I Feel Great and the Power of Positive Thinking

When I was in high school, my biology class went on a field trip. I am not still 100% sure the point of the field trip even now. I loved my biology teacher Mrs. Newman. She was an awesome teacher and I loved that class. We piled in a school bus and went to an educational building and started the workshop. I am sure you are thinking a biology field trip means looking at lab samples and learning under a microscope. This was not the case. I don’t remember the entire field trip but I do remember building things with gum drops and the speaker.

The speaker was a motivational speaker that taught us one phrase. “I feel great”. Those words mean a lot to me even now. He basically told us no matter how we are feeling when someone asks you are supposed to respond “I feel great.” If you tell others you feel great, it will make others feel good and if you keep telling yourself that you will start to feel great. It is the power of positive thinking. I will admit when I was a sophomore in high school I thought that it was kinda weird.

I mean we even got key chains shaped like a number 1 and that said I feel great as a reminder to feel great. Now being an adult I get it. You are how you feel. Only you can decide who you are and how you feel. If you feel good about yourself you will be more positive but if you are negative you will focus on negativity. It is pretty much common sense that I forget about on occasion. I am really hard on myself a lot of the time. I need to stop and remember I feel great because I am great. I know it is easier said than done but I need to try harder to feel great and through osmosis, others will feel great and I will too.

Do you have any tips or stories about positive thinking?

I'm Getting Contacts!

I have been wearing glasses since I was in 5th grade to see the board. I hated wearing glasses and didn’t wear them for about 5 years when I was in school. When I was an adult I decided it was important that I should wear them. I really had trouble watching TV and reading signs, so it was time I did something. I knew my vision wasn’t perfect. I wear glasses most of the time, I feel like I can’t really see without them. I can see just not far away too well. I recently decided that I want to get contact lenses. I have gorgeous eyes and my glasses hide them. I also think I look kind of weird in glasses. I am really excited about getting contacts although touching my eye is a little nerve racking for me. The eye doctor will make sure I know how to put them in and take them out a couple times before they send me on my way. I know quite a few people that wear contacts and have had them for years. It doesn’t look that hard to do. It might take some practice. Thankfully, I am not squeamish about touching my eye. I am looking forward to not having to wear glasses all the time. I am always afraid something will happen to my glasses. I also have an indentation on the bridge of my nose from them. I hate having the indentation on my nose because it looks weird. I occasionally fall asleep wearing my glasses which results in me laying on them or my glasses poking me. I think contacts would be the best solution.

Do you wear contacts? Do you have an Astigmatism? How long do yours last? I know there are daily ones, weekly ones. Any tips or tricks for me after I get them? I look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions!

BOB Books Giveaway

The first time I heard about BOB Books was when I was with my old best friend and we at the open house for the little preschool program for her son which was in our high school. She asked our former teacher about books for her son that he could use to begin to learn to read. I was listening to the conversation, while tending to a 6 month old Noah. I remember that she said they were kind of like Dick and Jane books. I made a mental note and filed it away.

I had the opportunity to check out some BOB Books. From the #1 bestselling learn-to-read program come two brand-new sets focused on learning and practicing Sight Words..Sight Words are words that are recognized by sight rather than sounded out, in order to achieve reading fluency. They are the most frequently used words in the English language, and are often unable to be read phonetically (“was”, “are”, and “out” are examples). Bob Books Sight Words feature the top Sight Words in two sets – one for kindergarten and one for first grade – in order to allow parents and children to read, learn, and practice easily and enjoyably. Each Sight Words box includes 10 original books, 30 flashcards, and a parent guide.

I am a parent who is always teaching my child something, even if it is just life skills or how to have manners. I believe there are so many moments to learn things in daily life. I remember that I taught my four year old neighbor how to read when I was younger. I just think that maybe she looked at the picture now. Who knows really.

BOB Books are really cool because they come in a box for easy storage, short books that are not too big or small for a child’s hands. They come in different lessons for different aged kids or grades. I definitely think Noah will be a BOB Books kid. He loves to look at the pictures even at age three. He is all about wanting to read books himself. I encourage him to try. There is no right or wrong, because sometimes the story will change depending on who is telling it.

For more information Please visit The BOB Books website.

Thank you to Scholastic and BOB Books for providing me with a couple samples of BOB Books and providing the giveaway prizes.

I have a giveaway for you:

Two lucky winners will each win
A Bob Books lunchbox
Copy of Bob Books Sight Words: Kindergarten
Copy of Bob Books Sight Words: First Grade

Mandatory Entry:
Why would you want to win this giveaway and who will be enjoying BOB Books

You must do the mandatory entry for any bonus entries to count.

Extra Entries:

Subscribe to my blog via email

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Follow @sheilacakes7 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway and include a link to this post. This can be done once a day.

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This giveaway will end on September 4, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST.

The giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only – international readers can enter if they have a friend in the U.S. who can accept their prize.

Here is What Has to Happen

This is part of three of What Happened to Me and Here’s What Happened be sure to catch up if you haven’t already.

So, what am I like now? I am very shy and quiet. I overanalyze EVERYTHING. Just ask Brandy, I drive her crazy I am sure dissecting everything down to the etymology of the word, maybe not that far, but close. I hate being this way. I don’t really smile much. I do when I am with my son, since I am a stay at home mom you would think that would mean always. I want to smile for other reasons though, not just because my son is being goofy or cute. I want to be back to who I was, who I am. I want to really bad.

Now, I have to figure out what I need to do. I need to let go. I am great at forgiving someone but not so great at forgetting and really forgiving myself. I am not sure why that is really. I have always had an excellent memory and I remember almost everything. I guess it goes back to being too hard on myself. I guess. I am way too hard on myself. I don’t know why. I just am. I guess I need to let myself go a little. Let my hair down and quit being a worrywart. I need to loosen up some and understand that it is ok to mess up and not know what is going to happen, or what might happen if this happens that would probably not happen. Worrying is hard work. If I spent less time worrying about silly stuff life would be so much better.

I was thinking while I was checking on my roasted pork I am cooking, that I am scared to post these posts because what if people think I am crazy. What if they don’t like me anymore? I stopped myself and was like who cares. What if…. What if….. Martians floated down in bubbles and stole our grass. I can’t worry about everything. It really is getting hard and taking a toll on my life. I need to leave the worrying to others or just not worry as much as I do. I worry about my friends and family too constantly. I worry about every little thing I can.

I am compulsive worrier. I am worrying about worrying too much right now. I think I am going to try and remove the words what if from my vocabulary and stop thinking about something that may or may not happen and be confident that what happens is what is meant to happen especially about things I have absolutely no control over what so ever.

I also have quite a bit of fear about some silly things. I guess that fear and worry go hand and hand. Fear is the mind killer. I really believe that. Fear can consume you just like worry or rage. I need to not fear. I need to trust in God that everything will be fine and just forget about it. I also need to realize that I can’t fix all the wrongs in this world by myself. I love that quote and I often find myself trying to fix things.

I have recently been reminded in life there are no guarantees. The only guarantee is death, which is the only thing you can count on eventually happening. In relationships I just have to let things happen the way they are supposed to happen and not push people away and not worry. I need to learn to trust, I do trust people but at the same time I don’t trust that what someone is saying is what they really mean and not that they have some ulterior motive. I just realized I am ultimately setting myself up for failure. It has become a routine thing where I almost make it fail. If you think you won’t succeed you won’t. It is all about the mindset you have. I will not expect to fail anymore. I will succeed and if I do fail than well whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

Here's What Happened

This is the continued post of What happened to me? If you haven’t check it out.

I guess it all started in high school. There was this guy named Matt. I can still see his face in my mind. Looking back it was like seriously, what was I thinking. Let me tell you about Matt. He was 18 and a bad boy. Of course he was attractive but he was bad guy like he had gotten kicked out of his parents house and was a nomad, his residence was under a bridge. I am not making that up. He was what you would call a hippi. I thought it was cool, but I was only 17 and very naïve and gutsy.

Well we started dated and I found out he was cheating on me. The nerve, the sadness. I was heartbroken. Now I am sure you are thinking that I wouldn’t possibly be broken over a guy from 12 years ago. That is where it all started. I mean I had my share of problems growing up of course, I just think this is where it all went downhill. I was still outgoing and gutsy. Maybe a little too gutsy if you ask me. Then you have my ex-husband which was just a real “gem”. I guess guys are part of my problems with really good reason. If you are told something over and over again you will start to believe it sooner or later. I was verbally and emotionally abused daily by my ex. My miscarriage left me dead inside. Then finding out my ex prayed for it killed me even more.

I have this complex that I call the “jerk” complex, it really doesn’t make real sense but it does to me. It is I guess a safety net. I am really trying to cut the strings of that net. It is silly. If I keep pushing people away of course they are gonna run for the hills. No one wants to be where they are unwanted. I know that all too well. I am getting better, I think. I mean I think I am. I am trying really hard not to push him away. It is weird. Maybe that I has something to do with the “choice” of men I have been attracted to. I find myself being attracted to jerks because they are jerks and if it is a guy who is not a jerk I have to be a jerk to make them a jerk. Yes you read that right. Clear as mud? I know it doesn’t make any sense. I guess it is a way to justify it if a relationship fails. The bottom line is I push people away. I know why I do it but it is personal way too much for my blog. Only a few people know why.

Another thing that broke me was when my grandma had Alzheimer’s Disease. I couldn’t deal with it. My grandma and I were so close and I didn’t really have any experience with it except when they would talk about it on a TV show. I tried to understand and I never really did. I missed my grandma when she was still alive. It was like her soul had gone up to heaven and her shell was still there. It was really hard. She remembered me most of the time but other times she was not my grandma. She was not her lovable self like a complete stranger. I don’t blame her because she had no control over it. It is definitely something that is hard for everyone involved. I never changed how I feel about her and love her with all my heart.

I had many toxic friends as well. I have removed all of them from my life. It is hard to remove toxic things from your life. I don’t know why all the toxic people were drawn to me. I am not toxic and I guess it is because my heart is really big and I forgive easily and love unconditionally. I had friends that would say really mean things to me and talk about me behind my back. One who even wrote a hateful letter to me and had a bunch of other people write mean things about me. What did I do? I forgave her. Even now I wish I wouldn’t of because that caused many more years of hurt and pain to me. She is gone now, which is a great thing.

Toxicity breeds Toxicity and it feeds off of you until you have nothing left, many toxic experiences and friends have broken me. Just like anything that is broken it can be fixed. I want to fix it. I am sick of feeling like this. It really sucks. You would think that all of these things would make me quit feeling, quit being so loving and sweet but they don't. My heart is too big and I just can't quit caring and turn totally bitter. It would be too much for me. I always say I am too sweet for my own good. My big heart is a blessing and a curse.

Stay tuned for part 3.

MyScentEssence Review and Giveaway

I absolutely love things that smell good. I have an extensive candle collection, there is just something about a great smelling home that gives off a positive feeling to me. Since I have become a mom, I am very careful about having an open flame around Noah. He thinks that all candles are birthday candles and tries to blow them out. I have them up high enough where he can’t reach them but it still makes me nervous. So, when I had the opportunity to review a product from MyScentEssence I was really excited for a few reasons. The first reason it is a smell good product. The second reason is there is no flame. The third reason is it is electric. I was thinking back to when I would go visit my grandma in her assisted living community. I would always see those signs where it would say no smoking or open flame, Oxygen in use. I remember thinking that stinks because they can’t have candles or anything to make their rooms smell nice or the atmosphere that a nice thing like a candle would give off. I am not sure why that thought popped in my head at the time that I first heard about MyScentEssence but it did. This would be a great product for anyone even older people.

This product breathes a sigh of relief when you can just turn it on and let it go and not have to worry about it. It has many different types of scents and warmers. I just put in 12 of the little scent shakes and that lasts for 24 hours. I am sure most of you that have been reading for a long time know about how much I love tarts. Well, the worst thing about a tart was getting it out of the warmer. I actually broke one of my tart warmers by putting it in the freezer and it falling out. With the MyScentEssence warmers all you do it turn it off, let it harden and take your nail and make a little scratch on the side and it pops out. You could save the little “discs” and put them in a drawer for a nice subtle refresher kind of like a sachet. That is a great way to repurpose them.

I love the MyScentEssence warmer I own. I use it all the time. I have quite a few different scent shakes. They are always having sales so I picked some up for cheap! My two favorite scents are Very Vanilla which just smells so good and clean to me and Country Apple. I love the scent of apples. Country Apple smells just like one of my favorite bath and body scents. You can get a 2 ounce package of Scent Shakes for $4.50 which burns for many many hours because you only use 12. If you think about it, 1 little piece lasts for 2 hours which makes it extremely affordable.
I really like MyScentEssence so much that I decided I would start selling it. I haven’t really sold anything like this before but it is an exciting adventure to embark on.

Thank you to MyScentEssence and MommyPR for this wonderful opportunity and providing me with a complimentary electric warmer and 2 Scent Shakes to try out for my review.

I have a giveaway for you!

One lucky winner will win a Onyx Fan Electric warmer and two packages of scent shakes in the scents of their choice.

Mandatory Entry: Visit the MyScentEssence website and take a look around and tell me what 2 scent shakes you would love to try out.

Extra Entries:

Subscribe to my blog via Email

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Follow @Sheilacakes7 AND @Scentessence on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway including a link to this post. This can be done once a day.

This giveaway will end on September 2, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST.

What Happened to Me?

So, I have been thinking a lot lately about myself now vs. who I was when I was say a teenager. Man I have changed a lot. I mean I am still that really sweet person I have always been with a huge heart but I am in fact different. I am not convinced it really is for the better either. I mean of course I am older and wiser but I have been through a lot of stuff that has in fact changed me. I know that life is constantly changing but seriously I miss the person I used to be. I used to be extremely outgoing. I was gutsy, not sure that is something I would do now, as I am a mom. So there goes my dream of being a hobo. Yes I really wanted to be a hobo when I was young. Hey, they had an awesome life traveling the rails singing songs around a campfire. I would talk to everyone and I wouldn’t care who it was or what they thought. I am in fact the same person that would act like a complete random dork in public. I have this memory of being in Jr high and at the pool with my old childhood best friend talking about our pancreases and telling people they needed to go to charter. Don’t ask long story not even I think I can remember it all.

I really didn’t care what anyone thought of me. I mean I guess I did maybe a little but not enough to stop me from having the time of my life. I laughed until I cried and cried till I laughed. I remember there would be times that I was really upset and then someone said something and I would start laughing really hard. I was always smiling to the point where I thought my face was going to freeze like that like after Botox. I have and had a huge heart, I must of inherited that from my Grandma Rose, never seen a big heart than hers.

I was carefree and young. I have really changed if you are going to change, I believe in changing for the better or the greater good. I changed for the worst. I was talking to my friend Brandy and I realized one night that I am broken. I realized that from reading a journal I had where people wrote nice things about you and your strengths. I still have it and I was reading all the letter people wrote and I was like woah. I remember being like that. Then I started thinking what happened? Where did I go? They wrote things like you are always smiling and so outgoing and you have such a flair for drama. Oh yes I loved to act. I was never good at it though. I had bad stage fright but I loved to pretend. You will never see my name up there in lights.

Then, something happened. Lots of something I suppose. I broke. There are many reasons why I broke. When did I care if someone liked me? When did I start caring what people think? When did it matter to me? When did I stop smiling all the time? I mean yes I still smile. My son is the best reason to smile but I am not super smile woman anymore. I miss that.

To read more of this post there will be a part 2 posted soon.

Lil Bit'z Clothing Review

I had the opportunity to receive some clothes for Noah from Bit’z Kids which is a really cute kid’s clothing boutique in New York City. Bit'z Kids sells Japanese children's clothes. As someone who has only been to NYC once a long time, ago I am happy to share with you that you can also order their clothes online, if you can’t make it to their store. If you live in the area you can sign up for emails and learn about the sales they have.

We received the SouthHampton Motors tee and the Sweat Lib Denim Shorts. Noah loves the shirt; it is probably his most favorite shirt at the moment. It is really cute. One the back of it, it says The Old Truck is My Friend, which describes Noah’s love for trucks. He really likes the shorts as well. They are comfortable for him. Those who know me know I am all about comfort. They are comfortable but they also look really cute on him.



The clothes are well made and are soft. Noah wore them all around Animal Kingdom when we were in Orlando. I was told by a few people that they really liked his clothes. When they asked me where I had got them I said Bit’z Kids! I explained that you can order them online. I wonder if they ordered anything. If you are looking for adorable, well made kids clothes please check out Bit’z Kids in store or online.

Thanks to Bit’z Kids for sending me the complimentary two items that I mentioned in my review for Noah to try out.

If I Could Be Granted One Mom's Wish

If I had a fairy godmother that would grant me a mom’s wish this summer it would be that I wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning my house. I could spend all day outside with my son and maybe even go to the zoo and other kid friendly things with him. We wouldn’t have to worry about if the laundry is done or if I need to do some other kind of cleaning. I am a single mom after all. We could spend so many carefree days playing and creating lasting memories. I would have a janitorial cleaning service come in and scrub the floors, shampoo the carpets, clean the bathrooms, do all my laundry and even do the dishes. If you know me at all you know how much I love to cook but I hate doing the dishes afterward.

I know if I had a fairy godmother there who could grant this wish I would have a lot of stress lifted from my life this summer. Noah is going to be 4 soon and I cherish every moment. I would love to have some more time to laugh and tickle him and to just plain be silly. What would be your mommy wish if you had a fairy godmother?

Global Resort Homes Review

My family had the amazing opportunity to go on vacation to Orlando. I love Orlando because I love going to Disney. Well honestly I have a new favorite thing about Orlando. My new favorite thing was where we stayed. We had the pleasure of staying at a property by Global Resort Homes. We stayed in Windsor Hills. Global Resort Homes is an amazing rental company. The staff is very friendly and helpful to make your stay what you want it to be. All of the units are owned by people. They are not timeshares. There is no trading your weeks or having a set date you must go every year. I had a friend who owned a time share and she hated having to go the same week every year. You can pick when you go and you don’t have to buy anything extra. Think of it as the most amazing “hotel” you will ever stay in because you just book it like you would book any other place you would stay on vacation.



Disney with my almost 4 year old was very trying and hot and not the happiest place on Earth. During those trying times of waiting in line and listening to Noah scream and cry all I could do is think about going back to our amazing vacation home and jumping in the pool and relaxing. We had a gorgeous 3 bedroom town home to stay in. The vacation home became my own personal oasis away from the chaos of the other tourists at the parks. The armies of people from other countries that walked 10 people across around Disney, and SeaWorld were everywhere. The location was great too. I loved not having to ride in the car for a long time after being out with my family.



Noah who had been up since 4 am the morning we got there with no nap was glad to be out of the car, the plane and the shuttle bus. He was still cranky when we walked in. Noah saw our dip pool and did a complete 180 and was so excited and wanted to go swimming! I knew that all of the properties had some kind of pool but I was surprised how big the dip pool was. I guess I was thinking it was comparable to a baby pool. I was wrong it was awesome. It was private and didn’t require a walk or drive back to change. We had never stayed at a place where there was our very own pool. I am sure some of you know about how I like to relax and not really deal with 20 screaming kids throwing footballs from the pool to the hot tub.



The vacation home was beautiful. I loved all the decorations and it was very inviting. The first thing I did was remove the beautifully set table. I didn’t want to break anything and I thought that it would be a good idea to remove the dishes from being out. The kitchen had everything you could think of as far as dishes and utensils which was nice because we decided to have a frozen pizza on our first night cooked in our own oven. We stocked the fridge with lots of milk and juice and soda. Noah kept trying to get the milk out and pour himself a cup. Each of the bedrooms had their own bathroom and TV in each bedroom. There was also a nice flat screen TV in the family room. All of the beds were really comfortable too.



I slept in the master bedroom and the king size bed was so comfortable. I ended up falling asleep the day we arrived around 5 pm because I was so worn out. I didn’t intend to do so but I was lying in bed watching TV and the next thing I know I woke up and it was 8 pm. I loved having all the room to myself and the sheets and blankets were so soft. I had a ceiling fan that was controlled by a remote. The size of the town house was great because there was actually breathing room. Even with a suite at a hotel there is still never enough room. I consider myself a accommodations snob where I will only stay in really nice places.



When I found out that every unit has a washer and dryer, I was thinking that was cool but I probably wouldn’t do laundry on vacation. I was wrong, I did quite a bit of it during my week stay. The neighborhood also had an awesome playground that Noah loved to play on. They had a giant chess board and Noah built a city with it. When he was finished he said “Hey boys and girls, look at my city.” I really liked the sundry shop. I am such a sucker for gift shops and little stores. I had really bad sunburn on the back of my neck. It was really painful. I walked over to the Sundry shop and I found a bottle of Aloe, a really big bottle of aloe. I immediately bought it and got relief without leaving the gates of our community. I was extremely thankful that they had aloe among the many other items they sold.

I highly recommend staying at a Global Resort Homes property the next time you visit Orlando. They provide all the comforts of home with luxurious accommodations.

Thank you so much to Global Resort Homes for inviting my family to stay for a complimentary week at one of your awesome vacation homes.

Mommy Makeover

As part of wanting to make myself over this year, I have thought about what other improvements I could make. I would love to get a breast augmentation. Not really for a size reason but more to lift them up and for a better shape. Before I was a mom I had an appointment with a plastic surgeon to get a consultation. I wouldn’t get one until after I am done having children though. My old best friend had hers done and I guess it is very painful when you are pregnant. I am also not opposed to considering possibly breastfeeding. I haven’t decided yet but I will come to that bridge when I get there. I really think there is a lot of taboo about plastic surgery. I personally think it is up to the person who is getting it done. I do think there is a limit to how much a person should get or you end up like Joan Rivers. I am sorry but she just scares me. So does Barbara Walters, she scares me so much that Dr. Pepper comes out of my nose.

I have also thought about getting something done with my stomach. Since I had a C-section, my tummy looks weird from my scar. I am not talking about the scar it’s self. I think of the scar as a badge of mommy honor but the way my stomach is shaped now is weird. It is hard to explain short of seeing it. I guess it is part of motherhood and as my friend Brandy would say I have a had-a-baby body.

Have you ever thought about getting plastic surgery? If so, what would you get done?

The Ice Cream Man Drives Me Crazy!

I really need to get something off my chest. This is kind of a silly rant but I need to share it. Feel free to poke fun at me for this. It’s Summer and the ice cream man comes to my neighborhood. I would not pay 3 dollars for something I could go to the grocery store and buy a box for a dollar more than it would cost to buy it off the truck. Growing up I used to love the ice cream man and I thought it was really cool and he also sold candy. I have always really liked candy too. So I would get an ice cream treat and a few pieces of taffy or maybe a candy bar. That was undoubtedly 20 years ago or so. I remember when it would cost 50 cents for an ice cream sandwich. Yes, I realize I just sounded like I was 80 years old remembering the good old days. Of course now with “inflation” everything costs a lot more. Makes sense to me. I guess there are people out there that will pay those prices since the ice cream man comes around still. It is just not for me.

That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is our particular ice cream man. His truck plays a song that I can’t identify it is kind of like Pop Goes the Weasel and Turkey in the Straw. I am sure you are thinking OK ten minutes tops a day. Just tune it out. This particular ice cream man drives around and around my neighborhood all day it seems like. We live in the back of the neighborhood so it’s not like I am hearing it on the street behind me. It also likes to park in front of my house! Silly me I know!

Last night I was sitting outside and I hear the ice cream truck this is after dinner. If you are someone who knows me well you know I personally don’t normally eat until around 8 PM. I sit with Noah when he eats and we chat and color and draw and whatever he wants to do I just am not hungry. I occasionally will have a snack while he is eating. I look at my phone to see what time it is. It was 8:40 pm. What on earth is the ice cream man doing driving around my neighborhood at 8:40 pm with the music blaring going around and around? I heard it again a couple more times later. It was thundering and lightening by then. I am not sure a parent would let their children go buy ice cream that late or especially in a nasty storm. I guess in the ice cream man’s defense it doesn’t start to get dark until after 9 pm. Thankfully Noah doesn’t really know about the ice cream man, he just knows it’s a truck that plays music.

Do you purchase items from the ice cream man? If you do what are your favorites? If not do you think it is silly to pay those prices? Let me know your thoughts!

Do you have ID cards for your children?

As I mentioned before, I love going to the county fair, one year we went they had a booth for children to get ID cards made. I thought that was a great idea so, baby Noah and I got in a long line and waited for our turn. They handed me a free ID card with Noah’s fingerprint on the back. They say to update it every year so he needs a new one but I still carry it in my wallet. ID cards have become a very popular thing, just think about how many different places have ID cards beyond the scope of the state you live in. Schools have started having the students wear ID cards and teachers too. Employers have their employees wear them for security reasons. I am sure if there are many other places that require ID cards.

There seems to be a large turnover rate in employees so it would be smart for them to invest in id card software so it is easy to input new information makes a new one every time someone decides it is time to move on from a workplace. It might be a good idea for daycares to have ID cards for both the parents and the kids so the right child goes home with the right parent or caregiver. Some daycares are so big that it could be hard to keep track if someone was new or was filling in another class. I think it would be cool to have a picture of the child and the parent on both of the cards. You never can be too careful. If a business had a printer that would definitely be possible, I think. Do you have to carry an non state issued ID card? Do you have ID cards for your children?

My Best Friend is So Far Away..

I wanted to share with all of you about my friend Brandy of Happily Blended. It is really weird to think about how she and I became such great friends. It all started last year when she was doing a Sprout giveaway before I was even a blogger. I had to watch her little video she made to answer the questions and I thought wow, I really like her personality. Brandy is a social butterfly that is loud and fun to talk to. I ended up being one of the winners of the giveaway. After that we started exchanging email occasionally.

When I started my blog she was one of the bloggers I went to for advice. I am sure she remembers my very first blog layout that only lasted for 2 or 3 days. Once I started blogging I would occasionally talk to her on Twitter or Facebook or email. As time has gone by, Brandy and I started texting occasionally; we were both single moms and seemed to have a lot in common. I remember our first phone call. I was extremely nervous at first. She is so warm and friendly I wasn’t as nervous after that.

The occasional texts and phone calls have turned in to, texting each other all day and talking on the phone at night. I really enjoy talking to her. You would think we would run out of things to talk about but we never do. We really talk about everything and rarely discuss blogging, which is cool. She has me saying “wicked” because I hear and read it all the time. It’s funny because I thought it sounded so weird before and now I always say it. We get along so well. We only had one misunderstanding, which was resolved two minutes in to our phone call. The misunderstanding wasn’t even OUR fault. I am planning on visiting her in New Hampshire sometime soon. I can’t wait to see her. I don’t want to say meet her because I already know her!

Check out Brandy’s blog Happily Blended and read about the adventures of her munchkins, and some wicked awesome reviews and giveaways.

Wooden Toys vs. Plastic Toys

When I am picking out toys for Noah for his birthday or Christmas, I tend to buy him wooden toys. I prefer to buy him wooden toys because they seem to last longer than plastic toys. Wooden toys also have a old fashioned toy feel to them and they remind me of toys I used to play with at my grandparents. Noah loves to play with trains, planes, cars etc. He even has a wooden train set. He really likes wooden toys because they are more realistic than plastic ones. He also has wooden blocks that have come in handy before when I am putting things together and I need a wood block.

I had a wooden food set when I was little. I used to “trick” my grandparents in to thinking they were real foods. They would pretend to eat them. Of course they knew they weren’t real but it was fun to play with them. I also had a wooden cradle. That I got for Christmas from my grandparents. I still have the cradle out in the garage. It was probably my favorite Christmas present I received as a child.

My favorite wooden toy that I would play with at my grandparents was my grandpa’s wooden trucks. He was a diesel mechanic. So, he would have wooden trucks given to him as presents or as thank you gifts from one of his clients. We also played with other wooden toys that my grandparents purchased throughout the years. Some of them were old fashioned and I know that my other cousins played with them as well. I am the youngest grandchild so they went through 9 other grandkids and many years of play. I will continue to give Noah wooden toys to play with, and hopefully someday have more children to pass them down to.

What kinds of toys do you prefer to give your children? What do you think about wooden toys? I look forward to reading your comments.

Small Town Girl at Heart

I really want to move to a small town. I think it would be fun to live in a small town where everyone knows everyone else. I have always lived in good sized towns that would be considered suburban. Honestly I don’t really know my neighbors. I could probably pick them out of a line up but I don’t really know them as well as I would like to. I would love to buy an old house and remodel it. I would have to contract the help of my aunt and uncle who are the best at remodeling, electric, plumbing etc.

I would have so much fun picking out the floors, the paint and even the vanity that goes in each bathroom. I would want a big one where I can keep a bunch of candles on the vanity because I love taking bubble baths by candlelight. Would you want to remodel a home? I know it is a lot of work. I would just supervise the work. I am not really about getting down and dirty when it comes to things like that. I don’t even like putting my son’s toys together. I would be in the kitchen making treats and lemonade.

Secret Life of the American Teenager Volume 4 Review

I am really enjoying this season of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I think last season was left at such a big cliffhanger. It made me wonder for months what was going to happen. All of the other seasons you had an idea what was going to happen when the show picked up again on ABC Family. Last season was a complete surprise. I love being able to watch the older shows of The Secret Life of the American Teenager on DVD. It is fun to re-watch them knowing how it will turn out and relive the touching moments with the characters that I have grown to love and watch.

So, when I had the opportunity to review volume four of The Secret Life of the American Teenager I was really excited. I think it is great if you haven’t watched the show since day one like I have, you have the opportunity to start from the beginning. I have friends that don’t have cable and they don’t watch shows on TV when they come out, they just wait for it to come out on DVD. I guess that is a great line of thinking if you are busy and don’t have the time to sit down every week and watch the shows you love.

The Secret Life of The American Teenager is a show about a girl named Amy who is a teenage mother. Like I said before it would be a great way to open up to your teenage children about sex and relationships. I still love that they are realistic in the way that teenage motherhood is portrayed and how it is not all cute little baby clothes and accessories. It is really neat to see how Amy’s character has evolved from the beginning when she was a scared kid who was pregnant now to a strong young woman. The Secret life of the American Teenager not only shows the reality of being a young mother but it also shows that if you are in that situation you can rise up and be a good parent. I definitely enjoy watching this show and even my friends know not to text me when I am watching it.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager Volume Four is in stores now. It is a great addition to your DVD collection.

Thank you to Walt Disney Entertainment for sending me a complimentary copy of The Secret Life of the American Teenager to review.

The day she was taken from me

I have been lying in bed crying because today is the anniversary of my miscarriage. July 22, 2003 is the worst day of my life. Every year I cry on July 22. I started singing the lullaby my ex and I wrote for Isabelle. While I was singing it over and over, I started thinking about the words. I started thinking about my ex and how he prayed for me to miscarry. It almost makes me think that her lullaby was a lie to him. I wonder why he would do that, what was going through his mind. Why would he sit there and do such a vile thing to me, his wife at the time? He knew how bad I wanted to be a mother, and yet he would pray and wish for our child to die. I never imagined he would do that to me. I knew some cruel people that said things like that but for the man I married to sit there and do that…then have the nerve to want me to feel sorry for him after the fact.

I am big on forgiveness. I try to forgive those who hurt me, but at the same time I don’t forget. I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive him for that. I am not blaming him for what happened but at the same time, it really hurts. The day he told me he did that, my love for him died. I threw him out on his butt. I wanted to beat the crap out of him but I was numb, I felt like I was hit by a Mack Truck. I couldn’t even move. I was heartbroken. It was like I was reliving the moment that I learned she has no heartbeat over and over. The words were echoing in my head over and over again. I am pretty sure he was praying that I would lose Noah when I was pregnant with him. The whole time I was pregnant with Noah he and his mom were telling me over and over you know you’re going to miscarry right? Yeah that’s not what you say about your family.

I have decided that he will not steal that song from me. I will not let him take away the meaning behind it. I actually mean every word of it. He probably doesn’t but that’s alright I guess. Isabelle is loved by me always. I will still sing her lullaby and cry for her.

I thought about sharing Isabelle's Lullaby with you all on my blog. However, I think it is way too personal.

The Waiting Game: Tips to Keep Kids Busy

MobiStories.com Guest Contributor Wendy Toone shares great tips on how to keep your kids occupied when you've got tons of errands to run!

As a mom of two, I know I'm not alone when I say how challenging it is to keep young kids occupied while doing any sort of waiting. And by challenging, I mean "grit-your-teeth, pull your hair out, I can't believe they're doing that in public" challenging. How many times have you had to stop in to the bank for a quick transaction with a toddler in tow, only to find a line so long you think you made a wrong turn and ended up at the DMV. What to do?? You look at your toddler...at the line...at the very important banking you need to do...at your toddler.... at the line. It may seem like a hopeless situation, but it's not. I'm here to help.

Here are a few of my tried and true tips and ideas to try the next time you find yourself in a queue, a waiting room, on a plane, or any other situation where you may need to keep your little ones quiet and at bay. They've worked for me; I hope they work for you. The basic premise is to keep your child busy. By giving them something specific to do you'll be combating boredom, and may have fun in the process. So, give your toddler a job...Part 1 offers Gross Motor Exercises. In my follow up article I offer some Fine Motor Exercises. And the series will finish with the all-important Cognitive Exercises, to keep your little one thinking all the time.

"Gross" Motor Exercises (exercises for the large muscle groups, not the yucky ones)

Youngsters need to be active. It seems as though they're wired that way. Running, jumping, rolling are all part of everyday life for toddlers - after all, physical and cognitive development is their job. So, since screen time may not be an option, how can we expect them to stand still for any length of time? That doesn't mean you can turn your little one loose in the lobby. But you can encourage the use of large muscle groups, keeping them active but in one spot.

1. Flamingo Stand - have your child extend his/her arms out to the side for balance, then pick up one foot and see how long they can stand on the other foot. Naturally you'll want to make sure you both have a bit of room in case of tips and tumbles. But the goal is not to fall down. The goal is to stay up...counting helps and creates an opportunity for improvement as each time they try they get to higher and higher numbers.

Once your child (and probably you as well) tire of the Flamingo Stand, move on to this one.

2. Little, Big - have your child do basic squats. For those of you who workout, you know how fatiguing it can be to burn those thigh muscles. Your child reaches as tall as she/he can, up on tiptoes, then squats down as little as they can, but staying on their feet. Think duck squat. In fact, you can even give a whispered little "quack, quack" if it helps. You can get big, now get little, as often as you'd like. Be certain not to go too fast.... otherwise you move into jumping, which may require more room than you have at hand.

We adults will probably feel the burning sensation in our legs much sooner than your child; however, you can probably stop at any time and watch your child go, go, go, go.

These are just a couple of gross motor exercises you can do with your child. By the way, why do they call them gross motor exercises? I'm sure you can now think of many others along these same lines. When it comes to waiting on long lines, giving your child something productive to do will make the waiting time pass more quickly. I look for anything to pass the time by. Whether it's Gross Motor, Fine Motor or even just watching digital picture books to exercise your child's brain. You know, whatever it takes. They're only this young once!

Wendy Toone is a child expert having owned and operated a leading franchise children's fitness center and now producing MobiStories, Virtual Books for KidsTM, as well as being a mom to her two children. To experience the world of digital children's picture books, visit MobiStories.com.

To download a free digital book for your PC visit MobiStories.com, click on Summer (in the Ages 2 - 4 category) add it to the cart along with Michelle Obama (Ages 6-10) then enter the code SUM0710 in the Coupon Code Box.

*This advertorial post is sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer's Network.

Guest Post: Beauty myths - Don’t let them get to you

One of the things women will care about consistently throughout their lives will be their beauty and skincare. It is actually amazing how far women would actually go to preserve their skin against aging, or to reduce acne and freckles or to get a glowing spotless skin. Well, most of us tend to believe a lot in beauty myths that we read in magazines or have just been passed down from mother to daughter. Well, don’t follow these supposedly beauty tips without confirmation because most of them tend to be just myths and nothing else.

Myth1: Crossing your legs will cause varicose veins - Wrong! Sitting with crossed legs cannot cause spider legs or varicose veins but spending a lot of time standing up may do that. When you stand up for too long, your vascular network has to work harder to pump blood to your heart and this can cause protruding veins on your legs.

Myth 2: Shaving your legs makes the hair come back thicker-another myth. Your hair will grow as they should, according to your genes. Some people have lighter, thinner hair while some have darker, thicker hair; shaving has nothing to do with it. Only, when you shave, you cut the hair, it’s not removed from the root so when they grow back, they tend to look thicker.

Myth 3: Applying ice to the skin will make the pores smaller - Wrong! Our pores are once again, part of our genes and that also has nothing to do with artificial products. The size of our pores will remain as they are. However, ice can act as a good toner for your skin anyway.

Myth 4: Applying nail polish all the time can make nails yellow - True. This happens to a lot of women who love wearing nail polish all the time. The reason for this being true is that our nails can absorb the color pigments, especially of stronger and darker colors. So before you put on the color, apply a layer of clear base coat which can prevent the nails from absorbing pigment.

Myth 5: Toothpaste can cure pimples – well, yes kind of. Toothpaste has elements and ingredients that can heal a pimple much sooner and can dry it up but toothpaste can also irritate your skin and dry it. So it may be a better idea to use pimple cream rather than toothpaste if your skin is especially susceptible.

Myth 6: Applying beer on skin before a sun tan can make it glow - Not! Unless you are going for a self-tan, try to avoid sun tanning altogether. Applying beer has nothing to do with golden tans; it’s all about the genetics. Some people can get good and golden tans while some cannot, it is as simple as that.

Myth 7: Split ends can be repaired-Wrong. Split ends once formed are formed and you cannot force the hair to repair itself back again. Split ends are a sign of unhealthy treatment or just an indication that it is high time for you to get your hair trimmed. Hair trimming can actually make hair grow quickly and remain healthy.

Author Bio

Richard Jacobs is a chief editor since early 2007, and he currently works for www.myduiattorney.org. A website that helps you to find the right DUI lawyer, you can search for a NJ DUI Lawyer online, anytime!

This is a guest post written by a sponsor and I have approved this article for useful content pertaining to my blog. My thoughts and opinions may differ than those of the author of this post.

The Original 5-in-1 Tasty Baker Review

Noah loves to eat breakfast foods. He loves pancakes a lot as I have mentioned before. He also loves shapes. He will make his food in different shapes and when I had the opportunity to try out an Original 5-in-1 Tasty Baker, I knew Noah would think that it is the coolest thing. The Original 5-in-1 Tasty Baker is made by LC Premiums, Ltd., who also makes the Pop Art Toaster. The Tasty Baker is an electric appliance that you use to cook pancakes, muffins, little cakes, brownies, and biscuits. The possibilities are really endless. It all cooks it in 1/3 of the time, which can be a total life saver sometimes. They also have a Disney character one.

The best part of it is that there are molds in it that you can make shapes like trains, smiley faces, blocks, hearts and even dogs and cats. Noah and I love to cook together too. He loves to pour ingredients in the bowl complete with sound effects of trucks. He also loves to mix and he asks me if he can be a cement mixer. Of course I can’t tell him no. He is a great little helper in the kitchen. I usually just do the actual measuring and help with the mixing and of course if the oven is used or in this case the Original 5-in-1 Tasty Baker.

I couldn’t wait to receive The Tasty Baker. I was so excited because I knew Noah would be so happy to eat train shaped pancakes. We tried it out the next morning and made pancakes. I had my little assistant in the kitchen with me ready to get to work. We just used packaged pancake mix and it worked well. The pancakes were so moist and delicious. Cleaning up was really easy too. I love to cook and bake but hate to clean up afterwards. So, I was impressed at how easily I could just wipe down the plates and it was ready for the next time.

Shortly after we made the pancakes, we decided we were going to try and make brownies with it. I love brownies but we have trouble eating an entire pan ourselves. It seems like more often than not there are a few left that end up getting thrown out. I love that you can make individual ones and as many as you want. Maybe you want a little snack but don’t feel like making that entire pan, but really want brownies, then The Original 5-in-1 Tasty Baker is for your family. The brownies were great too. Noah and I really enjoyed talking about the different shapes we were going to make. It is also great for his creativity and imagination because it will spark conversations and lead to many smiles and laughs. The brownies were great too. Noah loves brownies so he kept asking for more. I had to put them up in the cabinet or he would eat them straight off the counter.

I really like The Original 5-in-1 Tasty Baker and I am glad that it is now added to my kitchen and will continue to use it in my daily life. I am a very busy mom of an adorable little boy who always keeps me on my toes so it is great to have an appliance that is practical and easy to use. It allows me to have more time to spend with my son and enjoy yummy food with him and bond over what we make and eat together. There are also a lot of recipes on the website that I can’t wait to try out.

For more information please visit The Pop Art Toaster website. Also check out the Pop Art Toaster for a fun and hip way to enjoy your toast.

You can purchase The Original 5-in-1 Tasty Baker Here

Thank you to LC Premiums, Ltd. for sending me a complimentary The Original 5-in-1 Tasty Baker for my family to enjoy.

The Truth about Magazine Salespeople

I promised in an earlier blog post about soliciting I would write a post about “magazine salespeople”. Now I am sure there are legit people selling them for schools. When I was a freshman we sold them for our trip to Kings Island. When I was younger I was fearless. I was one of those kids that thought nothing could happen to me. Luckily it didn’t really. I mean I had my normal teenager drama but I am telling you I had guts! When I was 17 I met some people who were selling magazines. I thought it sounded like fun. Yeah I was naïve and probably even a little stupid. I decided to go around with them. Yes I got in a van with complete strangers and they could have kidnapped and murdered me and no one would be the wiser. Thankfully I survived and I was ready to jump out of a moving van, like I said I was fearless. They went to a neighborhood and they were telling me about their pitches. I thought it was pretty weird and deceitful. They asked me a few questions and told me they all travel the US and sell magazines. I don’t know if they really fulfill the orders or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t. This is how it works: Forgive me this was 11 years ago if I don’t remember exactly.

Good looking guys are trying to win a contest where they get a modeling contract for being the most handsome guy or something. I don’t know what that has to do with magazines but people fell for it. Not me though. Then there is what they call power houses. Power houses are in nice neighborhoods. They are big houses and presumably have a lot of money. The salesperson pretends to be in college and is trying to raise money for various reasons. It is usually is something academic. Their pitch starts out like this. Hi my name is Lisa and I live in your neighborhood. You have seen my mom around. She drives a Volvo and walks with our Dalmatian. I go to *insert local college* and I am trying to raise money for my *insert some kind of once in a lifetime learning experience* and I am selling these magazines. They would also try and squeeze information out of people like names and kid’s names and then turn around and say your neighbor told me to stop by so it would be more convicting. Quite a few people signed up for subscriptions. In reality these people are from God knows where and they roam the US peddling magazines to trusting unsuspecting people.

I think it would be good ideas if you don’t think they are who they say they are don’t give them a check with your account number or credit card number. That is just common sense. I guess if you really wanted to do it and wanted to be careful you could ask for a school id before proceeding. Even then they could be forged. That is why I totally trust my gut and if it doesn’t make sense then it probably isn’t true as the brilliant Judge Judy would say.

The Importance of Self Defense!

When I was in high school, we had to take a couple weeks of self defense in gym. I remember that a woman from our county’s women’s shelter and rape counseling center came to talk about the dangers we face as women. Since it was high school the gym classes were segregated by gender. I still remember what she said. Now that I am an adult, I am reminded of how important taking self defense classes are. There are a lot of unsavory characters in this world that are looking to prey on women. These days it is dire to be able to defend yourself if you end up in one of those situations. Remember that you don’t have to worry about just strangers, but also people that you know. The most common type of rape is date rape by someone you know.

As someone who was in an abusive marriage, I wish I would have had the skills to defend myself and to walk away. It took me a long time to just leave. I suffered through a lot of emotional, psychological abuse and even some physical when my ex husband was really mad. There were days I feared for my life honestly. Of course he is not in the picture and I am extremely thankful for that. I think that all women should have the tools to protect themselves when they need to. I don’t think protecting yourself has to do with your size if you know what you are doing. Sadly we live in a violent society and we as women need to know that it is not OK to be attacked and how to stop it and prevent it if necessary. I think I will look into some kind of class that will help me protect myself and my child.

Risk Free Trials

Lately I have noticed a lot of commercials where they say if you are one of the 100 callers in your area you will get a risk free trial. Then a counter pops up so you think that there are people calling. Who really calls at 2 am in your area or so to order whatever skin stuff or eye junk they are selling. I have seen the same commercials many times and I have noticed the numbers jump the same every time. Obviously it is not being completely accurate or honest. They just want you to think that people are actually ordering their product and to promote hysteria about their product.

Which brings me to my next point; they offer you a risk free trial. What is a risk free trial? Many people might believe it means you get to try it for free. Let’s examine it. Risk free Trial, You hear free trial. Maybe you didn’t pick up the word risk; I only notice those commercials late at night. Honestly, it means you get to pay for it and if you don’t like it, you can get your money back if you don’t like it. Only if you are one of the lucky 100 though, otherwise you seem to be out of luck. How long do you have to decide if you like the product? I mean I bought some hair stuff from Target like a month ago and I still haven’t even tried it. People get busy; it takes a while to try out something that you can’t form an instant opinion until you use it for a while.

I am wondering why only those people get to have their money back. I believe if someone doesn’t like something they should be able to return it for a refund. I don’t think you should have to have a special ticket to do so. I personally find those kinds of commercials extremely misleading. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. You shouldn’t have to be one of a certain number to purchase their item and magically have a return policy. These companies are not giving away anything they are still selling the product to these customers. They should have a customer wide policy.

What do you guys think about this? Do you find it misleading? Do you think their policy is fair?

Fun in the Backyard!

When we were building our house having a big patio was something we really wanted to have. We have a gorgeous view and didn’t want to build a deck so a big patio was the way to go. I don’t know if you have ever had a BBQ and had to squeeze all of your guests plus the grill on a small patio. It is not fun at all. I love having all the extra space to spread out and not have to worry about having people crowding me on a small patio. Another great benefit is I can have quite a bit of outdoor furniture. It gives me a spot to put chairs that are in the grass when it is time to mow. I think it is so much fun to sit outside and eat dinner with my family. I like picnics but I enjoy sitting at a nice table too. I love to sit outside in the evenings and talk on the phone or just relax and take in the nature around me. I live in a really nice area and it is extremely peaceful.

I am reminded of when I was growing up. We had this really old picnic table. I must have eaten a million Popsicles at that picnic table. My dad made the picnic table so it was one that moved with us and was at each of our houses. It is funny that a picnic table can mean so much to me. It surely had a lot of memories of my childhood. I know it was repainted quite a few times from being out in the elements. I also have memories of my grandparents sitting with me at that picnic table. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world but it was a nice place to rest your bones as my grandma would say. Now outdoor furniture is extremely comfortable and it still serves the same purpose, to rest your bones.

You Can Not Solicit in this Neighborhood!

I live in a really nice neighborhood and in our most recent newsletter there was an article about solicitors. This has become somewhat of a problem in our neighborhood. We have signs at both entrances of our neighborhood that say “No Soliciting”. The article said that if a solicitor comes to your door you should call the police. It doesn’t matter if they have a permit or not. I don’t like to answer the door if I am not expecting someone. I always check for delivery trucks or the mail truck out the window before I go to the door. The doorbell ringing is almost a daily occurrence with some kind of parcel or package. Normally the solicitors are respectful but occasionally they are kind of pushy. I will write about “magazine salespeople” at another time. I have a good story to tell.

Fast forward to today. The doorbell rings, its naptime I am upstairs watching TV and texting my friends. I get up and look out the window no cars and no trucks, not even a tractor or bulldozer in sight. I thought maybe it’s a neighbor so I go downstairs and there was a girl who I would say was about 16. First she was banging on the window, which kind of annoyed me. I reluctantly opened the door. She was like hi!! Her tone was like nails going down a chalkboard. I was like yeah what do you want. She was staring at me. I was upstairs relaxing. She was like don’t worry you don’t have to buy anything, she hands me a piece of paper and started her prepared speech, I stopped her and was like you can’t solicit here. It’s illegal. We have signs posted. You are going to get to the cops called on you. I was trying to be nice. She was like well do you know where I have to go to get permission? I was like no you can’t solicit here. She said I have a permit. I said it doesn’t matter permit or no permit it’s still illegal. She said should I call my manager? I said I think you should take it up with them. She said ok and I closed the door.

It is funny because my friend Brandy and I were talking about this the other day and again on Saturday. She had quite a few strangers come to her door. I told her we normally hide from strangers. Well you can never be too careful. Remember what happened to Mary Jo Buttafuoco? She answered the door innocently and Amy Fisher shot her in the head. Oddly enough I thought about that shortly after she left. I think I have seen The Long Island Lolita Story too many times on Lifetime Movie Network or something. I love that movie though. I am very interested in true crime and law.

I really don’t like solicitors. There are also the ones that try to trick you in to their goods and services, but I will discuss that more in an upcoming post. Another trick a solicitor will try is walking around saying oh I am working on your neighbor’s yard or house and I thought you would like my services too. I am having a special on such and such. That doesn’t work with me. It sounds too much like a scam. I am less likely to get services and goods from people peddling them door to door than if I am seeking them out on my own. Of course I have nothing against kids in the neighborhood selling candy or over priced gifts and wrapping paper. I was one of those kids once. I am sure you all remember I used to sell pictures I colored out of my coloring books. What do you think about solicitors? Does your area have any laws against them?

Masks!

I used to collect masks. I am not talking about Halloween Masks but those beautiful masks known as Venetian Masks. I had a few of them. I am not sure whatever happened to them. I am sad that I don’t have them anymore. They were up on a shelf in my room by my porcelain dolls. I really enjoy looking at all the different ones that are made. It is really cool to think about how each of the masks has a story behind them. Some artists decide to make them look like animals. There are full faced ones and partial ones that you wear around your eyes, like the ones you wear to a costume party. I think the full masks are more for decoration, but you could wear them too if you wanted. They are breath taking pieces of art. The details are absolutely amazing. Many of them are hand crafted and the artist spent hours making each mask.

I have always wanted to go to an elegant masquerade ball were the guest wear stick masquerade masks. I used to watch soap operas all the time and they always went to masquerade balls and wore masks. It would be so much fun getting all dressed up and wearing a gorgeous dress and a mask that would match it perfectly. I would like to wear one with feathers and glitter. It would make the costume ball magical because you wouldn’t know who you are dancing with until the mask comes off. It would be great if you are secretly in love with someone and they had the courage to ask them to dance. I am a hopeless romantic. What would your mask look like if you were going to a costume ball? Do you collect masks? What does your favorite one look like?

Piggy Bank for the 21st Century

I have a really cool toy to share with you. I thought my readers with older children would love to hear about this brand new, unique, hi-tech, educational children's toy. The toy is the Ekomini Piggy Bank and it has been designed by educational professionals to promote financial literacy among kids. It features an interactive money box that connects to a computer via USB to provide kids with a fun way to keep track of what they save. I wish I had one of these when I was a kid. I would have to sit and count change all the time back when I did Kool-aid stands and sold other random items. It would also be great if your child is saving for a special toy or game. When Noah gets to be a little older I am going to give him an allowance and I am going to have him save for things he really wants.



Another really cool thing about Ekommini is that kids can take part in virtual adventures in Ekominiville where they learn about saving, spending, donating and investing their money in a fun context. I feel it is important to teach children about money at a young age to prepare them for the future. The Ekomini is currently being launched in North America and is priced at USD 39.99.
For more information please visit http://ekomini.com

Email Feed Problems

It has come to my attention that my email feed is having issues. It is only coming every so often. I apologize for any inconvenience it may cause anyone. I am aware of the problem and I am hoping it will work it's self out or I will have to figure it out with Feed Burner. Thank you for your patience and for reading my blog! Until then be sure to keep checking back here.
Have a GREAT day!

What Exactly Does That Toy Do?

I decided when I was pregnant that my son was going to play with educational kids toys. There are quite a few useless toys on the market in my opinion. Who really needs a doll that comes with a dog that needs to be “housebroken” or creatures that make foul noises? I think it is disgusting. I think it is important to use toys as a teaching tool, especially when your child is young. I believe that your child can learn a lot with playing with toys. Noah has a huge imagination. He is always coming up with new ideas to do with his toys. He has blocks that he loves to play with and he makes patterns with them, complex ones. He will turn just about anything in to a crane or some other kind of transportation, yes he calls it transportation. He loves to build things or “do construction” as he calls it, and that helps with his gross motor skills.

There are what I classify as good toys and bad toys. Good toys are educational and have a purpose and are fun. Bad toys are those that are crude or violent. I know it is not really an issue at Noah’s age now but as he gets to be older he might want some toys I find unacceptable. I have already decided there will be no toy guns in my home. My neighbors have BB guns and it drives me up the wall because I am afraid Noah will pick up the BB’s the kids shoot and try and eat it. I also don’t like that they seem to aim at live animals on our pond. I don’t want Noah to think that guns are cool. They also look a lot like real guns and that is how tragedies happen.

Can I get a Price Check?

I get very excited when I find items I use a lot are on sale. You really have to check and make sure it is in fact a deal. One of my local grocery stores often has a sale buy 10 for 10 and get one free. You can mix and match so it is usually a good deal. One day I was shopping for baby food and I saw in the flier that it was 10 for 10 and get the 11th free. Great, awesome right? Yeah I thought so, until I realized that the item only cost 88 cents to begin with! So, I was thinking they want me to pay an extra 12 cents? I don’t think so. We pointed out the mistake to an employee and they kind of thought I was dumb for pointing it out. I thought it was kind of deceitful to act like it was a better deal when it wasn’t. I often wonder how many times we think something is on sale because the sign covering the price says so.

I always have a million things going on while I am at the grocery store. I don’t check every sale price with the original price every time. I have started to remember to do so. I hope you will remember to make a point to check out prices when you shop and make sure just because it sounds like a good deal that it really is.

Let's go camping

One of the things I am looking forward to doing with Noah is going camping when he gets a little bit older. I used to love going to summer camp. Going to camp was one of my favorite things to do during the summer. I made so many friends and I didn’t want to go home. I really enjoyed receiving letters from my family. It is just something about being outside in the wilderness and sitting around a campfire that does a body good. You can have so much fun just sitting around a fire telling stories, singing songs, and of course making S’mores. I also like to fish. I really think that Noah would get a kick out of it and really enjoy camping. We have talked about looking at camping tents and sleeping outdoors in our backyard. We were discussing that the other day. I am not too sure if it would be something that would last all night and if I would get any sleep.

I used to camp out in my back yard with friends or my sister and most of the time we would end up coming inside once it got late. We would hear a noise and get scared. I have always lived in really nice areas but I am kind of a chicken even now. I think a better idea would be to instead of camping out, spend a few hours outside in our tent and doing everything that you would do when you are camping but then come inside after we did all the fun things. I think that would be the best bet until he gets to be older then we can do the full blown out in the woods experience. Do you like to camp with your family? Please share with me some of your stories.

Yummi Bears Review and Giveaway

Vitamins are important to a child’s growth. I decided Noah needed to start taking vitamins. The vitamins I took when I was little were hard and gross tasting. I didn’t really like taking them, but I knew that they would help me grow up strong. I can still taste those hard chalky character vitamins. I am concerned about Noah not liking those same vitamins so I started looking at gummi vitamins. I had the opportunity to try out some Yummi Bears vitamins with Noah. Yummi Bears are gummi vitamins by Hero Naturals. Hero Naturals makes many different varieties of Yummi Bears, for different vitamins including an organic Yummi Bear multi-vitamin. The different vitamins can be taken together. They also make adult gummi vitamins. I have a little trouble with swallowing big pills sometimes so, I really like that I can take a couple gummi vitamins and be done with it.

When we received the multi-vitamins in both original and organic, I wasn’t sure if Noah would like the organic ones, so we started with the original Yummi Bears multi-vitamins. He really liked them and thought that they tasted great. He had no problem taking them and he would even ask me for his vitamins. He also likes to tell me which colors he wants each day. I even sampled one and it was really good.

Once those were gone, we decided to try the organic Yummi Bears. Noah really liked the organic ones. They have a sugary coating so, he calls them sparkle vitamins. I tried an orange one and it tasted like an orange slice jelly candy. I was impressed. Noah told me he likes the organic ones better. I wanted to know his preference so I know which ones to buy. He would be happy with either variety.

Thanks to Hero Naturals for providing complimentary samples for my family to try out and providing an awesome gift pack for the giveaway.

I have a giveaway for you.



One reader will win an awesome gift pack of Yummi Bears products from Hero Naturals

Mandatory entry: Please go to the Hero Naturals website and tell me which product you would like to try.

You must do the main entry for the bonus entries to count.

Bonus Entries:
Subscribe to my blog via email
Follow my blog
Follow @Sheilacakes7 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway including a link to this post. This can be done once a day.
Tell me who you want to win this awesome gift basket for.

This Giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY.

This giveaway will end on June 23,2010 at 11:59 PM ET

We are going to Disney World!

We are heading to Disney World in July. I am so excited to be able to take Noah for his first trip. I have very fond memories of going when I was little and I am happy to be able to share this wonderful opportunity with him. I am sure it is often a concern of parents about the cost of tickets to Disney World. If you have a big family it can be expensive. I sometimes find that planning a trip can be really stressful too. The smart thing to do would be to check out Disney World Packages for your trip. That way you save when it is all bundled up together. Usually there are great discounts if you just do a package deal. Not to mention you don’t have to worry about paying for everything separately. That is the easiest way to forget to but something. It would be awful to get to Orlando and realize you forgot to book a part of your trip. The deal seeker in me always wants to get a great deal and that includes tickets to Disney World. I think with a little investigating you can find some great savings on your trip to Disney World.

We are really looking forward to our trip and I have been telling Noah about all the characters we will see. I am not too sure how he will act around the characters so if it upsets him we will have to avoid them all together. I am hoping that will not be an issue because I used to love to meet the characters. I think it is an important part of the Disney World experience. It definitely brings it to life. I still enjoy looking at pictures of my sister and me with different characters. We have some great family pictures of us with Dopey, Princess Jasmine, and Winnie the Pooh. I will be sure to share the details and memories with you all after we take our trip.

Great Weekend!

I just wanted to say I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I also wanted to wish my cousin Dan a Happy 40th Birthday! What is everyone up to? Are you enjoying the weather? We are cooking out tonight! I hope everyone stays safe.

Mardy's Munchies Review and Giveaway!

As you all know, I love cupcakes. They are my favorite dessert. Not all cupcakes are created equal. I have had some not so good cupcakes in my life. Recently I had one from the store when I was visiting my sister. It was from the grocery store bakery. I decided to put a banana nut muffin in the container that Noah wanted to finish later. Big Mistake, my chocolate cupcake became banana flavored. I am not a huge banana fan. So, it was a huge disappointment. The worst part was I wanted cupcakes for weeks before that. I was so excited when I got one and I was crushed when it tasted awful.

Thankfully my cupcake guardian angels emailed me. My cupcake guardian angels were none other than Steve and Jana of Mardy’s Munchies. They wanted to send me cupcakes and other goodies. I was so excited and waited for my special delivery of goodies to arrive all the way from their bakery in Los Angeles. Mardy’s Munchies is a mom and pop bakery, they make everything themselves and they use no preservatives. Mardy’s Munchies is named after Steven’s late mother Mardy, who instilled a love of baking and inspired him to create delicious treats for over 20 years. They are a fixture at local farmers markets and often attend local festivals. Steven and Jana are both really nice and they even subscribe to my blog! I follow them on Twitter at @Mardysmunchies and I am so jealous of those of you that can constantly get goodies from Mardy’s Munchies. They are someone you must follow if you live in the LA area.

When I received my treats, I couldn’t wait to dig right in. They were packed perfectly; they weren’t crumbled or smashed at all. I was a little concerned about receiving baked goods like that. I was confident that Mardy’s Munchies would make it work. The first thing I tried was the Double Trouble Cupcake. It was hands down the best cupcake that I can ever remember eating. It was chocolate with chocolate cream cheese frosting. It would only be fitting that my cupcake guardian angels would send me such a heavenly cupcake. I savored every single bite. They were perfectly moist and the frosting was amazing. I love cream cheese frosting but I had never had chocolate cream cheese frosting. Oh man, I am drooling thinking about it.

I also received a Punk Mama’s Red Velvet cupcake that I shared with my mom. She thought it was amazing and so moist and delicious. It had normal cream cheese frosting on it. My mom loved it. She is not a cupcake fan but she really enjoyed eating the Punk Mama’s Red Velvet cupcake. I had a lot of goodies to try and the only right thing to do was to share with my family. I mean it would be rude of me to stuff my face with delicious treats and not offer them to others right?



I decided Noah would like the Coomer cookie they sent us. Noah is a cookie monster. The Coomer cookie is a Vegan cookie that is a Delicious Oatmeal mixed with bananas and vegan-approved chocolate chips. It also comes with pecans. Noah is not a vegan but he sure did love his Coomer Cookie. He kept asking for more cookies. I thought this is a healthier version of some of the cookies that I could get for him because it also contains no preservatives.

Another goodie I received was the Georgia White Brownie. They are rich, chocolate brownies with white chocolate chips dancing throughout. Covered with our chocolate frosting and then we drizzle white chocolate all over these and then for fun throw on some chunky chopped pecans- from the website. It was a nice big brownie and it was so moist and fudgy. I prefer fudgy brownies to cake like brownies. My favorite part was the chunks of pecans and the white chocolate on the top. I thoroughly enjoyed the brownie and Noah did too. So am I making you hungry yet? I know I am definitely craving some Mardy’s Munchies.

The next item I tried was the Triple Shazam Baby Bundt Cake. mini chocolate bundt cake is smothered with a dark chocolate glaze and then showered with white and dark chocolate chips. It was so cute. It was also very delicious. There is just something festive about a bundt cake. I think it is because my grandma used to make them all the time. Most bundt cakes are kind of tough on the outside, not the baby bundt cake I received. It was so moist and there is even a surprise when you eat it. I won’t ruin it for you though. You will just have to wait and see!

The last but not least goodie was the Raspberry Crumble Tart. Delicious Organic Raspberry fruit surrounded by buttery shortbread crust and streusel topping all nestled inside a gorgeous tart. I decided I should also share this one with my mom. She really enjoyed it too. She doesn’t really like tart shells but she said that the shell was perfect and the raspberry filling was not too sweet and not to tart just right. She said the best part was the crumb topping. I really enjoyed all the treats I received from Mardy’s Munchies. The only thing I didn’t like about the goodies I received was that when they were all gone, I didn’t have any more. I will have to visit them the next time I am in LA and bring home treats with me.

If you live in Los Angeles or traveling there, you can visit Steve and Jana every Tuesday at the Old L.A. Farmer’s Market located in historic Highland Park. Or if you want to end the week on a sweet note, then come on over to the El Sereno Farmer’s Market, an exciting, supportive community gathering with music, food and art that happens every Friday afternoon. If that doesn’t suit your fancy, then stop on by the famous Antigua Coffee Shop on Figueroa in Cypress Park or Casa Princessa on York Blvd for a varietal look at Mardy’s Munchies goodies. I know there are a lot of bakeries in LA but they are a dime a dozen compared to Mardy’s Munchies. Please keep them in mind if you want delicious homemade desserts that contain no preservatives.

For more information please check out Mardy’s Munchies

Thanks to Steve and Jana at Mardy’s Munchies for sending me some yummy desserts to try out and review and providing the giveaway prize.

I have a giveaway for you. One lucky winner will win a dozen gourmet cupcakes your choice of flavor!

Mandatory Entry: Go to the Mardy’s Munchies website and tell me what looks good. Please tell me the exact name of the item and what it is. They have such cute names for everything.

You must do the main entry for the bonus entries to count.

Bonus Entries:

Subscribe to my blog via email

Follow my blog

Follow @Sheilacakes7 and @Mardysmunchies and tweet about this giveaway including the link. This can be done once a day

Like Mardy’s Munchies on Facebook

This giveaway is open to US Residents ONLY

This giveaway will end on June 21, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST.

Learn Business on the Sea

I love to go on cruises. You can go on cruises for just about anything. There are singles cruises, theme cruises and even a cruise where you learn about business. Talk about one heck of a business meeting! Zenith Training is offering a unique opportunity right now for you to go on a cruise and learn about business. This 7 day cruise to the Caribbean called Dare to Dream Dare to be Great is edutainment, meaning you will be educated and entertained all in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Some of the things you will learn during this world class cruise are:

Work with business development trainers

Network with other business owners

Attend personal development sessions

Learn from life mastery specialists

Not to mention the chance to network with other business professional and make some new friends with the 150 people onboard. When you are not attending the workshops you will have plenty of relaxing and fun activities to do on board. I am sure you are wondering how much will it cost? It is only $127 a day per person. That includes your accommodations on the ship with activities such as miniature golf so you can go golfing with your new business associates. There is also an ice rink and rock climbing. You can relax after your workshops with a dip in the luxurious pools while you get some sun or if you are feeling adventurous you can even try out the onboard surfing. You will dine on great food and ALL of your entertainment, the “Dare to Dream… Dare To Be Great” Seminars and Business Tradeshow, your Welcome Party, AND exciting ports of call on sunny, exotic Caribbean Islands! You will wake up in a new and exciting place every day. Don’t miss the sunrise on the deck. It is really an amazing site to see while you look out to sea.

There are also many things you can do on the islands you visit from snorkeling to learning about other cultures. You can experience the country first hand by taking a walk around and shopping. There are amazing golf courses and beautiful beaches. It will definitely be an experience that you will remember. It is not just a business cruise it is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Please check out http://www.mlmzenithtraining.com/seminarsatsea/ for more information (and follow @MLM_Zenith on Twitter). I am sure the tickets will go quickly, so don't delay and secure your spot today!

Cyber Safety Tips

Everything we do these days is on computers; we get a great deal of our information from the internet. Growing up we were one of the few families that had the internet I knew of. I remember being in the basement when I was in 5th grade sitting on the internet message boards, back before chat rooms, talking to strangers about different things. Not everything I came across was appropriate for my age but I was naïve and I didn’t even know what they were talking about. It wasn’t really crude but it was like what is your bra size. I was definitely not sure how to answer it. The internet was newer back then, there wasn’t as many things going on as there is now.

I think that it is important to teach your children about cybersafety. I think it is as important as teaching them not to talk to strangers in real life. I think that the internet is a very valuable tool if it is used properly. I thought I would share with you some tips I have learned throughout the years of being on the internet and keeping our kids safe. As you all know I am big on safety and protecting kids from the dangers in the world.

Tip #1 Place your computer in a common area so you can know what is going on at all times with your child. That is really important to know who your child is talking to.

Tip #2 Teach your children to not talk to strangers online no matter how nice they sound. Kids are extremely trusting and it is important that you limit their buddy lists, friends lists etc, and NEVER meet someone they talk to on the internet.

Tip #3 Use Parental Controls and monitor what your kids do online. Some people would think that is invading their child’s privacy but I feel that the internet is a privilege that needs to be earned.

Tip #4 Be open with your child about the internet. If they seem to become upset or withdrawn after spending time on the computer, make it a point to find out what happen. They could be the victim of cyber bullying or have some other problem going on.

I think with these 4 tips you can make the internet a safer place for your children. There are many wonderful websites out there where you can learn anything at your fingertips. Just think of all the libraries you would have to visit to have the access to all the knowledge of the internet. I hope you all share these tips with your family and if you have any to add please comment.