changing

Grown up changes: It's safe to say that alot of changes have been going on around here in general. We've felt our own affects of the floundering economy, but we're not in any way dealing with what so many others are dealing with. We're very fortunate right now, and we're keeping a positive outlook and realize that things could be so much worse.

Big E changes: We've noticed both of our boys growing right before our eyes. Somedays I wake up and they seem to have grown taller overnight, or with our oldest his facial structure seems to be changing to a more 'tween boy' look rather then a baby face. Most days we'd not know he was in the house because he's really into doing his own thing. Forgive me for not posting more pics of big E... most days he looks at us like "get that camera out of my face"... HA!

Little J on the other hand, has become quite the camera ham.... and I swear, he grew taller and looks older - overnight.

recipe swap: breakfast casserole

This week at LifeasMom is all about breakfast! I'll be the first to admit that I rarely eat breakfast, but when I do, breakfast pizza is one of my favs!

BassAckwards Mom's Breakfast Pizza:

**1/2 lb sausage (we use turkey sausage) OR 1/2 lb cooked crispy bacon (we use turkey bacon)

1 package crescent rolls
1 cup shredded cheddar (we use 2% for this recipe)
4 eggs (I prefer egglands best or egg substitute)
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper to taste
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup milk
**you can use one or both ... I like to do half and half, making 1 side of the "pizza" sausage, and the other bacon just to give choices to the family.

Cook sausage in skillet until browned, ground fine for pizza style meat, then drain. Roll out crescent rolls into a 9x12 baking dish (I spray lightly w/ olive oil). Top with meat(s) and then top with the shredded cheddar. In a separate bowl mix eggs, milk and salt/pepper, and pour over top of the pizza evenly. Top with Parmesan and bake according to crescent rolls instructions (appx 20 min at 375 degrees). Slice and serve warm! YUM!

You can add your own toppings to suit your taste!

Frugalness: Think Thrifty Thursday

As part of my quest to be frugal and thrifty, I generally try to take advantage of multiple use items. I ran across a great idea last year, recycling crayons. I'm sure that most all parents at some point have tossed out their fair share of crayon bits and pieces. I know I have, and I'm thrilled to have found a fun new way to re-use them!

Recently our youngest went through a couple weeks of the yuck, having had a stomach virus one week, and a cold the very next. We had to get resourceful and fill in the time that would otherwise be outdoors or a playdate or even a trip to the library. We decided to give recycling our crayon bits a whirl!

Our little guy (3 years old) had a blast helping me peel, break, and sort them for the baking. I followed these instructions for the most part, I changed my oven temp half way through the project to 275 degrees because after 35 min the crayons were not even 1/2 melted. The montage below is a quick view of the process step by step.

I read somewhere else that you can use the silicone baking pans for more fun shapes. Just remember if you try this, the pan you use will forever be dedicated to crafts afterwards!

Related Links: Last weeks Think Thrifty Thursday

recipe swap: breakfast casserole

This week at LifeasMom is all about breakfast! I'll be the first to admit that I rarely eat breakfast, but when I do, breakfast pizza is one of my favs!

BassAckwards Mom's Breakfast Pizza:

**1/2 lb sausage (we use turkey sausage) OR 1/2 lb cooked crispy bacon (we use turkey bacon)

1 package crescent rolls
1 cup shredded cheddar (we use 2% for this recipe)
4 eggs (I prefer egglands best or egg substitute)
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper to taste
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup milk
**you can use one or both ... I like to do half and half, making 1 side of the "pizza" sausage, and the other bacon just to give choices to the family.

Cook sausage in skillet until browned, ground fine for pizza style meat, then drain. Roll out crescent rolls into a 9x12 baking dish (I spray lightly w/ olive oil). Top with meat(s) and then top with the shredded cheddar. In a separate bowl mix eggs, milk and salt/pepper, and pour over top of the pizza evenly. Top with Parmesan and bake according to crescent rolls instructions (appx 20 min at 375 degrees). Slice and serve warm! YUM!

You can add your own toppings to suit your taste!

random: interesting read

Interesting reading about a North Carolina mom who utilizes paper coupons and e-coupons. Read here.



Thanks Luv2bFrugal for the info!!

What the....??!!??!! Wednesday

Maybe I'll start a new weekly post called What the ???? Wednesday.... and if I were going to do that... THIS post would be exactly where I started....

free stuff: long distance calls for free?!?!

Use FreeVoiceLine.com to make free calls within the US and Canada. To use this service you simply enter your phone number and the phone number you would like to call at the prompt. FreeVoiceLine.com will call you first, then connect you to the number you're wishing to call.

Click here to view their privacy policy.

Thanks to The Freebie Blogger for the tip.

Wordful Wednesday - The Boyz

I'm participating in Wordful Wednesday today.... Seven Clown Circus hosted a link to Wordful Wed., and I have enjoyed looking at alot of the photos submitted... there's a TON! Go check it out HERE if you'd like!

My WordLESS Wednesday (which was recently a flashback on this blog...) is posted HERE. I'm a picture junkie I suppose. Well, that and I like looking at other peoples photos!!

I took this picture about 4 or 5 months ago when the boys were romping around in the 'fun room' .... they like to race hotwheels, and just hang out. Little J absolutely LOVES it when big E hangs w/ him. Their age difference can be challenging at times (7.5 years apart) but in the last few months little J has become a major hotwheels fan and this works for the good of 'hang out' time! I love the simple happiness in their faces in this one... I just wish I'd have taken it with the better camera :) HA.

Wordless Wednesday - Geometry was BORING

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Totally Random

Here's my weekly contribution of random Tuesday thoughts...

• This morning when I dressed my toddler, I put his shoes on the wrong feet, I didn't notice it at all, so he brought it to my attention by telling me his feet felt yucky.



• My 3yo is obsessed w/ flushing the toilet.



• I took a shower and shaved, in 8 minutes today - makeup and hair (from wet to dry to styled) done in 6 minutes. I'm not bragging, because it's pretty obvious that I didn't go all out today... I'm just glad I actually showered. HA.



• I have a long commute to my oldest kids school, and we sit at ALOT of stoplights, and one is SUPER long... today while sitting there I noticed 3 vehicles occupied by women. Those women were doing the following: texting, putting on makeup, and picking nose. I was one of them... I was NOT picking my nose. I notice that particular stoplight, I can get a few things done.. since we have to sit through it a minimum of 3 times each time we travel.



• I saw a recycling truck at McD's (while I was sitting at the above mentioned stoplight), the truck promoted "saving the planet by recycling" which is a great concept. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside until I saw the driver toss his PAPER BAG and PAPER DRINK CUP into the trashcan right in front of his RECYCLING TRUCK. Someone pass him his sign please.



• What's the point in keeping the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin signs in yards? Is this sortof like leaving your Christmas tree and deco up indefinitely? I distinctly recall the election being over.
  
  
• I wonder if the person who does Elmo's voice ever orders at drive thrus USING Elmo's voice???



• I need to empty and reload the dishwasher.



• The 3yo just flushed the toilet AGAIN.

random tuesday thoughts

Here's my weekly contribution of random Tuesday thoughts...

Go over to The UNMom to read more!

• This morning when I dressed my toddler, I put his shoes on the wrong feet, I didn't notice it at all, so he brought it to my attention by telling me his feet felt yucky.



• My 3yo is obsessed w/ flushing the toilet.



• I took a shower and shaved, in 8 minutes today - makeup and hair (from wet to dry to styled) done in 6 minutes. I'm not bragging, because it's pretty obvious that I didn't go all out today... I'm just glad I actually showered. HA.



• I have a long commute to my oldest kids school, and we sit at ALOT of stoplights, and one is SUPER long... today while sitting there I noticed 3 vehicles occupied by women. Those women were doing the following: texting, putting on makeup, and picking nose. I was one of them... I was NOT picking my nose. I notice that particular stoplight, I can get a few things done.. since we have to sit through it a minimum of 3 times each time we travel.



• I saw a recycling truck at McD's (while I was sitting at the above mentioned stoplight), the truck promoted "saving the planet by recycling" which is a great concept. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside until I saw the driver toss his PAPER BAG and PAPER DRINK CUP into the trashcan right in front of his RECYCLING TRUCK. Someone pass him his sign please.



• What's the point in keeping the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin signs in yards? Is this sortof like leaving your Christmas tree and deco up indefinitely? I distinctly recall the election being over.



• I wonder if the person who does Elmo's voice ever orders at drive thrus USING Elmo's voice???



• I need to empty and reload the dishwasher.



• The 3yo just flushed the toilet AGAIN.

Manic Monday

Lots going on around here, will try to elaborate later. For those who know us well, things are looking up :).

Had to post about this... I am a total FAN of GGC. I love her "real" writing style, she's hilarious, and upfront. I believe some would think her blogstyle can be controversial, and that's what I love about it.

I watched the below "momversation" and shook my head and nodded alot. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I have a slight obsession with the Octuplets mom and all of the media coverage. I am not sharing HOW I feel about it, but I will say that I watch and read alot about it daily.

Check out the momversation (I laughed my butt off when R. Woolf gave an analogy of getting another arm attached - hilarious)...the topic is very real. One that isn't funny at all. I like the light approach to the discussion though.



Read more on this topic by GGC.

fun for me

Occasionally on this family blog I've written about some frugal finds, goodies I've scored, and freebies (samples) as well as a few product reviews for a few word of mouth companies I belong too. Instead of clurtering up my family blog/journal with that stuff, I made another one just for goodies, freebies and random. If you get a minute, and want some freebies, coupons, and well, just a good laugh (that's where it's random) from time to time... then check it out and bookmark it!

Site address: www.bassackwardsandfrugal.com

reviews: Pledge Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair

When I received the Pledge Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair in the mail I was eager to try it out. I have a tortoiseshell Persian cat and she sheds alot. We go to great extent to keep pet fur from being a major issue and I was really excited about this product for review. I must mention that we have a Persian cat and she sheds alot. She typically lays in about 3 spots, her cat hotel, one cushion on our living room sofa (that no one ever sits on, we live in our family room!) and behind the sofa in our family room on the floor. Otherwise, she's a pretty good cat and doesn't lay all over our stuff!! But she's FURRY, and the perfect test cat for this product!!

Now, let me preface this by letting you know that in no way are giant fuzzballs of cat laying around in my house. I have a weird obsession about cleaning, and use those sticky rollers like nobodies business. I own a Rainbow vacuum and that thing can find fur in places that human eyes can't see... it takes the cake for cleaning in my opinion.... but on to the product I'm reviewing!

Positive: The product is compact, nothing to put together, and no special cleaning requirements. The handheld sweeper seems to be designed for ease of use and quick easy storage. I like the use until it's full and then throw away feature. The product worked well on slightly affected areas such as the couch cushion she lays on, and also in cleaning up general "fuzz" from our seat cushions on the kitchen.

Negative: The rollers get jammed once a decent amount of fur build up gets between them. The side to side sweeping motion doesn't seem to be as affective once fur gets on the 'grip like' rollers and makes them less affective. I found this to be so after only using the product for about 5 minutes. When it was time to clean her 'cat hotel' which is the most affected by her shedding (her favorite place to be most days), the product gets two thumbs down from me!

Please see the video review and demo below!

{excuse my silly verbiage}

Would you like to give it a whirl??

Download your coupon for $2.00 off here

Product review for: BzzAgent.com

I'm a word of mouth Agent for Bzzagent.com and I received this product to experience and test and spread the word!

flashback Friday

My dad and I on my 24th birthday. Whoa I was blonde!!

recipeswap: banana pudding

LifeasMom hosts a weekly recipe swap, and I love it!! I only participate when I can contribute something… I’m no Rachel Ray! My contribution is Creamy Banana Pudding. Simple enough, right?? I make mine as low fat as possible… and it still turns out yummy! It seems to be what everyone expects from me on special occasions!!

BassAckwards Mom’s Banana Pudding:

1 – 14oz can eagle brand milk (I buy fat free)
1 ½ cup cold water
1 (4 serving) package of Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 pint Whipping Cream (I buy Fat Free, or Lite – whichever is available)
3 or more banana’s
Vanilla Wafers

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl (large), combine eagle brand milk, cold water – whisk to blend, and add pudding mix, then beat until well blended (50 strokes). Chill for 5 min (I usually stick it in the freezer). After chilled, fold in whip cream. Spoon 1 cup mixture into 2 ½ qt. glass serving dish, top with wafers and sliced banana and then repeat by adding mixture, wafers and bananas, ending with pudding. Chill for 3-4 hours. I like to top the dessert off with about 5 crushed wafers, dusting the top like sand.

Frugalness: Think Thrifty Thursday

Julie is hosting a meme - Think Thrifty Thursday. She and I often compare notes on how and where to grab the best deal when it comes to toys, groceries, and in general "stuff". We often call ourselves Frugal Rulers and have tossed the idea around about making matching tee shirts to wear and shopping together on triple coupon days at Harris Teeter to warn them that we're coming!!

Right now, with the economy floundering, more then ever I’m on the hunt for great finds. I’ve written a few posts about my frugalness here and here if you want to check out some of the ways we pinch a penny around our house.

This Thursday’s Thrifty thought is directed to an obsession of mine, craigslist. I’m all about finding a great deal on there!! While toys aren’t necessities, I thought I’d write my post for this week about the activity toys we’ve really saved on with our mindful shopping. Here’s just 4 of the things I scored over the summer and fall for our toddler to have fun with!!

This desk by Little Tikes – in NEW condition (not one flaw!); I paid $15.00. I drove 10 minutes from my house to pick it up. They even put new batteries in the desklight to show me that it worked. Had I bought it in a store, I would have paid $69.99+tax. {SAVED $55.00}

This kitchen/laundry combo by Little Tikes – in NEW condition (seriously, looked never played with); I paid $25.00. I did not have to drive any at all out of my way, the seller met me near my oldest son’s school during my morning commute. She even gave me the info to call Little Tikes and order one of the missing pieces, and because I had registered w/ Little Tikes before online, they sent it to me at NO CHARGE!! The kitchen has interactive food, laundry with sounds, and the voice can be programmed to Spanish/English/French. This kitchen combo would have cost us $199.99!! {SAVED $175.00}

This slide by Little Tikes in excellent condition – no fading, no scratches and was used INDOORS ONLY!! I paid $10.00 and the seller lived one neighborhood away!! This slide sells new for $89.99!! {SAVED $80.00}

This train table, in good condition (some wood wear but minimal); I paid $50.00. This train table came with the ‘play board’ for the top, and we had our own trains. The bins came with it, and they were in new condition. I drove about 20 minutes from home to pick this up and the seller even loaded it in my car for me!! This table w/ storage bins would have cost us $200.00 in a store. {SAVED $150.00}

TOY SAVINGS ON JUST THESE FOUR ITEMS = $460.00!!

Granted, these are not necessities - but it was nice to provide them for our little guy at a very low out of pocket cost!!

get your kids off the couch!

I'm always open for ideas on how to keep the kids imaginative, Kids off the Couch offers up some fun ideas. It seems like coming up with ideas should be a no brainer, but really some days you just need a little inspiration! I added their widget to my blog and I can look there anytime and find a fun idea for the kids, check it out!

free stuff: TV

Have you been to hulu?? There's alot of free movies on there!! I was surprised at how many there were, even some favorite oldies like Grease and Karate Kid. There's also a 'TV' button where you can search and find some of your favorite TV shows most recent episodes.

wordless wednesday

conversations w/ daddy...

random tuesday thoughts

This is my first random Tuesday post... Julie over at CoolMomGuide always makes me laugh my ars off when I read hers, and she and I are great friends so I thought I'd humor myself for this week...

I titled this post where's my MOMentum because I want mine on some days... my mom AND my momentum. It's ironic that we spend most of our youth trying to get away from our parents and then most of our adulthood longing to be closer.... somedays I just wish I had my mom.

It's also ironic that I'm the proud owner of the commonly used "stay at home work from home mom" title and most people think I have all the time in the world, but I find myself waiting as long as my body can stand it before I go "tinkle"....?? I waited as long as I could to "tinkle" the other day and ran into the bathroom didn't do a toilet seat position check, and fell right in... thats what I get for living in a house with all boyz.

Valentines Day could have easily been deemed "My Bloody Valentine" at my house... my 10yo woke with a nosebleed from hell and we ended up just throwing the sheets away... looked like a massacre took place in his bed.

I slammed on brakes today to avoid being hit by the car that was determined to get in my lane, and my 3yo said "holy crap mommy". {no, I'm not proud - but at least it was used in the right context?? ok, just making myself feel better}

What's with the freaking weather? It was nice and San Diego"ish" around here last week in the mid 70's and flowers began to bloom, and now this week it's in the low 40's???

I despise people who text and drive... I do it, at stoplights and in parking lots, oh and in drive thru's, which is probably not good... but what can be so important that you have to text on a highway at 70mph?? I want to hold up a sign for them telling them to make a phonecall instead and save lives.

I need to lose 10#... but I just received my girl scout cookie order.... mmmmm tagalongs.

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Where's my MOMentum?

This is my first random Tuesday post... Julie over at CoolMomGuide always makes me laugh my ars off when I read hers, and she and I are great friends so I thought I'd humor myself for this week...

I titled this post where's my MOMentum because I want mine on some days... my mom AND my momentum. It's ironic that we spend most of our youth trying to get away from our parents and then most of our adulthood longing to be closer.... somedays I just wish I had my mom.

It's also ironic that I'm the proud owner of the commonly used "stay at home work from home mom" title and most people think I have all the time in the world, but I find myself waiting as long as my body can stand it before I go "tinkle"....?? I waited as long as I could to "tinkle" the other day and ran into the bathroom didn't do a toilet seat position check, and fell right in... thats what I get for living in a house with all boyz.

Valentines Day could have easily been deemed "My Bloody Valentine" at my house... my 10yo woke with a nosebleed from hell and we ended up just throwing the sheets away... looked like a massacre took place in his bed.

I slammed on brakes today to avoid being hit by the car that was determined to get in my lane, and my 3yo said "holy crap mommy". {no, I'm not proud - but at least it was used in the right context?? ok, just making myself feel better}

What's with the freaking weather? It was nice and San Diego"ish" around here last week in the mid 70's and flowers began to bloom, and now this week it's in the low 40's???

I despise people who text and drive... I do it, at stoplights and in parking lots, oh and in drive thru's, which is probably not good... but what can be so important that you have to text on a highway at 70mph?? I want to hold up a sign for them telling them to make a phonecall instead and save lives.

I need to lose 10#... but I just received my girl scout cookie order.... mmmmm tagalongs.

Support Autism

Please comment on http://www.partyplanningprofessor.com/?p=869 and 25 cents will be donated to Autism. Has to be done in the next 24 hours! Thanks in advance!

Emergen-C Kidz

I recently received free samples of Emergen-C for Kidz from SheSpeaks, each packet includes 24 vitamins and nutrients, including 500mg of Vitamin C! The packet contains Choline to support healthy brain function, Vitamin C, Beta Carotene, Vitamin E, Zinc and Iron, along with Calcium, Vitamin D and Phosphorus.

It doesn't taste terrible. I'm still doing some research on the product, and can say that there's a disclaimer at the bottom of each packet that says: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and these products are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. Basically, I find that it's a fun way to get a big boost of vitamin C! I think a good boost of Vitamin C is a big help during cold/flu season!

You can go to http://www.emergenc.com/ and request free samples. If you place an order, you can also enter offer code EMCSSD8 during the checkout to receive 15% off of your order of Emergen-C Kidz. This offer expires 03/15/09

so sweet...

Big E has a crush... he really likes a young lady who is in his grade at school, although he doesn't have any classes with her he can't talk more about her and how nice her hair is, and how pretty she is...

So, a couple weeks back we were in Target and we saw these large heart suckers for $1.00 and he specifically bought it for her. Later, his dad asked him "have you talked to her?" and he said "no, but I want to give this to hear anyway!".... so for the next few weeks we prepared him as best we could by suggesting that he introduce himself, ask her a few things about herself, and 'get to know her' before he presents her with a Valentine gift.

Earlier this week he and his guy friend Christian were playing out on the playground during recess and they usually play guy stuff... on this particular day E had a plan to get to know this chick better... he sent Christian over to ask if it'd be ok for E and her to be friends (remember those days?? passing messages between friends because of being shy??HA!) and she said YES!! He then went over by himself, and talked to her for a bit, and told her he thought it'd be nice to start hanging out a bit during recess if she had time... She said SURE!!

So... today, he took her the lollypop!! SHE LOVED IT!!! Yay for big E!!!!

the boston tea party

Today big E had a tea party in class! They reenacted parts of the Boston Tea Party! He played Captain Hardy, from one of the books they were reading, in the reenactment and was so stoked about it!! He has learned alot during this study course and was super excited when I pulled out my grandmothers tea set. It's a mini tea set, but either way - he was excited!!

The class did a small play, and then afterwards went to another classroom where they were surprised to find tables set up with hot tea, sugar cubes, and honey!! Each table had name cards for them and it was somewhat formal.

conclusion to the art class saga

The teacher called me today. He started off with “I wanted to call and apologize for what happened in art class the other day…” I listened, holding my tongue, he kept referring to saying damn as the ‘incident’. He danced around it saying “the kids were really being defiant, your son and a few others were genuinely doing their work and the majority of the class is always uninterested and always chaotic and it got the best of me”. I let him finish, after he gave me the same story that the principle had suggested that big E be placed in another art class for the remainder of the year I cut in.

I asked a few questions:
Me: “does E do well in your class when it comes to listening?”
Him: “yes”
Me: “does E seem to get it, when you explain what to do, does he seem to understand your instructions and is he able to focus on his assignment?”
Him: “yes, he does a terrific job.”
Me: “does E seem to get frustrated with the chaos?” {{for anyone who knows E this is the ENTIRE reason he’s in THAT school where they have a program specifically designed for helping him learn to get over his frustration by using appropriate words, actions, and learn to move forward}}
Him: “he never seems to be bothered by it, he always works through it”
Me: “ok, then explain to me what the benefit is of moving him, when half the year is over?”
Him: ---speechless---

My point was that if E’s work is not suffering and he isn’t part of the chaos, then how is the teacher saying “damn” E’s problem? Why would we move him and how would we explain to him that he’s a great student but needs to be moved to another class? The teacher was a little put back, and seemed as though he expected me to just agree and say “yep, lets move my kid”… I finally told the teacher “look, I’m human, I say bad words, but I’m also required to be accountable. I understand that teaching 5th graders can’t be all wine and roses all of the time, I’m sure that there are many days with kids who aren’t respectful. But my kid IS being respectful in your class according to you, and I don’t see the benefit in moving him, I do see the need to correct the mishap by apologizing to him and explaining to him that you’re mistake was just that – a mistake, and that you should assure him(and me) that you’re going to do your best to be better at how you handle YOUR frustration.” I also explained that I didn’t plan to apologize on his behalf, that I felt that E deserved that face to face, because that’s what I’d have expected E to do if HE was the one saying the foul word to the teacher.

End result is that all is well with the world, we’re all human and we all make mistakes. The teacher took E aside and apologized, and E was ok with that…

I suffer from CRS

For those who aren’t familiar with that old phrase, I’ll clean it up for this post… Can’t Remember Stuff.

Went grocery shopping today, it was my usual big shopping trip where I plan out our meals for 2 weeks and buy based on the ingredients we need for those meals, and since Jonathon is working from home temporarily (hopefully) I was excited to get to go by myself for once!! If I shop by myself it is only at night, and I prefer not to be out at the grocery store at night – when the pervs are on patrol…call me old, or paranoid, or whatever.

So, I got my pile of coupons ready, my list ready and got everything in 30 min! I shop that store often so I know the aisles well… got to the front to pay and didn’t have my debit card OR my checkbook (rarely do I write a check, but it’s good to have as backup)… so I had to leave and comeback w/ my checkbook. That’s what I get for driving my husband’s car(my checkbook is in MY car in the locked glove box!), going w/o kids (my debit card was in my regular bag that I carry with the kids) and being in “get it done” mode. That’ll teach me a thing or two.

the big bang, and our 3yo

Little J had his gym and music class today. We didn’t get to go last week because of the SNOW but this week it’s 72 degrees for whatever reason!! He had a BLAST!! Remember when THIS happened?? Interestingly enough, today he had another head on collision with the same girl who he had that one with. This time no obvious bruises or black eyes, but GEEZ!!! This time she was sliding down the slide and he decided that sitting and waiting for her at the bottom would be the way to go, before I could get over there to move him (literally 5 seconds) she flew down the slide and their noggins clashed like a bowling ball hits a pin…. Both needed loves from their parents but within 30seconds were on their way to romping around again! Toddlers have hard heads…. that’s my theory.

word of mouth sites

I thought I'd share some of the nifty sites I visit from time to time to get some goodies....

BzzAgent - word of mouth product testing. Free to sign up, no obligations. You chose what you participate in. This is where we scored our dandy 250.00 remote I mentioned here, with absolutely ZERO invested. Sometimes they do offer really expensive product testing that you have to pay a fee to participate in, but I always opt out of those. I'm more interested in the fun stuff. I've tested for free: Ziplock products, Scrubbing Bubbles products, Pledge products, Oust products, and several snack products. All they ask is that you give feedback, and pass the information you gather along by word of mouth. The really cool thing is that when you give feedback, you earn womlets....those are points. And guess where they go??? To MyPoints.

MyPoints - it's a fun way to earn more free stuff. If you buy off of amazon, ebay, target, etc., you may want to consider logging in to mypoints first then using their search engine to go to the site you want to purchase from. You get your purchase + earn points. The points transfer into the form of a giftcard. Also, they'll send you about 5 emails a week, each email you LOOK at (that's it) gives you 5 points. There's also several surveys you can do to earn quick points along the way w/o buying a thing. If I'm waiting on a file to upload for work, I may do a quick 2 minute survey and earn 50-100 points.

Psst... by General Mills - free product samples and coupons.

VocalPoint - I just joined this one. It's another product sample testing site. I read about this one in a local magazine about how moms are turning to these types of sites to 'get paid to shop'.

All in all - I may spend about 20-30 min a week surfing through these offers. BzzAgent sends me product testing offers by email, and those are about 1 x a month. Others just send them directly to me in the mail, with no strings attached. I like how the sites allow you to do a quick set of surveys to describe your interests and then they gear your product testing around things you already enjoy or buy.

part II

Well, the principle called me back to tell me that she felt it’d be better for big E to change art classes…I stewed on that for a moment. While she was explaining that “the class has a lot of problems, the students tend to be a little chaotic, I just think he’d benefit more from being in a different class.” After her generous offer, I couldn’t help but think logically and ask “is E getting his work done in the class?, does he seem to suffer from the chaos?” Over ½ of the year has passed, and he’s often told me about the problem students in that class (25 kids, and ONE art teacher) and yet, his artwork comes home completed and he can’t talk more positively about the fun he has doing the projects. The principle couldn’t answer my questions, and told me she’d check into it and call me back. While I understand 25/1 ratio must be challenging for the art teacher, I almost felt like the schools way of resolving the problem was to remove MY kid from the art class… what the freak?!! My kid didn’t cause the “damn” problem…

frustrated

You ever get frustrated and drop the “damn” or worse, “sh&%!”?? I do, I’m not too proud to admit this fault of mine. I have to be accountable when I do this, especially when it’s in front of my kids. I know this has it’s drawbacks because my 3yo heard me say “holy crap” when I slammed on brakes ONE TIME and ever since then he says “holy crat (he uses a T)” each time I tap my brakes if I’m having to do so in the city traffic. I’ll never live it down.

Which brings me to what happened today at school… Big E generally hops in the car and tells me all about his day. This particular day he says to me “so, in art class today we were working on our self-portriats and I was really working hard on mine… some of the kids weren’t listening to the teacher and he got really frustrated with them.” I said “how so?” and big E says “well, he said a bad word to the kids to make them listen”, I said, “hmm, which one, you have my permission to repeat it for this conversation only” and big E said “well, he said you kids aren’t listening to a damn thing I’m saying.” Then he went on about the rest of his day like it was no big deal…. But it was a big deal. One of my best friends is an elementary school teacher, another friend is a college teacher, and I even have a friend who teaches in highschool – all of which would tell me it can become very frustrating at times…. Even to the point of wanting to scream at the kids who just don’t show respect. But that doesn’t make it ok, and they’d be the first to say it.

I contacted the school, was put on the phone w/ the principle and I briefly told her that I was just a little surprised by what E told me…she said she’d have the teacher be in touch w/ me and she’d handle things on her end. I felt like a tattle tale, like a person ratting someone out… why? Because I did what I thought was right and in today’s world of ‘just leave well enough alone’ that’s not generally accepted! I told her I didn’t want a call from the teacher, but I did feel that my son deserved an apology, he deserved a grown up being a grown up and becoming accountable for their actions – because if it were MY kid who said damn in class… he’d have been put in ISS or suspended and held accountable. We’ll see where this goes…

too happy to sit

The song with the photo montage is one of my favorites by the Parachute Express for kids... so be sure to switch the music button ON!! We had a special playdate today with daddy at Frank Liske park!!

here comes the sun

Something we feel like we've missed around here... the sun and it's warmth! Me, Little J and Big E are all dealing w/ the cruds... but we decided to take an outdoor break today anyway.

Little J loves to splash rocks in the water over and over. He's so content here, just him with some rocks and the water, you'd never know he was around if it weren't for the occasional giggle of joy over the big splashes he makes with the rocks.

Big E loves looking for shells, he generally comes home with both pockets full of them... later those are what I may hear in my dryer.... HA



There was another family out on this cove feeding the geese. There had to be 20 or more geese and they would fly right over our heads. Before the camera battery died, I tried my best to get a few pictures. Most didn't turn out like I wanted. The one above has one bird catching a piece of bread mid-air.

flashback Friday

Photo was taken by yearbook staff my junior year. I look 12 in this photo and I'm totally rockin a perm.

Obviously I was a dedicated student....

Class = Geometry, and I passed with an "A" - thank you very much.....
Why was I sleeping???? Who knows, wasn't really a regular thing I did in school, so it really surprised me when they snapped this one of me.... maybe it was that I finished my test (and aced it, HA) before everyone else and I was just 'resting my eyes', had to have been the case {if you're reading this dad}. >wink wink<

Post a flashback over at Courtneys Blog!! Check out the others!!

green it up with recycling

We have been home bound for 4 days with our little guy during his yucky cold. We've been coming up with ideas to keep the indoors fun... so, this morning we did some recycling. We took all of our broken crayons and turned them into a new set of crayons!
I got the idea from here last year... My little guy had a blast helping me peel, break, and sort them for the baking. I followed these instructions for the most part, I changed my oven temp half way through the project to 275 degrees because after 35 min the crayons were not even 1/2 melted. I read somewhere else that you can use the silicone baking pans for more fun shapes. I may run and grab some heart shaped ones and do those for Valentines day! Just remember if you try this, the pan you use will forever be dedicated to crafts afterwards!

recycling

We have been home bound for 4 days with little J during his yucky cold. We've been coming up with ideas to keep the indoors fun... so, this morning we did some recycling. We took all of our broken crayons and turned them into a new set of crayons!

I got the idea from here last year... Little J had a blast helping me peel, break, and sort them for the baking. I followed these instructions for the most part, I changed my oven temp half way through the project to 275 degrees because after 35 min the crayons were not even 1/2 melted. I read somewhere else that you can use the silicone baking pans for more fun shapes. I may run and grab some heart shaped ones and do those for Valentines day! Just remember if you try this, the pan you use will forever be dedicated to crafts afterwards!

2nd Snow

Last night it snowed less then 1" and our schools are closed {that doesn't happen anywhere but in the south}.... I'm betting people made a mad dash to the grocery store last night to grab their milk, bread and eggs. Why is it that a snowy day is the only time the entire south pulls together to have a French Toast feast?

The roads in front of our house are clear as can be and the driveway seems to be a thin sheet of snow with no ice... Little J woke up feeling MUCH better and was super excited when he looked outside and saw the snow covered yard.

Big E's going to be happy, for a not so typical reason...he has a project in class that he needed more time on last night - we had to make him stop working on it last night because he had TaiKwon Do class... so he'll be thrilled to know he can use a little time today to finish up what he wanted to do!

I'm doubting there will be any snowmen out of this one, there's not even enough out there to make snow cream or snow balls for that matter...

The sun is shining across the white blanket on my yard, that coupled with the bright blue sky makes for a perfect morning to sip on coffee (after eating french toast of course), sit by the window and stare out at natures beauty.

the cruds

Little J has a case of the cruds... took him to the doctor yesterday, eyes swollen, face red, moderate fever for 3 days straight and just overall yucky. The first thing the doctor said was "this looks and sounds just like the flu".. UGH. Flu test was negative!!! YIPEE!!!

the skin under his little nose is just raw from all of the yuckies...

So, turns out it's just a really really cruddy cold! His little face looks miserable, his cough sounds almost croup like, he's sneezing on average 10-15 times per hour, poor appetite, etc. Here's where I brag about our kid: He IS in TERRIFIC spirits, which is amazing to us as well as the doctor. He is co-operating with the nasal bulb syringe for recovery of the yuckies, he's oddly accepting of the nasal drops he have to do before the suction... and taking meds each 4-6 hours with only a few "don't want to's"... I must say, (because this is the bragging portion of my post - where I'm ignoring the fact that many other kids probably act the same exact way HA) we could learn a thing or two about making the best of a yucky cold from him... what a little trooper.

Seems that some cuddle time recharges his batteries... sweet moments like these will soon be only a memory as he grows into a bigger boy, so even though he's been sick - we've been savoring the cuddles!!

Turning 3

I'm behind on posting. There's been alot of things going on for us.... I have so much to journal.... even started several posts and saved them.

For now - I wanted to post this photo montage of little J's 3rd year celebration(s). We actually celebrated Thursday morning, Thursday evening, and then again with more family over the weekend...

Happy Birthday to my little peanut. You continue to amaze us with your humble and cheerful personality.

{the music ON was not working - so give it a whirl by switching it ON - the song is so precious to me}