't like that place. I don't like the fire!"

Now that you've got your daily dose of laughter, you can go on about your merry way with a smile on your face, unless you're searching for an adult acne treatment or something.

Congrats are in order!

The bestselling titles from 2009 have been announced. The Twilight Saga novels hold the top four spots for the second year in a row! “No other author – not even JK Rowling – has done that in the list’s 16-year history.” says USA today.
The bestselling books of 2009 are:

1. Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer
2. New Moon, also by Stephanie Meyer
3. Breaking Dawn another by Stephanie Meyer
4. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
5. A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle
6. The Shack, by William P. Young
7. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
8. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J. K. Rowling
9. Brisingr, by Christopher Paolini
10. The Appeal, by John Grisham

And The Host comes in at #19 (by Stephanie Meyer)

AND THAT’S NOT ALL!

Twilight was the best-selling novel of the 00’s, despite only being published in 2005!

Congratulations to Stephenie Meyer for accomplishing such a feat! Now I must go wash myself with phisoderm soap as I have had too much excitement for one day. ;)

Planning a Girlfriend Getaway

In October, my best friend and I celebrated our 20 year anniversary. We met up and spend the weekend together and had a wonderful time. We decided that it is something we want to try to do yearly. It doesn't necessarily have to be in October, but we just want to try to plan a girlfriend getaway when we can! I was thinking we need to start planning our trip for this year. I have been checking around and found some awesome deals at Southwest Vacations. I'm so looking forward to some time with my B/F/F! Now, where to go?!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Monday Morning Diet Update

This is the beginning of Week 3 on the Weight Watchers program for me! I have been very happy with this diet thus far. I am doing the online version as some of you might remember from a previous post since I cannot attend meetings in my area. It is working out well for me since I have a Blackberry I can look up foods there and use the points calculator when I am shopping to make sure I am buying foods that will fit into my daily points! Since there is only cream for easy stretch mark removal and not for easy fat removal I guess I'll stick it out. I got a three month subscription, so hopefully in this three months time I can get the pounds off and learn a new way of eating.

The great thing about this lifestyle change is that not only am I eating healthier but my family is also. My children are opting for more fruit in place of fruit roll ups or snack cakes! We no longer have a "candy bowl" on the bar with easy access, but it is filled with fruits now including apples, oranges, and bananas! We've changed to low-fat everything and 2% milk. The changes have happened slowly, and we're still adjusting. But, so far it's been easy for everyone! I've gotten some great recipes online and some tried and true recipes from my Facebook friends. If you've got a great WW recipe, please leave it in a comment, or use my e-mail in the sidebar and e-mail it to me! I'd love to try it!

After two full weeks of dieting, and after seeing a small rise in the scale last week, I am happy to report that I am 5 pounds lighter! The EAS Active challenge for the Wii is also going very well. I continue to work out daily. Saturday seems to be my "rest" day for the week. But, every other day I am coming home for lunch and having a healthy lunch which is usually either leftovers or a Weight Watchers, Smart Ones microwave dinner and a salad followed by a great work out!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Pants on the Ground

For your Sunday enjoyment! We LOVED this song. I think we will see General Larry Platt, a 62 year old veteran, singing this song again. Jamie Foxx seems like a likely candidate to collaborate with him. What a hook this could be in a song! This could make General Platt a household name with his face appearing on everything from your morning coffee mug to promotional tote bags! So far, two episodes into the 9th Season of American Idol, I have been very entertained. This episode was by far my favorite. I don't think I've laughed so hard watching television in a LONG time! Vanessa Wolfe from Vonoroe Tennessee merged as a great country voice and she was genuinely sincere..."right smack dab" from the middle of the country. I just hope she doesn't get swallowed up in Hollywood! "Cereal"sly, she gets to ride in an Aero-plane!!! Good luck in Hollwood, Vanessa. We're pulling for ya. :)

Saturday, January 16, 2010

"Flirting" in First Grade!

It's so hard to accept that my little girl is growing up. Yesterday, I was given a stern reminder that she is doing just that. The drive between her school and the daycare, given school traffic can sometimes be 10-15 minutes. She and I usually have conversation about her day. I can usually tell how the conversation will go when I pick her up. If she's smiling when she walks out the door and reaches for my hand, we'll have good conversation. If she's frowning and has her hands full with her things while hardly passing me a glance as we walk to the van, I usually know to keep the conversation to a minimum. Yesterday, she was cheerful so I asked her how her day went. She informed me that her friend was "kinda mean" to her. I asked her what that meant and she said that her friend didn't want to play with her. She and some other girls were too busy running around "flirting" with boys.

Upon this word, my heart must have skipped a beat. Did time fast forward ten years? Am I speaking to my teenage daughter or is this still my first grade, 7 year old daughter? I sputtered a bit and asked her what "flirting" meant.

Flirting: You know, chasing the boys around!

Ohhh, so if you chase a boy you are flirting with him? Okay, that's not so bad, I guess. But, still...

She informed me that she didn't care about chasing boys. She just wants to
"play". Ya know, swing, climb the monkey bars, slide, etc. YES!!! This was music to my ears!!! She didn't want to "flirt" with boys, she wanted to SWING! I was inclined to ask if she wanted me to come to the playground at recess and ~~shoo away those boys~~ swing with her, but I held my tongue in fear that she might take me up on the offer right now.

So, right now...January, twenty-ten my 7 year old daughter would rather "play" than "flirt" with boys. I am okay with that. In due time I know this will change. I will have to accept that fact. In the mean time I am perfectly content in her letting her friends do all of the "flirting" with boys! ;) I can go on searching for plasma mounts. Well, maybe I need to find a plasma television first, right?!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Looking @ The Sky on Friday - Daytime Moon

If you haven't already, click over and enter (all you have to do is leave a comment) to win a free pizza from Pizza Hut!

For information on Looking at the Sky on Friday, including graphics click here.

To find out why Looking at the Sky on Friday was created, click here and here.

Words to live by!

Someone will always be prettier.
Someone will always be smarter.
Some of their houses will be bigger..
Some will drive a better car.
Their children will do better in school.
And their husband will fix more things around the house.
So let it go, and love you and your circumstances.

Think about it!

The prettiest woman in the world can have hell in her heart.
The most highly favored woman on your job may be unable to have children.
The richest woman you know, she's got the car, the house, the clothes~ might be lonely.
And the Word says, 'If I have not Love, I am nothing.' So, again, love you.
Love who you are.
Look in the mirror in the morning and smile and say,
'I am too Blessed to be Stressed and too Anointed, to be Disappointed!'
'Winners make things happen~~ Losers let things happen.'

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Three Little Pigs

A Kindergarten teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class. She came to the part of the story where first pig was trying to gather the building materials for his home. She read: ...and so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and said, 'Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?'

The teacher paused then asked the class: 'And what do you think the man
said?'

One little boy raised his hand and said very matter-of-factly ...'I
think the man would have said - 'Well, I'll be damned!! A talking pig!'

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Weight Watchers - Read the Fine Print!

Yesterday I learned a very important lesson: Always read the fine print. Yes, I am 32 years old. You think I would have learned this the hard way long before now. Here's my story:

Last night I was geared up for my very first local Weight Watchers meeting. The kiddos were spending the evening with hubby and I was going to meet my sister there who is also doing WW. I was excited to be there with her and for her. I joined Weight Watchers online last week due to the fact that the local meeting was canceled due to inclement weather. When I arrived at the meeting my sister informed me that I had to pay the joining fee. I was a bit perplexed by this fact, but thought maybe she had misunderstood them. As it turns out, this ordeal would teach me a very valuable lesson. In the state of Arkansas, and a hand full of other places, the online program and the local meetings are not affiliated. In other words, I have to pay two separate fees to be able to do both. To stay at the meeting I would have to pay another joining fee (which was waived when I joined online, for a limited time) as well as the weekly fee for each meeting. In essence, I'm paying twice. It's a rip off, right?! Sure, it was in the fine print. But, who reads fine print, right? Well, from now on you can bet this CrAzY Working Mom will!!

So, in the mean time I will keep on doing the WW online and get support from my sister who has promised me she would share the info she gets at the meetings. I will also keep on doing the EAS Active 30 day challenge for Wii. It's worked just as well as any treadmills you'll find at those gyms where you've got perfectly sculpted bodies all around ya! ;)

Monday, January 11, 2010

Ruby Tuesday

A crackling fire from last November at my niece's 7th birthday party.

The kids were gathered 'round the fire roasting marshmallows.

What fun we had, back in "warmer days".

To see more Ruby Tuesday photos, click the badge below!

"Weighing In" on Some Things

This post is going to be completely random with no specific target 'cause it's Monday and, well I just don't feel like being composed today! Proceed with caution as you've been warned. ;)

* I have been on Weight Watchers for one week today. I have GAINED 1.5lbs.

* I have been doing the EAS Active for Wii 30 day challenge for one week. I am hoping that this is the reason that I have gained weight. I worked out 6 out of the 7 days last week.

* If you haven't entered to win free pizza, courtesy of Pizza Hut and CrAzY Working Mom, click HERE!

* My Best Friend was diagnosed with diabetes 2 years ago and has started a new blog, please go visit Becca and tell her I sent you. Single White Diabetic.

* I found out last week that I am doing the lay-out for my daughter's class in this year's edition of the year book. At first I was worried 'cause I've never done it before. But, then I realized that I am lucky to be able to do something like this for my daughter and her classmates. But, I might need to go snap some more photos. The good thing is that I can do it all from the comforts of my own home. There is a website that I can upload the pictures to! Another mom has already sent me some great shots. One more has promised some. Now, I'm pretty excited about it.

* Emily is doing a bit better with her RSV. She still has a terrible cough, but probably will have for a while. She and Tyler broke out in some sort of rash over the weekend. Tyler's eyes almost swelled shut and his entire body was covered. We thought we were going to have to take him to the ER but, Benadryl did the trick. This morning the rash was gone. My sister has been fighting a similar rash for two weeks. She's been to two hospitals and the doctor twice. They keep telling her there is nothing they can do for her. Supposedly it's viral. I'm not sure if my children are battling the same thing, but it's a high probability, I'm sure.

* Tyler spent the night with his Grandparents on Friday night. He called me and informed me that he wanted to move in with them and just visit us. This was during the day. Saturday night at bed time, he called and said that he wanted to come home!

* I'm not sure how posting your bra colors, hair style, and shoe size on Facebook has to do with Breast Cancer Awareness, but it sure was fun getting comments from people who were out of the loop!

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Home With The Kids or Office With the Work??? Hmmm...

This was Oscar the weiner dog playing in the snow on Sunday. We didn't get much that day, but both the kids and the pup enjoyed being outside and running around. Being cooped up in the house for days tends to get us all a bit on edge. Although I must admit that although at times I was ready to pull my hair out after being cooped up for 4 days with the kiddos, it was nice not to have to worry about things like payroll, business insurance, or accounts payable. By the time the four day, turned five mini-vacation came to an end I was more than happy to return to the office. Yes, I do love my children, but so do their teachers. ;)

Friday, January 08, 2010

Looking @ The Sky on Friday

This is a shot looking right out my front door. We have had snow and sleet this week. Yes, in Arkansas! It's been an odd week to say the least with our weather patterns! We had a snow day on Monday and the kids (and myself) got an extra day of vacation. They enjoyed themselves, while took pictures and got cold! Tonight, temperatures are supposed to be around 11 with wind chill factors below zero! My thoughts are, if it's this darned cold here in the South...what are you folks up north experiencing?!?!

If you haven't already, click over and enter (all you have to do is leave a comment) to win a free pizza from Pizza Hut!

For information on Looking at the Sky on Friday, including graphics click here.

To find out why Looking at the Sky on Friday was created, click here and here.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Mommy Don't Stand a Fighting Chance with Emily!

I Just wanted to update for all of those asking about little Emily. She had an ear infection in her right ear and the RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) had flared up again. She's on a 10 day antibiotic for the ear infection and still taking cough meds and her inhaler, or "puffer" as we like to call it. If you've never had to use this on a child, an infant child this is quite a chore. She loves to play with it and will even pretend to puff on it, but once I push the medicine in the chamber the fun's over and she heads for the hills! It literally takes both of my legs and arms to hold her down and get her to put it to her face so she can breathe in the medicine! She's quite the fighter and has a pretty mean right hook...I am not even exaggerating. This photo is from April when she was originally diagnosed with RSV. She was only seven months old in this photo. She is now 16 months! Time has really flown by, but I digress. She seems to be doing well and is sleeping through the night again so hopefully we're on the downhill slope of this stuff. Now if we can just get the weather to cooperate!

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Wordless Wednesday - Two Peas In A Pod

My 105th

Wednesday Previously Speechless ~ More WW

Family Time vs Social Networking - The Balancing Act

Last week, I was home sick and took advantage of that fact by trying to do some catching up on blog reading. I opened my google reader (yes, I think some virtual dust flew off in the process) and of course there were 1000+ posts there. I couldn't tell you the last time I've done that...opened my google reader to sit down and read posts. It seems like there are more and more things these days pulling me away from my beloved blog reading. Children, for one seem to do just that. With the addition of a third child last September, I rarely have that evening "me" time that the other two would allow. Emily requires that snuggly "mommy" time in the evenings and who am I to deny her that. After all, I LOVE it. This also gives me an excuse for this excess weight I've gained over the last year. When Emily crawls in mommy's lap, everyone else wants to follow suit. So, I have to have an ever expanding lap for my growing children. ;)

Facebook is my other down fall. Hello, my name is Tisha and I am addicted to Facebook. It started out as a harmless way to keep in touch with a few fellow bloggers, some family, and then it esculated into much, MUCH more. Now I seem to have a mild, okay obsessive case of addiction. I am a Mafia Wars addict. I also have a beautiful Farmtown Farm that I maintain on a daily basis. This requires harvesting, plowing, planting, constant rearranging and such. Not to mention all of the gifts that my gracious neighbors and family send me on both games that have to be accepted individually. Once gifts are accepted on Farmtown they have to be distributed on the farm (or sold if I already have a gazillion). This type of thing takes time!!! There is also status updates. I have to know when my sister's friend is taking lunch and where she is eating. I also need to know when my neighbor's next doctor's appointment is going to be. (Just kidding!!!) Some people actually do post important thing on their statuses. That is how I found out about the deaths of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcet, AND Brittany Murphy. I also have to come up with witty statuses to post for myself!

But, I tell ya what. It is hard for me to keep up with the daily ongoings of my three children, the hubby, the dog, help run a business, keep up with my DVRed television shows, clean house, do laundry, write blog posts, read blog posts, Facebook, Farmtown, Mafia Wars, and Twitter. Gosh, I'm tired just thinking about all of this.

I have decided that I am giving up Facebook games for now. I want to get back to my blogging roots. There's just no time for both. I can sit down and open my Google Reader and for that thirty minutes or more that I spent playing games on Facebook, I can be reading YOUR blogs. So, to all of my Facebook friends I say THANK YOU for your support in being neighbors and allys in my two favorite games. It's been fun. To my blogging friends, I say HELLO! I've missed you and I'm back. I will be trying my hardest to read at least some of your posts each and every day. I am also adding new folks to my reader. So, if you want to exchange links or visits, just let me know!

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