And We’re BACK!
December 28, 2009 by Kasey
Filed under Family, Family Time
After a couple of weeks of being sick and holidays, we’re back! Boy, it seems like a while since I’ve had the time to put into doing daily posts and reviews, but I’m feeling good and ready to get rolling on a whole list of giveaways and stories!
Christmas was great! The kids had so much fun and Ella REALLY got it this year. She tore into her gifts like a pro and was on to the next one before I could even snap a photo of the last gift.
It was the “year of the train” for Andrew. Since he’s obsessed with Thomas the Train, he got a ton of stuff to keep his interest for at least the next few days or so. HaHa!
The big gift of the year, one that all the daycare kids will appreciate as well, was a big, wooden kitchen set! OH – it is so neat! No fancy noises or lights, just pure imagination with this gem. It took “Santa” 3 hours to put it together on Christmas Eve, but it was so worth it! I would highly suggest getting one from KidKraft if you are looking. (and no, I wasn’t paid or given free merchandise to say that!)
It was relaxing day at home for us after a morning of unwrapping gifts. We stayed in our jammies all day and played with toys and watched our new movies. It was nice. We even uncorked a 2001 bottle of Smothers Brothers Cabernet to celebrate with. (well, the kids didn’t enjoy the wine, just the adults!)
We were even lucky enough for the rain to turn to snow and got a light dusting before the bulk of it hit the next day!
Check back tomorrow for my story on our 1st big snow of the year and my visit with my dad and sisters!
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Twas The Night Before Christmas
December 25, 2009 by Kasey
Filed under Family, Family Time
Twas the night before Christmas, my babies are in bed.
The presents are wrapped and I’m not nearly dead.
Dad’s still assembling the gifts and I’m headed to bed.
It’s sure a miracle that I have all the presents wrapped and under the tree before 2am. I should stay up with my dear hubby to “watch” him put together the big stuff…but I think I’ll take this opportunity to grab some quality shut eye for the 1st Christmas since I can remember.
I hope you all have a wonderful night and even better Christmas day!
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Lil’ Sugarplum Baby & Girl’s Hair Clips
December 17, 2009 by Kasey
Filed under Reviews, Reviews & Promotions
Lil’ Sugarplum was started by a stay at home mom and creates handmade baby, toddler and girls hair clips. If your baby girl has fine hair, you are all too familiar with the struggle to find hair clips that stay in place while not overpowering her head. Lil’ Sugarplum’s all snap and alligator clips are lined with Velcro for added hold to solve this problem. Their hair clips only require a few strands of superfine baby hair or peach fuzz to stay in place and are proportional to her head size. Obviously, this is a great solution for curbing those ‘Is he or she a boy or girl?’questions that are constantly asked during the early months.
These unique hair clips are also popular in the celebrity world. Celebrities Jason Priestley and Brooke Burke have their baby’s in Lil’ Sugarplum hair clips. In addition to hair clips for baby girls, Lil’ Sugarplum also offers cute baby headbands, adorable holiday hair clips, baby ponytail holders.
Another reason we love Lil’ Sugarplum and highly suggest you purchase their popular baby products is because 2% of every sale is donated to support The March of Dimes. The March of Dimes seeks to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. They do this through research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies’ lives.
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Cranberry Sugar Scrub
December 12, 2009 by Kasey
Filed under Frugal Living, Home & Garden
Here’s a great homemade bath and body sugar scrub to make for yourself or to give as a gift. Place in a pretty glass jar and tie with a ribbon – beautiful!
1/2 cup frozen cranberries
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
1/4 cup sweet almond oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 drops orange essential oil
2 tablespoons oat powder (give oatmeal a whirl in the blender)
Combine cranberries, glycerin, and almond oil in food processor and give a whirl for about 30 seconds until just blended without turning the berries to a pulp. (keep the mixture thick)
Place the mixture into a bowl and stir in the sugar and essential oil. Add just enough of the oat powder to create a cohesive mixture to apply to your skin.
Use in the shower or bath and massage in and rinse with warm water.
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Holiday Shopping – Are you finished?
December 8, 2009 by Kasey
Filed under Family Time, Parenting
It’s December 8th and I am no where near finished with my Christmas Shopping.
Back in September, I told myself that with every paycheck, I’d pick up a couple of gifts so that the “blow” at Christmas wouldn’t be too bad. That didn’t work out so well. I think I picked up 2 or 3 gifts.
So, we’ve been trying for the last 3 weekends to get out for a few hours and at least pick up some gifts for the kids. The 1st weekend, my sister, who is going to watch the kids for the day so we don’t have to pay a babysitter on top of all the shopping we need to do, was busy. The next weekend, I got sick. And this past weekend, my husband who NEVER gets sick, got sick. Now, the kids are coming down with a cold, but hopefully it only lasts a few days.
We’re going to try again this weekend! Crossing my fingers and toes that everyone is well and healthy. I am really looking forward to the day out alone with my husband. It’s a rare luxury around here!
Have you finished your Christmas shopping or are you rushing around like me trying to finish up?
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Almond Exfoliating Body Scrub
November 23, 2009 by Kasey
Filed under Frugal Living, Going Green, Home & Garden
In today’s economy, we’re all trying to stretch our dollars and trying to make small changes to go green. This simple, homemade body scrub can’t be easier, more natural or cheaper PLUS makes a great Christmas Gift!
Feel free to double or triple the recipe to make a little more to last longer.
1/4 cup coarse sea salt
1/4 cup olive, grapeseed or your other favorite oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, vanilla extract or a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil
In a small bowl, mix the salt and oil together until incorporated. Add the extract or essential oils and stir until all mixed together.
Use in the shower, after you are thoroughly wet. Can be applied with your hands, washcloth or a body scrubber. Massage in circles and rinse.
Store in an airtight glass jar.
If giving as a gift, decorate the lid with fabric and ribbon and attach a label.
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Bringing Books To Life With LeapFrog Tag Junior
November 20, 2009 by Kasey
Filed under Reviews & Promotions
Thanks to LeapFrog and Global Influence, I was recently sent the NEW Tag Junior Reading system to try out. I was more than happy to have been asked to report back to all of you my thoughts!
Having a 3 year old and an 18month old, the Tag Junior is perfect for them both! Ella loves to sit and “read” books for hours and Andrew loves to look at the pages. The NEW Tag Junior now allows them both to hear the words and sounds and enjoy songs, interesting sound effects, open-ended questions and amusing sentences. By touching the same spot in a book, toddlers can hear a different response each time. With the rounded, lightweight frog like appearance, the Book Pal is easily held in their little hands as well.
By easily connecting the Book Pal to a USB port on our computer we are able to download audio for up to 5 books AND include one of our child’s name to be incorporated into a greeting and farewell! We can also print activity sheets, such as coloring pages just by going to the LeapFrog Connect site.
As many parents will appreciate, the NEW Tag Junior has a battery-saving feature and the Book Pal will turn off automatically after a period of inactivity. We love this feature considering how many batteries we go through around here!
With the ever expanding collection of books, we’ll be able to add to our library at home for many more holidays and birthdays!
Consider the NEW LeapFrog Tag Junior for your toddler ages 2 – 4 for the next Birthday or Christmas! You’ll be glad you did!
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Green Tip – Give Homemade GREEN Gifts
October 11, 2009 by Kasey
Filed under Going Green, Home & Garden
Try giving homemade “green” gifts that come from the heart to someone you love!
A bouquet of fresh flowers from your garden, veggies you’ve canned, homemade jams or a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies, all are great ideas that anyone would love receiving!
Perishable and edible gifts result in no waste and cost very little. Giving from the heart is a gift that the recipient is sure to enjoy and you have the peace of mind knowing you’ve done something good for your wallet AND the environment!
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