Maybe you have children who eat incredibly well and you don’t have to worry about said children getting their requirement of fruits and vegetables. If that is you, you might not need this post. Me? I have one that eats like a human garbage can and two that struggle to put anything that is not covered in chocolate or salt in their mouths. Fruit seems to be a hard one for me with them. I also fall into the trap of prepackaged fruit snacks all the time for their lunchs. While they do say each serving has 100% vitamin C, it is also packed with sugar! A friend recently reminded me about fruit leather when I saw her daughter (about 18 months) eating it. I have always loved fruit leather but I never thought of giving it to my children. Check out Stretch Island Fruit Company for details about flavors (you can even order it on their site). They have tons of flavors and the best part is that is is natural and is 1/2 serving of fruit. I tried it on the kids this week and they love it! If you can’t find it at your store right away, be sure to check the organic section. That is where I found ours. Hey, it works for me!
October 31, 2007
October 30, 2007
Words around here
Mary has a great little thing every Tuesday called Tiny Talk Tuesday. It is a wonderful way to record those all too precious or cute sayings from your children before you forget them. Unless of course you are that uber perfect mom who remembers everything! If you are, my hat is off to you because I am not. This week’s funny comment came from Isaiah (5 years). He is learning to read and sound out his words. He had read this one word several times already in a book but towards the last page, he simply looked at it and decided to sound it out. While sounding it out. my hubby tried to explain that he had already read it and he really did know it. Without hesitation, Isaiah looked right at his dad and said “Daddy, my brain just doesn’t recirculate at every time I say a word!”
It’s that time again! *updated with winner!*
Thanks to random.org I was able to randomly select a winner! Thanks to all who stopped by and visited and I hope you will come back often! The winner of this giveaway is Angie!
It is the Fall Y’all Giveaway hosted by Bloggy Giveaways! Even though I live in the South, I rarely use to word ‘y’all’. Won’t all my neighbors be so proud! Be sure to click here for a HUGE list of other bloggers just giving away stuff! Last times giveaway was a wonderful success and I ‘met’ so many other bloggers raising boys just like me. This time, I figure who wouldn’t love a little chocolate? I know I love the idea of stealing a few moments to myself and sneaking in a couple bites. Interested?
I thought so! I have included a few of my favorite chocolates and I hope you will like them too! There is one box of Cappucino Stix from Nestle, one box of Hershey’s Extra Dark Tasting Squares and one bar of Endangered Species Organic Dark Chocolate. To enter, leave a comment and tell me what you favorite kind of ‘treat’ is.
This contest is open to US mailing addresses only but anyone can enter…even if you don’t have a blog. Just leave your email address in the comment field when you enter so I can get in touch with you. I will leave the comments open until 11pm on November 1, 2007 CST. I will draw the winner at random on November 2.
October 29, 2007
His view
I had the chance this last Sunday to sing in a choir at church. There were 12 of us in the choir. It was fabulous for so many reasons. One of the reasons was that I was able to do something I have wanted to do for years, sing. It has been since before I got married that I have done any type of public singing. I love to sing, I love to read lyrics and listen for the background vocals. I also love worship. For me, worship is a time when I an intimately connect with God. I often find myself in awe of God, His presence and His grace (among other things) that bring me to tears. This past Sunday the choir did a song called ‘Take My Life’. It is the traditional hymn with a twist. The chorus says ‘Here am I, all of me, take my life, it’s all for Thee’. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I would make it through the song on Sunday without bursting into tears. Just rehearsing it all week made me cry. Sunday came and I sang it without a tear but that isn’t what stuck most with me. What stuck was the view from the stage. All the lights were off in the auditorium but the stage lights were on. All I could see was the silhouettes of the congregation. And they were worshipping. Some of the hands were raised, some not. Some moving, some still. But together were a couple hundred people worshiping God. Singing Here am I, all of me. It is an amazing thing to see worship unfold before my eyes. During those verses, there was one focus: God. Everything in life, all the schedules, conflicts, fears, doubts faded away. I didn’t see one person, I saw a multitude of people praising their Lord and Savior. And it made me realize, if in a tiny portion, what God must see as we all worship Him. Because really, it isn’t about the music, the worship leader, the choir or the band. It isn’t about our ideas, thoughts, schedules, hurts or grudges. It is about our God, praising Him regardless of the day, regardless of our neighbor, regardless. And it is a feeling I hope I keep always.
October 24, 2007
Well, if it were that easy
I recently saw this ‘quiz’ and I decided it would be worth the few minutes to see the results. I actually love Reese Witherspoon so I at first I thought this was fitting. Read on to see what they say and then my thoughts!
Who’s Your Hollywood Mom Match?
My Result: Reese Witherspoon
Being a parent has never looked so classy! Understated and always tasteful, someone as timelessly chic as you isn’t easy to come by. So it makes sense that your Hollywood mom match would be the super-sweet and ever-elegant Reese Witherspoon. Sure, you still deal with spit up and changing diapers: The difference is that you manage to look good even when handling the basics of momhood. And beyond your poise and appearances you still shine with the knowledge that no matter what, family comes first and if you don’t have family you don’t have much.
Somehow, with a million things to juggle, you always make it look effortless. So even if you’re not from Hollywood, you can sure play the part. Now that’s a class act!
Seriously – there is no effortless going on here. I can guarantee you that my friends now that. It would be nice to think that my life looked so put together but the reality is I work on it often. One thing was right on, fmaily does come first and without family I don’t have much. I value my time with not just my husband and my boys but with my extended family as well. I am often called the social secretary by my grandmother because I plan all of the fmaily events. I just like the opportunity to visit. So what Hollywood mom are you?
October 20, 2007
Saturday Savings
Anyone that knows me well, knows we live on a budget. When we first were married it was out of necessity. Now it is just the way our house runs. We try to save as much as possible and live off of only what we need. By doing that, I am ALWAYS on the hunt for good bargains. I am trying something new this week. I am going to show you one of the bargains from my week. I am not sure how often I will do this, as taking a picture of the items with children running around doesn’t always work! For more great bargains, head over to Money Saving Mom!
And would you believe I did not pay a thing for any of this? I had to refill my prescription this week. I normally do this at Target but Kmart had a coupon in their ad that you would get a free $10.00 gift card with a new prescription. I decided to make that $10 go as far as I could. Here is the breakdown.
Sunsilk Shampoo (plus free trial of conditioner and 24/7 creme): $2.99 – $2 coupon = $.99
Sunsilk 24/7 Creme (plus free trial of shampoo and conditioner):$2.99 – $2 coupon = $.99
Reese’s Cups: Sale for $1.88 each (reg. $2.69 each) = $3.76 – $1/2 coupon = $2.76
Popcorn: Sale for $1.25 each (reg. $2.19 each) = $2.50 – $0.60 coupon and $0.40 coupon = $1.50
Occasion Cards: $0.99 each = $3.96 – $1/2, $1/2, $1/1 = $0.96
Total before coupons and sales = $14.68 plus tax
Total after sales and coupons = $7.20 plus tax
I saved over 50% with the sales and coupons but since I had that free $10 gift card I did not pay more than I would have paid to have the prescription…and I still have a little left on my card for another trip!
October 15, 2007
Menu Plan Monday
Things have been really crazy over the last month as we went on vacation and hubby has been traveling. As you can imagine, the menu plan went down the drain. I am actually relieved to be able to create a plan for the entire week!
Monday: Baked Tilapia Filets(olive oil, butter, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, parsely and parmesan cheese)
Tuesday: Breakfast (pancakes, eggs, bacon)
Wednesday: Chicken Bow Tie Pasta
Thursday: Homemade Pizza
Friday: Steak Stir Fry
Saturday: Sandwich and soup for lunch and Spicy Fried Chicken for dinner
Sunday: Tacos for lunch and something super simple for dinner because we will have our small group that evening
I am looking forward to getting my kitchen up an running this week! For more great meal ideas, check our Laura’s site!
October 9, 2007
The Mom Song
A friend of mine emailed this to me today. I laughed out loud. I hope you will enjoy it too! Click on the link below for a great 3 minute video.
October 3, 2007
Need a new theme?
There is a great contest happening over at WordPress Reworked. If you are in need (or maybe just want) a new theme, check it out here. Hurry though, comments are only open for a few more hours.
WFMW – Backwards Day
Todays Work for Me Wednesday is backwards. Instead of my giving you an idea, I am asking for your help. I hope you have some great ideas as I am looking forward to reading them all!
One of my least favorite activities is to clean the bathroom…especially the hall bath which is the bathroom for the boys and guests. The problem is finding the time to clean it without the kids in tow. While it is nice to have the children’s help, I am just not comfortable letting the 5 or 3 year old help with the cleaners. So my question for today is how to you clean the bathroom effectively and quickly…or as quick as you can. I also want to know how you keep it all organized. Let me know your thoughts!
Have more great ideas? Check our Shannon’s site to see if you can help someone else!
