Happy New Years Eve!

2010 is almost upon us. I can't believe how fast the past ten years have been. Here is the past ten years in a nutshell:

An important message for my beloved readers

I will be the first to admit that I have made many, MANY mistakes. Mistakes that could have killed someone. Mistakes that I should not have gotten away with. I am (or I should say those around me are) lucky. My mistakes never turned into a painful life lesson. When I lived through my years of drunken and "buzzed" driving, I never hurt anyone. I never hurt myself. But I could have. In the blink of an eye I could have hit someone when I ran a red light. I could have not seen another car as I squinted one eye to focus my vision. When I think back now, I HATE what I did. I was what I will warn my children about.

I will say that I have NEVER driven drunk, buzzed, or anything else with my children. And I haven't even driven myself after having had a few drinks since they were born. I am too valuable to these two little children that need me so desperately. I want to see them grow up, I don't want them to miss my comforting them because of my stupid judgment. But there has been a time or two, when I had to think twice. Was I really too buzzed to drive? I only had two drinks after all. The truth is...yes. And after thinking...I didn't.And in all honesty, if you have to question if you are too buzzed to drive, then you are. Don't do it.

Everyone seems to be talking about texting and driving lately. And I agree with all of the warnings. But the thing is, even ONE drink depending on the situation/drink/person can put you in the same distracted capacity as texting does. It is dangerous. And even if you don't cause an accident, buzzed driving can cause repercussions to both you and your family. Do you want to look into your loving spouse's face and tell them that they were not important enough to you not to drive buzzed, and instead of spending the night of a fresh New Year with them, you spent it in jail. Do you want to be the one to look at your child one day and have to apologize that you were too cheap to spend $20 on a cab but instead spent a chunk of their college fund your YOUR DWI/DUI arrest?

The New Year is supposed to bring promise, hope, and new memories. I plead to you , don't let those dreams be ones broken for an unexpecting family driving home as you "miss" a red light. Don't let those hopes die for a pregnant wife whose husband may die an a drunk driving accident. And don't let those memories be the painful one's of a mistake that could have been prevented.


We do EVERYTHING in our power to avoid accidents to our children. We put plugs in outlets, we wrap up cords, we follow the "SIDS" guidelines. We buckle them safely in carseats, avoid choking hazards, give them their immunizations. So this year, I ask that you sign THIS pledge, promising not to drive buzzed/drunk. Go that extra step to do everything YOU can do to ensure your loved ones have you in their life for another year. Protect your children from YOUR bad decisions. Be the hero and the role model that you want to be for your kids. Don't think it can't happen to you. A split second, a broken taillight causing you to get pulled over, a missed stop sign, a late reaction, can change your life. Just ask Emily.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB9WxnfBILU&feature=player_embedded

So, please enjoy your New Year's Eve. Kiss your loved ones at midnight. Celebrate with a couple of drinks. Dance, laugh, and have fun. But please....if you do choose to drink....call a cab, a friend, anyone. And sign and print THIS to remind you of what is waiting for you at home to sneak in and kiss them goodnight.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner (s!)

I know, slacker slacker slacker. But  I have been TRYING to visit and catch up on blogs and that takes a lot of work! But, here are some winners!

Relish!: Erin (chirpatme)!
Beibe shoes: Sophia's Mommy!
IBW interactive books: clallen!
SmartKnit Kids Seamless socks: Zachsgran!

I'm heading over to email you all now and you have 48 hours to get back with me! Congratulations!

Those toy thingies are a torture device.

Christmas is over, 2010 is right around the corner, and things are starting to settle down. But I just couldn't continue without getting the more "random" thoughts of my week with you.

My favorite moment of Christmas.....

I sure can tell you that my favorite moment has NOT been today. The running to the crazy Wal-mart to get some toy bins to accommodate for our very blessed Christmas. The non-stop cleaning, organizing, throwing away. The TEN HOURS of putting toys together! But it was all SO worth it. I had a WONDERFUL Christmas, filled with family, great food, love, and happiness. I was so excited I couldn't sleep. I woke up an hour before they alarm went off, and started imagining my husbands face as I gave him the present he has asked for three years in a row. The excitement of my son as he saw that Grandma and Grandpa got him the train table he was so wanting. The wonder on baby girl's face as she discovered the wonders of Christmas. There was so much hat made this year so wonderful, but here are my top ten favorite moments.

And the frugal fun stuff is back!

I have a lot of giveaways still going, and I have a few more coming up, so be sure to stay tuned to the left sidebar for those. However, for today, it is time to get back to some frugal fun stuff. And an additional tip....be sure to head into your local Hallmark while they still have all of their ornaments discounted for next year!

Merry Christmas!

With Christmas being just a few days away, and my hubby and me both on a little "mini-vacation", I have decided to take a Christmas break from blog posts. No worries! I will be back on Saturday! This season is about family and friends, and spending time with one another and sharing memories that don't always get shared, so I want to take full advantage of that with my family as well.

I also want to take this moment to tell all of my readers thank you so much for making this such a great experience. Thank you for following me, for listening, for caring, and for inviting me into your lives as well. I have "met" many wonderful people through this blog, ones that I consider friends. I read your posts and I cry and laugh with you, and I often pray for you when you are having a hard time.

After Christmas I will be right back to the frugal fun stuff and regular posts! Thank you for hanging in there with me during this hectic Holiday Gift Guide craziness!

I hope that all of you have a wonderful and festive Holiday!

Stocking Stuffer alert! Review and Giveaway for Myclyns personal germ protection spray!

If you know me, you know that I am a little neurotic about avoiding germs. I have gotten much better, but I am still the woman that sprays sanitizer on the cart before she puts the kids in, and puts sanitizer on again as soon as I get into the car. I TRY not to let my kids put their food on the table at restaurants, I avoid places with a lot of kids running around during the flu season, and when I do go places where germs are flying, I am a nervous nelly the whole time. So, the new Myclyns is PERFECT for me, especially with this craziness called Swineer H1N1 flu.Not only that, but I have just spent the past three weeks with bronchitis, no voice and a constant cold. My immune system is down as it is....and I REALLY don't want to spend my New Year's sick as well. So believe me when I tell you that I will be carrying my Myclyns to all of the Holiday gatherings and I will be getting some for my loved one's as well. These video's crack me up.

Stocking Stuffer Alert! Review and Giveaway of Soft LIps and Anti Monkey Butt Powder!!

Title got you reading did it? Wondering how lips and butts could POSSIBLY be in any way similar? Well, they should both be baby soft! Okay, this was the funniest review ever. Not because there were toys to play with etc etc. Because there were SO many things to laugh at. Good thing I had the Anti Monkey Butt Powder just in case of an accident. Got ya looking? Read on my friends!

Wow, how do you all keep up with it?

Wow, I must say that I am impressed with you bloggers out there that are keeping up during this busy season. I am still working on that! But, I have three winners to announce today, another giveaway going up, and as soon as I finish the kits I am making for Children's hospital I will be posting those. I have to admit, I am looking forward to starting the new year and getting back to the frugal fun stuff! Not that I am not totally excited for Christmas, I am just overwhelmed! Thank goodness I already have Christmas shopping done and the majority of them wrapped as well! Alright, off to declare winners!

Oh yes, and if you still need some Christmas ideas, HERE are 35 great ideas, and another fifteen coming in the next few days!

Winners winners everywhere!

PUMPIN' PAL'S

Christa at Little BGCG. Christa only has five weeks to go until she meets her little man, so I am excited for her that she won this!

MAKE A PLATE

Tami at hearts make families Let those little monsters create something fun!

CAROLINA PAD

Aimee (Nelsby!) woo hoo! All those tweets paid off!

Congrats! You have all just been notified and have 48 hours to get back with me!! Yeah!!


Winners that have already been notified and silly old me forgot to post them!


STEVE SPANGLER
Stacie at SuperMommy to the Rescue!

ZOOM ALBUM
Yonca at Yonca is cooking.

BARNEY DVD
Cheryl, Natalie at The adventures of Paul and Natalie, and Rachel at second time around!

Holiday Gift Guide-Smart Knit Kids Review & GIVEAWAY!

I love my kids feet. They are so cute, and so teeny, and so precious. But I've noticed my son can also get some pretty dry feet since he hates socks. He would much prefer run around with no shoes and socks on. He hates wearing anything but Crocs because the socks bunch up. And, like his momma, he HATES when the socks don't stay pulled tight and the toes bunch up in the shoes. I really never took a second notice to this, but then I was given the opportunity to review Smart Knit Kids Socks. These socks are AWESOME.....

Wordless Wednesday-yes, this is our memory of Santa this year.

I haven't done a Wordless Wednesday in awhile....but I just couldn't resist this picture. Only my children could make Santa's face look like this. 

Holiday Gift Guide-IBW books-Review & GIVEAWAY!

I have a family full of readers. My son has actually gotten to the point where we have read the same books so many times he reads them by memory. My feisty daughter still has a limited vocabulary, so when she wants us to read to her, we usually discover this when she shoves a book in our face. If we don't pay immediate attention, the book then gets thrown at us. So, I was so excited to find IBW........

Sushi, Cherry Candy Canes, and water. One of these is not like the others.

I really think I should have wrote this post about two days ago. I woke up with no voice and barely breathing, and believed my son when he told me it was Christmas. After the initial panic of "how could I have freaking overslept" I realized he has been saying it is his birthday for like three months now. The day that ensued was more of the same....too bad I REALLY can't even remember it. So, I guess you lucked out.....

It is time to get real.

I was going to start my evening by visiting a few of my fav's and then writing up a review and giveaway. But as I sat down and started with my girl Julie and her post, my plans changed as tears welled in my eyes and her pain just made mine all too real as well. Especially after last night. I thought of THIS post I had written not that long ago, a post I thought would really motivate me. And it did in some senses. I cut my hair, started using lotion on those tired eyes, cleaned myself up a bit. But it didn't motivate me enough. I guess I should get started from the beginning......

GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Don't forget, there are three AWESOME giveaways ending tonight, Barney, Zoom Album, and Steve Spangler, so get your entries in quickly!!

SPINBRUSH WINNER!

#3 Mommy to a lot!

CSN SWINGSETS AND MORE WINNER

#82 Sue! (oh how cute it rhymed! See Sue, it was fate!)

THE CHRISTMAS BOX BOOK

I am sending all of you wonderful ladies that entered this giveaway the book. It is amazing and touching and you are going to LOVE it! Merry Christmas!

Congrats to all the winners! I will be emailing you shortly and you have 48 hours to respond!

Karma can bite me

So, I had a long conversation with my friend today about Karma. Well, really we have a lot of these long conversations about Karma because it pisses us both off to no end. Yes, my friends, I am in the bitter barn. And unless you are one of the lucky few that Karma doesn't affect, then you know EXACTLY the type of person that I am referring to in this post. Today I was lucky enough to be shown the benefits of the Karma-less and it left me with a taste in my mouth more sour than the one I tasted the morning after my 21st birthday....

It isn' the kids....it is the parents. Oh yeah...and I would like your opinion, too!

Ugh. Now, to start, I am NOT the perfect mom. I was once. For about 9 months. Before my son learned to walk and talk. Before the hair started running thin alongside the patience. But even then I wasn't so much perfect as scared terrified and neurotic. Anyway, that is another story! For today, let's discuss what happens when you let children keep an eye on themselves.....

Holiday Gift Guide-Beibe shoes Review & GIVEAWAY!

What is it about a kids shoe that makes it so dang cute? And how do they makes such teeny tiny replica's of the bigger ones. And the biggest unanswered question....How can my daughter and I wear the same shoe and it looks so cute on her....and horrible on me? Well, these may be some questions I never get the answer to, but I do know now where I will be buying some of the cutest shoes for my little ones! And...they are nice enough to give you a pair so you will discover this too!

I'm sorry!!!

So, I made more than one error lately. First of all, I noticed I had made a mistake with the spinbrush end dates. Then, I didn't check to make sure all the other days were correct. But I didn't. So, luckily, a reader Sue was nice enough to point out my other blunder on another one. Thanks to her, all dates are now correct and most have even been extended.
If this has caused you any missed entries, please let me know what entries you missed for what giveaway and what days. Simply send me an email and I will get it fixed.
Thank you! And I am so sorry!

Also, I am almost half-way through my Holiday gift guide for Homemade gift ideas on the examiner.com. Check it out HERE if you still need some great ideas!

Got winners? Why yes, I do! Piggy Paint, Classic Personalized Gifts, and Bob the Builder!

I have THREE winners for you today! Woo HOO!

First up...Piggy paint. I adore this stuff. So does baby girl! Anyway, the winner is....

#30
Emily Armstrong said...

My daughter would like the angel kisses polish.

November 22, 2009 10:25 PM 


Second up is the Bob the Builder Holiday Collection

#85

furygirl3132 said...

I tweeted: http://twitter.com/furygirl3132/status/6381822140 Eloise

December 5, 2009 3:33 PM  

And last, but  CERTAINLY not least....The classic Personalized towel, which I use daily! Love it. Anyway, this one goes to....

#24

Alexis AKA MOM said...

Button up #1 ;)

November 16, 2009 2:12 PM 

 I will be emailing all of you shortly, and you have 48 hours to respond!
Congrats! 

THIS moment is what Christmas is all about.

I am sitting here, and all I can think is "my cup runneth over". I have had the perfect day. I was at my wits end a couple of days ago, so my husband said today was mine to do as I wished. Well, I am a mom, what I wish and what needs to be done are VERY different. However, on a cold and snowy day, the fact that I did not tote two kids along with me to and from store after store after store made a huge difference. We all slept in, I grabbed a cup of coffee, took my OWN hot hot shower, and left for the day. I started at Safeway and got the necessities, found a few good deals, and got out of there to drop off my groceries as I passed back by my house. As I dropped them off, my suspicious little mind figured my hubby fell asleep while the kids played because I could hear them but not him. I went upstairs to find him.

Holiday Gift Guide-Carolina Pad Stationary Review & GIVEAWAY!

I have always been organized. Because of this...I am OBSESSED with office materials of any sort. Planners, organizers, notebooks, post-its. I love to be organized. In fact, my husband used to complain that I was a little TOO organized. too many lists, too many organizers, too many too many too many. Then I had children. Then I became a frugal mom. Then I became a blogger. And then, I decided to become an examiner writer. I have gone through about three different notebooks trying to find one that was sturdy enough for me to write in every day that would get the occasional walk-on by the brand new walker in the house. I also need some sort of organizer for all of my coupons and free certs. I hadn't found anything I really liked.Then...

Holiday Gift Guide-Relish! Review & GIVEAWAY!

I was very intrigued when I was asked to do this review for Relish!. I had never heard of a meal planning site before, and I wasn't sure if I would actually have the time to do it (ironic, I know). But I really liked the idea of having absolutely everything written out for me. So, I gave it a shot.

Dear Santa,

Well, with being sick and the family being sick...I didn't have a time-out this week. So, I will be joining Mama Kat's writers workshop. I really liked the Dear Santa letter idea. Calm me sappy, I actually started crying as I wrote this. Here goes!

Holiday Gift Guide Make-a-Plate Kits and free plate! Review & GIVEAWAY!

I must admit, I have already loved Makit products BEFORE this review and giveaway, but then they allowed me to also review their photo plates, and now I am addicted. My son absolutely adores his little plates he made. My little artist loves to use those washable markers to color away on that little circle. Again and again and again. For Christmas this year, they are each getting a photo plate of themselves to add to the collection (kinda hard for them to say "huh uh!!!! That is MY plate". There will be no question now!)

Holiday Gift Guide-Pumpin' Pals Review & GIVEAWAY!

I was one of the unfortunate ones that was unable to breastfeed for very long. I managed to make it to almost a year with my son...but only about six months when my daughter. With my son, pumping helped me to stretch that time by pumping and stimulating more production. I could pump on my own time, and take as long as I needed, and could easily do it with only one little sweetheart in my arms. Even with him, though, it hurt to lean forward when I was pumping because I had just had the c-section. Then,

I'm baaaaaaccccckkkkk (I hope)

I am starting to feel a bit like myself again. I am still coughing up a lung and my ears are clogged and my throat hurts, but the fog is starting to slightly lift. So, I am forcing myself back into the game. And since I am mainly done with my Christmas shopping (hee hee), I am here to help you finish up yours! I also have a series of articles HERE on 50 ideas for homemade gifts. There will be ten different articles of five ideas each! And for this week, I am planning at least two more giveaways and reviews and some catching up. Not to mention getting back to the frugal fun and some of me. I miss you guys. I LOVE doing giveaways, I LOVE trying out great products..but this month sure has been hectic with the gift guide and being sick. So my goal this week is to get acquainted again. Hope to see you here!

A little Christmas Meme

I was tagged by the fun and beautiful G-Zell over at The stay at home mom who knew who was tagged by Jen over at http://www.jaelcustomdesigns.com/ to participate in this Christmas Meme. Jen was tagged by Ivette over at Work At Home Mom- Busy http://www.wahmbahm.com/ And Happy Mom and she was tagged by Heather from over at http://www.toptenchristmasblog.com/ 

 I know this sounds really silly...but I LOVE these little things. Always have and probably always will. So, here are my answers. 

Twinkies still taste the same!

I can't be random today. I feel like that poor little squirrel that got squished in the middle of the road but no one tries to avoid him. Or they try to but then they end up running right down the whole length of him. But, I will tell you what craziness is happening as I write this.