Very MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!

I sincerely hope that all of you out there in cyberland have a blessed holiday season. Today I leave you with a song that came to me at just the right time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_6JQDsbtlM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

December, countdown to Christmas

It has been forever since I posted last! Well, don't worry, I have a new project going that will keep me coming back a lot for awhile. Hopefully I will provide you with something worthwhile to think over as I work on this new endeavor. I received an early Christmas present two weeks ago. The Hubby surprised me with an iPad! Woohoo! I am still trying to figure it out. This sucker works a bit differently than anything else I have worked with. Most everything that is available to me on my desktop PC is available in a condensed version on the iPad. This makes some things tricky. Things like editing my Pandora radio stations or this blog. So please bear with me as I update this blog over the next week. I didn't realize that my Glacier Niational Park background did not scroll for everyone looking. iPhones and iPads do not want to scroll. So for now I am going to drop the customized stuff and start working on making this blog nice to look at and most importantly, interesting to read!

Just 'cause...

I am posting these two music videos because....I just want to. :) Love these songs SO much I HAD to share.

First up: Flowers For A Ghost by Thriving Ivory


Next: Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds To Mars

Uplifting music! ? ! ?

Music is vital to me. Whenever my mind wanders to the blog, I always think of music posts. So here is another one!

As everyone knows, music can be so uplifting and inspirational. I have heard comments about not listening to negative music, so as not to bring yourself down. What is negative music? I thought I would post some examples of songs I find comforting, yet different styles.



These first two are similar, I guess. What makes them different to me is the Switchfoot song can relate to two different types of love.



And now to a different music feel...



How about one more?



I know some very precious people who need some comfort right now. This is for you. I hope you can find something to hold on to in this post.

It's been awhile..

I haven't put anything new on here in forever. I had some interest and so I will be making much more of an effort to keep up. :)

On a sad note, a dear friend of mine is moving away. She keeps me sane and strong and I will never enjoy Starbucks again without thinking warm thoughts. C, I will always have you on speed dial, but I will miss you terribly. Just know that you are mentioned often and fondly in my journal. Love you. And thanks for the flowers.

Getting down to the nitty gritty of this post. My awesome friend, C, is a fan of Eminem. It has taken me awhile to wrap my mind around this. I respect my friend greatly and didn't want to just brush this difference between us aside. She says that love him or hate him, you can't deny that he is real. My blog is a G-ish rated site and so I cannot post his music on here. I am providing a link to one of his songs. This song is explicit and not child friendly. You have been warned. Eminem and Rhianna have a very popular song out right now called "I Like the Way You Lie." This song is very popular now and I can find it on almost any time by surfing local radio stations. My question is, why? Many people might turn away from this song in disgust, but there is a reason why I hear it played so often in a day. There must be a reason why it is so popular. So I suppose there are really two questions. Why? What now?

Ot

I *heart* iVillage!!

I just screamed. Could you hear me? My kids did. They came running into the room asking me what was wrong and if I was ok. Then...they got confused as I stared at my computer screen with a bemused yet ecstatic look on my face. I'm going to see Eclipse. For free. With four friends. On Monday. That would be two days before it releases. I have many reasons to love iVillage already and this is just one more great reason.

Hahahaha!

We just got back from Avery's 5 year well check and getting ready for Kindergarten. There were the usual arguments and eye rolling and "you are such a bad mom" moments. I got home, settled in and checked my Facebook. Oh my gosh! What a perfect sentiment to how I feel!!! Any questions? If you just have to have this necklace, and have the cohones to wear it, you can get it at Woman Uncensored.

Pomplamoose - If You Think You Need Some Lovin

We love these people! In honor of Father's Day, I am posting The Hubby's favorite song of theirs. We were dancing in the kitchen this morning to their song. :o)

Happy Father's Day!

I wish all of the father's out there a wonderful day. The Hubby is working at the church today but later we will celebrate with a good meal and an early birthday celebration for Baby Doll.

Have you met my new passion?

Some morning, very early, if you drive through my neighborhood you might get a glimpse of me.

A friend suggested that one of my least favorite forms of exercise might be just the thing for me. How do I lose weight? How do I build tone but not bulk up, especially when bulking up is my body's natural response? Running! Wait..whaa...what?! So I have started running. Do you know how hard it is to drag yourself out of bed a full hour earlier than necessary...to RUN?! It's hard, but I did it. Now, two months later I am enjoying the routine of getting up extra early and starting my day out right!

I started out just a bit too eager though. Running too fast, too far, too soon = shin splints. Those don't just go away easily. So now I am on "active rest" and walking every morning instead. I am also finishing up the second half of the p90x workout. I am so excited to get back into running! See, that right there...is a complete 180 of my stand on running at any other point in my life. My kids are so in awe that I wake up super early (and if it's super early to them, then wow is it early!) to exercise and take care of my body. This is at least half the reason why I am doing this. My kids will fight the genetic battle of the bulge, and I want to help them start out healthy and with healthy habits. I want them to see me making that effort and enjoying it. If I end up losing 30 pounds and looking fabulous in my jeans, that is just a consequence I will have to endure. ;o)

Muse video from the movie Eclipse

There are several video clips from the movie Eclipse where I found this, on Yahoo! movies.

Woman Uncensored and jewelry.

Woman Uncensored is a blog and Facebook page that I enjoy checking in with from time to time. This woman is strongly opinionated. If you don't agree, you probably won't like her site. If you do agree she will be a breathe of fresh air. Today in particular I would like to point out her Freebie Fridays and her jewelry. I plan on getting at least one of these great necklaces. I'm thinking this one is a frontrunner at the moment.

People, take care of your eyes.

Do you wear contacts? Do you dispose of them within the given time frame? Am I the only one out there that doesn't? I try to make them stretch. I admit it. I also don't always wear them every day and often lose track of how old the contacts are. What do you think will happen if you keep wearing them? I had a vague idea that it was bad for me, but didn't have a clue. Guess what. Apparently you can go blind? And I'm halfway there. Because of drastically changing vision and a family history of diabetes I went to see the eye doctor. I have managed to damage my eyes so badly that I might never be able to wear contacts again. The damage is permanent and I am darn lucky that I didn't put that office visit off for another couple of months. I am so surprised and chagrined at my experience that I wanted to share with anyone who is listening. Take care of your eyes and toss the lenses after two weeks.

The real deal.

Well, the Hubby is now permanently inked. Here is his artwork. :)

An extremely talented young musician.

I opened up Yahoo! news a little while ago and was blown away by this amazing young artist. I had to jump on here and share. He's in 6th grade and amazing! I am linking to his somewhat famous version of Paparazzi in this blog, but check out his other original compositions as well. This kid is amazing! I would totally by his CD. I am so impressed that I had to share with you. :)

Henna

The Hubby got a henna tattoo this last weekend. This is a dry run for the real thing. What do you think?

Trailer #2 for Eclipse.

Again, I am a big fan so I'm posting this trailer. Enjoy. :o)

I have a headache.

I have a headache, so this post will be quick. I have had a very hard time maintaining "perky" lately. When I am not my usual perky self, I really don't feel like updating. I wish I had a great excuse for you, but that's it. I finally changed the background though. Aren't you glad? :o) P.S. I got to see Muse!

Taxes...naah. Birthdays...yeah!

Wishing my beautiful, fun and spunky niece a very Happy Birthday! Love you, Isa!

Fevers, music and mice.

So much for making up posts, right? Question: What happens when you spill a glass of water on the desk where your mouse is sitting? Answer: You don't get to play on the computer again until you buy a new mouse.

Now I have a working mouse and can get busy on that new background. I'm also pouting today. Today MUSE is performing here and I have two really expensive tickets to see them. I also have one sick kiddo running a fever. Life.Is.Cruel.

Mario Paint takes on the world!

You might not know what Mario Paint is. I'm sorry. Think old Nintendo awesomeness! :o) My kids and I love trying to figure out songs on this program. Because I am obsessed with Muse this week (more to come on that later) I have found this incredible mix of two fabulous worlds. So I would like to present you all with Mario Paint and Muse's Knights of Cydonia. Every little symbol makes it's own unique sound and tone depending on where you place it. This took major skill!

A little bit about my Muse obsession. They are like...one of my favorite bands E-V-E-R! They are performing here on Friday and so every post I make this week will have a Muse song or video attached to it in honor of that. Sorry if you are not a fan. I am...and this is what I am called to do as a major dorky fan. :o)

Hoping to have a new spring background loaded by tomorrow. Sorry about the delay. Also, this will be a busy posting week because I'm chatty and have so many posts to make up for since I have been absent for awhile.

Wait...woah...what month is it?

The last couple of weeks have just flown by. Busy busy busy. Some good, some bad, all stuff that needs time. So anyway...sorry I missed the start of April. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! We spent the day with family and some new friends. Thank God for women who see the time to come up alongside another to support and comfort.

So moving on to other things. While I am still working on bettering myself and my home, there is yet another project in the works. The hubby and I started P90X and we are now on week 4. That is a major time commitment. Here's my plug....it's great!

Have you ever tried yoga? I have dabbled in it off and on for several years now. Let me tell you, Yoga X kicked my tushy last night. I just was not bending. Yet I am so glad I worked out. Yoga takes balance, strength and I know it's corny but inner strength. My mind needs to either stay quiet and calm. I have that yoga has become an important part of my life. So try it! What do you think of Yoga?

Get ready for National Spring Cleaning week!

Well I would say this goes hand in hand with my recent theme. I have been busily working away in my home...and I have also been computerless for most of this last week. But I'm back! Aww...I know you missed me. :) So, on to the important stuff...

Are you starting your spring cleaning this week? Are you planning on doing any at all? Do you have any tips that you can share with us? Here is a website from last years big Spring Cleaning week. As someone who needs to be accountable, I am about to share my accomplishments and goals.

Remember the kids' books and all that mess? That is such a problem area in our house. Everything is moved to it's proper place and books are sorted and weeded through, but it is still a constant mess. *sigh* I was hoping reorganizing would solve the problem but that isn't meant to be. Now I know it will always be a challenge and be ready for it. I also cleaned out my clothes and closet, along with the kids. Winter clothes got packed away and summer clothes came out to play in the dresser drawers. Part of this effort involves trying clothes on. Not such a big deal for the kids, but for me?....so I have been working out with P90X and watching what I'm eating very carefully. Never the less that is not a miracle and I have a lot of hard work ahead of me. For now, I am topping the scales at the heaviest I have ever been, even while pregnant. Sorting through my clothes was thoroughly depressing. I think the most depressing part is that I will have to get some summer clothes that fit my "new" body. There is no way I will lose the weight I need to before I need something to wear besides the one pair of jeans that I have that fit and some sweatshirts. I am so freakin' motivated that by the end of the summer I will be one hot mamma. I hope.. I pray.. I beg

This morning I shampooed my front room carpet! I normally don't use shampoo ever and stick with hot water rinses, but my carpet needed it this time. After that the kids and I moved outside to clean up the back yard and back patio. We were super productive. Does that mean that I get to take the rest of the week off? Oh wait, no, wrong idea...I'm supposed to keep going strong. What is next? Tonight I do the carpets in the family room and tomorrow I clean out the garage. Wish me luck! And good luck to you too. :o)

Guilty pleasure

I just wanted to post this somewhere that I can go to frequently and watch it over and over again. :o)

Frogs, shoes, beds and aprons.

How do you start out your day? In my quest to become a more successful homemaker I am exploring it all. Here are a few things I have come across in my search. Basically, the idea is the same behind it all.

Eat your frog! Look at that cute little guy. Can't you just imagine swallowing him whole? Yuck, no. So, you need to start out your day doing your least favorite job. Eat your frog first thing and everything after that is a bonus.


Get dressed! Whether you are going out for the day or staying in, get dressed. And that means right down to your shoes. Put them on and lace them up. You are ready to go. Personally I prefer a sensible pair of heels to sneakers, but whatever floats your boat. :)




Make your bed as soon as you get out of it. Don't put it off and don't ignore that chore as being unimportant. Along these same lines, clean your sink before bed. Wake up and made your bed and have a sparkly clean sink at the end of
the day.


I have tried it all in an effort to motivate myself to have an extremely productive day. Through trial and error I think I have found what works best for me. I put my apron on. The other day I was chatting on the phone with a friend and mentioned putting my apron on. She knows me well and started laughing, saying "watch out, Mandy's getting busy!"

Bon Jovi

I can now seriously cross something off my bucketlist. I saw Bon Jovi live! I could listen to them all day every day and be deliriously happy. They are not just one of my all time favorite bands, they have been one of my most favorites for a long time.

In the first picture, that is Jon singing Bed or Roses. He was singing right to me. I swear. My friends even saw him point in my general direction. Never mind that I was in the farthest seat away from the stage in the arena. He was singing to me. *sigh*

This next picture was taken during the same set. This was the time he was in the audience. The rest of the time he was dancing that good lookin' bod of his around the stage with the rest of the band, including Richie Sambora.





Thanks to Summer, Jenn, Mike and Kristin (both not pictured) I got to see them perform Wednesday night! So my brain has been pretty much mush while I come to terms with the awesomeness of this. That's my update. :)

Today is the official launch of my part in the Snyder's declutter challenge. I have several areas prepared for this weekend, depending on how well things go. Tomorrow is Z-man's birthday party so I have to have the house looking somewhat presentable. I don't want to get too optomistic, so I will keep it real and start with one area.


The childrens' books. They have lots and lots of books. I am mostly pleased with this, but have been thinking in terms of decluttering. Do you remember my post about twaddle free literature. My kids are blessed to have a lot of cherishable stories to jump right into. I do believe, in that mess of paper and binding, that there a more than a few twaddle full books as well. I am not just going to find a neat and tidy spot for the books, I am also going to sort through them. I have never been one to part with my beloved books, but I think I need to be ruthless when it comes to this messy corner of our home.

Now I'm going to go charge up with some fresh grapefruit and toast and then get to work!

http://www.thesnyder5.com/2010/01/500-pound-declutter-great-declutter.html

You know I was just talking about my declutter project yesterday. I need to be accountable. And then what do I find?! This great declutter challene from the Snyder family! Not only are they on a major decluttering challenge, they weigh in. Their goal over there is 500 pounds of clutter to get rid of. Already over 300 pounds, I think they are well on their way. So here I am, joining their challenge. This is a great challenge and I encourage any of you who are reading to participate.

For my first area of challenge I am going go retroactive. Sure, some might call it cheating, but I don't see the need to throw ugly words around. :) At the end of last week I decided to switch my bookshelf and computer desk. I wanted the desk, and internet, in a more public place. And the bookshelf...oh my! The kids destroyed it on a daily basis, leaving books and papers scattered all over the floor.



Look at me! I was so proud of being all burly and moving the furniture that I had to show this off. I moved that sucker a couple of feet! The Hubby moved it across the house, but I moved it a couple of feet! I know, I'm just awesome like that. :) The books are all put nicely back on the bookshelf in my bedroom. Sorry, forgot to take a picture of that. The desk and computer is all put back together and functional. I am so glad I made this switch.

Next up...the kids' books...

My mission.

I am strong. I am smart. I am willing. I am capable. I will succeed.

Another fad diet. Another New Year's resolution that we give up on. Another failure. Right? Wrong! I am a born clutter bug. I have the hardest time making sure everything is put away in it's rightful spot, if it even has one. It's like that part of my brain is missing. We have always had a messy home. Now I don't mean that something is going to reach up and grab you when you sit down to pee messy. Someone recently pointed out to me that clean and tidy are different things. So just to clarify...there is no danger of the dust bunnies eating you at my house. Throughout my 10 years as a homemaker, I have always battled the clutter. I want things put away. I want things nice and tidy and pleasant to look at. I want a peaceful and calm atmosphere to my home for my family to enjoy. Instead, we live in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). Have you ever met the Flylady? If you are like me and live in CHAOS, she is a great place to start. I am determined to get this homemaking thing right. I try and try to organize and reorganize, but with little to no lasting effects. This time will be different! This time I am approaching this as a lifestyle change. I need to live differently to pull this off. And with four kids tearing up the house on top of my clutter problem, I need to pull this off. I am putting myself out there. I am being accountable to you. Who knows, there could be hundreds of readers checking on my progress daily?! LOL..*snort* So today's post is to just let you know to expect more updates on my progress. I will triumph!

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm not much of a celebrator of Valentine's Day. I don't exactly have anything against it, but it's not up on my list of favorite holidays. Nevertheless, I would like to take a moment to reflect...

I love my husband. 12 1/2 years together and 10 1/2 of those married has brought a lot of ups and downs. For better or worse, he is my other half. I love you, baby.

I love my kids. Most of the time I am figuratively drowning in complaining and messes to clean up. It doesn't matter though, not when I get those hugs and smiles and "I wuv you"'s. I L.O.V.E. my kiddos!

I love my family. I am so very fortunate to have many supportive family members. They say you can pick your nose and pick your friends but you can't pick your family. Even if I could, I wouldn't want anyone different.

I love my friends. My friends are some of the most amazing women and men that I could ever imagine sharing my life with.

Ok, I got my warm fuzzies out. Now...who do you love?

Honorable mention giveaways.

There are two more very readable blogs involved in the Simple Media launch. They are also hosting some great giveaways.

First up I would like to mention Simple Homeschool for all of you committed homeschooling moms and dads out there. I am loving these prizes too, but I have not entered to win as I do not currently homeschool. It is definitely worth checking out for the prizes and for the excellent resource that it is, too.

Next up is Simple Marriage. Again, I think this blog is worth subscribing too! I have entered to win for these giveaways. There is a $50 giftcard to Victoria's Secret, a free 1 year subscription to Pear Budget, and a couple's game called A Private Affair: The Erotic Game of Secrets, Plans and Promises for Couples. The fun doesn't stop there but continues with a copy of the author of the blog's book, A Simple Marriage and also a book called Sweeping Her Off Her Feet With Food by Eric Lee.

Simple Organic Launch Giveaway.

Time is running short on this one. Just one more day to win some great gifts in this giveaway from Simple Organic. Up for grabs is a very nice soap kit from Laundry Tree, a Bummis Organic Cotton Diapering kit, and one Diva Cup of your choice. I have been very interested in trying one of those. The lucky winner will also receive a free custom cereal capsule from [me] & Goji (this is such a cool idea!) and one copy each of Amanda Blake Soule's books. People, these are unbelievable giveaways. Go to Simple Organic now and check it out!

You've gotta check out this giveaway.

As part of the launch for Simple Living Media, Simple Kids is offering a fun giveaway. A lucky reader will be winning a subscription to The Book of Days, an engaging series of ebooks. That same reader will win a Multi-Play Soccer Station from a creative toy store, HearthSong. Last up for the winner from the Simple Kids site is something on my very own wishlist. Amanda Blake Soule will be giving a copy each of her books The Creative Family and Handmade Home. You can find out more about her fabulous books at her blog, SouleMama. So head over to Simple Kids and enter to win!

This is some giveaway!!

Hello everyone out there. I have a super fabulous giveaway to tell you about. Head over to Simple Bites to enter this contest. If you win this giveaway contest you walk away with a basket stuffed full of treats galore! Here's what's on the menu... a 25 bean bundle of Bourbon Vanilla beans PLUS a sample of pure vanilla powder from I Heart Vanilla; one Diamond Edge Gourment Electric Knife and Scissors Sharpener from Smith's; one hardcover copy of Blog Aid: Recipes for Haiti; one of each of the following Canterbury Naturals products: Savory Herb and Cheese Tortellini Soup, Old World Sundried Tomato Flatbread, and Northwest Apple Cake Mix.... Oh! And that's not all! Also, the lucky winner will receive a Keurig Platinum Single Serve Brewer KUB70.

Run over there now and enter to win!

Simple Mom giveaway!

Amazing giveaway prizes at Simple Mom!! A gorgeous pearl necklace from One Pearl, where they donate 100% of their profits to non-profit organizations that benefit children's health and education. A package of 365 overlays from the delightfully talented Ali Edwards. Also, you have a chance to win an annual subscription to the wonderfully simple Seeing the Everyday magazine. Please check out this link to find out more!

The healing power of onions!

I haven't been posting much lately because our family has been down and out with the sickies. Croup type nastiness all around. It has caused a usual problem for me and I decided that I would share a solution with this first foray back to the blog. I have teeny tiny ears. That means I also have teeny tiny eustachian tubes. When I get a cold or react to seasonal allergies, my tubes fill up with fluid. That fluid causes the them to swell up and get inflamed and they don't get better on their own. Besides feeling like my head is full of water, sloshing around, another side effect is I lose hearing. Right now you could probably speak at normal volume against my left ear and I wouldn't hear it. That rather unpleasant side effect has me craving an onion.


You take an onion and slice it in half. Place each ends of the onion, cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake it in the oven...this part I'm a bit fuzzy on, at about 350 for just a few minutes. You want the onion as hot as you can stand it without burning. Grab the onion with a potholder and hold it against your ear. This will relieve the pressure of the fluid build up and will begin to drain the fluid. Plus, you are gonna smell great! :o) This is a tried and true temporary cure. I am ready for my onion perfume today. By the way...I have mentioned this to my ENT doctor. Someday I will need tubes, but for now this is my quick relief. He laughed it off and said to use a hot pack against my ear and that "it will do the exact same thing." It doesn't. It feels good and relieves a bit of pressure, but nothing like the onion.

Onions having healing properties. You have probably heard about the awesome goodness of garlic. If you haven't, don't worry, there will be a future post. ;o) Not as many people have heard about the healing power of an onion. Would you like to know more? Find out how onions can lower blood pressure at Foods That Heal: Onion. Find some more healing properties at The Healing Power of Onion.

Happy Birthday X2!

to our beautiful, bright, FUN niece. Rylee, you are great girlie!
to The Hubby. Today is your day, baby. Hope you have a good one.

This looks like an amazing movie!

Thanks to iVillage, I have seen a preview for this new HBO movie. For anyone blessed to have an autistic person in their lives, you know what a delight they can be. I can't wait to see this.

Trailer

Valentine card giveaway!

I am not joking with you. I literally snorted my coffee in an attempt to not spit it out all over my computer screen this morning when I read this. I have to get my hands on this card! :o) This one is my favorite, but there are many more to choose from too. Check out Petit Elefant for the details. Minted is fast becoming my favorite card store.

Puddle jumpers.

We are late. We really can't deal with getting soaked right now. Do you have to destroy your shoes like that? Ugh!! Some of the many reasons why I am always telling the kids to stay out of the rain and puddles.

Today, I realized it would be a perfect day for jumping in puddles! With their jammies still on, and Baby Doll sporting her favorite cowboy boots, we took the plunge.

I would ask you if you can just see the excitement on their faces, but Duder looks a little bit frightened more than happy. Don't let this photo fool you. They were loving it! Have you jumped in a puddle lately? Take time to "smell the roses." Or, in this case, skip through the water until you get thoroughly wet.

Twaddle free zone.

I learned a new word today. Twaddle. Charlotte Mason, a pioneer in children’s education during the 19th century, coined this term. I am getting my information here from SimpleMom, one of my favorite places to be online. Twaddle means dumb-downed literature; absence of meaning. Wow. This was profound to me! There have been many times when I have wondered why a book is just so darn good and enjoyable. There have been far too many more times when I wonder why a book isn't sparking the tiniest bit of enjoyment out of me. I am on a quest to find the best twaddle-free books out there to enjoy with my children. I will be starting to post about some of the books out there that I would highly recommend. Books that my children have gotten hours and hours of entertainment out of. Books which stay with me still, to this day. I have no idea if all of these books are award winning stories. I would still like to share with all of you. And I have a request from you. Please, oh please, share some of your favorite stories in the comments section. Let's specify the catagory a bit. The books should be from children's literature to young adult. Leave me a comment and I will be sure to showcase your book. :o)

Z-Man...what a cool dude!

We wanted to share our news that Z-Man got his first pair of glasses! He didn't realize that he even needed any, but come to find out he really did! He and I have almost the same prescription and I couldn't read anything more than 3 feet away from me. This answers the question why he keeps "forgetting" to copy down his vocabulary words from the board. He says now it's a whole new world! It is so neat to see how excited he is to see things!

Little Mama's strawberry smoothies

Little Mama is getting to be quite an accomplished cook. I am not a big smoothie fan. I like them well enough, but usually can't stand to drink a whole glass. Little Mama's most recent time in the kitchen produced the best strawberry smoothies E.V.E.R.!








We all had strawberry smoothie mustaches by the end of our little pig out. I know you must be dying to find out what the recipe is now, so I won't keep you waiting any longer. :o) Little Mama was so excited to share this with all of you reading on the blog.



Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
1 cup frozen unsweetened whole strawberries
1 6-ounce carton vanilla low-fat yogurt
3/4 cup low-fat milk
Fresh whole strawberries (optional)


1. Remove the peel from the bananas and throw away. Place the bananas on the cutting board. Use the knife to cut bananas into chunks.

2. Put banana chunks, frozen strawberries, yogurt, and milk in the blender.

3. Cover the blender with the lid and blend on high speed until the fruit mixture is smooth. Turn off the blender. Pour mixture into the serving glasses. Use the rubber scraper to get all of the drink out of the blender. If you like, top the drinks with whole strawberries. Makes 3 servings.

~~~~

I also had to show a picture of our cute Little Mama putting her Christmas present to good use.

Sharing some great links.

All I'm saying is this site makes me want another baby. ;o) Faith Inspired Babywear.

This is a new discovery for me, Christian Women Online. I am just looking through this site. I got so excited about it I wanted to share it with all of you.

For the next post...Little Mama's delicious strawberry smoothie! Stay tuned.

Socks.

When the two year old is frantic to go outside and play and the laundry is not washed, it does not matter if he wears his sister's frilly socks. :)

I love my friends!

Friday, January 8, I was surprised by my wonderful friends and hubby with a surprise birthday party. I was completely clueless to the moment I saw them and heard "Surprise!" If you want tips on how to throw the absolute best birthday bash, sending them my way and I will get you answers!

The night was awesome. So many laughs my abs hurt the next day! I have gotten my hands on some of the pictures taken that night. I would love to share with you all of the pictures that show what a great time we were having. I haven't had time to ask my friends about posting their pictures, so I will make this post all about me and show myself off.

I did enjoy this fabulous red wine that the Hubby got for me and in some of the pictures I am looking quite silly. I will try not to embarrass myself too bad. Right here, I am enjoying a chocolate martini. Yep, that's right. A chocolate martini. Fantastic, lovely friends. Check. Incredible food (italian garden salad, shrimp pasta, lasagna, french bread and appetizers). Check. So many laughs I was in pain the next day. Check. The best red wine out there and chocolate martinis. Check. What more could a girl possibly ask for? :o)

A big one.

There is a rumor going around. Something about today being my birthday? My 30th birthday, no less! As if... ;o) You betchya! I joined the 30 club today! Thank you to everyone sending those great birthday wishes. I am having a great day. I started the morning out with Holy Yoga, which I thought was great, went to a good bible study and am now sitting down to vegitate in front of the computer before getting ready to go out on a date with the Hubby.

On a lighter note...

This seems extra silly following a serious post, but are you up for a laugh? I stumbled across this and laughed so hard I had to share! For those of you who have been hiding under a rock (because even non Twilight fans have been bombarded with Twilight news whether they like it or not), the actor wearing the "Team Edward" shirt is the actor who plays Jacob in the movies.

To Save A Life

Have you heard about this movie? To Save A Life. I encourage you all to see this movie, and to pass it on. While many stories have a great message, this one undoubtedly does. There was a boy in junior high. A sweet and quiet boy. We talked in the classes we were in together. We could have been better friends if I wasn't so shy. I wonder what excuse everyone else had. The next year he wasn't at school. He ended his life that summer. What could I have done? I could have been a friend. I learned my lesson. I hope to pass on the message.

Are the kids bored?

Do they like to play on the computer and internet? My kids love to play on the computer. I have several great sites bookmarked that I would like to share with you. Today I am sharing about iKnowthat.com. Any time that I can combine learning and fun, is a great time! Little Mama could use some help with her math. Got that covered at this site. Z-man loves all things science and I am always looking for something interesting for him. Another thing this site has covered. We have been visiting it a lot over break. Hope this link is helpful to you!

Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be great!!