New To Mom

Monday Link Ups and Weekend Review

2010-07-11T19:37:00.000-05:00

I can actually say that I had a decent weekend. I haven't been able to say that for awhile.
Friday after work, I went to my hometown for a cousin's bridal shower. There are just a couple of cousins that still live around here, so it was mostly my Aunts and Great Aunts. But, my Aunts and Mom know how to party so it was a ton of fun. It was a dessert and wine party. Oh! I can't forget about the cheese either...lol.
It was at my Mom's house so she made all the desserts. She made a couple of trifels, a key lime dessert and some cute little cherry/blueberry tarts. Then there was the wine. Oh the wine! I bet I had four glasses before it was over.
I sat next to my cousin, the sister of the bride. We graduated the same year from HS so she mentioned that some people were going out. I happily accepted her ivitation. I swore that I would only have a couple and then call it a night. Why do I even say that? LOL. We got downtown and the good times kept rolling. I was out until 1:30. It's been a much needed girls night out.
Saturday, I drug myself out of bed and brought my son to my sister's house. I was babysitting that night, so we went up early so the kids could go swimming and the sprinkler. Jack had a blast. We have a pool here, but my sister has a kiddie pool so he was free to come in and out. I think he really enjoyed himself.
We went home this morning and didn't really do much. I checked my emails and etc. After a quick lunch, we layed down to watch Caillou. I told myself that I was just going to lay down until he fell asleep. I wasn't about to break my No Nap on Sunday rule. Well.....I broke up. Before I knew it, we had slept for almost 5 hours. Oops.
Now, I have to figure out how I'm going to go to bed because tomorrow starts a new work week. My alarm will go off at 5:15 sharp!
Wish me luck!

It's a Blog Bash at Not Your Average Teen!!!

2010-07-11T11:08:00.000-05:00

Here is my introduction post for the Blog Bash
1.) Why do you blog?
I blog mostly to as a tiny creative outlet. I'm not incredibly creative. I scrapbook a lot, that is about it. I had been reading blogs for awhile and thought I would give it a shot. Who knows if I'll ever compare to the awesome blogs that are out there. But, I do feel "lighter" after I do a post.

2.) What do you blog about?
I blog mostly about my 2 1/2 year old son and just being a Mom in general. I also post any new recipes I try. I also let out some random frustrations. :)

3.) What do you find to be the biggest reward you get from blogging?
So far my biggest reward is seeing that I'm actually keeping up with it. When I started, I thought I'd do it for a couple of weeks and then quit. I also really enjoy having what I call the "Super Mommy Bloggers" commenting on my posts or twitter updates.

4.) How long have you been blogging?
I've only been blogging since late March. Not terribly long but I'm at a point where I'm catching on to how this world operates.

5.) Let's hear the story behind your blog title! :)
I titled my blog behind the idea that I'm a first time Mom. My son is a toddler now and the toddler world is so new to me. I also thought I would post any new things that I try.

Sunday Follows

2010-07-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

Play nicely...Please follow the rules!

Sweet Sunday is all about meeting exciting new bloggers, not flogging your wares so please no Spam.
Grab the button and put it somewhere on your blog!
Add a link to your blog
Visit the blog of the three bloggers before you on the list.
Don’t just click follow...read their post and leave a comment they will appreciate
Avoid asking people to simple “Follow Back” it’s kinda rude...they will if they enjoy reading your post!
Visit as many blogs as you can and leave comments telling them you are visiting from Sweet Sunday @ Confessions Of A Jaded Gym Junkie.

Saturday Stumbles

2010-07-10T09:13:00.001-05:00

I have one super duper favorite site that I found. I found it on Thursday night. Actually, I came across it awhile back while reading another blog but I never did anything with it.

Blogfrog Their motto is that they turn blogs into communities. They don't lie. In the first 24 hours that I linked up my blog, twitter, and created my community, I have 8 followers. I couldn't believe it. You can search for people and then follow them. In the communities, you can have discussion Q&A, and my favorite part are the widgets you add to your blog. One of them lets me see who has visited my blog from blogfrog. I love seeing the activity.
So, if you are looking for a way to get your blog out there blogfrog is def the way to go.
If you'd like, check out my page to get a feel for out it works.

Check out for Saturday Stumbles @ It's Come 2 This

Friday Follows: I want my cell phone!!!!!

2010-07-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in a daze right. I realized on my way home from work today that I forgot my cell phone at work. I keep thinking that I could call my sister or check my email. When I go to reach for my phone, it's not there. I never thought I would say this about a cell phone, but I'm think I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. I really do.
As soon as I got home, I actually had to get on a computer to email my coworker. I hardly actually log into hotmail or gmail. Then to my distress, I had to wait for her to reply. Turns out I left it on my desk and she was kind enough to put it in my drawer.
Now, all I can think about is how it's going to be dead and wondering if I have a hookup for it that will plug into my computer and charge. So, I'm not post anything mind blowing tonight. I'm on the hunt to find a charger that I can bring to work. Wish me luck!

Another Great Thursday Follow

2010-07-08T13:19:00.000-05:00

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Be sure to link up to this Thursday meme. Be sure to follow the hostess.

Mama Kat's Writing Workshop

2010-07-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

It's time again for Mama Kat's Writing Workshop
. You can pick one of the writing prompts and then link up on Thursdays. Here is the one that I chose:
1.) What would you change about your life if you could?

This is kind of hard because the major thing I would change is how I handled my college years. But, if I changed how I did things, then I probably wouldn't have Jeremy in my life and I would be without my son.
I grew up in a small town in NW Iowa. After graduation, I moved to Iowa City to attend the U of Iowa. I totally messed it up. By the end of the first semester, I was on academic probation. By the end of the second semester, I was either kicked out or I had to fight for me to stay there.
I chose to be kicked out. I had already signed a lease for my first apartment. So I decided that I would go to Kirkwood a community college.
I thought for sure since I screwed up and wasted tons of money the year before I would buckled down and get things done. I was wrong.
I totally slacked off. I didn't go to class and I would call into work quite frequently. I think at the time, I wanted to be like my friends who didn't have to work because their parents paid for EVERYTHING. I didn't think about how I wasn't in that situation and that I was paying for my own college and rent.
My third year rolled around and I decided that I was going to take a year off from school all together and just work. Obviously I wasn't ready to go to college. I did all right, but I really missed going to school. At the end of that summer, I moved back in with my parents and went to the community college here for computer programming. I did quite well and that's when I met Jeremy. Eight years later and we are still together with a son.
There are times when I wish I would have graduated from Iowa. I could have done awesome things with my life. I see a girl that joined our department who is just 25 years old. She has a great sales job and a pretty new house in the "rich" part of town. That could have been me. Or I have friend whome I lived with in Iowa City that moved to Chicago and have high power jobs. I sooo wanted that.
I'm not saying that I'm not happy. I have a great job as a secretary at Tyson Foods. I love my job. I went back to school a couple of years ago to get an associates degree in Business. I'm currently finishing up my bachelors degree in business. I hope to get into management in the next few month.
When I think about how I should have done things differently and how I'm jealous of my friends, I feel guilty. Had I done the things I really wanted to do, I wouldn't be sitting here typing this post on my Mommy Blog with my precious little boy asleep down the hall.

Do you ever wish you would have done things differently? If so, do you have the same guilt that I have?

Welcome Wednesdays

2010-07-07T09:38:00.002-05:00

If you want to be a part of Welcome Wednesday, just follow these 5 simple steps:
1. Follow the Welcome Wednesday Host (Take It From Me) as well as the 2 Spotlighted Blogs of the Week. (These will make up the top three slots on the Linky)
2. Link up your blog name and URL with our Linky. (You only need to add your info once for it to be seen on all the blog hops)
3. Grab our Welcome Wednesday button and include it in a post about the event on your blog.
4. Go to as many blogs on the MckLinky as you want and Follow them. Be sure to tell them you are from Welcome Wednesday!
5. Be sure to Follow back any followers you have gained from our Welcome Wednesday event!

A recent "ah ha" moment

2010-07-06T21:43:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I did some meat prep to put in the freezer. I bag a bunch of steaks and roasts in marinades. I also tried my first freezer recipe. It was a beef stroganoff.
Through out the whole process, I was acumulating a bunch of garbage. I hate touching raw meat, so there was a lot of hand washing and paper towel usage going on. I got tired of going to the trash can every. single. time. Normally I would just use an old grocery sack and leave it on the counter to throw my trash in. But, with limited counter space, it would take up room. I'm very particular about my work space.
So what I did was hung a shopping bag on the door know of the closet that my garbage is in. I only put the knob thru one hole so it lef the bag hanging open. My kitchen is somewhat small so it wasn't much for me to turn around and toss it in.
Since I was touching so much raw steaks and roast, 20 lbs of it, I didn't feel like I was contaiminating every thing I touched.
It's probably not a new idea, but it for sure works for me! I love having those "ah ha" moments when you realize what you just did makes your chores much easier.

Crockpot Roast Beef & Gravy

2010-07-05T17:00:00.002-05:00

I love a good pot roast dinner. I was making them in a crockpot while I was at work. But, I must have lost my touch. I like my roast to fall apart with I cut it with a fork. After so many attempts, I stopped trying. I then went to cooking it in my dutch oven pan. It's a great way to cook it, but not something I want to do after work. So, here is a new crockpot roast recipe:

Crockpot Roast & Gravy
4 to 6lb roast beef
1/2 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can water from soup
1 can coke (not diet)

Place meat in crockpot. Sprinkle with dry soup mix. Stir together Coke, water, and soup. Pour over roast. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Gravy may be thin, but you make thicken it up.

Source: American Legion Family Cookbook: A Collection of Recipes by American Legion Auxiliary Department of Nebraska.

This recipe turned out awesome and I'm so happy that I finally got out of my "roast rut".

Tackle It Tuesday

2010-07-05T15:43:00.001-05:00

Ok, before I show you a picture of what I tackled. Please don't judge. :) We live in an apartment so the storage space is somewhat limited. Our kitchen table has pretty much become the hub of our lives. It's right around the corner from the door so everything gets thrown on it. Here is what it looked like over the weekend:

Ok. I'm pretty sure my heart just fell into my stomach. I can't believe I just posted that online. But, that's what it looks like no matter how unorganized it is. Most of it's stuff that I will use through out the week: my new school books, coupons, purse, magazines....etc.

In case you are wondering why I have a computer on my kitchen table here is why. My laptop took a dump on me. So, I ordered a computer through work. It was my understanding that if I ordered a desktop, we would switch it out with the old one. The day the desktop comes, I am told that there is no need to get rid of the old computer. What?! Where am I supposed to put the new one? Had I known this, I would have gotten a laptop. It was sitting on th coffee table but I had to move it. So, the kitchen table was the next best place.

Here is what my kitchen table looks like as I type this:

I still have weeks worth of coupons and about 5 magazines I keep forgetting I have. But now they are more organized. Once my coupon train envelope arrives, I will be able to get rid of the stack. I also have my bag packed for school since we start tomorrow night. I feel pretty good about the results. What kills me is that it only took me 10 minutes to do that. I'm wondering why can't I do this daily? It's not like it takes a whole afternoon or anything.

Check out more Tackle it Tuesday posts at 5 Minutes for Mom

A Random Thought: Generic Brands

2010-07-05T02:09:00.000-05:00

I've never been against buying the store brand items. I do have a few items that I will not buy store brand. This list includes any sort of hamburger helper, cheese slices, and until yesterday, toilet paper.
For some reason, my boyfriend is the one that buys all the paper products. It's been a small battle to get him to buy the expensive TP. I have pretty much gave in and let him choose. On a recent trip to Wal-Mart, he bought the Great Value toilet paper.
My first thought was, "Geeze, this is going to suck." Let me tell you, I was very surprised when I opened it. I'd say it's a very good swap for what I call, "the good stuff". I won't go into details about my TP use, I don't think we are on that level yet...LOL. I will say that I will be crossing off toilet paper from my Do Not Buy Generic list. Finally, a generic toilet paper worth writing about!!

Mailbox Monday

2010-07-05T02:00:00.000-05:00

Join me for Mailbox Monday hosted by Simply Stacie, This Mama Loves Her Bargains
, and A Little of This and a Little of That

2010-07-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

Here is a great Sunday meme. It's called Getting to know You.

1. What do you look forward to the most on the 4th of July? Probably the possibility of parties, family events, fire works. There is just so much that goes on.

2. Are you a hugger? Not really. I hug my toddler like crazy but I leave everyone else alone...lol. If a relative or someone comes up to me and puts their arms out for a hug, I will give it to them. I wont volunteer myself though...LOL

3. What is your favorite BBQ'd food? It's a toss up between and awesome steak or a cheeseburger.

4. Do you like to watch parades? Sometimes. I don't like super long ones and the weather has to be just right.

5. Who has stinkier farts..boys or girls? Mmmmmm......this is a hard one. I've smelled some pretty nasty ones from girls.

6. Vampires or Werewolves? Neither! I have not read a single Twilight book or watched their movies. I also don't watch any of those TV shows that are out now. I just haven't gotten the obsession that people have now.

7. Do you read your horoscope? Not daily. But if I'm reading a magazine or I see it online, I will read it. I also like to read old ones to see if how thats how the prev month was. Sometimes it was.

8. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Anouther toughie, I grew up in the Ice Cream Capital of the World. Ice cream was always around. So, I'd say anything with chocolate ribbon and maybe some peanut butter filled candies. Well's Dairy makes one called, Bunny Tracks.

Weekend Wind Down- 13 weeks of summer, week 2 and Big Plans!

2010-07-02T22:48:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

I hope everyone has a fun filled and safe holiday weekend. I'd also like to thank all of our service men and women who fight for our freedom every day. My brother has made me so so so proud since he joined the Air National Guard. I don't think I've ever been so proud of anyone in my life.

Now it's time for Weekend Wind Down!! Here is this weeks question:

This 4th of July, will you be watching fireworks out somewhere or doing your own fireworks at home??

My boyfriend is actually getting fireworks as I type this. I'd still like to go and watch the professional show though.

We have a lots of plans ahead of us this weekend. We spent tonight grilling and playing outside. It really melts my heart to see Jack and his Daddy playing games outside together. Jack and I are so lucky to have him in our life.
Tomorrow (the 3rd) we are going to take Jack swimming before we bring him to his Grandma's house for the night. We have a pool here at our complex, but Jack is too daring with the running. So, we are taking him to one of those 0 depth pools.

Source: Sioux City Journal

Saturday is Saturday in the Park here in Sioux City. It's free music festival that happens every July. This year is the 20th anniversary. It starts at noon and goes until after 10pm with fire works at the end. I'd say it has more of a blue feeling to the music. They days starts off with acts that I don't usually know. But, the last two performaces are pretty big name performers. My favorite year was when they had Michelle Branch open up for The Wallflowers. Some of the other huge names they have had are: Ziggy Marley, Johnny Lang, Blues Traveler, The Black Crows (love them), The Neville Brothers, BB King, and Counting Crows.

They have awesome food vendors, aka gyros, arts and crafts for sale, a second stage for local bands, a kids zone and best of all....a beer garden! Who doesn't love to listen to free music while drinking over priced drinks? Apparently I do.....lol.

This year, the big name performers are Steve Winwood and Santana!!!! To be honest, I don't know very much about Steve Winood. I have a feeling once he starts playing, I will know a few of his songs. I am super excited about Santana. He is pretty much a legend in the music world. We will be kid free so it should be a decent time. I'm sure we will enjoy it along with the other estimated 60,000 people that are coming. I actually spoke with someone in Sioux Falls which is an hour from here. She told me that she thinks half of Sioux Falls is coming to Saturday in the Park. We normally end up seeing people we haven't seen in years and just have an awesome time.

On Sunday, we will be trying to recover from the awesome night before and go get our son. I think we are planning to stay up there for the day and hang out with Jeremy's family. We will probably grill and just have a great 4th of July.

Since the 4th is on a Sunday, I don't have to work on Monday!! Whoo hoo for me. No plans except that I may attempt to do some freezing cooking. Notice I said attempt, that could be a whole other post...LOL. Have a great weekend!!!

Potty Training Update and Friday Follows

2010-07-01T20:00:00.004-05:00

We are finishing up week two of potty training. I'd say we are doing very good. He is going in the potty two times at daycare and like 4 or 5 a day at home. On most days, he will stay dry from 3pm to when we put him to bed at 7:30.
At daycare, she started using pull-ups to get him used to pulling down his pants. That seems to be helping him learn. We have the most success at home because we wears no bottoms. Once he gives his signals that he has to go, I send him in. I'll stand in the living room to make sure he goes. Half the time I get, "Mom! Go away!"
He had a big day yesterday though. He went poop in the potty at daycare. At home, he stopped playing on his own and went to use the potty. I didn't even have to tell him. I was pretty excited about that.
So, I'm hoping by the end of summer we will be mostly day trained. This little boy will fill his diaper at night, so I think night training is going to be bit of an issue.

Ultimate Recipe Swap

2010-06-30T17:01:00.001-05:00

Thursday is Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As Mom. Each week as a theme. This week is 4th of July. I actually just tried a new cake recipe that I think would be perfect for the 4th. I bought a new cookbook from the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Nebraska. My break buddy is a member and was selling them. I just love these types of cookbooks. To me, I think they are the best because the recipes are tried and true and remind me of my Mom and Grandmother's cooking. This is what I made:

Angel Food Delight
1 step Angel Food cake mix I took this as a mix where you just add water
20 oz can of crushed pineapple
Cool whip (opt)
Fruit for garnish(opt)

Preheat the oven 350 degrees
Pour pineapple and juice into a large bowl
Mix dry cake mix with pineapple
Stir just until blended...do not over stir
Pour into a 9 x 13 pan
Bake 35-40 minutes or until top is nicely browned
Serve with cool whip and fresh fruit if desired

I thought it turned out really well. I've never made any sort of angel food cake before so I don't have alot to go off of. I also didn't serve it with cool whip or fruit and I thought it tasted good without them.

Wordless Wednesday: The Art of Stinkface

2010-06-29T20:29:00.002-05:00

Check out more Wordless Wednesdays at 5 Minutes for Mom

What I Meant to Say Wednsedays

2010-06-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for the best day to post this. Today is the day. About a week ago, I mustered up the courage to wear capris to work. I know, they are just capris. You see, I'm pale. But, I was proud of myself for showing some leg.
So, I'm sitting at my desk and the girl across from me says, "Wow! Your legs are really pale!". Here is what I said, "Thanks for the info. I had no idea that my legs were insanely pale." I then turned around and started my work.
Here is what I wanted to say:
Hello! I'm German, Irish, and English. A total mix of all the palest ethnic backgrounds ever! Thanks Caption Obvious for pointing out to me that I'm albino white. I really had no clue. When you have a skin cancer scare at 26 years old, we'll talk. I'm sorry I don't feel the need to lay out in the sun or tanning bed for hours on end. Plus, you are Cambodian! What do you know about being pale? You have a super nice color year around."
I could also put what I really really wanted to say. But, I think I thinks a little mean and I do actually like the girl who was ~~harassing~~ commenting me on my blindly white legs.

I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so.......scared...

2010-06-28T19:43:00.002-05:00

Does this ring a bell to anyone? That is a quote from Jessie Spannow on Saved by the Bell. It's the episode where she gets addicted to caffeine pills then misses their big girl group debut. :)

What brought on this flashback you ask? I recently found out some pretty flippin awesome news. Since I started blogging, I've been hearing tons of talk about blogging conferences. To be honest, I'm pretty jealous that I don't get to go. I keep telling myself some day I will make it there. I've almost gotten over it.
But, some things have changed. I'm not going to New York or anything, but I have good news. I recently came accross a tweet from iatraveler.
. She said that she wanted to create a website that promotes travel to Iowa (that's where I live). I thougth cool, I respond saying that I'm from there. A few mentions later I found out that she is speaking at a bloggin conference right here in Iowa!

When I found out, I was about ready to hit the hay. Once I heard her news, there was no way I was going to sleep. This is what I've been waiting for since I started blogging a few months ago.
The event is called I Blog. Do U? It's in Perry, IA which is by Des Moines. It's super doable for me because I'm only a few hours away. It runs from November 5th to November 7th. I already requested that 5th off from work! LOL. I just hope I can go. I probably won't be able to get the funds until September, so I just hope that tickets are not sold out. I really think I will be devasted if I can't go. But, I'm holding out hope that they will not be sold out by then and I can make my blogging dreams come true!

Meet Me on Monday

2010-06-28T12:36:00.000-05:00

You can see more responses and link up at Never Growing Old.

1. Are you a collector of anything? Not anymore. I used to collect N*Sync stuff a long time ago.

2. Do you have any tattoos or piercings? I used to have my nose pierced. But, I do have 4 tattoos. I have a Chinese symbol for happiness on my back, a heart/star combo on my right foot, a fairy on my hip, and my son’s name and stars on my left foot.

3. What is your favorite salad dressing? Not a huge salad eater, but I do like ranch.

4. What was the last thing that you ate? I just had lunch, a weight watchers chicken meal.

5. What was the last movie that you saw? In the theatre? I think it was Alvin and the Chipmunks sequel.

Want to play along? Copy the five questions, write a post with your answers and then link up.

Monday Link Ups

2010-06-27T19:38:00.000-05:00

Monday is another great day for link parties. I can't say enough about how much I love them. That's where I've gotten most of my followers. Here are the ones I'm participating in:

Why am I so obsessed?!

2010-06-27T00:33:00.000-05:00

I hav been sitting here for hours searching the web for the perfect lunch bag for Jack. By hours, I mean 4 hours in one sitting. That doesn't even count the time I spent this afternoon.
Every Thursday at daycare, they go on a field trip to the park and then have lunch. So, we are supposed to bring a sack lunch. For the past couple of weeks, he has been using a cooler that has my work logo on it. How cool is that? It's not. In my opinion, an almost 3 yr old needs to have a much cooler bag. That's why I'm so obsessed.
I want my kid to be the cool kid at daycare. Plain and simple. But, it's not simple. It's actually pretty stupid. His daycare has 5 kids at the most. He is actually the youngest one. Does it really matter that his lunch bag is the coolest? Nobody there is going to know that I spent hours searching for the perfect bag. Nor, will they know that I bought it at Etsy, one of the coolest sites ever.
The other reason I've been obsessed is that I recently read a blog review about some super cute insulated lunch bags. But, I read the post of my cell and didn't mark it in any way. I really need to figure out how to that. So, I've been searching google, swagbucks, and my google reader to find it. I may have even read it in a twitter update. Who knows. That's really frustrating...lol.
I'm ~~bribing~~ offering Jack a new lunch bag for potty training. So, I want him to get excited about it. I'll probably end up buying a Handy Manny or Thomas lunch bag which means my hours were super poorly used.
When he wakes up, I'm going to have him choose which one he wants. That's what it's about, right?

Weekend Wind Down- 13 weeks of summer, week 1

2010-06-26T00:20:00.000-05:00

Are you going to, or did you already, take a summer vacation this year... to where?

We are not planning a trip this summer. Our boy is 2 1/2 and we just started potty training. That is one of the reasons why we aren't going anywhere. I think a trip would get in the way on constant monitoring of the potty situation. Plus, it's just not in the budget. I also think he wouldn't get much from going on an actual vacation, may be more work then vacation. Know what I mean?

We did go to the Tulip Festival this year. It's in Orange City, IA. The town is primarly Dutch and every May, they have a three day festival with parades, authentic Dutch clothing, AWESOME food, and of course, tulips!

We also we went to the Sioux Falls Zoo for the day. It was Jack's first time to a zoo and he loved it. We are lucky enough to be within a hours distance to two great zoos. The Sioux Falls is smaller, so it was perfect for his first trip. I'm hoping we can squeeze a trip to the Omaha Zoo when it starts to cool down. It's huge and it would take hours to see every single thing.

Saturday Stumbles

2010-06-25T23:41:00.000-05:00

I had some really good luck this week on the web. I found some awesome blogs.

Tightwad I had asked someone on Twitter if they knew of any good lists for daily memes. They suggested this blog. I'm so glad I found it! I love being able to find tons of blogs to post my links to. There is a list for each day and there are tons.

Mama's Losin' It! After searching Tightwad, I came across this blog. She offers soooo many different writing topics. I found her just at the right time. I was sitting here wantint to write, but couldn't think a single thing. I took only look of her weekly topics and I was set. It makes it super easy to write.

Check out more Saturday Stumbles @ It's Come 2 This

I'm a little saddened

2010-06-24T20:42:00.001-05:00

Wait, who am I kidding? I'm pissed.
We have a pool at our apartment complex. I was just out with my dog on the patio. In the pool is a boy, maybe 6 or 7 years old. His mom is sitting in a chair on the side.
The little boy is jumping around and doing his tricks. He keeps saying "Mommy! Look at this!" Do you think she looks? Nope! What is keeping her so busy that she can't watch her son? Her cell phone! She is just texting away. After four times of him calling for her, he puts his head down and swims away. My heart was aching for him. I really wanted to say something. But, I thought I'd see how this plays out.
Then he asks his mom if his eyes are red. This little boy is thinking of anything he can to get her attention. Her response? She finishes a text and says, "You're stomach hurts? Let's go." What? Did you even listen to him? He keeps swimming and then starts crying. I bet he cried for a few minutes. She did say a thing to him! He is just sitting on the steps crying and then goes in front of her and cries. She still does not do anything. Doesn't even acknowledge he is there.
He then goes on to tell her about a time when he was swimming with another little boy that lives here. Again, she ignores him. She gets up from her chair and says, "Let's go." He asks her why and all she says is, "Your eye!". I had to come back inside because had she walked by me, I'm sure I would have gone off on her. I really think I would have. I'm sitting here at the table and I see her walk by. She is not even walking with him. He is a few feet behind her.
What is wrong with this lady? Her son is crying because his eyes hurt and she can't even walk with him?
But, what do I expect? This is the same mom who lets him and his 3 yr old brother run around the complex. There are 12 buildings here and each building has 6 apts. So, there is a ton of people who live here. How can she just let her kids run around? Does she not worry that someone may grab them or hurt them? I've seen the 3yr playing by the pond we have at the entrance. I've also witnessed this mom going from different apartments looking for her kids only to have my neighbor tell her she sent them home.

I just don't know how she can treat her kids like that. I'm not a perfect Mom, but I know how to spend time with my son. I treasure all of our moments together. Plus, I love how he tells me stories. I could never ignore him like that. Before she knows it, that little boy will not want to talk to her at all. It really is just sad. I think I'm going to make it a point to talk to that little boy when I see him running around. I seriously want to cry right now......

Friday Follows!

2010-06-24T18:57:00.000-05:00

I love that I keep finding awesome new follow memes for the week. The first one I found is: Friendly Friday Follow. The RULES to join in Freindly Friday Follow are very simple!
Grab the button above
Add your link to the list below
Visit as many other blogs as you can
Follow the ones you like (and comment on their blog to say that you are following)

The second is Social Parade Follow on Fridays

So, if ya like what you see, follow me and I will follow you back!

2010-06-24T13:13:00.000-05:00

I found a new Thursday Blog Hop. Come check it out at Menopausal New Mom. They have also added a link for giveaways! Be sure to check them out!

A Letter to Myself

2010-06-22T21:13:00.001-05:00

Dear Michelle,
Why can't you seem to lose the weight you so badly want to lose? It's really frustrating that you think about how you need to lose weight but at the same time, you do nothing about it. Sure, you buy the healthy frozen dinners to control portions. Do you really think that's going to melt off the 50+ pounds you need to lose? Get real!
There is so much you could be doing. You could be for sure be eating better. Let's not forget about all the work out DVDs you have laying around. Remember that one you bought at Target that yous spent your last dollar on? You thought for sure this was going to be the one that got you going. If I recall, it's sitting in your bedroom closet. Nice.
You have so many dreams about buying new, smaller clothes. You even hope that your ginormous chest will shrink if you lose weight. But yet you do nothing about it. Let's get the ball rolling and work on losing the weight. Your body depends on it!

So, there it is. The letter to myself. One of the writing prompts at Mama's Losin' It!
was to write a letter to whatever is keeping you from losing weight. that thing is me. I've written before about it. Once again, I did nothing. It's just so frustrating. But, I have a possible opportunity on the horizon.
I just got word today that WW at Work will have someone at work on the 29th to speak about bringing Weight Watchers to our building once a week. This is awesome for me! I actually did weight watchers before I got pregnant. Combined with the better eating and a temporary break from my BF, I lost 20lbs. The BF and I get back together and before I know it, I'm pregnant! So, any weight loss went right down the toilet.
I've tried many times since having my son 2 1/2 years ago. But, I don't stick to it. That's why I'm super excited about WW coming to work. I wanted to go to meetings but I couldn't find one that fit our schedule. I tried doing it online and by myself. That didn't last long. I am a person who needs to be accountable to other people. Knowing that I have to go and weigh in in front of someone makes me lose weight.
It is kind of funny to me because I work at Tyson Foods. The mecca of all things meat. I work in the sales department. All day I hear about different beef and pork items. I sit there all day drooling over the possibility of having a steak. Since I can't have a steak randomly at work, I settle for cookies or some other bad food. Combine that with a sit down job and I'm pretty much screwed.
So, I'm going to attend the informational meeting next week. I do know that they have to have a certain amount of people sign up before they will commit to coming. I also have to see what the cost is going to be and if we can pay weekly or if it has to be paid in full. I'm not sure if I can fit it into my budget right now.
Mmmm...I wonder what my chances of WW sponsoring me so I could blog about it are. That might be an interesting question to ask....LOL

Change in Thought

2010-06-21T19:54:00.002-05:00

I'm wonder what has become of me. I think becoming a Mom has changed my thoughts on many different levels. Randomly, I will think about something and then realize that 3 yrs ago, I would have thought differently. Maybe it's being a Mom or since I'm getting up their in age (29 LOL). Here is a perfect example.
Friday night, I noticed that my upstairs neighbors were sitting in their car. It wasn't running and it was 90 degrees. My first thought was, that's dumb. They sat in the car for at least two hours. I went outside every couple of hours from 6 pm until 11:30. They were out there the entire time. I swear every time I went, there was one more person added to the group. What's really funny to me is that none of the guys had shirts on and the girls had short shorts and skanky tops. By midnight, they were hanging out on the front steps of our building. What? They were outside doing nothing for at least six hours. I kindof got the feeling that maybe the BF of the girl who lives upstairs wasn't wanted inside her Mom's apt.
Now, a few years ago, I would have been like, OMG! What losers! I would then move on with my life. Not this time.
It is against the rules to work on cars in the parking lot. My first instinct was to call the office and leave a message about the hoodlums that were hanging out in the parking lot. But, I didn't. Then when they moved to the stairs and started getting louder and throwing out TONS of cuss words, I again felt the urge to call. I kept thinking, we pay far too much rent to have our building look trashy with all these half naked people hanging out. A few years ago, that point never would have crossed my mind.
We also have a few little kids who are running around the complex. Our apartment is made up of 12 separate buildings and each building has 6 apts. There is a ton of people and I would not let my 3 yr run around like they own the place. Just the other day, I about saw a little boy who lives 3 buildings down almost get hit by a car. Before having Jack, I would have felt some negative feelings towards the parents. Now, after having my son, I want so badly to go up to these parents and tell them how to handle their kids. Fortunately,I can control myself. I thought about calling the office and then having them put a friendly reminder in the monthly newsletter about the rules for kids. I told my neighbors about it and this was their response: "It's really bad that the office would have to put something in the the newsletter that said, Hey! Remember that you have kids!" I thought it was so funny they way he said it.
So, I can't decide if my new views on things are due to being a mom or just because I'm getting older.
What is one thing that you have changed your mind about since having children or getting older? I'm really interested in seeing in mine are the same as yours.

Holy Blog!

2010-06-20T20:08:00.000-05:00

I have been blogging since mid April of this year. When I started, I really didn't think anything would come of it. I would get 0 followers, I would get frustrated, and then I would quit. So not the case.

In the two months that I've been blogging, I have 59 followers! I know that most of them probably follow me themes. But, I don't care. It means alot to me that they would decide to follow me. My thought is that they don't have to follow me. They could check out my page and think it sucks, then move on. But they choose to follow me. I just can't believe it.

I started really using my twitter account after starting this blog. I had one before, but never used it. I currently have 93 followers. Out of those 93, I only know one personally. That is insane to me.
What really floats my boat is that some of the bloggers that I look up to in this crazy world of mom blogs are following me on twitter. I'm actually feeling that I could fit into this world that I so badly want to be a part of. Know what's even better? Some of them even reply to my tweets. That is so awesome to me.
I have yet to "meet" a fellow mom blogger who doesn't support the other moms out there trying to mark their spot. I've seen tips being offered and friendships being made.
So, I have surprised myself as far as my blog goes. I have put much more effort then I thought I would and I love what I'm getting out of it.
Thanks everyone!!

Saturday Stumbles

2010-06-18T22:08:00.001-05:00

I came across some great blogs this week. Here are some of my favorites:

Makeover Momma : I've actually been a follower for awhile but just got into the blog. Maybe it's because I was recently a winner of two full size bottles of Skin Authority products. Who doesn't love winning awesome new stuff? She has a weekly video chat where she goes over a them for each week. Love it! She also hosts Makeover Madness Parties
. You purchase one item off a list and you get tons of products back. You can be a hostess and have your friends join you or you can join someone else's party. Each person has to just purchase one product. I'm actually hoping to join in one for June.

My other favorite of the week is Harpers Happenings. Mandy writes about her daughter and everyday family life. Her latest post, an open letter to target is great. It has to describe everyone's relationship to Target. I was laughing out loud as I was reading.

Check out more Saturday Stumbles at It's Come 2 This

A Friday Flip Off!

2010-06-18T10:54:00.002-05:00

This is my first time joining Flip Off Friday. But, after the events that have happened this week, I need to vent in a major way. So, I apologize if I start to ramble here. I’m so frustrated.
Here is a little background information. I work in a busy sales office. I am one of three secretaries who answer phones and other tasks. I think I’m seriously about to flip on one of the girls. For weeks now, she has had collection agencies calling here or she has been calling different people. It’s the same story, every call. She will sit at her desk and yell at these people. Every call I hear, “I TOLD YOU NOT TO CHARGE ME!” Or, I hear, “Please do not charge me this week, I don’t have the money”. Ok, before you start to judge me and think I’m being heartless. I’ve been there don’t that. But, I also didn’t do it at my desk for the whole department to hear. I also didn’t not let it affect my ability to do my job. She will be on sooooo many different calls a day and will not put them on hold to answer our business lines. That’s irriation number one for me. Why should I have to stop working to answer the phone when apparently you don’t have anything to do. If it’s not money related, she is on the phone with her mother. We are talking 30+ minutes a call, on the company’s bill. Iritation number 2.
Here is where it gets good. Her husband had a heart attack on the 9th or something like that. That isn’t the good part, that must have been awful for him and her family. I would not wish that on anyone. So, she missed a week and a half of work, one week being unpaid. She is back to work now and the calls have gotten worse. I can’t believe how she can sit at her desk knowing that if I can hear her, the VP of sales who sits behind her can hear. She has started to tell me what is going on. I don’t know why. She has to know that I don’t like her or her lack of work ethic for the past two years. She told me that she signed up for some things online not knowing they would charge their account. So, they keep charging her account, things she signed up for mind you. I guess in all, they have taken over $800 which include overdraft fees from the bank. Again, that sucks, but you kind of did it to yourself. No sympathy. I’ve answered calls for months about cell phones and car insurance being past due.
Here’s what has put me over the edge. This week, she had the nerve to contact our local United Way for money. She gave them the story about how her husband had a heart attack and they both missed a week of work. She did not give one ounce of information that they have been having issues looong before his heart attack. I guess they denied her. Then, she had her oldest son co-sign a personal loan so they can get their checking account out of the hole. She pulled his credit report without asking and is going to pay him back. She has 4 months to pay it back. Hello?! If you haven’t been able to pay your bills for months, how are you going to pay a loan that your 22yr old son got for you? I would never do that to my child. I don ‘t get it.
The kicker is that since the United Way denied her any help, she went to our HR department to see if they could do a jeans day for her. We do them every Friday for local charities and the occasional employee. They agreed!!! Once again, I’m sure that she did not tell them the whole story. This really ticks me off because I know of a few coworkers who have asked for a jeans day and they were denied. They actually had valid situations. Such has a relative who also worked at our company who died in a car accident and left behind 5 kids. Or the guy who’s toddler was run over and was in a children’s hospital for a couple of months because she had major brain injuries. I would gladly give them my $3 to wear jeans. I won’t give my $3 because you have bad money management skills and everyone is coming after you!
She just got off the phone with some other agency asking for help for the next couple of weeks. UGH. It’s people like her that really make it difficult for people who really need the help and can’t get it. I know of a single Mom who is behind on all her major bills because she gets no child support. She has tried to ask for assistance and was told she makes too much money. Really? But this lady who has two incomes coming in can get two weeks worth of cash even though she will get a paycheck in a week.
Like I said, I’ve been there. I’ve had collections calling me. I’ve been broke. Heck, just last week after our bills were paid, I had $70 to buy groceries, diapers, and gas for the week. She has also told someone she has money in her checking, like $50. Yeah, that isn’t a lot, but it’s more then a lot of families have. PLUS, she has her two older kids who work full-time living with her, rent free. You are telling me that can’t cover some groceries for a week?
So please, don’t juge me. Do you think I’m being to harsh? I just don’t understand why she expects everyone to cover her mistakes.

The Gruffalo: A book review

2010-06-17T20:48:00.001-05:00

My son and I partcipate in a reading program called Imagination Library. Every so many weeks, we get a free book in the mail that is appropriate for his age.
I'll be honest, there are times when I struggle to read the books. Not because I can't read..lol...but because I don't like them. But, we have also gotten some great books. Books that I wouldn't even know existed. For example, today we received The Gruffalo. We read it while he was using the potty but didn't get it finished (he is getting that good at the potty). I actually was excited to read it to him at bedtime.
The book is about a smart little mouse who outwits the animals that invite him to dinner. The animals that invite him probaly would rather eat him then anything else. It has what I think is a great rhyming scheme. I found myself really getting into it and bobbing my head a bit as I read it. That is good because I have a feeling that I will be reading it for the next few days.

You can check it on Amazon

Another twist on a recipe

2010-06-16T21:29:00.001-05:00

I had been craving enchiladas for a couple of weeks. J is not a fan, but after two weeks, I didn't care. I wanted them. As it came time to start them, I kindof loss my steam and didn't feel like rolling 12 enchiladas. So, I made an enchilada casserole. The concept itself isn't new, but I had never made one. Here's what I did:
I boiled 5 chicken breast halves and cut them into pieces.
I sprayed an 8x10 with Pam and covered the bottom of the pan with some canned enchilada sauce
I tore enough up enough flour toritllas to cover the sauce
Then I poured a can of cream of chicken soup and the rest of the enchilada sauce onto the chicken in a medium mixing bowl
After I mixed it, I poured the mixture ontop of the torn tortillas
I added some shredded cheese on top of that mixture
Then I added more flour tortillas
I also added another can of enchilada sauce to top it off
I baked at 350 for 40 minutes
Once it was done, I added some cheese on top.

Here is what I got:

Now, I thought I added alot of sauce. But, I've been told I'm a little saucy...Ha! I thought it was really good. When I asked J what he thought, he gave me a "Eh". Ok. Thanks for the input. He did tell me that is just not a fan of enchilada sauce. On a brighter note, he did have 1 1/2 bowls. If he only has one helping, I know he doesn't like it. So, it must not have been to horrible for him.

Check out more Things I Love Thursdays at Diaper Diaries

2010-06-15T21:14:00.000-05:00

We have been battling the potty training lately. When I ask him if he has to go, his response is, "No thanks, I'm busy". While it's kind of funny, it's a little frustrating.
Today, I decided to bribe him. I know it's probably not the best way to get him to go. But it worked tonight.

Source:Discovery Toys

On the way home from daycare, he kept telling me that he wanted to play his game. I told him that if he went potty, we could play his game.
I bought a learning game from Discovery Toys . It's called, Busy Farm . It teaches skills like colors, reading, and all kinds of stuff. We played it for the first time a couple of days ago. He loved it. It says ages 3+ but Jack was able to get many of the concepts. A mom in our playgroup is a consulant for the company so I've been to many parties and have quite a collection of their toys.
When we got home, he asked to play. Again, I reminded that if he went potty, we could play. So, we went into the bathroom. After 30 seconds, he wanted to get up. I reminded him again. I swear like a second later, he went! This is the 3rd time in I bet 3 months that he's used the potty. He was pretty excited and I made sure to give him lots of hugs, kisses, and high fives.

While we had a good potty time today. I also had a parenting fail. After he was done he pulled up his pants with no diaper. I thought we were cool because he had just pottied and I'd have him do it again in an hour. I was on the phone with a friend and I hear, "Mom!! Help! I got poop on me!" What!? I go to him and he had pooed on the floor! A total Mommy fail on my part.

What are your opinions of bribery for potty training? I'm really interested on everyone's thoughts.

Tuesday Tag Along & Follow Me Back Tuesday

2010-06-15T09:27:00.001-05:00

I love Tuesday because all the great blog rolls! I love these because I'm always looking for new followers. So, please take a look around. If you like what you see, please follow. I always follow back! Thanks for checking me out.

2010-06-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

I've decided that this week, my top ten will be my top 10 favorite things.

1. Most of all, my family is my favorite. I'm a daughter, a sister, a mom, a girlfriend, and an aunt. My family means so much to me and wouldn't be where I am without them.

2. My puppy. Okay, he's not a puppy, he just turned 5 over the weekend. I had to beg and plead with my boyfriend to let me get him. So, I waited until he was out with his friends to ask again. I knew he'd have a couple of drinks in him. That's when I went in for the kill. He finally agreed on the condition that he would get to name him. Done!

3. My computer/internet. I'm a computer geek. My first degree is in computer programming. Need I say more?

4. School. I have always loved school. Mostly, I liked the friendships. I also liked the learning part. I'm currently on my 3rd degree. I will say that I went away to college to the U of Iowa. I didn't do well, I concentrated more on the friendships and local bars then I did on school. I now have my priorities in order.

5. Work. I've posted a couple of times about a certain coworker. Overall, I love working and I love my job. It just really sucks when one person has to ruin that for me. I've had some sort of job since I was 12. I love earning money and spending it....LOL

6. Trashy celeb magazines. I don't buy them, but a girl at work does. Every week. I know that I will never look or live like them, but a girl can dream, right?

7. My cell phone. I don't make many calls. I have 450 minutes, I bet I use 100. I will text before I call. I mostly use my phone to surf the net, download apps and play games.

8. Glee. I can't say enough awesome things about this show. LOVE IT!

9. My bed. I could never sleep past 8am. Omg, what I would give to sleep past 7am. Jack is programmed to wake up by 7am. Every day. When do they start to sleep in? Someone please tell me.

10. Naps. What goes best with a bed? An afternoon nap. I could never take naps. My Mom would have to force me to lay down. I didn't enjoy naps until I went to college. The best is a Saturday afternoon nap. The only day I won't nap is on Sundays. I call it my, "No Naps on Sundays" rule. If I nap, I can't go to bed until late. That can be sucky when it's 6 am on Monday morning.

Check out more Top Ten Tuesdays @ Oh Amanda

UGH......

2010-06-13T15:43:00.001-05:00

It's official. I'm in a rut. I'm sitting here typing as my apartment is in complete disarray. I'm to the point that I don't even bother because I can't seem to keep it clean. Our son is 2 1/2 if that gives you any idea. I swear I don't even have one room clean before he is pulling out toys or whatever. Don't get me wrong, I do the needed cleaning daily, like the dishes, but I can't seem to keep up with the rest. I'm starting to wonder if I will ever have a clean room. Maybe in 18 years?

Not that I was the cleanest person before J2 came along. But, when I did my major weekly cleaning, things were at least clean for a few days compared to the minutes now.

Then I begin to wonder that maybe I'm not putting in the effort I should be. I could probably be trying harder. But, then maybe I don't care. Is that bad?

Until last week, I was a student with full-time work plus being a Mommy. I will have the next four weeks from school, so maybe that will help me get back on track. All I know is that something has to be done. I've been working with J2 on putting his toys away, but it seems to be hit and miss. Sometimes he's more then willing to do it on the first request. Other times, I find myself bribing with pudding cups or tootsie rolls. That is not something that I wanted to start, but sometimes, it's all I have.

Any ideas on how I can get out of my rut? I could really use some right about now. :)

My Favorite Mommy Tips

2010-06-11T22:10:00.003-05:00

BLISS TV - Our Busy Lives with Little Movers from Blissful Media Group on Vimeo.

My little boy is 2 1/2 and is ALWAYS on the move. We actually made the switch to Huggies about 6 months ago. I started couponing, and Huggies has the best coupons available through the mail and online. Also, once in a while, Target will have store coupons that can I can stack. That makes for a great deal!
Couponing has become really helpful for our family. We are a two income family, but it's not always enough. It's nice that Huggies often has so many coupons available. It defintely helps lessen the cost of buying diapers.

In this video, some very cool Moms offered tips on how to manage mommyhood. I agree with all their comments. My number one tip that works for me, is a mommy time out. Sometimes, I will tell my BF that I'm taking a shower. It can be at night, in the morning or a random 2pm shower. But sometimes, it's the only way I can get 10 minutes to myself. Half the time, I can't even go to the bathroom without a toddler or a doggy following behind.
My second lifesaver is our playgroup. Since I work outside the home, we can't make alot of the events. But, I've made some great friends. We even have Mom's night out, Bunco night, or scrapbooking night. These nights give me a few hours a week or month where I can get away guilt free and enjoy the company of great friends.

How do you save your sanity? I'm always up for new tips to help me on this journey called Motherhood.

Glee!!!!!

2010-06-10T09:10:00.001-05:00

I’ve recently caught on to the Glee craze. I always tell myself that I’m not going to get caught up in that kind of stuff. But I did.

For the past month or so, I’ve been a faithful viewer of Glee. I had seen a couple of episodes before, but never was hooked. I didn’t become hooked until I entered the world of mommy blogging. I didn’t realize that there was such a huge following of the show.
For awhile, I was trying to figure out what attracted me to the show. For some reason, the show makes me happy. After the season finale a couple of days ago, it hit me. As they were performing for the competition, I started to think about high school and how I was in choir.
We were a good choir, we received ones at our competitions. The four years I was in choir, I wanted to sing fun, pop songs. We never did. I think the only “pop” song we sang was Wing Beneath My Wings. We did do a lot of Latin songs and other very difficult songs. We even went to Washington D.C. and performed at all the major monuments.
Another reason the show appeals to me is that fact that although my school had show choir, I could never get enough courage to try out. I think I had a fear of dancing like they did in front of people.
Whatever the reasons are for me LOVING Glee, I know that I will continue to watch. Heck, I even downloaded over an hours worth of music from iTunes. My cd has not left my CD player in over a week!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-08T20:21:00.002-05:00

Jack and his first big boy bike.

2010-06-07T14:38:00.000-05:00

It’s Monday, the first day of what could be a crappy week. So far, it hasn’t been too bad. But it’s only 10:49am here.
Anyways, we had another busy weekend. We took our first trip of the season to our local farmer’s market. We didn’t get a ton of stuff. But we did get some fresh potatoes, strawberries, and fresh herb cheese bread. Yumm-O! Jack and I also spent Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon babysitting for my sister. My niece had her first dance recital and she did not want to take the two younger boys. It’s nice because her boys are around the same age as Jack. We only live 20 minutes away and it seems like they never see each other. Since Jack is an only child, I really want him to know his cousins.

I did manage to get ALL of my laundry done. I’ve been making piles and piles of things that were not urgent on the laundry list. We live in an apartment, so we pay to do our laundry. It’s kind of an agreement that if I watch my sister’s kids, I am free to bring my laundry to wash. That’s what I did. I think I only had 4 loads, but I left one at home. I feel so much lighter now that I have that big task completed. I even celebrated with some chocolate covered peanuts! LOL.

How was your weekend?

2010-06-04T10:54:00.001-05:00

What a CRAZY day!! We have two people out of the office today. One being management and one being a secretary like me. What’s really going to suck is that next week, we will be short a total of 4 people! That’s a lot in the fast paced world of meat sales. On the plus side, one of those people I can’t tolerate. So, it will be nice that they won’t be here.
I don’t want to sound mean by saying that. This person and I have a completely different work ethic, mine being the best…heehee. Here’s my issues with them. My biggest one is their need to leave early once or twice a week. I understand things come up, but do they really need to schedule ALL of their appts for mid afternoon when they only work until 3? The biggest thing that goes along with that is cheating the timecard. This person tells us they will make up their time, but they don’t. But then they write on their timecard that they did. I let it go once but I’ve been speaking up. I hate that they do that.
My other concern is their need to spend 30+ minutes on personal phone calls. Ya know, I don’t care if you call your mom or whoever. But, when your job is to answer phones and you don’t….that ticks me off. Esp when I have to stop working and answer the phone all because you don’t want to put your mom on hold. I have a couple of ways I get this to stop, but the whole thing is dumb. I could probably go on and on about this person, but I won’t. Maybe in another post.
So, the work load may be heavy next week and the phones never ending, I don’t think I’ll care because that person won’t be here and I won’t have to deal with their inability to work a full week or do their tasks!

Do you have anyone that you have to work with that is the same way?

2010-06-03T09:35:00.004-05:00

I tried a new "recipe" the other night. I wouldn't call it a recipe, because it's something really easy. It was also a mixture of things I've seen done. Here is what I did:
I cooked 2 large chicken breasts in a pan and then diced them up.
I then boiled some bow tie noodles.
Once the noodles were done, I put them into a 13x9 pan with the chicken.
I also added 2 jars of alfredo sauce and some mozzerella cheese.
I baked at 350 for 25 minutes. Pretty much long enough for the cheese to melt.
Once it was done, I added more more cheese on top and dug in!

My plan was to just make alfredo with all the ingredients seperate. But, I felt a casserole sounded better and would taste better. I knew it was good when my BF ate three bowls! When he doesn't like something, he eats one serving. But if he goes back for 2nds and 3rds, I knew it's a meal I'll have to repeat.

Check out more Things I Love Thursdays, check out The Diaper Diaries

2010-06-02T09:48:00.002-05:00

I recently bought the new HTC Hero for Sprint. All I can say is, “OMG!” I love this phone. I went from a Blackberry Curve to the Hero. I’ll admit, I’m a tech nerd..lol. After all, I do have a degree in computer programming. I loved the Curve but I love love love the Hero. I never knew how awesome a phone could be. It’s my first touch screen so that took some getting to used to. But now that I’ve had for a week, I don’t even notice that there is no keyboard. It’s also one of those nifty Android phones. To be honest, I don’t know the difference between a regular phone and an Android. I just know that it’s awesome!
The Hero lets you have 7 home screens that you scroll though. So, I customized them to my liking. On one screen, I have all the cool apps I’ve downloaded. On the others, I have a full calendar, a clock, Google Search, and my twitter. The neat thing is that you there are different scenes for work, play, travel, or home. Each scene has the different screens and has preloaded settings for whatever scene you are using. You can also create your own scene, which is what I’ve done. Confused? I was too until I just started messing around.
But, probably the coolest things about the phone are all the apps. I have one screen that is full of them and they were all free. The one I use the most is my blogger app. I can write posts, check comments and other things. To be honest, I don’t know if I would write posts, or at least long ones. I think it would be much easier to do it on a computer keyboard vs a touch screen. I also have a couple of toddler friendly apps to keep Jack busy. Also, I’ve downloaded some Weight Watcher friendly apps and a recipe library.

I’m sure that there are more awesome things that I’m not remembering. There is just sooo much that this phone can do. I’d say that if you have a chance to get an android phone, whether it’s from Sprint or Verizon or wherever, I’d totally would!

Check out more Works for Me Wednesdays @ We Are That Family

Top Ten Tuesdays: Vacation Time!!

2010-06-01T12:27:00.001-05:00

Our daycare was closed this past week. Normally, my parents watch him for the week. But this time, they were going to also be gone on vacation. So, I decided to take the week off and stay home with Jack. I loved having the week off and no major plans or chores to do. Not saying I didn’t have chores to do, but I was going to enjoy my vacation and make the most of it. Here are my Top 10 favorite things about last week:

1. No work!
2. I got to spend some quality Jack and Mommy time.
3. I got to sleep in until….6:30am. It’s like a half hour extra….whooo hooo
4. Spend time with baby C. She is under the age of 1, so I was able to get suppress some of that baby fever
5. At the same, taking care of two children under the age of three and both in diapers made me appreciate the one child I have
6. Did I mention no work?!
7. I did manage to get one nap in on the first day…lol
8. Surprisingly, I was able to keep my house some decent compared to while I’m working
9. No work stress…..there is a girl at work who I can’t stand and she is always trying to cheat the system.
10. The Zoo! We are lucky enough to have two great zoos within an hour of us. This was his first trip to a zoo, so we went to the smaller, more kid friendly zoo. I didn’t know what he would think, but he LOVED it! It’s been two days and he’s still talking about the zoo and the giraffes. We won’t be going anywhere this summer for vacation, so this was perfect for us. The best part is that with the entry fee and train ride tickets, 2 and under free, and the toy I bought at the end, I spent under $25! That’s awesome to me because that money got us about 4 hours of fun and quality family time.

See more Tuesday Top 10s at Oh Amanda

Premade Design: A Little Birdie Told Me

2010-05-28T13:01:00.000-05:00

Test post! You can delete this or edit it whenever!

Finer Things: 2 1/2 year old boys

2010-05-27T21:54:00.003-05:00

This was our conversation this morning:
Jack: I help Daddy scoop. Where's my flower? I broke it. Accident Mommy.
Me: What? Then I remembered...
J: I'm sorry Mommy. I'm sorry.

A few weeks ago, Jack painted a flower pot and planted some seeds for my Mother's Day gift. We've been talking about how it was for Mommy and that Jack made it. He was very proud of it. This past Sunday, Jack knocked it over and it broke to pieces. He had apologized and I thought it was done. Now, it's four days later and he randomly brought it up. This time when he apologized, he was about ready to cry.
This made me realize that of all the times I've made him say, "I'm sorry", I think this was the first time he actually knew what he was saying and was really sorry. In a weird way, it made me sad. Sad because he's getting older and is understanding alot more things and that he's not my little baby anymore.
Within the same five minute conversation, he ran down the events about a recent trip to Wal-Mart with his Dad. He went step by step about how they got groceries, that he was good and that they looked at the toys.
Again, this was the first time he had remembered in such detail about something he did a few days ago.
We are at the stage where we can have a decent conversation as long as I keep going with the questions. Now, we can have a conversation about what he is telling me. While I'm happy that he is progressing like he should, I'm still sad that he isn't a baby anymore. Sometimes when he is watching movies with his dad, I get told to "go away". ::Tears::
See, he is our only child. As of right now, we are not sure if we will have more. I think that's why it's hitting me so hard tonight. But, I know that he is only 2 1/2 and we have tons and tons of good things coming our way.

Check out more Finer Things Friday .

And the winner is:

2010-05-27T20:25:00.001-05:00

Here is the winner for my first giveaway!

Comment number 5

Ashley said...
I like the here comes the bride makeup kit.

hewella1 at gmail dot com

May 13, 2010 1:15 AM

2010-05-25T22:43:00.002-05:00

Welcome To Ziplist!

Ziplist has been so awesome for me. I read alot of cooking blogs. Instead of having to print the recipes or add them to my favorites, I can use Ziplist. You can add the recipe clipper to copy recipes from websites. Depending on the site, it will automatically had the ingredients and then you copy the directions. But, when I use it on blogs, it doesn't grab it. So, I just have to copy and paste them. Or, you can search their recipe database which has TONS of recipes.
Once you have recipes in your library, you can create shopping lists depending on which recipes you will be using. You can also add your local stores and then create different lists for each store. That is a really nice feature if you shop different stores depending on sales. I live in NW Iowa and they had my local stores.
Also, you can email the lists to anyone. This works well for me because I have a Blackberry with my email so I don't have to print a list. Or you can email it to your spouse at work and have them pick up items on the way home.

Ziplist works for me because it fits all of my recipe needs. I'm much more organized then ever! For all you Iphone users, they also have an app for that!

Check out We Are That Family for more Works For Me Wednesdays!

Top 10 Tuesdays: I'm a tv junkie

2010-05-24T21:57:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, I finally bit the bullet and had cable installed. We have an HD tv, so even without cable, we had like 11 channels. But, now I've become somewhat of a TV junkie. So, here are my current favs.

1. The Hills - Yep, I'm 29 years old and I watch The Hills. I don't know what it is about that show. It gets me every week. Maybe it's the whole Speidi thing. I don't really know.

2. The City - see above..lol. I really think this show has at least some substance compared to The Hills. At least Whitney seems to be doing something with her life. The show isn't just about love triangles and going out every night.

3. Little People Big World - I love this show. I used to watch it before when we had cable. I love the dynamics of their relationship. I'm still trying to figure out if they are still married..lol.

4. Beverly Hills Chef - this is on the Food Network. I love to cook. This shows has cooking plus the lifestyle of the rich and not famous.

5. Say Yes to the Dress - I don't plan on getting married. But, I love to look at the dresses. I sometimes want to get married so I can get a pretty dress. But then I snap back to reality and realize that a dress is not a reason to get married.

6. Four Weddings - Great idea. We all know that when we go to weddings, we totally nitpick what the bride did. This show has 4 brides attend weddings of each other. Then, they rate each wedding. The winner gets an awesome honeymoon. I love it!

7. Parenthood - Its shows like this that make me realize that I'm a 29 yr old parent. It's on NBC and reminds me of Brothers and Sisters, but with a focus on parenting. They show all angles of parenthood and what goes on. This is a new show and I hope it stays. It also makes up for the fact that I watch The Hills. :)

8. Brothers and Sisters - anyone watch the season finale?! Holy Moley!! I was a little tempted to finish out the season and not return. But the finale got me.

9. Pretty much anything on TLC or Food Network - espically any challenges that feature food. I love to cook and eat food. I also love to watch the talent that competes.

And last, but not least......

10. Glee! I've saw an episode or two when it first started. But, I think it was on Wed nights and I have class, so I couldn't get into it. After joining the blogger community I realize how popular it was. I also realized that it had moved to Tuesday nights. So I started watching to see what all the hype was about. I'm a Gleek!! I love music and love the fact that they did a Madonna show and Lady Gaga is up this week!

See more Tuesday Top 10s at Oh Amanda

Things I Love Thursday

2010-05-20T13:16:00.004-05:00

Jimmy Johns is my absolute favorite sub shop. We have a few different chains here, but JJs will be my first choice. I probably eat it once a week. In fact, I’m sitting here eating as I type this.
I’ve been bad because this is the second day in a row that I’ve eaten it. I feel like I have to make up for lost time. I hadn’t had JJs for over three weeks and I was having horrible withdrawals. Ok, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but I wanted it badly.
It was easy to curb my cravings. There was only one in town and it wasn’t convenient for me to go. The only I could go was for lunch during the week. Plus, that was only if I could convince someone to go because my lunch is only a half hour. But then they had to go and build one in my neighborhood. UGH…but YEAH!! To make matters worse, they had to go and put in a drive thru. It’s like they knew that I drive by it twice a day and that they could easily tempt me from afar. Darn you Jimmy Johns!!!
The only good thing is that my BF isn’t a fan like me or that their menu isn’t really toddler friendly. So, when we are looking for a family lunch, it’s not really a place we can go. So, I’m safe on the weekend.
Their bread is to die for! It’s a little chewier then the other chains, but that’s why I like it. The combinations are excellent. I get the #9, Italian Nightclub. I’m kind of wishing I didn’t just take the last bite….

Do you have a Jimmy Johns in your area? If you do, what is your favorite sub?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T09:54:00.002-05:00

Jack and I at the Tulip Festival. I really hate close up pictures of me. UGH

What I've learned

2010-05-18T09:21:00.000-05:00

I’ve learned a couple of new things lately. Mostly about my son Jack and I. For the past 8 weeks or so, we’ve been going to Kindermusik. One of the moms in play group is the instructor. The first couple of weeks were a bit rough. But, I thought it was because other than daycare, he had never been in any sort of class environment. Then he became friends with some older boys. Once he started sitting by them, he was doing really well. I was even considering putting him in a head start program we have here for 2 and 3 yr olds. But then it’s just gone downhill. I even brought his Dad with us hoping that it would help. Nope. It just made it worse. We had our last class last night and he did pretty well.
The whole time he was acting up, I was so worried about what the other parents thought of my son and my parenting. It took many weeks of me venting to my friend who was in the class. She told me not to worry about it. He’s only 2 ½ and he is doing well for his age. I couldn’t get past it. I thought for sure that he was the only kid acting up. I finally came to realize that he may be the only one acting up, but the parents were not staring me down like I had thought. Once I realized that, I was ok. I just wish it didn’t take me so long. I probably would have enjoyed the class much more. After taking a look around, I also realized that Jack may be the only one acting up because the majority of the class was full of 4 yr olds.
So, I learned that what I think is bad is not as bad as it seems. I also learned that I shouldn’t care what other parents think. I only see these people for 45 minutes every Monday. It’s actually liberating in a way. I feel like I don’t have to come off as the perfect parent and my son, who was acting good for his age, doesn’t have to be the perfect little boy.
The instructor is having two more classes this summer. I’m pretty tempted to enroll him again. Although he may not be completely ready for head start, I think having him in the environment of music class will lead him in the right direction.

Busy Busy

2010-05-17T12:58:00.002-05:00

Wow! I had a busy weekend! We got off work on Friday and headed about an hour north up here to visit family. We had a graduation Friday night. After that, we brought our son to Jeremy’s Mom’s so she could watch Jack. We went out with the BIL and some friends. It was nice to get out. Even if it was in a town with one bar and we were the only ones in there…lol.

Saturday we headed to Orange City, Iowa to the Tulip Festival. Orange City was founded by the Dutch and every year in May they have this festival. It’s really something. Most of the buildings look like Dutch buildings. There are tulips all over the place. There have been years when the tulips have already bloomed and died before the festival. So, they have actually imported tulips from Holland. I actually gained two pounds over the week. I’m blaming it on the Tulip Festival. I seem to get in the mode that since we are not at home, I need to drink soda at all times. Then I add in the authentic Dutch food and I’m screwed. Plain and simple.

I just have to get through this week and then I’m off all next week. I cannot wait! So much drama here at work lately and I need a break.

My First Giveaway: orglamix mineral makeup

2010-05-12T18:38:00.008-05:00

I was recently given the chance to review orglamix mineral make. Cheri, the creator, has a site on Etsy.com . I have sensitive skin with rosacea so, I'm always on the hunt for products that will cover the reddness but not bother my sking. Here is where orglamix mineral makeup comes in.

Orglamix’s products are formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, synthetic fragrances or dyes, petro-chemicals, or phthalates. To be honest, I don’t know what those chemicals are. But if I can’t pronounce them, I don’t want them on my face.

I was able to try three different products. Here's what I chose and what I thought.

Menthe - Pure Organic Mineral Perfecting Concealer
I was most excited to try this product. The product description states that it's perfect for covering blemishes and redness. So, I put this on my face using a brush. I put it on one side of my face to see the difference. I couldn't believe how much of the red it covered. I would even be tempted to wear this without foundation.

Makore Pure Organic Mineral Foundation
I put the foundation over the concealer. I loved that it gave great coverage. Normally after about an hour after putting foundation on, I start to itch. Not with the orglamix. I actually forgot that I add it on! That is what I look for. I also put it to the test by rubbing my hand over my cheek. Not a single smudge was on my hand. Another plus.

Sesame - Pure Organic Mineral Eye Color
Currently, she has 115 colors of eye shadow! It was really hard for me to choose. Colors range from everyday neutrals to fun going out colors. Plus, at $4.99 a piece, you can afford to try new looks. I chose the Sesame color because I wanted a fun color but something I could wear to work. It fit both of those categories. As I was applying, I noticed there were tiny bits of sparkle. Not enough to be overpowering, but just enough to make your eyes sparkle. I think the sparkles are my favorite part of the eye shadow. The shadow blends very nicely and stays put.

My overall opinion is that orglamix mineral makeup is awesome. The prices are great, she is very good at answering questions, the shipping was fast and most of all, she offers so many colors that it would be impossible to not find what you are looking for.

Now to the giveaway. She has agreed to offer 1 winner their choice of three products from the Pure Organic Mineral Eye, Blush, Glow,Foundation or Color Corrector formulas.

For one entry, please check out orglamix on Etsy and let me know what your favorite products are.

For extra entries ( 1 a pc) you can do the following:
Follow me through Google or subscribe to my feed.
"Like" orglamix's fan page on Facebook
Follow orglamix on Twitter

This giveaway will run until May 27th. I will chose a winner at random that evening.

Disclosure: This review was made possible by Mom Made That
The products were given to me to review. This review is based on my thoughts on the products.

2010-05-12T15:40:00.002-05:00

This week is Google Friend Connect Round Up!!
To participate:
Click on the button above and follow Smart and Trendy Mom's in the first spot via Google Friend Connect.

All blogs participating must post about Social Parade and link to that on the linky:)
Link-up your blog post for "It's a Social Parade" that you made on your blog.
Follow as many as you like commenting on their POST as you do so they can follow back!
If you do not make a post and link that up, it is unlikely that someone will search around for a post to comment on.
DO NOT LINK TO THIS POST UNLESS YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN SOCIAL PARADE-YOU MUST LINK TO YOUR POST ABOUT SOCIAL PARADE

What happened to my sweet baby boy?!

2010-05-12T09:47:00.001-05:00

My son is 2 ½. Up until now, I didn’t know anything about the terrible twos. I thought to myself, this isn’t so bad. Until now. All week, all two days of it, it’s been stressful. We have music class on Monday nights. If my friend comes with her older boys, Jack behaves really well. She wasn’t going to be there, so I had my boyfriend come. My thought was that maybe if his Dad came, he would get more into it. It was the exact opposite. I was to the point where I was bribing him with trips to Wal-Mart or Target. Once that didn’t work, I threatened to bedtime stories. That did nothing. So, I gave up. Come bedtime, he wanted his stories. I told myself that I had to follow through with what I tell him. Something I have not been good at. I ended up putting him to bed 4 times before he finally went to sleep. In those four times, there were tears and temper tantrums. They were coming from both him and I. UGH
Once we got home on Tuesday, it was like we never left. My BF had to run a couple of errands. Jack was crying for him the entire time and kept trying to grab the pot of boiling water off the stove. Every time I told him that he couldn’t have it, it was if the devil took over. He would bend at the knees and scream “NOOOOOO” in this super weird deep voice. I ended up putting him in his room until he was ready to be nice. Once the BF came home, he offered to take him outside for a few minutes to pick up the yard. Big mistake! When it was time to come in for supper, the devil returned and he ended up sitting in his room for a half hour before he would come out. Add in some slamming of doors and I thought he was 16 not 2. Later in the evening, he was the perfect child.
Fast forward to this morning. I woke him up to get ready for daycare. I’m not kidding when I say this. The very first word out of his mouth was, “Noooo”. Wow, he didn’t even give me a chance to make him mad. From then on, it was a fight to get him dressed and out the door. He yelled at me the entire drive to daycare. But, once we got in the door, he was the perfect child again. WHAT?! I’m beginning to think he doesn’t like me.
The worst part is that when I vent to coworkers about how I just want a day off from Motherhood or that Jack is being super naughty, we get home and he is the sweetest baby boy. I just feel horrible for even thinking the way I was.
Ok, I feel much better now. Thanks for listening.

Whoooo Hooooo!

2010-05-11T08:02:00.004-05:00

I am down 9 lbs! I just hope I don’t gain it back since I can eat regular foods now. But, seeing a 9 lb loss is definitely uplifting. I’ve been doing pretty good. Last night, I had a small piece of grilled pork shop and a corn muffin. But then I added some homemade honey butter. I’m sure that cancelled out any sort of goodness I was doing. However, I am proud of myself for not eating and eating.
For supper tonight, I’m making some sort of pasta. I haven’t quite decided. I think I’ll make some spaghetti and meatballs, my boyfriend’s favorite. I feel bad because I’ve been somewhat crabby with him the past few days. So, I’m hoping a nice wholesome dinner will make it up to him. One of the things I need to work on is being more understanding with him. I haven’t been doing a very good job. It doesn’t help that I’m still sore from surgery and now I have a nasty cold on top of it. But, it’s not his fault, so I really need to make up my crabbiness to him.
I’ve been gathering some new recipes to try in the coming weeks. I can’t wait to write about them. I also can’t wait to use my new Rachel Ray cookware. I’ve only used one pot so far. I’ve had them for almost a week.

What a great couple of days...NOT!

2010-05-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

Wow. When it rains it pours around here. So, I was feeling pretty good after my surgery. That was until I got my lovely Spring cold. It probably wouldn't be so bad, but I still can't clear my throat properly or blow my nose. Then add in a congested chest and a fever. Real nice. Tonight is the first night I've felt like doing something. I'm just waiting for the cold meds to kick in. I do hope I can stay up long enough to watch Betty White on SNL tonight. The kicker is that my paycheck was all screwed up. Long story short, boss turned in two wks of time cards for me since I was out on LOA. So, last week, I got paid an extra 24 hours. Payrol and I didn't know how that happened. We agreed that they would take 8 hrs a week out of check to pay it back. Thursday came and I didn't get paid. After figuring out what happened,I have a wonderful check for $17 and some change. :( So, I borrowed enough money to pay daycare and gas. After looking at the paystub, I think it should be for like $64. After calling payrol again, I have to wait until Monday so she can call corporate to figure it out. UGH....

Anyways, I could use some more Mommy advice. My 2 1/2 yr old will not eat supper. Unless it's pizza, hotdogs, mandarin oranges, or pineapple. I try and offer things we are eating but he want's nothing to do with them. Is it wrong to just not let him eat? I've been trying it, but I feel guilty. Usually an hour after supper, he want's something to eat. I've let him have some fruit but I've also put him to bed with no supper. Is that going to help him learn or am I doing something wrong?

I also want to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day!! Any big plans? We are going to my parents for lunch. I'm sure my Dad will grill up something yummy for all of us.

Time for some changes

2010-05-06T01:52:00.002-05:00

A couple of days ago, I posted about how I need to make time for me. I need to start putting effort into getting ready for the day and so on. After posting, I can't seem to stop thinking about it. I could def make some changes to my life and how I'm living it.

I started this blog to post new things I'm trying. I have been slacking because I had a tonsillectomy and have not felt like doing anything. I'm finally feeling like my old self again. Here are the changes I could make in my life:

1. I could lose some weight. Probably about 50 lbs or more. I think losing weight is the key to my feeling better. I just don't feel good about who I am and what I've become.

2. I need to start cooking again for my family. Since I've not been feeling well, the past year, I've really started to slack in the cooking department. It frustrates me because I love to cook. I recently ordered Rachel Ray's Anodized cookware set so this should give me some motivation...LOL.

3. I need to start doing more things with Jack. I know I'm a good mother, but I could be better. We play together and have a great time. I really think I should be working with him on the basics and doing more crafty things. He's 2 1/2 so this is the perfect time.

4. My boyfriend and I have been together for almost eight years. We have been through a lot in that time. Some of it pretty bad. Sometimes I feel like we have lost that spark. I know that I could change some things. For example, I could show more affection and be more understanding.

5. The hardest thing of all is that I need to quit smoking. It's such a horrible thing to do. I want to quit, but I just haven't been able to do it. I hate smoking and I hate what it's doing to me.

So to sum it all up, I need to start taking care of business. At this moment, I think I need to take care of me before I can concentrate on anything else. So, I go back to work on Friday. Let's just hope I can make myself get up early enough to put the much needed effort into me.

2010-05-06T01:04:00.001-05:00

Testing the mobile Blogger I just set up.

Going Retro with Wordless Wednesdays

2010-05-05T14:08:00.003-05:00

The laptop I normally use is done. So, I'm using an old one.I don't want to upload new photos, so I decided to use on from about 2 1/2 yrs ago. This is my son the day he was born.

Be sure to check out more Wordless Wednesdays at 5 Minutes For Mom!

RSS Feed

Is a 2 1/2 yr old ready for a chore chart?

2010-05-03T13:54:00.002-05:00

Jack is 2 1/2 yrs old. I'm really interested in starting a chore chart or something similiar. We are having a hard time getting him to pick up his toys. At daycare, there is no issue. I think some of it has to do with the fact that if you don't pick up or eat their lunch, they don't get a sticker at the end of the day. Jack gets upset when he doesn't get his sticker. It only took a couple of days of this and now there are hardly any issues.
As far as potty training goes, I am considering using the same method. He bought a potty chair a few months ago. He was so excited and used it the first day. He hasn't gone potty in it since. I can get him to sit, but he won't do anything. Do you think he's just too young? His ped told me to wait until he was 3. So, I'm not forcing it on him, but I would sure love to try and start training.

Do you think a 2 1/2 yr old would really get anything for a chore chart or a potty chart?

Saturday Stumbles

2010-04-30T22:53:00.003-05:00

Since I've been home this week with no responsibilities, I've had a ton of time to look for new blogs. I found lots. One that stood out to me was Makeover Momma.

I've always loved reading about beauty products. One of my favorite magazines is Lucky which is about shopping for clothes and beauty products. Since I've had some time to think, I've decided that I need to start putting some effort into me.
I've had a pretty craptacular year. I've had throat issues to the point where I haven't felt good in months. If I felt good, I was just too tired from not sleeping the night before. So, I would roll out of bed, put my hair in a ponytail and head to work.
I'm hoping that having my tonsills out will help me feel better eventually. I've saved Makeover Momma for the time when I have the energy to actually do something with myself. I haven't looked through the entire blog, there is tons of information, but what I did see I enjoyed. Alot. I owe myself the chance to feel good about me. I have a strong feeling that this site will be there for me when I need it. I think that could be a whole other post...lol.
Overall, it's given me the jumpstart that I've been looking for and I can't wait to get started.

Check out more Saturday Stumbles at It's Come 2 This.

My Baby Comes Home Today!

2010-04-30T13:37:00.002-05:00

I'm super excited. When my boyfriend gets home from work, we are going to get our son! He's been staying at my sister's house at night. She's been taking him to my Mom's daycare during the day while she works.
It's been a week of mixed emotions. While I've missed him sooo much, I've kindof enjoyed this week. Is that bad of me? I know he's in good hands and my sister has been giving me little updates. It was def. nice to do what I wanted during the day. Well, not exactly what I wanted since I can't drive..LOL. As the afternoon goes on, I'm getting so pumped to go and pick him up. I just wish I wasn't on pain meds right now otherwise I would go and get him this instance.
I'm still off of work most of next week. So, I'm going to use that time to make up for the lost time with Jack.
My sister did tell me this today. As she was packing his bags last night, he asked her if he was going home. She told him that Mommy would come get him tomorrow night and that Mommy was feeling all better. Then, my sweet little baby boy says, "I love her." AAAAWWWWEEEE. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. I was so worried that he would forget me. But he hasn't. Only like 3 more hours til I can see him!!!!

Things I Love Thursdays

2010-04-29T09:11:00.003-05:00

Today, I'm loving old keyboards.
My laptop recently got a virus. So, after spending all night last night trying to fix it, I've given up. I tried to reinstall Vista like I've done in the past. Well, it worked, but it's so basic that I can't even get online.
That brings me to an old laptop. The laptop works great, but all the buttons are torn off thanks to my toddler.
So, I took an old keyboard from my desktop that recently took a dump. Now, I'm able to post and actually get things done online! I'm so happy that for one I did listen to my boyfriend and not get rid of something that is broken. I could write a whole other post on that though.

Visit The Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursdays.

AAAAHHHHH

2010-04-29T00:30:00.002-05:00

My other laptop has a major virus. I'm currently typing on one that is missing half the buttons thanks to my toddler....lol. hopefully i can get things fixed soon. Might be awhile before I post again. Wish me luck!!!!

Tackle It Tuesday: Tonsillectomy

2010-04-26T23:37:00.003-05:00

On April 23rd, I had a tonsillectomy. I'm actually not doing to bad. Or at least that's what I think before the drugs wear off...LOL.
The weirdest part is that I have nothing to do. I don't remember the last time I had no work or no child to take care of. I'm off work for two weeks and my sister has Jack. I slept until 9:30 this morning and was back in bed by noon.

Luckily, I have a large circle of support. First, there are my parents. My Dad picked me up from the surgery center and brought me to their home for the weekend. It was like I was 9 yrs old and sick. It was one of the best feelings. They were always checking on me and asking if I needed anything. It was just really nice to have that again, esp since I've been out of the house for 10 years.
Then there is my sister. She has Jack and will have him until Friday. The minute I told her about the surgery, she offered to take him. I didn't even have to think about what I was going to do. She already has 3 kids of her own who are 5 and under....bless her.
There is also my boyfriend. He was home with our son alone for the entire weekend for the first time, EVER. I have to admit, I was a little worried about how things would go down. But, everytime I got a report, they were having lots of fun and everything was good.
Finally, there is Jessica. She took me to the surgery center bright and early. This is after one of her children were up all night. Then today, she stopped by the pharmacy to pick up the rest of my meds even though she had a sick little boy in the car. She didn't even think twice about it.

So, overall it hasn't been to horrible. But I've heard the worst is to come. I'm not missing food all that much and maybe I will get the hang of this whole doing nothing thing.

See more Tackle It Tuesdays at 5 Minutes For Mom

Today is the big day!

2010-04-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

In about 15 minutes, I'm leaving to get my tonsils out. I'm not worried about the surgery or the needles. But, I am worried about the after. I do not handle pain very easily. Ok, I don't handle it well at all. Thankfully, I will be at my parents house for the weekend. That will help tons.
So, I won't be posting anything for a few days. So, here I go off to surgery land!

See ya!

5 Minutes for Mom Mother's Day Giveaway 2010!!

2010-04-22T12:34:00.002-05:00

5 Minutes for Mom's Mother's Day Giveaway kicks off today, April 22nd and ends on May 4th with winners announced of May 5th. Please check out their site for more details on how to enter to win. After checking out the sneak peak, I wouldn't want to miss this one!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T09:23:00.002-05:00

Nothing say’s boy like playing in the dirt.

See more Wordless Wednesdays at 5 Minutes For Mom

Top Ten Tuesdays: Best parts of getting my tonsils out

2010-04-20T12:42:00.001-05:00

Trying to find the good side of having my tonsils out

1. I get to be gone from work for 2 weeks.
Not exactly a vacation, but I will be home and I can sleep in.

2. Sleep and more sleep
Sounds like I will be sleeping a lot, at least the first week

3. Possible weight loss?
It’s been said that I could lose between 5 and 15 lbs. I’m shooting for the 15lbs

4. No class
I’ll get to miss a week of class. Not like I’ll suffer, she doesn’t teach us anything anyways.

5. My parents
I’ll be staying at my parent’s house the first couple of days. I’m 29 years old, but still want my Mommy and Daddy when I’m sick.

6. My sister
My sister will take Jack for me the first week. She will bring him to my parents during the day because my Mom does daycare. I’m so thankful that she volunteered to take him before I even had to think about it. Apparently, Jack keeps her 3 kids busy so she is welcome to the idea.

7. No more strep….hopefully
I’ve had strep 4 times in a year. I made it 28 yrs with no throat problems. I got strep the first time shortly after my 28th birthday and had it 4 times by the time I was 29.

8. No more snoring…..again, hopefully
Ever since I was pregnant, I’ve snored. I snore so badly that I wake myself up and my boyfriend can’t sleep in the same room. It’s been a pretty lonely couple of years.

9. Snacks galore!
Sounds like if I want to eat, I will only be able to have soft foods. I’m thinking pudding, jello, some popcicles. I guess I can have ice cream, but might not be the best idea.

10. I pray that the choking will stop
Lately, it’s been hard for me to swallow my food without forcing my throat to swallow. Also, if I don’t prop myself up at night, I end up choking on my spit and coughing for like 10 minutes. Needless to say, I have not been getting great sleep for a few months.

See more Tuesday Top 10s at Oh Amanda

Busy Weekend

2010-04-19T12:36:00.002-05:00

What a busy weekend for Jack and I! Saturday morning at 7:30 we went to my sister’s to babysit for her. The kids played outside all morning. It was such a perfect day for playing. I’m happy that it worked out. Since we live in an apartment, we can’t have all the outdoor toys that I’d love to have. My sister does. It’s about a 20 minute drive from my sisters to my house, so Jack fell asleep on the way home. Do you think he would finish his nap once I laid him down? Nope, sure wouldn’t. But, he was in a good mood so I wasn’t too worried about not having a nap.
Saturday evening, we took Jack to the circus for the first time. I felt like a newbie because I hadn’t gone in about 20 yrs. Jack fell asleep after the intermission but overall, he really enjoyed himself.
On Sunday, we walked in support of my good friend Jessica and her family in the Autism walk. It was the perfect day for a walk and time with friends. We didn’t get home until about 4:30. Jack decided that he wanted a nap at 5pm. UGH. I was kind of hoping he’d be out for the night and not wake up at 8pm ready to play. But, he woke up at 7:30. I fed him some supper and gave him a bath. He was back in bed by 9pm and so was I.

Saturday Stumbles

2010-04-16T21:37:00.002-05:00

I'm going to join this one early. I have quite an busy day. Jack and I are going to my sister's so I can babysit and so he can play with his cousins. We will be on the road by 7:30! After, it's hopefully naptime so I can get things done before my surgery on Friday. Then, it's off to the circus. Maybe I will run away with them....

I only have one post that I stumbed on, but only bc I just started...LOL

Stumble Upon @ Amy's Finer Things

I know. I know...not a real creative with this post. But, if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't know Stumble Upon exists! So, hopefully next week, I can have a better post!

UBP - The after party

2010-04-16T20:37:00.003-05:00

I have the UBP to thank for recent blog. I actually started it before I found out, but the UBP def kept me posting. After following tweets and reading comments that people left, I just couldn't believe how friendly everyone is. Also, finding all these new blogs really gives me something to strive for. There are some excellent blogs and I can only hope that one day, mine will reach that level of excellence. Thanks everyone for a great time. I sure hope that anyone who visited will come back once in a while and check me out. My blog that is!
Here are three of the blogs I found. What great work!

Misplaced Midwesterner
This is a great blog!Her writing just flows nicely and is interesting to read.

Live Laugh Love and Bloggings
I def have to post this one because she was my first and only follower. I met her through the twitter party the other night. She had nothing but nice and helpful things to say.

Couponing to be Debt Free
Who doesn't like couponing? I started couponing a few months back. I'm always looking for new blogs to read.

Friday Food Day

2010-04-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

Today is birthday food day here at work. Every third Friday, we celebrate all the birthdays in the current month. Our entire floor participates. Sometimes we don’t get a very good showing of food. But today is probably the best we’ve had in a long time. Unfortunately, I see right in front of my department’s cabinents with the food. By 8am this morning, I had tastes of 2 breakfast casseroles, some Asian beef, 2 authentic egg rolls, some smoke pork and some cake. WOW! Needless to say I didn’t have to eat lunch today, maybe not even supper. Food day is kind of interesting. It brings over the people in other departments that you don’t normally see and it’s pretty much a madhouse from 7:30 to 8:00. Who knew people could get so excited about food? But the food is good and there is always such a wide variety.
I made a breakfast casserole that is to die for. I will post the recipe later. It’s a hit around my family and department. It’s what is requested I bring. The best part is that it’s so popular, that by 9am, it’s gone and I can put it away and be done. It’s pretty much requested that I bring this meal every month!

For more finer things, check out The Finer Things in Life

Things I Love Thursday

2010-04-15T13:02:00.002-05:00

The thing that I love today is an old CD that I happen to stumble across over the weekend. It’s Janet Jacksons “Janet”. I believe it came out in 1993. I was in middle school then. I have always been a Janet Jackson fan. I remember watching her earliest videos on MTV with my Mom. So, I stumbled across this, among others that I’m too embarrassed to list, and I couldn’t have been happier. I popped it right into the CD player and got my groove on while I finished my cleaning. The music alone is great. But, I think that it makes me happy because it brings me back to when things were easy. No job, no bills, no problems at all. As soon as I saw the cover, I instantly thought of the time in homeroom that Mandy started doing the dance from the IF video. Mandy was a fantastic dancer and I was jealous because she had the dance down to a T.

But, I listened to it after I dropped my son off at daycare, I don’t dare listen to it in front of him. By the time I was down the road, I was well on my way to being pumped up to go to work on such a rainy day. That’s why I love this CD.

Post linked to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries

One of those Moms

2010-04-14T11:57:00.002-05:00

I’ve become the Mom that I never thought I would be.
Before having my son, I swore up and down that I wouldn’t be come “one of those Moms”. My idea of those moms were the ones who joined playgroups, constantly listened to children’s music in the car, enrolled their toddlers in extracurricular activities, and do arts and crafts.

But, I have become one of them and I couldn’t be happier. I work outside the home, but I still joined a playgroup. I think it’s the best thing I’ve done in a long time. We can only make the late afternoon and weekend playdates. But, the friendships that I’ve made are the best. After having my son, I struggled with keeping relationships with my non-mommy friends. Some didn’t understand that I couldn’t go out at the drop of a hat. Or we didn’t have the same issues anymore. Meeting fellow moms in the playgroup has helped me in a huge way. I now have friends that I can relate to about everything from raising my son to balancing work and Mommyhood. Plus, my son gets to do activities that I never would have thought to do.

My son and I have recently joined Kinder Musik. Again, I’m so glad that I got over the thought that a 2 yr old doesn’t need that. He gets so excited every Monday after daycare to go and doesn’t stop talking about it until we get there. Sometimes he’s not the perfect student, but I know that he is getting so much more out of it then I could offer him. That leads me to listening to children’s music in the car. A day doesn’t go by that we don’t listen to the CDs that are from Kinder Musik. He lets me listen to my station for about 2 seconds and then he asks, “Music class please Mom?” He asks so nicely, how can I not let him?

I’ve never been a crafty person. Art class was awful for me. But, with the help of a fellow playgroup Mom, I’ve become an avid scrapper. My pages aren’t the best, but I know that my son will have the memories of holidays and special events for when he grows up. I’ve also grown to like searching for child crafts online. My art will never win awards, but my son likes them and that’s all I care about.

Top Ten Things I love about my 2 ½ yr old

2010-04-13T11:44:00.003-05:00

1. I love that he tells me about his day.
He tells me about what they had for lunch, who was sick that day and so forth. I have to probe him for answers but it’s wells worth it.

2. I love that he repeats every last word of every sentence.
I just hope I don’t say anything bad and that he will repeat it.

3. I love that when we drive past McDonalds he says, “Mommy coffee?”
We stop every morning on the way to daycare to get my sugar free vanilla iced coffee. Not only does he know that’s where we get it, but he also repeats my order as we drive to the window to pay.
4. I love that he loves his puppy.
I have a 4 yr old Bichon Frise named Bentley. Bentley hasn’t always been a fan of Jack, but Jack doesn’t care. Just the other day we took Bentley to the Vet. He was crying the entire time and Jack kept petting him and telling him that it’s alright. Which brings me to #5….

5. I love that he’s the sweetest boy ever.
He’s been going to daycare for about 2 yrs now. Whenever I see the other Moms there, they always tell me what a sweet little boy I have and the is just adorable. My sister even says that he reminds her of Curious George….but in a good way…LOL

6. I love that he points out everything he sees while we are driving.
Not a day goes by that he doesn’t point out the puppies, car, hills, bridges….etc. Sometimes I can’t keep up with all the words he’s saying.

7. I love that he gets so excited when he makes something.
Whether it’s a house of Legos or a painting on the easel. When’s done with his masterpiece I hear, “Mom! I make it!!!”

8. I love that he wants hugs and kisses from both me and his Dad.
Hugs and kisses were something I had to beg for. Now, he won’t let me close his door at night until we have about 8 kisses and hugs. He also wants his Dad to kiss and hug all his animals in the bed.

9. I love that he loves playing with the big boys outside.
We live in an apartment complex. There are a couple of boys that are in elementary school. They play so nice with Jack and Jack loves to play with them. Sometimes he just runs after them and sometimes he plays with them. Either way, I love seeing him interacting with other kids.

10. I love that he’s polite.
Sure, I have to remind me to say please when he wants something. But once I remind him, he says it right away and so nicely. He’s very good about saying thank you and bless you when someone sneezes. He even tells the puppy bless you after he sneezes.

For more Top Ten Tuesday visit at OhAmanda

NEW Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cups

2010-04-12T21:02:00.002-05:00

I must say that I was not paid in any way to do review for these Skinny Cow cups. But, they wouldn't have to pay me to eat them either. LOL. I bought these for the first time. Right now, I'm eating the Dulce de Leche. It is soooo good! I love my ice cream,I grew up in the Ice Cream Capital of the World for petes sake! The flavor is wonderful and I don't feel as guilty for eating it because the entire 5.8 oz cup is only 150 calories! You can't beat the combination of great flavor and low calories! Now,I just have to figure out what I'm going to do so I don't eat all three of them tonight.....

The Ultimate Blog Party 2010

2010-04-12T12:42:00.003-05:00

I've been checking out all these blogs. Holy cow there are tons. I just hope that someday my blog will be up to par with these.

Krazy This Week | The Krazy Coupon Lady

2010-04-11T20:04:00.000-05:00

Krazy This Week The Krazy Coupon Lady

I just have to say that I love this site and everything about it. I seriously check it at least 4 times a day or even more. I'd say that this is the site that got me started on couponing. Without it, I would have the attitude that the coupons aren't worth anything and they would never get cut.

Weekend Shopping Trips

2010-04-11T18:46:00.002-05:00

I think I had a pretty decent weekend of savings. Saturday I went to Walgreens and HyVee.

This is what I got at Walgreens:
2 John Frieda Products @ $5.99
1 John Frieda @ $3.02 (They were on sale 3/$15)
2 Pampers Wipes @ $2.00
M&Ms @ .69

Total: $19.69
Coupons: - 9.50
Grand Total: 10.19 + tax
Then I got a $5 RR to use next time. So, with that, it's like I paid $5.19 for all 6 items. That is like pay .87 a piece!

Then I went to HyVee bc they were having a Red Hot Sale.
I bought 9 Hamburger Helpers @ .80 pc = $7.20
I also had coupons: - 2.75
Grand Total: $4.45
It's like I only paid .49 per box! Nine boxes will last us for quite awhile.

Today, I went to Target to get the $5 gift card for buying two boxes of Huggies. Heres what I did:
Scrubbing Bubbles Extended Clean @ $7.99
4 Velveeta Mac cups @ 3.20
2 Manwich @ 1.92
2 Huggies @ 39.58

Total: $52.69

Coupons: $15.10
Grand Total: $37.59

Then I had $20 in gift cards from other transactions. So with the gift cards, I only paid $17.59 for everything. To me that's insane bc now I have 140 diapers for the price of one box. Or if I break it down, I paid $2.19 per item!

Blissfully Domestic

2010-04-10T00:11:00.000-05:00

Blissfully Domestic

Hello there everyone!

2010-04-09T23:35:00.002-05:00

Well, this is my first blog post ever. I started this blog because I want to try new things. I feel if I have a blog to write about these new things, maybe I will be more apt to follow through with them. A little about me. I am 29 years old and live in the Midwest. My boyfriend and I have been together for over seven years. We have a two year old son together. We also have a Bichon together. I'm currently working out of the home and a full-time student. My life can be hectic at times. But, I feel if I can get things under control, I will be alright.
I've become very interested in couponing lately. I'm not a pro by any means, but I would like to get there some day. I will also be starting some freezer cooking adventures. One of the main things I want to do is become more frugal with my money. I'm not horrible now, but I know I could be better.
That's all for now. I'm off to figure out this whole bloggin thing!!