Grandbaby 2

I can't believe how time flies when you have little ones in your life. When my second grand baby came along, I was still getting used to little Zach. Averie is almost one now (7 months old to be exact) and ignorant me keeps trying to still buy her 3 month old clothes. I just can't believe she is so big already! I could just kick myself that I don't get more photo shoots out of her before she's old enough to run away from the camera.

I did end up grabbing her for an afternoon and managed to get some photos before she had enough of flashes and some big black box stuck in her face.

I picked up a cute dress and jean jacket (love jean jackets on kids) this weekend for an outdoor shoot we have planned if it ever gets warm enough.

Come on, don't you just want to kiss those cheeks?

Checking into nursing

With all the unemployment out there these days, I've been curious as to what the best career to go into would be.

One career that I've heard that nursing was on the rise. According to Yahoo, Recent projections from The U.S. Department of Labor show that nearly 600,000 new Registered Nursing jobs will be created by 2018. That's right...nearly 600,000 new jobs!

I've always thought if I was a nurse, it would be neat to wear hospital uniform scrubs. Call me kooky, but it would make me feel cool. When I found out that now you can have custom made scrubs, It really made me want to check into it. Old hospital uniform scrubs used to be blue or green, but custom scrubs are colorful and bright!

So, if you are in the nursing field already, you should check them out!

Have you seen my son?

When I went through the teen years with my oldest daughter, we had our share of teen drama and I always thought that things would be much easier when my son reached the hormonal years. Boy, was I wrong.

It all happened so fast, I didn't know what hit me. It was like one day he went to bed a happy and caring little boy, and woke up a grumpy I-hate-the-world teenager. He's been stressing me out for the past couple of months with his mood swings. One second he's happy, the next, he's ready to bite my head off. I'm afraid to even have a conversation with him, for fear of what personality will jump out of my little male Cybil.

This was a conversation we had the other day...

Me: "So, what classes are you taking this semester?"

Jo: "Grumble, grumble, grumble..."

Me: "Um, what?"

Jo: "I SAAAAID, I HAVE SPANISH, ART CLASS, AND THE SAME CLASSES AS LAST QUARTER!!!!!!!!!! GEEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Me: What the heck??

He won't tell me a thing that's going on in his life and it drives me crazy. I just get 'I don't know' as an answer. How in the heck do you get in a teenage boy's head? I'm about ready to send him to a head doctor and sneak a tape recorder in the room. I so want my little five year old back-the sweet and caring little boy who loved his mom.

God help me if I survive to deal with when my youngest turns into a teen...

Get me some ink, Man

I just got a new printer for business and I finally went through my black ink. I've been looking for a replacement cartridge and oh my gosh, ink is expensive! I really wanted to find cheap ink.

I couldn't believe inkjet cartridges can be so frustrating to find also. My brand of printers ink had been discontinued already! So I need to find a compatible ink for the printer ink now. I'm also used to having just two cartridge, now I have six to change-ouch!!

Another option is to refill the ink cartridge. What do you do when you need an ink cartridge changed?

Bingo Night!

Guest post written by Patsy Clinton

While it sounds a little clichŽd at this time and age, my assisted living community has bingo every Tuesday and Thursday nights in the game room. I know it may not be the number one activity that most people think of when they want to socialize, it is most certainly a big event in my little community-I'll tell you what! Bingo night is a convenient time to check in with many of my good friends in the community and get a sense for how they are doing, what's going on in their lives, and what's good on the television. The game of bingo itself is pretty simple and based on chance, but it can still be exciting for us. Most of the time there is some small prize for the winne! r of the round. That always makes it interesting.
Ever since I've gotten a little older, the places that I socialize have narrowed a little bit. However, my son helped me get a new pair of hearing aids at HearingAidsByMiracleEar.com and I am really getting the most out of my social time. I'm just glad I have the opportunity to interact with some great people

Getting rid of pet fur

I am one that is hard on vacuums. I don't know why, but they break down on me all the time. I'm buying new ones several times a year-yes, I've gone through that many. So, I think that I can say that I've become an expert on vacuums!

When I received a Momentum Cyclonic Upright Vacuum Cleaner, I was surprised at the size. It's big! It seems to be powerful and it's been standing up to my use. We have two dogs and one of them is a shedding machine, so I need to vacuum every day. So far, I haven't seen any wearing down of the vacuum. I would recommend this vacuum over the last one that was made for pet fur but didn't hold up to it.

The price is moderate at $127. I have bought cheaper ones and ones more expensive.

So, if you are looking for a new vacuum that can stand up to carpets that get a lot of use, I would recommend this one.

"I was given this vacuum for review through csnstores. com."

Start (or end) your day with RelaxZen

I've been going through alot of stress lately with my son going through the I'm-a-teen-now-so-I'm-ging-to-make-your-life-hell, among other stressful stuff.

When I was offered the chance to try RelaxZen Day and RelaxZen Night shots, I wondered if they could help me relax.

RelaxZen Day:

Stress affects the body and mind. RelaxZen Day works with your body to de-stress your mind, increase your focus and balance your mood. With natural herbs, vitamins and amino acids, there’s never been a better time to live a RelaxZen Life.

Benefits:

Reduce stress and fatigue

Increase focus and alertness

Balance mood

Enhance productivity

Ingredients:L-TheanineL-Theanine L-Threonine Vitamin B12 Vitamin B6GABA Passion Flower ExtractAcai Extract

RelaxZen Night:

A good night's sleep can help with everything from weight control to improving memory. RelaxZen Night's

Benefits:

Reduce stress and fatigue

Increase focus and alertness

Balance mood

Enhance productivity

Ingredients:L-TheanineL-Threonine Vitamin B12 Vitamin B6GABAG Chamomile Extract Pantothentic Acid

Each bottle contained 2.5 oz and tasted okay. The day shot helped me stay focused and non-drowsy.

The night shot had me going to sleep within 15 mins-wow!

So, if you are looking for a more focused day and restful night, try RelaxZen!

You can find them on Facebook.com/RelaxZenShots if you can't find them in the stores.

This is not a paid post. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. I received a free sample of RelaxZen to review courtesy Smile.ly!

Boost your health with Xigo

It's been a crazy winter and if you are like me, you've been sick a lot. Boy, when I was offered Xigo Maimum Immune Defense, I was happy to try it!

Some facts:

Xigo Health is a family-focused company that has created a line of products designed to boost your immune system. From daily doses to maximum defense when your body needs it most, Xigo products make the immune system faster, stronger and smarter by detecting challenges in the body, defending against them and deterring repeat offenders. And setting them apart from other similar remedies on the market, Xigo Health products are all-natural and safe for everyday consumption.


When I tried it, it was when I was totally sick with a sore throat. I usually take Vitamin C when I'm sick, but I figured this would be the best time. I took two tablets at a time and waited a week to see what happened.


I did seem to feel a lot better after the first couple of days. It did taste a bit chalky, but I think this just might work!



Would you like to try it?


Okay!

I've got some to giveaway to one lucky reader.


To enter - Leave a comment telling me what you do at the first sign of a cold.


Giveaway ends March 30th . US shipping.

This is Moms Select review. I received the above mentioned products to facilitate the this review. This did not affect my opinions.

A Nutella Party

Have you ever tried Nutella? Unless you live under a rock, you probably have. Actually, I shouldn't say that. This week, I found out that some of my friends never tried it before. How did I find out? Well, my good friends at Nutella (ok, I never really met them) let me host a Nutella party to introduce Nutella to friends and family.

IF you've never heard of Nutella before (and please get out from under that rock), Nutella is a tasty and unique hazelnut spread made with simple quality ingredients, including roasted hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa.

Nutella does not contain any hydrogenated oil or trans fat and is low in sodium. This spread does not contain peanuts either-an important fact if you are concerned about peanut allergies.

Basically, it tastes like chocolate AND it's good for you!

Did you know that you can include Nutella as part of a healthy and balanced breakfast? Awesome!!

For our party, we made several dishes, like a breakfast sandwich which consisted of a whole grain muffin with Nutella and strawberries.

I also spread Nutella on French bread as a special treat.

Everyone enjoyed eating some awesome food and learned some cool facts about Nutella. We even talked about how my mom was born in France and how the Europeans ate this spread on bread.

My daughter and her friend were thinking up different ways to try their Nutella spread.

We included a healthy chocolate drink to go along with the theme of the party.

The kids loved Nutella as well!

They also loved their goodie bags that Nutella gave them for coming to the party!

Try a Nutella breakfast idea for yourself:

Waffle sandwich

Toast 2 whole grain waffles. Spread Nutella on one waffle and add fresh fruit and coconut. Add other waffle on top.

Make it easier-here's a $1 off coupon!

$1/1 Nutella Printable Coupon

Thanks, Nutella!

Disclosure: I received a Nutella Party Package through MomSelect and Nutella & no other compensation was received.

Lucky me

How lucky are you? My husband and I talk about how lucky we are all the time. We thank our lucky stars all the time. Right now, Redbox and Social moms wants to know how you think you are so lucky. They are even calling it Lucky to Have Friends Like You. You can read about this promotion and share what makes you feel lucky too.
So, why do I feel lucky? Well, let me start by saying that I used to not feel so lucky. Not until I met my husband. I had gone through some unlucky times before I met him. My oldest daughter's father died from a freak accident. Then, my son's dad was in a terrible accident that left him in no condition to live a normal life.
I felt like I would never meet my soulmate and spend the rest of my life with anyone. Then, I met my husband- online- and my luck changed ever since. We were married a year later, and I gave birth to our wonderful daughter who is now six!
We are very compatible and even though there are times we fight, I know we were meant to be together. He also is a great step father to my two other kids as well. We don't even think about him being their stepdad and just like he is their real dad.
I thank God that he was sent to me, because I don't know what I would have done without him, nor could I picture my life without him.
I feel that we bounce or luck off of each other as well, because we both believe in thinking positive about things we want to happen. This has happened with money coming unexpectedly to each of us-on MY birthday, I was thinking about how nice it would be to have the money that a client screwed me over come back to me in a different way. The same day, my husband got a refund check from his car for the exact amount! How lucky was that?! Luck and postive thinking go hand in hand-I believe that!

Now, I want to know if you think you are lucky and why.

Want to spread the luck? Click on http://www.redbox.com/luckysocial and refer friends to earn free rentals! How lucky is that? If you love Redbox, you'll feel like the luckiest person on the block when all your friends sign up too!
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and redbox blogging program, for a $25 Walmart gift card from redbox. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

A birthday

Another birthday under the belt today.

This week, I was so excited to get birthday emails from businesses, offering me birthday deals, like a free burger at my favorite restaurant!

Then, I started getting birthday coupons for free stuff in the mail.

When I woke up this morning, I about cried when I saw many birthday wishes on Facebook from strangers to old friends.

This birthday has made me realize just how much of a big dork I am...

Oh well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

New blog-Pro-tography 101

I have now officially launched my new blog, Pro-tography 101! It's taken off fast and I'm having lots of fun with it.



If you are following this blog and you also follow my new one, I will follow you back under my other blog name as well. I will be offering free stuff for anyone that follows me-check my blog often to find out what my weekly giveaway is.

So, even if you don't want to go "pro", come check it out for tips to becoming a better photographer!

An epiphany

Almost every day for the last couple of months, I've been dealing with Emily throwing a fit every morning about going to school. This was the same girl the first weeks of school that used to jump out of bed everyday and ask if it was time for school. Then, for some reason, she just started not wanting to go. She would have a different reason every day, from saying she didn't feel good, to saying she would miss me too much.

I tried just about everything to convince her that it's not that bad to go to school. I tried the 'it's only 4,3,2... more days til the weekend' trick-not happening. I tried bribing, but that got too expensive. I tried threatening to take her to the doctor if she was too "sick" to go. She said she rather go to the doctor-argh.

I was about ready to start home schooling as a last resort, when this morning while combing her hair, she turns to me and says, "Mom, I think I'm going to start having a better attitude towards school."

"That's great!" I exclaimed. I then asked, "Why the change?"

She sighed and then looked at me and said, "Because even though I will miss you very much, it's pretty boring here, and school has lots of fun things to do there."

Who would of thought that all it took was me being a boring mom?

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