Looking Ahead...

I'm taking my son's approach and just looking ahead. I've contemplated too much lately and it just makes me more confused and more unsure so I'm stopping right there. I don't want to judge others (even though sometimes I will). I don't want to worry about feeling like I need to be like others. I will embrace my weirdness or my quirkiness or just whatever it is that is me that makes me "feel" so damn different than everyone else I come in contact with. LOL. I will write more for me and less for what I think you want to hear and I'll try to not care if you think what I write is dumb, pointless, or shallow. I will smile when your comment or email lets me know that something I wrote touches you or means something to you since that's what I want out of all of this.

In this blog, I need to be me because this blog is for me and for my family to look back upon one day( unless of course we forget to do backups and the hosting fails for whatever reason or my computer crashes and the back up crashes and then all of this gone forever but we won't think like that cause it won't happen, right?)


And, now it's time to get back to watching the Charlie Brown Holiday DVD that we bought today with my 5 year old for the tenth time and then when I tuck the boys in tonight the hubs and I are going to watch a seriously scary movie(or atleast that's what I've been told), Session 9. Anyone seen it? Thoughts? Reviews on Session 9? Don't care? Ok...

And that's it for the weekend...

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Blogging Connections...

There is an interesting discussion going on over at The Zero Boss about blogging and writing for the occasional audience. This post has made me think alot about my blogging and what it means to me.

It's no shocker that I'm not a writer as I've said it previously several times on this blog and elsewhere. I know that many of you are writers or aspiring writers and that's great but I'm not and I'm not blogging to get a book deal or to hone my writing skills. I'm just blogging for myself and my business.

The thing is, however, is that even though I'm not a "writer" I still write and I don't want to write garbage on the Internet day in and day out. I'm sure many of you are rolling your eyes and thinking that I already do. But anyway I want my readers to get value out of what I write too. I often wonder about my readers losing interest or whether I should share a particular thing that has happened in my life. I wonder about privacy issues and what is appropriate to share about my family and kids. I wonder if I stray to far will I lose readers and the thoughts go on and on...

Sure, I don't want to sound too screwed up or sound narcissistic but how can we not be with a personal blog? Seriously? I don't think I am more important than anyone but talking about yourself, your life, your kids, and whatever is what a personal blog is all about, right?

Regarding my personality, I am not the type of person to say bad things about anyone and you will rarely ever hear me say something bad about a celebrity. That's just not me. I only get defensive on things that I believe strongly in. I'm not one to talk about highly controversial topics on my blog. I'm rarely the "meanie". And, maybe that's why my writing is what it is.

Overall, what I want out of blogging is to make connections with other moms, dads, soon to be parents and other individuals that can say, hey I understand what you are going through or I know what you mean or simply some support or someone to listen to your crazy ramblings that otherwise never would have.

What's great about all of this is that with blogging we are able to connect with other people like us so much easier than in the real world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S. The winners of the The Complete Organic Pregnancy books are Kristen, Tasha, and Arika. I need your mailing addresses to get your books out to you next week.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

The Relationship Between Readers And Comments On Blogs

It appears that I have been getting lots of visitors to my blog lately. Some of them being people I know, friends & family, new friends, and then some of you are complete strangers. I have no idea who you all are that are reading my blog and I'd like to know because I'd love some new friends. And, we all know I need some friends right because I have been talking to myself alot lately. Yeah not knowing is kind of scary, kind of freaky, and well, I'm just nosy so would it be so bad to let me know? And for those of you that know me or used to know me you are probably thinking, "I always knew she was crazy"...

However, somewhere here the relationship between number of readers and comments is screwed up. Your reading but your not commenting. What's up with that? Ya' know, I'm thrilled that I'm getting more readers but I'm not so thrilled that you aren't commenting. It makes me wonder if my blog sucks or that you just can't relate to what I write about. So which is it? Now, don't be afraid to tell the truth. The truth is better than nothing. (I think?). Plus like I said above I need some new friends. But I realize from experience that I'm not a very good friend. I try to be but I can't fully open up to anyone and therefore it's obviously harder to make a connection witht them. I'm the play it safe type. Hell, I can't even FULLY open up to my own family except for my hubs. And that's a whole other subject that we will just leave alone for now.

PLUS, I'm getting ready to revamp that looooonnng blogroll over there and some of you have got to go or atleast go on another page. It's getting out of control. So if you really really want to stay on that blogroll over there on the main page then you better speak up and you better have a link in place for me unless of course I really like you. LOL. This is not for those of you who comment here daily and already have me on your blogroll. You know your staying. If I'm not on your blogroll and you dont plan on putting me there then you'll be going on my links page of blogs I read. I'm sorry if that doesn't sound so nice coming from a have-always-been-nice sort of person but like I said the blogroll is getting to long and cluttering up my blog.

Ok. So that's all I've got to say for now.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

The Cute Toddler Video

If you want to see something cute today then check out the video below of my toddler talking.

If you are interested in winning a copy of "The Complete Organic Pregnancy" leave a comment on the previous post. I have a few to give away. Deadline to leave a comment is 9am tomorow morning EST.

And Now I'll present you with the video cuteness... Click here to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsxxbGU5Gsg

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Blogging Book Tour: The Complete Organic Pregnancy

Teamed up with Mother-Talk.com, I'm happy to be a part of The Complete Organic Pregnancy Blog Book Tour. I reviewed The Complete Organic Pregnancy on my blog back in late July so I'm not going to rehash it here. However, if you have not read my review and would like to feel free to click on this link and go there.

We were asked to present the authors with some questions about the book so that is what I will focus on here.

1. Eating organically seems like it would be really hard to do or at least more work than the way I eat now. Is it?

It might be more work in the beginning as you’re learning to eat differently. Any diet change takes a bit of time. Once you’re in the organic mindset it isn’t any more difficult that what you’re doing. You’re already shopping and feeding yourself and your family, right? So this is just doing the same thing, but organic. Say you’re eating rice, chicken, and spinach. You’re still eating rice, chicken and spinach, just organic. If you join a local organic farm through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA – see my answer to your second question below for more details) it’s actually easier. You get a weekly share of vegetables (and sometimes fruit and meat) and you don’t even have to pick and choose. Some farms have websites so you know what you’re getting in a delivery before it arrives so you can plan meals ahead of time.

2.) Is eating organic more expensive? If so, how can you eat organically on a budget?

It is and it isn’t. An organic peach in a store might be $2.49 a pound, while a conventional peach is .99 cents a pound. You can’t argue with that math. But the organic peach didn’t involve spraying pesticides and herbicides into the world. That’s pretty priceless. There is another way of getting less expensive organic produce: join a local farm through Community Supported Agriculture. Members support a farm by purchasing “shares” of the harvest, and pay the farmers before the growing season begins so that they have money to farm the land. In return they get a wide variety of vegetables during growing season (which depends on where you live). Members also share the risk of things like bad weather and crop damage. For more information, checkout www.localharvest.org. Organic meat and diary do tend to cost more than non-organic versions. We think it is well worth the extra money in exchange for keeping hormones, antibiotics, and the sludge the non-organic animals are fed out of our systems, especially when pregnant. Many health food stores and other stores that tend to carry organic produce, dairy, and meat often offer bulk items (nuts, grains, cereals) that can be less expensive, too.

Also: when you get into the groove of eating organically, you eat much less packaged foods. This makes your grocery bill drop drastically. Chips, prepared foods, cookies, crackers, and other snack foods are more expensive than most people realize. Though there are organic versions of these now available, we suggest eating a whole foods diet in “The Complete Organic Pregnancy.” This means eating food as close to how it came out of the earth as possible. A potato has a great number of nutrients, a potato chip (as we all know) does not. You want as many nutrients as possible for your growing baby, for you, and eventually for your child when she enters the world.

3.) You mentioned not reusing plastic water bottles. Do plastic sippy cups and plates pose the same danger?

The plastic water bottles we tell pregnant women not to reuse are made from plastic #1 which is a plastic meant for one use only. Repeated use of it (and exposing it to heat by washing it) can break it down, making its chemicals likely to leech into drinking water. Sippy cups and plates are usually made from plastics #2 (high-density polyethylene or HDPE), #4 (low-density polyethylene or LDPE) or #5 (polypropylene). These are all food quality, safe choices if you want to use plastic. The problem is that often sippy cups and plates (and baby bottles, breastmilk storage containers, ice cube trays people use to store homemade baby food and the like) aren’t labelled with which kind of plastic they’re made from. Which means they might also be made of plastic #3 (polyvinyl chloride or PVC), #6 (polystyrene or PS), or #7 (polycarbonate). We discuss PVC a lot in the book. It is a known human carcinogen that can lead to a number of cancers, endocrine disruption, endometriosis, neurological damage, birth defects, impaired child development and reproductive and immune system damage. Doesn’t exactly sound like something you want touching your child’s food, right? #6 is known to leach chemicals into food, some of which can disrupt hormonal functioning. And #7 can release bisphenol-A, a suspected hormone disruptor, into food.

Scary, right? Not really because these can all be easily avoided. There are good non-plastic choices – even for sippy cups – made out of stainless steel and other substances that won’t leech into food and won’t break when tossed around by a toddler. If you're concerned about plastic, opt for these. Or call the manufacturer of your kid’s favorite plate or sippy and find out which plastic it is made of. Like we said, #2, #4 and #5 are thought to be okay.


Thanks to the authors for answering my questions. To order the book, go here.

*Edited To Add*: I also have a few of these books to give away. If you want to win one, leave a comment on this post or email me.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

How I Feel On Monday Morning

Thirty is getting even closer. I'm having so many battles inside. Wondering if what I have done so far is good enough. Afraid of getting older. I want to dye my hair red then I want to dye it black. Obviously something is wrong when I think of dying my hair that much or is there? I'm happy. I'm content with my life except for the fact that we are always busy, don't get to spend as much time with our families and it goes by so fast. I want to freeze time for them.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Getting Tangles Out of My Toddler's Hair

Does anyone know how to really get tangles out of a toddler's hair? Seriously. I mean without traumatizing them. I bought the L'Oreal detangler for kids and it's just not working. My child has thin wiry hair as you can see from the above photo and nothing is working. I want to cut his hair. The hubs does not. So we need some kind of solution here. He goes around with this hairstyle on a daily basis. I'm sure people think we don't clean or comb his hair but we do. Well, we clean it and TRY to comb it but combing usually resorts to him running away screaming because of the tangles. I guess we can just consider him to be in style...

And, yeah, I'm on a roll here. I seem to have lots to blog about lately. That and now I have so much more free time on my hands. I'm making the best of it by working on and improving all of my websites and getting up to date on all my emails and everything that has been put on the backburner lately. I might even start one or two new ones...hmmm...like I have the time...

*updated* Plus, and I'm rambling here, this is my only form of communication at the moment...LOL. As I've said before, we don't live near family. I have no real friends here. Sure, I can call and talk on the phone to the fam. Anyway, I tried making a few friends when we moved here and I made one friend but then both of us moved again and now I'm down to no friends here again and it's not easy to make friends since I don't go to work and my kids are not in school. I talk to other parents occassionally when we go places or when my son is involved in sports but no acquantences have turned to real friendships. Not that I'm unhappy about it because I haven't met someone that I have a lot in common with. Let's face it. I'm different. Oh well, maybe I'll make a friend here soon. And, just to mention this, online friends are real friendships too and I used to talk to some friends online but not so much anymore since I got really caught up in being busy and that's just how I am. I never ignored anyone or thought I was above anyone. I'm not that person. I just prioritized my time differently for my family.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Clean Mess Home

I think we may need an ark. It hasn't stopped storming since yesterday morning. There is flooding everywhere here. Our son's soccer games have been cancelled two times already this week due to rain. Is the rain going to end? Oh no...there is more to come... I'm so tired of the rain.

When there's rain the kids have to stay inside and when they are inside they are wild and our home is a disaster. Like right now, there is an entire city being built in our living room. For some reason the boys won't play in their bedroom or the toy/junk room. They've got to drag toys to every room in the house. If someone were to stop by unexpectedly (not likely unless there is a huge mess so today would be the perfect day) it would possibly scare them into not coming back. Seriously.

Why is it that when your home looks the worst people drop in? Do they understand that this is what it looks like at all hours when you have kids? If your home is not a disaster 24/7 with kids can you tell me your secrets? Do you have OCD? Is OCD the secret to keeping a home clean? Are you secretly mommy dearest and threaten your kids with wire hangers if they don't play in their rooms? Or, maybe you just clean up after them every five seconds? Well, I'm none of the above. I make the kids clean up once they are really done playing with what they have out and usually the 2 year old is never done so stuff gets picked up once or twice during the day or night and usually it's just a mess. We aren't nasty. We're just cluttered. We have a clean mess. LOL.

I'm satisfied as long as our home smells good and that is easily done with candles.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Losing First Tooth: What is the Going Rate?

What? Why, yes I'm posting more than once today because it's sort of an emergency.

My 5 year old son's tooth is loose and I kind of want to talk about it. I'm pretty sure it's going to fall out soon like tonight or tomorow. I hope it's not tonight because the toothfairy wants to get him a little gift since it's his first tooth.

Right now he's kind of anxious. He keeps wiggling his tooth and I know the prospect of it hurting is unsettling to him. The fact that it's his first tooth and this is something that will never happen again makes me want to do something special for him other than slip 2 quarters under his pillow. A few quarters must have been the going rate when I was a child. That's what I remember getting and although at the time getting fifty cents was quite exciting to me I don't think fifty cents is going to be that wonderful to my son in exchange for losing his firt baby tooth that will undoubtedly cause him some emotional trauma since he is the drama king type.

Say, what is the going rate for a first baby tooth anyway? Should we give him money or a gift? What did you do?

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Are You Obsessed With Grey's Anatomy Too?

Umm...this is a random post about tv so if you don't watch tv or you are above tv or you think tv is the devil or you don't like Grey's Anatomy then go on to the next mom blog because today it's tv.

Anyway, I would have been crazy to have not chosen to watch Grey's Anatomy. Obviously I picked Grey's Anatomy over CSI last night. I remember the first time I watched Grey's Anatomy. I fell in love instantly. You can see here. Well, you'll have to sift through the April Archives to see.

This is one of the best shows I've ever watched on tv. I'm drawn to it's realness and how with each episode you can always find something to connect to and the music makes it even better. One minute you can be laughing and the next sobbing uncontrollably. Well, atleast I do and most of the time I'm an emotional mess. LOL. The music from the show is my kind of music. Who else loves The Frey? Their music is so appropriate for GA. And, I love that song from last night. For those of you that want the lyrics they are posted below. I know this song is not new but it is new to some of you so I figured you might want to see the lyrics if you are like me. You can watch the music video on the abc site as well if you didn't get enough from last night.

I'd also like to know what draws you to Grey's Anatomy? What is it about the show (besides McDreamy and McVet) that makes you want to keep watching?

The Frey's How To Save a Life Lyrics

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life
How to save a life

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life

-----------------------------------
P.S. I've just posted some articles and ideas on Halloween Fun for Busy Moms

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Wipe My Butt...

The cutest (er..kind of gross if you don't have a toddler) thing just happened.

My 2 year old yelled, "Come and wipe my butt". He was bathing with his brother and apparently had to poop so he got out and pooped in his Winnie The Pooh potty and then he ummm proceeded to yell at me because he needed my help. LOL.
I'm so excited that potty training is going so well. I never thought it would be this easy. The first time around with our oldest son was NOT easy.

It's pretty bad when you resort to talking about a "poopy accomplishment". I just had to share but I don't think my son will be so appreciative when he gets older that I told this to the world. Wow, how things like technology change your world...

On another completely different note, did anyone notice that Grey's Anatomy & CSI are on at the same time? How can that be? Why did they have to go and do something like that to people that don't have tivo or a whatever technology it is that you use (besides an ancient vcr) to record shows with?

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket...

Hmmm...now I never thought I'd be telling myself that or experiencing the let down of putting all of one's eggs in one basket which basically means don't put all you have or all your energy into one thing because it will surely fail if you do and that is exactly what I think has happened to me. I won't go into details but I've experienced two non-positive things from this new week. Obviously I'm upset because I made plans and I relied upon this. I shouldn't have but I did. Hopefully all will be well. It may be but it may not. It's definitely NOT the end of the world. LOL. Either I know I will be fine but I'm feeling really let down right now. This is not about family or health or anything like that. That part of my life is great and actually more wonderful than I could ever imagine. When something happens that alters what you do in some way the importance of your family becomes even more clear. Something you lose sometimes when you are busy.

Maybe I'm overreacting. I'm sort of more stressed and less stressed at the same time. The issue of trust and relying upon something or someone is what has gotten to me. I really do think everything happens for a reason and that's what I'm sticking to for now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS. Check out some new photos on flickr. ------>

and, here is some information on the Halloween Sweepstakes & Contests Celebration, etc. starting up in October at ContestForMoms.com. All information coming soon. Oh, and the Halloween Baby Costume Contest coming in October. Plus I'll be giving away some books next week. Stay tuned.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Because The Experts Told Me Too...

I started blogging back in early 2004 when I was pregnant with my second child during the beginning stages of my first website. I started blogging because that's what all the SEO (search engine optimization for those of you who don't know) experts said to do. When I started my blog I titled it baby & mom blog because I was a mom who had a baby. I know, how original was I? Now I just call it a mom blog because my boys aren't babies.

Being a mom is central in my life. Obviously I have other roles and I enjoy those roles but my role as mom takes precendence over everything else. Honestly, I don't mind saying that. I don't feel dumb or less than you for saying it. Hey, I enjoy motherhood. Motherhood is for me. Being a mom has led me to do things that I otherwise would not have done with my life. I now have a successful (by my standards) home business. I feel extremly lucky to be able to work at home and have my boys at home with me. Sure, it's a challenge but it's a challenge I asked for and wanted. Sure, it's hard and balancing working from home is tough but I am sincerely thankful for it every day of my life even if I do complain sometimes. We are all going to complain sometimes no matter what.

Lately I've read alot about bloggers who get paid and bloggers who don't and those who can write and those who can't, fairness, ads,etc... It's a never ending issue. Sometimes it just comes down to being in the right place at the right time, circumstances, and knowledge.

We all know I'm not a writer by any means but that doesn't mean I shouldn't have a blog. Some of you are writers. Very good writers at that. Some of you, like me, aren't. Why does it matter?

Most moms just want to journal their children's lives and/or connect with other like minded moms. Simply put, we all want support and support can be given easily via the Internet.

Some of you argue that ads shouldn't be on blogs. Well, that's your opinion and you are entitled to that but some of us want to make money. The Internet is a big big place and we can all do what we want. I may not be a good writer but I do get paid to blog. This blog has given me some opportunities that I otherwise would not have been given. This blog has allowed me to make connections and network with other businesses which additionally has helped my overall business.

Just so you know. My blog is an extension of my website. I don't blog just because. I blog for my mom resource website. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy it because I do enjoy blogging. I like sharing my stories and pictures with the world. Sometimes I enjoy it too much and waste my work day. In all honesty, though, If I didn't have a home Internet business, I most likely would not have a blog.
Either way, all moms are valuable. We are all different. We do things for different reasons. What we write may not matter to everyone but it does matter to someone.

And, that's all I have to say for now.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Small Town KY

Inspired by Kristen's Farewell Mississippi photo post, I wanted to post a few photos of my beautiful small town in Kentucky. The boys and I took a walk yesterday and this is what we saw and this is what we see every day since it's right across the street. I realize by posting these photos that it allows more people to know where I live close to which is kind of unsettling but surely I have no stalkers. LOL.

The rest of the photos are on flickr over there. ----->

When I get a chance I'll post more photos of different things. If you have a photo request, be sure and let me know. I'd be happy to fill your photo request within reason.

Also, who's looking forward to the new show Jericho? Anyone? Well, atleast I am. And, yay, Grey's Anatomy comes back on this week and I'm so very excited. If you aren't excited then your no fun or you just don't like what I do. How can you not like Grey's Anatomy?

One more thing. If you are a mom and have your own product business or are in a direct sales business you may be interested in the 3rd Annual ContestForMoms.com Halloween Celebration. You can be featured in our Halloween Shops for free. If you are interested, please email me.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Real Savvy Mom Blogs

I'm not that good at blogging more than once in a 24 hour period and since I wrote this long post last night, I figured I would also share it here. In case you are new or maybe forgot and probably don't really care (I'll tell ya anyway), here is a link to my real savvy mom blog. Take a minute and read. And, comments over there are very much appreciated. :) Love it? Hate it? Indifferent?

My Real Savvy Mom Blog





Oh, and my darling 2 year old, I seriously think it's time for a haircut. Remember, when we tried to cut your hair before the wedding? Yep, we didn't succeed did we? Well, I guess I'm going to have to bribe you with something. Possibly candy or a new car? Your daddy doesn't want me to cut your hair. I don't know why he insists on you keeping a ratty tangled mullet. Oh, and maybe I'll give you a mohawk. Atleast, I'll no longer have to use detangler on your hair. Stay tuned to see who has their way with the 2 year old's hair. LOL.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Playing After The Rain

The rain has finally stopped so we went outside after a busy day...and, the weather here is cooler. It was only 69 degrees outside today.

Enjoy some photos and look for more on my flickr account.






Also, if you are a mom who blogs,writes or who has a website and wants more traffic to your site or more exposure for your writing then consider contributing your articles here. We don't pay but I do know that free article marketing works and it will give you more traffic to your site and blog.
If you are looking to be paid for your writing or ways to make money with your articles go over to Jobs For Stay At Home Moms. We always add new stuff.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

The Good and The Not So Good Updates

Project "Sleep In Your Own Bed" that I discussed here previously went surprisingly quite well. I only had to get up one time during the night because my oldest needed a cup of water. After that I could tell he wanted me to lay back down with him so I did for about an hour then went back to my bed. Our 2 year old slept through the entire night without moving. They both woke up around 8:30 this morning and our 5 year happily announced that he would be sleeping on his own again tonight. This is going great. I'm very surprised at how well it's going. I'm just thinking that since things are going so pefectly that something will go wrong. Or, maybe, since I waited till they were older to sleep on their own that the transition is actually easier on them. I hope its the latter.

On another note, I think I'm doing better with this whole turning 30 ordeal/past quarter life crisis thingy. LOL. But I can tell I am increasinly concerned about my skincare and bodily care routine. I only wished I had been this way when I was younger. I admit I am somewhat possibly overly concerned about wrinkles around my eyes. I've been scouring the web, stores, and magazines for the perfect line -plumper-wrinkle-reducer-preventer-skin-lightener without plastic surgery miracle eye cream. Anyone know of any kind that works? I've looked at the 1oz containers of what I call miracle eye cream from Avon, L'oreal, Clinique and Oil of Olay. Does anyone swear by these products? Do they work? Am I wasting my money?

Additionally, I'm tired and busy as of late. I'm behind and can't seem to catch up. Two weekends of traveling with my husband to different college football games has gotten to me. We tooks the kids to one of them but not the other. I wasn't about to spend $20+ dollars per ticket for the kids to have tantrums in a 50,000+ crowd.

Either way I'm burnt out on going. The hubs can't quite understand why. I think I can handle one or two more games scattered throughout football season but I'd prefer the hubs to sit on his butt and look at the tv for the remainder of the season that just began.

Our 5.5 year old son also started Fall soccer up again. He is having so much fun and doing very well. We are delighted! At first he was hesitant to get involved with the other kids but he's doing great now.

Ok. Enough updates. I've wrote enough to confuse everyone.

*Know a mom with a toddler who blogs? Nominate them by emailing me or commenting on the toddler blog. We need a new Top Toddler Mom Blog for this week.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Project "Sleep In Your Own Bed"

Ok. So I've been super busy and the words project and management are ingrained in my head so I'm pretty much useless at this point in the night. This is actually the first time today (which is now tonight) that I have even been able to sit at my computer.

Anyway, tonight began project "Sleep In Your Own Bed" for our two boys and at this moment they are sleeping peacefully in their own bed and not mine. I'm hoping they can last through the night because I'm exhausted and I JUST want them to start sleeping by themselves. If not, we will do it all over again tomorow night. Any tips for ease of transition?

Stay tuned for tomorow's bed report. :)

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Kentucky Stereotypes

For some people making fun of Kentuckians is just that, fun! All they know is what they hear and see in movies. Kentucky has long been stereotyped as a place of coal miners, horse farms (which are exceptionally beautiful by the way), hillbillies, rednecks, and hicks. According to the rest of the world most of us women are pregnant, barefoot and pregnant, or barefoot +pregnant with no teeth. The men are characterized as uneducated love-to-fight redneck NASCAR fanatics with no teeth(sorry nascar fans, I'm not making fun of you. I just don't like the sport).

I’m here to put a stop to those stereotypes. Well, for myself anyway, because we’re not all like that. I’m not your stereotypical Kentuckian even though I am known to walk around barefoot…and I do have that Southern accent (which I LOVE by the way). I don’t want anyone else’s accent just like you don’t want mine. Isn’t nice that we are all different?

I’m sure I do have some hillbilly tendencies since I grew up in a small mountainous town with a population less than 500. I went on to a small town university two hours away and that is where we currently reside. Sure, you are going to see stereotypical people around town but don’t confuse me with them. I’m educated (MBA & BA in psychology). I have teeth (aren’t you excited?). I hate NASCAR (we’re football fans here). My husband is far from uneducated (unless you consider PHD candidates dumb) and far from redneck but it’s possible that he is a hillbilly geek if there is such a thing because when he wants to be, he sure is country. And, I’m country when I want to be. I like me some soup beans, cornbread, and killed lettuce. Anyone besides me know what that is? I don’t say y’all. I do say ain't. I don’t listen to country music except for the occassional Dixie Chicks song. I do have Southern Hospitality. Is it bad that I'm nice and don't mind making small talk with strangers? Contrary to popular belief, you can be smart, a good parent, and eat healthy and still live in KY.

Sure, we have a few redneck friends and country/hillbilly family but the love, family values and hospitality is so worth it. I’m sure once you hear my voice you would automatically assume I am dumb like Britney Spears. But you know what, I don’t think she is as dumb as everyone thinks. It’s the accent that gets her. If I had to pick a celebrity to reflect where I’m from, how I sound, and some hillbilly tendencies that I have, I would say for lack of better Southern choices, Britney Spears (minus her bad parenting decisions) or Ashley Judd. Go ahead and laugh. Do you think I really care? Does saying that make me sound dumb? If it does, then so be it.

Don’t we have better things to do in this world rather than poking fun at other people? Don’t get me wrong, I do it sometimes too especially when it comes to celebrities but I’m not likely to judge your everyday real people based on what state they come from. In all honestly, I don’t have one bad thing to say about any other state or the people in it. Sure, sometimes it makes for good writing and it’s funny but when it comes down to it, I’m just not like that. I'm not upset when someone makes a comment about the people in Kentucky because most of the time I know it's all in good fun. But I do want everyone to know I'm not your typical hillbilly.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

A Mom's week

It was beautiful outside yesterday. The weather and temperature were perfect. If only the weather could stay this way. Although it's not Fall just yet, it's starting to feel that way. Can you smell it?

After we ran some important errands yesterday, I took the boys outside to play. We had a blast playing golf in the yard with dollar store golf sticks. We played outside for 2 hours and I'll admit I had just as much fun as the kids. I've been very busy lately with my home business and this fun break was very much needed. I take the boys outside everyday but usually I let them play while I write, read, or catch up on some work on the laptop.

Since I started sticking to my new "get up a few hours before everyone" schedule, I've been feeling much more in balance. I guess as much as balanced as I can be anyway considering I work at home and both kids are at home.

A few days ago we ( my 5 year old & I) made this for our door. It's a fun Fall learning activity that we found online. Today my 5 year old and I are making a book. Yep, he wants to make his very own book. He can't read yet but he is very good at writing/copying words, coming up with ideas, and drawing so we are going to work together on this. I'll post some photos when we are done.

I've noticed lately that my comments section is pretty weak. So come on out and de-lurk today. If you read my blog, I'd love to know and I'll add you to my ever growing blogroll if you arent already there. It only takes a minute to leave a comment. :) *Oh, and I'm asking you on what you want to see here. Give me some suggestions on what you want me to share. I'm pretty open. I know I have a bunch more readers ( some new family & friends too) than comments so I'd just like to know who some (or all) of you are.

Also, if you haven't already go check out the top toddler mom blog and go look at some new blogging jobs I posted about on Jobs For Stay at Home Moms. It may be something for you.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

30th Birthday Ideas and More...

Yesterday I discussed my issues with turning 30 in this post and now I'm faced with another dilemna. Well, it's not a dilemna really. It's a choice I need to make quickly.

So for my 30th birthday, I can either have a big day-long costume party with family & friends (with a drunken after party) OR we (meaning the hubs, myself, and our 2 boys) can go on a mini vacation to the beach for 4 days. This would be during October. So, what should I do?

On another note, who watched Nip/Tuck last night? Is anyone else concerned about the storyline for this season? Surely they won't make Dr. Christian Troy gay, would they? Otherwise the show is going as expected and it held my interest especially after seeing Julian McMahon's ass. Normally, I'm not that into men's butts but this is a special situation. LOL.

*Go over and see our top toddler mom blog today and show her some comment love.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Turning 30

If I get it all out now, I may feel better when I turn 30 years old in October. Just writing the words 30. years. old. SCARES me. There are some things I thought would never happen to me. Turning 30 or just getting older for that matter WAS one of them. Getting older is downright frightening.

Starting next month, I can no longer say I'm in my twenties and I can't refer to myself as a "twentysomething". Honestly, I get anxious just thinking about it. I'm trying not to be whiny or be a baby about it but I just don't want to get older. Wouldn't it be nice if we could stay in our twenties forever? I'd be happy at 29 forever. I think. Ask me in a few years.

As I approach 30. I feel like I'm just beginning the soul searching, spirituality questioning, and the finding of who I truly am. When I was in my teens and early 20's, I thought I would be perfectly settled at 30. But my life is anything but settled. I never imagined my life with children. And, now I could not imagine my life without my children. I guess I just thought things would be different than they are now. I see people around us our age and realize that we are so not typical and I'm ok with that. I know some people think our life is one big busy-crazy mess. But to me it's what it should be.

(Me before kids: age 23) I've also realized that I have grown so much as a person in the last few years. I'm such a different person than I was five years ago. My boys are my world and having them has led me to what I am good at. If I hadn't become a mom, I dont think I would have ever pursued my own business. By my standards, my home business is successful. It has taken me time to get there, but I have a better income now than I have ever had before and I'm able to do it while staying at home with my children. I know that sounds like an advertisement from some get rich quick scheme on tv but it's true. I'm not sure if its luck or all the hard work over the past 3 years has finally paid off. Either way, I am content.

Some other things I have realized about myself are that I'm actually comfortable with who I am now. I like being me. I've realized that I have to do what is right for me and my family and not go by everyone else's standards or what is socially acceptable.

On a daily basis, people tell me I look way younger than my age and they jokingly ask what kind of well am I drinking from. I usually just smile and say I'm almost 30. Even though everyone around me says I look young, that still doesn't make me feel any better about turning 30. Because I'm still turning 30 and I'm still getting older no matter what and that makes me realize that life will not go on forever. It makes me realize that I have to cherish all the moments I have with my children, my family, my husband, and friends NOW.

I know turning 30 is not the end of the world but turning 30 is a HUGE turning point and makes you look back on what you have done so far with your life. I'm content with my life thus far and I'm hoping my 30's will be even better.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage

Lunch Lessons: A Review

It's no secret that school lunches are mostly unhealthy. Many of us grew up eating school lunches with menus such as pizza, corn, cookie, and whole milk. That, folks, is not healthy. Stinky jello, bloody chicken, and cardboard mashed potatoes was another one that I remember and thinking of that smell makes me want to puke. It's no wonder that I rarely ate school lunches.

I've been reading "Lunch Lessons: Changing The Way We Feed Our Children" and it's another eye-opener book for me.

Fortunately, my children are not in school yet and actually may be homeschooled so this is not currently an issue for my family personally but it could be in the future. However, I am still very concerned about the state of public schools in general and their lunch programs.

According to Lunch Lessons, "Seventy-eight percent of American school lunch programs do not meet USDA nutritional guidelines". Now that is a big percentage. School lunch menus definitely need some major change. Reformation needs to take place for the health our kids. Not only are the school lunch programs already unhealthy, many schools allow fast food chains to come in and serve meals. Who else agrees that this is ridiculous?

Lunch Lessons focuses on the importance of healthy eating habits in children and ways you can get involved to change school lunch. Lunch lessons also has several kid friendly recipes for you to try out and include in your child's lunch box.

What are you doing to make sure your child has a healthy lunch? Do your children eat school lunch or take their own healthy food in a lunch box?

*Also, go to Chef Ann Cooper's Lunch Lesson's website for more healthy school lunch sample menus and to be a part of the National School Food Challenge.

>Go to the Mom blog Homepage