One of My Favorie Quotes

I wanted to share with you guys one of my favorite quotes. It is from the movie The Prophecy with Christopher Walken. The Prophecy is one of my favorite movies. There are three Prophecy movies and the first is my favorite of them. This quote has a special meaning to me. I guess it sums up everything happens for a reason which I used to hate that saying and why does it happen. Especially after I miscarried my baby in 2003, I wanted to punch anyone in the face that said that to me. I also spent a lot of time wondering why. Why did this happen to me? I went to church and prayed and live a good life. I realized that it happened for a reason. I may never know the reason but there is one.

Here is the quote:
And in the end, I think it must be about faith, and if faith is a choice, then it can be lost - for a man, an angel, or the devil himself. And if faith means never completely understanding God's plan, then maybe understanding just a part of it - our part - is what it is to have a soul. And maybe in the end, that's what being human is, after all.

I think that it means, we can lose our faith and it is our choice, sometimes happen that make us want to stop trusting God, we might not know why something happened, but there is a reason. When we lose our faith we can always find it again, and we can know that God is always here for us, no matter what we say or do. I honestly think that God does not leave us, we leave God. We have to trust God in everything we do and what happens to us. You have to surrender everything to God and trust him completely. I know how hard that is to do.

Planet Fassa: A New Children's Interactive Site

As a mom, I am always looking for fun and educational things for Noah to do. He has a love for learning and playing so, he is open to new ideas and games. He also likes to use my computer and play games, type, and listen to stories with me. I have noticed that there are a lot of great sites out there for him to use but, once we go to a site for a while he starts to get bored. Some of the sites are fun but are not too educational and all of the interaction is on the computer. Noah is a child that is extremely active and likes to do things where he is moving around and learning at the same time.

I came across a site that I instantly fell in love with called Planet Fassa. F-A-S-S-A stands for Fun, Activities, Stories, Service, Awards. Planet Fassa is an interactive website. I don’t mean that it is interactive because your child interacts with the just the website. Planet Fassa has a wide range of characters that go on different adventures within a series of books called “Fassa Tails”. Kids are challenged to get outside and participate in activities alongside the books’ characters. It encourages you and your child to turn off the computer and TV and do activities or nuggets as they are called on Planet Fassa. There are things to do pretty much everywhere. Inside or outside your home, the doctor’s office and even on an airplane, both the doctor’s office and the airplane are places where I wish I had ideas on what to do with Noah. I think a great place to use these activities on long car trips, which can be long and boring. A couple of the Nuggets that caught my eye are The 5 minute Quiet Game and The Last Year’s Smelly Underwear Game. The Village Members can make up their own challenges too. Each Nugget has a different number of points. There are heart points, brain points and body points. Some of the Nuggets only use two point categories but there are many that use all three. Your children will not be bored anymore. There are so many nuggets for your children to do. They also have story books that read to your children.

If you are a working parent, you can also log on during the day and see the type of activities your child did with Planet Fassa. When returning home, you can encourage your child to discuss these activities, giving families a wider range of conversation topics and helping them move beyond the usual “how was school today?” Parents can find a new way of communicating with their children and feel a part of their everyday activities.

I am sure you are wondering what does your child do with the points? I know I was wondering that. Your child can use it as a virtual allowance. They can use the points to do special things like go out to eat, go to the movies, and have a sleep over with a village member. Your child can also create wishes where their parent sets the amount of points on their account for the wish. It can be anything from going to the mall or getting a special item, which your child has been begging for. We all know most children have something they really want. I think that is a great way to play, learn and earn.

You can also invite your family members to join in the fun. They are Village Members. You could have your child’s grandma, aunt and uncle in the Village. They can also use the ideas and give rewards to your child. Your child can use their nuggets to do something special with another family member. I am sure Noah would love to make a wish of going fishing with his uncle Mike. I really think this website is really cool and I think that it will bring hours of fun for our family.

I hope you check out Planet Fassa with your kids and let me know what you think.

Shopping With Promo Codes

I do a lot of online shopping. I am a person who loves to shop in her pajamas and have the things I want to buy come to my door. I also love getting a great deal on things. I will look around on a website, and if I find something I want to purchase, I go on a hunt for a coupon code. Promotional codes are great for saving money or getting extra free items with your order. I really like the ones that give me free shipping. Shipping can be very expensive. I can normally find a coupon code for any store, and will sometimes wait to buy something until I have one, depending on what I am looking for.

I am sure you are wondering where to find coupon codes. My sister actually asked me one day recently to work my magic and find her a coupon code for a store she wanted to purchase from. Within a few minutes I sent her 3 different codes to choose from. Recently I came across a site called PromotionCode.Org. I love how they tell you how often it works. You can even submit a coupon code as well. They have coupon codes for Victoria’s Secret, which you all know how much I love that store, Pfaltzgraff, Philosophy and Target, just to name a few. There are coupon codes for everyone. If you can’t find what you are looking for or you want to stay up to date with a certain store’s coupon codes you can have them email you when they add new coupon codes. I am so excited to have a new place to look to save me money. You should check out PromotionCode.Org and sign up for your favorite stores so you can save too.

Do you like to shop online? Do you like to use coupon codes?

Grown Up Bullies

I have heard a lot of talk about bullies. There have been many articles written about the subject in the past year. I know that a lot of terrible things have happened to young people that have been victims of bullying. There have been many lives lost to suicide brought on the abuse of bullies. There have been bullies actually physically committing murder and beating their victims almost to death. It is such a sad and terrible thing for children to endure and it needs to stop. I think that parents should talk to their children about being bullied and also how wrong it is to bully. Sometimes, not always, but in some instances it is learned behavior from their parents.
If you would have told me when I was younger like elementary school and in jr. high that adults could be bullies I wouldn’t of believed you. Every child has a teacher or two that they don’t like; it’s a part of life. I don’t think those teachers were bullies, I just think that I was a brat that didn’t always like to follow their directions, do the homework whatever it was and I would get in trouble.

Growing up my parents were not the type of parents that would have friends they would fight with, or any enemies. I guess I was lucky, or something. I can’t remember anytime there was “Drama” going on. It wasn’t that it was hidden from me or happened when I wasn’t paying attention, it just never happened. I know that my parents didn’t get along always, that is why they are divorced but, they would usually keep it away from my sister and me. Probably because I was a very out spoken child who would of said something. My mom has never said a negative thing about my dad, not even today. My grandma Diana would say mean things about my mom, my Grandma Rose and even me. That is a whole other blog post for another time in the future.

I was always under the impression that once you got out of school the bullying would stop, because that is not what I was accustomed to. I didn’t think that grown men and women would be that mean and cruel to others. I thought at some point people grew up and put the childish name calling behind them and the insults. I am sad and ashamed to say that I was wrong. It really makes me sick when people insult each other for the stupidest reasons. I think that any insult is uncalled for in any way or for any reason. It doesn’t matter what differences that you have, where you come from, or what the problem is. I have always thought it was better to ignore the person and walk away. If you feel threatened go to the police, otherwise make contact with that person scarce if you cannot stay away completely. No one deserves to be bullied, no matter how old you are.

I am not sure why people feel like it is ok to bully someone. I don’t really understand it. I am just really sad that it still goes on in adulthood. I am not sure if it is because they are a mean person or if they were bullied and now they are retaliating on anyone they can find. I have had toxic friends that were bullies to me. They were not physical bullies but emotional ones. I have had so called friends say horrible things to me or about me for no reason. Things would be fine and they would call me and say some ridiculous thing to me when I was mourning the loss of my Grandma Rose. I am no longer friends with those people. Really, I should have known better after receiving an email from this same person and then she had a bunch of people write awful hurtful things about me when we were in school. I should have known better. Do you ever look back in your life and think to yourself and thought that you wish you would have ended that friendship or relationship a long time ago. You wished that you never let it get to that point? I have now that I am older.

I have learned that not everyone is going to like me. That is fine, I guess, but people should be able to put their differences aside and co-exist without taking cheap shots. Besides the normal cuss words and name calling there are insults that are uncalled for. All of them are, but there are certain ones that are extra awful. I hate the R word. I hate when people use that as an insult or talk about “licking windows” or helmets. That is horrible. I am not talking about making fun of disabled people, I think most people know that is wrong, but when someone uses it as an insult. People are born different, and that is OK. We all have our challenges. Some people say it is a cultural thing to say it and that it doesn’t mean that. I disagree politely, it does. It is labeling people and saying that is not acceptable.

Another thing that a lot of grown up bullies do is bring children in to it and insult their kids. Children are innocent. They should stay out of it. Something else is throwing insults about being on assistance. Some people need help with food, medical, even cash. In a perfect world, we would all be millionaires, but this isn’t a perfect world unfortunately.

There is a saying that I am sure you all have heard many times. “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” That is a true statement and a false one. Sure words won’t leave physical bruises, but it will leave emotional bruises. Emotional bruises hurt for a long time. They are harder to forget. They don’t heal like physical ones, which fade away. I know that people sometimes say not to worry about what other people think or say but really, it does hurt. I know people are purposely trying to hurt you, why else would they do it. It is hard not to be upset or hurt. Especially if it is someone you thought was your friend. It is hard to not. It’s human to feel emotions and if someone says something about you, it hurts. Maybe I am just an emotional person. It is human nature to want to be accepted and loved.

Random Acts of Kindess & Senseless Acts of Beauty

When I was in 7 th grade my homeroom teacher, Mrs. Engledow started a movement in our homeroom. Little did I know, it would still have a huge impact on me to this day. I obviously knew it was great to give to others. My Grandma Rose was the most giving person I knew, but Mrs. Engledow, put a spin on it. This is when I learned about Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty. The idea of Random Acts of Kindness is to do something for someone without them expecting it. It could be anything from a smile and a kind word to something tangible. You didn’t have to know the person, it could just be a stranger or your dearest friend. I wanted to share with you some of my RAK and SAB’s that I have done and received over the years. I am a person who gives whole heartedly and doesn’t expect anything in return, because I know that if I give to someone, someday someone will give to me. It doesn’t have to be the same person but I know that if you help someone in need, then if you are in need then someone will help you. I am not saying I only give to people in need but I do sometimes.

When I was married, it was right after my birthday and my ex and I went to Super Target to get groceries, with the gift card I received for my birthday from one of his family members. We didn’t have much money so we had to be careful and were counting up the amounts. I think all we had at the time was the gift card. We noticed that these women were following us, we thought they were just shopping, didn’t think much of it and they stopped us. They talked to us for a few minutes and then gave us some money. We didn’t know them, it was such a blessing. We needed the help. She said she used to be a struggling single mom and I guess someone helped her once and she wanted to give back. I still remember how grateful we were that someone helped us. We didn’t ask, we just were able to get some help when we needed it.

I had a friend who had a two year old and I noticed that he hardly had any food to eat. One night before I was going over there I took a big box and gathered a bunch of food and took it over there so he would have some food to eat. I didn’t want him to go to bed hungry. I would of much rather been hungry than see a child go without food. I think she thought I was crazy but she accepted the food and I knew for a while he was properly fed.

In 2002, I went to visit my friend Logan and I ended up stranded at the Charlotte Airport because I couldn’t get a hold of my friend Logan and his wife was very pregnant at the time. Scared that she was in labor, and that I would be stuck in Charlotte North Carolina for forever, I started crying. I had been there for 8 hours and been up for a lot longer. Some jerk started yelling at me asking me if I was stupid. I was afraid he was going to attack me, so I started yelling at the top of my lungs, Leave me alone, Leave me alone all I was missing was a safety whistle. So, people would notice. I didn’t want anything to happen and it seemed to make me noticeable. Another man came up to me, as I was yelling leave me alone. He said ok I’m sorry. I said not you; please get him to leave me alone. He did. He asked me what was wrong. I explained the situation and he said he wanted to help me. Before I knew it, he arranged an airport van to drive me the 60 miles to the town where Logan lives. He charged it on his credit card without saying much of a word to me about it. I didn’t even know his name, all I know is he was from New Hampshire. I was so incredibly grateful to that man. Of course the rest of that night was a complete adventure.

So, I challenge you, my friends, to do something nice for someone else. Just out of the blue, just because, without a reason. You could make an impact on someone so profound, it could change their live. The world is a more beautiful place with Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty.

Does You Baby Need to Diet?

I try to watch the news at least once a day so I know what is going on in the world. Usually it is at 5 pm. Lately there have been stories about parents putting their babies, yes babies on diets. They are afraid that they will be obese. I personally think that is sick. Babies don’t need to be on diets. They are babies.
 If you knew me when I was a baby, I was huge. I was a chubby little toddler too. I will post a picture of me so you can see how big I was. I ended up being normal or maybe a little too skinny. I think it is wrong to put your baby on a diet. I am not sure exactly how that would even work? Cut out formula or breast milk the child needs for nutrients? Limit their strained pears or peas? Cut out Cheerios and goldfish?

Seriously, babies don’t have huge stomachs. Do they strap them to baby sized treadmills and make them sweat to the nursery rhymes? Then that would cause the baby to be malnourished. What happened to the time where everyone wanted big healthy babies? Now even babies are being a victim of the size matters mentality. Is this healthy to our children’s self esteem, telling them that they are fat and need to diet?

I know that it is unhealthy to sit around and eat candy all day, and eat a lot of fast food. The parents make that choice they are the ones that are in control of what their child eats. I think that treats and fast food are fine in moderation. I would never put my child on a diet for weight loss issues. If it were a medical diet then sure, I am going to do what is best for my child. The baby diet is ridiculous and I am not sure why anyone would subject their child to that. I do believe in teaching about healthy eating and understanding about moderation. If my child had his way he would eat candy all day and Rice Krispy treats all night. It is my job as his mom to say no, you can have a little bit of candy and one Rice Krispy treat. I feed my child HFCS sometimes. I let him eat fries from Mc Donald’s. I do these things in moderation.

Giving A Little Thanks

One thing I am constantly making sure my son does is say thank you. I still remember the first time he said it. We were walking around the neighborhood going to garage sales and we went to a house with two little old ladies. They loved Noah; they were talking to him while I looked around with him. I purchased some southwest buttons from them, I didn’t not want to buy anything because they were really sweet, so when I paid for them I said thank you and then Noah said Thank you as well. He went through a phase where he would say thank you just to say it, it was new to him and he was just around 18 months at the time. I love that my son has manners most of the time. I occasionally have to remind him to say thank you to me. He is really good about saying it at the store or at a restaurant. I grew up saying thank you and please and excuse me and he is growing up the same way.

I am really sick of people that don’t thank people. I am not just talking about when someone gives you a gift which is a definite thank you time, but more like when someone does something nice. I try and hold the door for people, if I am able to. If someone holds it for me I thank them cheerfully. One day I was at the grocery store and one of the ladies in the self service no limit check out line was taking forever. I am not sure if it was because there was a problem with the machine or what was going on. There were a few people in front of me with a cart full each and they moved to another line. I had maybe 10 items. Right before it was my turn, I turned to one of the people who was in front of me before and said, “Would you like your spot back?” fully aware that they had a full cart. I knew they were there before me and I would be done before them. The guy looked at me like I had 3 heads and mumbled no. I figured it was their turn to go.

I wish people would use more manners. It’s not that hard to thank someone for whatever reason. It doesn’t cost anything and doesn’t take any effort. It could really brighten someone’s day.

How Do You Say That in Indiana- Dialect Vlog #2

A couple weeks ago I participated in a Dialect Vlog. My friend Annie at MamaDweeb.com decided to make this a vlog hop. This is so exciting for me because I had so much fun the last time and spent time thinking of words that are pronounced differently and questions that were not asked. Naturally, I wanted to do this again. So here is my Dialect vlog #2. I forgot to say that I am from Indiana in this one.

Enjoy!



Here are the words:
Roof, Root, Illinois, Arkansas River, Missouri, About, Ask, Abdomen, Especially, Hierarchy, Often, Realtor, Coyote

Questions:
1. What do you call it when friends get together and eat food outside?
2. What do you call the meal at noon? What about 6pm?
3. What do you call the thing you put your groceries in after you buy them?
4. What is it called when you ride a sled down a snowy hill?
5. What is another word for a stream you find in the woods?
6. What is the piece of furniture you store you clothes in?
7. What do you call the stuff you throw away?
8. What is the huge piece of furniture in your living room that at least 3 people can sit on?
9. What is the common/slang way for where you live to say, “Calm down”?
10. What do you call the colorful candy toppings you put on donuts?


I look forward to hearing your dialect vlog. Go check out MamaDweeb for more dialect vlogs. She has an awesome linky.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I am very Irish and so St. Patrick’s Day has always been important to me. It is not a day for me to go out and get drunk but a day I think about where I come from. My dad was born in Ireland, My Grandpa Bill was also born and buried there. I have many relatives that came from Ireland on both sides of my family. I am sure I am like 65% Irish because I have Irish on both sides. I know that my grandma Rose’s great grandparents came over to America on a boat called The Spotted Cow. My dad’s family came over when my dad was a boy. I know that a lot of people are Irish which is cool and if you aren’t St. Patrick’s Day is a day you can pretend by wearing green.

St. PWhen I was little we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. A leprechaun came to our house and brought my sister and me a small gift. We would always look for the leprechaun and come up with schemes to catch him, but we were never successful. I guess the leprechaun was too smart and tricky for us to see let alone catch him.
I think it is important to learn about your family’s heritage and celebrate it. I don’t decorate my house in shamrocks or listen to Irish music all the time, but I am proud of where part of my family is from. I invite you to celebrate your heritage and pass it on to your children. If there are certain traditions, or songs or food, pass it on.

Please have a happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day.

Do You Celebrate Half Birthdays?

Do you celebrate half birthdays? When I was younger my family celebrated mine and my sister’s half birthdays. We would each get a present from our mom on our half birthdays. Well, I would usually get mine the day before or after because my half birthday is February 29th. Since most years don’t have that date that is how we celebrated. The only reason that we “celebrated” them was because my sister’s birthday was really close to my half birthday and vice versa. It was a reason for us to each get a present around each others birthday. I know a lot of people don’t do this and the other child or children get nothing on or in this case around their sibling’s birthday. That is perfectly fine of course. Each family does things differently. We never had a full blown party or cake or anything just a gift. My grandparents even gave us each a present as well.

I decided to continue the tradition with Noah. He doesn’t have any siblings, so I am not sure why I decided to do this. I am very big on traditions and I just thought he would enjoy it. I am trying to explain to him what a half birthday is and how we celebrate it. There is no party, no cakes, no streamers, just a present. I bought him this triple plane set for his half birthday and it was pretty expensive. I was planning on only spending ten dollars on his gift and I ended up spending thirty dollars. The funny thing is he really wanted something else before he saw what he ended up getting. The first thing was 18 or 19 dollars and I didn’t want to spend that much and I ended up getting something almost twice as much! I thought about going out for ice cream because Baskin-Robbins sends you a coupon for a free scoop on your half birthday and I had one too. I thought about using our coupons, but it is way too cold to go out for ice cream.

Does your family celebrate half birthdays? If you do what do you do for them?

PixeBaby Mobile App Review

I think as a parent, it is normal to take a lot of pictures of your child. I have so many pictures of Noah. I am constantly taking them on my phone. I love to share pictures with friends and family. Most of my family lives in other parts of the country and only get to see us like once a year. So, really we have to rely on phones and pictures to communicate. I love sending pictures on my phone to people but it can get time consuming having to send them one at a time to each person.

I learned about an app called PixeBaby, that takes away some of the work of sharing pictures with loved ones. It will connect all the cameras of your friends and family that also has the app and you can get those precious pictures easily. It would be great for new parents that take pictures of everything like I did. It would be an easy way to show off your new bundle of joy. I know when I had Noah the family members that live far away had to wait until they received the birth announcement to see Noah’s little face. I know it took me about a week after I got home from the hospital to mail his announcements and so my family in California had to wait a while.

I really think PixeBaby is a cool app because I know that I would use it a lot. I would love to see more pictures of my cousin’s kids and with them growing up so fast. My sister and brother in law now live in South Carolina and I know they both miss Noah a lot. You can even create collages with the PixeBaby mobile app. I try and send her pictures of him as often as I can. It would let others cherish those precious memories. I hate being so far away from my family and I look forward to every time we can get together even if it is not that often.

This app is only 99 cents. What a great deal! That is so inexpensive for such a wonderful app. When you invite your friends and family to use the PixeBaby app they can download it for free!

The PixeBaby app is available for Android Phones with the iPhone app coming out soon.

To download the PixeBaby app for Android Phones visit HERE. PixeBaby is also coming soon to the iPhone App Store.

I am Jack's Bot

If you know me at all, ever had interaction with me, you know how much I love the movie Fight Club. I have seen it a bajillion times. I know the whole movie by heart and love to quote it and tweet about it. I feel sorry for my friends like Brandy of Happily Blended because she has to deal with me all the time talking about it. When I found out she hates Fight Club, I was completely baffled. How can someone hate Fight Club? How can one of my dearest friends of all people hate Fight Club? It was almost terms for ending the friendship but I gave her a pass. Of course I am kidding but I just don’t understand. I would never sit down with my mom and watch it because I know she would hate it, but she is my mom. I just thought that everyone loves Fight Club because it’s Fight Club. I have known people that have never seen it and won’t. They are really missing out.

To be fair I have a faint memory of being at Blockbuster a long time ago and my friend or someone I dated, it’s been a while, asked me if I have seen it and I said no, don’t want to. I thought it was a boxing movie and I hated Snake Eyes. It wasn’t until a year or so later that my ex bought it at K-mart and had me sit down and watch it. I loved it, I watched it over and over. I demanded that I got to keep it when I kicked him out. I got to keep all my favorite movies because he kept his guitar. Fight Club is not about boxing and it is hardly about fighting. It is just like a small part of it. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. It is brilliant. It is definitely a movie for adults. I wouldn’t recommend watching it with your children, it is very inappropriate for anyone under 17. They talk about Martha Stewart in it. You know how much I love Martha.

Shortly after joining Twitter and tweeting about Fight Club I noticed that I was getting replies from someone called Iamjacksbot. In the movie the narrator played by Edward Norton reads a series called I am Jack’s Colon; I am Jack’s Medulla Oblongata to name a few. He also uses I am Jack’s to describe how he is feeling in certain parts of the movie. IamJacksBot is an automated bot (I believe) that whenever anyone on Twitter mentions the words “Fight Club” it will tweet you a random quote from the movie. One day recently I wanted to mention IamJacksBot in a tweet and if you look at the top it will tell you who you follow that also follows someone. There is was…. Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart follows IamJacksbot on Twitter. She won’t follow me, but will follow the Fight Club bot.

I didn’t realize that Martha Stewart was such a big Fight Club fan. I mean Martha Stewart just doesn’t seem like she would be a fan or condone such a movie. I was floored. I guess Martha is an interesting person and created Whatever Martha where her daughter and friend made fun of her. I wish they would bring back that show. I loved it. The talk show is not very good in my opinion. I guess you can learn a lot of things about celebrities on Twitter. For the record it made me love Martha even more.
What do you think of Fight Club? Have you seen it? Its brilliant isn’t it?

I Really Need New Glasses.

I think it is time for me to get new glasses. I have had the same ones since 2007. I got them when I was in Florida. Since I am nearsighted I have to get prescription eyeglasses. I know you are supposed to get an eye exam every year or every two years at the latest. I don’t think that my eyes have changed because I can still see fine when I am wearing them. If I don’t wear them I can’t see very far very well and I start squinting. Noah will say something when I am not wearing my glasses. He will ask me where they are or get them for me. I normally wear them all the time. So, it’s mornings when I haven’t put them on or if I have been chopping onions. When I chop onions the vapors get stuck in my glasses and it is always too late before I take them off. I have to ask someone to take them off for me. Sticking my onion fingers close to my eyes is a bad idea.

I keep meaning to make an eye appointment because I need a new pair. I would also like to get contacts for when I am out and still wear my glasses at home. I would like to get a different kind of frames this time. My last two pairs have been wire frames. I had the plastic frames when I was younger. I like to look online for glasses. I think it would be cool to order glasses from my home and not be limited to just the frames that are in the stores. I am sure it would be cheaper because you wouldn’t have to pay all the extra fees when buying them in the store. There have been a few times that I went to get frames where I had to wait to get them because they were not ready, which meant another trip to the eye doctor. When I got the eyeglasses I have now, my eye doctor was 30 minutes away, then I had to wait in line to be waited on and fitted. Noah was with me and it was not a pleasant experience to say the least. Noah was cranky and needed a nap. I was not really in the mood to ride in the car for a hour a few days after I was there.

I would love to not have to deal with that again. I like to go and get things done in one trip. I would really shop online for everything if I could, and have it sent to my house. When I do finally make it to the eye doctor, I will probably just get my prescription and buy my glasses from GlassesUSA.com. I have no idea how to read a glasses prescription so I would just send it to them and have their experts read it for me. They have a lot of designer frames that I could see myself wearing. They even have prescription sunglasses. I don’t wear sunglasses but I know I probably should start.

Do you wear glasses? Do you like to wear sunglasses? Do your kids wear glasses?

I have a few discount codes for you guys for Glasses USA.

You can save 10% on your next order of glasses with the code: Mommy10

Here are the other March Specials:

10% off any order of $100 or more with the code: 10FRSH

25% off any order of 3 or more pairs of eyeglasses with the code: 25FS

These specials include FREE shipping to the United States.

Engreener Review

Noah loves fresh fruit and I love fresh fruit and vegetables. Noah loves to eat apples with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on it. When I am giving him fresh fruit, I am always concerned about washing the fruit carefully to get off any pesticide or dirt. I had the opportunity to try out a product called Engreener. The Engreener is a fruit and vegetable cleaner. Engreenger uses ultrasonic waves and ozone functions in one device, eliminates bacteria that can be missed with traditional rinsing. The Engreener Kills 94.9% of bacteria on fruits, vegetables, and other objects. It does not use detergents.

Here is some information from the website about the ozone and sonic waves process:

How is the ozone applied?

No bacteria can mutate from ozone.

It directly splits and kills the cells on contact.
Ozonated water is approved by the FDA as an effective sanitizer against microorganisms.
Kills Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Shgella dysenteriae which exist in air and water.
Keeps fruit and vegetable fresh.
Decomposes residue of agri-chemicals on fruits and vegetables.
Decomposes chloride found in tab water.
Cleans polluted waste water.

Researches by American scientists have also found that the cancer cell activities become slower after being in contact with the ozone, justifying the wide application of the ozone in our day to day life.

How is ultrasonic waves applied?

They have been used for earning purpose in many different industries. The ultrasonic waves in the water cause a phenomenon known as cativattion and it is the rapid formation and violent collapse of micron-sized bubbles in a liquid medium. These tiny implosions provide excellent cleaning power, as well as killing germs.
The Ultrasonic waves eliminate most of pesticides used on apples, such as Parathion and EPN & Captan and a fungicide, used on grapes and/or cabbage.

They have been used for earning purpose in many different industries. The ultrasonic waves in the water cause a phenomenon known as cativattion and it is the rapid formation and violent collapse of micron-sized bubbles in a liquid medium. These tiny implosions provide excellent cleaning power, as well as killing germs.
The Ultrasonic waves eliminate most of pesticides used on apples, such as Parathion and EPN & Captan and a fungicide, used on grapes and/or cabbage.
Ultrasonic waves are used to remove agricultural chemicals from fruits and vegetables easily and efficiently.

What you do is you put your fruit or vegetables in a bowl of water and you turn it on. Each fruit and vegetable has a specific numbers of cycles. It is really east to use. You just stick it in the water and hold it. You occasionally move it around, If you can use a large spoon you can use Engreener.

This is such a cool product. I have used it quite a few times. I washed apples, asparagus and potatoes. I found it really fun to use too. I am always afraid that I didn’t wash the food properly and now with Engreener, I know that it is clean and healthier for my family. The cycles are pretty short, so it is not a long process to clean them. You can also use Engreener on your children’s toys. I think that everyone who enjoys fresh food should have Engreener. I will use this product in everyday life without second guessing if my fresh fruit and vegetables are clean.


Join Engreener’s Facebook Page

For more information please visit Engreener.

Thank you to Dyne Electronics for sending me a complimentary Engreener to try out. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I Belive in Miracles...Do you?

Miracles happen every day. I am a firm believer of miracles, not because I have heard about them on the news or from a friend of a friend but because I have witnessed them with my own eyes. I want to tell you about a couple miracles in hopes that you will believe in them too.

My ex-husband’s aunt, who was like another mother to me, is an amazing woman. I would talk to her for hours on the phone with, she always had a hug waiting for me. She was truly inspirational. She and her husband Mike had a houseboat. We spent part of our honeymoon on the houseboat with them. A couple months later was the annual family houseboat trip and we all had a great time until my ex’s cousins decided to go water skiing. We stayed on the houseboat because we didn’t really have the desire to go. The weather started to turn nasty. We were playing cards with his cousin and his cousins girl friend, all the sudden his uncle showed up and was yelling where is my cell phone someone call 911. My ex’s aunt was struck by lightning while on the speed boat. We had no idea what was going to happen. We didn’t know if she was going to make it. She was transported to a hospital by helicopter and stayed in the hospital for two weeks. She lived through being struck by lightning. The only damage to her was a spot of burnt hair where the lightning exited her body. If that is not a miracle, I don’t know what is.

When I had my miscarriage I had to have a d and c because my body thought I was still pregnant, even though my baby had passed away from the septum. The doctor noticed that I had a septum in my uterus. The doctor made the decision to try and remove it during my d and c. I started bleeding really bad so he stopped and my blood pressure was really low. They were talking about blood transfusion and everyone was really scared. It was supposed to be a couple hour hospital stay turned in to a 36 hour stay. I was really out of it. I remember my pastor John anointing me and my blood pressure started rising and the bleeding stopped. I remember only a few things from that night, that being one of them.

I do believe in miracles, I do believe that God can perform miracles. I think a miracle can happen to anyone who believes.

Did You Know...Dinosaurs Are Sea Life?

Really, dinosaurs live in the sea. What kind of dinosaurs? Brontosauruses. Let me take you back to one of our Target trips, we were in the dollar spot, and I found some capsules, you know the kind with little sponges inside them. I bought a package thinking maybe Noah would like them since they are transportation ones. Well, he ended up loving them. I would let him do 4 at a time when he earned them. His eyes would look in amazement and curiosity to see what the shape would be. We used them all up and I told him that I would get more of them since they were only a dollar for I think 12. When we went to Target again they didn’t have them. I decided to look online at Dollar Tree’s website since this would be something a dollar store would have. They did, I didn’t however want to pay $48 for 48 packages of 18 capsules. I decided we would go to Dollar Tree since there is a huge one a few miles from my house.

We found the capsules and bought three packages of them. We got Farm Life, Wild Life and Sea Life that Noah called Sea Lof or something. Noah begged me to do capsules when we got home, he hadn’t earned them yet so, eventually he did. He wanted to do Sea Life. I carefully handed them to him as he dropped them in the bowl of water. These Dollar Tree ones take quite a bit longer than the ones we got at Target. First it was a red sea horse, then a yellow little dolphin and then green brontosaurs. I was like what is that, and then I realized it was a green dinosaur. We watched and waited for the blue one to pop out and it was a hammerhead shark. Noah being a smart little boy knew that dinosaurs aren’t sea animals and was disappointed. I let him do two more capsules and I am happy to report there were a shark and an octopus.

I am assuming that one of those tricky capsules made it in the wrong package. If you buy the dinosaurs capsules and there is a sea creature now you know why.

Counting Down The Days Til Spring!

I really don’t like winter and I can’t wait until spring when it starts getting warmer. I don’t like being cooped up in my house all the time. I guess I get cabin fever. Every year around this time I start thinking about how I need a vacation. Now, that I am a mom I would love to go somewhere warm with some of my friends and just have some girl time. We all work really hard as moms and I think that we all need interaction with our friends. I think it would be fun to go somewhere exotic like Bali with some friends. That would require serious planning and passports of course so it wouldn’t be something we could decide spontaneously. I am going to get my passport soon though, so maybe someday I can stay in a Bali villas rental with my girl friends.

I am really close to my mom’s side of the family. I love how close knit we all are. I hear about family problems and I am so glad that we don’t have those kinds of problems and that we have never taken each other to court over silly things. I think it would be really fun to take a family vacation with all my cousins and kids, aunts, uncle and sister, Noah and mom. That way we could have more than an afternoon to hang out together. We are a fairly big family and I don’t get near as much time with them as I would like. Everyone is pretty spread out over the US. So getting us all together has not happened since my Grandma Rose passed away in 2005 and even then I don’t think it was everyone because my cousin’s wife was in labor during the viewing and had just had her daughter during the funeral. I would love for us to get a section of Bali villa rentals and just spend some quality time together.

If you could go on an exotic vacation where would you go and who would you take with you? Are you close to your extended family?

Sheilacakes Dialect Vlog

My friend Annie over at MamaDweeb.com did a dialect vlog and I thought it would be fun to do one too. So you read words and answer questions. Since I am from Indiana I am sure I sound different than others do. I am very shy and I was really nervous while doing this vlog. I sound like a total dork!



Here are the words and questions:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped
body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry
groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

Let's Talk Facial Hair Ladies

Honestly, I am not a huge fan of facial hair on a man. I don’t know why that is. I don’t mind a well groomed goatee or a beard that lines the jaw but I can’t stand moustaches personally. I also don’t like the really scraggly beards that look like the man is part wolf man. I prefer a man to be either clean shaven or a guy that owns a beard trimmer and actually uses it. I don’t mind a little bit of stubble with the 5 o’clock shadow that is fine too. My ex had a moustache and a beard and I couldn’t stand it. I would ask him to shave it off but it never happened. He could have had warts or something under his moustache, I am sure he didn’t but, I would hate when food would get stuck in it. It was pretty gross. His moustache really gave me the creeps.

The next man I date will be given the gift of a beard trimmer. I hope he understands that if he chooses to have facial hair and to date me, he will not look like a wolf man. I understand that some men don’t like to shave but the occasional shave is important to me. I get bored really easily so I was looking at beard trimmers last night and I really like the Babyliss I Stubble. I think it would be a great gift for a husband, a father, a brother to receive. It would also be a great gift for a teenage son. If you give them one, they wouldn’t have a reason not to use it. It doesn’t have to be like a Christmas or a birthday present, it could just be a little present just because. If you think it would offend them, because men are weird and can be sensitive, you could just purchase one and put it in the bathroom, so his feelings aren’t hurt.

What are your opinions of facial hair? Does your husband have a beard trimmer? I look forward to your thoughts.

Photos and Prompts Day 1 About me!

Here is a photo of me in my pajamas. The reason I am in my pajamas is because, I love to wear my comfy pajamas and I also love Victoria’s Secret. So, I thought this picture would be very appropriate.

Here are 10 facts about me:

1. I have a fascination with Serial Killers. I love learning about them. But I hate scary movies and get really scared really easily.

2. When I was 7 I stepped on a needle and had to get it removed by getting surgery. My sister spilled her sewing basket all over the floor and missed a needle.

3. I am the baby in the family. I have an older sister. I am also the youngest grandchild on my mom’s side.

4. I have had the same two cats that I got the summer before I was in the 6th grade when they were 6 weeks old. They are named Lucy and Lexy.

5. When my grandma first had Alzheimer’s disease, I took care of her and moved in with her. Later she moved in with us later on where I took care of her again.

6. I know most of Billy Joel’s, Carly Simon’s and Simon and Garfunkel’s songs by heart because we used to sing them on family car trips.

7. When I was 5 years old, I thought that I could go home with my cousins that lived in Texas in my Humpty Dumpty toy box.

8. Certain movies make me cry like My Girl. It doesn’t matter how many times I see it, I still cry, it never fails.

9. I love the British show Absolutely Fabulous and recently bought the Absolutely Everything DVD set.

10. I have a really bad habit of buying DVD’s I have never seen and never watching them. I have had Fatal Attraction since 2007 and I still haven’t watched it for example.




I am participating in 31 Days of Photos and Prompts started by It’s Gravy Baby. To check out the list and play along please visit her website. There is also a linky in on her blog to link up to all the other blogs participating.

My First Cell Phone

Cell phones have really come a long way. My first cell phone was a prepaid one. I can’t even remember what company it was. This was back in 2000, my dad bought it for me and always made sure I had minutes. Back when the prepaid phones didn’t charge for text messages. I had this phone for quite awhile. I remember I was working at a day care when I still had this phone. I bought a Tigger cellphone cover for my phone from a lady I worked with who sold Avon. I was really excited about getting it. It was this cloth thing that looked like Tigger. It was a little too small for the phone but it worked. This was back when I was obsessed with Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. I have outgrown that phase a long time ago, and now Noah enjoys the things I had.

I think that every cell phone should have a cell phone case to protect their phone. I like the ones that have the clip on them which is very convenient when you are carrying groceries or a unruly four year old. I guess the one thing I don’t like about my cell phone case is that it has a magnet in it to close it. It is nice that I don’t have to button it or snap it or have my phone fall out in my purse but, with my purse having a magnetic closure too, it can be a pain when it comes to magnetized things such as hotel keys, amusement park tickets and so on. I am constantly carrying my cell phone in its case when it is in my purse. That way I know I won’t accidently call someone or scratch it. Not to mention it is a lot easier to find when I am pushing the cart at the store. I don’t pick up my calculator and attempt to answer it or call anyone on it, which would be embarrassing.

I have a Blackberry Tour. What kind of cell phone do you have? Do you have a case or a cover on it?

I Need New Rugs

One of the things that stick out in my memory about my Grandma Rose is that she had all of these little rugs in her house. I remember pretending that the ground or carpet was lava or water and jumping from rug to another. I would even carry one with me and use it in those really sticky situations when there was a huge gap between rugs. It was a lot of fun and a great game to play with my sister and the occasional cousin. All my cousins are older than I am some quite a bit older, but they would always take time to play with me, their adorable youngest cousin. Now that I am an adult when I see rugs I think of my grandma, especially when they are the same type of rug that she once had. She had two different types of rugs in her house.

Every time, I see a rug I think of my grandma. I also would like to buy some Jute Rugs for the laminate floors in my house. We have rugs at the doors but I would love to get something more decorative. I love Bamboo Rugs.I think a bamboo rug would look really nice with the green colors in my house. Maybe one in front of the sink in the downstairs bathroom since it is painted a pretty shade of green. I think I want to decorate my home with some new rugs and décor.

What kinds of things do you use to decorate your home? Do you like rugs? Did you used to play the game where you used to pretend the carpet or floor was something dangerous? I look forward to your stories.

Cambria Suites Review

As I am sure you all know, I am a single mom of an adorable and sweet little boy named Noah. He is almost 4 and a half and I love him with all my heart, but even a supermom like me needs a break every so often. I was thinking about when was the last time I had a whole night to myself, not at home. I came up with the night before my sister and brother in law were married, in May. So, when I had the chance to stay in my local Cambria Suites I jumped on it. The funny thing is that it is the closest hotel to where I live. There are other hotels in my town but I had never stayed at any of them. I am certain you can imagine how ecstatic I was, to get this kind of invitation.

Cambria Suites is an awesome hotel, it is primarily a business hotel, but it is also really family friendly. It is part of the Choice Hotels chain, and yes I am now a Choice Privileges member. I had seen the hotel many times as it is right there, I always thought that it looked really nice. I had no idea how nice it was. I always have high expectations when it comes to accommodations, but I think that it was nicer than I expected. I arrived at the hotel and kissed my son good bye while he was convincing me to give him his car for Valentine’s Day a day early. I made him wait. I walked in and I was greeted by a really nice man at the reservations desk. He checked me in and gave me all the information I needed about the restaurant and pool, and I signed up for Choice Privileges, I knew before even seeing my room I would stay at Cambria Suites again. I am all about rewards programs. I took the elevator up to my room on the third floor and looked around. My room was gorgeous. It was a King Suite and I felt like a queen staying in it because it was huge. I noticed how quiet it was. Even being close to a highway and the mall, it was really quiet. The hotel was quiet too. I really liked that. I don’t think I heard a noise at all the whole time I was in my room, except for the wind.

After looking around at my suite, I realized I had a little fridge and a microwave, which I really liked. I had every intention of bringing popcorn but, I forgot. The bathroom was really nice too. It had a huge stand up shower, and all of the bathroom products were Bath and Bodyworks which is amazing, most of the time hotel toiletries aren’t that great or smell very good, not the case this time. I decided to lie down and watch some TV on my very comfortable bed. The bed was so comfortable that I was lying down for quite a while. I wasn’t sure what I wanted for dinner. I thought about ordering pizza but I also wanted to see what the restaurant had to offer. I was even toying with getting room service since the prices were so reasonable. I went down to the front desk and asked to see a restaurant menu. I took it up to my room so I could look it over. I got up to my room and realized that I demagnetized my key. My purse has magnets to fasten it and my Blackberry case also has a magnet on it so, this was something I was familiar with. I went back down and the man promptly fixed it for me. I decided my key wasn’t going in my purse anymore and kept it in my back pocket.

I was amazed at the menu that Reflect had to offer. Pizza was no longer in my mind. I wanted a BBQ burger. After watching some more TV and relaxing I went down and ordered my burger. The guy at the restaurant and bar was really nice. Everyone was very friendly and nice. He even offered to call my room when it was ready so I didn’t have to wait downstairs. I took advantage of that option. It only took 10 minutes or so before my food was ready. I brought it up to my room to eat. It was so good. I enjoyed every little bite of it. It had caramelized onions on it and I love onions. I really am glad I didn’t get pizza that night. It was Sunday so; I watched Desperate Housewives and then went down to the bar and had a couple drinks. I had a great time chatting with the bartender. We talked about all kinds of things. I explained that I was a mom blogger and he asked me a lot of questions. We talked about other random things.

The thing I was looking forward to the most was going to the hot tub. So, I wasn’t going to miss that. I love that the pool and hot tub are open until 12 am. That was a plus because usually hotels close their pools at 10 pm. I noticed that they had a really nice fitness center too. There wasn’t anyone in the pool area when I went which was really nice because I could fully relax and not have to worry about kids yelling and throwing things. I love kids but I was having my own mom night. I love that I didn’t see a single child during my whole stay, which was a nice change from the normal kids everywhere hotel. I am sure it had to do with the fact that it was a Sunday night and kids had school the next day, but man it was nice.

I ended my night with more TV watching and laying in bed. The bed was so comfortable. I slept so well. I sleep with a feather bed at home so I love soft comfortable beds and sometimes hotel beds can be not so comfortable. When I woke up, I thought about trying to see if I could stay another night just because I had such a wonderful and relaxing time. I decided that I needed to spend Valentine’s Day with Noah. I have come to the conclusion that I will have an occasional mom night at Cambria Suites just to have a little getaway. I am really looking forward to staying there again soon, I am addicted. The best part is that it is inexpensive and that I will be able to afford it. I found out from the bartender, Ben, that the room I was in is their standard room. So, I will be back soon.

I highly encourage you, if you are a mom, single or married, to have a mom’s night alone. I know that the word alone can be scary sometimes, trust me you deserve it. Just so you can relax and unwind. I am sure it will make you feel refreshed and recharged for all those challenges that motherhood brings you.
For more information and locations near you please visit the Cambria Suites Website.

You can also check out the other Choice Hotels and sign up for Choice Privileges. I know that Cambria Suites are not in all locations but I am sure one of the other hotels in the chain will be just as nice.

Thank you to Cambria Suites for giving me a complimentary night in a King Suite for me to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Green Ostrich Tool Box Review

Noah is just like my Grandpa Jim, he loves to see how things work. So, when I had the opportunity to review a The Recycled Milk Container 15-Piece Toy Tool Set from Green Toys sold by Green Ostrich, I knew it would be the perfect toy for him. Green Ostrich is company that sell products from recycled things. Their philosophy is Make a choice, not a sacrifice. It is a green toy company and it is really cool that they are able to use things that were discarded in to something for a child to play with. Growing up my Grandpa was a diesel mechanic and he had this tool box with all of his tools. After he passed away, his tools were given to my mom and my aunts and uncles. Whenever I use one of the tools I am reminded of him in his garage working on something. Noah likes to fix things and take them apart.

Noah loves the The Recycled Milk Container 15-Piece Toy Tool Set from Green Toys he received from Green Ostrich. About the toolbox: Dishwasher-safe toy tool box, Phillips screwdriver, flat screwdriver, hammer, saw, wrench, pliers, 2 two-hole connectors, 2 nails, 2 bolts, and 2 nuts made from 100% recycled, curbside-collected milk containers. I love that it is dishwasher safe. That way I can make sure it is always clean for Noah and if he is sick I can combat the germs on it.

He will pretend to fix things. Sometimes when I need a tool, like a screwdriver, he will bring me one from his tool box. It is really cute. I love how it says what each tool is on the base of it. It also has screws in it. So, it is just like a real tool box. He loves to carry around his tool box and ask what needs fixing. He also likes to use the tools as other things. He has such a great imagination. We both highly recommend the Green Ostrich tool box or any of the other great toys from Green Ostrich.

For more information and to order please visit the Green Ostrich Website.
Thank you to Green Ostrich for sending Noah a tool box to try out. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

ConAgra and Kroger Ethnic Dish Shop #weeknightmeals

I had the opportunity to do another shop at Kroger. This time it was for Ethnic Foods. I decided I would make my Chicken Teriyaki stir fry that I created like 5 years ago. I have talked to my mom about my stir fry but she has never tried it. Every time I planned on making it, it never was done. I am not sure why, but I finally had the chance. I did change the recipe some because I wanted to try the new LaChoy Teriyaki Stir Fry sauce. LaChoy is a brand of ConAgra which make quite a few of my favorite brands. When I came up with the original recipe it was pretty much one of those throw whatever I had in the electric skillet and cook it. Now I have refined it and instead of French cut green beans I am using sugar snap peas and of course the sauce is different. I change recipes all the time to jazz them up.

I went to Kroger and it wasn’t too busy, which is great because it was easier to shop. Especially when I am taking pictures, I think I have done a good job with people not wondering why I am taking pictures of groceries. I wouldn’t know what to say if someone asked. Another thing I love about Kroger is they always seem to have samples. They had chocolate covered strawberries samples. Let me tell you how delicious it was. I said to my family, this is better than Edible Arrangements. Noah really likes samples too. We get to try out different kinds of cheeses, among other things. First I went to find the LaChoy Teriyaki Stir Fry sauce, since that was the ConAgra product I selected from the list. I found it in the Ethnic food aisle next to the Asian products. It is a nice thick sauce and tastes good too. It was only $1.99 which is a great price compared to other similar sauces priced at $4.99. Next thing I got was the chicken, normally I get chicken breasts but since the chicken breast tenders were cheap, I figured I would give them a shot.

I had to stop in the toy aisle and get Noah a new toy. He was very good and did something that made me really proud. In case you were wondering, he got some new Hot Wheels cars. After we got that squared away we looked around at other ConAgra products like Orville Redenbacher Popcorn. They now have Nacho popcorn. I bought some because we eat so much popcorn. Another ConAgra product we like is Hunt’s tomatoes and Hunt’s Spaghetti Sauce. Hunts Spaghetti Sauce is really good in pasta dishes.

Finally we headed over to the frozen food department and got a bag of frozen corn and a bag of frozen sugar snap peas. I am not a huge pea fan. I don’t like normal peas but I like the sugar snap kind. I thought it would be classier than tossing in a can of green beans, even though green beans are good too. We made our way to the check out and I paid for our groceries and Noah’s new toy. On the way out Noah wanted to ride one of the ride on toys, unfortunately there had been teenagers that broke it. So, we got in the car and went home.

I wanted to share the recipe with you.

1 pound chicken breasts or chicken tenders

1 bottle of LaChoy Teriyaki Stir Fry Sauce

Frozen corn

Frozen Sugar Snap Peas (or Green Beans)

A pinch of brown sugar (for sweetness)

First cut the chicken in to bite sized pieces. Place in a big skillet and start cooking the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked, add the frozen corn, frozen Sugar Snap Peas , the Stir Fry Sauce and brown sugar and cook through. You can always make some fried rice to go with it too.

It is really easy and very inexpensive. I paid under 10 dollars for this meal. It was something I came up with when I was married and broke. It is really good though. After dinner I decided that I prefer using the LaChoy Teriyaki Stir Fry Sauce for a few reasons. I think it tastes better than using just Teriyaki sauce. The sauce is a lot thicker and also has a lot more flavor. It was really delicious and my family really enjoyed eating every bite. It was a winner.

Check out my Whrrl Story below. I hope you will try it. If you try this recipe let me know what you think!

More check-ins at kroger Olio Road

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I was compensated for this shop as a member of Collective Bias. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Valentine's Day from Hershey's Review

 It’s almost Valentine’s Day, really where has all the time gone? It is time for you to celebrate your loved ones for Valentine’s Day.  Now, Valentine’s Day is not a huge deal in our house like other holidays but I like to celebrate with treats. I am sure that will change once Noah is in school and has to pass out valentines to his classmates. When I was in school, it was just those little cards and the occasional little candy treat taped on or in a little bag. Hershey’s has amazing treats for Valentine’s Day. One thing I really like about Hershey’s is most of their candy is wrapped which makes it easy for passing out to others.  Hershey’s even went another step and made some the candy it’s self a valentine, with to and from right on the wrapper. You of course could attach it to your card still if you wanted to.

Some of the items we received, and if you know me at all, I am a huge candy junkie, were Hershey’s Valentine Kisses, Jolly Rancher Heart Lollipops Valentine Exchange, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts Valentine Exchange. I am pretty sure everyone loves Hershey Kisses that like chocolate.  They are great for baking too.  Every year since I was very little we would make Peanut Blossoms at Christmas time. It was from a “cookbook” from 1982 and I was born in 1981, we still use the same recipe. Kisses are just the perfect amount to satisfy a little chocolate craving. They are also portable and so easy to unwrap my 4 year old has become a master at doing it.  Noah really likes the valentine’s colors of the wrappers. He has even created new things with the wrappers, like a butterfly for example.

If I had to pick my favorite hard candy, it would be Jolly Ranchers. I am not huge on hard candy, but would never turn down a Jolly Rancher, depending on the flavor.  I have been enjoying them for pretty much since my first one. I have tried and love every variation they have made.  Suckers are a big thing with Noah right now. We had been getting those little wrapped ones, but after he kept pulling the little stick off it, I decided, no more suckers for while. I feel pretty good about having him try a Jolly Rancher Lollipop. I will definitely enjoy them myself.   What is your favorite flavor of Jolly Rancher? Mine are Cherry and Watermelon. I know that is two but they are tied as my favorite.

I am sure you read my post about Hershey’s Halloween Candy in October and already know how much I love Reese’s peanut butter holiday shapes. In case you missed it, I prefer them to the Reese’s cups because there is more peanut butter than chocolate. I love peanut butter. I am so glad that Noah isn’t allergic to nuts of any kind because that would be not a good thing in my house. Noah loves the Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts; he is actually the same as me and loves any kind of the Reese’s Holiday Shapes. I always buy them for any holiday I can find them and Noah, helps himself. He ate my pumpkin Reese’s and one of my Christmas Trees during those holidays.  He has made a huge dent in the Reese’s hearts though. He is really good at sharing and being generous and thinking of others.  He proudly likes to tell me that Grandma would like one. He is very sweet. 

I don’t let Noah sit down and eat a lot of candy, but he does get treats. I will get my little man some Hershey’s treats, including a Reese’s Peanut Butter heart for Valentine’s Day. I am trying to stay away from toys so, this year will be just some treats. We will also make Valentine’s Day Cookies.

For more information, recipes and ideas, please visit The Hershey’s Website

Thank you to Hershey’s for sending my family some complimentary Valentine’s candy to try out. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My Top 30 Break up Songs

I thought I would share my top 30 breakup songs with you, since I am single and not too in to Valentine’s Day besides spending it with my little handsome man Noah.  These really aren’t in any order. Just songs that make me feel better…… eventually.

30. Good Person Inside by Jill Sobule.

29. Once Upon A Dream from the musical Jekyll and Hyde. My favorite line is Once upon a dream you were heaven sent to me, but it wasn’t meant to be, now you’re just a dream.

28.  Please Remember Me by Tim McGraw.

27.  How Do You Like Me Now by Toby Keith.

26.  Wait and Bleed by Slipknot, the band I formally thought was called Skipnot.

25.  Desperately by George Strait.

24. Right Through You by Alanis Morrisette.

23.   Cry For You by Ashe.

22.   I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry by Hank Williams

21.  Have You Seen Me Lately (Acoustic Version) by Counting Crows. This is my FAVORITE song.

20. Could’ve Been by Tiffany. I have always loved this song. I remember dancing in my basement to this song in elementary school. It was one of my favorites.

19. Insensitive by Jan Arden. This song is pretty self explanatory.  I thought you might have some advice how to be insensitive.

18. Get Over Yourself by SHE-daisy. I love any song by SHE-daisy.

17.  Cryin’ by Aerosmith. I remember listening to this song, and dedicating this song on the radio to a guy named Seth Johnson when I was in Jr. High. He was a jerk!

16.   Sometimes Love is Just Not Enough by Rod Stewart.

15.  Another Dumb Blonde by Hoku. Yes, I love this song,  don’t judge me.

14.  Unbreakable Hearts by Jessica Andrews.  Love it!

13. Blame it on Your Heart by Patty Loveless.

12. Don’t Cry Joni by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. This song is about a girl who has fallen in love with an older boy who says she is too young for him and then moves away and realizes he loves her and she marries his best friend.

11. Bye Bye by JoDee Messina.

10.  One of These Days by Tim McGraw

9.  Why They Call it Fallin’ by Leann Womack

8. Ten Thousand Angels by Mindy McCready

7.  Some Fools Never Learn by Steve Wariner

6.  Stay by Sugarland.

5.  Two Teardrops by Steve Wariner

4.  Where are You Now by Janet Jackson

3.  Every Rose Has its Thorns by Poison

2.  Ocean Front Property by George Strait

1. After the Rain by Nelson.   None of the other songs are in order except this one. This is my favorite break up song, because it always makes me feel better…..eventually. My favorite line in the song is:  He never really loved you from the start, the only thing he ever gave you was a broken heart, don’t be afraid to lose what was never meant to be.

 
What are some of your favorite breakup songs?

Wilton Cake Pops on a Stick Transportation Pops!

I had the opportunity to take part in a contest with Wilton. Wilton is the premier brand of cake decorating and baking products. The contest was to create your own original cake pops. I bet you are wondering what a cake pop is? It is cake on a stick dipped in delicious candy melts. I really want to show you all how to make cake pops. I decided that I would use my adorable little boy as my inspiration for deciding what to make. Noah loves everything having to do with transportation, that’s what I would do. I would make a few of his favorites in to a delicious treat. Since he truly loves them all, picking which ones to do was somewhat difficult. So, I went to the source and asked Noah, he wanted rocket ships, submarines and cranes. He also mentioned blimps but, unfortunately the blimps were too warm and it was like the Hindenburg disaster.



I received a Cake Pops kit from Wilton to help me get started in my first cake pop adventure. Since I am left handed and tried to decorate Noah’s cakes before I was very nervous as they didn’t turn out very pretty. I had confidence in myself and along with my trusty and adorable assistant we were ready to hit the kitchen and start creating. First thing we did was use The Cake Pops on A Stick book to make the special recipe for the cake part. Noah really helped a lot; he poured everything in for me and even helped to stir it all up complete with construction vehicle noises. Once it was baked and cooled, we crumbled the cake.



I can honestly say that was Noah’s favorite part. He told me before we started baking that he was going to make me in to a cake pop and tickled me and said crumble crumble crumble. It was very cute. It was fun to crumble the cake up. My Grandma Rose always said that your best tools are your hands, and I agree completely.

After we crumbled it we added some icing and mixed it up with our hands. I had bought my favorite cake mix and frosting on clearance for 42 cents since it was green holiday icing, we looked like swamp things after we were done. I had to remind Noah, many times not to try and eat it all off his hands.





I decided to let it chill for a bit to firm up some, which was a great idea because it was pretty messy before. Once it was firm enough to shape without making a mess. I started making the shapes for the rocket ships, blimps, cranes, and submarines. I put them back in the refrigerator for a couple hours before I dipped the 6 inch sticks in melted Candy Melts to help them stick. Since my cake pops were bigger than the average cake pop I was worried that it would fall off if it didn’t have enough time to chill. I left them in the refrigerator for 24 hours, just to make sure.




I was ready to dip them with my new Chocolate Pro Electric Chocolate Melter. I melted some more red Candy Melts being careful that I wouldn’t waste them, when I was ready for the next color after washing some of the candy melts down the sink, I figured out if I poured the leftovers on parchment paper and let it dry I could reuse it. It peeled off really easily and I also figured out that you have to melt quite a bit to get easy coverage on your Cake Pop. I was able to make it work easily with a spatula on the bottom of the pops so they were completely incased in Candy Melt. It doesn’t take the Candy Melt very long to harden which was a good thing. I dipped the Red Rocket Ships and the Yellow Submarines first. I let Noah pick the colors all of them, since I bought every color of Wilton Candy Melts they had at the craft store.

I have always wanted to try out fondant and I thought no time like the present since I wanted to add specific details. I purchased several packages of colored ready to use fondants. I ended up using yellow fondant on all of the Cake Pops. I had also used some little cutters in different shapes. It was really easy to roll out even for me. My crowning achievement was when I put the yellow candy melts in a disposable icing bag and wrote USA on the rocket ships. It is legible even. I am not sure if Julia Child was guiding my hands like in the movie Ghost or what but it was perfect. I was so afraid that the rocket ships were going to be drizzled in yellow candy melt. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. I was so proud of myself at that moment.

I decided to make the wings of the rocket ship out of fondant. I used yellow fondant as the periscope of the submarine as well. I had some trouble thinking of what to use for the windows on the submarine. I was going to first use the candy eyes that were included in my pops kit turned backwards, that didn’t work too well so, I thought marshmallows would work. I decided to rip them and shape them for the windows. After attaching them I decided, it looked weird so, I melted some white candy melts and put those in a disposable icing bag and drew the windows on. I thought they really needed the porthole covers around them too. I used some melted chocolate chips in another disposable icing bag. Melted chocolate chips are a different consistency than the Candy Melts so it was harder to manage. Noah reminded me that submarines have propellers so I used some pull and peel licorice that I had purchased for the cranes to make it. By that time I had poured out the yellow Candy Melt to harden so I just kind of dipped the back of the pop in the yellow melts and attached the licorice. Two down two to go I thought to myself. I was doing this and it was working for me.

 

When it was time for the blimps I went to dip them and since they had been sitting out for a hour or more they were no longer cold. I almost started to cry after I watched the Cake Pop fall apart. I was thinking, it’s ok I have two more blimps. I didn’t realize until after that was the reason they fell apart, I dipped the second making sure it was carefully placed on the stick. I went to dip it and it fell apart too once it hit the Candy melts. At this point I yell Darn it. Noah said, “Mommy, that is a bad word.” Thinking after two were ruined I couldn’t have just one blimp I dipped it and covered it in sprinkles and watched it fall off the stick as I put it in a bowl for Noah to enjoy. I put the pre-dipped cranes back in the refrigerator for a few hours so, they would survive. I think next time I will keep them in the refrigerator until the last second before dipping. I highly suggest you do so too. It makes it a lot easier and saves you from the heart break of your beautiful creations plummeting from the stick.



After waiting a while I decided the cranes needed to be dipped. I had purchased some thin pretzel sticks to be the arm of the crane. I knew how fast the Candy Melts dried so I figured that I had to dip the cranes and then stick the pretzel in quickly or my cranes wouldn’t have an arm. I thought about dipping them with the pretzel stuck in it already but decided that would probably end badly. I took a spoon and covered the pretzel with Candy Melt. I cut out some yellow little squares and circles for the wheels and windows I attached with water on a little paintbrush. I put them back in the refrigerator to make sure the arms of the cranes were dried. Everyone knows that cranes have strings on them so I thought the pull and peel licorice would be perfect for that. It’s fun to eat too. I just tied it on and it looks really cool.



I received a Cake Pops stand in my Cake Pops kit which is really nice; I plan on saving it for a special occasion. I thought since these Cake Pops capture the essence of my little boy, I wanted the stand to be something that was Noah’s. I decided to build a couple rows with his favorite blocks that have holes in them, which are perfect for holding Cake Pops. Noah’s little eyes lit up with amazement when he saw them all done and placed on our display blocks.



I received the Wilton Cake Pops Kit for my contest entry where I could win a $500 VISA Gift card or 9 other prizes. I did purchase additional products for my Cake Pops and all thoughts and opinions and ideas are in fact my own.