Speaking of tuning in

As part of National Baby Safety Month, my friend Missy (from The Marketing Mama) is going to be on the Fox 9 Morning News (which by the way, is my favorite morning news station!) this Wednesday, the 16th, at 9 a.m. She'll be sharing her reviews of the featured products with everyone! Missy will also have the products featured on her blog (I'm assuming afterwards) but you should totally check her out when she airs!

If you haven't "met" Missy yet, take a moment and head on over to her blog. I promise you'll like her; she's a really cool and smart lady.

p.s. I just wanted to add - I'm excited that I will be one person that may soon be able to say, "I knew her before she got famous!"

Are you tuning in?

Ever since I can remember I have always been so excited for the new fall TV lineup. It seems every year my list gets shorter and shorter of shows I'm looking forward to. Oh well, I have two kids, a husband and school to attend - I don't really have much time for TV anyways... especially because we don't have Tivo or a DVR. Some shows I can catch first run but sometimes (if a show is aired on a Mon-Thu night) I have to watch it at a re-run, online or OnDemand.

This fall I'm looking forward to:
Brothers & Sisters - Premieres on ABC on Sunday, September 27 at 9pm
The Biggest Loser - Premieres on NBC on Tuesday, September 15 at 7pm
Dexter - Premieres on Showtime Sunday, September 27 at 8pm (wish I had Showtime for this one!)
Community - Premieres on NBC Thursday, September 17 at 8:30pm
The Office - Premieres on NBC Thursday, September 17 at 8pm

Continuing to watch:
Top Chef: Airs on Bravo Wednesday nights at 9pm.
Househusbands of Hollywood: Airs on Fox Reality Saturday nights at 8pm.

Waiting for:
Big Love on HBO
Nip/Tuck on FX

What shows are you looking forward to this fall?

I want to know..

There are some things I have been wondering lately and thought - what better place to put them than on my blog?

• Have you ever used Mederma or any scar reduction cream? I have a really ugly scar on my back from where they removed a mole last fall and I would just like to lighten it. It's really dark pinkish/purple and well, like I said, just ugly! Any tips?
• Do you use Oxyclean or any product like it? With an almost pre-schooler and a toddler on the loose you can bet we have stains galore on our kids' clothes. I know they're kids and that's what they do, but I'd love to be able to salvage things so they're not always wearing stained clothes. I also want there to be a higher resale value for them when they've outgrown them. If you do use a stain removal product, please let me know what you use and how you use it.
• Got any great tips on how to rid an almost 3 year old of a pacifier? Graycen has become too dependant on her pacifier (which she didn't pick up until Parker was born) I know we'll need to replace this with another comfort item I just don't know how to do it. She screams in the middle of the night if she can't find it and will not go to sleep without it. HELP!

Thanks for your help!

Some people's kids

"Ohmigosh you're old!" Yep, someone said that to me today. The girl was a mere 3 years younger than myself. Ha ha. I'm all of 26 years and I'm old? Wow.. I'd hate to know how old someone that's 40 is. Some people's kids.

I *heart* Ocean Water!!

You're probably thinking I'm talking about the water that's actually in the ocean, right? Well, any true Sonic fan will know I am NOT talking about the body of water which we call an ocean but a GLORIOUS drink that leaves you feeling refreshed after you consume it. OK, that totally sounded like they paid me to say that. Sadly, they didn't - BUT they could! **Sonic - I will accept payment in the form of gift cards or a life-time supply of Ocean Water.**

The first time I ever went to Sonic was a couple of months ago. David and I decided to take the drive out there with the kids and give it a go. Our friend, Dino, knows all about Sonic so I had David call him to ask what an Ocean Water was. Let me say, he gave it a bad description. Something about Gatorade that had fizz in it. SO NOT OCEAN WATER! I decided to get it anyway and to also get the strawberry add-in.

When the girl delivered our food to our car I said "Oh, I ordered an Ocean Water with strawberry add-in." She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Yep, that's what it is." and I just kind of sat there looking blankly at what she handed me. The drink I had in my hand was blue.. hmm.. strawberry is not blue! "Umm, OK. I only ask because this is blue." I say. She comes back with, "Yep, it's an ocean water. Ocean waters are blue." So.. I take my first sip - SOOOOO good!! We eat our food and then drive across the street to Blockbuster. While David is inside I resume enjoying my drink...I enjoy it so much it's gone by the time he comes out.

I momentarily considered driving back across the street just to get another one. Man, if that's not love! LOL

By the way - I'm not the only person that loves Sonic. My friend Kristie got me started with thinking about blogging about Sonic.

I know it's your job and all..

but when I call to cancel something, please just let me cancel.

Through my bank I received an "offer you can't pass up." It was a 30 day free trial to Auto Advantage (like AAA) along with that, I would get a free iPod Shuffle. Well, I thought, hey, let me sign up, get the iPod and then cancel. WRONG! Your registration for the free iPod will be reviewed and fulfilled within 4-6 weeks and then it will take another 4-6 weeks to get it in the mail. I think they realize how many people will keep the membership until they receive the iPod and then cancel. By this time they've already gotten one month of their service out of you. A service you don't need or want and won't use in the 30 days because you are simply waiting for your free iPod. It's a bait and catch plan. They know what they are doing and it makes me sad that so many people get sucked into it, but I digress.

I called today to cancel the membership (since you don't find out about how long it takes them to actually process your registration for the iPod until you get your new member materials in the mail) I'm no sucker, I'm not waiting around to get the iPod and then cancelling. It's not worth it to me. So, the conversations goes something like this:

Me: Hi, I'm just calling because I would like to cancel my membership, please
Rep: Ok, Miss (yes, he said Miss) Jxxx. My name is Isaiah and I would be happy to assist you with that today.
...... *confirmed my name, address etc* .....
R: Ok, now, can I just ask why you want to cancel your membership Miss Jxxxx?
M: I just don't need it. My AAA covers everything that this covers.
R: Ok, but does it have... blah blah blah
M: Yes, it does.
R: Hmm... Somehow I don't think that's possible.
M: Well, it is. Can you please cancel my membership.
R: Ok, well right now we have wonderful giveaways and a couple of sweepstakes offers you can enter on our website.. blah blah blah.. you can win... blah blah blah...
M: Well, that's great for your customers. Can you please cancel my membership?
R: Ok, Miss Jxxx, I think you're making a big mistake.
..... * this is where I become Sasha Fierce* ......
M: Well, Isaiah, that was your name, right?
R: Yes, Miss, it is.
M: I called to have you cancel my membership and I have already asked you three times to cancel my membership. Up until now, I think I was pretty nice about it. I haven't cut you off once or anything. I would like to cancel my membership. I don't want it, I don't need it, I'm not going to keep it. Just cancel it.
R: Ok, I am sorry to hear you are frustrated Miss Jxxxx, but I think there are lots of..
...... *here's where I cut him off* ......
M: Remember when I just said about a minute ago that I was being nice and hadn't cut you off? Well, I'm cutting you off now. I want you to connect me to someone that will cancel my membership.
R: Ok Miss Jxxxx, I will cancel your membership. Please stay on the line for confirmation of cancellation and a confirmation number. You have a great day.
M: You as well.

I couldn't believe how long this went on. Kind of reminded me of this. David and I have both been through the hell that is named AOL. UGH!

It's that time of year - AGAIN!

It's time for those cute little Girl Scouts to start selling the cookies they so diligently bake themselves earn patches for. I don't know any Girl Scouts or anyone that has kids that is one. SO... if you happen to know someone, I want to order from them. You can either direct them to my email address or give me their contact information and I will get a hold of them!
Don't worry, I will still stick to my WW and all. David likes the cookies just as much as I do so there will be plenty of sharing going on!

Thank goodness the diaper bag is enormous

Or maybe that's a bad thing..??

Rebecca just posted about how all of her childless friends make fun of her mom purse. I know how that goes - except I carry the diaper bag that has way too much stuff in it. Always have, always will (carry lots-o-stuff in my purse/bag) I decided to do the same that she has by dumping out the contents and sharing it with you. You can see just how much I have with me.. UGH! No wonder my neck hurts after we go out somewhere. Also - no wonder I need to stick with #22 on my list of things to do for the next year (own purses that CAN'T double as diaper bags)

So, here we go:

1. January/February issue of Everyday Food
2. a copy of Raising Your Spirited Child
3. travel case of diaper wipes
4. book for Parker (crunchy pages, plastic tabs on the sides. squeaky thing in middle..)
5. Little Duck Snuggle Time Story of Graycen's
6. pair of jeans for Graycen
7. a winter hat for Parker
8. a little Tupperware container of rice cereal
9. a green, orange and yellow Oball
10. empty on-the-go formula holder
11. an extra shirt for Graycen
12. an extra one-piece outfit for Parker
13. diaper for Graycen
14. diaper for Parker
15. coupon organizer (since I always go shopping and forget to bring my coupons, I try to keep the organizer in the diaper bag)
16. checkbook
17. sunglasses
18. Graycen's hair binder
19. tube of Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
20. "dandelion" Crayola crayon
21. Gerber baby spoon
22. a card for free registration at Weight Watchers
23. an Ikea spoon for Graycen
24. set of mitten clips that need to be put on Graycen's coat
25. fridge magnet "L"
26. keys
27. 4 spider-man band-aids
28. an Ikea fork for Graycen
29. sample packet of Huggies Cleanteam body wash and shampoo (because you just never know..)
30. tube of Ralph hydrating body lotion with shimmer (I forgot I even had this!)
31. bottle of Target hand sanitizer
32. pair of Parker's socks
33. C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries Mentha Lip Shine
34. tube of Boudreaux's Butt Paste
35. little wooden Mary from Graycen & Parker's new nativity set
36. bottle of infant Tylenol
37. Chewy low fat chocolate chunk granola bar
38. jar of Earth's Best Organic First Pears
39. tube of Water Babies sunscreen
40. Oral-B dental floss
41. tube of St Ives Vitamin E lotion
42. small sample-size tube of Protopic (for my seborrhea)
43. opened biter biscuit
44. one of my MANY mittens
45. Weight Watchers Points Finder slider card
46. my hair binder
47. 2 mini Hershey's Special Dark candy bars
48. a used diaper of Parker's that I need to throw away
49. pack of kleenex
50. travel pack of Citrus Scent Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand & Face Wipes
51. Sweet Pea Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Gel (PocketPac)
52. pantyliner
53. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
54. extra pair of undies for Graycen
55. small tube of Mary Kay Satin Hands (can you tell I like lotion?)
56. pretend ear of corn
57. extra memory card for camera
58. container of Gerber Peach Puffs
59. 5/6 twistable crayons
60. camera (but taken out to take the pictures..)
61. one of Graycen's socks
62. one used kleenex
63. wallet (mine is also huge, Rebecca! This is why:: bank card, medical insurance cards, Borders Rewards card, gift card to Cold Stone Creamery, CVS Extra Care card, Ulta card, Blockbuster card, library card, Sears gift card, coupon for 25% off at the Aveda Institute, Stride Rite footwear club card, Sam's Club membership card, Sam's Club gift card, Graycen's MN Immunization Record card, phone card, picture of Graycen from two Christmases ago, receipts from the past 90 days, old grocery list, a couple of coupons - which I forgot to use today..it's because I didn't have a list! one single dollar bill, a check for daycare payment
64. tube of Hydrocortisone Valerate for Parker's Eczema

Yep - that's everything! Now, it's weird because there are things I normally have in the diaper bag that aren't there. Those things are: extra pacifier for Parker, plastic bags to put dirty diapers in, a pad of paper, an extra bottle for Parker, Tylenol for me, cell phone and quarters (just in case I have to use meter parking)

Moved to tears

I was watching Oprah last night (at 1:00am ) when I saw this boy perform. His name is Andrew Johnston, he's 13 years old and he sang "Pie Jesu" on the show Britain's Got Talent.
When he started singing, I couldn't believe the sound coming out of him. I was just moved to tears. How could you not cry watching this beautiful boy sing? I can't stop watching it and every single time I do, I get the goosebumps like nothing else. I get tears in my eyes when he starts and then at about 2:06 - the flood gates are opened - every.single.time.
Oh my goodness..

*note: If you don't want to watch everything beforehand, the song starts at about 1:40. I do recommend watching it all, though.

Some money saving tips.

Yesterday I received a mini ShopSmart magazine type thing from Consumer Reports and found some nifty little tips. Some I knew, some were new to me! I thought some of them would be useful to myself and was thinking some of you might benefit from one (or some) of these tips yourselves.

• Instead of paying $47 for the Victoria's Secret IPEX demi bra - save yourself $34 and buy yourself a Gilligan & O'Malley bra (can be found at Target.) VS Bra - the strap stitching was flimsy and it puckered in the wash. GOM bra - It held up better after several washes than the other bras tested.
• I think a lot of people already know this one, but the best airline to avoid super high prices is Souhtwest.
• When shopping for items, to save money, look at the shelves above and below eye-level. They put the most expensive items at eye-level.
• The PedEgg actually got higher scores than your plain-jane pumice stone. (I figured it was a sham and never tried it! I will be rethinking that now!
• Instead of buying conventional tomatoes - try organic! Studies suggest that organic tomatoes have between 79 and 97 percent more of the two healthful flavonoids than conventionally grown tomatoes.
• When buying an orchid jiggle it in the pot. If it wobbles around, it's not a good one. Make sure it sits firmly in the pot.

10 Things about David

I saw this on my Emily's blog and thought it was cute. I decided to do it, too.
The game is to list 10 things about your significant other. I started writing and before I knew it I was over 10 so I will keep them there. Like Emily, I'm not going to tag anyone. If you decide to play along, let me know - I'd love to come read yours!

• He eats salt with his cauliflower and sugar with apples & strawberries.
• He's a HUGE nerd. He loves comics and anything Star Wars or Marvel related. He even got a Obi-Wan's lightsaber tattooed on the side of his forearm.
• His favorite football team is the Indianapolis Colts - and this was BEFORE they won the Super Bowl.
• He is a fantastic, loving, phenomial, doting, caring husband! Ok, so there are a million more words to describe him as a husband but I might have to get out the dictionary to find them all.
• He's an even better father!
• He cried harder than I did when Graycen was born. He's super sensitive even if he doesn't seem like it. Want to know why? Ask his mom - she'll tell you why! LOL **Ma, I just have to give you crap!**
• He has a huge heart. For many reasons. I really could list them all day long! This is definitely my favorite quality about him!!
• He loves shoes, hats and shirts. He owns more pairs of shoes than I do. I think if we had the money for it, he would collect them.
• Some of his favorites shows are Robot Chicken, Family Guy, Unwrapped or almost anything on the Food Network, Sports Center (go figure!) and The Office (US Version)
• He would be lost in this world without music. I swear he has music running through every vein in his body.
• Some of his favorite actors are Will Farrell, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Steve Carrell, Ben Stiller, Jason Schwartzman (just to name a few - there's LOTS more!) oh, I can't forget the one that I hate the most - Christopher Walken.
• Every time he has a show he tries on at least 2 shirts before leaving. That's not it, he watches himself "perform" in the mirror wearing it so he knows if he likes it. I don't think he knows that I know he does this but since he doesn't hang up his shirts after he tries them on (he sticks them on the shelf above the hanger bar) I can tell what he has tried on. And I have caught the tail end of him performing in the mirror. It's cute, actually.
• He seems to forget everything I ever tell him yet he can remember hundreds of jersey numbers and the sports figure associated with the number as well as the team they play for.
• He's not afraid of looking stupid and pretty much doesn't care what other people think.
• The man's got a sense of humor like nobody else I have ever met. This is probably my second favorite quality about him. He can *always* make me (or anyone else) laugh!
• For as long as I have known him, he's wanted to own his own record store.

Stocking Swap

When the stockings are filled on Christmas Eve do you get stuck with nothing in yours? Do you fill it yourself or does your significant other fill it for you? I'm either #1 or 2. I get either nothing or have to fill it myself. David filled it for me the first year we lived together for Christmas and not again since. It's a bummer. Checking out my stocking on Christmas morning was one of my all time favorite things to do growing up!

I don't even know how I happened upon the link to this fun activity, but I sure am glad I did! As soon as I started reading about the stocking swap, I knew I wanted in.

In short this is what happens:
*You sign up by December 7 (this Sunday)
*You're assigned someone to buy stocking stuffers for.
*You get to know them and get ideas on what to buy for them by reading their blog.
*Price range is between $10-20.
*You send off your stocking stuffers (to be put into their own stocking that they already have) by December 19.

Does this sound like fun to you? Go here and follow the instructions! Happy stuffing!

Thankful

There are many things I am thankful for - too many to list so I will post the most important to me.

*My wonderful, supportive, loving, caring, hard-working, handsome husband, David.
*My beautiful, talented, imaginative, intelligent, singing and dancing little girl, Graycen.
*My handsome, charming, attention-loving, smart little guy, Parker.
*All of my family and friends.
*Health - not just mine but also of my friends and family.
*The roof over our heads.
*The warmth of our home.
*The food in our bellies.
*The life that I have. It's not always the easiest or the best, but it's my life and I love it.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. Take this time to celebrate everything that you DO have.

You're a winner!!

About a month ago was the start of the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival. How it works is for one week hundreds over one thousand bloggers host a giveaway on their own blog. A lot of prizes have been provided and sponsered by a company but there are also a lot that are put up by the people actually hosting the giveaway on their blog. Most of the giveaways require you to go check out the site of the product, come back and tell them what your favorite item is and that's about it. Some require more (or less) but for the most part, it's as easy as that.

Now, let me tell you - this quarter there were 1,489 entries into the giveaway carnival. I can't even tell you how long it takes to click on EVERY.SINGLE.ONE of them, decide if you want it and then enter. It really did take me the whole week to get through the entire list. Every night after the kids were in bed, I sat my butt down in front of the computer and continued going through the list of giveaways.

After the week was over, I was very excited to learn I had won 4 of the few hundreds of giveaways that I had entered. I never win anything so this was quite the treat for me.

Wondering what I won? Well, tough, I'm going to tell you anyways.

• A Silly Monkeez t-shirt of my choice for one of the kids.
• A Crest Spinbrush for kids in a Marvel character (Graycen LOVES superheroes)
• $25 to spend on whatever I choose in the Tika Kids shop.
• 50 holiday photo cards, 72 address labels and 60 stamps with the matching card design from Tiny Prints. This prize turned out to be HUGE!! I only had one choice for the card but that's ok, because it is super cute and heck, it's FREE!! The value of it? $109.50 (without the cost of the stamps)

I couldn't believe I won all of this stuff. I am still beyond excited about the cards. I ordered them the other day and should have them delivered between December 1 and the 4th. After I get them sent out, I will post it for all to see.

I took the crayon bag that I had ordered from the Etsy shop and the toothbrush and tucked them away for Christmas presents for Graycen. Why not? Two more things to put under the tree for her? Sure! The t-shirt I ordered for Parker and it's a bigger size, so we'll save it for later.

Hair

I am coming up on a 20 pound loss and was thinking I should reward myself in some way for this first huge accomplishment I am about to make! I'm thinking it should be something that would make me feel good about myself since losing 20lbs sure is making me feel pretty good! I have been thinking it's time for something new. I need a new hair style - badly! I did have my hair cut like a month before Parker was born where the lady cut off 7 inches but since my hair was so long, it's already back there again. UGH!
I would love to walk in and say, "Do whatever you want!" but I know that will more than likely result in something I don't like. I wish I had the open mind to be like the people that can say, "Oh, it's just hair. It will grow back." but that's not me. It never has been me. It never will be me.
So, here's where I'm asking for your help, friends! I have found a couple of pictures of styles I like but am hoping to get some input as well as possibly some more ideas.

• For color: I don't want to completely change my hair color since I really do love it, but I want to add to it.
• For style: My cheeks are full (no matter how small I am) so cute little bobs don't work on me. Pretty much the shortest I have ever gone and know looks good is about my collarbone. My hair is naturally coarse, thick and wavy - to give you an idea of the texture.

If you can give me some input on these pictures and maybe some links to other ones, I would definitely appreciate it!

Our First Date (again)

I'm pretty late in posting this, but hey, better late than never.
Three weeks ago David and I were able to escape the crazies around here to go on a date where we, for the whole night a brief moment, forgot we even had kids!
I set everything up to be a surprise to David. It was so sneaky, I couldn't believe it. My awesome sisters, Kayla & Jordan, came over and watched the kids for us. When they got there, I went in the room, where David and the kids were laying in bed and watching a movie and said, "The babysitters are here." He looked at me with the most confused look I think I have ever seen on his face. He didn't ask me what was going on. I thought that was weird. He got up, smiled and said, "Ooookay. Hmmm. Well, since you obviously knew about this, what should I wear?"
We went to dinner at TGI Friday (yay!) where we had dinner and we each had an alcoholic beverage! This was my first drink in almost 3 years. Can you believe that? We followed it up with a trip to the movies! We hadn't been to the movies together in almost a year and a half. The last movie we saw together was Blades of Glory. Yeah, pretty long. We went and saw Eagle Eye. It was AWESOME!!! When our movie was over we got home to find Mr Parker was still awake (it was after 10pm) and had given Kayla a hard time. Poor guy missed his mama, I guess. It seemed Graycen didn't even care we were gone. That really did feel good!
It felt so good to get out and do something - as adults or better yet, as a couple!

Want to win an awesome diaper bag?

I know I do! I found a link to a contest which is giving away one Ju Ju Be diaper bag. These are beautiful bags. The second I landed on their site I recognized them!! My friend Missy has one and she raved about hers. If you want to win one, you can go here to enter.

I guess I'm it!

I was tagged by Rebecca to get in on this get to know you post. I think it's fun so I'll definitely play along!

1. When I was like 12 I was rinding my bike down the street and a gnat flew into my ear. We had to go to the ER to have it removed.


2. I love ice cream. I pretty much don't discriminate and like just about every kind of ice cream out there...


3. I have a small scar on my chin and one long one up my right shin from when I thought it was a good idea to take the dog for a walk while wearing roller blades. Might have been a better idea had it not been down the alley - where I crashed into someone's shed.


4. I own the Britney Spears Greatest Hits cd and I'm not ashamed of it. It's actually a really good cd for working out!


5. Even though I am almost 26, I am still scared of the dark. That definitely makes it hard to wake up with the kiddos in the middle of the night.


6. I love celebrity gossip. In other words, I love People, InTouch, Star.. all of 'em.


7. This will sound weird but I laughed when I thought about it. Growing up I always had that poochy belly (you know, the kind most women get AFTER they've had a baby?) Well, I had that as a little girl - even when I was as skinny as a stick. In grade school (pre sex-ed) I had no idea how you got pregnant but when there was a boy I liked, I always (secretly) pretended I was pregnant with his baby since I had the pooch and he was my husband.

That was fun! My 7 people that I am tagging are:

Sarah
Stephanie
Sherri
Emily
Carren (ma)
Beth
MIP (I honestly don't know your real name!)

A Colorful Friday!

I found this neat little thing called Colorstrology through Goodyblog. If you want to find out your color go here. The color it selected for me is actually one of my favorites already! How perfect.

On a color related note: want to test your Color IQ? You have to put colored blocks in order by their tone and hue. It was kind of fun (and hard) I scored a 7 (on a scale of 0-99 and 1 being perfect) If you do it, I'd be interested to know what you scored. Good luck!

The New 35W Bridge

I know I have a lot of things (updates) to post about but this is something that seemed to hit me pretty hard today. As we were driving home from the apple orchard we got off of 94 and were getting onto 35W when I turned to David and said, "Are we going to be driving over the new bridge?" He looked at me and said, "I'm pretty sure we will. Actually, yes, we will be. Oh, I think this is it right here, isn't it?" I didn't know at that moment. I looked ahead a little and saw the Gateway Monuments and knew it was the 35w bridge. Immediately my stomach sank and my eyes filled with tears. Next thing I knew, I was in full-blown crying mode. David asked me what was wrong and I honestly couldn't tell him because I had no idea why I was crying. Right after we got off the bridge, Graycen started whining because she needed help getting her sock off. It distracted me and took me away from the moment, thankfully.

I don't know what it was that came over me at that exact moment, but it was pretty powerful. I felt pretty sick to my stomach for a little while after we crossed the bridge and every time I think of the moment, I get really sad. I can't seem to sort these feelings. I don't know if it's the fact that I think of the people that lost their lives when they were doing the same thing we were and just crossing the bridge. So many people on their way home from somewhere and their lives are just interrupted by this huge tragedy. I can't even imagine.