Paper Shouts Winner

juliek1994@aol.com said... 5
We send a LOT of cards for all sorts of things!

Congratulations Julie!!!!!!!!

Life,. Death & a BRUISE.

Today went a little something like this

((pry eyes open))

Shit Ryan..its 7AM!!!

((Ryan falls back asleep))

......well.. I'm up now.........

I reach for my Blackberry..

Oohh!! A mama contacted me about her awesome store & GORGEOUS Tutus!!!! .. I feel special..she reached out to ME!!!

(( Well crap..I cant go to sleep again NOW))

Get up.

blahblahblahblacoffeehblahblahblahcoldpizzablahblahblahBLAH...

Go to Urgent Care( my doc has kids quicker than me so she isn't ever in on Wed).. get X- Rays.. I have a severely bruised finger ( I KNEW it wasnt broken & I know form my Athletic Training experience how to buddy bandage & split but wanted an opinion..) Mention some tummy issues i'm having & get a...

((GASP)) YOUR NOT PREGNANT ARE YOU?!??!?!!
((insert horrified face here))

..Gee.. no I'm not but had I been, I'd officially be terrifed for both my life & my unborn childs.

Thanks bitch.

Come home, Mike goes to some appointments.

Comes home "Didja see the chickies hatched???? I saw em! Did you??"

I head outside to birdophile the Robins nest..

EEEEKKK I SEE EM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I see one SWEET baby bird head pop out, mouth open & gapin gfor mama & I coo & run for my camera...

I stand a good distance away on a table creepily staring at the little birdies and when I go to hop off I SCREAM.. I nearly step on a dead mole, with its neck broken.

Thanks neighborhood cats!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way.. Mike did a pesticide b/c our bugs are OUT OF CONTROL and all it did was genocide the poor potato bugs ( Ok..I have called them potato bugs my ENTIRE life but when I googled them I got something WACK & Mike swears they're *called* Rollie Polies??) .. They all crawled out.. and then died on their backs & shriveled up & basically MELTED on my back porch.

Gorgeous. I'm scared to sit on my stoop now!

ANYWAY!!!

So.. .. Ah..I lost my train of thought. Go figure.

Basically I have a gimpy finger, the middle, right one. Yeah, all jokes about using it too much go HERE. We've been re-doing the living room to make it *lighter* and *brighter* which has been...intersting...

But uh..yep. Random is as Claire does..

ANYWAY! The POINT here my friends......

I'M BACK!!!

I have some super cool giveaways coming up.. Think Spring Cleaning , one of my FAVORITES.. A eco friendly clothing line, not to mention some super AMAZING stuff for MAMA!!!

..Don't even get Me started on the Tutus, DVDS and a certain company that you can BUILD A BEAR with!!!

Better stay tuned, who KNOWS what I might be throwing your way!!!

Wordless Wed!

Animal Atlas

We recently got the chance to check out Animal Atlas: Animals and Us Or, as Andy calls it "The giraffe movie"

I'll start by saying, we watched it close to 5 times.. In a row.. In a car. Andy LOVES it.

This DVD features 3 episodes, Who Needs Our Help, Who's at the Aquarium, and Who's at the Zoo. Andy seemed to like them all equally, of course. However, I really liked the idea behind Who Needs our Help, for older children, learning about how to preserve animals from extinction is an important lesson.

Although this DVD is probably geared towards older children, based on the conversation & words used, it didn't seem to matter. Andy followed right along, naming animals & following closely with every image.

I can honestly say, it even interested me. I had no idea many of the facts this video taught, and now I do! I know what a batoid is, do you?

I am definitely interested to check out all the other awesome episodes Animal Atlas has to offer. You can find Animals and Us at Amazon (Animal Atlas) Toys R Us, or NCircle Entertainment.

Pediped & the Make A Wish Foundation

pediped™ to host special shoe promotion to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation

I recieved this in an email today & wanted to share not only this great cause, but this great deal with all of my readers.

HENDERSON, Nev. (May 2009) — Beginning May 27 and running through June 10, pediped™ Footwear will host a Purchases with Purpose fundraiser to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. During this period, select styles of both Originals and Flex shoes will be marked down. Fifty percent of sales from this fundraiser will be donated to the charity to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

pediped™ very rarely marks down the price of their shoes. In fact, this will mark the third time in the company’s five-year history that such an event will occur. The first two events also benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“In these times, it's more important than ever to give back to the community and bring joy to children who need it. We hope people will go online to shop, and together we can all make a difference!” said pediped™ President Angela Edgeworth.

pediped™ will host several different fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2008, the company raised more than $111,000 to help grant 15 wishes and has aspirations of surpassing that figure in 2009. Information on current and upcoming fundraisers can be found on www.pediped.com.

pediped™ footwear was launched in 2004 by Angela and Brian Edgeworth in their quest for the perfect soft-soled shoe for their first daughter. Exceptional quality, unsurpassed comfort and distinctive styling have made the award winning company one of the fastest-growing children's footwear brands in the United States. pediped™ footwear is sold in over 2500 stores in the United States and 40 countries worldwide with an offering of more than 120 designs for boys and girls between their two lines, Originals and Flex. Originals (soft-soled shoes for newborns to age 2+) and Flex (rubber-soled shoes for children 1-6 years) are available in EU sizes from 20 to 29. For more information, visit www.pediped.com or call 1-702-567-0311.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 177,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish^®.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Since I'm back early, I thought I'd start by pulling all my winners to ease back into the blog mode..

So lets go!




The Kirkpatrick Project-

Mandy said...2 I have seen her write about her brothers or saw pics not sure which one on facebook lol....but thought to myself they look like fun!

Durex Remind me I'm a MOM-Shell-

The winners are-

Eileen,
Christina,
Janae,
MJMILLS,
Megan&Erica.










And SimaG-

Janae said... 28

Following you on Twitter.

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!!! I'll be in contact soon!!! =)

Need some new reading???

Check out all the AMAZING blogs AND women I've gotten to find through MomDot!

1. Lori@Not Always Charming

2. Fairy Blog Mother

3. Crazy Adventures in Parenting

4. Engineer a Debt Free Life

5. Sweet ‘n’ Sassy Girls

6. Good Golly Miss Blondie

7. SavvySuzie

8. For The Love of Baby!

9. Tammy@lovemy2dogs

10. Blessings Abound

11. Coupons, Deals and More

12. Hairstyles For Girls

13. Stacie @ The Divine Miss Mommy

14. A latte in the morning

15. KiddiesCorner Deals

16. 3 Kids and Us | Mom Blog

17. The Ohana Mama

18. Coupon Queens of Laurel Run

19. Today’s Journey

20. Eve @ Confessions of a Housewife

21. My Charmed Life

22. Laurie@DoubleBugs

23. Lisa @ Final Score boys3 girls2

24. New Sue Review

25. Suzanne Calling

26. Just For Me…and You

27. Time Slides By

28. Babes and Kids

29. Declutter a Little Each Day

30. Grocery Savings for Real Families

31. Life Starring Ellie and Eve

32. So Cute Crafts

33. Brea’s Mommy

34. Are Muffins Just Ugly Cupcakes

35. It’s A Beauty Filled Life

36. The crazy suburban mom

37. Donna’s World

38. Momma’s Gone Over the Wall

39. Mommy’s Quiet Time

40. Joyce (Saving My Cents)

41. My Trendy Tykes

42. The Not-So-Blog

43. Confessions From HouseholdSix

44. SiPPyCuPSand FiNGerPriNTS

45. Jennifer@CouponMommie

46. Shasta @ Crackers&Chaos

47. Giftfully Simple

48. Just For Fun

49. Digital Mommy

50. Me And Craig

51. Parenting Princesses

52. Shan@Last Shreds Of Sanity

53. Inside My Head

54. Petit

55. My Love Lucy

56. FreckleBox personalized gift

57. Baby Lulu Dress

58. Blog 4 Mom

59. 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires

60. Jolly Mom

61. My Life My Journey

62. Maman And Gourmand

63. Jess - Life @ 30

64. The POSHpreneur

65. A Blog of Goodies

66. Christy aka The Write Gal

67. LookWhatMomFound

68. Peanut Butter & Smelly’s Dad

69. Lucy

70. Angry Julie Monday

71. The Mogul Mom Blog

72. Angela

73. Deal-ectible Mommies

74. Christy’s Creations

75. Lisa

76. Courtney@Booksnboys

77. Wannabe Supermom

78. Thre Craft Momma

79. Internet Toddler

80. Jennifer@Life is a Sandcastle

81. Kristen of La Dolce Vita

82. Cranberry Fries

83. Toni @ The Mud Bug

84. The Mom Buzz

85. Tricia @Nightowl Mama

86. Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls

87. Mommy Cracked

88. EclecticBird

89. Mama Mentor

90. Moomettesgram’s Musings

91. Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews

92. Moomettesgram’s Favorite Recipes

93. Diaries of a Domestic Goddess

94. Go Graham Go!

95. NerdFamily Things

96. NerdFamily Blog

97. Making Money Keeping Money

98. NerdFamily Food

99. Flying Giggles & Lollipops

100. Gena @ Morris Bunch

101. Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy

102. A Kindred Spirit’s Thoughts

103. Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House

104. D-Lo’s Lounge

105. Free Sample Freak

106. What Mommies Need

107. Mom of 2 Boys, Wife of 1

108. icefairy’s Treasure Chest

109. Cheaper Than Therapy

110. Therapeutic Reviews & Giveaways

111. Lily Bean Designs

112. Dirty Diaper Laundry

113. Dance Momma

114. JamericanSpice

115. Mombalance

116. A Pocket Full Of Buttons

117. Ordinary and Awesome

118. Reviews and Giveaways

119. Subjective Beauty

120. Tales From A Shopaholic Mommy

121. Mommiemayhem

122. IE Mommy

123. Nikki @ Blasian Baby Notes

124. Amber Woodward

125. Grammy Janet’s Place

126. Outnumbered 3 to 1

127. ShimmerMeBlue

128. Dev’s Favorite Giveaways

129. Joyful Money Saving

130. 1stopmom

131. A Modern Mama

132. PourSomeSugarOnMe

133. Fancast

134. Lollipop Baby

135. Lola & Ben

136. idoby2celebrants

137. Sue Jackson

138. Cackleberry Kids

139. Gifts By The Stars

140. Jemma

141. Handmade Kids

142. Ollie Rose

143. Babasfarmlife

144. Banquet Manager

145. Monkey’s Momma

146. This Mom Can Shop

147. EcoLabel Fundraising

148. Divine Chaos

149. baby kakes ink alphabet onesie

150. tee from recycle me

151. Elizabeth @ Suzy Q Homemaker

152. marla mandell bread (5/17)

153. ozone socks 5/15

154. Belly Bumps to Baby Hugs

155. Hip T

156. ThenComes Baby

157. Homemade Gourmet

158. Fresh Pure and Simple

159. MomDot Mom Blogs

160. MomDot Mom Reviews

161. Bloggers Give Charity

162. Organic Baby Resource

163. Potamus Prefers

164. The Army Wife

165. Through Hazel Eyes

166. Frugal Rhode Island Mama

167. Just Jingle

168. And Twins make 5!

169. Frugal Plus

170. Christie

171. What Happened To My House?

172. Miracles on Mama Street

173. Heck Of A Bunch

174. Blog Designs by Susan

175. mommy23monkeys

176. Hanna

177. Got Kids Need Valium

178. Womb At The INNSANE

179. Katie & Kimble Blog

180. Kim @ Adventures SAHM

181. The Frugalicious Mommy

182. Penny Pinching Diva

183. Another day. Another thought or two

184. Beauty4Moms

185. Nikki @evilflu.com

186. Little Miss Julia

187. Mrs Zeee

188. Cheryl

189. Frazzle Dazzle SuperMom

190. Florida Mealtime Savers

191. Inspiration Station

192. Mommy’s Kitchen

193. Saving with MamaNordy

194. Saving SAHM Sanity

195. A Little Piece Of Perfect

196. Nodin’s Nest

197. Lil Miss Eco

198. Laryn Strickland

199. HeatherMama

200. The Gerber Babies Blog

201. WhateverSuccess

202. Women Who Win

203. Kat @ The Burb Blog

204. Happy Healthy Families

205. Sweeps4Bloggers

206. dramaqueensmum

207. The Mom Trap

208. Multitasking Mama

209. Mama Michies Musings

210. Little People Wealth

211. Belly Beyond

212. Kim Kihega

213. Mom Fuse

214. Juanita

215. Adopt a Do

216. On the Refriderator Door

217. Christine

218. Little Diva

219. My Household Junk

220. I’m Here….Really

221. Brittany@The Greer 5

222. mary

223. Nicole @ Nicole’s Nickels

224. Lori Newman

225. Kris @ NSQSA

226. Debb

227. Shawn Ann’s World

228. Peke Moe -NZ made baby sleep sacks

229. A Simple Kinda LIfe

230. Sweet Serendipity

231. Bouncing Off The Walls

232. Jane Loedding

233. Msbuildingupdabenjamins

234. Msbuildingupdabenjamins

235. Msbuildingupdabenjamins

236. Musings from Me

237. Veronnica

238. The Adventures of Miss V

239. Mudd Kids

240. Mom Most Traveled family travel

241. Relishing the Dirt

242. Good, True and Beautiful

243. Deb @ Frugal Living and Having Fun

244. The Last Blog on Earth

245. A Wrestling Addicted Mommy

246. Rae

247. kimert@diaries of a coach’s wife

248. Dore’s Diaries

249. Blog by Donna

250. Lisette

251. Pillaging With Buffie

252. Mom of Faith

253. GODSOWN

254. flutterbyechronicles

255. shelley

256. Life In A House Of Blue

257. kristen

258. Alex the Fey Thriller Series

259. MamaCheaps!

260. Donalacasa

261. A Jewish Journey

262. Anissa @ Our Chaotic Life

263. BethinNC

264. Stuttering Shell

265. Don’t Blink

266. Life is Sweet

267. Lisa

268. Sue@Stay At Home Mom

269. m.e (cathie)

270. Run DMT

271. Princess Ratbag

272. Michelle G

273. CF Mama @ Nathan’s Fight

274. Moody Mama Says

275. Laurie Ann

276. Cooking During Stolen Moments

277. A Simple Walk

278. Vanessa

279. middleagedmom

280. Ramblings Of A Wannabe Writer

281. Oh My Baby

282. Fordcast Sunny

283. Lisa Miller

284. Stacie @ The Divine Miss Mommy

285. Bibs & Cribs {very cute stuff}

286. My Lil’ Budget Book

287. Misadventures in Baby Raising

288. My Mommy Said

289. Milk & Honey Mommy

290. Milk and Honey Mommy

291. Amy O’Neal

292. Parenting Children

293. A Girl And Her Life

294. MarieLynn Boutique Blog

295. Born Fabulous Boutique Blog

296. The Pitter Patter Boutique

297. Stephanie Deese

298. Brea’s Baby Boutique Blog

299. digiscrapping.net - Heather Manning

300. Kids Activities Blog

301. Two Little Whales Cloth Diapers & More

302. 3 boys & a dog

303. Karen ~Georgia Angel

304. JenniferB @ my not so hurried life

305. Shannon Blogs Here

306. A Virtuous Woman

307. Secrets of a Southern Kitchen

308. Dreamer

309. Lollipop Book Club

310. Mommie Daze Virtual Baby Shower

311. Heck Of A Bunch

312. MomSaves4U

313. Barely Domestic Mama

314. Emilie @ Baby Loving Mama

315. Professional Family Manager

316. Kathleen

317. Coaching The Family

318. Frugal Creativity

319. Easy Being Green

320. Dandelion Bubbles

321. Shelly aka The Attic Girl

322. Foxtoybox-Discovery Toys

323. Ashley @ Beauty4Moms

324. Colleen - Mommy Always Wins

325. Playground for Parents

326. World of Discovery

327. Kati @ Country Girl City Life

329. A Little Bit Nutty

330. Mahayla’s Mommy

331. Mommy Goggles

332. The Shopping Mama

333. If I Could Escape . . .

I'm BACK!!!

Technically I shouldnt be back until tomorrow(see below), so I'm not going to get "back to work" until Wed, as previously planned but.. HOLY HELL I AM BACK!!

And I just wanted to share a few things I learned-

-It's a good thing they block a lot of those monuments off b/c I was THISCLOSE to throwing myself off a few of em.

-Not sure I want more kids.

-Not sure my sister will EVER want kids now.

-Never travel with children under 5.. thats when I am guessing it MIGHT be ok...

- I appreciate having a home with no stairs & small children.

-I appreciate having a home that you can simply put up a baby gate & say "don't go in there" due to those small children!

-I appreciate having a Target that is *friendly* and not located in a mall.. Geezus.. that really ruined alot of Targets image for me man....

I'll be back when my official vacation is up to share all the "Obama House" and "NO DOG!! I SCARD'DA DOG!!!!!" stories we accumulated over this last week!!!!!!!!!!

Announcements!!!

ALL contests that have recently ended or will be ending before next Wed..are EXTENDED!!!!

We've been having some pretty serious things going on over here, and as they are being worked out, our vacation is starting this Thursday! We're going to stay with my sister & brother in law at their new house in DC, see all the sights & just RELAX, which we all are in desperate need of.

I'm extending ALL contests until May 28th, if they ended prior, those that end later, will still keep their original dates.

Be sure to check them all out.. over on the right side of my page are ALL the links!!

I'll be back next week, hopefully with tons of pictures, relaxed & ready to start fresh & get back to all of you & some fun stuff we have coming up!

Savings First Mortgage

With the economy going the way it has been, I know that we, as most everyone can use all the tips we can get so I thought I'd take a second to pass on some great information I recently learned about.

For those of you on the East coast, I just wanted to let you know about Savings First Mortgage Refinance. They are the leading mortgage company in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington D.C.

They answered a ton of questions that I had, and you probably do as well, about mortgage & refinancing. Check out this great information.

Why Refinance?

Believe it or not, there are ways to take advantage of this poor economy. With historically low mortgage rates, you can refinance your home to access cash or get a better deal, but you may need to act quickly before home values fall further.

There are usually four basic reasons to refinance:
To reduce your monthly payments,
To consolidate outstanding debt,
To access cash, or
To get out of a mortgage with a high rate, or an adjustable rate that is set to rise soon.

If one of these describes your family situation, you may want to refinance now with a reputable mortgage refinance company like Savings First Mortgage.

Should I Refinance Now?

Interest rates are very low, and now is a great time for a mortgage refinance. Refinancing can reduce your monthly payments, consolidate debt, give you access to cash, or get you out of a high interest rate on your current mortgage.

Rates could go lower, but there’s a risk in waiting. Here’s what you need to know about why now is the time to refinance.


The Risk In Not Refinancing Now

With home prices dropping in most neighborhoods, most homeowners are watching their equity erode. Say you have a $200,000 mortgage on a home worth $250,000. That’s an 80% loan-to-value. If your home drops 10% more in value to $225,000, the same loan now represents 89% of the home's value. You’ve just jumped up one “equity benchmark” and therefore will have less refinance options.

“It’s important to remember that the number crunching lenders do to determine your mortgage refinance eligibility depends on how much equity you have in your home,” says Harry Korotki, President of Savings First Mortgage.

This is why you shouldn’t wait to refinance your mortgage. If your equity decreases because home prices are decreasing in your neighborhood, you have very limited refinance options.

If I’m Considering Refinancing Now, What Should I Do?

Do the math. Determine the current market value of your home. Also get a sense of the trends in your neighborhood. Are prices stabilized, going up, or down -- and how fast? Ask yourself, what if prices fell another 10%? Getting nervous? Start shopping around. Visit the Savings First Mortgage website to learn how to select a Mortgage Refinance Company. Call them, they’ll help you with the numbers free of charge.


For a free, no obligation consultation to learn all your loan options, call 866-356-4900 or visit the Savings First Mortgage Website applicable to you.

Mortgage Refinance in MD
Mortgage Refinance in Virginia
Mortgage Refinance in Pennsylvania
Mortgage Refinance in Delaware
Mortgage Refinance in Washington DC


Although home ownership is still about two years away for us, I do know a tiny bit about the housing economy and that a company like Savings First Mortgage, with over 100 years of experience is what I would be looking into myself, if it could apply to me. Savings First Mortgage will help explain the process, the numbers & the benefits they can help you with in simple, friendly terms and they usually work start to finish in only 30 days!

Consider calling Savings First Mortgage, to discuss the benefits of these historic low rates that they could help you with in refinancing your home today.

Misikko

I am a curly haired gal. Hair stylists rave over my thick curly hair. I hate it. I have been on the mission for the dream flat iron as long as I can remember!

Misikko has the selection for a girl like me, or a girl with fine hair.. They have the perfect Flat Iron for everyone. For thick hair, for thin hair, for corse hair, for fine hair, you name it there is an iron at Misikko just for your needs.

They even offer awesome tips, and videos to help those of us who aren't so flat iron savvy. Check this one out about how to pick a good flat iron for your self.

My personal favorite is the Hana Professional Flat Iron. It has adjustable heat from 140-150 degrees, perfect for different hair types or styles. Its ceremic tourmaline materials are designed to last for years, and to ensure that, it even comes with a 2 year warrenty! My favorite quality is that its safe for styling damp hair! I know its a no no to style when your hair is still damp but sometimes I have to & now its actually OK to do so with this awesome iron by Hana!

The great people over at Missiko have generously donated a Hana Professional Flat Iron for one of you to win for your selves!

Here is how to enter-

1. Follow Misikko on Twitter

2. Retweet Misikko's tweet about this giveaway.

3. Blog about the giveaway on a personal website, link to both this giveaway ( my blog) and Misikko's website.

4. Comment about another product from Misikko.com that interests you.

5. Add my button to your blog!

I'll be using Random.org to pull a lucky winner June 3rd!

Night Sprytes

As any parent knows, night time can be a challenge. But once your kiddos hit a certain age, all sort of new scary things come in to play, scared of the dark, monsters in the closet, a boogie man under the bed.

The older we get, believe me, the more we have to be scared of.. good thing these kids dont know about things like taxes, social security & 401K's yet right? Eek!

However, if they did know about those scary things, or atleast have a worry about whats living under their bed, there aint nuttin Rollo cant take care of!!

Meet Roll0. He & his Night Spryte friends are the perfect solution for all your childrens night time worries.

Rollo is a handstitched adorable little Spryte just right for cuddling in your childrens arms, he's always prepared to fight off any boogie men or monsters that dare mess with HIS pals!

As your little ones snuggle up with Rollo, you guys can enjoy the gorgeous, glossy, brightly colored story of Rollo & his Night Spryte friends.


These illustrations are gorgeous, they are bright & animated & just awesome to look at.

You follow the story of two siblings headed to bed. As Gabby & Leon insist they cant go to be because of the monsters, Dad comes up with a special solution...

Rollo leads the children on a fun adventure of finding scary monsters & then actually talking & finding out, hey! These monsters don't mean to be scary! However, they must go! Its rude to be when you arent wanted, after all.

Rollo teaches Gabby & Leon several no fail monster removal tricks like scaring them off with a flick of the light switch, for example.

This is a great, FUN concept created by two brothers, so they definitely know a thing or 2 about siblings being worried about night time worries!

One of my readers will get a Rollo the Night Spryte & book set for their own children to banish the bad guys with!

Here is how to enter-

-Tell me why you could use Rollo at your house!
-Follow me.
-Follow me on Twitter.
-Tweet about this giveaway ( one tweet per day!)

Small Talk Six

“6 pieces of advice that you think are obvious, but some people just need to hear.”

1-If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

2-Know better, do better.

3-You Suck.

4-Booty shorts after having kids= No.

5-Brush your teeh before bed, NIGHTLY.

6- Wash your hands after you use the bathroom.

Paper Shouts!

It's that time of year.. Graduation, Summer Parties, BBQ's, bonfire nights.. Its the type of year that invitations come flying for every event.

Why whisper, when you can SHOUT? Paper Shouts, asks.

Exactly.. why send a stuffy, cut & copy E-vite, or some invites you picked up at the drug store when you can send gorgeous, 100% recycled high quality invitations from Paper Shouts?

Paper Shouts is an amazing store that has gorgeous invitations & cards for every even from holidays to good old Thank You notes.

One of my favorite things is that you can buy them by quantity, so if you just need a special thank you note for 1 or 2 people, you don't buy a whole box of unpersonalized notes. Say your having a small party & you want the guests to feel as excited as you are but you cant seem to find cards in the right selection with out buying 50.. Now you can, with Paper Shouts! The more you buy, the more you save & you can personalize your Paper Shouts to yell exactly what you want them to.

One of my readers will get a $25 gift certificate, generously donated by Paper Shouts while ALL my readers can use code "AROO" and save %15 on their order!

Enter to win the $25 certificate by visiting Paper Shouts, then come back & tell me your favorite item & when you'd use to your $25 for.

You can get extra entries by-
-Following me
-Following me on Twitter.
-Tweet about this giveaway ( once per day!)
-Blog about this giveaway.

I'll use Random.org to pick a winner on May 30th, 2009. Good Luck to all & be sure to, SHOUT not whisper for your next event!!

An update..

I just wanted you all to sleep better tonight knowing, I found Percy the other day!!!

He was tucked in the back of Andys police car. Under a bunch of magnet letters.. I looked there 4 times before. I SWEAR.

So, he's safe & sound back from his mission... for now!

As for me, this is Mikes first week of a SIX, yes 6 week break from school.

I've read three 300+ novels in the last 2 days, done NO dishes, only washed laundry & cleaned the bathroom.

I even installed my old Sims 2 and have been for some odd reason, being nice to my husband on the Sims instead of spending time with him in REAL life.. Hmmm.... So I've been MIA.. And to be honest, I probably will be for another day or so. Its nice to do nothing. I havent felt chatty, I've been working on my reviews when I am on the computer, but otherwise Andy & I have been gardening, I've been sitting, eating, reading & just flat out doing NOTHING.

Just the way I like it.

Wordless Wed!

(I write Wed. because I cant spell the actual full word & titles don't have spell check..OOPS Words!!!)

For more WW check out Momdot!

Leap Frog Letter Factory

We recently got the chance to check out Leap Frog - Letter Factory A new DVD by the ever popular Leap Frog line of products.

Boith my boys absolutely love their Leap Frog fridge phonics & Andy learned his whole alphabet before the age of 2 from this great invention.

This DVD takes all the songs, adds some humor & a very cute musical touch to learning each sound the letters of the alphabet make.

By the time Andy had watched this DVD for the second time, he was playing in his room singing that "L says lllll" while he played with his trains. I know he learned the letters from his fridge games, but I really think that he got the concept of the sound each letter makes from this DVD more than he did the actual magnet game.

This is a great program, a great DVD and a great tool to help teach children the sounds each letter makes in the alphabet. Its cute, funny and a great learning tool!

You can find Leap Frog DVDs like the Letter Factory at Amazon and most of your local stores which sell children's DVD's.

If you were a train..

More specifically, Percy, Andy's beloved best friend of a train..

If you were that train,and you were on a special mission on your branch line for Sir Topham Hatt...

Um.. where would you be hiding in the house so Mom can find you & stop lying about special missions?????

Trendy Tadpole

I absolutely love things that aren't "the norm" for my kids clothing. Thank goodness I don't have girls because I'd be banging my head against the wall with all the "Princess" shirts there are out there!!!

When I saw The Trendy Tadpole I knew my time had come. As if the logo wasn't fitting enough..

Then I saw the shirts.. Oh yes. This was my kind of store!!! Both my boys are in that funny face/impossible to get a good picture stage but check em out anyway.. and yes, laugh at the faces they are making!

These are adorably hilarious shirts for everyone from the newbie up to the child, all printed on my favorite AA tees to boot!

Guess what?? You guys can get them for your own rugrats TOO!!

Use code WHOLESALE for FIFTY.. yes.. 50% off your purchase! Then come back here & tell me what you bought, or which your favorite design is!!!

I have a question...

We have a robin sitting on some eggs in her nest in my apple tree!! I tried to take a picture & when I got closer than 5 feet away she got a wwiiiiddlle pissed so I backed off.

Then I was sitting watching her ( from a distance) and thinking "Ha..she's got it right.. all pregnant & just chillin, only getting up to eat!"
( as I thought of myself pregnant with Andy!!!)

Then it hit me.. Wait..she isn't pregnant,or..with egg(s) or whatever its called for a bird. She already laid the eggs.. so is she "post partum"??? (she still does look a bit chunky..)

Or is she post partum after the eggs hatch??

I know, random. Its also my middle name ( Actually Claire is my middle name but whatever!) But I'm dead serious..

Post partum for birds- after they lay eggs??? Or something else??

Anyone???

Sima G Jewelry Mothers Day Giveaway.

I was browsing Etsy recently looking for the PERFECT Mothers Day review & giveaway when I found SimaG Jewelry. I stopped my search as I'd found the perfect item! Every mother deserves to feel special & this was exactly what I felt when I saw SimaG's beautiful creations.

I saw a site filled with gorgeous hand stamped necklaces, personalized with names of children, selves, loves & family members!

I know growing up, I never had anything personalized because Claire, isn't the most common of names, so I was tickled pink when I received a necklace with my name on it for myself.

I can't tell you how it arrived because I don't want to give it away,but the presentation was unlike ANYTHING I have ever received before. Period. And I have bought many many MANY items in my day folks. It took me a good 5 minutes to get past the presentation & remember what I was looking at. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I had a small gold necklace with Claire imprinted across it, I can honestly say, it was worth the wait of 25 years to finally have something personalized for me, nothing could surpass the perfection of SimaG's Jewlery.

Any, and everything from SimaG Jewelry is made with love and care by a Stay at Home Mom of 4 sweet peas of her own.

In honor of Mothers Day, SimaG Jewlery has given one of my readers the chance to have a personalized gorgeous heart necklace of her very own.



What a beautiful, amazing gift for one lucky mother! For those of you who don't win however, one of the best things about SimaG is everyone can afford one of her pieces of jewelry!!

Here is how to enter ( leave a comment for EACH of the requirements you fulfill!) I'll pull a winner using Random.org on May 20th.

-Visit SimaG at Etsy, come back & tell me something you love from her shop!

-Follow me.

- Follow SimaG on her own blog!

-Blog About this giveaway with a link to this giveaway and SimaG on Etsy.

-Follow me on Twitter.

-Tweet about this giveaway.(one Tweet per day)

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL!!!!!

Small Talk Six

“6 ways you are like or unlike your mother.”

I'd first like to say... Mom. I love you.

So.. Sorry.

1- We are both demanding, high maintenance (in SOME ways, not with makeup or hair or anything like that) and I think we're both kinda selfish.
(Okay let me explain.. it isnt like we're both bitches..I mean...of course I AM, but these things arent as bad as they sound if you KNOW either of us.. we both like what we like/want & kind of like & want it ....yesterday.. Don't shake your head & huff mom, you know deep down its true!!!!)

2- We both have ADD. But her's is WAAAYYY worse. Like.. "tie a bow on the car antennae so I can find it in the parking lot" kinda bad.. Mine is more like "You bore me so I zone out b/c I dont care what you have to say..." kinda ADD =)

3- My mom is work/school/career focused. I would be perfectly happy NEVER working again & making cookies all day. I tell Mike all the time when he complains about finals "Haha.. that SUCKS. I dont EVER want to go back to school!! I will..but I dont wanna!!!!!!!!!!"

4- My mom & I are both sensitive, easily effected by things/people/words and emotional, very loving people! Its funny, you'd never know by hearing stories about me, or me complaining about her, but I am truly lucky that I got some of her traits, it made me the loving kindhearted person that I actually am.

5- We both like junk food ( aka CHOCOLATE). Yum.

6- We BOTH love our children more than anything & think being a mom is grrrreat!!!!!!!!!

I love you Mom!! No matter what I may have told you when I was 13 years old.. You ARE a great mom. I wish we spent more time together..
Happy Mothers Day. Thank you for the excruciating pain you went through to have me 25 years ago!!!

Remind me I'm a MOMSHELL! Giveaway!

Seriously..Mothers Day?? Like I don't know EVERY day I am a mother right??

What about WOMANS day???

Somewhere under all my motherliness is a wife.. And sometimes, she's dying to get out, I must say!

Lucky for me ( Or Mike..) Durex "Remind me I'm a MOMShell" is helping me rediscover well.. that I'm more than a mama, I'm a MOMSHELL!! ..Um..and also the route that helped MAKE me a mama..if ya know what I'm saying ((nudge nudge))

Lets be serious for a moment. What "does it" for a guy, is COMPLETELY different from what "does it" for a woman.

So author and sexologist, Dr. Sari Locker, has offered insights on ways us busy mom (and their inner Momshells) can enhance their relationships on Mother's Day:


"Top 5 Ways My Husband Can Adore & Appreciate Me on Mother's Day"

1. Remind me of the woman I was before I was a mother....the woman you lusted after.

2. Create a sexy, spicy evening with the Durex Utopia gel - the latest and greatest "female arousal gel" which has been created and tested by women for women using a unique combination of ingredients designed to stimulate, increase desire and bring me intense sensation.

3. "2 Minutes in Heaven" - Kiss me for two minutes without stopping. My lips, my neck, the base of my throat -- don't stop kissing me until the two minute egg timer buzzes. Two minutes will never have tasted so good.

4. Re-create a sexy movie scene with you and me as the leads. Think "9 1/2 Weeks" and the refrigerator scene. Gather some grapes and berries and feed me one by one. Add in some Quiver from Durex -- freezable lubricant cubes that melt into massage oil. The product is skin-tingling silky smooth pleasure packed in a cube. Use them over every inch of my body for icy cool massage or lubrication. Simply, freeze, apply and wait for meltdown...I might not remember that I'm mom after this evening.

5. Write me a love note -- just a few thoughts will go a long way. Begin each sentence with "what I love about you most is..." Include three to five things you love about me as a woman. Forget flowers and candy -- your words will fill my heart.


If you have a husband to pamper you this Mothers Day, or a boyfriend, or any type of significant other, hopefully he'll follow some of those tips as well as make you feel special & loved in his OWN way. However,even if you find yourself alone, just remember that NO mother is EVER truly alone. We all always have the love of the ones that made us that mother to begin with! Don't forget to take care of yourself ( in ALL ways) because a happy woman equals a happy mom!

And now for the good stuff..

Five, yes FIVE of my readers will win the following by Durex.

1. Utopia -

Utopia is a new female orgasm enhancement gel. Utopia has been created and tested by women for women using a unique combination of ingredients designed to stimulate, increase desire and bring you intense sensation. It is packaged like a high-end cosmetic in a small, glass vial (not a cheesy bright purple XXX-looking tube) and more than 80% of users have shown to achieve positive results. (Retail price between $16.99 and $21.99)

2. Quiver -

Think "9 1/2 Weeks" and the refrigerator scene. Quiver is a unique, freezable cube lube. Quiver is pure skin-quivering silky smooth pleasure, packed in a cube. Use them over every inch of the body for icy, tingling massage or lubrication. Simply freeze, apply and wait for meltdown... (Retail price $6.99)
Results from the Durex Global Sexual Wellbeing Survey of 26,000 participants worldwide show that a happy sex life directly translates to a happier overall well being. And being happy -- well that makes for a fabulous Mother's Day.


Here is how to enter to win-

-Visit Durex & sign up for a SPAM/junk mail FREE one time offer of $25 in coupons. No, don't worry, you wont get junk sent to your house, OR your email. Its a one time offer that's too good to pass up, especially for you coupon queens out there!

-Leave me a comment telling me about your best mothers day, why your a momshell, why you need to be reminded that your a momshell, or something else, no the similar topic. You can enter as many times as you'd like, as long as each comment stays on topic.

I'll pick 5 winners using Random.org on May 17th. I hope each of you have a Happy Mothers Day & find the MOMSHELL inside yourselves!!!

The Kirkpatrick Project

I for one, was probably a groupie in a past life. And by past life, I mean as a teenager...
( ew mom & dad STOP reading this!)
I got backstage, email address,phone numbers, , swag,even some dates from going to live music concerts.

Point is.. I love me some music. ( and obviously the cute guys who play it huh??) I have loved music from listening to my dads jazz music played ALL WEEKEND LONG at home as a child, to my brief stint into ((cough)) rap.. to a big punk kick to country.. I love something about ALL music, for the most part!

As I've gotten "old" I realize often "Wow I have no idea who/what that is.." when I finally flip a radio on, and part of me feels sad, I used to know who was "it" before they were "it!!"

When my friend Janae asked me if I'd be willing to do a review of her brothers band, The Kirkpatrick Project, I was like Uhm.. YES! Because I REALLY need to reconnect with something other than Mary had an F-ing lamb for if nothing else, my sanity.

I ventured into their site, The Kirkpatrick Project, check them out along with me..

Two brothers, Wes & Ryan

From 9000 feet above sea level up in beautiful Colorado, came together to form what would be called The Kirkpatrick Project.

Alright, so, first thing is first, I headed over to their Myspace and clicked PLAY on their first song..

Okay.. Listening to them is like, if you took a dash of Patridge Family ( I don't even know any of their songs but the *family* togetherness of it is what I'm looking for..) a good portion OAR (before they were well known, at their best) mixed with some Jackson Browne & John Mayer &the rest of something that cant be described as anything but.. The Kirkpatrick Project!

When the CD arrived, I explained to Mike "You know that type of music you want to hear as you toss something on the bonfire & crack a beer with your friends on a summer night?? This is it." Mike nodded and we hit play..Its a unique sound unlike anything you can find on your local radio station right now.

With out a doubt, Track One is my fave.. Its called Superstition, and it has the classic "stuck in your head first #1 hit" type of tune.. We carried on & cleaned listening to music until it was nap time.

Then today I hit a FUNK. And when I say funk, I was fucking crabby. I huffed off into the car & stopped for a second, I pulled the keys out of the ignition & went back to grab the CD, Opportunity. I popped it in, grabbed a Chai ( no, not from Starbucks, I don't *do* Starbucks) and was on my way.. I was bound & determined to stay pissed, which if you know me, isn't hard..

Ahh then song 4 came on.. Oh song 4.. "Mr. Movie Star" Lets sum it up by.. less than 30 seconds into the song, I actually laughed out loud & began to sing along with the chorus. Oh go back to the screen.. LOL! I cant tell you how many times in my life that this song has been in my thoughts, before I even knew it existed!!!

Are you feeling confused?? You should, you have to hear it to get it.. And believe me, you want to be on the inside of the loop for this one!!

Check out what Scene Magazine has to say about TKP-

"The Kirkpatrick Project might describe themselves as folk rock, but that carries with it too many associations with angry long-hairs holding candlelight vigils for murdered union organizers. In truth the band, and their second album Opportunity, is better described as approachable, unapologetically friendly acoustic rock that seeks to connect on a level that everyone gets.

And what the hell is wrong with that? Nothing, as far as Wes and Ryan, the brothers Kirkpatrick, are concerned. Their decidedly different approaches to songwriting bring enough variety to the program to keep the album interesting, as the songs are spilt almost evenly between Kirkpatrick the higher voiced and Kirkpatrick the lower.

When Kirkpatrick the higher is singing, and presumably songwriting, we get a storyteller who spins tales of grannies in Amsterdam engaging in the local culture and getting bumped form a gig by that guy who played Kevin from “American Pie.” Kirkpatrick the lower approaches songwriting with a less topical, more emotional focus, and the album’s alternation between the concrete and the abstract give it a well rounded lyrical texture.

A few times the group, who fleshes out their sound with a host of non-filial collaborators, approaches the doleful. We again see honest songwriting that connects, but one has the feeling that these two walk on the sunny side of the street more often than not. Though we’re still in our snowiest month, this is an ideal record to remind music fans that warmer days are on the way."(Scene)

I know that as a mother, there are days when the only things I hear or see are rhyming about bears or boots or old mothers and eiih.. It gets old. Seriously old. However, there isn't alot of music out there that isn't full of swear words that is geared towards adults that children can still enjoy as well!

The Kirkpatrick Project isn't so clean cut it belongs on a shelf with Barney, but it certainly is something that the whole family can enjoy while still being "adult" music. Andy danced & was singing along by the first time we repeated the CD!

Music is literally, the song of every life. You cant have life with out music! You just cant, its impossible. It lifts you up, you can mourn in it, you can be taken back to another place & time with it! The Kirkpatrick Project is one of those bands someday you'll hear & remember the first time you heard that song, where you were, what you were doing, you'll smile, laugh & drift back for just a minute. Thats what I love about music, and thats what you'll love about the Kirkpatrick Project as well!

One of my readers will get the opportunity, to win a copy of their new CD, Opportunity. I'll draw a winner using Random.org on May 16th!!!

Check out The KirkPatrick Project & tell me something you love about music & how its influenced YOUR life! You can leave as many entries as you want as long as it has to do with music& The Kirkpatrick Project

You can get additional entries by becoming their friend on MySpace ( I will be checking!)