Six Feet Under Blog-Mom to mom advice.

Empty Promises

2012-01-30T09:51:00.002-06:00

Promises we make to our children that we have no intentions on keeping...

Im going to leave without you!

I'm telling dad!

No Christmas presents for you!

I'm trading you in for another kid!

You won't get another meal until you eat your vegetables!

You can get that toy next time...

What do you promise (threaten) to your children?

Looking good

2012-01-28T09:55:00.003-06:00

My favorite skincare brand are neutrogena products . Neutrogena has been manufacturing and selling skin care products for many years and is known world wide and has gained quite a following in recent years. I believe that Neutrogena products are affordable and easy to find compared to other skincare brands that are only found in certain stores.

Two products that I love are theNeutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Tinted Moisturizer, and the microdermabrasion home kit.

I love the soothing feeling and how great it looks on the skin. It goes on nicely and comes off easily at night and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth. I especially liked that the The scent is very pleasant too. This one is definitely a winner!

You must use the Neutrogena home kit 5 times to get the same results as you would expect from 2 professional microdermabrasion treatments. This is still cheaper than getting a professional microdermabrasion treatment.
This could take more time than you are willing to give, but the end results are worth it. A professional treatment takes about 3 weeks, so you would have to wait as well.

According to Neutrogena, after a series of control tests by dermatologists, they had some quite remarkable results. Participants started to show improvements in their skin after only one use of the Neutrogena home microdermabrasion kit!

1 Day: Participants showed visibly brighter and smoother skin.
1 Week: After between 5-6 uses of the Neutrogena microdermabrasion system skin was said to be significantly brighter and smoother with an overall improved radiance of the face.
1 Month: After approximately a dozen applications of the Neutrogena home kit results in many cases were comparable to those expected with professional microdermabrasion machines. Fine lines, wrinkles, acne scars and sun damage had all decreased.

Of all participants in the Neutrogena microdermabrasion home kits trials:
100% claimed their skin was smoother.
97% said that fine lines and sun damage had been removed through microdermabrasion.
75% thought that their skin had an overall improved texture and complexion.

Neutrogena microdermabrasion risks:
Part of the appeal of the Neutrogena Microdermabrasion System is that in the majority of cases the Neutrogena home kit is entirely safe with minimal risks. Some microdermabrasion processes do not work well on dark skin; however, the Neutrogena home kit is said to be safe and effective for improving dark skin colours.

Do not use the Neutrogena microdermabrasion home kit if you have:
Inflamed Acne
Rosacea
Broken skin

Hope this helps you to decide if you want to give Neutrogena a try!

Homework

2012-01-27T13:00:00.002-06:00

Guest post from: Constance Rodgers

We recently had to Get wild blue internet access at our house. Living in such a rural area, we haven’t had internet at our house. Then our son got in middle school and all of the sudden it seemed to be a necessity for him to be able to do his homework. All of his teachers have blogs and that is how they send information to the parents.
No more newsletters coming home in the folder or behavior sheet coming in the backpack, now his teachers just email the parents when there is a concern or update their blog to give information about an upcoming project of field trip! Most of our son’s assignments also involve doing some research on the internet to complete the work.
We just don’t have time to be going to the library in town every single night for him to do what he needs to on the internet. So we broke down and bought a new computer and found internet access that we can get. Our son is happy because he has been telling us for years that he is “the only one” of his friends that doesn’t have a computer at home!

Saving for college the easy way

2012-01-27T12:57:00.002-06:00

Just recently, we were discussing how my middle child will have it rough trying to go to college. I never had the chance to save for college. It's just so hard to be disciplined to save. When I found out about a program that helps you save without any hassles, I was excited!

Mission Tuition offers a free educational savings program for parents, relatives, and even students. By using the website to shop with major retailers, you can earn valuable money toward cash rebates (as well as earning discounts at the same time)!

How it works

When you sign up, an educational savings account is opened for you. When you shop on-line at Mission Tuition and the advertised rebate from each of our retailers goes directly into this savings account. You can use any of your existing debit or credit cards to make purchases. If your favorite card earns miles or points, you receive them in addition to Mission Tuition's cash rebates to double your benefits with every purchase.

It's free to join Mission Tuition, so bloggers are welcome to sign up, too!

The flu

2012-01-27T12:54:00.002-06:00

I woke up to a gurgling tummy. Not the hungry gurgling-not at all. I tried to ignore it, but it kept at me until I had no choice but to get out of bed and run to the bathroom.

I hate the flu.

I laid on the couch with two pairs of sweats on, a sweatshirt, a hat, mittens, and three blankets and STILL was freezing. I do not wish this sickness on my worse enemy-well, there was this ex-boyfriend I might not mind wishing it on...

Unfortunately, it spread throughout our household, each day someone else got it. We tried to figure out how we all got it-like that makes it better? Why do we do that? After a week, it left our home to invade some other poor unsuspecting families' home I'm sure. Then, they can argue about who brought it in their home.

I'm still trying to catch up on work. Emails waiting to be answered, messy house to be cleaned, argh!

I hope to have things back to normal soon, because I have an awesome giveaway coming up!

Getting Your Children Re-Energized for School

2012-01-25T08:44:00.001-06:00

Guest Post: Ella Davidson of the couponing website Coupons, provided this guest post. Coupons is a coupons and deals website that strives to save consumers money while helping to better the world.

We all know how much children love school breaks and how hard it can be to get them back on track when school is about to start again. You don’t need to feel discouraged, though, because there are some simple tips and tricks that will help you get your kids in shape for school without too much hassle.

There are two main things you need to focus on to ensure your youngsters are ready for school:

• The Body

• The Mind

Energizing the Body

Relax – The main role of a break is to energize the body so the first thing you need to do is to ensure that your kid’s break is relaxing and not too crowded with activities. Even though those activities are fun, too many of them will become tiring. Plan the list of activities such as trips or camps in advance and make sure you leave your kid enough time to play and get bored – they need it.

Sleep – Sleeping is another factor that has a great impact on the amount of energy a kid has. While it’s perfectly normal to let children oversleep from time to time, don’t make it a habit. A child that is used to sleeping in every morning will have a very hard time to adapt to a school schedule. The best approach to this is to let your kids oversleep at the beginning of the break and gradually bring them to a sleeping schedule that’s similar to the one they have during school time.

Finding the perfect balance between fun and relaxation may not be easy but it’s worth making the effort to do it instead of having fun to exhaustion and then facing a hard time getting your kid back on track once the school begins.

Energizing the Mind

Just as the body, the mind needs a little break from time to time too. Stress is the main cause for a tired mind and doing stress-free activities, even if they are mind-challenging can still relax the mind.

Fun Activities – There are a lot of activities that are both fun and educational at the same time that you can do with your children. Play games, build a tree house, go-karting – there are endless opportunities to combine the pleasant with the useful. Not only will these activities will be fun and educational but they’ll also allow you to spend time together as a family.

Responsibility – There are moments when children want to be treated as adults, so why not give them a little responsibility? Start with simple things such as buying them a small pet and leaving it to them to take care of it. If you want to take things a bit further, give them a little more freedom and help them make their own schedule – being sure to include their school and after-school activities. They will appreciate that you trust them and will strive to impress you with their handle of the adult task.

Quick Facts

• Don’t be stressed – a child’s mood is very easy to influence and being around stressed adults will unconsciously make them stressed as well;

• Share your childhood stories – kids always tend to want to imitate their parents, hearing their parent’s adventures from their school period will make them eager to get back to school;

• Have fun – After all, that’s what a break is all about. Be sure to take photos to capture the memories!

References

Microsoft.com: Get Your Kids Ready! A Teacher’s Five Tips http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/get-your-kids-ready-a-teacher-s-five-tips-HA010281616.aspx

About.com: Child Care – Top 10 Morning Madness Tips for Getting Kids Up and Ready

http://childcare.about.com/od/behaviors/tp/gettingkidsup.htm

Back to school, Monster High, Freedom

2012-01-04T08:42:00.003-06:00

Today was Emily's first day back to school, so the morning was spent running around looking for backpacks and school shoes. Listening to the moans and groans of two children not looking forward to going back to the boring and long day of teachers and school work.

As I warmed up the car and the kids dragged themselves out of the house, I sighed. I really like when they are home for breaks and hate to see them go. At the same time, I welcome the freedom to work and not feel guilty because the kids are saying they are bored of their Christmas gifts already.

Speaking of Christmas presents, I really didnt get a chance to tell you what we got this year. I'm always anxious to see what the hubby got me, since he likes to spoil me once a year. Last year it was a new camera body (still love it!). I knew he wouldn't be able to go so expensive this year, but I was still excited.

I had been complaining that I miss my Netbook-it contracted a terrible virus that we still haven't been able to get rid of-so, he decided to get me an Acer Iconia Tab A500 Tablet. He was going to go with the iPad, but it doesn't do flash and I go to a lot of photo sites that do flash, so it was a good choice. I love, love, love the convenience of carrying it around while listening to podcasts and other learning material. Normally, I'd be stuck at my laptop and would have to drag it around or put on pause if I needed to move. It fits in my purse too, which is nice. I brought it to my dad's house on Christmas and I didn't think that I was getting it back. lol.

Jordon was so hard to buy for this year, so we just let him go clothes shopping and gave the rest in cash. Jessica was the same way, but Emily was super easy. She loves Monster High, so we just bought anything that had to do with Monster high dolls . I now want to puke when I see a new Monster High toy at the store. We don't even let her go down the toy aisle unless she has a twenty in her pocket. Good bye TY Beanies, hello Monster High obsession.

I was glad to take down the tree and get on with the new year. Like I said in another post, I'm ready to start the New Year Resolutions, starting with keeping up with eating right. I let myself eat badly somewhat for the holiday, which is okay. I was actually looking forward to my healthy eating- I feel so much better when I do!

Hey! This is nice. I've been able to type more than three sentences without someone yelling from another room that they are hungry or bored.

Maybe the kids being at school not so bad.

Rich isn't just about money

2012-01-03T18:01:00.004-06:00

I've been researching marketing books and wanted to also find financial advice books as well. When I came across I will teach you to be Rich by Ramit Sethi, I felt it was a perfect guide essential to getting your finances on track. The book covers a six-week program that automates saving and jump-starts investing. Most the material Sethi has covered on his blog.

The introduction asks, “Would you rather be sexy or rich?” Sethi talks about how money is like food. Most of us have stressed over our weight at some point or another and tried at least one ridiculous diet. The same level of simplicity is all it takes to keep our finances under control. It’s not a sexy approach — but it is an approach that can make you rich in the long run.

I recommend purchasing this guide, and to visit his blog as well. For anyone looking for interview tips for a job, Ramit Sethi put together a video to help as well.

New Year's Resolution?

2012-01-02T10:33:00.002-06:00

I'm not usually one to make New Year's Resolutions, but to make goals all year round. I'm what you call A List Maker, actually. I'm an entrepreneur, so I've got to always be challenging myself. It's hard competing out there in the business world. You always have to reinvent yourself all the time.

So, I make goals for myself on my pad of paper and reference them daily. I tend to do this strictly business wise, but this year I would like bring my personal life into my list making challenge.

By this, I mean that I tend to put some mothering on the back burner when I get busy with work. I've noticed this when I realized that my seven year old should be reading better then she does. Bad mom. My other two were reading at an early age and reading is so important to me. I loved to read when I was her age, which blossomed to wanting to become a writer.

Another big goal is to get back into blogging more. My plans last year was to share my life experiences and photography to the world. I started slacking a bit towards the end of the year and then got out of it. I worked hard on my blogs and then I let them go. I'm not sure what happened, but I plan on jumping full force this year. Starting today.

Try making lists. They are addictive and a great way of full filling your goals. I almost forgot to mention that I finally stuck to my goal of losing weight! Okay, most would have said I didn't even need to lose any weight, but it was important to me to get to the weight I wanted to be at. I can now fit into all the clothes I used to be able to wear before having Emily. Woo hoo! Actually, I want to lose another four pounds and I hear the last 5 pounds are the hardest to lose. I'll post what I did to lose that weight. Mind you , I don't diet. I just changed my life style I guess you could say.

Well, that's it for now. Enjoy your day off if you have it!

Calm

2012-01-02T09:35:00.010-06:00

Some may remember when I announced we had adopted a kitten about five months ago. Here he is when we first got the little booger.

He fooled us with his sweetness. He was cute and lovable the first couple of weeks. THEN, he began to show his true colors. We quickly found out that he was a devil cat.

So ornery. So crazy. He was in everything all the time and wanted to "play" with us and the result was scratched up hands and a few close calls of an eye getting poked out by his claws.

This cat was the poster child for cat nip.

We got him fixed, hoping that it would calm him down-nope. We came to the conclusion that we would just have to deal with him the way he was and hope that age would calm him down eventually. One thing I did know was, he was getting his front paws declawed because I wasn't taking anymore chances of any of the kids getting their eyes blinded by his playfulness. Did you know that little ones like to put their faces in cat's faces?

So, the little brat went to the vet for two days (it was heaven for us, lol). When we got him back, we were worried if we left him out that he would break his stitches, but he just meowed if we kept him in the carrier. He ended up sleeping for two days and limped around for another three.

One thing I've noticed with him is that he's alot calmer now. Maybe he finally settled down after this traumatic experience, or he thinks we just punished him for all his meanness.

Either way, I'll take it!

Happy New Year!!

2011-12-31T19:20:00.002-06:00

Wishing everyone a.....

What is your credit score?

2011-12-29T10:52:00.002-06:00

Part of running a business means you have to have the means to keep it successful. Sometimes, you might need help with funding for advertising, new equipment, etc. Especially if you are just starting out.

Of course, this could mean that you need to try to get a loan. Now, if you are like me, your first thought would be WHAT IS MY CREDIT?! Credit is sooo important when it comes to getting loans, jobs, and as my oldest is finding out, a place to live.

Did you know that you can get a free credit check? I just came across this cute FreeScore commercial and laughed my butt off, but in all seriousness, it is very important to know your credit score and at FreeScore it's just that, free!

So, I'm starting the year out checking my credit and I'm going to apply for my first business loan to remodel our downstairs into a photography studio-it will be cheaper then what I pay for my studio!

Wish me luck!

Nothing like the last minute

2011-12-24T07:25:00.005-06:00

I've been so busy this season, I haven't had a chance to do my own family photos. We never got a group family photo this season at all this year, which I'm a bit upset about. To let you know just how crazy it's been, we JUST got the grand babies Christmas photos YESTERDAY.

From past experiences, I've found that these two are not fond of getting their photos taken.

So, I was worried if we would even be able to get them to sit long enough to get their photos taken.

But, as you can see, they behaved quite well.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to promise them chocolate and toys if they behaved.

Or, threaten them with no Christmas presents tomorrow...

Merry Christmas!!!

Breaking the promise

2011-12-22T08:02:00.003-06:00

Every year, we promise not go over board with gifts. We always end up breaking that promise.

This morning, while digging through the mound of presents overflowing from under the tree, I realized we once again, broke that promise...

Ba, Humbug

2011-12-16T11:51:00.004-06:00

Every year around this time, I enjoy going Christmas shopping. Yes, I love to walk through the mall, or department stores and watch other shoppers swarm through the isles, looking for that perfect gift, while I listen to the soft holiday music piped through the store's speakers. I'm probably one of the few perfect customers that a cashier wouldn't mind waiting on. I'm nice to all of them and thank them for giving such great service.

This year, however, I was slowly losing the Christmas spirit. I've been treated so horribly by cashiers, waitresses and pretty much any service person. I was getting such terrible service that I even had to complain to management. Shoppers have been pushy and jerky as well and I even have been treated badly by clients. I was starting to feel like I was wearing a tshirt with the words BE MEAN TO ME-I LIKE IT on the front.

Was this what mankind has turn into? Are we so miserable that we don't even feel the need to be nice to each other?

So, needless to say, I've been depressed this year and not feeling like going to the mall to just people watch.

Today I came across this article on Yahoo and it brightened my day. Well, after it brought tears to my eyes. It's given me hope that there still is Christmas spirit in the world, if not for just one short time during the year.

When you buy a lemon

2011-12-13T12:26:00.002-06:00

My oldest seems to have a problem with buying lemons. I think we've dumped 1000's in repairing broken cars and loaning her money for more cars that turned out to be lemons. It would be nice for her to be protected. Usually, her car would end up having to go back because she couldn't afford the repairs, or she would have to sell it. Either way, it wasn't good for her credit.

I get tired of consumers being ripped off by businesses. If you live in California, you are protected under the California lemon law. If you are looking for California Lemon law lawyers to help you fight a corrupt car sale, there are online sources to help. My Lemon Law Center is one.

Lemon Law attorneys in California can be found to help you by having the option of having the company buyback the "lemon" you're now driving. Your other option is getting a new car or truck. I wish we had known about this!

Know your rights by researching the lemon law in your area and if you have a case, make sure you get the right lawyer to help you the most!

The voyage of Young Doctor Dolittle

2011-11-03T13:02:00.004-05:00

The Voyages of Young Doctor Dolittle
Coming to DVD on November 1, 2011
Based on the classic 1920's children's book series and starring the voices of Jane Seymour, Jason Alexander, Tim Curry and Tom Kenny.

This movie is rated G and has a running time of 80 minutes.

We liked the lively of the characters and kept the little ones in the daycare interested. My daughter liked this one as well. Definately one to watch for the whole family!

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of the DVD for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

A changing world

2011-11-03T09:11:00.003-05:00

Last week, while walking back to my car with a load of groceries, I was approached by a woman. She told me that she just got an apartment behind the grocery store and a new job, but didn't have any money yet to buy food. She asked if she could have some money. I told her that I don't carry cash on me and I quickly walked to my car. I felt bad, but my mama told me to not talk to strangers, and usually it's a scam to grab your wallet while you are getting them change.

Yesterday, while IN the same grocery store, I was approached by a man who GAVE ME THE SAME EXACT STORY. Ok, what's the odds of this happening twice? I told him that someone approached me last week with the same story and he quickly left. I found a manager and told him the story and he apologized and told me to tell someone next time and they will kick them out. I thanked him and told him that I just wanted to make them aware that this scam was going on there (it's a nice store in a fairly nice area).

While feeling bad the first time, I'm glad I listened to instincts (and mom) and not trust the person. It actually makes me sad to think that people have to resort to doing such things and I hope that we don't have to start worrying about being approached, or robbed going to a trusted neighborhood just to get groceries. I don't live in a big crazy city like Chicago to avoid such encounters.

Am I making a point here? Not really. I just wish that instead of holding out their hand (and scamming), people would find their self worth and make something of themselves!

Anyone there?

2011-11-01T08:51:00.002-05:00

One thing that always bothers me is missing clients calls. Since I don't have any employees, when the phone rings and I'm with another client in the middle of a shoot and my phone rings, I have to let it ring.

I always wished that I had some kind of telephone system that could handle my call, or put them on hold for a minute while I finish up. Well, I found such a service that would be perfect for a small (or big) business. RingCentral has an awesome system that handles calls for you!

Here how it works:

-You get free unlimited calling.
-You can use your phones, or one of theirs.
-RingCentral answers all calls and faxes for you with an auto-receptionist.
-Your clients can select an extension with your customized hours, greetings and call forwarding to another phone.
-Clients can be put on hold until you are available.

How cool is that?!

With all the photographers out there these days, when I miss a call, a lot of times, I lose the client. I can't afford that!

If you work at home with children, you may just need an extra minute to get to the phone, or if you are closed for the day and want to stay on those business hours, the auto message detailing your working hours would be so convenient.

I really think this is a must-have for any entrepreneur-and I'm sure you could write it off as a business expense as well!

A visit to the doctor

2011-11-01T08:34:00.003-05:00

It's been years since I've gone for a check up. I don't have a fear of doctors, I just have a fear of bad news. So, when a bad bladder infection landed me at the doctor's office, you know I had to be hurting.

While there, they sent me for blood tests and I found that my cholesterol level was a wee bit high. This took me by surprise since I'm not over weight. The doc wasn't too concern but wanted me to just change my diet and exercise more and they would check me in a year.

This gave me a mission: to lower my cholesterol level drastically over the upcoming year. I did research online and found out a lot about good and bad cholesterol. some interesting stuff! I'm going to change our eating habits at home and help out the whole family-I know my hubby's has to be high because he lovesssss his meat.

I also have been wanting to firm up and I probably could stand to lose a couple of pounds, so I'm excited to see what comes of all this. This is good timing as well, because I've been chosen to do a review on a pair of Hot Pants. I'm hoping to have them soon and can't wait to try them out. You can read about them here.

I don't know if you can check your cholesterol, but I'll keep you posted on my diet change and whatnot-don't worry, I'm not going to change to a diet blog. lol

Things are going to slow down photography wise too, so I hope to get back to writing as well! So, please check back daily! Maybe I'll beg businesses to let me do a giveaway too-cross your fingers. :)

Pet Art

2011-10-25T17:22:00.004-05:00

In addition to being a photographer, I also do pet art. My pet art site is named, TMoodyDesigns.com.
This time of year is a great time to start thinking about the pet lovers in your life and what to get them for Christmas. Everyone has one in the family-mine is my sister. Her child is her doggy, Shelby.
Around this time of year, I like to run a great special for the holidays. This year, I'm running this special:
Pet Art Special:16x20 canvas art print wrapped and ready to hang.$99(plus shipping)
Valid until Dec 14th.
This is a perfect size art canvas for any home and fits nicely under the tree!
If you would like to order one for someone in your life, or even yourself, visit here.

America's Next Top Model

2011-10-18T16:48:00.001-05:00

Guest post from Hal Potter
Have you guys ever seen that show “America’s Next Top Model?” I don’t know what it is about that show but I just can’t get enough! I think it’s that the girls are so young and naïve about the way the world works and they think that when they get this modeling contract it’s going to be all puppies and roses and everything good. Of course, we all know that’s not how it works but it’s cute enough seeing them struggle through all the challenges! I got Direct tva while back and I figured I’d be watching a lot more news channels but since there have apparently been about a thousand seasons of this show and it’s always on reruns I feel like that’s all I ever watch anyway. It’s just a great way for me to zone out after a long day at work and since I’m five foot nothing I could never have dreamt of being a modelso I guess it’s fun to live vicariously through other people like that.

True story of puss'n boots

2011-09-29T13:19:00.005-05:00

I'm sure everyone wants to see the new movie, Puss'n Boots when it comes out, so what a great time to see The True Story of Puss'n Boots with Emmy and Golden Globe winner William Shatner as the voice of Puss. The True Story of Puss 'n Boots from Phase 4 Films, is an animated movie based on the classic children's story Puss ‘N Boots by Charles Perrault.

The True Story of Puss 'n Boots is about a young farmer's son, who inherits a talking cat with magical boots. The magical cat Puss helps the farmer's son win the heart of the princess while battling her other suitors.

My youngest, Emily, who is 6 watched the movie and liked it. I wouldn't recommend it for younger children due to the semi rough scenes. When asked, she said she would watch it again and we plan on using it for entertainment when she has some of her friends over on the weekend.

A nice gift for anyone wanting something different for children ages 6-10.

I was given a free copy for review in partnership with Team Mom/Child’s Play PR. Thoughts and opinions here are 100% my own and not influenced by others.

Dressing for a photo

2011-09-29T12:57:00.005-05:00

I love it when a family wants me to help them to pick out their colors for their photos. I love simple patterns and I don't recommend doing the "twinkie" look, meaning everyone dressing alike. Picking one outfit and building around it works.

Take for instance, one of these adorable girls dresses.

Take that outfit and work around it. Like this cute outfit for big brother.

And this sweater for big sis. The colors compliment each other and stay in a "theme" without everyone wearing the exact thing. The look still stays classic without looking dated with the everyone wearing jeans and white shirt-argh!

I recommend staying in darker colors since it brings out most people's complexion better.

While you are at it, check out their wardrobe collections to mix and match for school as well. That way, you didn't just buy an outfit for family photos-you save money in the long run!

Crap.

2011-09-23T08:29:00.004-05:00

Since I got the studio in June, I've been nervous about the parking. It's located on a busy corner, with a tight turn. I've tried to not park on the end, thinking that surely, if any of the cars were going to get hit, that's where it's going to be. I made sure that I park up further to avoid this spot at all cost.

Last week, I was meeting a bride to pick up her book and I made sure to park way down from that dangerous spot. In the meantime, another car took up the place between my car and the end spot. I worried that the bride would have to park on the end and sure enough, she parked there when she arrived.

I tried to hurry up our meeting so she could leave and when she got in her car, I started getting everything turned off and ready to lock up for the day. We (Emily and I) were just ready to walk out when we heard a loud crash outside. I thought, oh no, she got hit!

I ran outside to see the damage, only to find her car untouched. I looked towards my car to find a car smashed into the building next door. It had hit and moved the car behind mine and got my right bumper on the way.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

Go figure. Had I parked in the dangerous spot, my car would have been fine.

Turns out, a young girl was learning how to drive and hit the gas instead of the brakes. I was so mad that now I would have to deal with taking the car in, getting a rental, and all the pain in the butt hassles with the insurance company. Then, my husband pointed out to me the fact that had we not had to turn lights off and lock up, we would have been in the path of the car and probably been killed.

First, I thanked him for freaking me out, then I thanked my lucky stars that all that we got was a dented bumper.

I felt sorry for the gal that owned the car behind us.

. She got the worse of it.

What about the bride? Well, she was a witness, so she had to stay and talk to the cops. I hope she doesn't take this as bad luck on her marriage. She already had her ring stolen on her honeymoon.

Hmmm, maybe SHE brought MY bad luck...

Feeling the love

2011-09-01T09:38:00.003-05:00

Giving Emily's friend a ride home...

Emily: "Watch out-my mom likes to sing in the car."

Me: "Hey, you act like that's a bad thing!"

Emily (ignoring me): "Haley, just put your hands over your ears. That works for me."

Me: Grrrrr...

----------------------------------

When Jordon wants money...

Jo: "Love you, Mom!"

Me: "How much do you need?"

Jo: "Twenty."

When Jordon DOESN'T need something...

Me: "Love you, Jo."

Jo: (silence)

Me: "I see how it is...."

---------------------------

Phone rings....

Me: "Hello?"

Jess: "Mom, can I borrow $20?"

Me: "Borrow? Do you mean HAVE $20?"

Jess: "Ok, can I HAVE $20?"

Me: "I guess."

Jess: "Love ya!"

Me: "Until I run out of money..."

Farthead

2011-08-29T12:26:00.004-05:00

Emily had been wanting a kitten for some time now. My husband is not a cat person, so I had been trying to find a way to convince him to let her get one. Every time I would bring it up, he would change the subject.

I still had hope though, and checked out the paper and pet stores weekly for kittens. We thought that maybe if we just got one, he would just have to deal with it.

One day, while at the pet store, we came across some cute kittens. I chickened out and didn't just buy one, but instead, we came home and brought it up to him. Surprisingly, he said "ok" and I about fell over. I asked why he changed his mind and he said that he might as well give in because he wouldn't win anyway-smart guy.

So, we went back a couple of days later and they were all gone! My daughter was heartbroken. We had already bought all the supplies and food, but now no kitten. Then, we ended up finding this little guy.

I wasn't too thrilled getting a male, but he seemed pretty tame. Emily named him Sam.

I, on the other hand, will be calling him

FARTHEAD.

I have never met a cat (or human) that farts as much as this 1/2 pound fluff ball. I have been forced to keep a can of air freshener on my desk for immediate use if needed. Now, the dog no longer gets blamed when that silent, but deadly, odor appears while the family is watching a movie in the family room.

This dust bunny does.

Maybe I should have listened to my husband about cats.

Reborn

2011-08-26T12:17:00.002-05:00

Sadly, I've neglected this blog. I think I was too busy having a brain overload borderline nervous breakdown. I just couldn't write, no matter how much I tried. I just felt depressed every time I tried to write for some reason.

And I had a lot to write about. Could have made you laugh, cry and feel sorry for me. For some reason, though, I just couldn't do it.

I think I'm better again. I feel good about writing again and catching up with old friends. Maybe it's the cozy feeling of fall around the corner that makes me want to sit in front of the computer and spill my guts about my life. Who knows.

At any rate, I'm back again and I hope you will come visit again. I will catch you up on what's been happening with me, like my regret of getting a studio-did I really need one? My oldest still having crisis after crisis, and my son's discovery of a social life. Oh, let's not forget little Emily. She's a week's worth of blogging alone!

Have a great weekend and stop by on Monday-I'll be here! :)

Zhu Zhu Summer Ice Cream Fun

2011-07-04T14:09:00.005-05:00

Zhu Zhu Pets have thought of another cute theme- Ice Cream! What a perfect time of the year to do it.

Doesn't the sound of the ice cream truck slowly winding down the street take you back to your childhood days?

It does for me. Now, your children can pretend it's ice cream time all day long with the new Zhu Zhu pets Ice Cream playset.

What are Zhu Zhus, you ask? I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. Zhu Zhu pets are the popular, cute hamsters that make adorable hamster sounds and run around your house.

They come in different colors and different playsets. I've written about them before here.

This theme is a new one and consists of a Zhu Zhu Pets Ice Cream Parlor, a Zhu Zhu Pets Ice Cream Truck, and new Zhu Zhu pets in pastel colors-my favorite is the pink one.

The kids had fun playing with this set. The ice cream truck can be driven by a Zhu Zhu pet, . The ice cream shop has a drive through with ice cream and plates.

This looks like it's geared towards girls with all the pretty colors, but the boys liked it just as much.

If you are looking for something for your kids to do, Zhu Zhu Pets Ice Cream Fun is a great summertime treat for your kids.

I was given a Zhu zhu Ice Cream play set and zhu zhu pets to review by MomSelect.

After photos of studio

2011-06-20T08:52:00.000-05:00

Please check out my post on my new studio here. Thanks!

The First Communion

2011-06-17T09:42:00.006-05:00

Emily will be coming to the age of her first communion. I think she is finally getting the concept of religion and everything that comes with it. Her little niece and nephew are going to be baptized soon, so she will get to see a baptismal for the first time. If they get baptized before her first communion, she will have some practice of seeing a church event. Hopefully, this will ease her feelings on what it will be like to stand up in front of everyone. She’s had lots of practice for when she won the Hallmark Card contest and was on tv!

One thing that she is excited about is the celebration afterwards. She knows that she will be getting gifts from family and friends. That means that we will be having to think about what to get her for a gift. Most girls communion gifts are pretty cross necklaces, or a bible.

When my oldest daughter had her first communion, we found some great gifts for her from a little religious store. I think I will look online for Emily.

She has been talking about wanting a cross necklace for sometime now, so I think that's what I'll be getting her. I wish she would let me get her ears pierced, because I would love to get her a matching pair of earrings.

I thought these looked pretty and add a bit of color.

Or, adding pearls would be cool!

She is excited for this day to come and I look forward to it as well!

The hot days of wearing socks

2011-06-17T08:57:00.004-05:00

I don't know about you, but I have been having a hard time finding the right girls sandals for Emily. I admit, I've just been trying the cheap stores, but everyone seems to just want to sell the flip flops. Unfortunately, Emily H. A. T. E. S. this type of sandal. I've probably spent $50 on those darn shoes because if she thinks they are cute, she thinks she might suddenly like wearing them.

Nope.

So, the poor girl is stuck wearing tennis shoes all the time. This wouldn’t be a problem, but she’s been wanting to wear her good dresses lately, and well, she looks like a hillbilly-not that there is anything wrong with that. We thought we found some sandals the other day, but they ended up hurting the side of her toes after walking on them for a bit and we had to go back home and get other shoes.

I'm hoping to find an online site that takes you through the steps of getting the right shoe that gives the right fit.

Startriteshoes.com does just that. This site even has videos on how to properly fit your child's shoes and articles on caring for your children's feet and the different stages of walking and the proper shoes.

I think that Emily would like this style of sandals because it doesn't require her to have anything between her toes.

She takes after her mama in that department.

We have pictures coming up here shortly, so it will be nice to not have her look like a tennis-shoe-with-a-dress-wearing-hillbilly.

NOT that there's anything wrong with that... :)

A monster

2011-06-10T07:30:00.005-05:00

Has there ever been a person in your life that you hated so much, that you wished they would just spontaneously combust? I have such a person. Zach's father. If you are new to this blog, or you have forgotten about all the trouble I've had with this kid in the past, he is my grandbaby's pathetic excuse for a father-let alone human being.

He and my daughter were one of those on again, off again relationship people. Pretty much when he didn't have a job, they were on, and when he got the urge to cheat, they were off. I'm not sure what brain malfunction my daughter had to think she deserves such a jerk, but we all have our demons I guess.

Five months after her daughter was born, he went back to work, so he didn't need my daughter anymore and found some girl that was in the Army. Obviously, they let idiots in the Army. My daughter let him see the kids to be nice, but as you could guess, things started to go sour with the visitations. He started saying that my daughter didn't know how to take care of her kids and at the same time, he kept changing and giving up his visits for this new girl and her little girl. I think he was trying to show off by putting this other child above his.

I kept telling her that I didn't feel comfortable with her sending the baby over with this piece of shit and that one day, she probably would end up getting hurt. For what ever reason, she still sent them over and it made me cringe every time.

So, the fighting between the two of them was ongoing, with him putting his new "family" over his own kids by telling my daughter to "get her fucking kids" every time they didn't come over perfect. He also never would buy diapers or food when they came over. My daughter had to supply everything for them and then he would complain about her. He also put them to bed at 7 just so he wouldn't have to deal with them.

Now, what I am going to tell you next may shock you, or you might think that it was okay. I personally can't believe that anyone would side with what he did, but you would be surprised at people's opinions-especially a cop.

The last time that he picked the kids up, he had called her 15 mins later and told her they had lice. She said no they didn't, and he said that they were crawling all over Zach's head. She proceeded to tell him that there was nothing on his head when she sent him. He then told her that him and his girlfriend SHAVED THEIR HEADS. A little girl's hair that took 6 months to grow-and who didn't even have anything?????

He tried telling her that he tried everything else first. Really? You had them for 15 mins and you tried everything else? My daughter could not believe what she just heard. She thought he was joking. He said for her to come "get her fucking kids" and that she owed his piece of shit girlfriend for treatment of their trailer. Really? My daughter was so mad, she jumped in her car and went to get them.

She called the cops to press charges on the girl but the cop said that he didnt see anything wrong with what they did. I really hate cops. She now has a lawyer to protect those kids and it sounds like it's going to be a messy ride.

For now the kids are safe. I feel like crying every time I see them-they look like they have some kind of sickness.

What would you think it someone lied about your babies having bugs and shaved their heads-especially if one was a girl?

Picking the right clothing for a shoot

2011-06-03T21:10:00.004-05:00

We have been hard at work remodeling the new studio and hope to be done by this weekend. I have to shoot a newborn session this weekend, so I hope the client won't mind the semi-done studio.

I'm changing my prices and packages on my photography site as well, so I'm doing double cleaning duty on my photography business.

I think while I'm working on my website, I will add a children's clothing ideas area to help clients decide what to dress their child in for a session. Neutral wear is always classic if you plan on hanging the photos on their wall.

Here are some examples:

These are soft colors that work well together. Children's clothes should not over power a shoot and take away from a child's face.

I think it will be fun to put together different clothing sets that work for the entire family as well.

Stay tuned!

You've got to see this

2011-05-30T18:11:00.002-05:00

I've got some exciting news!!

Read it here.

Have a great rest of the day off!

Summer is almost here

2011-05-16T13:43:00.003-05:00

Are you starting to plan your summer vacation yet?

We are!

I have been wanting to go to St. Louis, Missouri for two years now. I'm hoping to make it a reality this summer. We want to visit the zoo, go on the arch, and check out some shopping!

Right now Twizzlers® Candy, the perfect on-the-go treat, is helping to sweeten family travel this summer with the Twizzlers Landmark Summer™ promotion. The promotion gives consumers the chance to win a trip to a well-known United States destination plus daily, road trip-themed prizes throughout the summer. Twizzlers is my favorite candy and has been since as long as I can remember. How cool would it be if I won a vacation from the bestest candy makers in the whole wide world??

Then, I might have to go to Disney World instead- I'm just saying...

"I'm entering a contest for a Twizzlers Landmark Summer promotion prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club."

Not the fun mom.

2011-05-16T09:45:00.004-05:00

Summer is approaching fast-even though Mother Nature seems to be bi-polar these days and can't decide what season she wants it to be. This was my youngest daughter's first year of school and I can't believe we survived. We went through ups and downs, first play dates at her new friend's houses, story telling, and who knows what else since school is not out yet.

I have to wonder what her summer will be like being at home and stuck with us. She says she's excited to get to stay home, but I think she will be bored. I love when my kids are home for summer, but I don't look forward to those dirty looks from her when, after the first two days of freedom wear off and she suddenly has nothing to do.

I will then have to become her playmate, even though I don't have the summer off. In fact, it's my busiest time of the year. So, I will have to disappoint her and be the bad guy as usual.

This reminds me of the other day, when I picked her up after school and as we were walking to the car, she turns to me and asks, "Mom, what do fun moms do with their kids?"

Ouch.

Pampers Little Miracle Mission

2011-05-14T17:38:00.005-05:00

In celebration of its 50th birthday, Pampers wants everyone to know that every baby is a miracle and they want to celebrate it. That's why they started Little Miracle Mission campaign – a program that delivers acts of kindness to families while encouraging parents to support others.

Pampers started their campaign by donating care packages to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) across the country!

Watch Pampers video here.

Pampers gave me a chance to do something good for another parent as well! I was given $50 to donate however I chose. I recently learned that a parent with two small children lost her job and home. I know that $50 can't fix everything, but I decided to give it to her to use for gas to look for a new job while she stays with a close friend until she gets back on her feet.

What you do with $50 to help a fellow parent?

Pampers wants to give one lucky reader a chance to pay it forward and help someone with their own $50 American Express Card.

I know this isn't like my normal giveaways, where you get to keep the prize, but it's the biggest prize of all-helping someone and feeling good about it!

Please help out and enter-it's fun, trust me!

Entry requirements:

Leave a comment and tell me what you would do if you won.

My readers can easily participate in the Miracles Missions programs, and support little miracles across the country, by logging on to Pampers Facebook page (Facebook.com/Pampers).

Pampers will issue different missions throughout the entire year to celebrate all aspects of parenthood, and with the help of parents, family and friends, they hope to touch the lives of every baby born in the next year.

Giveaway ends:

May 20th, 2011

Setting goals for your child-and you.

2011-05-14T16:12:00.003-05:00

I'm always making lists.

Lists that contain goals.

Big ones.

Little ones.

I think it's a good idea to set daily goals for yourself, or even long term goals. It helps you to stay organized in your life. What about your children? Yes, they should set goals too. It's something that can help them to help deal with life when they are older and to help clear their mind and know what they want out of life.

When I had the opportunity to try Goalforit.com , I thought it would be a great tool to use! Goalforit.com is an online goal setting data site to help you document and keep track of your goals. For adults and children. One thing I wanted to try right away was the Chore Chart option.

With the Chore Chart, you can build a chart online, picking the header and what chores you want your child to do and even the rewards you want to give your child for doing their chores. I made one for Emily and she's been having fun doing chores (that's right-fun!) and seeing her allowance grow.

So, if you are looking to document your goals or chores and behavior charts for your children, you should give this service a try-it's free!

It's a Zhu Zhu party!

2011-05-11T09:10:00.003-05:00

Have you heard of Zhu Zhu Pets? If you have children, then you probably have. Zhu Zhu Pets are Zhu Zhu pets are fuzzy, interactive hamsters that run around like real hamsters. They are about the size of regular hamsters and take two AA batteries.

It took awhile for my youngest to catch on to it. She just wasn't interested until a couple of months ago. A great timing too, because I was picked by MomSelect to host a Zhu Zhu babies party!
I could not believe what our party kit included. We got enough babies for everyone, a big Zhu Zhu pet, a nursery, and extra outfits. Plus, ideas for the party.

I decided to invite some daycare kids and some of Emily's friends from school. We started the party by letting everyone pick out a Zhu Zhu baby.

We already had the nursery set up, so everyone got to try it out. Oh, I also told moms that kids could bring their Zhu Zhu pets from home if they had one.

We passed out treats while they played for awhile. Then, we played hide-the-egg game. Whoever found the egg won one of the outfits for their baby. The kids loved it! Afterwards, they wanted to go back to playing with the nursery. I'm guessing that some moms probably got an idea for next birthday. :)
Would I recommend Zhu Zhu babies and accessories? Yes! I think they offer hours of play and when friends can bring their pets from home, there is a lot of interactive play without the fighting that sometimes comes along with sharing.

We are now looking into getting more accessories!

I was not paid for this post-I received Zhu Zhu items for party review.

The life of a wedding photographer

2011-05-10T11:14:00.007-05:00

I shot a wedding a couple of weeks ago and I think it had to be the worse wedding ever. I don't think I ever had a wedding go perfect, but this wedding put all those to shame. This was a wedding that I would not wish on my worse enemy.

Six months ago...

When I first talked to this couple 6 months ago, the bride was very excited to have me take their wedding photos and how the pictures were very important to her. I was a bit nervous with the pressure put on me to produce perfect photos. I studied poses and put together a plan on what I wanted to take so she would have a nice book to remember her wedding by.

THEN, came the two weeks before her wedding. I contacted her to set up a time to meet and pay the rest of the balance and discuss any changes before the wedding. I told her what time I needed everyone to be there so we would not be rushed for pictures. She said that it was fine and that everyone would be there. She paid and we talked about her wedding and took care of final details.

Thank goodness!

A couple of days pass, and I receive an email from her stating that she talked to her bridesmaids and they decided that we didn't need to be there that early.

Really? THEY decided? And how many weddings have they shot before?

I tried to explain to her that we did need that time to get all the photos that I'm accustomed to getting for a great book. She insisted that she couldn't, so I reminded her that my contract clearly states that if wedding party and client are late, it is not my responsibility for missed shots, etc.

So, my assistant and I show up at the venue on the wedding day. We came way early in hopes to catch the bride and talk her into starting early. We found her in the reception room decorating an empty room. She looked upset and when she saw us, she told us how the night before at the rehearsal, some of her bridesmaids turned on her, her maid of honor was at the emergency room for an allergic reaction, and she was fighting with her mom.

Ceremony starts at 4:30pm-it's 12:30.

We offered to help decorate, but she said 'no' and had her dad help her. We decided to leave and get some filler shots to kill time and when we got back (at the time she wanted) she was still decorating. I explained to her that we already lost an hour of shooting and couldn't be delayed any longer. She finally tried calling people to help and I was relieved to see some people finally show up to help. I figured that we would now be able to grab her and get some getting ready photos, only to find out she said she had to stay longer to show them how to do it.

1:45. tick, tock. tick, tock...

I finally put my foot down and said that if she wanted pictures done for her wedding, she needed to come-now! She agreed and we finally got her on her way to her room. When we walked in the room, her maid of honor calls her on her cell phone and starts yelling at her (she blamed her for her allergic reaction) and she can't get her off the phone. After about 10 minutes of the girl yelling at her, she finally loses it and starts crying.

It's now 2:00-we've lost an hour at this point..

She settles down and I finally get some getting ready photos. Just as I am about to take a picture, her mom walks in the room. The bride tries to talk to her mom for comfort and her moms blurts out, "Well, the problem is, you are just a bitch!"

OMG...

The bride jumps up and tells her mom to "F-off" and literally throws her out the room and breaks down again and starts crying hysterically. My assistant and I (who are the only other people in the room) just look at each other and give the what-the-hell-now? look. I decide to ask the bride if she would like us to leave and she said 'yes' so, we go down to the lobby. There, we meet up with the mom and she's telling the story to everyone standing around her. They all turn to us and give us a look and she blurts out, "Did she kick you out too?" I gave a nervous laugh and said, "No."

2:45 now...

I figured the day would be cancelled at this point, but she ended up calling us and said she was ready to take photos. We went back up and she was putting her makeup on. We got her mother-in-law to help with the dress. We were making progress now.

Wait! You don't think that was the end, did you?

Just as we were taking another shot, in storms the maid-of-honor. She starts complaining to the bride and she (the bride) calmly tells her that everything would work out and to just get ready. The bride turned back around, thinking her friend left, and mumbled something about how everyone was acting. The girl comes charging back at her and they start yelling at each other. The bride gets upset-AGAIN.

It's now 3:00...

I now have an hour to take three hours worth of photos. The bride decides to calm down so we try to rush her out to get her photos taken, only to have her drag her heels. I decide to just run down and take the groom's photos and that is the only thing that went smoothly ( guys are like that). We rush through his and then she (the bride) ends up finally coming down, so I rush through hers (haaaate thaaaaaat!). We threw in some bridesmaid photos and by then, it was 4:10.

Another, OMG!!

I ran to the ceremony part, threw in new batteries, and got ready with only 2 minutes to spare. We got through the ceremony and then...

Well, of course there was more drama-really? Did you think that my day would get better?

Hahahaha...

We still needed group shots and couple shots, so I told the couple that we needed to get right on it. The groom decides all of sudden, to start complaining. He said it was rude to keep the guests waiting.

What? Are you kidding me??

I explained to him that they expect to wait for photos-I wanted to add, "You bozos are the reason we are fitting photos in right now anyway," but, I bit my tongue instead. So, I only got half the poses I wanted.

We finally finished and went on to the reception.

God, please let this be done...

When we got to the reception, the couple did everything backwards, so we were running around trying to get everything. Oh, and I found out my ex boyfriend was the DJ.

Funny, wedding gods.

So, when we were FINALLY done for the night, I walked up to the bride and thanked her and said we had what we needed. She was all excited and said, "I can't wait to see the pictures!"

Trust me, honey. You can wait...

Winners announced! Shabby Apple Giveaway

2011-05-02T16:25:00.001-05:00

I didn't think this day would come:

The winner of the Shabby Apple Giveaway is.....

Dawn

Dawn said...
I am already a follower and I am passing on The Versatile Blogger Award to you! I love your blog!
Check out my post:

http://checkitoutdawn.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-won-versatile-blogger-award.html

Congrats, Dawn!

Can I get some cheap seats?

2011-04-27T10:31:00.003-05:00

Tis the season to go to ball games and concerts. But, with the high rising costs of gas and food, it can put a damper on enjoying some entertainment. I always wished someone would give me a good deal on some Yankee Stadium tickets, or Fenway Park tickets.

I found a great site called, ACheapSeat.com that offers you a good deal on tickets and if you are looking for tickets to an event, you can find it. So, whether you want Jersey Boys Tickets , Harlem Globetrotters Tickets, or even Taylor Swift Tickets ;you can get them here!

What a relief, since I need to find some cheap tickets for the hubby's birthday present-he loves Michael Buble and he's going to be in town for his birthday month-yeah!!

Renting college books

2011-04-27T10:23:00.002-05:00

Do you have a child that will be starting college soon? Maybe they won't be starting for a couple of years. Either way, you still need to start thinking about how you can save money for college. Something that you might not of thought about is how you are going to pay for books. Books can be a costly expense that may or may not be covered in grants, or just something that you are struggling to think of a way to pay for. Not to mention the fact that after the class is over, you may not even need them anymore. Then, you are stuck trying to sell them to get rid of them.

Did you know that you could rent textbooks? CampusBookRentals does just that! I really could have used rented books when I went to school. At least I know now, and my oldest is starting college soon and this is something we are going to look into to saving money.

At CampusBookRentals, you just order your books and wait for them to arrive-they even offer free shipping! How cool! They even buy books, so if you have any to get rid of, you can make some cash too.

If you are looking to save money, then I think you should give them a try!

Early Mother's Day-and a giveaway!

2011-04-25T13:16:00.004-05:00

Mother's Day is right around the corner and I'm excited to get a day of pampering-hopefully. I like getting flowers and plants occassionally for special occassions. The hubby hasn't been on the ball with surprising me with roses or whatnot.

When ProFlowers wanted to send me a special plant or flower arrangement, I happily agreed.

Who needs the hubby?

Flowers are so pretty to put on your kitchen table, but sometimes I like to get something that lasts more then a week. What's great about Proflowers, is that they sell plants too! So I picked the Potted Fragrant Gardenia.

I am showing the stock photo of it since mine isn't blooming yet.

It fits in perfect with my decor and I can't wait until it starts flowering so it can start make my kitchen smell like gardenias.

If you don't like this particular plant, they have lots of Mother's Day Flowers to choose from. They even have a coupons page

Feel free to mention our coupons page and you can save 20%, Free vase, Free weekday delivery and other deals.

Don't think that you can find anyone to give you flowers on Mother's Day?

Then, try to win it!

Proflowers is giving away $50 to one lucky winner to pick out their own flower arrangement!

This is what you need to do:

Follow me and then leave a comment telling me your favorite flower.

Want an extra entry?
(must do required entry first)

Like ProFlowers-As a thank you, readers will get 20% off your order!
http://www.facebook.com/ProFlowers

Want TWO extra entries?

Blog about it-leave me a link and leave another entry.

Good luck!

Contest ends May 1st.

Eat Chocolate.

2011-04-24T11:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter!

A new quest and something furry

2011-04-23T11:03:00.004-05:00

I'm excited to announce that I've finally got the hubby on board with trying to sell our house to find a bigger one. We actually needed a bigger house five years ago, but he just didn't want to go through the hassle.

I'm not sure what actually changed his mind finally. Maybe it was my constant complaining about not having room for storage. Or, maybe my constant complaining about needing an office. Or, maybe it was my constant complaining about how small the bedrooms were. Or, maybe just my constant complaining-period.

So, I've been on a mission to get the house ready. I've been throwing out stuff, packing items we won't need, and looking for houses in the area that I want to move to. It's been hectic, but worth it. In the process of eliminating clutter, I am almost to the point of feeling like the house is bigger-but, not enough to not move though.

My youngest, Emily has been helping me because as she puts it, I want a bedroom with stairs. She means she wants a house thats two stories. Boy, will she be mad if I pick another ranch. I also promised her a kitten when we move-something the hubby doesn't know about yet. He hates cats and if he knew that, he would probably change his attitude about moving.

Boy, I sure will miss him if that happens.

There is hope.

2011-04-15T09:30:00.003-05:00

Awhile back, I talked about my son turning into a teenage alien. He barely talked to me and I didn't have a clue to what was going on in his life. Well, we've made some process and I think he's finally starting to find himself. At least I hope. You see, my son has never really wanted to join any sports or any kind of group. He liked his video games and that's what kept him happy. I guess I was to blame to make it easy for him to get lost in this "babysitting" convenience-it kept him out of my hair and busy. So, once he hit the teen years, he decided he wanted to be more sociable. Good news, but teens have it hard as it is. I think he was overwhelmed by it all. AND he's discovered girls. lol. He found this church group that do lots of activities and he gets a chance to get out and go do things he never really wanted or had the chance to before. He still acts like a typical teen, but not as bad, and even tells me more things about his life. This makes me a lot happier and not so distant from him. Woo hoo! Now, we just need to work on his school work-something I just found out about-he's missing a lot of assignments. But, at least I have leverage now- no turning assignments in, no social life!

You know you want this-Shabby Apple Giveaway

2011-04-08T10:35:00.011-05:00

Yes, I'm still alive. I've been held up by my other blog, Pro-tography 101. I am back now, so I hope you forgive me. What? You don't?

Wellll... How about if I do a totally awesome giveaway to make up for it?? I thought that might work!

Have you heard of Shabby Apple? If you haven't, you've been missing out. The Shabby Apple carries a beautiful line of women's dresses , girl's dresses and accessories.

Here is a little bit about Shabby Apple:

After years of not being able to find stylish dresses that covered enough skin to make you really feel comfortable (without wearing a tank top, cardigan or long slip), owners Emily and CK decided to do something about it.

They visited trade shows, marketplaces and designer studios only to discover the problem was not that department stores weren't buying the right dresses, but that designers weren't designing them. Shabby Apple is proud to offer you fantastic dresses that allow you to look fabulous, without having to compromise anything else.

A return to what dresses were always meant to be — a one-piece outfit. No need to add anything...no tank tops, no cardigans, nothing (except accessories, of course!).

They (Shabby Apple) are letting me give away one of their elegant dresses! I know-I'm excited too!

Here is the dress one lucky winner gets:

Bette D. Women's Dress

(Value: $88)

I know! Wow!

So, here's the nitty-gritty on how to win this:

Required entries:

-Follow me.

-Like Shabby Apple. (You will get access to special promotions!)

Make sure you leave a comment on here to enter!

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Extra entries:

- Like me on Facebook.

- Tweet about it.

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Two entries:

- Blog about the contest.

-Put me on your sidebar

Don't forget to leave extra comments for each extra things you do!

U.S. residents only, please.

Contest ends 4/29th

Prize will be handled directly from sponsor.

I will contact winner after contest ending. If you do not contact me within 48 hours, next random winner will be picked.

Grandbaby 2

2011-03-28T20:45:00.005-05:00

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

2011-03-24T10:16:00.002-05:00

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?

2011-03-22T13:34:00.003-05:00

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

2011-03-22T13:03:00.003-05:00

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!

2011-03-22T12:37:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-18T12:46:00.005-05:00

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

2011-03-18T10:48:00.002-05:00

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

2011-03-18T09:56:00.004-05:00

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

2011-03-18T08:33:00.006-05:00

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

2011-03-09T20:06:00.005-06:00

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

2011-03-06T08:45:00.003-06:00

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

2011-03-05T15:48:00.004-06:00

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

2011-03-01T10:54:00.007-06:00

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?

Have you got your Groupon?

2011-03-01T10:13:00.004-06:00

Get your groupon today!

The curse of the Angry Birds and no Internet

2011-02-28T16:49:00.004-06:00

You might not of seen me online too much lately in the last couple of weeks. That's because our Internet hasn't been working very well lately. We finally got a tech out on Friday to see what the problem was. He changed some wiring and got it up and working again-woo hoo!

Since I didn't have a way to work on my online things the last week, I had a lot of time on my hands. What did I do with my free time? I GOT ADDICTED TO ANGRY BIRDS.

Have you played this game on your phone? Please don't if you have never played it. You won't get laundry done. You'll put off feeding your children. You will forget to sleep. It's that addictive.
I actually hate it, but when I don't kill all the pigs, I have to keep playing it til I pass the level.

Have. to. kill. the. pigs.

I think I might have to get one of these shirts.

At least when I could get back online, I did not have time to get on that darn game. Thank goodness. I have a new blog that I worked on all weekend and will be unveiling next week. I hope that you will visit it too when it's active and leave me comments. Here's a hint: If you like photography, you will love this blog!

Are you thinking about Halloween yet?

2011-02-26T10:16:00.003-06:00

I know that it's only February, but it's never too early to start thinking about costumes. Emily likes to wear her past costumes when she plays dress up, so we get full use out of her Halloween costumes all year round. There are so many cute girls costumes out there that we always have a hard time choosing one each year for her.

I'm always trying to get her to pick an animal costume because they are warmer to wear outside since our Halloween is usually chilly. She usually wins, though, and picks some ballerina or princess one.

When we were approached by CostumeSuperCenter.com to do a review of one of their costumes, Emily was very excited to choose a costume from the 100's of choices. After about a zillion hours later, she finally chose the Child Batarina Costume.

(Yes, I accidentally cut off her feet in the photo.)

This costume was so cute! It came with several accessories which you don't really get with other costumes. It looked well made also and high in quality. She wears it all the time- I hope it lasts til October!

So why not get your Halloween costume shopping out of the way now and do it conveniently online!

I love you more

2011-02-23T09:40:00.006-06:00

Me: "I love you more than chocolate."

Emily: "I love you more than my toys."

Me: "I love you more than my camera."

Emily: "I love you more than soup."

Me: "You must REALLY love me."

I hate public voting

2011-02-18T12:16:00.005-06:00

When I checked my email today, I was excited to find out that Mom Central was hosting a contest and they were going to give 5 bloggers each a $2000 grant to help them become successful!

I thought, this would be great because I really want to start a photography blog and I have great ideas for it-THEN, I started reading the rules and how they would handle the judging. It will be partially by public voting and partially by them.

How it will work will be like this. Everyone wanting to enter tells why they feel they need it and how it will be used. That's cool. Then, everyone votes for the blogger they feel should win. This part is not fair and totally contradicts the whole grant in my opinion. IF a blogger is in need of a grant, then I'm pretty sure they don't have alot of readers yet and their blog may not even be on the map. Sooooo, how the hell are they going to find enough people to vote for them? IF a blogger can get a lot of votes, then I'm pretty sure they already are branded and DON'T NEED THE FREAKIN' MONEY!!

This grant is to be used for SEO, advertising, platform fees, etc., etc. All the things that a little nobody needs to become that somebody that will probably get the votes. I HATE PUBLIC VOTING.

Now, they are trying to be fair and make three categories to pick from:

Category 1: The top 15 submissions with the highest votes whose blog traffic falls into the top tier of traffic(based on Alexa traffic rankings)
Category 2: The top 15 submissions with the highest votes whose blog traffic falls into the mid-tier of traffic(based on Alexa traffic rankings)
Category 3: The top 15 submission with the highest votes whose blog traffic falls into the low-tier of traffic(based on Alexa traffic rankings)

First of all, there should not be any blogs that should qualify if their blog traffic falls in the top tier. Second of all, even the bottom tier traffic will probably still be pretty good traffic. Third of all, if you have your idea, but haven't started your blog yet, how do you even get in any category?

When I first read that email, I automatically assumed (you know what they say about that!) that Mom Central would go through the submissions and pick a blogger who had a great idea and that in their opinion, were really worthy to receive it upon need-isn't that what a grant is? To me it's the little guy that is on to something, but just needs a little help to get going.

Public voting is just a popularity contest and the one with the most friends wins, not necessarily the one who deserves it.

Will I enter? I might. Do I think I'll win? Do I look famous to you?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T07:43:00.009-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

The hubby surprised me with an Open Heart necklace by Jane Seymour-totally beautiful. We weren't supposed to get each other anything because we were supposed to count our night out on Friday as our Valentine's Day. That little sneak! Oh well, isn't that what husbands are supposed to do?

Anyway, we celebrated it on Friday by going to a murder mystery dinner and I TOTALLY LOVED IT.

Have you ever been to one? They rock! I never laughed so much. It was put on by a brilliant man who wrote it and even played a character. The mystery was called Five Card Murder by Scott Naumann.

Here is the press release about it:

During Its A Mystery's uproarious production of Five Card Murder guests take on the role of "detective" beginning with cocktail hour mingling with suspects, the unveiling of alibi's and a gourmet dinner. With the cold filling the air, the wind beginning to blow, the stakes are high! The game is set, the cards are dealt, but...someone just might not live to play their hand! Guests will even visit the crime scene and take a walk to uncover other telltale secrets!

The Skellington Manor is an awesome place and the owners and people that run it are super awesome. The setup was nicely done with linen covered tables and chairs.

(Sorry about the quality of photos, they were taken by my phone. )

The characters involve the audience and stay in character the whole night. We got picked on by some of them, including Ruby Redd.

She was the busty lady in red.

The detective was hilarious during the show.

This is Ma Banks-she let a lot of "wind" during the show and pinned a few on some of the audience.

If you have a murder mystery dinner in your area, you should check it. I can't guarantee that it will be as good as this show, but it's worth trying it out!

(I was not asked to do a review of this show-this is just about my experience here.)

Easy Saturday

2011-02-12T15:08:00.002-06:00

I finally have a Saturday to myself, so I decided to use it to practise some new backgrounds for baby shoots. Emily followed me downstairs and I took advantage of a warm body.

She was enjoying laying down on the comfy blanket. We decided to pretend she was on a model shoot.

I told her to give me a serious pose.

Then, a fun one.

Shortly after that, she got bored and left, so I had to use this guy.

Yeah, I know.

I need some babies to photograph!

Another thought about promoting my business

2011-02-09T14:19:00.003-06:00

I talked awhile back about wishing that I had promotional pens when I did the bridal show. I didn't think about it again until I had a wedding couple over the other night. We were signing contracts and I handed them the only pen I could find, which ended up having pink ink-Argh!

If I had a personalized pen handy, it would have looked better for me and I would just let them keep it if they wanted or accidentally walked off with it. It's so important how you come across to your clients and how organized you are leaves a lasting impression.

I think that if I had matching envelopes to put the contracts in, like using Amsterdam Printing envelopes I would look more professional. Then, I could just throw them all in the vendor bag that I give them.

Sometimes, I think promotion can be a fun part of a business and the client loves to get free things as well!

Looking for business ideas?

2011-02-09T13:16:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, I run several businesses that I've started over the years. I love being an entrepreneur because it allows me to stay at home (for the most part).

One type of business that I've been curious about is starting a network marketing company. MLM companies can be a highly profitable because of the residual income that the different levels sales. MLM businesses can sell anything from flowers to Internet marketing tools.

Starting this type of business doesn't have to be hard.

Decide what type of product you want to sell

Check out different distributors to see what would be the most profitable product to sell and what you would be interested in dealing with.

Set a retail price for your products.

You need a profit margin high enough so that your distributors can get 20-40 percent on their purchases. Look around for companies that have Network Marketing Software and consulting.

Invest in a website

Hire a web designer to put together a website for your MLM company. There are many design sites that do this, like this San Francisco Web Development site. You will need a MLM specialist to do your MLM team websites as well.

Advertise

The last step is getting your business out there. Plan a budget for advertising and use free resources as well.

Soon, your MLM business will be up and running and you will be enjoying your residual income for years to come!

Still Proud

2011-02-08T10:16:00.005-06:00

We didn't win, but we are still holding our heads high.

It was a good game-I thought we were going to win at the last minute. Oh well. Even the greatest teams have their moments.

We still had a good time-eating.

And eating.

I didn't do any special decorations this time. I just put the food out for everyone to grab.

The hubby's wings were the hit of the party as usual.

Barely had a chance to get a photo before they were gone.

When Zach finally showed up, he and Emily had a good time proudly wearing their jerseys.

He supports his Gpa's team.

Little Avrie does too. As long as she gets a chicken wing some day when she has teeth.

We'll get em' next year-GO STEELERS!!

A review in the making

2011-02-04T21:18:00.002-06:00

As many of you know, I am a preferred blogger for CSN Stores. I have been asked to review an item for them and of course, I'm going to keep it a secret-cause that's the way I am.

It might a lamp, or even a very cool swing set! They have so many neat products and pretty much anything you can think of to buy. So, if you need a new a couch, they got one for you. If you need a new vacuum, they have that as well.

Can you guess what I'm reviewing? Check back just for fun on my past posts and see what I need badly. I'll give you a cookie if you guess right-not really, but won't it be fun to try to guess anyway?

Super Bowl, Baby

2011-02-04T13:37:00.002-06:00

Are you going to watch the Super Bowl this weekend? Did your team make it? Ours did!

Did you assume we were Packers fans?

Nope.

WE ARE STEELERS FANS!

So, this weekend will be filled with eating fattening food and wearing black and gold. I don't mind it too much, but I will have to inform the hubby that I'm not going to be the waitress for the evening. If that's the case, I'm grabbing my little smokies and chili and hiding upstairs and watching it from my bedroom!

Have a fun weekend and I'll be posting photos from the game next week!

Dreaming of warm weather

2011-02-04T10:02:00.002-06:00

My husband and I always fight when there is snow on the ground. He wants to move to a warmer climate and I don't want to leave family. Something that would settle our arguments would be to invest in a vacation home to visit during the cold and snowy months.

One spot that sounds absolutely delicious would be buying or renting a spot in San Diego. Mission Beach is located between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay at the center of The Strand, the most popular beach area in the City of San Diego.

Mission Beach is a popular vacation destination with water sports of all types and a gorgeous sand stretching over 3 miles with a boardwalk to boot. I remember when I went to Ocean City and just loved shopping on the boardwalk there.

I'm a Midwest girl who is amused easily. I love to watch the ocean waves come back and forth and beautiful ocean sunsets. The thought of being able to go to where you can play volleyball in the winter sounds tempting!

My other choice might be to pick Florida with some fair real estate choices. It would have to be close to Disney World though-my favorite place in the world.

Now, I've got myself wanting summer to get here-darn it! Are you some where warm right now?

One big snow fort

2011-02-03T07:15:00.006-06:00

Like other Midwesterners, we woke up to a mound of snow adorning our driveways and doorsteps. I think we got 16 inches? At any rate, the blowing snow blew our driveway shut-it was 3 feet deep!

This was after we shoveled for 3 hours. Honey, when are we getting a snowblower??

Emily had fun playing out in the snow.

Though, we didn't stay outside very long. I hate cold.

Bella wanted to stay out longer, but she was shivering, so I told her she had to go in.

Today, we have the cold to deal with. I think it's -13.

At least the groundhog says it will be an early spring-he better not be messing with me!

Snowed in again

2011-02-01T16:39:00.004-06:00

Wouldn't you know it, when I finally get almost all the snow off of our drive and sidewalks (after a gallon of salt) we get the worse storm of the season. It started around noon today.

And hasn't stopped.

I haven't stepped in our backyard since November.

They say we're looking at 12 to 14 feet of snow.

Damn.

I wished that I would have picked up some comfort food.
Maybe, I'll have to send the hubby out for some Quizno's tonight before we get totally snowed in-I'm going to print out their coupon for a Rib Sub for $2.99. Yum!!

What's your comfort food when there's bad weather out?

Where have you been all my life?

2011-01-29T08:44:00.004-06:00

When you have two dogs, it's like having four kids. Bella and Mia have their unique personalities and we love their different quirks and funny things they do. They are such opposites, it's no wonder that they get along.

There is one thing that they do have in common that I wished they didn't. They both have left a little (or big if it's Bella) present for us on the rugs-Argh!!

I have probably spent the kid's college funds three time's over buying new rugs over the years. I hate the smell that never seems to totally come out. Not to mention that once they've gone in a spot, they will go there again.

I hate dragging out our huge carpet cleaner for those little (and big) messes. When I got the Little Green Compact Deep Cleaner from Bissell, I had to try it out right away. The pups hadn't left me any early Christmas presents lately, but I had some old stains that I had tried to get rid of with a hand cleaner.

I bought the pet stain solution (you can only use Bissell's compact solution, which I wasn't too thrilled with because it limits choices). I filled the cleaner according to the directions and tried it out. The stains came out quickly and the rug was not damp like the bigger cleaner left afterwards.

There are three things that stand out with this cleaner:

1. Portability - This cleaner is light and easy to move around.

2. Cleaning abilities- This cleaner may be small, but does a big job.

3. Compact- I love the size of this cleaner! It stores much easier than traditional bigger cleaners.

If you are looking to switch out your bigger cleaner for a compact one, I would suggest investing in a Little Green Compact Deep Cleaner.

"I was given a Bissell Little Green Compact Deep Cleaner from csnstores.com for review and my honest opinion."

Breaking away from the 'blah'

2011-01-29T08:42:00.002-06:00

This winter, I've been feeling very bloated and just 'blah'. I have this urge to go jogging (I don't even like to run) so, I think it's that time of the year to think about diet and exercise. I've been checking out Suzanne Somer's new book, Sexy Forever. I'm over 40 and this book deals with women 40 and over.

I also thought about checking into diet pills and need to find out the pros and cons of taking them. I've heard good and bad, that's why it's not something to jump into. There are so many options for dieting and I really don't know a whole lot about dieting. I've always been thin and never worried about what I ate, but ever since my youngest was born, I've kept about ten pounds on me that I have a hard time losing.

I blame it on the career change I made; I went from a manager working 60+ hours, to working at home and not so physically active. So, I have to find ways to be more active and change my eating habits. Me like a my sweets, baby!

So, any tips or recommendations would be welcomed, especially if it doesn't involve just eating rabbit food-if you know what I mean!

The Show

2011-01-27T08:57:00.003-06:00

I realized that I never posted photos from the bridal show I did. Silly me! You'll have to excuse the blurriness. I had to quickly run and take them and run back. I didn't take the time to stop and focus. Bad, bad me!!

Jess was making our slips for our drawing we had for $100 off our wedding package. I thought of it that morning, so we had to hurry up and throw it together.

Here was our setup.

It wasn't as glamorous as the other fancier photographer's booths, but we still had tons of people come to our booth. My major selling point was our price.

This bride was my favorite bride, so I use her photos for lots of advertising.

It started getting busy fast.

I booked 4 weddings because of the show, so I think this will be part my advertising budget every year as long as I do weddings.

Besides, it's was a lot of fun!

Dear Blog

2011-01-26T08:46:00.004-06:00

When you were first born, I loved and cared for you. I filled your pages with words every day. I posted photos, jokes, advice and reviews. I helped you make friends. Lots and lots of friends. Eventually, you started to grow. And grow. And grow. I got free stuff because of you. I made some money because of you. I loved you and all that you gave me.

But then I became obsessed with you. I spent too much time keeping up with your friends. I let housework go. Sacrificed time with kids. I obsessed with how many comments I got. I was in over my head with you.

I had to make the decision to back away from you.

I became busy with my other life away from you. I got a lot of things accomplished while away from you, but I missed you. I also felt guilty neglecting you. So, I kept trying to come back to you but I found that I couldn't.

I thought I would be okay to just post once in awhile. This worked for awhile. But, then I was sad again. But, then one day it hit me- maybe I needed you in a different way. In the beginning, I wanted to make you big for the fame, the income, and the ego. I had forgotten about the other side of blogging-support, advice, friends and being a part of a real community of great people.

I should have visited you during the good times, the bad times, and 'just because' times. When I needed to talk to someone when my brother decided he didn't want to be my brother anymore, I should have turned to you. When my grandbaby was in the hospital and they didn't know what she had, I should have written about my worries. Everytime I moved closer to reaching a goal, I should have posted about my excitement. When I needed advice about my youngest not wanting to go to school, I could have turned to you.

I will no longer be obsessed with you, but to turn to you as a friend. No longer will I be concerned about how many comments I get. Instead, I will smile if I get one, but not be upset if I only have two. I will visit other blogs, but not worry if I didn't get to everyone.

So, I hope you will forgive me and welcome me back, my dear friend.

Marketing your business

2011-01-22T14:11:00.002-06:00

While at the bridal expo, I wished that I would had time to get more promotional materials to hand out. For example, promotional pens would have been nice. I think that having items like that will help get the word out about my photography business. We had business cards and handed out candy, but I think next time I'll need more.

In the mean time, I'm going to have to get some cool envelopes with my name on it. I did drop off calendars to local doctors to get the word out about newborn photography. I'm hoping that will get me some business.

I've thought about using engraved pens for when the client signs a contract with me and maybe letting them keep it afterwards. At any rate, I really like the idea of seeing my business name on bags, pens, cups, etc. I think the investment will pay off in the long run!

How fit are your kids?

2011-01-22T13:37:00.002-06:00

I am really excited to tell you about ActivityTree.com! ActivityTree.com is the nation’s largest online parent resource for kid’s lessons, classes and camps . They are committed to fighting childhood obesity and promoting kid’s active bodies and minds by providing the nation’s largest online parent resource for kid’s lessons, classes and camps.

We are always looking for something to help keep the kids active when not in school. Sometimes just playing at home is not enough. Parents can search nearly 80 activity types by zip code to find activity providers in their area. It features contact information, web site links, interactive maps and activity descriptions for over 18,000 providers. What a great idea to help kids! We already searched to see if there was one in our area.

Sign up for the Get Kids Active! Facebook Campaign
Get Kids Active! Facebook Campaign helps parents get their kids active through social networking. When you are a fan of ActivityTree, you can find and share activity ideas on their wall, pass the “Get Kids Active!” sticky note to their friends, and take fun and informative activity-related polls.

Apply for the Kid’s Activity Scholarships
ActivityTree.com helps families by by offering “Get Kids Active!” Scholarships. There are two ways to enter to win a scholarship:
1) ActivityTree.com Kids Scholarships Page.
2) ActivityTree Facebook Page via the Scholarship tab.

Start your search today to get your kids signed up for ActivityTree.com classes and camps today. You won't be sorry and your kids will thank you for it!

New flawless makeup

2011-01-22T13:26:00.002-06:00

Try Cindy Crawford's Meaningful Beauty.

http://click.discountclick.com/~adclicks/motiveinteractive/click.php?tid=562700

A major investment

2011-01-13T09:53:00.003-06:00

What have I been up to lately?
Marketing my photography business.
I've been trying to think 'outside of the box' and came up with some good ideas! I've been wanting to network with other vendors to try to get in connection with wedding couples, so I'm going to put together a bag filled with ads from other businesses (along with something from me) and hand them out to couples that come to see me. In return, the businesses agree to give out my card-hopefully, they do!

This weekend, I've been asked to set up a booth at the Quad City Kennel's open house and I'm also doing my first wedding show! It's a big investment and I figured it would be good timing to make it. It's pretty much using ALL my advertising budget, but if it doesn't get me any business, at least I know not to do it again.

I'm excited and also nervous. I've been running around, trying to get everything I need this week. I actually found out about at the last minute and they only had one booth left, so I had to decide quickly. I weighed the pros and cons and decided to go for it.

I will be bringing my camera, so I'll be posting photos-wish me luck!!

Decorating during the snow season

2011-01-12T12:52:00.003-06:00

I am always looking at decorating ideas for the house. I love to dream about decorating all the time and how I would change different rooms.

I found some nice items at BedBathStore.com that would compliment our rooms. I love this stool, for example. Isn't it cool? I am liking a new stool by Hillsdale too.

I would also love to do little Avrie's room in my favorite theme- dragonflies. Isn't this cute? They have lots more cute New Girl Crib and Toddler Bedding to choose from as well!

If you are looking for New Bathroom Vanity Furniture , you really need to check these out. Very cool. Now, I'm wanting one of these sets.

So, while we are all stuck inside because of the snow, take advantage of it and do some decorating of your own!

My dad's New Year's resolutions

2011-01-12T12:48:00.000-06:00

Guest post written by Kirk Kent

Back when I was a kid I had so much fun with my dad. it seems like he always had time for me and my little brother no matter how busy he was with work. Now that I'm older and have kids of my own I realize just how much effort that took for him to juggle his schedule around to do that. I want my kids to feel the same way about me years from now so I made a New Year's resolution to make more time for them and just be a better dad in general.
I went looking online with my ClearWirelessInternet4g to find some ideas about fun things to do with my kids to help kick off my New Year's resolution. Well, I found all kinds of stuff but I had to think harder because many of those were summer activities.
But then again I got to thinking about simple things I could do to meet my dad New Year's resolutions and asked my wife for a schedule of the kids' sporting events so I'm going to try and plan my schedules around them and make it to more fo them to watch and support them.

My husband would kill me if he knew I forgot

2011-01-07T19:10:00.011-06:00

Just to show how absent minded I am, I totally forgot to tell you about the awesome present the hubby got me this year.

The hubby really wanted to throw me off this Christmas. He even went as far as to tell me for the whole month of December that he was sorry, but he really didn't get me much this year and he hoped that I wasn't too disappointed when I opened them.

He also went as far as to have me open this keychain first.

I have to admit that it was cute, but I was starting to believe him that my Christmas was going to be a bummer.

Then, I opened a mini camera bag.

Ok, I can always use another bag.

Maybe he wasn't getting me a big present this year after all. Now, I wasn't even looking forward to the next present.

So, I started to open it half-heartedly and then I started to see the words on the side of the box.

"PENT..."

WHAT THE HECK?

IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS?????

I quickly ripped the rest of the wrapping paper off.

IT WAS A NEW CAMERA BODY!

A Pentax K-7 to be exact.

Woo-Hoo!

I couldn't believe it. It actually brought a tear to my eye, because this had to of just killed him to keep this big secret from me.

I'm still so excited to have it.

Thanks, hubby!

Oh yeah, I also got Photo Shop Elements.

Hmm, my birthday is coming up in a couple of months. Can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

Happy New Year

2011-01-04T08:03:00.003-06:00

Yes, it's a little belated. I've had a slow start to the year. We celebrated our Christmas with my dad this last weekend, my youngest got pink eye (again) just in time for school to start, and I've been busting my butt marketing my photography business.

I hope everyone else's year has been less hectic so far. I know I've been neglecting my blog alot lately and not visiting others, but things should settle down here shortly.

With that, I have some conversations with a six year old to leave you with:

At the doctor's office with dad...

Nurse: "Looks like you've got pink eye again."

Emily: "Daddy says Mommy was a dummy to not put the drops in BOTH of my eyes."

Dad: (embarrassed) "Hehe.."

--------------

Emily: "Mom, can you clean my room?"

Me: "Why can't you do it?"

Emily: "Because Dad says it's your job."

-----------------

Me: "Emily, you'll have to stay home from school because of your pink eye."

Emily: "Oh no!"

Me: "What?"

Emily: "I WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!"

Me: "I hope you still have that attitude when you hit high school."

Start the new year out right

2010-12-27T15:46:00.005-06:00

Next year, (which is next weekend!) I plan on doing some heavy marketing for my photography business. I already have some desk calendars to hand out, and now I want to make new business cards. The ONLY company I use for printing my cards is VistaPrint. I'm sure you've heard of them. EVERYONE knows about Vista Print. They are the best printing company to use if you are on a budget for marketing-ro, even if you aren't. They have expanded over the years to include lots of more products to their line, like calendars, tshirts, magnets and many other products. They always offer their 250 business cards for F.R.E.E. Yep. It's true!

Christmas may be over, but why not get yourself something nice like getting that one favorite Christmas photo on a card or tshirt? Or, start thinking about next Christmas early. It's never too early to start!

Right now they have a great special going on. Free shipping when you spend $30 or more! Hurry, this won't last long!

https://click.discountclick.com/vistaprint/click.php?tid=542516

I need a fireplace

2010-12-27T15:38:00.002-06:00

Whenever it starts snowing out here, I always think about how I wished I had a fireplace. How nice would it be to get warm by the fire on a cold winter's night? I know there are many different kinds of fireplaces, from old fashion wood burning to fireplaces that use gas logs.

I know that when we move, we are definately looking for a house with a fireplace, or installing one. When deciding on what kind of fireplaces, I am leaning towards gas logs. Hansen Wholesale carry R. H. Peterson Real Fyre Gas Logs, a great brand to consider.

Hansen Wholesale guarantees the lowest prices on ALL gas logs by R. H. Peterson. Hansen Wholesale were the first dealers to sell gas logs on the Internet-back in 1994! They are the best gas log experts!

Another great idea is to have an outdoor fireplace. A cold fall evening would be nice using outdoor gas logs in your gas fireplace!

Are you considering gas logs? Check out the Gas Log FAQs before making up your mind about fireplace gas logs.

Right now, Hansen Wholesale is offering a $75 additional discount plus No Sales Tax and FREE Shipping.

Tis the season

2010-12-23T07:19:00.005-06:00

As Christmas approaches in just a couple of days, I can finally say that I'm done with my shopping. Ok, not really. My step daughter isn't coming until after Christmas, so I will be finishing her present shopping the day after. (Please, no snow storms!)

As I sat back and gave thanks for the mound of presents under the tree, the usual seasonal anxiety started to set in. Do I have enough presents for the kids? Should I have bought that DS game? Will my husband like his gifts? Oh my gosh. Where are my keys? I NEED TO GO SHOPPING.

Download for a good cause

2010-12-20T10:20:00.004-06:00

Do you get a lot of gift cards for Christmas? I do-it might be because I'm so hard to buy for. My kids are starting to get to a point where getting a gift card is so much easier as well. But, if you are like me, you probably have a tendency to lose them. Or, I forget the balance.

When I found out about SWAGG, I was totally thrilled. What is SWAGG?

SWAGG is a site that deals with the troublesome problem of how to deal with the overabundance of gift cards, loyalty & membership cards that clutter up your wallet or handbag. Now, they just launched a new app theat lets you can load all those gift cards, loyalty points, etc into your iPhone or Android mobile device!

SWAGG allows consumers to import more than 250 brands of gift cards and rewards cards and, unlike plastic cards, SWAGG permits consumers to view available balance and reward information on most of these cards. Additionally, consumers can use their mobile device to give, get and even exchange SWAGG GIFTS from participating merchant partners such as American Apparel Inc., The Wet Seal Inc., Crocs Inc., 1-800-Flowers.com and Arden B. Through SWAGG, consumers can access the offers that matter most to them, connecting users with more than 3,000 retailers. Retailers benefit by acquiring new customers, increasing in-store business and retaining existing customers.

Right now, every download through the month of December = $1 donation from SWAGG to Stand Up 2 Cancer.

Download here.

DOWNLOADING THE APP:

For Apple and Droid Mobile Devices ONLY

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP?

US Residents Only

So, the next time you get a gift card for any holiday or occassion, remember that now it can only be a click away instead of taking up room in your wallet!

And it continues...

2010-12-17T22:12:00.006-06:00

Okay, I lied. I'm still taking some photos. I had to do some Christmas photos of the grand babies.

Zach was so good for photos. At least for a bit.

He looked so grown up! And then he did this.

That little squirt.

Then, it was his little sister's turn.

She is such an angel!

She is always laughing.

I think it's because she knows she has an awesome Nana. She tired out quickly though, and fell asleep.

Don't you just want to pinch those chubby cheeks?

Last minute shoots

2010-12-16T20:52:00.007-06:00

I said that I wasn't going to do anymore photo shoots until after the holidays, but I some how am finding myself doing last minute shoots-including one that is scheduled for Sunday because some stubborn baby didn't want to come out of her mommy's tummy. Argh.

I did a different newborn shoot recently. This little boy was a bit older than usual newborn age that you do sleeping photos. He wasn't having anything to do with posing or sleeping for the first hour of the shoot. Mom was getting nervous and I think he sensed it.

Finally, after two hours, we got him to sleep and got some cute photos!

They brought really cute hats-I have to get me some.

I love the Santa hat.

Then, I did a mini shoot today with a little man that I've been photographing since he was a baby. He's one now, and still a little booger.

I had to have Emily help me get him to smile.

Love the Santa hat poses!

Next week, I'm on vacation from any shooting, editing, or anything to do with photography-REALLY.

Hard to buy for people-don't you love them?

2010-12-16T13:27:00.006-06:00

I can't believe that this is about the last week to shop for Christmas! Are you done? I bet you are, unlike me. Between the weather and work, it's been hard to get it done. We even had another winter storm last night (and they didn't even cancel school!) So, that's another day I'm stuck at home. Thank goodness for online shopping!

One of my relatives is very hard to buy for. They seem to have everything they need! Must be nice. I've been racking my brains trying to figure out something, then I came across these awesome tv stands .

Love it!!!!!!!!

They have a faux fireplace built right in! They are so awesome-I may be behind the times, but I've never seen this type of tv stand. It like takes care of two "chores" at one time by acting as a tv stand and a fireplace. These probably would save space as well, and since they aren't real fireplaces, less mess too.

Okay, now I want one too. Anyone? Anyone? Helloooooo?????????

Anyway, this just might be the cool present this relative needs-who knows, maybe they will invite us over more often for dinner too!

Pretty lights

2010-12-12T15:29:00.005-06:00

I love to play with the the lighting on the Christmas tree.

Taking pictures, that is.

The bokeh the tree gives off is so pretty.

Okay, enough playing. Back to doing the dishes...

Make life a bit easier with the right stroller

2010-12-10T21:37:00.004-06:00

As Zach's and Avrie's favorite "Nana", I always seem to have them. When we go shopping, I like to have a reliable stroller. When I found out about Mamas & Papas Lightweight strollers, I liked the look of them.

Mamas & Papas is new to the U.S. and have a neat Lightweight stroller collection. created a fleet of lightweight strollers that are perfect for situations where flexibility is paramount. All Mamas and Papas lightweight strollers also feature an over-the-shoulder carrying strap for when the stroller is folded and in transit.

This company has a new lightweight umbrella stroller - the chic new design-led baby brand from Great Britain.

My two favorites are these:

Here are some different types of their new strollers:

Trip – This stroller offers vented side panels and is the must-have getaway product.
Trek – Featuring a simple seat recline system, little ones have the option to nap while on the move.
Tour – Increased seat padding and a deeper recline will ensure comfort during longer journeys
Cruise – Perfect for everyday use, this stroller features a five-position recline, adjustable foot rest, easypeek canopy window and additional storage pockets.
Voyage – Features an integrated sun visor and sun canopy, quilted seat and removable toddler pillow and chest pads for extra comfort, this stroller is the highlight of the new Mamas & Papas lightweight stroller range.

These would make a great gift for that favorite Mama in your life! Or, make your shopping easier by taking your little one around in one of these babies. You can buy them online here .

Like Mamas & Papas on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mamasandpapas
Follow Mamas & Papas on Twitter www.twitter.com/mamasandpapas

I am writing this post for a chance to win one of five Mama & Papas strollers.

My little man's first haircut

2010-12-10T09:02:00.007-06:00

With my persistance, my little grandbaby, Zach has been able to keep his adorable little curls-probably way past the time to keep them. These curls are his trademark. I totally adore them.

How cute, right?

After he turned two this year, his mom kept saying that it was time to cut those curls. Whaaaaaaat? No way. No how. Sorry. You. Ain't. Doing. It.

That should work, right? After all, kids listen to their parents, don't they? Respect thy elders?

Hmmm...well, I guess sometimes they don't always do what they are told.

Give the gift of coffee

2010-12-10T08:33:00.007-06:00

I have to say, just about as much as I love chocolate, I love coffee as well. For all the many late hours I've been putting in, coffee has become my best friend.

I think that coffee would make the perfect gift for any coffee lover, and I have a few of them (coffee lovers) that I just might have to give them some as a special gift. If you are a coffee lover, you might want to check out the cool coffee products that you just might want to ask for Christmas yourself!

For example, have you seen those K-Cups and Coffee Pods they have now? I really want one of those types of coffee makers (hint, hint).

Or, maybe you'd like to do something for the gang at work and order some Office Coffee?

Another great idea is giving coffee Gift Baskets. I love gift baskets, but a COFFEE gift basket? HEAVEN!!!!!

So, make that coffee lover happy (and awake) with a gift of coffee this season! :)