Clinique Bonus Time-ONLINE!!

I love Clinique. And I love their Bonus Time offers! Normally you have to go to a department store to get the cute little gift with purchase goodies but I got an email that they are offering Bonus Time online right now!

So for all my friends, here's the link!

http://www.clinique.com/cms/product/supercat/specialoffers/bonus09.tmpl?cm_mmc=email-_-May-_-05-03-2009_OnlineGWP_Bestsellers-_-gwp1

And here's another great surprise! Under the offer code on the bottom of the order page, type in bonus and you will get three trial size lipsticks free too!

Woohoo! Heck, this offer deserves two so....Woohoo!

Enjoy!

Kids Creation Playset Giveaway!

Wow, I have to share this one NOW! Dad-Blogs is participating in an awesome giveaway with Kids Creations for a cool new playset! Now, as a mother of VERY active ten and five year olds, we all know that having a cool playset in the back yard is a great way to "Go Green". Getting my kids away from their video or computer games and outside is a challenge most of the time. Once you get them in the habit of playing outside, then getting them back INSIDE becomes the challenge! I wonder how much electricity I can save by not having the TV running 24/7 with "Phineas and Ferb" or "Wizards of Waverly Place"? That is a question I would LOVE to answer!

Check out the cool prize in this giveaway!

http://www.dad-blogs.com/the-blogs/community-news/372.html

Thanks again Kids Creations! Be sure and check out their awesome playsets at their link listed below!

http://www.kidscreations.com/


Here's to a happy spring!

:)Cat

It's been a LOOONNG week!

Wow, it is never fun to come back from vacation and hit the ground running! I had such a busy week with work, catching up on laundry and just trying to get back into a routine. Plus we ended up at Urgent Care one night this week for Tyus, double ear infection and beginning of an upper respitory infection. Today is the first day that I got up, didn't have to go anywhere, really didn't have anything planned, didn't have much that I had to get done.....whew. Vacation is nice but the recoup time is killer.

My father in law had hip replacement surgery on Thursday morning and I am thankful to say that it went well. He got home today, so we have been trying to make ourselves available in case my mother in law needs any help.

I have been trying to catch up on reading and commenting on the blogs that I follow but man! Some people are sooo good about posting everyday. Me, I have been getting kinda hit or miss with all the things going on. I need to hit more!

I hope that everyone had a safe and happy Easter! I will post pictures from our trip to Gatlinburg soon!

:)

Back from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

We're back! Last week was our spring break, so we packed up family and friends to head for the mountains of Tennessee. I love the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. There is so much to see and do.......outlet shopping, go kart racing, Ripley's aquarium, Wonderworks, lots of pancake houses.....gee, I sound like a kid myself! Plus it is only 5 hours away, a simple drive from Ohio. The only bad day we had there was on Friday, when that horrible storm system that spawned tornadoes in western Tennessee blew through. It was scary to watch the weather channel, hearing the weatherman telling people in such and such city/town/county to take cover when we have no clue what cities are near where we are. Luckily, the storms only brought rain to the area we were in.

We booked our chalet through American Patriot Getaways. We have used them lots of times over the years and have always been very satisfied with our lodging. Plus they always have a deal of some kind going on. We got our chalet for 50% off because I booked our reservation on Christmas day, (Merry Christmas to MEEEE!!) With three families sharing, this came down to about $60 bucks a night. And it was GORGEOUS!! We stayed at Black Bear Hide-Out, a great three bedroom chalet which was WAAAYYYY up on a mountain. The driveway was killer!

They still have a 50% off offer on their website for selected properties so here is the link:
http://patriotgetaways.com/

Ty actually cried when we packed up and left. I didn't cry, only because I know we will be back next year.

Need a laugh? Look at this video on this blog!

I couldn't quit smiling and my kids were running to watch it after the first remix........safe and fun for all!

http://shinyadornments.com/wordpress/?p=279

Enjoy!

I WON A TRIP TO SEAWORLD FROM IZEA!!

Well, the paperwork has all been sent back in, the winners announcement has been posted and I have been in constant contact with the rep from IZEA! I actually won a trip to SeaWorld in Orlando! I broke down and told my kids last week and they currently think I am the best mommy EVER! (I'll milk that for all it is worth, those teen years are coming up on us quickly!)

I think I am more excited than my kiddos! This is perfect for our family, Mak being 10 and Ty being 5, they are still close enough in age to ride the same rides plus still willing to be seen in public with their parents (even though we are cool!)

We have been watching the Shamu cam and the penquin cams on the Seaworld website, getting it into our heads that we will be giong there in a few months. Tyus has been drawing pictures of Seaworld and hanging them on his door and Mak is mad that it is not summer and why can't we go NOW??

Did I mention I love blogging even more now?

Check it out!

http://izea.com/seaworld-manta-mania-contest-prize-winners-announced/



WOOHOO!!

Date Night!

The hubby and I actually got to go on a date last night! By ourselves, no kids, no other couples....wow. It seems like we always do things with other people but never just as us. My parents had invitied the kids to both spend the night so we had all day yesterday to plan what we were going to do. Oh, to be wild and free again! We decided to go the dinner and the movies, so then we just had to agree on what movie to go see. I didn't find anything listed at either the new run theater or the dollar theater that I just had to see, so I let the hubby narrow down the choices. He came up with either seeing "ILove You, Man" or "The Watchmen". I picked "I Love You, Man" but then he said he really really wanted to see "The Watchmen" so I agreed. Big mistake. The movie was awful. It was dark, violent and disturbing to me. Plus it was almost three hours long. Halfway through, after one particularly disturbing scene, the hubby started apologizing to me. I closed my eyes and tried to nap through the rest of it. I learned a lesson, I will NEVER go to the movies again without sticking a good paperback book in my purse. If I would have had one, I would have gone out to the lobby to sit and read, the movie was that bad in my opinion.

After the movie was over (and I had told the hubby that he had lost all rights to ever pick another movie again), we went to Applebee's for dinner. At least that was very pleasant. I got the Lime Chicken and YUM! It was so good and melted in my mouth. Hubby got his favorite Oriental Chicken salad. The couple at the tabel next to us had their two small children with them, one looked about three and the other about 9 months. The nine month old did the typical "Hey, we're out in public, let's do projectile vomiting all over Mommy" routine. The hubby and I just looked at each other and started to laugh because we have been there, done that and got the Tshirt!

All in all, it was a nice break for us. And what was really bad is that we were home by 9pm. Sheesh, we ARE getting old!

Final damage from my expensive Saturday

Well, I got some good news and some bad news on my car. The good news is it was the alternator and it was actually covered under my extended warranty. The bad news is that the alternator fried my battery and I had to replace that, not covered under my extended warranty. So my grand total for the car expedition was $201.00, counting parts, labor and tow.
We also got the dryer fixed at the cost of about 100 bucks. So there is $301.00 out of my vacation budget. I am just glad that I didn't have to pay for the alternator and the labor involved in replacing it. That would have set me back ALL of my vacation budget.

There is a bright side to everything and in this case, it is that we still have money for Pigeon Forge!

Thanks to everyone who dropped by and offered sympathy for my plight!

Bad day soon to be an expensive day

Wow, talk about a bad day. I am completely flustered. It started this morning when I went to get a load of laundry out of the dryer. It's not dry. I thought that maybe I had just turned the dial too far and it didn't run full cycle. So I start it again. come back half an hour later and nada. The clothes are cold and damp. Boo. Seems like the heat coil has decided to go out on me. I text the hubby to lament. he sends back a text saying a coil will probably cost about $75 but this might be my opportunity to get a new one if i want. Considering that the current dryer has fake wood trim on it and almost as many candles on its birthday cake as me, this sounds like not such a bad idea. But then, of course, my car decides to one up the dryer. It dies on me in my parents driveway as I am dropping the kids off for their Saturday evening grandparent time. I figure it must be the battery going out so my dad jumps it for me. It starts but the lights are dim, the gauges don't work and my battery light comes on and stays on. Boo again. I text the hubby again to lament. He consults his guy friends and they decide it is the alternator. Ouch. I have a Hyundai. I priced alternators online and double ouch. This is not going to be a cheap experience. I am going to call hyundai to see if the alternator is covered under my extended bumper to bumper warranty but I truly doubt it is. They probably consider it going bad normal wear and tear, like a battery going bad. The icing on the cake is that we are scheduled to go on vacation in ten days and this will eat into my budget for that. Oh well. I'll manage these crisis just like anything else............freak out, freak out, freak out some more and then just deal with it.

Such a mature way to handle things, isn't it?

:)Cat

Beautiful Music

Music was something I grew up around my entire life. My mother majored in music in college and there was always a piano in my house when I was a child. I used to love playinig with all the sheet music, reading the different notes and trying to puzzle them out on the piano. I was never any good, even though my mom says I was the most musically inclined out of the siblings.

Of course, when I became a teenager, I went through the rebellious stage, listening only to pop and rock, the harder the better. Motley Crue and Jon Bon Jovi was my poison of choice.

Now that I am just SLIGHTLY older, I have gone back to the appreciation of beautiful piano and classical music. I wanted to share a really talented pianist from Ohio with you. His name is Roy Webb and not only can he play, but he will crack you up to! He has a MEAN sense of humor!

Check out his website and let me know what you think!

http://www.roywebbmusic.com/


:)Cat

Spring Bash is coming!

This looks like another fun blogghopping and winning opportunity!

***WINNER OF THE FUZZY MONKEY HEADPHONES****

I used Random.org and here are the results!

True Random Number Generator

Min:
Max:
Result:
2

gahome2mom said...
Hey, I am participating in the BOP at 5 Minutes for Moms. Happy TGIF!
Come sit for a spat!

Pink for my daughter! :)



Congrats to gahome2mom! I will be sending you an email on how to claim your prize!

Thanks to all who participated in my first bloggy giveaway!! There is still one pair to be given away on the UBP drawings!

:)Cat

My sister lent me "New moon"!

I love my sister.....she reads my blog about my wanting to read the next book in the Twilight series and then delivers. She brought me her copy of "New Moon"!

Sara, I just want to say I love you and you are one of the bestest friends I could ever hope for!

PS>>>> I just wanted to see if I could make you cry at work! Huggs!!

Love,

Your wonderful older sister!

Trash bag heaven!

Wow oh Wow. One of our friends just dropped off THREE garbage bags FULL of clothes for Tyus. Her little boy is three years older than Ty and she just got a chance to go through all of the clothes that she has been setting aside. There are soooo many things that will get us through the next three years. Now I can go through Ty's closet and pass his outgrowns on to someone else who needs them.

What a great surprise for my weekend!

My Giveaway for the Ultimate Blog Party 2009

*****GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! CONGRATS TO GAHOME2MOM!!!*****

******ONE PAIR GIVEN AWAY VIA THE ULTIMATE BLOG PARTY AND THE OTHER PAIR GIVEN AWAY VIA THIS POST!!****


This is my first time participating in a Bloggy Giveaway and I am SOOO excited! I have had the chance to win some really cool stuff on other mommy blogs and wanted to join in the fun. So without further ado......


I am giving away a really cute pair of fuzzy monkey headphones from Justice for Girls. This would be a perfect surprise for any little one or even a fun loving mommy! I actually own a pair of these myself after my daughter told me to stop borrowing hers...lol. I have the hot pink monkey ones and LOVE them!

The winner of my giveaway will receive their choice of either hot pink or lime green fuzzy headphones. These headphones work with any mp3 player, computer or portable dvd player. These are excellent for grade school and preschool age kids who have a hard time with earbud type earphones.

To enter, please leave a post on my blog with who you would like these for and what color you would choose.

For an additional entry, follow my blog.

2 entries max per person. Open to all US bloggers and nonbloggers, however, if you do not have a blog, please leave your email address in your entry so I can contact you!

Please leave a separate post for each of the above.

Entries accepted through Friday, March 27th at midnite and winner will be drawn by Random.org on Saturday.

Good luck in the Ultimate Blog Party 2009! Have Fun!!

Here are my TOP THREE prize choices (and boy, that was hard!!!!):

USC16- http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5355571

USC 26- http://www.hatleystore.com/default.aspx?STID=US

US42- 5 kajeet phones with $5 of airtime


After those I would be happy with any of these!!:

US Only: 2, 10, 15, 19, 21, 22, 26, 41, 70, 71, 81, 87, 89, 91, 97, 113, 118, 122,

INTL: 8, 23, 28, 33, 35, 36, 45, 54,

USC: 9, 11, 22, 28, 32, 40, 41, 45, 47, 56,

Oh heck,,,I WANT IT ALL!

The Ultimate Blog Party Starts tomorrow!

I've got a secret!!

I've got a secret that my kids don't know about yet! TeeHee! Check it out! I am cgibbs!

http://blog.izea.com/2009/03/seaworld-prize-winners-announced.html

I'm so blessed!

I followed through on one of my goals!

I am proud of myself and want to scream it to the world! I followed through on one of the simple goals I had set for myself on my blog. I went through my shoes and put the ones I didn't want anymore on Freecycle. Then I was actually more motivated by doing that simple task and went through my purses, my jewelry and my linen closet. I ended up with another five bags (granted, some were not large bags) of stuff that I gave away via Freecycle. THEN I went through my clothes! So now I also have a huge box of stuff that Vietnam Vets will be coming to pick up on Thursday. The cleaning out of these items felt like cleansing to my soul. I truly had no idea of how far down the clutter in my house was dragging me. Now I can't wait for the weekend to go through Ty and Mak's closets to see what else I can donate!

Woohoo!

Mak's Basketball team won their first game!

It has really been a rough basketball season for our team. We did not win ONE game during all of the regular season. However, I coulod not be more proud of the girls They never gave up trying and they had fun. Saturday was the first tournament game and THEY WON!! It was so exciting to sit in the stands watching the time tick away, being ahead by eight points and realizing that we were gong to win this one. The looks of pure joy on the girls faces was wonderful. We play again on Tuesday night so wish us luck!

Great Deals at Justice for Girls! In store and Online!

Our local Justice for Girls (divison of Limited too) has an additional 30% off the entire store right now! I picked up eight (count 'em!) digital photo keychains to give as gifts to Makayla's basketball team for $4.19 each! These had been $23 apiece! If you need to stock up on girly birthday gifts, now is the time to go raid the clearance racks to your local Justice! If you can;t make it to the store, they also have this offer online-use code 773 at checkout!

http://www.shopjustice.com/

Happy Hunting!

Sock Monkey Giveaway

My Etsy buddy Asher has a giveaway for a quirky buddy or (my personal favorite!) a sock monkey over on A Couch with a View! Check it out!

http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/2009/03/quirky-buddies-funkie-monkeys.html

Twilight

I just finished reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and boy oh boy....now I can't wait to see the movie! My Etsy friend Asher warned me that once i got started on the book, I wouldn't put it down and would want to read the whole series. Well Ash, you were completely right! There is a teaser of the first chapter from the next book New Moon at the end of Twilight and I am ready to go to Meijer's right now, pajamas and all to find out what happens!

If you like SciFi-Suspense-Romance, I promise you will enjoy this book!

Who is Ken Kenobi????

I love it when my kids play dress up. I enjoy hearing the story lines they create and seeing them use their imagination instead of just sitting glued to the television set. Every year after Halloween, I go and buy up a bunch of the left over costumes to update their costume box. To me, that little expenditure provides a lot of great times for Mak and Tyus.

The current kick is Star Wars. I used some of my Amazon gift cards that I got from Swagbucks to get them a Clone Troopers Dress up chest and two new lightsabers. So last night the two of them are playing Star Wars. Makayla has taken a cape that she had from a Batman costume past and is pretending to be the Emperor. She has assigned Tyus to be Annakin Skywalker and defend her against the Rebel Troopers. They are running through the house, blasters and lightsabers in hand, fending off imaginary opponents. It was really cute to watch! The funny part is after I told them it was bedtime and to go brush their teeth, I can still hear Makayla playing the Emperor role in the bathroom. She is explaining to Tyus that only the Emperor can have the special Sonic care toothbrush but after he gets better trained, he can have one too. Tyus was asking her if he was currently Annakin Skywalker or Obi Wan Kenobi. Mak responds "You are Annakin but after you are trained you can be Ken Kenobi." Tyus was like " Huh? What? Who is Ken Kenobi?" and Makayla just started laughing.

I'm right there with Tyus. Is there really a Ken Kenobi who is Ben Kenobi's long lost twin brother and I just missed that episode?? I really need to pay better attention!

The Ultimate Blog Party is coming!

March 20th to March 27th!! Are you getting as excited as I am?

Reality TV Junkie

The hubby and I finally got to sit down tonight and catch up on all of our DVR'ed TV shows for the week. Scrolling down through the list, I realize I have a problem. I am a reality TV show junkie.....the worse of a train wreck of a show, the better in my eyes. Now Survivor really doesn't rank up there as a train wreck but boy o boy, some of my other choices.....wow. I admit I watch Bret Michaels Rock of Love Bus. I loved watching Charm School 2. But by far, my favorite train wreck of a show has been Tool Academy. I don't know if anyone else has even heard of this show but it is where a bunch of egotistical, testosterone laden, pumped up tools get schooled in how horrible they have been to their current love interests. The guys thought they were trying out for a show called Mr. Awesome and instead got pulled for the Tool Academy. The girlfriends come in and each week, the couples have to work through an issue involving counseling and a challenge to try to "untool" the tool. Well, the finale was tonight and the couple that I thought had worked the hardest won. Josh and Ashley actually got married on tonight's finale! I truly hope they make it because out of all the couples on the show, they seemed the most sincere.

With all due respect, I am glad it is not me on the TV every week. I don't think I could ever play out my inner most feelings and fears on TV, no matter how big the check was for at the end of the episode. I have learned my lessons in the past about keeping my true feelings and thoughts close to my chest, for my sake and for my families sake. To me, having all of my life shared for general consumption would make it less precious to me. At least with blogging, I get to choose what I share, when I share and how much I share. I can control whether I post my mommy mugshot or not. I don't have to question whether or not I am selling out just to make "good TV".

Maybe I should question why I enjoy these shows so much when I can't even watch them with my children in the same room.

Setting Goals for 2009.....

I know,I know, resolutions are supposed to be made to start on the first day of January. But I read somewhere that the best thing to do with goals is to NOT make them as New Year's resolutions but to wait a few months until the holiday aftermath has gone away. This actually made sense to me. So here we are in March and I am ready to try to set some realistic goals for myself for the rest of 2009.

Goal #1- Be more organized. I understand this seems like a very general goal but I figure if i set minigoals for myself in this category andwork towards those everyfew weeks, I have a much better chance of succeeding! So mini goal one is to go through my closet and clear out my shoes! That should take me awhile! Then I will follow through with my Goal #4 with what I am getting rid of!

Goal #2- Take better care of myself. This is something I need to do for myself, not for anyone else. My BFF just called me to remind me that we had made a deal to buy bikes and ride together this year. She just picked her new bike up today and was all excited about it. This is a great idea but the bike riding will have to be put off for a few months until my wrist is back to normal....

Goal #3- Learn to cook. Currently the hubby is the chef du jour at my home. That's really not fair. Cooking is something I have never considred myself good at and therefore I do not enjoy it. I want to make a goal to pull my slow cooker out and try a new recipe once a week. It can't be that hard, can it?

Goal #4- Donate, donate, donate! I have a houseful of stuff that I do not use that I am sure someone else would love to have. I plan on heavily utilizing Freecycle and my favorite organization, Vietnam Vets, to get this stuff to people who need it!

Goal #5- This one is simple and fun for me! Commit to blogging at least three times a week. I am enjoying sharing and learning from the bloggy community!

So, tell me. What are YOUR goals for 2009?

:) Cat

I need a makeover....bloggy style!

Since I am not quite techy or inspired enough as to how to figure out a new blog layout (I also am scared to death that I will just totally crash my blog...trust me, if it can be done, I will manage it!), I am resorting to entering the wonderful makeover giveaways here in the Blogosphere.

I have the chevette version of a blog layout currently and I WANT A CADILLAC!!!

This is where I post about one of these giveaways and pray to the Random.org gods that my number will be pulled!


A Daily Dose of Toni is giving away a blog makeover as part of getting people to check out Sara at Subjective Beauty-She doesmake some kickin' desings!

The giveaway post is here:
http://www.juststopscreaming.com/2009/02/giveaway-blog-makeover-welcome-to-new.html

Check out Sara here:
http://subjectivebeauty.blogspot.com/

I wonder if she can do a sock monkey theme?

Five year olds and musical beds

It's Friday night and I am exhausted. It has been a rough few weeks with the hand surgery and my sleep patterns getting all disrupted due to the ongoing pain. I finally thought I was getting back into a normal sleep routine but someone has forgotten to tell the five year old that.

This really isn't a new issue with him. He loves to be close to someone when he sleeps. Preferably to him, that someone is me. My hubby and I have gotten used to him crawling in our bed in the middle of the night so most of the time it doesn't wake us up. the trouble is, with my hand being in a splint, I need some extra space. The queen size bed is ok for the hubby and I but throw in the boy and it gets tight quick. Last night, I couldn't even roll over because ty was plastered up against me. So I went to his bed to sleep. A little while later I wake up and realize he is back in his bed with me. When Travis gets up to go to the gym in the morning , he wakes me up and I go back to my bed.

Now this is pretty much routine. The problem is, I need to figure out how to break Ty of this habit. I need sleep and he needs sleep, with each of us in our own beds. This is where I turn to my fellow mommy bloggers to beg for help, ideas, suggestions and mommy wisdom!

Help!

Ohio weather and chapped cheeks!

Johnson's Soothing Naturals Soothe & Protect Balm

It really takes something special in a product for me to go out of my way to recommend it and these cold windy winter months have helped me find one such product.

Ohio winter's are notoriously cold and snowy one day, then warm and windy the next. The joke in Ohio is if you don't like the weather, stick around fifteen minutes, it will change! My poor kids get windburn on their faces if they just look out the window when it is cold outside. The other day at preschool, Tyus' teacher commented on how nice and rosy his cheeks were. I look at his cheeks and just cringe. I absolutely hate smearing vaseline all over his cheeks because it is so messy and within ten minutes, there is more of it on his legos than on his face! And for some reason, I don't always think that is an accident....hmmm.

Well, when I was at Kmart the other week haunting the clearance aisle, I found this little tube of balm from Johnson's and thought I would give it a try. Well, that little balm now has a huge mommy fan.

First off, it smells great! I'm a big stickler for overdone smells but this scent is very light and pleasing. Second, what a great little package! The tube screws up, like a lip balm or a deodorant, so you don't have to stick your fingers in after the balm. Third, and best of all, it's not greasy! We have been using it all week as needed and it has worked wonders on his sensitive skin. No more greased up toys, so here's a big momma Woohoo from me!

I love my new find! Try it, you won't be disappointed!

Wonderful Words Wednesday

I thought I would make my post a weekly goal called Wonderful Words Wednesday and list the best things my kiddos have said for the week:

Makayla: Thanks Mom, I love you. You're the best mom ever! (Said twice this week and not in direct conjunction with "Can I have a raise on my allowance?") I can't even recall what was happening at the moment but those words make me feel so good!

Conversation overheard from Tyus to his Grandma Marilyn:

I have a really comfortable mom! (The background on this is that he had crawled into our bed and I ended up going to sleep in his bed because I need more space for my hand. He wandered back into his room, crawled back into his bed where I had moved to and proceeded to drape his legs over my one leg while tucking his toes under my other leg.) Coming from a five year old, I take this as the ultimate compliment!

I love the little things that pop out of their mouths, well, most of the time...lol.

Happy Hump Day!

Something's got to give (and it better not be my pants!)

I had THE moment tonight. You know exactly what I am talking about. I ran over to the local Marshall's store after dinner to use the gift cards I have been hoarding for the last several months. Really, I was just going to get a computer bag/work tote! Honest! Unfortunately for me and my aluminum clad willpower, there were clearance racks. LOTS of clearance racks. So I picked up three pairs of The Limited dress pants for work. And two pairs of Bitten cropped sweat pants. And some black socks. And I got this totally awesome computer bag that looks like a high end Hollywood drama queen purse. I went above my gift cards by twenty bucks so I am ok with that.

THE moment came when I was emptying out the bags and tried the dress pants on. First pair, no problems. Second pair, Uh oh. Button is tight. Third pair, UH OH! This is not good. Now, these pants are the same size I have been in for a while. I truly doubt that the Limited has decided to recessionize their sizing by cutting back on the amount of fabric they put in these pants. Even though I think that sounds like a pretty darn good explanation!

As for me, this means the D word:
Daggone I've Eaten Toomuch!!!
I can't even bring myself to say it. Time to take the hangers down off the Norditrack clothes rack (aka treadmill) I have in my bedroom. Time to reclaim the fitness ball from the kids. Time to pull my walking shoes out from behind the fuzzy winter boots where they have been hiding. I am not even going to give the scale any satisfaction by stepping on it. I don't want to know. I don't need to know. I know enough and I refuse to go into the next size.

I'll let you know how it goes. And oh yeah, tell Ben and Jerry I changed my address. The next bulk delivery of cake batter ice cream will just have to go somewhere else!

Giveaway for a Flip Mini HD

I had just posted earlier today about one of the new hobbies I had developed since I started blogging>>>>entering all the fun giveaways online! So when I saw this one, I wanted to post about it so everyone would have a chance to play along!

I have been drooling over these cute little video recorders but couldn't justify spending hte extra money on what I consider " a new toy". Then I saw that SmarterWealth is giving one away. The catch is you have to sign up for the newsletter and then post on your blog with a link back to the contest. I thought Wow, even as a new blogger who can't even figure out how to do a header on my site, I think I can manage that much. He even has a section to copy and paste for silly girls like me!

Here ya go!

Ryan McLean from Smarter Wealth is giving away a brand new Flip Mino HD to one lucky reader. This will be the easiest Flip Mino HD to win because barely anyone is going to enter meaning more chances that you can win.
The Flip Mino HD is the coolest gadget around. You can shoot one hour of video in HD (so you can play it on your plasma) and you can even edit your footage right on your device. This device is so small that it will fit in your pocket so you will never miss capturing a moment ever again.
To enter all you have to do is sign up for Ryan’s newsletter and post about the competition.
Check out all the details of how you can enter the Win a Flip Mino HD competition now.

Thank you Kari from A Giveaway Addicted Mommy!!

I have really enjoyed finding and following a bunch of cool mommy blogs during my first month as a blogger. I have also found a new hobby that I love: entering Bloggy giveaways! Free stuff is the bomb! With the way the economy is today, any little extra thing I can save on is a blessing!

So, I have been following a nice little blog called A Giveaway Addicted Mommy (http://nateandjakeandme.blogspot.com/) and made my first comment on one of her bloggy giveaways. Kari sent me a welcoming email almost immediately since she noted that I was a newbie to her blog. When I responded back to tell her that indeed I was new and was really enjoying blogging/entering all the fun giveaways, she introduced me to a blog that she contributes to called PRIZE-A-TRON. Now I know I have died and gone to bloggy giveaway heaven!!

http://www.prizeatron.com/

I posted the link on my sidebar. You have GOT to go take a look!! And don't forget who sent you there if you should happen to win one of those cookie, toffee or fudge giveaways! I am totally bribeable with chocolate!

Happy weekend to you all!

Update on hand- I am NOT a wimp!

I went back to my hand surgeon Friday morning to have the inital cast/splint/wrappings taken off. I was a little bit concerned about my wimpiness factor because I have still been experiencing some pain and achiness in the hand. Once again, I assumed that because it was a simple cyst removal, that all these issues should have resolved within a week or so. Trust me, people in the medical profession make the WORST patients.

When the nurse cut off the wrappings and left the room, the first thing I did was whip out my cell phone, take pictures of my wrist and send said pictures off to all my friends and family. Doing that was so much easier than calling each person individually to let them know how my hand was doing. Plus I figured I could get some major sympathy brownie points from my hubby who had just gotten home after a two week business trip!! Isn't technology a great thing? What I really found amusing (and what I had forgotten) is that in purple permanent marker on that wrist is the word "yes". In other words ,"Hey doc, this hand, not the other one!"

Dr. Danis came in, checked the wrist, pronounced that the incision looked good and changed me out to a new splint that I can actually take off to shower. No more wrapping my arm up to my elbow in the lovely blue newspaper holder plastic bags! Woohoo! I have to wear this splint 24/7 for a minimum of two weeks and then we will see how my wrist is doing. I did question him about the continued pain I was having and he informed me that because the base of my cyst was extremely wide, he had to do more than what is usually done for a normal ganglione cyst removal. (Of course, why would I ever think that anything pertaining to me would be normal??) He actually had to rough up the bone and stick the ligament against it to try to seal off the cyst capsule in addition to a bunch of stiches on the inside of the incision. As nasty as that sounds, I felt better hearing that there was a real reason for the pain and I am not just a wimp.

Thank you to everyone who kept me in their thoughts and my family/friends who helped me out during these last few weeks!

8 years ago

Eight years ago (yesterday) I met my husband to be. I was the designated driver at a charity golf outing and he was on one of the teams directly behind us. We hit it off extremely well and I ended up giving him my phone number, even though it was only one digit at a time so he had to follow me and my girlfriends from club to club that night to get the whole thing. Hey, I was nice, at least I gave it to him in the right order.

So I guess the tally is eight years, one day, two kids ,two houses and counting. I wonder what he would say if he was asked about it.

:)

She may have her father's eyes but.....

Mak sure has Mommy's wicked sense of humor!

Trav is due back from his business trip late on Thursday night which also just happens to be his birthday so I took the kids shopping tonight to get him some presents. We went to Kohl's and I told them they could pick out whatever they wanted to be their present to Daddy. Tyus is just thrilled to be out in public after a week of stuck in the house with one handed Mommy. He picks out a new pancake turner for Daddy with just a teensy weensy bit of steering from me. Makayla takes this birthday shopping trip much more seriously or at least so I thought. She wants to go look at dress shirts and ties "You know, for Daddy's work". I agree and we all meander over towards the men's department. At this point, I am just trying to control the boy, who is dancing up and down the aisles with the glee that only a five year old is capable of. I look up and realize I have lost Makayla somewhere between housewares and the tie racks. I turn around to see her several feet behind me standing in front of a rack of sleep shorts with a huge grin on her face.

This is the present she picked out for Daddy. All I can say is "That's my girl!!"

There's no place like home!

I was looking for a new picture to load as my desktop background and came across these shots from Halloween 07. It made me stop and think truly, there is no place like home!

My cast is on til when??

As some of you may know, I had surgery on my right wrist this past Tuesday to remove a cyst. I figured it would be no big deal. After all, I have had numerous surgeries for my endometriosis and a csection. How can one minor surgery on my hand be any worse than those? Boy, I couldn't have been further from reality in my thinking! I realize now exactly how much I take for granted with not having the use of my right hand. Even the simplest of tasks (opening a jar of peanut butter) is a major undertaking. I have been relying on the kindness of my family and inlaws to help me with just about everything. Need to take a shower? Got to have someone there to help me cover the wrappings on my right arm with plastic bags. Need to give Tyus a bath? Better call my mother in law to come over because I can't get my arm wet. Need to go somewhere? Better call my sister to see if she can play taxi for me. Need to sign off on Mak's homework? Better have her hold the paper steady and pray the teacher doesn't think she forged my name because I am writing with my left hand!

I have my follow up appointment on Friday and I am praying they will take all of the wrappings/braces/tape off then. I did get a picture of me with the hairdo Mak did for me today. Gotta love her, she is trying so hard to help mommy out. So here are the pics of my arm (check out the poor swollen little fingers) and me looking just about as unseccymama as I can possibly be! I'll just call this my mommy mugshot cuz it's not very flattering!

I can't wait til Friday!

The sock monkeys are coming!!

I am one of those people who think sock monkeys are way cute. When we got one in the mail for Makayla from Sarah at I Blame My Mother for her bloggy carnival giveaway, things in our household were about to get very interesting. Makayla fell in love with "Pinky" immediately and Tyus was equally enamored. I was impressed with how nicely made Pinky is. Sarah is very talented! I can barely sew a button back onto a shirt, let alone make an adorable stuffed animal out of a sock. Sigh.

Anyway, as any mother of more than one knows, it's hard to have one child get a new toy and the other not want it too. Therefore, I made my way into the Etsy world and found another talented mommy who makes sock monkeys.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6915139

Ashleigh at asher82281.etsy.com was a complete joy to work with. When I told her I was looking for a sock monkey for my son, she sent me pictures of all the socks she had available. I picked out a really cute green argyle sock, sent Ashleigh an email and Voila! Two days later my son is doing the happy dance in the living room with "Hearty", his very own sock monkey. The little details on Hearty, like the heart shaped nose, the curly tail and his own little fuzzy scarf makes him a true gem. But hey, don't just take my word for it. Head on over and check out all of Ashleigh's quirky little buddies! These would make perfect Easter basket buddies and you are supporting a work at home mommy to boot!

The moral of the story is I now have two very happy children and two wonderful handmade sock monkeys to grace their rooms. All is well in the world!

Thanks Samantha at As They Grow Up!

I was lucky enough to win a wonderful blog review giveaway from As They Grow Up. I received a case of Inko's White tea via the adorable UPS man today! I had hand surgery on Tuesday and had been feeling a little bit stir crazy, not being able to drive to get out and very limited on my typing/computer surfing abilities so this was a wonderful pick me up. My kiddos were excited too, Tyus mostly because he opened the box, spread the packing peanuts out on the floor and made "snow angels" in them! Mak was excited because there were two tshirts in thebox and she promptly claimed the small one as her own. As for me, I popped open a bottle of the Cherry Vanilla tea which reminded me of a softer version of a Cherry Icee....YUM!

Ah, the little things in life that make me happy.

What have you done?

I saw this on someone's blog and loved it so I had to add it to mine. My "dones" are in pink! What have you done?

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Visited Ground Zero in New York City
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Alone with the kiddos for two weeks

My husband had to go out of town for two weeks on business. He just left and already the house seems emptier. On top of that, I have surgery scheduled for an excision of a ganglione cyst on my right hand which means I will be in a cast for the next week! Oh, what a world! Makayla has graciously offered to do my hair for me so I can't wait to show up at work in her version of my everyday updo...lol. But it is so sweet of her to want to help. Tyus kind of gets that I have to get the cyst removed and that I won't be able to do much with my right hand for the next few weeks. My sister is going to stay with me for the first week that Travis is gone, thank goodness for that! I am not looking forward to trying to do a lot of things left handed. I tried to do the simple task of brushing my teeth with my left hand and just about took all the gums off my teeth by hitting them with the toothbrush. To say the least, these next few weeks should be interesting!

First Blog- WOOHOO!

Please be kind! This is my first foray into the world of blogging. I have been a reader, a follower and now want to be a participant! Wish me luck and lots of patience!

Let me introduce myself-

Hi! My name is Cat! Nice to meet ya! I am married seccymama with two beautiful kiddos:

Mak-who is ten going on twenty two
Ty- who is five and loves driving his sissy crazy!

I work full time in a large medical practice so time management is always an issue around my house. I love to travel and do it mostly with my younger sister. I have a huge "want to have to need to see" list and I cannot wait until my kids are old enough to travel with me and enjoy it!

My everyday life is hectic to say the least. I am always looking to meet new people and learn new ideas on how to be the best seccymama I can possibly be!

So please, introduce yourself, send me a blog link, share your thoughts with me and I will gladly share mine with you!

:) Cat