You Capture - Feb 25

I am so excited about this weekly challenge. You see Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry has the same camera I do but that girl is talented! Have you seen her pictures? My camera can do that... at least I think it can. Not too sure about the lady behind the camera. So I figured if I participate I can figure our how to use this wonderful camera and maybe how to edit pictures???

The first You Capture challenge was to "Take a picture of something you love... without the flash". So the hard part was trying to find something beyond the obvious kids, hubby, my Twilight series.

So my first thought was... I can sneak Twilight into this. My favorite paragraph.

Like how the page is marked? But then I thought you all are going to think I am a nut. So I thought harder what do I really love and it hit me.

Cuddle Stuff

On the left are K's (5) "Mommy Blanket" and Perry and on the right B's (2) Thomas the Train blanket and his Taggie. K's blanket was my bedspread when I was a kid. My Dad had it cut down and made into a blanket for my daughter.

In our house just before bedtime is cuddle time. The kids run and get their cuddle stuff and they each pick out a book and we cuddle and I read B's book and K reads her book to us. This is my favorite part of the day. It's the thing I look forward to most.

What I learned this week - Feb 24

I learned this week that I never know what to say, that it's hard for me to put my thoughts into words that really express how I am feeling.

Last week I read a post that I wanted so badly to comment on but I had no idea how to put into words how worried I am, how much I ache for the writer, how much their words inspire me; without coming off like a stalker.

Last week I must have started at least 100 @ replies on Twitter only to delete thinking someone was going to think I was annoying.

Last week my Mom got some potentially horrible news and I had no idea what to say to calm her, to make everything all right, to let her know that I was there without physically being there.

Then when Mom was told the news wasn't as critical as first believed to be I couldn't put into word how happy I was. Nor could I explain to her my intense hope that she takes this news and does what she knows she needs to do to prolong her her life.

It's funny because if you knew me you would know that I am never at a loss for words... the problem is I am at a loss for the right words. I learned that I need to stop worrying about what other people will think about what I say or write and just do it. Speak from heart. I'll be working on that this week.

For more What I Learned This Week visit Musings of a Housewife.

Little Miss Matched

When I first heard about Little Miss Matched I thought what I great idea for socks and they are so cute. Then I went out to their website and found out they are more then just socks. There are pj's, bedding, flips flop (SO CUTE!), furniture, accessories, books, toys and even things for Mom and Dad.

What you have never heard of Little Miss Matched? Look around... make sure the kids are out of the room... if not you are going to hear "Oh MOMMY I want that... look how cute... those are MUST haves Mom". Or maybe that's just my 5 year old fashion diva.

Little Miss Matched's philosophy is "nothing matches but anything goes!" Thanks to Mom Fuse we recently had the opportunity to try the Girls Marvelous fuzzy socks. You're probably thinking cute a pair of socks... but there is more. Instead of a pair of socks you get 3 socks that are miss-matched (get it?) but all 3 go together perfectly. You can pick any combination of the 3 to wear together.

My daughter got hers just in time for Valentine's Day and she was so excited to show them off. She had to put them on the second I opened the package. The girl is all about the fuzzy socks. The thing that stood out to me was that they didn't fall down. My daughter has lots of fuzzy socks that tend to slip down, fall off or get stuck in the bottom of her shoes. These socks are so cute! K was pulling up her pants leg all day to show off her socks. She has worn her socks every chance she has had and already sent the website to Nana in hopes that they can get matching Miss Matched fuzzy socks and these tights. Don't tell her but Mommy is getting some too and maybe some of those cute flip flops

Winners!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my 1st give away. The winners were Thao and Shannon B who will be receiving their PakNaks in the mail. I can't wait to hear how you like them.

Keep checking back, I'll have another give away soon.

What I Learned This Week - Feb 17

This has been a very educational week so it's time for a What I Learned This Week list.

• Having house guests and keeping the house organized and clean does not always mix.
• Buying a new washer and dryer makes doing laundry so much quicker, but that also means that the folding needs to happen much quicker... I am not a folder.
• Taking the 5 year old to see High School Musical on Ice isn't that bad... especially when Troy is sporting a 24-pack. Yes there was nudity can you believe it. And you should have heard the Moms howling with delight.
• When it rains in California no one leaves the house except maybe to run to Home Depot to start building that ark. This means there are no lines in the Starbucks drive thru.
• When Nana comes to visit and offers to watch the kids so you and hubby can go on a date - GO! It was so nice to hang out with the hubby.
• When you have been married for awhile and have a couple of kids a date consists of dinner and a Target run... so romantic.
• When you know that one of your favorite shows will be starting on Feb 15th set the dvr right away otherwise you will forget and miss the 1st episode of Amazing Race.

For more What I Learned This Week visit Musings of a Housewife.

My Magical World

Thanks to Mom Fuse we received the My Magical World DVD to review. From their website My Magical World uses colorful character to encourage young viewers to read. Each DVD also contains a full color 32 page companion book along with bonus features.

When we started the DVD I was impressed by all the options. You could add sign language to the story, there were song, and A Rhyme Time game of Who am I. My daughter wanted to play the game first. It was fun for her. A poem was read that describes something and she needed to guess what it was and after she guessed (a lion) the narrator talked all about lion. My 2 year old ran around screaming LION LION. The kids had a lot of fun playing this game.


My 2 year old liked the stories but my 5 year old got a little bored after a few minutes. She found it a little hard to follow because some of the characters were hard to understand and she can’t quiet read to follow along in the book. My 2 year old wanted to keep watching. He really liked Sammy the Book Jumper.

There are also some songs to listen to. Again my 2 year old loved them but my 5 year old had never heard them and they didn’t capture her attention. The Bubble Song was B's favorite.

I think the age limit on this may be a little more toward the lower range of the 2-6 that the DVD advertises for.

For more information on My Magical World you can go to their website at http://www.cleargatekids.com/.

What I learned this week

I am sure this is something you all knew already. You probably are going to laugh and me and wonder what rock I have been hiding under. I haven't been hiding I swear. I don't know why I didn't realize this before. So here's what happened.

A friend mentioned that she found a really good recipe on a blog. You probably already know where I am going with this. So I have read the Twilight series (twice) and was looking for something to keep me preoccupied so I visited the blog. I fell in love. Really I did... with a blog. I mean have you all read this or tried this or took a look at this?

I learned this week that I *heart* Pioneer Woman.

Head over to Musings of a Housewife for more What I Learned This Week and don't forget to check out my PakNak's giveaway.

Pak Naks and a GIVEAWAY - CLOSED!

**UPDATE - the 1st winner has been notified by e-mail. After the winner picks their 2 PakNaks I will e-mail the 2nd winner. If winner does not respond within 48 hours I'll select a new winner. THANKS for entering my giveaway!"

The first time I saw PakNaks was on on another blog and I thought they looked really cute. When I was offered the chance to review them for Mom Fuse I said sign me up!

My daughter loves things that set her apart. Things that make her stand out and things that make other people say "how cute" I think so she has an excuse to talk to them. I am one of those mean Moms that will not let her have a character backpack. I don't like the idea of Hannah Montana hanging around with her all day nor do I want her teased for her love of the Backyardigans. The moment she laid eyes on the PakNaks she screamed "These are so cool MOM can I put them on my backpack?" and she didn't even realize that exactly one of the things she could do with them.

From their website PakNaks are: PakNaks are fun soft rubbery 3-D decorations for kids (and adults too!) to personalize all of their stuff. Backpacks, lunchbags, headbands, computer bags, household items, the list is only limited by your imagination.

They remind me of those little tiny things that people put on their Crocs. But these are so much more. The are BIG. Each on is about the size of my 5 year old's hand. They have a really strong adhesive on Velcro and will stick to anything. I let my daughter pick two to put on her backpack. She picked:

And here's how easy they are to put on:

PakNaks are GREAT! There are so many styles to choose. Check out their website to see all the great styles available.

You know what else is great... I have 4 PakNaks to give away! Here is a picture of the 4 I have to giveaway.

Here's what to do.

Go to the PakNaks website and come back here and let me know in the comments which PakNak is your favorite. I will select 2 winners at random on Monday, February 16th at 12pm pacific time. The 1st person selected will get to choose from Robert the Robot, Tabby the Penguin, Martin the Monkey or Isaac the Turtle. The 2nd person selected will get the other 2 PakNaks. (US shipping Only) You must have a valid e-mail address to win. If you do not respond to my e-mail within 48hours I will select a new winner. Thanks and GOOD LUCK!

Vitamin Shampoo

Thanks to MomFuse I recently received some Vitamin shampoo and conditioner to try. I received the noni berry and lemongrass. I really like the containers.
A picture from their website

They are thin, tall and don't take up that much room in the shower. My favorite part of this product- the scent! My hair smells so good just ask the Hubby. He loves it too. I like a shampoo and conditioner that leaves your hair smelling good but not too floral or over the top. It's just the perfect amount of berry/citrus type smell.

The first time I washed my hair I noticed the label said "sulfate free" and "paraben free". Honestly I have no idea what that meant so I looked at the other shampoos I have and they all have sulfate and paraben in their ingredient list. So off the the net to investigate. You know you can find anything on the net! From what I can find products that are sulfate free don't strip the natural oils, they are milder to your skin and they are non-stinging or tear-free. It also looks like recent studies are starting to find some problems with paraben. I am not a scientist so I won't go into the deals you can google it. All I know is that my hair was soft, smooth and smelled really good and that's what I am looking for in a shampoo and conditioner.

Another thing I like - you can find this product at major stores. So many time you find something you like but you have to order online and pay extra shipping. They have Vitamin Shampoo at Wal-Mart and coming soon to Target. When I run out I will definitely try Vitamin Shampoo again I really want to try the pomegranate blackberry. I bet that smells great.