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.

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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!!