Where does the time go?

(arriving home from the hospital)

(a year later)

It seems like just yesterday I was holding my newborn in my arms , staring at him in dis-belief, just as I had done twice before with my girls. Where did the time go? How did he start crawling so quickly? Did he get his 1st tooth earlier than my girls?Is he eating solids sooner?Is he trying to accomplish more sooner than they did in order to catch up with them? How do I have so much love in my heart to love them all equally? Why do I want to cry when my kids get hurt(but can't)?How can my son melt my heart with one little smile? Or make my heart skip a beat with a simple, slobbery kiss? Where did the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was up all night...wanting and needing sleep so desperately? Wasn't it just yesterday when we brought him home and shared him with our family and friends?

Maybe I'm just being sentimental...or over sensitive because I know that he is my last baby. Actually, I think I'm being more appreciative. Thankful that I have 3 healthy and happy children and enjoying each and every moment with them. Sharing my heart and soul with them,being silly with them and having fun with them. Realizing that they are unique individuals, with their own thoughts and desires and their own personalities.May I continue to be Inspired to teach them all that I can and watch them find themselves and encourage them to do so. My job is simply to Nurture them and most of all LOVE them unconditionally.

May the next year be exactly as it should.

Happy 1st Birthday - Pro Flowers

We received the Birthday Bear Gift set from Pro Flowers just in Time for my son's 1st Birthday. What a nice surprise to come home and have this little surprise waiting on the front porch! The above photo is of everything received in the box. Which included 1. Brown Plush Bear 2. Miniature Yellow Rose Plant (one rose in bloom) in Terra cotta pot and 3. Mylar balloon. I was very surprised to see that the plant was alive and healthy. The bear, balloon and plant arrived in GREAT condition. I would have no problem spending the $34.99 to send this as a gift for someone. It is nice to know that what is described on their site, is exactly what arrived at my home.

Thank you Pro Flowers for the awesome gift!

and for the legal stuff : I received the Teddy Bear Gift set for Free from Pro Flowers and was asked to give my honest review.

Big Boy Cup! Tommee Tippee Review

My son will be 1 this Sunday and for the last few months we have been trying out different cups. Sippy cups, cups with straws, cups with spouts, you name it we've tried it and nothing has worked. Some leaked, some dripped, some flowed continuously and some he couldn't even get anything out of. Luckily we received a wonderful package in the mail from Tommee Tippee to review. I received a Spill Proof Bottle, Non Slip Mat and 2 Bowls(w/lid) and a spoon.

So here are my thoughts on the Tommee Tippee Products.
The Spill Proof Water Bottle(Sippy Cup) is WONDERFUL, my son feels like he is a big boy and has a cup like his sisters BUT he can shake it upside down and nothing comes out. Also, he is able to hold the cup with both of his little hands and drink by himself, the cup is lightweight and the beverage comes out easily.

Do your kids dump their bowls/plates upside down when eating and make a HUGE mess? This is where the Non Slip Mat comes in. It is a wonderful silicone mat that you lay on the high chair tray or any table. You then attach your bowl to the suction cup on top....no more messes!Why didn't I think of this? This is a great product and easy to use and clean, the non slip mat lifts easily off of any surface.

I have washed all of the products on the top shelf in the dishwasher and they have turned out fine. I will be heading to Toys R Us to add to our Tommee Tippee Collection! We now have our 1st Big Boy Cup!





Now – July 23: Buy any Explora item (cups and toddler feeding), get the second 50% off at BabiesRUs.com (http://bit.ly/cDYhv8)

Tommee Tippee is now available in the U.S. at Toys”R”Us and Babies”R”Us stores as well as online at BabiesRUs.com.



....and for the leagal stuff...
I received products from Tommee Tippee and am a reviewer for the Mom Bloggers Club. I was asked to give my honest opinion.

Doing Nothing

Aren't there some days where you just want to "do nothing"? Make no plans or just go with the flow. With the business of summer, which is supposed to be more relaxing than the school year, I decided to take today and do absolutely nothing. The girls are excited to just "go with the flow". Today there are no swim lessons, no dance classes, no camp...NOTHING.

So far we have played in the sprinklers in our P.J.'s , had a late breakfast and are now going to get in the car and see where the day takes us. After all isn't summer about not having such a busy schedule?

Uncle Ben's Kitchen Kickoff Party

I was one of the lucky bloggers chosen to host a party for Uncle Ben's Rice! I received recipes, tons of product and decorations for my event as well as a gift card to purchase the supplies. We tried their Natural Whole Grain Brown Rice, Fastand Natural Instant Brown Rice and Boil-In-Bag Whole Grain Brown Rice.

My husband is not normally a fan of brown rice, saying that is either "too chewy" or "too crunchy". Our favorite recipe by far is listed below and even my picky husband enjoyed it! My girlfriends are now brown rice eaters too!

UNCLE BEN’S® Chicken, Apple, Walnut and Brown Rice Salad

Serves: 6 Prep time: 20

Ingredients
2 bags UNCLE BEN’S® Boil-In-Bag Whole Grain Brown Rice
2 cups shredded skinless chicken breast cooked and cooled
2 medium green apples thinly sliced
1 cup red onion finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup toasted walnuts coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh sage chopped
6 Tbsp. low-fat balsamic vinaigrette

Instructions
1. Prepare UNCLE BEN’S® Boil-in-Bag Whole Grain Brown Rice according to package directions. Let cool.
2. If chicken is not already cooked, grill in pan under medium-high heat until cooked through.
3. In a large bowl, toss together rice, chicken, green apple, red onion, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette.
4. Garnish with fresh sage. Serve cold or room temperature.

"I wrote this review while participating in a Kitchen Kickoff campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben's. Mom Central sent me a gift card and other Uncle Ben's items to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Crystal Light Pure Fitness Review / wellness wednesday

A few weeks back I was asked to try a new low calorie, naturally sweetened powder that you add to water that makes a low calorie beverage. Per serving, each beverage is 15 calories. I received grape, lemon lime and kiwi strawberry-kiwi packets.

These new products have no artificial sweeteners, no artificial flavors and no preservatives. The strawberry-kiwi is tart to me but my 5 and 7 year old girls LOVE it! They said it taste like lemondae. The products contain some other ingredients that are a little too "chemical" for me, rebiana, potassium citrate, magnesium oxide, sodium citrate....hmm , these dont' sound so natural to me. It does taste great doesn't have any of the artificial items that they stated..however there are alot of "chemicals" that I tend to steer away from.

Try it and tell us what you think...

www.facebook.com/crystalLight

www.twitter.com/crystalLight

(I was sent 3 sample packets of Crystal Light Pure Fitness by Vocalpoint and asked to give my honest opinion.)

Mom the Maid

There are sometime those little things that get to you....maybe they're defining moments, maybe they're just things that really piss you off or maybe they're the things that make you really happy. Yesterday, I was smack dab in the middle of one of these situations.

My husband was doing laundry all day yesterday(he was off of work because of the holiday)...and I do mean ALL DAY, he washed everything in the house and folded it all (he is awesome♥) My youngest, 5, jumped right in...her and daddy loading and unloading the washer and dryer, and folding MOUNDS of clothing (which obviously means my girls have WAAAAY too much clothing) He later asked my 7 year old to help, she went on to say that no one asked her. Being DAD, he gave her the lecture (that I'm sure that we all heard as kids) it went something like this:

Hub: You shouldn't have to be asked , you should just help

Daughter: But I didn't know

Hub: You should KNOW to help out

Daughter: But I don't like to do that kind of stuff

Hub: do you think I enjoy it?

Daughter: Shrugs shoulders...(like obviously cuz you're doing it!duh!)

Hub: (getting mad now....grrrrrr), get over here and help!

Daughter:(frown)...alright DADDY(in that poor me little girl voice)

Hub: We are all a family and need to work together, if we don't do it, who will?

Daughter: MOM

.....ahhhh, so that's where I fit in in the whole scheme of things. I know that in her mind, she wasn't thinking that I'm her maid, but truly when you think of our roles as Mothers ..how do our children see us? Cooks, Therapists, Chauffeurs, Caregivers, Friends, Bug Smasher, Butt Wiper, Gross Thingy Picker Upper, Nose Wiper, Un-clogger for the toilet, Playmate,Protector, Throw Up Cleaner Upper, and Yes...MAID.

Please feel free to let me know what I left out....what roles do you play?

It's July already!

I can not even believe that its JULY! Even more so, I can't believe that my girls start school again in August....I guess it's true what they say "time waits for no one". Our summer has been pretty busy but also pretty relaxing. I have been trying to stress the importance for our family to "be" in the moment. Thus, we have taken time to plant a garden, lay in the backyard and pick out the shapes in the clouds, make homemade concoctions (some of which I would never touch, like the combo of Gatorade, marshmallows and pop that my oldest drank) bake tons of goodies and just enjoy each other. We like to all lay on the floor and read books, play eye spy in the neighborhood and go on nature walks. NO TV allowed but Music is definitely allowed as we throw a MEAN Dance party over here. My husband misses some of this as he doesn't get a summer vacation but we pull him into our madness when he's home.

I am thankful. Let me say that again...I AM THANKFUL!

To be able to stay home with my kids

To have a hard working, loving and dedicated husband

To have a wonderful group of friends

To have good health and to have healthy children

To have a home and food on the table

I AM THANKFUL for it all

Enjoy the rest of your summer and remember to take each day as it is...don't try and change it, flow with it.