Life With Katie

Guest Post: Mamavation Support

2012-01-28T16:38:00.000-05:00

My name is Andrea Emilien. I am a 37 year old happily married woman with gets to be a stay-at-home-Mom to my two kids. I am also a best friend, daughter, sister.....and a binge eater.

Yes, that's right. I'm a binge eater.

For years, and I mean like 25+ years, I've kept this hidden. From my parents, from my best friend of 20 years, from my husband. No one knew because that was what I wanted. But I have come out of the closet so that I can be a better person, a healthier person. And so I can fix me.

Since I've had kids, it has always been about them - what they need. I think all Moms do the same thing. We put ourselves on the back burner for our families. But I can't do that anymore. Taking care of myself IS taking care of my family. If I am not healthy, how can I show my kids to be healthy? How can I be the role model that I should be for them?

My inspiration and motivation is a little selfish too - I don't want my kids to ever be embarrassed by me. I don't want to be the fat Mom, the Mom that my son or daughter doesn't want to be seen with. The hardest thing I have ever done was to not cry when my daughter saw a diet pill commercial and turned to me and said "Mommy, you need those pills so you can be skinny too."

For this reason, I am applying to be a Mamavation Mom.

What the heck is a Mamavation Mom?? It's a 7-week online boot camp where two Mom's lives are put on public display. They learn basic and essential skills from professionals while sharing their struggles and tribulations with the Mamavation community. The goal is to start the path to healthy living so they can then in turn pass along the information they learn to their families and stop the obesity trend.

I've completely changed my lifestyle. I'm working hard to be a better role model. My kids and I exercise together. We are all eating better. I've gone to a gluten-free, lactose-free and egg-free diet and I feel so much better!! I've been working hard to make this change for my family and I would love to be able to benefit from the further instruction of the Mamavation leaders and the professionals who give their time for the campaign. I also want to inspire other Mothers like me who feel trapped in their body with their own secrets. I want my public fight with obesity to be something others can look to and feel like they have a chance also.

Please, take a minute to consider my story and my intentions. I would love your vote for Mamavation Mom. You can watch my video and vote HERE.

Want to connect? I am friendly. :) You can find me on Facebook or Twitter. I love new friends!!

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Hi all! Andrea is just one of the incredible women that I've met through Mamavation. I would encourage all of you to jump right in there and vote for her and this life changing process.

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Comic Book Announcement: Ursa Minor

2012-01-26T10:53:00.002-05:00

Coming soon to a comic book shop near you! Actually, this new mini series will be released in May, starting with an event at the Phoenix Comic Con (which I will be attending!). Ursa Minor is written by Penny for Your Soul and Legend of Oz: The Wicked West creator Tom Hutchison and is penciled by rising star Ian Snyder.*

*Both of which I hope to interview for an upcoming series entitled Life in Comics.

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(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T12:22:00.000-05:00

It's Wednesday and that means one of my favorite posts of the week! I admit that I'm still not into the habit of taking pictures on a regular basis, but I did happen to snap some this past week.

This is Peter, Megan (his new girlfriend) and Ben at last Friday night's hockey game. Sadly, the Spartans won (they were playing LSSU where I went to school) but a great time was had by all. I have to say that it's nice to do things as a family "group" versus an us and them attitude.

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Tackle It Tuesday : Clean Life Challenge Week 4

2012-01-23T13:31:00.000-05:00

Can y'all believe that we're already on week 4? I feel like this year is already speeding up and flying by even faster than last year! How did y'all do on Week 3? I admit that I didn't get mine done until Sunday afternoon. I had the boys here for a 4 day weekend and it always feels like chaos ensues. I wouldn't change having them here though. I just have to learn how to fit things in. We did do 6 loads of laundry though! We still have quite a bit more to do but at least we all have clean clothes now! We also have this:

That's right! Open space! I threw out a bunch of things and shifted some of the rest. The only thing left up on that shelf is 2.5 boxes of lasagna noodles. That's the major inspiration for me adding lasagna to my menu list for this week. The boys will be here and they love it, plus I certainly have some of the ingredients on hand! Time to use up some of that.

For this upcoming week, we're headed into our bathrooms. If you're like me, you have at least one drawer in there that starts out organized and yet somehow becomes the bathroom junk drawer. I totally admit to having one. In fact, do you want to see it? Here it is:

Yep, there it is in all its..glory? Pill bottles, kids shower stuff and who knows what else. Time to sort through that and put it back to a condition where I can actually find things. Since I have medications in that drawer and you might too, I'm going to remind us all that there are right and wrong ways to dispose of medications. If you're unsure on what to do with something, check out what the FDA has to say.

Until next week, happy organizing your way to a house full of yay locations!

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Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-23T13:16:00.000-05:00

Welcome to a new week! It's Monday and that means adding something new to my weekly schedule. This week, I'm adding back in meal planning. Without it, we spend too much having pizza delivered. Now, don't get me wrong, I could order out every single night, but if we want to get anywhere financially or health wise, it's time for me to get my tuckus back into the kitchen. I actually really like to cook and if I keep doing my Tuesday challenges, my kitchen will get back into the order it needs to be in for me to not trip over things while I try to do it!

Monday - Mac n Cheese (possibly adding in tuna/peas)
Tuesday - Salt n Pepper Pork Chops with salad
Wednesday - White Cheddar Chicken Pasta
Thursday - Easy Peasy Calzones
Friday - Out for Roger's birthday
Saturday - Lasagna
Sunday - Baked BBQ Chicken w/ Salad & Garlic Smashed Potatoes

So there we go...one menu and wow it sounds yummy. I just hope that I can go to the next step and actually cook this delicious food. I guess you'll find out next week. ;)

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Comic Book Review: Corey the Zombie Killer

2012-01-22T12:40:00.002-05:00

I know what you're thinking. What in the heck is Katrina doing? Zombies? The girl is the biggest wuss known to wussdom and suddenly she's doing reviews on books that have the word zombie in the title? Has she lost her mind? Is she smokin' something? Has she finally cracked? Will she ever be the same? Why did it take her months to figure out that CZKWorld probably stood for Corey the Zombie Killer World? Are fruit snacks really a breakfast food?

Ok, or maybe you're just curious but not really having an entire internal dialogue like I just did. Just remember, I have never, in all of my 12+ years of blogging, claimed to be entirely sane or psychologically balanced.

Keep that in mind as I tell you about CZKWorld Studios' Corey the Zombie Killer. I first met the guys behind this book at the Detroit FanFaire back in September and after a couple of months of going back and forth, they sent me a digital copy of their very first book to check out.

Now, don't ask me why but I honestly thought this was going to be a fluff comic. You know, cute little kid goes around killing..wait a minute, how did I even start to think that? There's no logic in that thought process, what so ever. Ok, so I was wrong. This is not cute or fluffy. It's about zombies..and a guy who wants to kill zombies. Not cute. So, let's get started...

As y'all know, I like to start with the cover. Now, since this was a digital copy, I can't attest to the quality of the print. What I can do, is show you the cover. It looks like this:

"The story starts 1 year after the infection has taken place. This is where we find Corey (young human man). He learns his survival depends on finding someone to trust in a corrupt zombie ruled planet. Every turn is a twist....leading to the unforeseen and a rising body count. A rising human and zombie body count..."

See? Not cute or fluffy. All in all, a pretty good story though. I'm going to dub this a really good starter book with a few flaws.

The Writing: I would have loved to have gotten a bit more background information on the characters, especially Corey. While we're introduced to him, we really don't learn much about him. Overall, the story is well written with just a few bumps along the way. At one point, I felt like the writer had a bit of block and forced the words out. Then, he was right back at it. Overall, a really good starting point in a story that has a ways to go. I have confidence that the character will be fleshed out more in upcoming issues. (And that we'll see that girl again that he muttered a naughty word about..though I don't know why I think that. Psychic network?)

The Art : This is the first time, in a while, that I've seen an entire comic done in black and white. As it was pointed out to me, not all comics are done in color.* However, I think this one would have benefited from the depth that color could have added. That being said, I thought the art was nicely done. It showed the variety of zombies that are now living in this world. It made clear the conditions that people are now living in. All in all, nice portrayals.

The Problems: Really, I only have one or two problems with this book that weren't mentioned above. The first one is just one of those things I can be really anal about. I found spelling and grammar errors as I was reading through the book. This is one of those things that an editor (or possibly spell check) would have picked up on nice and quick and was totally preventable.

My only other issue is with the art that comes at the end of the book. In these panels, we see Corey fighting a zombie and his face lacks a certain continuity. For a moment, I actually paused and double checked that another character hadn't entered into the scene. Due to the lack of color, I'm also unsure as to if this zombie was hiding in the shadows or if day suddenly turned to night.

Overall: I think this is a great first book for these guys. It has some rough edges, but that's nothing that can't be fixed with time and some more experience. I've heard rumors that the second printing should be on sale soon and if you'd like to check this out for yourself, just click on the link up above. After all, what's more fun than getting in on something from the start? If you get a chance, catch up with these guys at a con. If memory serves, they were pretty friendly and they had some pretty cool swag (yes, I am a swag addict) in the form of t-shirts and buttons.

Edit: Michael, author of Corey the Zombie Killer, noted that I forgot to mention how handsome he is. I apologize profusely for the leaving out of that. Folks, Michael (seen on their about page wearing an Ireland hoodie..and we know my weakness there!), is very handsome and I swear he didn't pay me in swag to say this (though if he would like to send me some, I won't write Return to Sender on the package. Please note, I am also available for proofing, for a small fee..probably more swag.).

I received a digital copy of this book. The thoughts (random and coherent, alike), opinions (the good, the bad & the insane) and everything else (except company logo and cover graphic) are 100% mine..except what I said wasn't mine. Those are property of CZKWorld Studios.

*Can I just point out that just because I don't read super hero comics and yes, companies send me their comics to review (which by the way works out nicely for both sides), it doesn't mean I'm a moron?

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Today I..

2012-01-17T11:56:00.000-05:00

Image from caramdir.at

Today, I woke up exhausted. Today, I feel like the world is closing in on me. Today, I want to be happy. Today, I want to curl up in someone's arms and be protected from the world. Today, I weep. Today, I mourn for the loss of one so small.

Today, through the pain, I am thankful. I am thankful for his brothers. Today, I am thankful for the beautiful souls that surround me when I allow them near. Today, I am not alone. I am never truly alone.

Today, I will cry. Today, I will look towards the heavens and wonder why. I will always wonder why. Today, life stands still and yet, life moves on. Today, I say farewell all over again..

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Tackle It Tuesday : Clean Life Challenge Week 3

2012-01-16T11:37:00.000-05:00

How did everyone's weeks go? It's hard to believe it, but we're already on week 3 of this year! That means it's time for a new challenge, but before we do that, how about we check in on last week's challenge? Here's my after picture for cleaning off one of the end tables:

I'm so much happier with how it looks! I confess that it's probably the only clear space in my living room (including parts of the floor right now!) but every time I walk into the room, my eye is drawn to that space and it makes me smile. I love creating yay spaces. Having them motivates and inspires me to work on the next area which is....

The top shelf in one of my kitchen cupboards! Yep, this week we'll be creating a yay space in our kitchens. Mine apparantly looks like something the creative folks behind Chopped would use to create one of their baskets. I see Chocolate Cheerios (how long have those been there?!?), hard taco shells, bacon bits, bisquick and who knows what else. Time to throw out the old, expired food, keep what we love (and will eat) and donate any of the rest. If it's unopened, it will go to the local food bank. If it is opened, I'll post it to Freecycle. People around here are in some tough places and even a 2/3 box of bisquick can be a real blessing.

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2012 Reading Challenge

2012-01-15T13:31:00.000-05:00

Just before the first of the year, Justin and I got to talking about ebooks and he asked me how many I had on the iPad. The honest to goodness truth is, I haven't the first clue. I have both iBooks and the Kindle app on there and between the two, it's probably well over 1,000. Typically amused by my never ending pile of reading material, Justin has challenged me to read through all of the books in iBooks before the end of 2012. Out of my ever loving mind, I took him up on the challenge. The only way I can get out of reading the book is if I've already read the iBooks version. Keep your eyes open as I (probably semi-frequently) keep an updated list of the books I've read so far:

4.50 From Paddington
The A B C Murders
After the Funeral
And Then There Were None
Appointment With Death
At Bertram's Hotel
The Big Four
Cards on the Table
Crooked House
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
Hickory Dickory Dock
Lord Edgeware Dies
Mrs. McGinty's Dead
Murder in Mesopotamia
Murder on the Orient Express
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
The Peril at End House
A Pocket Full of Rye

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Walgreens Express Scripts

2012-01-11T21:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm sure that some of you have heard what happened between Walgreens and Express Script. It seems that after negotiations have failed, the two will no longer be partnering. According to Walgreens, this affects not only the average customer but our nation's military.

What does all this mean to the average joe schmoe on the street? It means that if your health care uses Express Script, you won't be able to get your prescriptions filled at Walgreens. Some Walgreens' customers are frustrated by this need to change pharmacies.

For those customers who wish to remain with Walgreens, they are currently offering a discount to join their Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. During the month of January, an individual can join for only $5. If you wanted to sign up your entire family*, it would cost only $10. With your membership you would receive savings on all generic medications and over 8,000 brand name medications. Typically, annual membership costs $20 for individuals and $35 per family.

For more information or to stay updated on what's happening, follow Walgreens on Twitter or if Facebook is more your style, you can like Walgreens on Facebook.

*Family memberships include you, your spouse, dependents under the age of 22 as well as your pets.

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T12:49:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've done one of these in a while and it's one of the topics I've missed the most. Sadly, I haven't taken any super awesome pictures this past week. That's really something I need to change. I've gotten back into the habit of carrying my camera everywhere, but I haven't stopped to take any photos in a while.

So, while I don't have anything super awesome, I do have a picture. I present to you...Butterflies as colored by me. I posted this on Facebook in an "art exchange" between Kate and myself.

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Tackle It Tuesday : Clean Life Challenge Week 2

2012-01-09T19:00:00.000-05:00

It's Monday night and we're back! I can't wait to see all of your links this week showing me just how you tackled last week's challenge of the top of your dresser. I'm happy to say that mine is looking pretty good and it makes me smile every time I walk in the room and see that one clean space in the chaos surrounding it. I cleared so much junk off of the top and the smell of orange oil made my room smell so good for a couple of days after I wiped it down. I love that small! I promised you I'd show you my spaces if you showed me yours, so here's my dresser after I finished wiping it down:

Ready for this week's challenge? It's another quick and easy one. I want you to go to your living room and look at those end tables. Are they piled high like mine? I have one just inside my front door (actually, it's a small bookshelf) and it becomes an instant dumping ground.

Yuck, right? Before any of you ask, yes that is a jar of mustard. Why is it there? My only guess is that it fell out of one of our camping supply bags and instead of being put in the kitchen, the kids put it on the nearest empty'ish surface. Ugh. We're just going to pretend we went camping last week and not Labor Day weekend, ok? Instead, we're all going to tackle one of our side tables and create another yay spot in our homes!

Now, for those of you who have spic and span side tables..I'm going to challenge you to spend 15 minutes in your garage. This is an area we're not going to spend time in this year so if you don't need to do a challenge, that's where you should head.

One last thing before I leave you to posting your after pictures from last week and this week's before picture. We now have a Facebook group. If you would like to be added or you would like more information, just leave me a comment with your email address and I'll drop you a line.

Until next week...happy organizing!

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Comic Book Review: The Legend of Oz Wicked West

2012-01-04T13:11:00.001-05:00

Welcome to another comic book review! This one comes to us from Big Dog Ink. I first met these guys at the Detroit Fan Faire back in September and I have to say that they were super nice and friendly. I know what you're thinking.."Of course they were nice and friendly. They were there to promote their product." You would think that'd be the case, right? Sadly, that's wrong. There were a lot of people there who were actually quite rude and others that just weren't great with people. Artist temperaments aside, if you want to sell product, you have to be nice to the people. These guys? Super nice. If you ever get the chance to go to a con that they're at, I highly recommend stopping by and saying hi. Even tell them I sent you..it's become a bit of a running joke to have people name drop my name as if I'm somebody.

Anyway, recently, Tom over at Big Dog Ink agreed to let me review some of their books. While I haven't received anything from their media department yet, I do have a copy of the first issue of The Legend of Oz just waiting for me to read it and since it's a brand new comic, I thought it the perfect place to start! So, let's go!

The first thing I noticed with this book was the heaviness of the cover. As someone who tends to lay things down and then the kids or the cats knocks them somewhere, I really appreciated a more durable cover than you find on some comic books. The colors, done by Kate Finnegan reminded me of the darkness in some of the old western movies. This is rather important as this Oz is just a little different than your Judy Garland Oz. It's not green and lush..it's dark, it's dusty...it's the old west in all it's stereotypical glory. Kate does a wonderful job using just the right coloring to get that feeling across.

I, for one, love this new take on an old classic. Our good friend, Dorothy, is now going strictly by her last name, Gale. Did you know that was her last name? Unless you're a big fan of either the movie or the book series, you may not have. Her faithful friend, Toto? He's now a very handsome horse. Remember the flying monkies? Ok, these ones will scare you far more than the movie ones ever gave me the creeps. Do you remember them? *shudders* In this series, they're all grown up into shape shifting gorillas! Did I mention their glowing eyes? Some serious bad voodoo going on there, folks.

The story is familiar and yet, totally new. Our heroine is still searching for the Emerald City but this time it's not nearly so easy to find as people..and other things..have been taking the gold bricks from the road. She wanders into one of those classic western towns where the only thing open is the local tavern and that's all I'm going to tell you because I promise you that if you love good comics, good writing, The Wizard of Oz and any combination of the above, this is a series that you're going to want to pick up. The best part? Going strictly by the first issue, this is a series I could let my kids read. Yes, Miss Gale is a hottie, but she's not overtly sexual. Yes, there's some violence but at their ages, my kids have seen far worse in some of the video games they play at their dad's house.

My opinion? You'll want to pick this one up. If you want to order it, you can find it via Amazon, via the Big Dog Ink link above or hunt down these guys at a Comic Con near you. I know they'll be at the one in Mesa, AZ this weekend. Just remember...tell them Katrina sent you. ;)

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Tackle It Tuesday : Clean Life Challenge Week 1

2012-01-02T19:27:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad that I wrote the other night. It's helped me pull things back into perspective and to focus more on what I can do. Things are still going to be rocky around here and chaotic but as long as I keep going and don't give up, it will be ok. So, in the spirit of just keep swimming..or in my case, just keep organizing...I have our very first challenge. Some of you may recall me doing a similar challenge last year before life swallowed me up. The rules are really simple.

1. Come here each Tuesday and check out the challenge for that week.
2. Take a before picture of your area.
3. Post that each Tuesday with your post along with an after picture of the previous week's challenge.
4. Stop back here (or do this along with step 1) and in the comments section, leave a link to your post.

If I get enough interest, I'll put up a more official linky. Don't worry if your area doesn't look perfect. We're working on baby stepping our way to clean and tidy spaces. I bet you can finish this phrase just like my kids do...Progress not ...Perfection. They hate when I say that but they understand the concept.

Now that we've covered the rules, let's jump right into our first challenge! This week, I want you to go to your bedroom and look at the top of your dresser. If it's anything like mine, it's piled high and covered in dust. Don't believe me? Here's mine:

I do want to point out that my house isn't on fire. I have a small lamp that sets below where that doll is and I had it on when I snapped this photo. Combine that with the pink walls and you get the illusion of fire. See how messy that is? Eww!

I am so ready to tackle that area! In fact, it might even get tackled tonight. Make sure you come back next week for a new challenge and to see what oddities I found lurking on the top of my dresser!

PS Challenge posts will (hopefully) go up on Monday nights so that everyone has a chance to see the challenge before the day before pictures are "due."

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Good Morning 2012

2012-01-01T23:39:00.001-05:00

Hello 2012 and all my incredibly wonderful readers out there! I've been pondering this post all day and what I wanted to say in it. What did I want to say to all of you about 2011? In the end, I decided I didn't want to say much. 2011 was a year of ups and downs and a lot of chaos and anxiety. It brought the failing health of my grandmother and right at the end of the year, surgery for my oldest son. Instead of looking back at the pain, I want to look forward. Hope is an amazing thing and it's something I'm grasping tight to as I look forward to the coming year.

After all, knowing where you came from is one thing but knowing where you're going is an entirely different creature. But, before I get into all of that, I want to share with you a toast that was posted today by Raven on his Facebook page. I could have said this but why re-invent the wheel when someone so darn fantastic already did it for you? So...I offer you Raven's Toast to 2012:

"So rather than recap the positive or the negative and all the things inbetween let's all raise our methaphorical glasses in the air and toast across the fiberoptic internet that binds us all and toast to YOU. Yes, you. You are what makes the world what it is. You who strive through the horror and the pain of breathing another day. You who never give up. You who believes in better things and lives another day to see them come to pass. You who are kind when kindness is becoming a rare and extinct thing. You who believe in love even after your heart has been broken and destroyed. You who are happy and spread joy and a symathetic heart to others. And you, for being there when others need you. There is none other like you and I am so happy that you are here to share this beautiful new year with me."

I honestly couldn't have said it better myself and sometimes, even I consider myself fairly gifted with words. Now, on to 2012:

If any of you remember, last year was supposed to be about simplifying my life. I started out the year with a bang and then chaos happened and woah, did I drop the ball! This year, I try again. I try again for me. I try again for my family. I try again because I deserve better than I've allowed myself to have up to this point.

You see, somewhere along the way, I decided that I didn't deserve to have nice things. I didn't deserve to have the kind of friends who would do anything for you. I didn't deserve to have nice furniture or even a clean and organized house. Those of you who really know me have to be shaking your head at the last one. I'm the girl that other people call to come over because they know I'll jump into any organization project with a gleeful smile and more excitement than anyone should ever have. So, why have I not given myself that same gift within my own home?

I don't honestly know. Even to me, the girl with the Psych degree, this doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I can explain the packrat/border line hoarding. I can explain a lot of things, but this total insanity of I don't deserve the nice things other have? Nope..don't get it. Ok, I do get it. For a very long time, I felt really bad about me. Not just for me, but about me. I thought I'd gotten past most of that but every once in a while I have a lightbulb moment where I go ding ding ding (ever hear a light bulb with a bicycle bell? me either..but roll with it, ok?) and realize that woah, I'm having a majorly insecure moment or woah, I guess I'm not as past all that as I thought. This has been one of those times.

So, I'm repeating last year's goal and that's ok. I don't look at it as any kind of failure. I look at it as life got the hell in the way and sometimes that's what happens. Life happens. I didn't do the best I could with it, but I did the best I did and it's a new year and a new chance to make it happen. Over the next week, I'm going to try to make a plan...a simple plan. Nothing complex. Just simple. One day at a time, one project at a time and sometimes, one schedule at a time, I'm going to size down our home. I'm going to get the organization projects tackled. I'm going to do the gross jobs and the fun jobs and teach my boys that it can be done.

Sometimes life knocks you down but what happens afterward is what matters. You do what you have to do and what I have to do is start feeling more in control of things. I've been letting things spiral and it's not healthy for any of us. So, consider me back as much as I can be back. I'm hoping to pick up some of our daily themes. We might not get them every week, but I'm going to try to be here a bit every week. Hopefully it's as good for you as it is for me. Before I head out though, I want to leave you with 2 quotes...

"Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful." - John Meade

That's just what I want to do. I want to subtract the obvious..seriously obvious..like the books we never even look at and add in the meaningful. I close my eyes and see a home filled with warmth and love and the space we need to be able to do things as a family. To get that, I need to subtract so I can add in those things.

And finally...

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Comic Book Review: Grimm Fairy Tales Myths & Legends Issue #11

2011-12-30T00:12:00.003-05:00

As some of you may remember, earlier this month, I revealed a secret to you. I, girly girl extraordinary, have a thing for comic books. I know this shocked many of you so I've given you a few weeks to mull this over and come to terms with it before posting my 2nd ever comic book review. I really do hope that you've come to terms with it because as of..well, recently, I'm an "official" reviewer for a couple of really awesome comic book publishers. I ought to ask them if they have awesome blog buttons or anything, but honestly, that's a total sidebar and not the reason y'all are still reading...right? Let's get to the review!

For my very first ever Zenescope review, I was sent a copy of Grimm Fairy Tales Myths & Legends Issue #11.* As you can see, they were nice enough to even include a graphic of the cover to include with this post. I find that especially handy if you read this and then have a desire to go out and buy the book for yourself once it hits store shelves/their website.

With any review, I tend to start by judging a book by its cover. In this case, the cover art was done by Romano Molenaar. While I actually appreciate the talent that went into this cover, I do have an issue with it. In fact, I bet you can guess what it is. Why in tarnation does she have boobs the size of brontosaurus eggs? Seriously. I know that sex sells and generally, I quite appreciate the body of the lovely heroine, but this cover drives me nuts.

Now, before anyone jumps to any conclusions, I need to say that this isn't a gender issue. It isn't even a "women are being exploited" issue. It's logistics, people. As someone who has huge boobs, let me assure you that they do not stay in place like the artist has depicted. Let me also assure you that they get in the way of everything! In my head, I can see our lovely heroine, in all her glory, jumping into the air..and presenting the sea witch with all her glory. Do you catch my drift here? If you're going to use svelte, big boobed heroines, that's awesome. I'd love to see more strong female figures with bigger assets. Let's just make it realistic, ok? While I can suspend reality for a good story, it's tougher when the images just don't align.

That being said, I really did enjoy this story. I was honestly disappointed that I hadn't had the opportunity to read the other books in this series. This issue picks up with the 4th and final installment of The Little Mermaid. It includes back story on the sea witch that I found really interesting. Like a lot of people, I'm mainly familiar with the Disney version of this story, so this was a nice change of pace. (FYI, Disney stories are rather changed from the Grimm Brothers versions.)

I really don't want to give away the story, so I'm just going to focus on a few of the details that I picked out while reading. Hopefully, it will pique your interest enough that you'll pick up this series for yourself.

The Art -
Throughout the book, I noticed what I consider classic symbols in literature. For me, it really raised the level of this book to more than just a fluff piece. It showed that serious thought and effort went into the telling of this story. As someone who is new to comic books (and who is hoping that I can get Raven to sit down and give me a lesson), I don't know who makes the call as to what goes into the art work. I do know that whoever put this story all together knew what they were doing. Let me give you some examples:

Page 5/6 - Use of pink implying a feminine power.
Page 7 - Panel 1: Cascading Water equals a combination of power and purity.
Throughout - Red sky foretelling troubles ahead. The red also matches the red of the blood of Venus.

The Story -

While I clearly have missed a lot of this story line, what I did find very impressive was how in just a few short pages, you actually come to not only care about the character but you can empathize with them. This is something that many authors struggle to do, but in this book, it feels almost effortless. By the time you reach the end of this book, you've got your fingers crossed and your hopes invested in the "good guys."

I won't give away the ending, but I will say to the folks who put together this comic, I'm impressed. I'm impressed that you didn't go the easy way out. You wrote an ending that is just as real as the one everyone hopes to see. Sometimes, the good guys don't win. Sometimes, they do. In the end, what matters is that they didn't give up and that they'll be back for another issue.

*To all new comic book readers, I don't suggest that you jump into a series at issue #11. If you cannot find the first issues to purchase, ask around and see if you can borrow them from anyone. Trust me, the story lines make so much more sense if you start at the beginning.

I received a copy of this comic book for the purpose of this review. I received no monetary compensation and the fact that the author himself called me and asked me to review his book before another author's book had no bearing on my opinions. However, it did cause me to smile a lot, feel really special and for my kids to roll their eyes frequently at me.

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Gone but Not Forgotten, I Hope.

2011-12-29T23:23:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't been here for a while but this time I have a good reason. Right before Ben's surgery, my laptop picked up a virus while I was actually looking for information about the surgery. While I took care of that fairly easily, somewhere along the line, some important files got corrupted. In the spirit of family, I sat it aside for a week while I spent time with my boys. Then, after picking it back up (and with Peter's help), it was decided that the poor thing needed a fresh Windows install.

It took me a few days, but I got that done and most everything loaded back on my poor laptop and here I am! I'm back. Life is still busy so I make no promises how often I'll be able to post for a while. Unlike some mothers, I wish that break would go on forever. Come Tuesday, I'll be back to a crazy busy time. On top of the normal insanity, my grandma has asked me to start coming over to help her sort things so I'll be spending a lot of weekends over there. I hope y'all will forgive me for my absences and know that they can't be helped. I really do miss writing (and your comments) when I can't be here.

For tonight though, I'm going to spoil you with two posts. Keep your eyes open because in just a bit, I'll be posting my first ever Zenescope comic review! See you in a bit!

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Comic Book Review: Christmas Fire

2011-12-04T23:13:00.003-05:00

Little known fact. I like comic books. More known fact. I know nothing about DC comics or any other big name comic book company. Don't ask me who an artist is or who wrote what. I won't know the answer. I suppose some might consider it impressive that I'm so uneducated about these things, but it's really not. Comic books have always been a form of literature that I've appreciated but not one that I've had a lot of exposure to. My earliest memory of comic books is the box of them that my grandma always had at her house. In fact, that box is currently residing in my barn. The comic books aren't worth much but I want to board and bag them just to protect them since they're old and they're from my grandmother.

Now, I know you guys. You're wondering what the heck all of this has to do with the title to this post or the really adorable dragon up there. Well, consider it back story. No good piece of writing can stand on its own without back story being in there somewhere.

Now, for more current content. Back on my birthday..Ok, technically, it was the day after my birthday...I got to tag along with Chris and Lauren to a comic con in Detroit. Thanks to Justin and a few others, my interest in comic books had been growing for some time. While there, I met some very nice people (and some not so nice people but we're ignoring them) and got interested in a few comic books. I can almost hear you now..interested? That's not how you work... Ok, ok..I admit, I became really interested. (This is where I stick my tongue out at you, but you can't see it.) One of those comics was the Grimm Fairy Tales comic and one of the writers/editors of that comic is Raven Gregory. Through his Facebook page, I found Ross and that led me to Asbestos.

By this time, you're probably going nuts. I know I would be if I'd had to read all of that and still there was no review. So, before you pull all of your hair out (seriously, this is a bad time of year for that. It's cold outside!), that adorable little dragon up there is Asbestos and he's the star of one seriously cute comic called Christmas Fire. I confess. I fell in love with Asbestos weeks before I ever bought the comic. In fact, if they ever made a plush version, I would be first in line to sign up for usability testing. *

The summary of the story (totally stolen from the back of the comic) goes something like this:

Something's amiss in the Land of Possible, can anyone help? Join a dragon whelp named Asbestos on the journey of a lifetime as he tries to get the one person who can help him: Santa Claus.

Between the story line, the fact Raven bought it for his daughters and the fact that I was in love with the main character, I gave in and ordered the comic. In fact, I was the very first person to order it from the Etsy shop where Ross is now selling this comic. Thank goodness Ross takes fast shipping seriously because I was practically twitching by the time this comic got here. In fact, I was on my way out to do some Small Business Saturday shopping when I found the envelope on the front porch. I made Jim actually wait while I opened it and squealed. Yes, dear readers, I know this comes as a huge shock...or not...but I squealed out loud. I squealed again when I saw that Ross had included two signed pieces of art just because I was his first Etsy customer. This is one of the pieces he included:

This was especially cool since I also happened to be his 200th fan on his Facebook page. I have to tell you that there's nothing more cool than an artist/author making an individual fan feel like she's someone special and that's just what Ross did for me by including that artwork.

Sadly, it was a few days before I found the time to sit down and read this little gem of a comic book. When I did, though, I have to tell you that I wasn't disappointed. The story was great. It was written at a level that both kids and adults could enjoy it. Honestly, I'm looking forward to having the boys check it out. If I had any complaints, it would be two really little things...

1. I would have loved to have seen the pictures done in color. Other than the front cover, all of the pictures are black and white drawings. While I can appreciate that it would most likely be more expensive to produce the book in full color, this was advertised as a comic not a coloring book and the black and white drawings made me think, "Where are my crayons?" Perhaps 2 versions could be produced..kind of a cross platform marketing campaign.

2. I'd have loved for this to be just a tad longer. I think it's mostly because I love this character so much. I'd love to know his backstory. I'd love to see where he goes next. Honestly, I'd love to write an Asbestos story. This reminded me so much of the stories I used to make up for the boys at bedtime.

In closing, because I know this has been one heck of a rambling post, I'd just like to say a huge thank you to Ross for allowing me to tell people about Asbestos. I'd also like to point out to all my parental type readers that Christmas will be here before you know it and this little comic book should be under every Christmas tree. At $7, it's far less than a lot of us pay for books and your child will delight in seeing Asbestos on his journey to save the Land of Possible and to find Santa.

* This is a sad geek joke. Usability testing isn't done on stuffed toys.

I actually bought this comic book myself. I received nothing in exchange for this review. It was all my idea and my money and clearly my rambling opinions. Have you bought the book yet? If not, go on..click the links...you know you want to and Santa is watching...

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Depression Sucks

2011-12-04T17:10:00.000-05:00

It's not often that I write about the darker sides of being me. That's not because I'm trying to hide them but because usually they're manageable. Usually I can find the good in nearly every situation. Usually, I'm me. Today, I'm not.

I know how weird that sounds, but on some levels it's true. I'm a hard worker. I'm focused. I'm generally a clear thinker. Today, I'm none of those things. Today, the depression is muddling my brain and it frustrates me. It makes me angry. The only problem with that? I don't feel those emotions properly. I know they're there, but my brain can't process them.

Why? It's too busy going oooh there are the bad brain chemicals floating around in here. That leaves the rest of me to go ok, so now what? Well, what my body wants to do is nothing. It wants to sit here and not focus on anything but how those chemicals make it feel. What do I want to do? I want to finish Christmas presents. I want to do laundry. I want to clean house. I want to finish writing the review that I promised a certain comic book creator. I want to turn on Christmas music and be able to have it in the background.

What am I doing? A combination of both. I've started the review but every time I get going, something distracts me and my brain just cannot multitask today. Even writing this post is hard because my brain is trying to focus elsewhere. In fact, I'm starting to get a headache from forcing it to finish this post.

This isn't fun. Really and truly, it's having days like this that make me tell those who come to me claiming to have depression to be glad that they really don't. It can be so entirely disabling and the only thing I can do is not to give into it. I cannot give into the desires to go back to bed and curl up and sleep. Sleep is how my brain handles the crazy chemicals whirling around inside. Instead, I will force myself to focus, even if it's just on one thing at a time and I will get through today and tomorrow and as many days as it takes to get back to being me again.

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(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday, or in my case (almost) Wordless Wednesday has always been one of my favorite posts each week. It's one that I really want to get back to doing. I haven't been using my camera near enough the last few months. In fact, I somehow even forgot to take it to Thanksgiving. I was so upset! I'd have loved to have gotten some pictures of our family, our table and even some of our Black Friday adventures. Sadly, I didn't though. What I did do was to wander outside tonight to put down some ice melt and decided to share with all of you the wonder that met my eyes...

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Negativity

2011-11-23T19:33:00.001-05:00

Tonight, I had someone dm me on Twitter to ask me why I was part of a group if I felt so negatively about it. Who it was doesn't matter. It's the message that they carried to me that shocked me. Not just that, but the way they approached me. I guess I should be thankful that they came to me at all.

The truth is...I'm not thankful. I'm hurt as hell. So, consider this post all about me. It's all about me defending myself and saying you know what, try to understand where I'm at right now.

Let's start with my life...

1. My family - My parents are being insane. That's the only way to put it. And for the record, yes, my family reads this. No, I don't care. For those that are behind the times, here's the scenario: We're taking Thanksgiving dinner to my grandmother who is dying of stage iv colo- rectal cancer. This means I've spent god knows how much money getting food and god knows how much time figuring out how to move 1/2 my kitchen 90 minutes away. My parents, in a fit of total disrespect, are coming, not coming, coming, god knows...add to that my brother and his nasty attitude.

2. My grandmother is dying. I think one sentence sums that up.

3. The holidays. - Let's see..there was the stress involved in working out a "new" who has who with the kids. There's the knowledge that yet again, I won't be spending the holidays with Justin. There's the stressors to do with money.

4. My kitchen sink. - For over the past week now, I've spent 20+ minutes a day plunging it. The plumber now says it sounds like basement pipes need to be replaced. This means I can't catch up on dishes. My plan for fixing up our kitchen is crawling at a snail's pace. Did I mention I have company arriving in less than 4 hours?

So, to sum it up. I'm stressed...I am stressed to the point where I want to say fuck it all. Yes, I said a bad word. Deal with it. I'm stressed and when I get to this level of stressed, my brain chemicals go nuts and depression comes knocking at my door. I am doing everything I can to hold it together. It's not a huge shock to me and it shouldn't be to anyone else that I might be a bit negative right now.

Do I love Mamavation? Yes. I cannot begin to fathom why anyone would think I don't. Do I see flaws in it? Of course, I do. Nothing is perfect. I have ideas on how to improve certain areas. Have I been publicly negative about the group? Hell no. I don't know who the hell is going around saying I have but they can stop right now. I work hard every week to support the women in that group. That group is one of the primary reasons that I've lost the weight that I have. The support in that group can be an amazing thing. The women in that group are wonderful people. I wouldn't and don't hesitate to recommend it to people who want to lose weight.

As for this nonsense regarding Anytime Fitness, I wish it would just stop. This kind of drama doesn't help anyone. I've publicly stated that watching the two groups throw their crap back and forth is depressing. It is. You have two groups that ought to be working in partnership. Instead, they're mud slinging. Grow the hell up. Yep, the title of the chapter was outrageous. Yes, I think Leah over-reacted. Now, before anyone jumps down my throat, read the rest. I think the authors over-reacted too. I think the title was a bit of sensationalism and it worked. Do I approve? Not especially but it worked.

Do I think Leah is evil incarnate or any other horrible thing? God, no. I think Leah is great. I think what she's done is great. I think what she's doing for other women is great. Got that, I said Great. I didn't say evil. I didn't say bitch. I didn't say reactionary or any other bad word. Contrary to some beliefs, I have not and will not Leah bash. I know some have taken my comment on a blog post as just that, but it's not.

Do I think Anytime Fitness is a horrible monster? No, I don't. I think they're a company that has the potential to and maybe already does provide a great service. I don't know the CEO or the company well enough to made a judgment.

Got all that? I hope so because is the one and only time I will blog about this. I'm over it. Everyone should be by now. If you want to change the fitness world, don't just talk about it, get off your ass and do something. If you're not doing something, don't bitch and whine to me.

So to all of you out there who feel I'm too negative these days, step outside your own little world and take a peek into mine right now. It's not the most pleasant place to be living. The honest to God's truth is I know it could be worse. It could be so much worse and that's what I try to focus on right now. I focus on the good as much as I can. I focus on my two amazing boys. I focus on the man that loves me. I focus on the few really great friends I have. I try hard to take things one day and sometimes one step at a time.

I guess that just leaves me with one favor to ask of all of you...if you have some sort of negativity that you feel you need to add to my life, please don't. I don't have the strength right now to fight off your attacks. I don't have the energy. I'm down to my last grip as I fight my way through. Yes, life is a battle right now but it's a battle that I'm not giving up on. If you can't help me with this battle, please do me a favor and just go away...

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Stand Up For Family

2011-11-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Family Insurance. All opinions are 100% mine.

Oh my gosh, I just spent time on the Stand Up For Family website and I can't stop giggling. The site is full of stand up comedy videos that are family safe. They're produced by AmFam and seriously, I wouldn't hesitate to let my own boys watch these. Granted, they might not get the humor, but I think it's fantastic that they could watch these right along side me. I love that American Family Insurance gets that stand up doesn't have to be dirty.

For example, take the Mark Viera video called Old School Grandmother. I couldn't stop laughing. As I watched it, I realized that I have this conversation with my boys all the time. Then, I got to thinking and realized that I probably inherited that speech from my own grandmother.

Just watching these videos got me to thinking about my own childhood and how important my grandparents were to me when I was growing up. I hope that when my own boys grow up, they can look back at their childhoods with such fond memories. Who knows, maybe they'll somehow understand how I survived the graphics of the first Super Mario Bros when their own kids say something similar to them.

Seriously, if you want a good laugh, go and check out these videos. They're short but they'll have you laughing and thinking about your own families.

What a Week

2011-11-17T23:43:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a week! Based on my clock, it's nearly Friday and this week has felt like it's flown by and yet lasted forever. On Monday, I decided I was going to do a serious cleaning in my kitchen. I was going to catch up on all my dishes, wipe down the counters, clear the surfaces..everything. I got one counter cleared and discovered my kitchen sink was plugged. I didn't worry too much about it because I had to go into town.

The rest of Monday went as most Monday's do. I was busy with the kids, waiting for Peter to get home and Mamavation business. Tuesday was an entirely different story. When my home remedies for the sink didn't work, I decided to go buy some Draino. Since I had to go into Charlotte to pick up baby food jars, no biggie, I thought. Of course, I didn't take into account the lines at the store, the traffic or anything else. I ended up being 15 minutes late picking up both boys. Yick!

On Wednesday, I had to go into Lansing. On the way to the Salvation Army, I bought my very own pipe wrench. You see, the Draino didn't work. From there, I went to Salvation Army and signed up for their Christmas program. I had to sign the boys up this year. Then, the gps took me down every back country road you can imagine but I did make it on time to get the boys.

That night, I took the pipe wrench and attempted to remove the trap on the sink. That didn't work. It's stuck tight. Instead, a connecting pipe popped out instead. Luckily, it didn't break, just wiggled loose. It did allow me to drain the sink but oy! Not what I wanted.

Today, I tackled a different part of my kitchen, called a plumber and got a surprise from Misty. Her boss offered her 2 tickets to the MSU game this weekend. She thought I might like to take Ben. She did ask her boss to try to get a third ticket so fingers crossed she did because both boys badly want to go and I'd love a fun outing with the both of them. I won't know until tomorrow.

Add to all that? I have to be up way early tomorrow for the plumber. I'm planning the entire Thanksgiving dinner. Ben has a school dance tomorrow and we'll find out who gets to go to the football game on Saturday.

I love my life but I love it a bit slower than this!

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DigDropDone.com/CurbsideChaos.com

2011-11-17T20:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have y'all ever been to DigDropDone.com? It's this fantastic site where you can learn all about bulbs. There are sections on when to plant and even what to plant. If your yard is like mine, it needs a serious makeover and this site could be invaluable in that process. In fact, one of my goals next autumn is to plant some tulip bulbs. Who knows, maybe I'll even plant some indoor over the winter!

I loved the part of the site that talked about the 3 women behind the site. I loved Marcy, the supermom. Who knows, maybe she could be my new best friend. She's got kids, she works part time and she gardens in her free time. Do moms have free time? visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more

Now, right alongside DigDropDone.com is Curbside Chaos. In fact, DigDropDone.com in their desire to educate and excite women about the simple beauty of flower bulbs, is hosting a contest there! To enter, you only have to submit a photo of your yard on CurbsideChaos.com.

The winner will receive a $5000 yard makeover as well as a visit from Taniya Nayak. She'll go through your yard with you and give you tips and suggestions for your makeover.

While you're there, make sure you check out the Garden Guru feature. It's really easy to use and so handy!

Don't believe me? Check out these steps:

1. Pick your country

2. Pick your location in that country.

3. Choose when you want your flowers to bloom.

4. Check which type of flower you'd like.

5. Check out your planting guide!

This was actually pretty fun and I learned things I didn't know! One last thing, did I tell y'all that for every share on Twitter, "Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done." will donate $1.00 to Rebuilding Together. How awesome is that? Check them out today!

Earth Brand Footwear

2011-11-16T11:41:00.000-05:00

Shoe lovers out there, pay close attention to this post! I have some very exciting news to share with all of you. The company that has brought us Kalso Earth Shoes and Earthies is bringing us a whole new line of shoes called Earth!

Some of you may remember not to long ago when Earth Footwear revamped itself with it's original logo -- Kalso Earth Shoes. Those are the fabulous ones with the negative heel technology. Along side that is the Earthies line. This is the line of super sexy dress shoes and boots. (Note to Santa: I don't have any of those yet.)

Now, there's a whole new line that is being branded under the Earth logo. What makes these different? Well, guess what! It's my job to tell you. The new line will include flats and low heels with soft leather uppers and reinforced arch support. They'll also include multi-density latex cushioned footbeds with overpadded heels. Did I mention that this shoe line focuses on rich suedes and delicious leathers? What does all that mean? Cute, sexy shoes that are comfortable too!

Want to hear the best part? They're affordable! I know that we all lust after gorgeous shoes and too often it becomes an item on our bucket list. Not this time. These shoes are going to retail for $79-$99 when they're released! In fact, they're going to start shipping in December 2011 so now might be the time to nudge that honey of yours that you'd like a new pair of shoes for New Years. After all, there's nothing like partying all night long in sexy shoes that won't break your bank or an ankle. Not going out? Well, there's something to be said for a private party too.

If you want to keep up on what's happening, what shoes there will be and all the yummy shoe goodness, keep your eye on the new Earth website . Want a sneak peek at one of the new pairs? Let me show you!

I wanted to show you how cute they look on, but would you believe that my camera died right after snapping this picture?!? Technology hates me but I love these shoes!

This is a paid editorial regarding some awesome new shoes. All comments, thoughts, opinions and ramblings are 100% mine.
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Revenge of the Muse

2011-11-15T10:40:00.001-05:00

You shouldn't tease a muse. I talked about mine hiding and pouting and it got its revenge. It decided to whisper in my ear at about 2 am. I was mostly asleep and refused to get up and this is what it gave me instead.

The Dream-

I was on a cruise with Peter and the boys. We were on some island and Peter had hired a guide to take Ben around. Except, he couldn't get his card to work at any of the atms on the island. It was a shared card with Lindsaye (someone I am pretty sure he hasn't spoken to in years). I tried explaining to him that debit cards don't always work outside of the US but he didn't want to hear it. So, while he want from machine to machine, I pulled out cash and paid the guide.

Then, as dreams do, the dream shifted and I was laying in my backyard with Justin. It was the middle of the night and we were laying there, looking up at the stars. I was asking him if he thought anyone would notice the 3 elephants, 3 giraffes and 3 zebras that were lined up about 3 feet from us. Then, I looked over and the zebras were bowing while the elephants were raised up on their hind legs. Everything was silent but they were posed like this. I looked down the line to the balloon carriers. There were 3 of them as well, each holding a giant bundle of balloons. We must have dozed off because I woke up to the animals being gone and the balloon carriers slipping away in the dark. Justin and I decided we should go into the house because it might be weird if the neighbors caught us sleeping outside. So, we went inside and there were candles lit everywhere. I was a bit worried about this. After all, what if the house had burned down when we were outside. Justin just smile and shrugged and went to the kitchen to make something to eat while I stood in the living room, trying to figure this out.

Then, I was at a pool. I was assisting in teaching 4th graders. The odd part? Raven Gregory was the instructor. We worked together with some parents and pretty soon it was time for the kids to change and go back to school. I went into the locker room area and spoke to both the boys and girls (they were fully dressed!) about thanking Raven for his time (he was some sort of expert) and the kids all gave us hugs and filed out onto the bus.

There was more...and something good must have been about to happen because when the phone woke me up, I punched the bed in annoyance at being woken up...

See what happens when you ignore a muse? Your head gets filled with weird dreams and you don't get the restful sleep that you chose to begin with.

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Random Writings

2011-11-15T00:26:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I just sat and wrote. The urge to write has been smothered somewhat by life and the things that have been happening here. I miss the times where I would have to pull over to the side of the road because the urge was so strong that I couldn't resist jotting down a line or two. The reality is that muses are fickle creatures and if you ignore their call too often, they will go off and sulk and you'll be left dry. That's where I've been lately. I've been dry. I've been living in the desert, longing for a sip of water, for a single line of poetry to reassure me that I can still do this.

Can I still do this? Can I sit down with nothing more than a blank screen or a blank canvas and draw pictures with my words? Can I paint such a picture that you lose yourself in the colors? I used to be able to. I would write things that would come alive in the mind of my readers. I don't know if that makes me talented but I know that I was blessed. I love to write. I've done it since I was a child. At one point, I thought perhaps I would be a writer. I would tell my stories to the world.

Now, I keep them locked inside. The reality that so few took an interest added the first lock. The fear that perhaps they weren't as good as I thought added another. Before I knew it, my words were locked in a vault that not even I knew the combination to. Will they break free? Is there someone out there who holds the combination of love, support and encouragement that will open the door? Will my muse stop pouting and visit me again? I don't know. Only time will tell and time, as we know it, can be as fickle as the muses.

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Veteran's Day 2011

2011-11-14T20:40:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of DollarGeneral. All opinions are 100% mine.

Veteran's Day is a day that most people overlook on the calendar. We don't stop to think about all the men and women who have gone before us, fighting for themselves and for us. I know that I'm just as guilty of this as anyone else. I wake up each morning, taking for granted that I can throw on a pair of jeans and go about my business. I rarely stop to think that there are places in the world where that wouldn't be allowed. I rarely stop to think that in another time, this might have been impossible. I am very blessed to live where I do and I know that, at least in part, this is due to our veterans who have fought to give me those freedoms.

So, today, I say thank you. Thank you to those who have fought for me. I would also like to pass on something special that Dollar General is doing. If you are a veteran, active military or family, stop into Dollar General on 11/11 and receive a 10% discount, no coupon needed. If you prefer to shop online, just enter VETERANSDAY at checkout to receive that same 10% discount. If you shop online, that discount is available to everyone! If you're on Facebook stop over and watch the support/thank you videos for our troops. Did you know that Dollar General also has care packages for the troops that are available with free shipping? So, head on over to Dollar General and take advantage of the Dollar General's Veteran's Day discount and support our troops!

Sneak Peek

2011-11-13T11:50:00.000-05:00

I'm going to write up an whole before/after/during post for my bathroom redo, but I'm so excited, that I just couldn't wait to show all of you! So here is a sneak peek!

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Puppies vs Babies

2011-11-12T06:01:00.001-05:00

This post brought to you by Puppies vs. Babies. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you guys seen the Puppies vs. Babies online contest? I just heard about this and giggled. I mean, how do you judge something like that? Then, I got to thinking about all of the babies I've ever seen vs all of the puppies I've ever seen. The truth is, while I've seen some ugly babies, I've never seen an ugly puppy. Every dang puppy I've ever seen has been adorable and I've wanted to take them home with me.

Take my friend Lauren's puppy for example:

You cannot tell me that she is not the cutest thing known to exist on this planet. I mean, she beats out a lot of the babies I've seen. Heck, I had some seriously good looking babies and she might beat them out, even. If she were in the Puppies vs. Babies contest, I'd be voting for her! Since she's not though, I hope you'll go on over and vote for a lot of puppies! Babies are cute, but they're just not puppy cute. Go vote and then tell me who you voted for! Who do you think is cuter? Puppies or Babies?

(Note to my children..Mom loves you. I'm not trading you for an adorable pomeranian puppy, I promise!)

Tiny Prints - Holiday Cards

2011-11-10T20:51:00.001-05:00

I know that a lot of you are familiar with Tiny Prints. They have the nicest cards that you can get. This year, I was delighted when they asked me to write about their 2011 Holiday Card Line. Without a doubt, there is something there for everyone.

For me, I fell in love with the card you see to the left. When I saw the saying, all I could think about was my two boys doing the ToothBrush CanCan last Christmas Eve. Even though they're 10 and 11 (and growing up fast according to them), they still take such delight in the little things to do with the holidays.

Today, it snowed for the first (and absolutely not the last!) time this season. Roger was trying to catch the snow clumps (trust me, they weren't flakes!) and Ben was giggling and laughing as we "frantically" tried to get him into his new winter coat (thank goodness for sales!). Every year, they eagerly open up their pajamas that they get on Christmas Eve. I actually asked them this year if they were too old for that tradition and heck no, they most certainly are not they told me. They take as much delight in watching Christmas movies as they do in opening presents. It's all of the little things that add up into a great holiday season.

So like I said (How long ago was that? I think I've been rambling!), when I saw this card, I thought about how they take such joy in the little things that we do as a family. Without a doubt, this would be the card for my family this year. I think your cards should somehow reflect your family and this one really would. So, hip hip hooray for Christmas Day and for Tiny Prints.

This post was written in exchange for product from Tiny Prints. All thoughts, opinions and ramblings are 100% mine.

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(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T23:33:00.000-04:00

Some of you might recognize the kiddo below. That's Ben, my oldest. Tonight was his first ever choir concert. I snapped this picture in his dad's kitchen afterwards. Ben has cerebral palsy and as some of you know, photographing a special needs child can be difficult. In Ben's case, when he sees the camera, he grimaces (he thinks it's a smile). Tonight, I discovered the secret to getting a real smile from him. All I have to do is pretend to be my bossy gps and he starts laughing.

I love this kid. He did a fantastic job at his concert and I am so proud of him

PS For more tips on how to photograph special needs kiddos, check out this wonderful post by Ryan over at NoMoreBacon.
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Laptop Surgery

2011-10-20T13:26:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time there was a girl and she had a pretty shiney laptop. In fact, she even named him Shiney. Shiney and the girl were the best of friends until one day, Shiney started making a very bad noise. Worried about her friend, the girl talked to lots of people to try to see what was wrong. She loved Shiney and she was very worried that he was very sick. After a little while, it was discovered that Shiney had a bad fan. It was explained to the girl that this was like a bad lung and without a transplant, Shiney would die! Luckily, it was pretty easy to get a new fan and soon, the girl had one all ready to go into Shiney. She took Shiney to someone who knew how to do fan transplants and here's what happened next:

Once it was all done, Shiney was a much happier laptop. Who knows...maybe Shiney and the girl lived happily ever after! The End.

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Straight Talk

2011-10-20T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

In today's economy, we're all looking for ways to save money. In the spirit of that, I want to show you one more option in cell phone useage. Let's face it. I think most of us have one of these handy little gadgets and a lot of us wince over how much that bill is every month. Most of us have shopped around and we're probably fairly happy with where we are now. That doesn't mean we've stopped looking though!

If you're still looking, have you checked out Straight Talk? They use only the phone manufacturers that we all know and love. There are no credit checks and no contacts. On top of that, they have nationwide coverage. You can get smart phone coverage for as low as $45/month unlimited useage. It includes calling, texting, web use and picture messaging. That's nothing to sneeze at, huh?

Want to find out more? Let me share a few videos with you.

Feel Richer with Android The power of Android

The Straight Talk Image... by LittleBard95

Not looking for new service for yourself? What about one of those kids who are begging you daily for their own phones? Through Straight Talk, you can get reconditioned phones starting at just $10. After seeing how my niece and nephew go through phones, I don't think I would ever buy a new phone for them!

If you're in the market for a new cell provider, check out Straight Talk and let me know what you think!

Review & Giveaway: Kalso Earth Shoes!

2011-10-19T13:19:00.002-04:00

I have a secret. I'm not sure I should tell anyone since I have this reputation of being all Little Miss DIY, not girly girl...Oh, who am I kidding? Nobody believes that anymore. They used to. I used to have guys tell me that I was the least girly girl they knew. Now, I still love DIY but I'm also into nail polish and *gasp* shoes. I know..I know...how cliche, right?

But, have you tried out a pair of Kalso Earth Shoes? I have and man, they are awesome! Truth be told, I practically begged to be allowed to review a pair for them. Luckily, the lovely lady who handles it was probably amused by my eagerness and hooked me up with the pair of shoes you see to your left there. Those are The Link Too and yes, they really are that cute in person too! The first day I wore them out, I received compliments.

If you know me, you know I have a very hard time wearing shoes all day long. In fact, when I walk in the door at night, the first thing to happen is I kick my shoes off. Not these! I found myself wearing them all day long and I was home for a good 30 minutes before I realized I hadn't taken them off. They're just plain comfy as well as cute! I confess that for the first bit of time I kept finding myself stepping out of them when I walked. That's all on me though. I'm just not used to wearing this type of shoe.

So, what makes these so awesome other than cute and comfy? It's all about "Negative Heel Technology." What is this craziness you speak of? I heard you say it...It means that your heel is actually slightly lower in the shoe than your toes. Think about walking in sand. It's that same effect. Pretty cool, huh? If you look over to your left, there's a pretty snazzy graphic that shoes what this does for your body. I have to tell you that it was wearing a pair of shoes like this back in the spring that totally saved my knee when I sprained it.

Now, since I know you want to see these shoes "in person", I have 2 things for you. The first thing...a picture of me wearing said cute shoes:

See? Super cute and I have to say they look good against the Fall leaves. I wish we had more colorful ones in our yard but sadly, we just didn't this year. It's probably because we only have one walnut tree in the front yard.

Right. You don't care about the leaves in my yard. You want to know how you can see these shoes for yourself. After all, I did say there were two ways..Ok, nobody squeal too loud but Kalso Earth Shoes is letting me give one of you lucky readers a pair of shoes! Now, I can't promise that they'll be the same ones I received. The pair that they send you will totally be based upon your size and their stock. Want to know how to win? Here are the rules:

The giveaway will run from today (10/19) until October 31st at 11:59pm. Any entries received after that point will not be counted. On November 1st, I will draw a winner and that winner will be contacted via email. If I can't find the winner's email address, I will draw a new winner. The winner has 72 hours to email me back with their shipping information. If I don't hear back, a new winner will be chosen. Contest open to residents of the USA. Got all that? Ok, now on to how to enter:

Please leave a separate comment for each entry:
1. Publicly follow me on either Networked Blogs and/or Google Friend Connect. (1 entry - Maximum 2 entries.)
2. Post this giveaway to Facebook. (1 entry - Maximum 1 entry per day.)
3. Head on over to the Kalso Earth Shoe Facebook Page and leave a comment there telling them which of their shoes is your favorite. (1 entry.)
4. Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
5. Follow Kalso Earth Shoes on Twitter (1 entry)
6. Tweet out this message (up to 5x a day - Maximum 5 entries per day.):

"I just entered to win a pair of @KalsoEarthShoes from @craftsbykatie ! Enter today for your chance to win: http://www.lifewithkatie.com/2011/10/review-giveaway-kalso-earth-shoes.html"

Spread the word!

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(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T01:28:00.000-04:00

My birthday was back on September 23rd and for the first time in more years than I can remember, I had a birthday party! One of my bestest friends ever, Lauren, got some folks together and I have to say, it was wonderful. There might not have been a huge turn out but I felt so loved by those who could come out. It was really quality over quantity. Plus, I got an awesome birthday hug from Chris. I could have one of those every day and they would never get old. Yep, I'm a hugger and that man gives quality hugs. It was seriously, the best birthday I've had in a very long time. Lauren even made me a birthday cake! I heard her hubby had a hand in it and while that sounds a bit gross if you take it literally, it was one yummy cake!

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Camping Part 6 : The End is Here

2011-10-05T00:49:00.000-04:00

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and with this post, so will our camping saga. I think I've procrastinated this post because spending time remembering how wonderful it was has gotten me through a few rough days. Of course, that was greedy of me and I know y'all have been waiting. So without further ado...our last day...

Morning came early at camp and like the day before, it was a misty day that promised more rain. Justin and I made an executive decision to not even try to make breakfast at camp but to pack it all up and grab something to eat on the way home. I think that's when chaos started to happen, but in some ways, it was a controlled chaos. Our biggest problem was that so much was covered in dirt and mud. Justin was fabulous about rinsing off what he could at the outside tap. I confess that I got a little frustrated as I watched him load the van.

Ok, maybe it was quite a bit frustrated. You see, in certain areas, I can be a total control freak. One of those areas is organization. It's really hard for me to step back and say ok, you handle it. Since he was clearly capable of putting things in the back of the van, I took a few deep breathes and worked on having the kids help me pack things up so that they'd be ready to go into the van. Surprisingly, I think it only took about an hour for us to get packed up, checked out and on the road....I didn't get a picture of the back of the van, but here's one of the boys riding home. You can see the back of the van when I was looking back at them.

As you can also see, a lot of "friends" came along for the trip or were picked up during the trip. The handsome guy in that right picture is Teddy. He was given to me about 5 years ago and he travels most everywhere with us.

If you remember, back on Day 2, I told you that there was no way we were going through ~~Normandy~~ the wilds of Northern Michigan. Instead, we decided to take 23 South. It's honestly a lovely drive and if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it. The road follows Lake Huron for miles and miles and the views are just beautiful.

About 10 miles from camp, while staring out over the water, I realized we had forgotten to go to the lighthouse. We had planned on stopping there on the way home since it was only about 4 miles in the wrong direction. Sadly, we forgot and instead went on to breakfast. As I mentioned in a previous post, Justin doesn't like chain restaurants. It's just as well since I don't think there are any in Rogers City. Instead, we found this great little polish restaurant and enjoyed breakfast together.

Ok, this would be Roger enjoying the tv far more than his family but as I discovered on this trip, if there's a tv, that kid (and probably me..yep, I'm guilty too) will probably be watching it. I wish I could remember the name of this restaurant. I would completely recommend it if for no other reason than you need to go in and check out their fridge. It's awesome. Trust me.

After breakfast, it was back on the road. We drove and we drove and we drove...well, you get the point. It was nice though. We all talked about the trip and about where we want to go next year. The GPS didn't take us anywhere crazy for ages. It was just nice. We even got to watch part of a parade from a distance!

I know you want to know how that happened, right? Well, we were driving along and suddenly came to a dead stop. At first, we thought it was just because there was a super awesome craft fair going on and traffic was slowed down while people crossed the road. Nope. It turns out that there was a parade happening right in front of us. I wish I'd snapped a picture out the window of the craft fair. We saw some great things from the view of the van. I think this was especially hard for Roger and myself. We both really badly wanted to get out and check out all of the booths. In fact, I think I looked back the entire time we drove through town but Justin was stronger than the both of us and on we drove.

Along the way home, we stopped at no less than 3 different state parks. Why? I have to say it's because I have the greatest man in the world. The state of Michigan had produced a passport stamp book that gave descriptions and all the information about the different state campgrounds. Our camp had run out of them and Justin kept stopping at different parks trying to get one for me. We never did get one but what I found out was that he was also asking about lighthouses so that I would get to see one. At Tawas Point, I got my wish...

We didn't go into the lighthouse because they charged a fee to tour it and none of us were really interested. Instead, Roger and I walked down towards the beach while Justin and Ben hung out on the bench and relaxed. It was lovely. The weather was perfect and I was with my 3 favorite guys. After a quick trip through the gift shop where we bought a stuffed black crape and a book of Mad Libs, we were back on the road.

The drive after that was fun as we did Mad Libs about random vacation themes. My boys can certainly come up with some crazy words that make for some fun readings. Eventually though, all good things need a break and we decided to stop at an Arby's for lunch. Arby's is Ben's favorite place and he'd asked if we could stop so we stopped there to surprise them. Getting out of the van, I had to take this picture. We figured that this poor car must have been afraid of the parking space.

After a rather delicious lunch, we jumped back on the road and it wasn't long after that when silly GPS lady took us off into weird places again. Instead of just sticking to the highway or freeway, she decided we needed to cut cross country again. Before I knew it, we were wandering up and down side streets of Saginaw. Eventually, we found our way out of there and back to the state highway where we wandered through the ~~desert for 40 days~~ the back roads of Michigan as we made our way to my grandma's house.

It was so good to see her. She was laying down when we got there, but she was so happy to see us. She doesn't get to see any of us near enough and now that we don't know how much time we have left with her, I want to give her every opportunity to see us and especially my boys. It's hard to find the time, but it's something I have to do.

We spent a few hours there, talking about the trip and just talking about her life. It made me so happy to hear her sharing her stories with Justin and the boys. So many of them I've heard over the years, but I never grow tired of them. I love hearing how her and grandpa built the house. I love all of it and I love her.

Time goes by so fast when I'm with her and before I knew it, it was past the kids bedtimes and we loaded up the van to finish the drive to our house. When we got in, we sent everyone up to bed and left the van emptying til morning.That's a decision I'll never regret...it was almost fun getting everything unloaded the next day before we went to run last minute school shopping errands.

It's been a month now since that amazing camping trip. I'm already looking forward to next year. I have a shopping list of the things we still need. We have a location picked out and most importantly, it's another chunk of the most precious time ever, time with my family.

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Camping Part 5: Walmart and Big Bridges

2011-09-27T21:22:00.000-04:00

Ahhh...another day of camping. I so wish we could go back. Maybe not right this minute. It's getting pretty cold out but I do wish I had my little family all in one place.

Now, if you recall, I mentioned that it rained some on Friday. Guess what? It rained a heck of a lot more Friday night. In fact, it poured. Now, like good campers, we had put everything that we didn't want getting wet into the van. What we didn't notice was that Roger had left his shoes outside their tent. What I also didn't realize was that Justin had left his outside of our tent. Granted, when we went to bed, the rain wasn't coming under the rain flap....

Sadly, by morning, that had all changed. The wind had shifted direction overnight and had soaked both of their shoes right through. While I was off taking a shower, Justin spoke with one of the camp caretakers and found out that Walmart was...wait for it....45 minutes away! Have you ever lived 45 minutes away from a Walmart? I live in the boonies and even I'm not that far from a Walmart. Well, if you've ever worn wet sneakers, you know just how miserable that is, so we loaded everyone up and we headed into Cheboygan.

Once there, we found the Walmart, bought new shoes for Justin, new socks for Roger (his shoes had dried out mostly by that point), a few odds and ends and then we headed across the street to Big Boy for some breakfast. Now, you might not find this funny, but I do. Justin is obsessed with not eating at chain restaurants. As in, we never eat at them. Unless..it's Big Boy. Seriously. I don't know what makes them the exception but they are. Of course, it's also taken me something like 5 years to convince him that it's just Big Boy, not Bob's Big Boy.

Ok, back to the story..did I leave the story? I dunno but either way, we're going back.forward..something. While eating our fairly delicious breakfast buffet at Big Boy, we decided to head all the way to Mackinac since it was only about 20 minutes away and Justin had never seen the bridge, let alone had the joy of driving across it.

After breakfast, we loaded back up and back on the road! After a quick swing through Mackinac to find an atm machine, we headed up and over the bridge. Always looking for new educational opportunities, we turned the radio to the station telling us all about the history of the bridge. I didn't get a picture of it but we all found it really interesting that the water on one side of the bridge was a different color from the water on the other side. It was as if the bridge was a dividing line in more than just name.

After crossing, we drove up to Castle Rock. I hadn't been there in years and it hasn't changed at all! You still follow the giant footsteps through the shop and up the trail. It has been raining and none of us really wanted to hike all the way up so we explored the gift shop and then headed back down across the bridge. For those of you who haven't seen Castle Rock, I snapped a few pictures to show you.

I really wanted to buy the block in the first picture but Justin said no. It seems that I'm not allowed to cheat at my workouts. After a quick stop to admire the view of the bridge, we were back in the van and headed back to camp. Sadly, due to the time, we didn't get to stop by the apple orchard or the lighthouse. It was still a really great day though and it just made me all the more thankful for my family.

On the way back to camp, we had fun talking and daydreaming about us owning our own beach front house. We saw so many that were for sale. We even went so far as to talk about Justin opening up his search area to include up North. I wouldn't complain. I've always loved it up there. I'm not sure how we would possibly work it out with the boys' dad, but never say never, right?

Once we got back to camp, we realized that we needed to pick up some more wood. Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone at the office. That didn't stop Justin, though! He walked right over to the wood shed and snagged us a bundle of wood. I was a bit shocked until he assured me that he had left the money in there. Whew!

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but the boys had to earn their spending money for their trip. In the end, they both had $27 to spend. At the end of the day, they both had some money left, so after we parked, the family took a walk down to the Friends of the Park tent where Roger bought himself a t-shirt. It has the camp name and a fire embroidered on it. He wanted that one because it reminds him of us setting up and starting the fires together. I love that he wanted something that was special to something we had done together.

After struggling to get another fire started, we had a lovely dinner together. I was so proud of the boys. At the start of the trip, they were refusing to do anything with the fire. By the end of the trip, I didn't need to help them at all. They knew how to be safe around the fire. They knew how to cook their own hotdogs, marshmallows and even pizza. They grew up a little right in front of me.

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Camping Part 4: Day 1 ...What we have to change in the tent?

2011-09-22T00:13:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's Wednesday already. I bet y'all thought I got lost on the trail somewhere and forgot to come back to tell you about the rest of our vacation! I didn't. It just got a bit busy here and I've not been able to make the time to write.

Now, where did I leave off? Oh yes, our very first camp fire. Well, I have to say that it was wonderful. I had so much fun teaching the boys how to build one and about camp site safety. Yep, I'm a teacher even when on vacation. I turn everything into something educational. My poor kids, eh?

Then, it was bedtime and my kids were surprised when I told them they were sleeping in their own tent. This was highly amusing for a few reasons:

1. We had talked about this many times.
2. They had loaded all of their things into their tent and laid it all out how they wanted it.
3. Umm...Ok, maybe just a couple of reasons.

Surprisingly, it didn't take them too long to get settled down. What amused me the most was their shock that I expected them to change their clothes inside the tent. Now, before you think they're a couple of nudists (trust me, this was the 1st summer I could convince them to run around without shirts on!), they expected to haul their things to the bathroom and back.

The next morning, we all got up and after a breakfast of cereal and fruit, we decided to head down to the beach. Wow, that walk was a lot further than it appeared! We walked over wood chips. We walked over boardwalk. We walked over sand. We finally got to the beach! There, we sat down on the one bench and slathered sunscreen all over us. I was not repeating last years' sunburn. Then, without warning, I heard ow! Ow! Mooom! Ow! It seems that not only do mosquitos love Ben, but so do biting flies. They were all over his legs! How do you get rid of biting flies? You get in the water!

Or you try to...except in my case, I had a Ben hanging all over me. He's afraid of the water, you see. His balance is off and he's afraid that if he falls down, he's going to drown. We had purchased a life vest for him and he had it on but the waves are so much stronger in Lake Huron that it really made him nervous. I spent most of my time in the water (which was pretty cold if I haven't mentioned that) standing with him while Justin and Roger went out into deeper water and had a good time. Eventually, I convinced him to sit down in the shallow water and enjoy the feeling of the waves while I swam around for just a little bit.

Those are the harder moments because I feel like a bad mom for wanting a few minutes to enjoy the water myself. On top of that, it's not terribly unusual for Justin to get frustrated and walk off by himself for a few minutes. Please don't think he's a bad guy. He's really not. It's hard having a special needs child. It's hard when you haven't had 11 years of experience. Heck, it's hard for me sometimes. I get frustrated. I'm human. We both are. Trust me, when you're tired, a lot of things can be frustrating. He's wonderful with the boys. He honestly is.

Ok, enough of that side bar. After a while, the beach started to get crowded and we decided we were ready for an early lunch. Much to the dismay of my children, I refused to light another fire and instead we had sandwiches, pasta salad, fruit, potato salad and other goodies for lunch. Then, out came our brand new WWE Uno deck. Why did I point out the branding? Only because there was a near brawl in Meijer as the boys discussed which Uno deck we should get. Ben (avid WWE fan) wanted that one. Roger, my mini me, wanted the cheapest Uno deck. After all, he pointed out, they all play the same way. In the end, to compromise, we bought the WWE one but Ben had to use his money to pay the difference in prices. Whew! Fast thinking Mama!

So, UNO or is it Uno (why do I honestly care?) was played around the picnic table and then...wait for it...it started to rain! Ahhh! So, I chased the boys into the tent and Justin and I quickly rounded up anything that we didn't want wet and hid it in the back of the van before joining the boys in our tent. After further attempts at completing our Uno game, we gave up and just hung out in the tent for a while. Oh wait, I almost forgot! Roger suggested we play Life on the iPad so we did knock out one game of that. It seems to me that I had filled up my car with kids and was about to need a second one before we finally finished. It's a cute app but just not the same as the real game.

Luckily, the rain let up not long after that and our wood hadn't gotten wet so we were still able to make pizza for dinner. I have to say that they were mighty tasty! Of course, before bed, the boys made us sing their one and only camp song again. Remind me to teach them a few more before next year, please!

And that folks, was our first full day of camping. I know that Justin reads this so hopefully he'll fill in any gaps that I've left. I need to hurry and get the rest of this down before I lose all the little things that I loved about this trip...

Tune in next time to hear ~~Spongebob~~ me say...How did your shoes get all wet anyway? and It's how far to Walmart?!?

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Camping Part 3: Actually Camping

2011-09-16T14:05:00.000-04:00

Let's see...in yesterday's driving saga, we had finally made it to the campground. I have to say that I wasn't sure what to expect. Of all the campgrounds along our lake shores, this one was the least booked for the weekend which made me a little bit nervous. After all, when I reserved our space, the campground was only 29% booked compared to 98% booked at all the other state parks.

Thankfully, I had nothing to fear. The campground was actually really nice. The staff were friendly, the spaces were nice and even the bathrooms were really well maintained. I wouldn't hesitate to camp there again, but the family voted and decided to try out a different state park each year. We're already planning on Wilderness State Park for next summer.

After checking in, we headed towards our campsite. It was only 2 spaces and across from the bathroom which was nice. I wanted something close to the beach path, close to the bathrooms and level. Our site met all of those! We got all pulled in and the next step? Setting up the tent....

This is the boys tent. I've set this one up a few times and can do it by myself in minutes so with some help, it went up really fast. This, however, is where we met up with our first "Things She Forgot To Pack" snafu. The ground here was really hard and silly me hadn't thought to get a rubber mallet for pounding in the stakes. What is he using, you might ask? Umm...a great big, giant plumber's wrench that was in the back of the van. Why? Because it belonged to my grandfather and when I took it from the house (I won't say how many years ago.) it somehow became housed in my van.

The other tent was a bit more complicated. It took Roger, Justin and myself to get it put together. It mostly took all 3 of us because we'd need 2 people to hold one section while the 3rd person moved another piece into place. I was so relieved when it was up and our campsite looked like this:

Our tents are all setup, our sleeping bags and clothes are all inside and we even got our chairs around the campfire site and our picnic table looking all snazzy. After that, we relaxed for a while before making our yummy dinner of hotdogs (grilled on sticks in the fire, of course), fruit, veggies, pasta salad and potato salad. My favorite part of the evening? Teaching the boys how to set fires...hehe....in a safe and sane manner, of course. Then, the boys wanting to sing campfire songs but only knowing this weird one from Spongebob.

For your viewing/listening pleasure, I include this video:

And as usual, once I embed a video, it no longer wants to allow me to set the alignment so I'll leave you with just one more picture...our very first campire....and a handsome boy enjoying it.

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Camping Part 2: The Drive

2011-09-15T13:56:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I left off telling you about poor Roger's faceplant and us zonking out for the...morning? Today is all about the drive up north. Before you all walk away, let me remind you that this is me we're talking about and that means something had to have happened to make this trip memorable....

Oh wait! Before I get into that, I have to tell you one of the things that had slowed me way down at Meijer. When the boys and I walked into the store, something set off the security alarm. This isn't unusual. I've had this happen before and I've been told it's probably due to the high amount of electronics I carry in my bag (camera, cell phone, iPad, gps, etc). The lady at the door waved us through and we went about our shopping. When we went to leave, guess what, the alarm went off again. It was the same woman at the door and she waved us out. Except, the manager was leaving for the night and stopped us before I could get the cart rolling. The door woman came over and explained to her that we'd set it off coming in. I sure was hoping we were going to be allowed to leave. Nope. The manager asked me to raise my bag up. Now, at this point, I ought to mention that it was 12am, we were late and my bag was stuffed to overflowing in preparation for the drive the next day. I had books, magazines, the usual electronics, my wallet, etc...Sure enough, something in the very bottom was making it beep. I explained to her the electronics theory and she said nope. That just doesn't happen. She then proceeded to make me empty out the entire bag into the front of the cart. The culprit? A textbook from a used book site that Justin had ordered for me. It still had the security strip it in. Oy! So then, we crammed everything back in the bag and satisfied, she called for someone to walk her out and we left.

Now, as I was going to tell you....We dragged our groaning, tired bodies out of bed somewhere between 9 and 10am, I think. I know that it was around 10:30 when we finally got onto the road. After a quick stop of McDonalds and gas, we were on the road. Have I ever mentioned that I cannot do burgers for breakfast? Yeah, it just doesn't happen. I was happy though with my yogurt and oatmeal.

The first part of the drive was a typical drive. Nothing very exciting happened. We ate, we talked and at some point, I know we stopped to go potty at another McDonald's. That's where I pulled out the iPad, borrowed their wifi and sent what would be my last tweet for a week.

See? Even Google maps doesn't show anything exciting happening. There were a lot more cars than this, though. So, we were driving driving driving....stopped at the rest stop in Clare because I wanted to and for no other reason....

Little did I know just how handy the Michigan state map that I picked up would become later that day. After we all stretched our legs, had a who can find brochures to where we're going challenge, checked out the awesome solid wood furniture and snapped some photos, we were back on the road.

This is just more of us driving...Ok, it's Google maps showing where we drove, but you get the idea. Nothing exciting happened until the GPS announced suddenly that we were leaving the freeway.

Yes, you read that right. Get off the freeway and onto a state highway. No big deal, I thought. It's just shortcutting us back to the freeway, right? Nope. The next thing I knew, we were being routed off onto a county route. I didn't even know we still had those in this state. We talked about it and agreed to follow Miss Bossypants GPS. After all, she ought to know where we're going, right? So, we kept driving...and driving...further into the middle of nowhere. I joke that I live in the middle of nowhere, but folks, this was seriously the middle of nowhere. No other cars, no houses, no anything....until we saw this....

and then this....

Seriously. Tank crossing signs. I was driving by this point. I forgot to mention that Justin was super tired so after Clare, I had taken over driving. Now, I don't love to drive but honestly, I wasn't sure if I should be scared or laughing at our predicament at this point. More than once, I turned to Justin and said I felt like we were in a secret Band of Brothers episode and at any moment, tanks and infantry would be fighting in the middle of the road. Seriously. This was perfect crazy war games territory and it was freaking me out just a little. The speed limit was 55 but you couldn't do more than 35 because the roads were in awful shape and there were s-curves every couple of miles. In areas, if you looked to the sides of the road, you could see tank tracks through the brush. Where the heck were we? I tried to look online later for any explanation and there isn't one. Camp Grayling is on the other side of the freeway, nowhere near where we were. I dunno what Miss GPS was thinking but wow.....

I was never happier than when I saw this (bottom photo):

That was the turn out of crazy land. We stayed on this road for a while but slowly but surely it became more populated and I stopped feeling as if some guy with a bayonet was going to insist we stop the vehicle. Whew!

Look! Civilization! By this point, it had to be after 5 and we were all hungry and some of us had to pee. I won't mention which ones, just that some of us had to. Sadly, we couldn't find a single restaurant. Can you believe that? I felt like Moses after wandering in the desert. All I wanted was a glass of water and some food. Sadly, we had to keep driving though until we finally came across:

and the heavens and the angels rejoiced...there was singing, there was dancing...Ok, there were 4 hungry people staggering into what turned out to be a decent place to eat. The guys bolted for the bathroom (Ha! You thought it was me, didn't you?) and I relaxed and browsed through the menu. This place had good food, but the guy serving us (who I think was the owner) was a bit like yeah, whatever. Turns out that we should have come a couple of weeks later for the big Polish Potato Festival. It looked like a lot of fun.

Sadly, dinner/lunch/we weren't sure what to call it ended too soon and it was time to get back on the trail. Thankfully, by now, the trail looked like an actual road to somewhere.

It led right to our campground! Thank goodness! What should have been a 4.5 hour trip ended up taking us closer to 7. I've never been so glad to see a cute guy in a park ranger t-shirt in my whole dang life. Welcome to Hoeft State Park!

If you're curious at all, here is the map of the insane way that Miss BossyPants GPS took us. Trust me, we didn't go this route home, but that's a whole different post....

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Camping Part 1 : The Night Before

2011-09-14T13:48:00.000-04:00

Hi all! We're back from camping! Ok, we've been back for a week but I've been scrambling to get back into the school routine. I forget just how crazy it is for the first week or so.

Now, since some of you asked to hear about our camping adventures, I decided to do a series of posts about what happened on our very first family vacation/camping trip.

Technically, it all started on Wednesday night. I took Roger into town for his school open house. It went well. He got the teacher he wanted (and the one we figured he would get since the boys never have the same teachers). Afterwards, we headed on home for some family movie time and to do a bit more cleaning. Here's where the fun began. Now, before I tell you what happened, you should know two things:

1. I never lock my van in the driveway.
2. I obsessively check to make sure I have my car keys before I get out because I locked them in once.

You know where this is going, right? Yep. I locked my keys into the van. I was supposed to leave in about 2.5 hours to get Justin from the airport and I locked my keys in the van. I don't have a spare key. I live in a village nowhere near a good sized town. I had no idea how much a locksmith would cost if I could get one to come out at 8pm. I don't say this often, but thank goodness for Peter. In a panic, I called him to see if he still had his copy of the van key. After some digging around, he found it and agreed to drive the 22 miles out to my place to unlock the van for me. Whew!

This meant I ended up not getting any more housework done, but the boys and I did manage to snuggle up and watch a couple of episodes of Food Network Challenge. Then, it was off to Detroit with a stop at Meijer. Notice I didn't say a short trip. It should have been. Of course, it wasn't. I think it took us nearly 90 minutes to get the things we needed and to get out. I don't recall what the big hold up was but I do remember there was one at checkout for some reason.

We did manage to get to Detroit at just about the same time Justin's plane was landing. Thank goodness for clear roadways late at night. Roger fell asleep but Ben stayed up until about 30 minutes before the airport. Oh, I almost forgot to mention. We were joking around about how bossy my gps is and how she always tells us to turn right at times where I'd crash through barriers, into buildings or other silliness. I got Ben laughing so hard that he threw up. So yay for me being so dang funny but boo for the mess I had to clean up later.

As always, it was fantastic to see Justin. I do have to disappoint some readers and let you know that we did not have homework right then and there at the airport. After all, we did have two little boys with us and even if we didn't, security was buzzing around far too much. There was lots of excitement and love and joyous celebration to have our family back together again. Then, it was off to drive home. Surprise surprise though, about 45 minutes from home both boys woke up again and were hungry! Never one to let the fact that it's 3am spoil a bit of family adventure, we pulled into Denny's and had a very early breakfast/late dinner.

Once we got home, we managed to get Ben upstairs to his bed, but Roger walked in the front door, walked 2 feet to the couch and faceplanted into it. When I asked him if he were coming upstairs he said no, he'd sleep right there and was unconscious in seconds. My poor kiddo!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post...where I tell you all about the drive to camp...trust me, it was way more adventure than any of us had counted on!

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My New Storage

2011-09-08T13:05:00.000-04:00

Hi all! I'm here for all of about 30 seconds but I wanted to share the newest addition to my home which totally fits in with Time for Me Thursday! I bought this beauty for about $30 off of Craig's List a couple of months ago and it's been sitting in my barn because I couldn't get it into the house. Thanks to Justin (with a little help from me), it's now happily sitting in our laundry room filled with my stamps. Before, I couldn't really access them but now I can! Who knows, maybe a crafting post is in the future....I'm pretty sure a crafting giveaway is!

Now, before I run out of time and you don't get to see it....my new oh my gosh this makes me smile item.....

Ta Da! Please ignore the mess to the left. That's the remainder of the boxes I'm going through in that room. I'm happy to say that I'm down to about 8 boxes and once I do some re-organizing in "The Wall", a lot of those will be gone. Woo!

Ugh, time flies and it's time for this girl to go into town to pick the boys up from school! See you all again soon!

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(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T14:05:00.000-04:00

This is my grandmother. I think this picture is about 3 years old now but it's the most recent one of her that I could find in my files. I need to take a few more. You see, my grandmother has cancer and it's inoperable. Nobody knows how much time we have left with her...so I'll be enjoying every moment that we do have....

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Sprint TEP App

2011-08-25T17:00:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprint for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Sprint Total Equipment Protection subscribers, have you heard of the newest app in the Spring arsenal? With it, you can sync phones, find phones, even remote wipe your phone. This app is available for no extra costs to current subscribers and will work on Blackberry, Android and other select feature phones. I'm not a Sprint customer but I keep thinking this would be great for when I set my phone down and then two hours later cannot remember for the life of me where the heck I sat it. It's like when you stash things away "somewhere safe" ..we all know it's safe from even me because chances are I won't remember the location later. The only downside to this? If your memory is like mine, you're going to want to take advantage of getting the Sprint Total Equipment Protection App now because it's only available until August 30th.

Now, if you didn't remember to register your phone in the TEP program within 30 days, you could be in luck. Sprint is currently holding open enrollment in the program until August 30th. The program costs $8.00 a month and will even cover your phone if you drop it in the pool on accident! Want to learn more? Check out this video:

Remember, you only have until August 30th so don't procrastinate!

Messy House, Messy Mind

2011-08-21T14:41:00.000-04:00

I'm down today and watching my behavior has reminded me that this post has been brewing for months and I haven't taken the time to write it. That happens to me quite a bit. I have all these great post ideas but then I start to feel down or overwhelmed and I let them go. It's something that I'm working on and that makes me feel better. The knowledge that I'm not letting life defeat me boosts me up. Isn't it funny how circular things can be?

Have you ever noticed that when you're down, you let things go and when you let things go, you feel more down? There's that circle again. I just want to let you know that you're not alone in this. This happens to most everyone at some point or another. Don't feel alone and don't beat yourself up over it.

I don't know if there have been studies but it has long been my opinion that a messy space is the sign of a messy mind. Not a dumb mind or a mind that doesn't work but a mind that is filled with chaos. When our minds are filled with chaos, they're not functioning at optimal levels. Things seem more overwhelming. We look around us at the clutter and the disorganization and we think, "Woah, I can't deal with this. I don't know what to do or where to start." Then, we leave the mess there and before we know it, the mess is even worse and now we're really freaking out.

Of course, there's that whole same side of the coin problem. For whatever reason, our space gets chaotic. It gets messy. It gets disorganized. We look at it and it smacks us in the face. We put ourselves in a negative mental space. We beat ourselves up for how it looks. We tell ourselves that "so and so" wouldn't have allowed this to happen. Guess what. We're not so and so. We're us. Nobody's life is as perfect on the inside as it looks from the outside.

I'm going to give you an example and I sure hope that she doesn't mind me using her. Some of you know, Leah from Mamavation.com and Bookieboo.com. For a while, on a fairly frequent basis, I was envious of her. Then, today, her wonderful hubby, Mark (MrBookieboo for those of you on Twitter), was showing pictures of the home office that they're re-organizing for her. I admit. I sighed longingly at the new pieces of furniture. I did. I desperately want some for my own space. Then, he showed a picture and in it, I could see her desk. Guess what, folks...it was just a normal, plain old desk and I seriously thought, "Wow, she has a plain old desk. She's not so different from me." Leah is fantastic but, and I hope I don't hurt her ego saying this, she's just like you and me. She has a house. She has kids. She has a wonderful hubby. She has a thriving site/business. She has all of that, but she has problems just like you and me and I would bet you, that sometimes she gets overwhelmed too.

We're all human. We all have bad days. What matters is how we deal with the bad days, the depression, the feeling overwhelmed, the chaotic brain problems and the chaotic space problems. So, how do we do it? We do it one thing at a time. Just like weight loss or any big project or journey, you start it one step at a time. Find one corner of one room and clear the space. Throw out the trash, donate the unwanted items and hold onto only the treasures. Keep that space just like that and each day, slowly expand out from that space. Before you know it, you'll have an entire room that when you walk into it, you'll smile. When you smile, your brain will release the "happy juice" and you'll relax. When your body relaxes, your mind will relax. For me, I start in my bedroom because what better place to relax in than the room you sleep in? Trust me, a chaotic bedroom will mess with your poor brain more than any other space. Clear that space, clear your mind and you will sleep so much better!

As for me, I'm off to spend just 10 minutes clearing a space. I'm putting the Hershey kisses away (no need to add to the chaotic body fat problem too!) and I'm going to make my bed a place that I want to curl up in tonight. Let me know what you do! Comments = love and support. If you leave a comment, it allows me to support you in your journey as well as gives me the support in mine.

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August Craft Suggestion

2011-08-16T21:53:00.000-04:00

School is nearly upon us and I wanted to share a fun idea that I had stashed away in my "This is an awesome idea I had and someday I'll find the time to use it" stash. This particular idea is for a College Survival Can but you could easily adjust it to different grade levels.

Find yourself a clean, empty paint can (you can buy these at home improvement stores), decorate it up and fill it with:

A teabag - in case you ever get into hot water, make tea and share it
A pack of tissues - to remind you to dry each other's tears
A toothpick - to pick out the good in yourself and others
A package of salt - to remember to take some things with a grain of salt
A lifesaver - to remind you that Friends are lifesavers
A penny - so you are never broke
A package of sweetarts - to take the bitter with the sweet in life
A rubber band - to remind you to stay flexible
A kiss - to remind you to kiss away boo-boos and that you are loved
A star - to remind you to shine and always try your best
A pencil and eraser - to remind you that we are all sharp, but we all make mistakes too
A paper clip - to hold your life together
A snickers - to remind us to laugh more and enjoy life
A graduation cap - to remind you to always seek knowledge
A duck - to remind you to let some things roll off your back
A mint - to remind you that we're all worth a mint as long as we work together
A hug - of which we can never give or receive too many

Hmm...now that I read over this list, this would make an awesome wedding gift for some friends of mine. I wonder if I could do one by Friday.....

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Book Review: Thunder Dog

2011-08-11T00:10:00.000-04:00

Hey all, I'm back with another book review and seriously, this is one book you are going to want to get your fingers on. I fell in love with this book and I know that it's one that I'm going to read over and over again. This is the story of a blind man and his guide dog on the day that the twin towers fell. Michael worked there and not to spoil it for you, his wonderful guide dog kept her cool and helped lead him out of the tower. This book is more than that, however. It's also the story of his life intermixed with the events of that day. Honestly, I couldn't put it down. Thank goodness I received an ebook copy to review so I could easily take it with me everywhere I went. Personally, I haven't read any books regarding 9-11 and what happened that day. This is the first one and I'm so glad I read it. Even though I knew he would get out (after all, how else would he write this book?), I still held my breath as he made his way down 78 flights of stairs. I nodded my head as he described what it was like to be blind from birth. I learned from him and I cheered for him. Seriously, I could go on all night about how wonderful this book is, but I'm just going to trust that y'all will go out and find a copy for yourselves and read it.

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review from booksneeze.com. All comments, thoughts and feelings are 100% mine.

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Transparency

2011-07-27T15:53:00.001-04:00

A while back, I wrote a post entitled Dreams Can Become Reality. In it, I mentioned a desire to be more transparent. At the time, I had a blog post brewing in my head. It wasn't anything dramatic, just a simple 10 things you may not have known about me. However, in true me fashion as of late, the post never got written. Then, today, I was pointed towards Tony's post The Word "Wish" and in it, he mentioned Ryan's post What I Wish More People Knew About Me. Guess what that post is? A 10 things you may not know about me post. Between the pair of them, I'm convinced it's time to write my own 10 things list. Are you ready for this? I'm not sure that I am but the time is right and the time is now.

1.) I love to write but I'm afraid that nobody ever reads it or cares about what I write. - I've been blogging for about 12 years now (yes, before Blogger even existed!) and to this day, I'm sure that nobody ever reads it. I tell myself that I write for me and in part, that's very true, but like most people, I crave the feedback and the oh my gosh, that's awesome responses that I see other places.

2.) I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up. - Seriously. Not one single clue. Recently, I realized it's because I love so many things and I just don't quite know how to put them all together. Then, I realized that maybe this blog is how to put them all together. Then, I realized I don't know how to make that happen so I'm back at step 1 again. Ok, maybe step 1a. I'm not really sure.

3.) I will pick things up out of people's trash or on the side of the road. - It's true. For example, the shelving in my bathroom? Total on the side of the road with a free sign on it find. A ton of scrubbing later (I think it was stored in a machine shed..it had grease and grime everywhere!) and it's currently holding toilet paper and extra shampoo/soap/etc. Last night, at 11pm, I pulled to the side of the street and snagged a milk crate filled with flower pots. I have no shame. Really.

4.) I consider myself a baby blogger & it makes my day to have a grown up blogger talk to me or comment on one of my posts. - I know that it's baffling to people like Janice & Susan from 5MinutesForMom when I get all hyper and giddy when one of them comment, but it happens every single time. I've been blogging for 12 years and I have 60 followers. I'm not approached by big companies. I don't have 10,000 Twitter followers. Heck, I can't even make it to 500. I'm a nobody in the blogger world so when a somebody talks to me, it blows my mind. I swear Tom Cruise could come up and have a conversation with me and I'd be like well, that was nice, but for example, if Ryan, Tony, or I dunno...Ree were to comment on this post or heaven help me, actually send others to follow me, read my posts or anything, I'd practically fall off my bed. I want these people to be my friends but I'm pretty sure they don't know I exist.

5.) I am obsessively organized but my house is a disaster right now. - This one is tough to write about because everyone thinks I have it so together, but the truth is, I'm digging out when it comes to my house. I'm a serious packrat and due to emotional issues stemming back to childhood, I tend to collect to give myself a sense of security. It's false security and I know this so I'm digging my way out. I'm blessed to have two awesome kids who are helping me in this process.

6.) I have a degree in Psychology but I don't psychoanalyze people. - This might seem weird to some, but recently, I was accused of psychoanalyzing someone because I asked them if there was a reason for why they did what they were doing. I had to point out to them that if they'd known me before I was handed a piece of paper, I would have asked them the same question. My mind has always worked along those lines and it's part of the reason people tend to come to me for advice.

7.) I'm not like all the other girls you know. - I'm including this one because it was pointed out to me recently that I don't think and act like other women. I honestly couldn't exactly explain why this is or how I'm different, just that I tend to think differently on a variety of subjects. I learned a long time ago that this world is not black or white. I think in shades of grey, I guess you could say.

8.) I have a hard time not being on. - In other words, I have a hard time shutting off. I was taught at a fairly young age that I was the one responsible for things I never should have been responsible for. It's led me to be that person who feels she has to fix the world. If something is wrong, it's very hard for me to not jump in. My brain is always running at psychotic speeds and that doesn't always stop when I go to sleep. This also means that I have a hard time simply relaxing and enjoying things. I've been blessed to find certain people in my life who have that ability. When I'm with them, I can shut down and just relax. I don't have to think or fix things.

9.) I think in shades of grey and yet have a need to define everything. - Figure that one out. I honestly can't, but it's the truth. I rarely think of things as black or white and yet, I'm constantly trying to define or compartmentalize things. It's the most baffling thing. It happens most often with relationships. I need to know precisely where I stand with people. The unknown is terrifying to me. I know that it comes from childhood and the instability and insecurities but I also know it drives people insane sometimes when they're dealing with me.

10.) Sometimes I hate the internet. - Please don't shoot me or send me hate mail for this one. You have to understand that I've been online since before Google existed. I've been part of the online community since before everyone had a web page. In terms of the internet, I'm old and old people get tired. For me, there's a certain exhaustion that sometimes rolls around when I sit down behind a computer screen. I long for the days when I hung out with people whose faces I could see or whose hands I could touch. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't exchange any of my online friends for anything, but I'm human and sometimes I crave face to face interaction with people. I also think that the internet has caused us to become socially lazy. I've seen how the acronyms we invented back in talker days have become common use and how people somehow think that sending a Facebook message somehow replaces a phone call or even..and nobody have a heart attack here...but mail. Not email. Real mail. In internet slang (yes slang) snail mail. That stuff that you have to actually walk out to the mailbox to get. I received a just because card in the mail yesterday and let me tell you, it made my day that someone took the time to find a card for me, to write in it, to address an envelope and to actually mail it. Sometimes, I hate the internet and the laziness and impersonal interactions that we have allowed it to lead to. People are people even if they're living behind a screen. I think sometimes we tend to forget that and forget that as humans, we require interactions to have healthy psyches.

11.) I am a survivor. - I know I said 10, but I wanted/needed to include this one. I am a survivor. I have survived emotional and physical abuse. I have survived rape. I have survived divorce and more. I am a survivor and I need to remember this. I can do anything.

There are probably so many more things that I could write about but for now, I'm going to leave you with those and go take some deep breathes. That post was tougher to write than I think I realized it would be. I hope that maybe my words will inspire you to write your own post. Let's really get to know one another. I promise it's a good thing.

PS Yes, that is actually a picture of me...one of the rare ones that exist. If you're not sure, I'm the girl on the left. It was at a radio event last year. I miss my show but like #1, I was convinced no one ever listened.

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Am I Enough?

2011-07-26T14:07:00.002-04:00

This isn't the post that I had planned on writing today. I had planned on a lovely book review for all of you to read and maybe even go find so that you could read it yourself. That was my plan. Then, life happened.

Life has a way of happening to me. I spoke with an amazing friend today on the phone and even he commented that when something good happens to me, life seems to come along and try to knock me down. In the past, I've let it knock me down. I've let it knock me down, let it move forward and then I've struggled back to my feet. It somehow always seemed easier that way. Don't fight it, just let it happen and then move on.

Today, I didn't let it happen and move on. I had someone hurt my feelings and I told them that they hurt my feelings. It wasn't just my feelings. They hurt me. It was like a physical blow. It made me cry. Today, I stood up for myself and said hey, you hurt me. They never responded directly to me. Instead, there was a comment on Twitter directed towards a group we're both part of. All I can say is thank you. Thank you for showing me part of your true nature. Life happens.

Life happened 11+ years ago when my baby boy was born with Cerebral Palsy. It happened again yesterday when we had to go speak to a surgeon about lengthening his hamstrings. It happened while she lectured us on how we haven't been doing enough for him and if we didn't do what needed to be doing, surgery could make things worse. I left that office feeling like I was the worst mother in the history of parenthood. I have a son who is scared and in tears about having to have surgery and who just keeps wondering why he has to be different from his brother and I don't have the right answers. How do I explain this so he understands and feels good about himself? How do I tell the surgeon that he hasn't had therapy this summer because I don't have the money to take him?

Now, we have to make those big decisions. Do we get him the surgery? I think we've decided that we need to. When do we do it? His dad wants to do it during Christmas vacation because otherwise, he'll miss a week of school. Me? I'm torn between a) it seems a cruel Christmas gift b) but I'll lose a week of my time with him and c) Responsible parents sometimes don't do the popular thing. In the end, I know I'll go with c but sometimes I just want to shout to the heavens that it's not fair.

Life isn't fair. Life is life. Life is hard. Right now, life is leaving me feeling that I'm just not enough. I'm not enough friend. I'm not enough parent. I'm not enough house cleaner or organizer. That's what I'm hearing and feeling right now. Is it true? If I'm honest, I'm going to say partially. I could do better. I need to do better. I've let things slip. I've given in to doing what's easy instead of what needs to be done.

Here's the honest to goodness truth. I need help. Not in the, I'll come take your kid to therapy for you sense, but in the honest to goodness good friend sense. Sometimes, living out here in the middle of nowhere, I feel alone. Sometimes, I feel as if I'm the one who people come to but that I don't ever speak up and say hey, what about me? Sometimes, I'm the one who needs the hug or the shoulder to cry on. I'm not good at that. I was raised to be the strong one. I'm the one who is expected to fix everyone else. The problem with that..I don't fix me or my life. I forget about taking care of me. I need to take care of me and sometimes, just sometimes, I need to be taken care of.

....and it can be exhausting.

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Guest Post : Story Telling

2011-07-20T12:07:00.001-04:00

What is your story?

This afternoon I watched a video of Author Chimamanda Adichie give a speech titled The Danger of the Single Story. This video is an incredible testament of our human tendency to boil the beautiful intricacies of our world down to surface level single stories. After watching this video, I began reflecting on all the ways that our culture encourages us to avoid seeing people, countries, and even entire continents as intricate works of art. Sometimes we even allow other’s misunderstandings to become the very lens for which we determine truths and make assumptions of the world around us. I do not know about you, but I want to enjoy this world in its entire splendor. I do not want a portion of the story…. No, I want the entire story; or at least I want to strive to see, hear, taste, feel, live, breath, and love in full.

Maybe our tendency is to choose a single story because it is more comfortable. Perhaps if life is made up of vignettes of single truths we can more easily comprehend. Well, I prefer a more complicated route. Maybe you agree with me. Maybe you have yourself been a victim of the single story that without your permission “defined” how others understood you. Maybe you became the boy with an addiction or the girl that struggles with her weight. Perhaps you were the man who got it wrong or the woman who is angry. I hope you know that you are far more than this single story. Please, please believe that you are more than this story.

I think it is time we stand up to the single story and show that this world is just too beautiful to be misunderstood labeled, and stereotyped. Adichie eloquently shares that she “always felt that it is impossible to engage properly with a place or a person without engaging with all of the stories of that place and that person. The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.”

So, today I challenge you to join me in telling another story. We each have our own passions and dreams; and we all possess knowledge of injustices that get to the core of our very being and stir up all sorts of emotions. We have all witnessed people robbed of their dignity and now it is time to tell another story, a more accurate and truthful story.

The single story I wish to expand begins with the continent of Africa. Too often Africa is painted in the shadows of three dark topics: corruption, conflict, and disease. Unfortunately, some of this is a reality in Africa; nonetheless, there is more to this story. There is incredible beauty in which I can witness to you today after spending time living on and studying the Continent.

Today, I want to share with you about an amazing African organization that is working toward sustainable transformation in the West African country of Ghana. In Ghana, there is a vibrant culture of capable, innovative, and talented business people actively searching for opportunities to expand their businesses and transform their communities. Hopeline institute works with these business people, specifically aiming to provide egalitarian access to marginalized populations. Since 2007, Hopeline Institute has as served and invested in over 500 women-owned businesses. Many of these micro-businesses have grown to small and medium sized enterprises, creating jobs and positively transforming entire communities. I believe this is a pretty impressive story that is lost when Africa is labeled as the “dark continent”.

This August, I have the incredible opportunity to return to Ghana as an intern with Hopeline Institute. As I work with Hopeline Institute, I will aim to energetically contribute to the restoration of hope and dignity to marginalized populations throughout Ghana by being a positive, affirming, and encouraging partner, and walking alongside Ghanaian business owners who are working to make an impact in their community. As an intern I will assist in the implementation of the small and medium size enterprise program, focusing on business training and mentoring. I will make field visits to member businesses, gather business stories, share promising practices and lessons learned, coordinate Global Business Affiliate visits, and facilitate cultural awareness training programs. Additionally, I will participate as needed in the Village Savings and Loan Association project, now in over 190 villages, and the Behavioral Health Change program, also run by Hopeline Institute. However, I will need to raise a total of $15,480 dollars to cover all of my travel, work, and living expenses for the entire year. At this time I would like to request that you consider joining me on a journey to tell a different story about Africa, a story of hope, innovation, creativity, and transformation.

There is another side to every story. Now is the time that this side of the story is told. May you find your story and may you tell it with deep rooted passion and belief in the beauty and intricacies of this world.

Have a beautiful day, my story telling friends.

All donations are tax deductible. Online donations can be made by visiting http://donate.partnersworldwide.org. At the Gift Designation section, choose “People” and then choose “Emily Daher (Ghana)” in the box to the right. Please make checks payable to Partners Worldwide and designate “Emily Daher” on the memo line to be sure your donation is directed toward my work in Ghana. Checks should be mailed to Partners Worldwide, 6139 Tahoe Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546.

Thank you for your time, consideration, and support. To learn more about my work in Ghana please visit http://emilydaher.wordpress.com/ .

To view Author Chimamanda Adichie’s speech visit: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/eng//id/652

Emily is the younger sister of one of my friends and after hearing her story, I wanted to do what I could t help her dream come true. As of this writing, Emily still needs $8,840 dollars for her story to become a reality. She told me that she had to have half of her money pledged before she could go and then she could continue to raise funds while she is in Africa. Let's see what we can do to get her there. I know that we can do this. I have faith in us. Please share this post with anyone you know. Let's get Emily to Ghana.

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(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-20T00:15:00.001-04:00

He's growing up so fast. Every time I look at him, I see more young man and less little boy. Sometimes I wish he'd just slow down a little bit but all the time, I'm incredibly proud of the young man he's becoming.

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Simplify

2011-07-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

I don't know if you can see that tiny print over there on the left, but it says simplify. If you remember back, this was my theme for the year and while I've played with it some, I haven't really taken it seriously until recently.

What changed? I think part of it was a book that I read recently. In fact, if you were here yesterday, you saw the review that I wrote for it. It really got me thinking about how the boys and I are living our lives and what, as a parent, I'm teaching them. Then, came the conversation with Roger (age 10) as he dramatically flopped across my bed one afternoon. The first words out of his mouth? "Mom, I'm bored." I thought, how could this kid be bored? There are 2 video game systems, hundreds of books, board games and toys in this house. There's a backyard to run around in. Then, it hit me. He's not bored. He's overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices he has.

So, we're making changes. One of the first changes has to do with computer time. Starting today, the boys are now limited to 3 hours each every day. I know this sounds like a lot and it is a lot. However, I'm weaning them off. Prior to today, the pair of them would probably spend twice that playing on the computer. Now, that's being cut in half which is a pretty heft change for two kids.

What's next? Well, today, instead of sitting online or watching tv, we're going to the lake. There's a nice (supposedly) beach about 20 minutes from here. After lunch, we're packing up and we're going to go check it out. We're going to play in the water for a few hours and then, after a quick stop to pick up some new shelving (thank you, Craig's List!) for our laundry room, we'll be home and spend the evening relaxing together.

That's something else that is changing for me. For a while now, I've been in full envy mode. I've envied other people's "perfect" houses and the nice items that they had. Now, I'm shaking my head at myself. I may not have the nicest items in the world, but I do have what's most important. I have my boys. I have a man who loves me and puts up with all of my silliness. I don't need new dishes. There is nothing wrong with the dishes that I do have. Of course, I also don't need the giant pile of towels that I discovered we had once we caught up on laundry. So, I'm passing a big bag of those on to some friends who do need them.

It's about simplicity. It's about getting back to basics. It's about setting goals for our family and achieving them. For the first time ever, my boys have a daily chore list. It's amazing how much we're getting done around the house. Each night, I write the boys out a list of 6-9 things that they need to get done the following day. I place it on the table outside of their bedroom door and each day, they find it, do the items and cross them off of their list. Seeing those lines gives them a real sense of accomplishment and it's teaching them to be more responsible. Already, I've noticed that they're picking things up when they're done so that they don't have to do a big clean up later.

Getting back to basics is a good thing and I honestly feel blessed that as we downsize, we can give things to those who need them. I'm passing towels and bedding onto Lindy and Paulie. I'm passing on a box of girls' books to my friend Lauren and her soon to be step-daughters. I know that Freecycle is going to get a few boxes of items very soon. As we have less, we feel as if we have more. It's a really good feeling.

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Book Review: Money Secrets of the Amish

2011-07-14T12:17:00.000-04:00

Hi all! I'm back with another book review and honestly, this is the first one that I just want to tell y'all to go out and buy. I devoured this book for so many reasons. The first is probably pretty obvious. Our little family is perpetually broke and learning how to save a few more dollars certainly can't hurt. The second is that, in my mind, the Amish are the epitome of Simple. Simple is my goal for this year. I'm working on simplifying our lives in a lot of ways and I was sure that this book could help me on the path to that.

Did it? Yes and No. There wasn't anything in this book that I found to be mind blowing. To me, it was all common and good sense advice. That being said, I've always been on the frugal side of nature. I'm also one of those "green freaks." What this book did for me was to bring me back to that. My kiddos and I have been becoming more and more I want it now mixed with oooh shiney! That's not what I want for us as a family. It's not what I want for myself. This book reminded me of those basic feelings and beliefs. I'm now implementing some of those things into our lives.

I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. It's a nice and easy read. It's filled with some really great basic advice and real life applications. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the author is a local girl who probably lives maybe an hour from me. I have to tell you that I would love to go garage saling with her! I think she would be a total hoot. Did I mention that she has a blog that I totally intend on ~~stalking~~ visiting on a regular basis?

I received a copy of this book via the BookSneeze program. All thoughts, comments and opinions are totally mine because we all know that no one puts Baby...no wait, no one tells this girl what to think. Oh and that image up there probably technically belongs to Amazon but if you click it, it leads to one awesome book that I think you should buy.

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Mamavation - Guest Post

2011-07-05T22:51:00.000-04:00

Hello All… I am Megan or @NcCarterFamily and I am basically the Zoo Keeper for our family. I am a stay at home mom but rarely am I actually at home. I have 3 crazy boys, a husband and we live on the family property so my in laws are our neighbors. I blog at www.carterzoochronicles.blogspot.com and http://cartersautismdogadventures.blogspot.com

I started having kids very early in life and spent time being a mom and not really taking the best care of myself. When 2 of my children were diagnosised with Autism I jumped head first and lived everything that I needed to do or could think to do to dealing with their issues. Which meant a lot of emotional eating for me. Also a lot of quick meals and fast food while playing Taxi driver for the family. To add more to my plate I am also starting back to school this fall.

I’ve always put everyone else before me and have never really found out who Megan is. I know Megan is not who I am now. I am not this obese mother who is too tired, too fat, too lazy, too exhausted, too stressed out to be the mother my kids deserve. I want to be able to run after them scratch that I have to be able to run and catch them because of the autism. I want to be able to take them to the water park, or to ride the roller coasters with them. I want to be running around playing basketball, chase whatever it is they want to do I want to be able to join them and I WILL DO IT.

I know that signing my ass over to Leah and Daniel along with the other Coaches and Mentors and going through the Mamavation Mom boot camp will be a life changing opportunity for myself and my family. It will give me the tools that I HAVE to learn to make this LIFE STYLE CHANGE for my family. I don’t want my children to have to grow up and then learn a healthy lifestyle I want them to learn it from me. I also want to inspire the others in my family so that they can learn and see what I have done to change my life. I have been a Sista with www.Mamavation.com for 7 months and this is my 3 Campaign.

I hope you will take a moment and head over to the Mamavation Site and Vote for me NcCarterFamily… http://www.mamavation.com/2011/07/mamavation-finalists-campaign-9.html

**** Hi all! Katie, here. This is my good friend, Megan. She's in the running for something that could change not only her life, but that of her family. Please take a moment and go over and vote for her, please. Help this mama help another mama help her entire family. ****

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Dreams Can Become Reality

2011-07-01T00:13:00.001-04:00

After my last post, my heart has been hurting and my mind has been spinning. I had the opportunity to talk with Graham and I'm glad that I did. We've both realized that time is a blessing and if we don't take our chances now, the chance might not be there later. So, I've been thinking...What do I want to do with my life?

For the first time ever, I'm going to put it down into writing. What it is that I want to do with my life right now. Consider this to be a bit like What I See Myself Doing in 5 Years. Did anyone besides me hate those essays in school? Even then, I didn't have the first clue what I wanted to do with my life. Well, after a lot of thought, I have some idea and I want to share it with you. I'm going to put it out into the universe and see how it feels.

1. I want to write. I've spent major portions of my life writing and it's something that I love to do. I actually started a book. I want to pull that out and start typing it up and adding to it. I want to share things with the world. More than that, I want to write for a website. Specifically, I want to write and work for 5MinutesForMom.com. There, I said it. I don't believe that it's any great secret, but for the first time, I've made it a declarative statement and not a joking one.

2. I want to teach. I don't think that this one will surprise very many people either. I don't want to get a degree in it. I want to teach at conferences. I want to share what I know.

3. I want to learn to bootblack. I know that this seems totally random but those closest to me will understand that it's not.

4. I want to get back on air. I don't want to do a daily show anymore but I do miss dj'ing and I want to sign on and do a show from time to time. More than just music, I would love to incorporate an advice segment.

5. I want to be more open and transparent. For a variety of reasons, I have hidden certain aspects of my life and I no longer have a desire to do so. I don't know that it's possible right now to be 100% transparent but I would like to work towards that goal.

6. I want to travel. I want to attend conferences. I want to attend events, both in the more hidden aspects of my life and the more public ones. I would love to see me combine 2, 3 and 6 and/or various aspects of those.

7. I want to learn Irish. I started and stopped and keep making excuses for why I haven't picked it up again.

8. I want to be me. I'm pretty good at it and it's time that I let other people see that I'm good at it too. I have talents and abilities and it's time to share those with the world.

When I grow up, I want to do all of these things. Step 1 is done. I've put them down into writing. I've shared them with all of you. Now, it's up to me to put them into action. It's time to stop wasting my talents and my abilities and to use them. Time is a precious gift and I've been squandering it, assuming there will always be a tomorrow. My friends, sometimes tomorrow doesn't come and so we have to appreciate and live now.

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Life is Too Short

2011-06-30T17:38:00.001-04:00

Life is too short. There is never enough time. Those are the words that keep running through my mind. I want to introduce you all to someone. This is my friend Joel. He was a beautiful soul, sometimes trapped within a tortured body. I say was because Joel passed away recently. It doesn't seem fair but then again, does death ever seem fair?

I met Joel what seems like a million years ago. He lived in England and I lived in Michigan. Perhaps some would say that we had nothing in common and yet somehow, we clicked with one another. As time went by, as too often happens, childish things get in the way of friendships and even though you're still friends, you allow life to get in the way and you lose touch. Then, out of the blue, you get a phone call that you never see coming. Your friend is gone. It seems cruel and unfair. It doesn't seem real. How could this larger than life personality be gone from this world? Then suddenly it hits you and you're dropped to your knees, tears running down your face as you fight against the pain that has gripped your heart and a part of your soul.

Then slowly, through the haze of your tears, you see a hand reaching out to you. Together, you draw one another to your feet and you hold on. You hold on and you remember this beautiful soul that ties you to one another. You hold on and you know that he wouldn't want you to have regrets. He would encourage you to grab ahold of life and to grab onto all the opportunities that you have in front of you. He would want his death to serve a purpose, not just to have been a flash in your life.

So, Joel, I'm holding onto your memory. I'm holding onto your friends and we're looking to the future. You may not be with us in person, but your spirit will remain here in our hearts. We won't let go. Trust me, my friend, when I tell you that you've changed our lives. You've changed them for the better with your sweetness. You've given us the gift of you and it's allowing us to look at our lives and to make the changes that we need to. I will forever thank the gods that I had the chance to know you. This is not farewell but save me a spot at the bar.

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Monte Carlo

2011-06-27T12:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Monte Carlo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm a sucker for a good romantic comedy. When it comes to movies, I am a girly girl. Ok, I admit, I like the occasional sci-fi (Shhhh! Do not tell anyone!) but romantic comedies get me every time. I've seen the previews for Monte Carlo and all I can say is thank goodness there isn't a local man in my life or I might be tempted to drag him off to see it. There's nothing like a great coming of age, find out who you are movie to bring a couple closer together, right? Maybe? Ok, how about a great chick flick for a girls night out or a bonding experience? I have boys and I can guarantee they won't want to, but if I had a daughter, I'd probably sign us up on July 1st (that's this Friday!) to go see this.

There is a bonus in that I could go to Fandango starting on June 29th and get my tickets in advance. Have any of you tried that with a movie? I think it would be wonderful to be able to have them before you get there. It saves so much time standing in lines. I remember doing this when I was visiting in England and it was fantastic!

Those were the days before we could go and like a movie over on Facebook though. Now, it's one of my favorite things to do. I go over and I hit like and what's really nice is that I can see which of my friends have also liked the movie. Then, I know which ones to hit up when I want to go see something like Monte Carlo. Sneaky, huh?

So, your mission, should you choose to accept it: Watch the trailer, get the movies, be there on July 1st and then go like the Facebook page so that you can sneakily find out who you're going to drag to see the next awesome movie that's coming out. Ready? Go!

Review & Giveaway : Chex Mix Muddy Buddies

2011-06-20T14:44:00.000-04:00

Look what we got! Yep, that's a Chex Mix Muddy Buddy package! I've never seen the boys so excited about a product review in my life. When I opened the box and they saw what was inside, they insisted I open the bag then and there. Luckily for them, I'm a nice mom so I opened the bag and poured it into the lidded container. Then, I handed over the container and sat back. The boys loved it! I have to say that when I snagged the container back, I thought it was pretty tasty myself. What I loved most was that it was one of those snacks that I could have a small handful and it totally satisfied my sweet tooth as well as that desire to have something crunchy. I'll confess that the kids loved it more than me, but I'm getting old, you know. I just don't love sweet as much as I did when I was their ages.

Want to know the best part of this? Chex Mix has provided me with a 2nd gift pack to send out to one of you! It will look just like what's in the picture and if you're like me, you're going to love the air tight storage container. I'm in love with it! Want to know how to enter? Well, let me tell you!

Required Entry:
-- Leave a comment telling me your favorite type of Chex Mix and what you're most excited about in this giveaway.(1 entry)

Bonus Entries:
-- Tweet about this giveaway. Make sure that you include @craftsbykatie in the message. Then come back here and link to your tweet. (Maximum 5 entries)
-- Blog about this giveaway. Come back here and link to your post. (3 entries)
-- Follow Life With Katie using Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs (must be a public follower). (1 entry)

Giveaway will end June 26th at 11:59pm EST. All entries after that time will not be accepted. Maximum 10 entries per person.

I received the gift pack shown from Chex Mix via MyBlogSpark for the purpose of this review & giveaway. All comments, thoughts and views are 100% mine because we all know I hate to be told what to say. ;)

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Walgreens Brand Vitamins

2011-06-10T08:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

A while back, I wrote a post telling you about my experiences with a sample of Walgreens Brand One Daily for Women Vitamins. Now, I'm back to tell you how much I really liked these. This was the first time, in a very long time, that I had tried out a multi-vitamin and I was really pleased that not only did my body tolerate it, it seemed to enjoy it. In the past, I've had problems with vitamins upsetting my stomach. Thankfully, not this one!

What I also liked is that while these are a store brand (Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products), they're still pharmacist recommended and they're so much easier on the wallet. If you're like me, every penny counts and we've all learned that it's not cheap to stay healthy! So, when I find a brand that not only helps me to stay well but is well priced, you can count me in as a consumer! Plus, for every one of their products purchased, the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™ helps bring preventative services to local communities!

Now, as if that isn't awesome enough, there are several bloggers out there who are giving away Walgreens Gift cards! We all know how much this girl loves good giveaways! You don't want to miss out on the chance to win one of these!

Book Review: Curiosities of the Civil War

2011-06-09T14:48:00.000-04:00

Hi all! I'm back with another book review. This time, it's for Curiosities of the Civil War by Webb Garrison. In this book, Mr. Garrison covers a variety of topics pertaining to the Civil War.

Now, I have to say that this is not a history book in the way that most people think of history books. It's more of what I would call an anecdote book. The book is divided into 9 different sections. Each section focuses on a different topic and each section is then divided into 2-4 paragraphs focusing on an individual person, event or subject. Since it's laid out this way, you can choose to read for 5 minutes or for 5 hours.

I found the topics interesting and it's an easy read. You would have to actually have an interest in history though to find this book interesting. It's not a general reader. All in all, it's a pretty good book and for history buffs, it's one you might want to add to your shelf.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book as a Book Sneeze book reviewer. All comments, thoughts and opinions are 100% mine because we all know that I hate to be told what to think or say. ;)

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Love on the Mind

2011-05-18T12:04:00.000-04:00

Isn't that a dramatic title? I wonder if it's a song title. Shoot. Y'all know me. I have to go check to see if it is. Be right back....

Ok, I'm back. It turns out that it's not. The closest I came was Love on My Mind which is actually a pretty good song. In fact, just in case you wanted to hear it, I'm going to put it right here for you to check out. Aren't I lovely?

So, what's up with love being in my head? Well, there's this potential new guy for one thing. He read yesterday's post and simply responded asking who this person was. The tease never responded back after that. He's left us all hanging.
There's also my boys. I have to tell them after school today that our dog has died. Kiara was my dog when I was married to Peter. He texted me last night to tell me that she had died. My guess is that her poor heart gave out. It kills me to know that I'm going to walk through that door this afternoon and she's not going to be there to love all over me. I hate knowing that they're going to be hurting. Kiara was a big part of our family. She's going to be desperately missed.
Then, there's the love of friends. I'm hoping that the Toledo gang will come to see me as not just that girl who drops in from time to time but as a friend. I really like all of them. My fear of being hurt (and probably other things) has always gotten in the way of me making friends but this is vulnerable me saying Toledo people, please like me, ok? I already like them. They're great people and I whine every time I drive home about how I wish I could be down there more to see and hang out with everyone.
The love of family also comes to mind. Mine has been going through a crisis over the past week with my grandma being so sick. She should be out of the hospital today and that's such a relief. None of us are ready to lose her. She's the glue that holds us all together. I need to get back over there soon to see her.
Mostly, today I'm thankful. I'm thankful for the family who loves me. I'm thankful for the gang in Toledo for taking me in as one of their own when I needed it. I'm thankful for Justin who has kept me sane during a really rough period. I'm thankful for Jim who totally understood when I no-showed on Sunday night and who has checked in to see how things are. I'm thankful for my boys because the first thing they asked me yesterday was how is mawmaw. They're such great kids. I'm thankful for my other friends who lended me their ears and virtual arms when I needed a hug. I'm thankful for James who gave me not only his couch, but his ears and his arms and his odd sense of humor. I'm a lucky girl.

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Spring Renewal

2011-05-17T20:52:00.001-04:00

This probably seems like the oddest picture ever for a post titled Spring Renewal, but I think this phrase a hundred times a day. Today, it's one that's firmly in my head and the reason that I'm here writing.

Spring is officially here, I think. It's mid-May, so I would hope so but the weather has been so odd this year that it's hard to tell. With Spring comes change. I'm seeing it all around me. The flowers are starting to bloom. So many of my friends are making their plans to go back to school in the Fall. Some are moving. Others are planning their weddings.

I am honestly happy for all of them. Yet, at the same time, it's hard for me. I feel stagnant. I envy them. The reality is that I can't go back to school right now. I applied, yes, but the way things are right now, I can't handle a Master's program. I'm disappointed but sometimes life just gets in the way of things. I'm adjusting to that idea.

Ok, do you all really want to know the real problem in my head right now? It's a man. Isn't it always a man? I know. I know. My Twitter hubby is nodding. Some of you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking it's such a female thing for me to say. It's true though. There are those of you who read here who know I've had guy trouble over the past few months. It sucked but I've come to a few realizations and stood up for myself and those guys are history. They're gone. Ok, they're not gone. I talk to them once a week. Heck, I saw one of them this past Sunday night when I got together with some friends. It wasn't planned that way. It just was.

Now, there's this guy. He's nice. He's funny. He's as juvenile as can be sometimes but I really like him. Oh not in the happily ever after sense. It's far too early to feel anything like that. I just like him. Dang, now I want to say I like like him...like I'm 12 or something. I actually saw him this past weekend and I think he likes me too. Does he like like me? I think it might be possible.

So what's the drama? I can hear all of you asking it or maybe those are just the voices inside my head. I'm going to believe it's all of you because otherwise it means I'm insane. The drama is that we live about 2.5 hours apart, he's still getting over someone and well, life is transitioning for him. Still don't see the problem? No, neither do I. So, why am I writing this? I honestly don't know. I just needed to write.

Perhaps I needed to put it in black and white (or I think this goes to white on brown. I've had this blog for years and I'm still not sure. Geez!) that I like this guy. I had mentally shot him down when he first hit on me because one of the guy problems I was having was with one of his close friends. I needed to move past that so I could see this guy just for him.

Well, I guess that solves that problem. Yes, I really do like this guy. Yes, I really want to spend a lot more time with him. Yes, it sucks entirely that I live this far away and so me going down there always has to be all drama. Did I mention that I want to spend some more time with him? Yes. Is there much more I can say on this subject? No, so I guess this is the end of this.

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Never Enough

2011-05-12T12:03:00.000-04:00

I want to thank everyone who read and commented, though privately, on yesterday's post. I also want to encourage folks to comment here. Don't be afraid. This is a safe zone.

Yesterday, I mentioned the possibility of an upcoming post on being good enough. I've run into this a lot in my life. It started with my very parents. For those that don't know, they dropped me (and my sister) off with my grandparents and from that point on, they had minimal roles in our lives. I spent a lot of years trying to be good enough for them.

Then, one day, I realized I will never be good enough for them. My mother will probably always shriek at me that she wishes I'd never been born and that I ruined her life. My father will probably always be absentee at best. It took me a lot longer to realize that it wasn't my fault. I had done nothing to them other than being born and now you can't blame a baby for coming into the world. It took the parents doing something to make that happen.

In some ways, growing up like this helped to shape me into the people pleaser that I am today. Ask those closest to me and they'd tell you (or I hope they would cuz otherwise I'm about to lie to y'all.) that it's the little things that make me happy. I love to buy or make little things for people just to see them smile. I'm a helper. If someone needs something, it doesn't surprise me when I'm the one who gets that phone call. It's part of who I am to want to make other people happy.

Recently, I went through another round of I'm never going to be good enough for this person and that brought out a whole new reality to me. I don't have to be. I only have to be good enough for me. If there is something about me that this other person doesn't like, barring that it's a serious character flaw, that's not my problem. The only person I have to make happy is me. There are those in my life who accept me just for being who I am.

Yes, I'm goofy. I'm weird. I am a total geek, though some recently doubted my geek cred. (Yes, I'm looking at you, James.) I'm pretty. I can be funny. I can be silly. I can also be serious, quiet and shy. I can talk to total strangers about anything but there are few who I count as my closest friends. People see me as outgoing and rarely see the sometimes scared little girl behind the facade. I'm a people watcher. I'm a people lover. I am a lot of things and perhaps the best thing..I am open. If there are people who cannot accept me for just being all of those things (and more) then that's not my fault. Sometimes people just don't click.

And sometimes..just sometimes...there's a flaw within themselves that doesn't allow them to be open and accepting. That's something they need to work on. I'm not just the girl that most people see when they look at me. I'm not shallow. I have some serious depth. For those who don't want to dive below the surface, that's their loss. For those that do, I promise that it's worth the trouble and I can't wait for the adventure to start. No rolling a 1 with me, I may not be a natural 20 but with bonuses, I'm at least a 17. (Wow, how's that for getting more geek cred..lol)

For those of you out there who still feel not good enough, ask yourself who you're not good enough for. Unless it's yourself, let it go and if you have to, let the person go. It's not easy but it's a journey that's well worth taking.

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When Did I Become That Girl?

2011-05-11T11:01:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes and yes. This says so much in one tiny little image. Too often I second guess myself and think that maybe what I felt wasn't true. It was though. What happened was real and it was true. I felt it and I saw it. Just because it scares someone and they try to pretend it didn't happen doesn't mean it wasn't real or true.

I'm sure that most of the people reading this have no idea what I'm talking about and that's ok. This post isn't for them, it's for me. Most of the time I stop and think about whether or not my readers are going to want to read something but today, this is just me, writing whatever comes into my head. It could be bad. It could be good. It could be utterly insane.

As some know, I had my heart broken a couple of months ago. For the first time in years, I opened myself up to someone and for a very short period, was incredibly happy. Then, he changed his mind and all of the confidence I had in myself tanked. Like dropped to the ground, got ran over by a semi and tossed into the trash tanked. I was that scared girl again. The one who was sure nobody really wanted to be with her.

Then something happened. I "ran into" an old friend. Someone that for really no good reason, I had lost touch with a couple of years ago. There was a time when this man was one of my closest friends. I can't even tell you what happened because there isn't a logical explanation. Maybe it was just the fact that after so much time had passed, he said he wanted to be friends still. Maybe that reminded me that one of the "cool kids" (he hates when I say that but he'll never read this..he's umm..too cool to read my blog) liked me and that must make me a pretty special person too. I really don't know what it was but it woke up something inside of me. I suddenly remembered that I wasn't that girl anymore.

Yes, she's still in there and she probably always will be. She's gone through too much in life to just vanish totally. She's not the "main me" though now. I'm stronger than that. I can say things like any man would be lucky to be with me because I treat my men damn good and I'm a pretty great person. I'm not the prettiest or the smartest or the funniest but I have good doses of all three of those things.

So, to the guy who decided he couldn't be with me, I'm sorry because you lost out on incredible. To Zac who possibly reminded me of all these things, welcome back to my life and please feel free to stay. I've missed the friendship that we had more than words can say. To the rest of you, thank you for reading here, for being my friends and for sticking around even when I've not been here. I won't promise to be here more but believe me when I say that I sure would like to be.

(Possible upcoming post: There comes a point when you have to realize you'll never be good enough for some people. The question is...is that your problem or theirs?)
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The Collection

2011-05-08T10:00:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by ogilvy. All opinions are 100% mine.

How many of you own an iPad? Ok, now how many of you are addicted to apps? Have you heard about the collection yet? The collection is a brand new app that was just released on April 12th. It's a monthly "apazine" that covers current global topics. Sounds great, huh?

If you're like me, you are horrible at staying up to date on current events. I get so wrapped up in my day to day life that I don't stop to look and see what's happening in the world around me. I really should. We all should. There's really no excuse to not be informed these days when you can get news in a thousand different ways. Now, for those of you with an iPad, here's another way! Let's face it, if you continue to be like me, you're online constantly and this is a nice and easy way to get a quick update on what's happening in the world.

Now, let's just say you like the sound of this (I do!) and you have an iPad (I will soon!) and you want to download this app. I'm going to say go for it! Now, let's just say you don't have an iPad yet (booo!) but you want one and you want this app (Yay!), then I have a contest that you're going to want to enter. If you win, you get your very own iPad plus the collection app free for the rest of the year!

To enter, all you have to do is sign onto twitter and send a tweet saying: Stay up-to-date with current events by using #thecollection iPad App

That's it! You just have to tweet to enter! Remember, only entries through Twitter will count in this fantastic giveaway! Don't miss out, enter today!

Life + Giveaway!

2011-05-07T14:50:00.001-04:00

Hi all! It's been ages since I've posted here and I can only explain it by telling you that I've been swamped! I'm going into town 5 days a week plus for the past two weeks, I've been helping out with the elementary school swim program. On Tuesdays, I'm in the pool from about 9:50am-3pm. I love it! I so wish we had a pool closer to me so I could be swimming a few days a week.

Luckily, life will be settling down some soon. School will be out in just a few weeks and that will end my driving into town 5 days a week. It's also going to give me the chance to dive more fully into the house and really putting our mark on it. The boys don't know it yet, but we're going to surprise them by taking their sunshiney yellow bedroom and repainting it into a color that they both want.

It's also going to allow me to spend more time working on writing here. I'm going to work on bringing back the Tuesday organizational challenges. If things go well, I'll also be bringing back Save the Planet Saturday. For now though, I'm going to introduce you to a fantastic product that we're "enjoying" here. I put that in quotes because while I like doing laundry, not everyone does.

This is Purex Complete with Zout. Zout is a triple enzyme stain fighter. Recently, the lovely folks at Purex sent me a bottle of their free & clear formula to try out and so far, we are loving it! It works just as well and maybe better than any other laundry detergent that I've tried out. I love that they offer this in a scented and non-scented version. Personally, I don't like perfumey smelling laundry soaps (plus they often set off my allergies), so the free & clear version is perfect for our family.

I know you're wondering when I'm going to get to the giveaway...right now! I have a coupon here for one of you to try out this fantastic product for yourself!

How to enter:

1. Leave me a comment telling me your least favorite household chore and why you don't love it.
2. Tweet about this giveaway. Make sure that you leave a link to your tweet in your comment.

Quick Edit: No more than 5 tweets per person, please.

That's it! I'll draw a winner for this on Friday, May 13th. Yep, Friday the 13th will be a lucky day for someone!

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Review: Freschetta By the Slice

2011-04-19T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA®. All opinions are 100% mine.

As some of you may know, my goal for this year is simplicity. For me, that's a manner of going back to basics. It means cooking from scratch and avoiding microwave meals. However, there are times when that just isn't possible. For those times, I'm always looking for something that I can pull from the freezer and pop into the microwave. Enter FRESCHETTA® By the Slice. This brand new product from Freschetta can be found in your freezer section.

Around here, it retails for about $2.88 and cooks up in about 2.5 minutes. I believe it says it's ready in 4 minutes on the box but may be due to it sitting or something like that. In our case, we picked up one of the BBQ Recipe Chicken (one of 4 options: BBQ Recipe Chicken, Vegetable Medley, Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom and Six Cheese Medley). Since it was something that I wanted to see if the family would enjoy, I microwaved up the piece and cut it into 3 slices.

So, what's the rating?

Roger: 5 star but he wanted more. Of course, he only got 1/3 of a slice so I think him wanting more is a good sign the liked it.

Ben: 5 stars.

Mom: 4 stars.

The general consensus was that the toppings, sauce and crust were all delicious. I especially appreciated that the crust didn't get soggy. I do wish that it hadn't stuck quite as much to the container you microwave it in. Other than that, I think we'll be putting this on the shopping list for the nights where mom is just too dang tired to cook. Plus, I think I'm going to be following @FreschettaPizza on Twitter and I'm going to go check out their Facebook page as well.

So, how would you like to win your very own free piece of Freschetta Pizza by the Slice? It just so happens that I've been given a coupon to share with one of my lucky readers! Entry is going to be super easy. Are you ready for this? Leave a comment below telling me which of the 4 styles you'll try if you win. That's it. No following the blog (I hope you do anyway!), no tweeting. Just leave me a comment. Winner will be chosen using random.org one week after this post goes live. The winner will be notified via email so please make sure that I can contact to you. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn.

Happy Monday

2011-04-18T11:36:00.000-04:00

In honor of what I saw out my window this morning, I bring you Happy Monday!

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Book Review: The Daughter's Walk

2011-04-17T18:50:00.000-04:00

I cannot begin to recommend this book highly enough. Based upon a true story, this book takes you back to a time and place in history that very few of us probably think about. Back before women had the right to vote and skirts never showed a bit of ankle, a mother takes her daughter on a walk from one side of the country to another. She does this for the promise of enough money to pay off their farm. Sadly, they miss the deadline by mere weeks because the daughter gets ill along the way. When they finally make it back to their farm, two of the children have died and the father forbids them to ever speak of it. In the end, it chases the daughter out and this story tells of her life.

There were times as I read this book that I laughed and others when I cried. It's one of those books that makes me realize just how far we've come as a society and in some ways, just how far we still need to go. It's written in a language that even a young teen girl could understand so please don't think this is one of those adults only type of books. It's not. The best part is that it is based upon the real life of the daughter. Pick it up and you might find yourself learning something while you fall in love with the characters.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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Village People in Branson!

2011-04-12T10:01:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ahhh! The Village People are coming to Branson! Come on, you know the second I said Village People, y'all started dancing with their songs buzzing through your head. I know it happened. You cannot deny it to me! I know my readers! You're all as crazy as I am and I happen to be attempting to do the YMCA while typing this and let me tell you, that takes some serious blogging skill.

Now, if you happen to be wanting to head to Branson, which I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to (young man...), make sure that you check out the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. They're running a special concert package that includes two 70's Supershow tickets and a one-night stay at the hotel. Packages start at only $219 for two people.

Plus, did I mention that after the concert you can Boogie, Oogie, Oogie around the venue and collect autographs from the stars of the show! Isn't that fun? You know it is! You don't even have to be In the Navy or a Macho Man to stay at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel!

As if that's not enough excitement, you can check out the Imax or the zip line! Seriously, Branson has tons of fun stuff to do! You really ought to consider it for a vacation destination. Citizens of the West, I encourage you to Go West (if you live in the East, that is!)

Plus, if you leave me a comment here telling me your favorite Village People song, I Wanna Shake Your Hand.

Recipe: Taco Chicken

2011-04-07T14:27:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I posted a recipe here and after mentioning this dish on Twitter, I told a friend that I would post it here for him. (waves to her new friend Joe!)

Now, I have to tell you that I didn't take this picture. I actually found it online and weirdly the recipe attached was nearly the same as mine. I guess great minds think alike!

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salsa
low fat shredded cheese (taco blend is nice but any type will work)
red potatoes (at least 1 per person)
sour cream (optional)
taco seasoning (optional)
Pam

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Slice potatoes into thin to medium sized slices.
3. Tear off 4 sheets of tinfoil. This needs to be large enough that you can create a packet around your chicken.
4. Spray each sheet with Pam.
5. Divide your potato slices between the 4 sheets and place a chicken breast on top. At this point, if you want, sprinkle the chicken with taco seasoning (I leave it off.)
6. Pour desired amount of salsa over top and sprinkle with cheese.
7. Wrap foil around creating a packet. Place your packets on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
9. Open packets, plate and serve with optional sour cream!
10. Eat and go yum, yum, yum!

Print Recipe | Printable grocery list

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Walgreens Brand Vitamins

2011-03-23T20:01:00.001-04:00

This is a compensated post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

Recently, I was lucky enough to be sent a sample of Walgreens Brand One Daily for Women Vitamins. I've never really done a daily vitamin regimen and was a bit concerned as to things like flavor and size of the tablets. Luckily for me, I didn't have any problems with what I was taking. The pills are a little large but not so huge I couldn't swallow them down easily. They also have some sort of coating on them which makes the flavor actually a little bit pleasant. It actually made it quite easy to continue on taking them. In fact, I may add in a daily vitamin as a more permanent aid to my health.

Now, if there were only a Walgreens anywhere near me. Downside of living in the sticks, I suppose. For those of you who have a Walgreens near you, I would highly suggest that you check out their line of Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products. From my understanding, they contain the same ingredients as your "name brand" products. They're also all Walgreens pharmacist recommended and have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Plus, let's face it, with the price of everything seeming to go up, anytime you can find a product that's less expensive, it's worth buying. Save those pennies for your gas tank, folks! Also, while you're over there, make sure you check out information on the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™.

Have any of you tried the Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products? I'd love to hear your thoughts on them. If I continue to life them the way I have so far, I might make a special trip into Walgreens the next time I'm over visiting family to stock up.

Tackle It Tuesday - Week 8 Challenge

2011-03-22T13:28:00.000-04:00

It's Tuesday and it's already shaping up to be one of those days. It turns out that Peter is home and so I don't have to go into town today. I feel a bit at a loss. I've gotten pretty used to not spending my day at home. That's ok though. I'm going to take the chance to put together a new bookshelf that I purchased and continue with my goal of organization and simplification for this year. Nothing like an organizational project to put a smile on this girls' face. :) See? There it is...right there...a smile...hehe

So, how did all of you do on last week's project? It was a fairly simple one. You just had to find that junk/miscellaneous stuff drawer that we all tend to have and get it cleaned and sorted. I did mine this morning and ended up tossing out a bunch of stuff and tossing a bunch of other stuff into a freecycle bag. Now I can actually open and close the drawer without anything getting stuck!

Look at all that free space! The only thing missing from it is the other turkey hook (I have no idea where that wandered off to.) and my mandolin (which last time I tried using, I couldn't get it to work. It's probably user error though.). Those will both fit easily in there with plenty of room to spare. I love it!

This week's challenge is going to be just as easy. We're going to go back through the 7 weeks and make sure those areas are still looking nice and spiffy. If you've kept up on them, this challenge shouldn't take you more than 15-20 minutes throughout the course of the week. Just in case you've forgotten or if you're brand new here, here are the areas we've tackled so far:

Week 1: Kitchen table or other dumping ground
Week 2: Bedside Table
Week 3: Top of the Entertainment Center
Week 4: Laundry Area (not the entire room, just your washer/dryer & any shelves above)
Week 5: Fridge Door (Interior)
Week 6: Fridge Shelves
Week 7: Junk Drawer

Don't forget, I'll be doing these right along with you. I know a couple of mine are going to need a wipe down and pick me up. That's ok. That's part of regular maintenance. Our goal is to declutter and reclaim space, not perfection. Now, let's get to it!

New to Tackle It Tuesday - Clean Life, Clean Home Challenge? Don't worry! Just jump into this week's challenge. Be sure to come back and post your blog links to celebrate your progress and achievement!

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(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T11:06:00.000-04:00

Ahh...Wednesday..the middle of the work week for most and the middle of my picking kids up from school week. I love being able to do that now but wow, it has goofed up my schedule and I am still working at putting it back together. It probably doesn't help that I've now become a bit of a workout junkie (trust me, on a small scale) and have gone from working out once or twice a week to up to five times. In fact, once I hit publish on this post, that's right where I'm headed. Insane, isn't it?

Now, one of the bonuses of driving into town every day is that for the past few weeks, every time I've passed this one section of road, there have been anywhere from 6 to 20 deer eating in this field. Sadly, now that the snow has melted, I haven't really seen them. One day, I couldn't resist and I stood by the side of the road taking pictures. They're not the best because you can only get so close to deer before they bolt. However, I did take this picture and I think it works great for the nature theme over at Sunday Shutterbugs.

Have a great Wednesday all! I'm off to see what EA Sports Active 2 has in store for me today.

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Tackle It Tuesday - Week 7 Challenge

2011-03-15T13:22:00.000-04:00

It's Tuesday and I'm back! Did y'all miss me? It's been a rough few weeks but I'm back. I'm 100% well but I'm one heck of a lot better. This is going to be a quick post because I need to get out the door to get my kiddos. So, here we go...

Does anyone remember that we were working on cleaning out the fridge? Well, here's mine (after I filled it up with deliciousness last night):

It's not perfect but it sure is one heck of a lot better! How did you guys do on that? If you got it done, make sure you leave me a link to check out so I can give you some comment love! Plus, cleaning is more fun when you do it with friends.

Now, for this week, I'm keeping it simple. I want you to do one drawer. For me, it's going to be this kitchen drawer here:

It's not really a junk drawer. It's all kitchen items. I just don't remember what the heck is in there anymore. That means it's time for a clean out and most likely a serious purge. If I don't remember having it in there, chances are I haven't used it in the 2 years or so since I put it in there!

That's it for me for today. It's another crazy busy day and I need to scoot! Let me know how y'all do! You know I care!

New to Tackle It Tuesday - Clean Life, Clean Home Challenge? Don't worry! Just jump into this week's challenge. Be sure to come back and post your blog links to celebrate your progress and achievement!

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Pier 1 Outdoor

2011-03-11T16:00:00.001-05:00

This post brought to you by Pier 1. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey all, have you been to Pier 1 lately? It's been ages since I've stopped by one but I heard that they now have a new line of outdoor furniture and I admit to being curious. Now that we've gotten word that we don't have to move, I really want to get some furniture to put out on our back deck. Maybe something like the Rock Point Outdoor Chairs. They're fun and colorful and heck would even look great inside during the winter. I can totally see myself replacing my dining room chairs with those. They're so vibrant!

Plus, they have a whole line of Papasan chairs. How do y'all feel about these? Do you like the style and look of them? I think they're pretty cool looking, myself. I might have to look into getting one for the back deck. Then, I could sit back, relax and watch the boys running around the yard. Of course, I'd have to get a little side table for next to it. Doesn't that sound like the setup for a perfect summer?

Now, before I let you go, I need to make sure that you know about the Pier 1 Outdoor newsletter. If you sign up today (well, really the next few days anyway), you'll receive a special in-store offer for the weekend of March 18-20. Plus, don't miss out on the upcoming Pier 1 Tweetups. You can check out that link for more information about the dates and times those will be happening.

Missing in Action Girl

2011-03-10T18:14:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday. I know it's Thursday. Ok, now I do. All week I have been completely thrown off. I had the boys here on Sunday/Monday and you all know how that goes. Nothing seems to be right when your week is thrown off like that.

However, since that is the most boring excuse in the world, I thought I'd come up with one better. Ready?

It was Sunday and like any other Sunday, we were lazing about the house. Suddenly the room was lit up like the 4th of July. I mean, there were lights everywhere! Before any of us could move, the front door slowly creaked open and in entered the biggest, cutest bunny rabbit you've ever seen! He apologized for the lights. It turns out they came from his giant bunny mobile that he'd parked in the driveway. He gave us all tons of ~~candy~~ carrots and other super healthy for us veggies and then went on his way. Then, as a family, we spent the entire week enjoying the bounty of his generosity.

And that folks, is what really happened.

For those of you who totally missed me this week, I'm so sorry. I swear I'll be back on track and back on the blog next week.

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Book Review: The Shape of Mercy

2011-03-06T17:17:00.000-05:00

Hi all! It's time for another book review and this time, it's The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. This book is about a rich girl, desperate to break out of the rich girl mold. She lives in the dorms at a state university and ends up taking a job transcribing the diary of a girl during the Salem Witch Trials. Through out the book, she comes to recognize a bit more of just who she is as a person and you learn the fate of the girl who wrote the diary.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't one of those that I would dub a page turner but at times it came really darn close. You end up wanting to know what happens to Mercy (the girl who wrote the diary) and how it is that she comes to die. Don't worry, that's not much of a spoiler. You know from nearly the first chapter that she will so I'm not really giving anything away.

I enjoyed this book from a few different angles. First, there was the historical side. For me, it was fascinating to read about the life experiences of a girl during that time. Then, there was the more modern side watching our "heroine" deal with her own emotions and experiences while she transcribes the diary.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book. As an adult, I enjoyed this book but I would suspect that girls in the high school age range group would enjoy it even more.

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All opinions, thoughts and comments are 100% mine.
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Time for Me Thursday

2011-03-03T13:54:00.001-05:00

It's Thursday and you know what that means! It's time for me! Wow, that sounded egotistical, didn't it? Maybe I should have said it's time for us to do something good for us! Does that sound nicer? If not, well shoot, y'all know what I mean. It's time for all of us to do something nice for ourselves. We need to take care of ourselves because if we don't, we're no good for anyone else.

Today, I'm doing something a little bit different. I'm giving myself a reality check. As some of you may have read over at Welcoming Weight Loss, I've joined this fantastic group called the Mamavation Sistahood. They are some of the most incredible, generous and loving women you will ever meet.

Now, what you may not know is that a few times a year, they select women to become Mamavation Mamas. This is a huge thing! These ladies take trying to lose weight to a whole new level. A few people were encouraging me to apply but honestly, I'm just not ready for that. I was really worried that I was disappointing people by saying no or that maybe they thought I was making excuses. The truth is I'm not ready. This morning, one of their most fabulous mama's, Shelley and I were talking and she said what I'd been saying. She said yeah, you're not ready. This brought some serious mixed feelings. On one hand, I was almost relieved that someone else saw what I was saying. On the other hand it was a big time reality check. Let me explain why.

For a very long time, I had the worse self esteem a woman could have. In fact, I called it negative self esteem because everything I thought about myself was negative. For the past few years, I've been working hard at getting past that. One of the ways I was doing that was by telling myself that I was ok just the way I am. Now, that didn't just mean personality, it meant physically. This morning, suddenly the reality was right in front of my face. I'm not ok just how I am. I'm not. I am a beautiful person but what I have done to my body is not beautiful. It's dangerous. It's scary and it needs to change.

So, what am I doing for me today? I'm exploring this reality check. I'm working on some "assignments" to help me explore how I got to nearly 300 pounds. I'm going to write in my paper journal. Then, I'm going to spend a fun afternoon/evening with my boys. It's Family Reading Night at their school and we're going to go and have a fantastic time!

What are you going to do for you today? Are you going to find time to journal? Paint your nails a delicious new color? Curl up with a favorite movie? Spend some time moving that body to get your sweat on? Make sure you come back and let me know!

*** This post has been copied over to Welcoming Weight Loss ***
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(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T11:14:00.000-05:00

Ahh, Wednesday...The middle of the week...and as usual, a day that I feel a bit meh about. I'm so much more of a Monday or Friday kinda gal. Wednesday's rarely bring anything special or exciting. Of course, now that I've said that, we all know that from now on Wednesdays will start being frantic or something along those lines.

Oh wait, Wednesdays always bring this post so how can I complain? This is actually one of my favorite posts of the week and every since the girls announced that the February theme was Red, I've been seeing red everywhere! In fact, I actually stopped on the side of the road, yesterday, to take this picture:

I pass this barn twice a day on my drive to/from town. It's actually one of my favorite sights. I smile every time I drive past it. I can't really say why. Maybe it's because I'm a small town girl and barns like these are slowly disappearing from the landscape. So many have fallen into such sad states of repair, so when I see one like this, it brings a smile to my face.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone! Find something that makes you smile!

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Tackle It Tuesday - Week 6 Challenge

2011-03-01T12:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have a confession. I was still sick all last week! Can you believe it? This thing has lingered on and on and on. I am finally on the mend and so thankful for that. I hate being sick but it's worse when it's in the lungs and the slightest amount of movement gets your heart rate up.

So, since I seriously lost to the battle of illness last week, I decided to break the fridge challenge into two parts: the door & the shelves. I figured since not a single one of you posted your challenge, maybe y'all needed another week too. I'm warning you though. This is your last week to tackle this alongside me.

Ready to see my fridge door? I took everything out, threw away old food (Can you say salad dressing that expired in 2007, anyone?), wiped out the bins and then put everything back in. Drumroll please.....

Doesn't that look so nice? Plus, there is actually room for more items if I find them as I clean out the rest of the fridge! I love it! Ahh...Organization makes me happy...

New to Tackle It Tuesday - Clean Life, Clean Home Challenge? Don't worry! Just jump into this week's challenge. Be sure to come back and post your blog links to celebrate your progress and achievement!

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More Than Just a Monday

2011-02-28T13:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday, world! Monday is probably one of my top two favorite days of the week. For me, it's the start of a new week. The chance to change the things from last week that just didn't work. It's the day of new possibilities in my world. My other favorite day is every other Saturday. That's the day I get to spend alllll day with my boys and nothing could be finer.

Now, last week, I was super sick and it sucked. I got absolutely zippo accomplished and ugh, nothing frustrates me more than feeling unorganized and nonproductive. So, since being sick plus being nonproductive = one very miserable and unhappy katie, that just has to go! My lung issues are mostly done. Yes, I'm still coughing but it's every now and then not pretty much the opposite of last week. That just means changing the productivity quotient for this week. Since I am now gone up to 5 hours a day, I need a big time kick in the pants to my schedule for getting things done around the house.

That being said, it's so much easier to say versus do, don't you think? Saying it takes so little effort while actually doing it means getting up off the couch, stepping away from Facebook and Twitter and *gasp* actually working! I know it will take me a while to get into this new routine, but I can do it. What am I going to do? Just look:

Monday - Bathroom Clean Up/1 load of laundry
Tuesday - Kitchen Clean Up/1 load of laundry/workout*
Wednesday - Living Room Clean Up/1 load of laundry
Thursday - Bedroom Clean Up/1 load of laundry/workout
Friday - Weekly task/1 load of laundry
Weekends - Complete Weekly task/laundry (if there's any left)/1 workout

That doesn't look too horrible, right? It's just a little bit each day and soon, this house will be back to normal. Don't you hate how houses mess themselves up when you're sick? Lazy old houses!

*If you're not sure why workouts are on this list, you'd better pop over here and find out why!

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Sexy Swimwear

2011-02-28T10:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ok, I know that it's only February but have any of you been to the store lately? The kiddo needed a new winter coat and when we went to the store, it was bikinis and swim suits as far as the eye could see. I guess nobody got the memo that we're still getting slammed with tons of snow and let's face it, if I went outside in the swimsuit up there, I'd die of hypothermia in about 10 seconds flat. Not to mention the fact that at my weight...Well, let's just say the neighbors would prefer I don't.

However, if I were super skinny and the type of woman who might want to show off her brand new super skinny body, I might check out the women's swimwear over at Express. Not only do they carry the one piece suits, but they also carry two piece swimwear and the string bikini. I'm curious, do any of my readers actually think that the string bikini is sexy or comfortable to wear? I promise I won't judge you if you say yes. The truth is that I've never been small enough to wear one so I'm honestly curious.

So, now that I've asked that super important question, let me tell you a bit more about the site:

They carry bright solids, on-trend graphic prints, the essential reversible style, nautical-inspired striped and sleep metallic styles.
Designer details include flirty ruffles, sexy self-tie sides, glam beaded embellishments and polished metal hardware.
Removable padding in tops.
Bottoms fit smaller to size for moderate back coverage
Swim shorts available for men.
Accessorize with Express spring essentials including sandals, tote bags, sunglasses and hats For Him and For Her.
Sign up for Express e-mail for a chance to win one of ten $200 Express GiftCards. (See sweepstakes rules)

So, while this chunky Michigan girl won't be searching for a swimsuit anytime soon, I bet some of you are. I know that some of my gals are going to Austin in a couple of months. Maybe they want something new and sexy to show off those Fitcation 2011 bodies. Of course, there are those of you lucky souls who live in warm clients. Maybe someday I'll join you. ;)

Finish It Friday

2011-02-25T13:40:00.000-05:00

It's Friday and what a week it's been! I've been sick all week. Heck, I've been sick for two weeks. I finally gave in and got some cough medicine and I think it's clearing up! My poor lungs just needed a chance to not cough so that they could start healing. Thank goodness! On top of that, the boys had Monday off (due to Mid-Winter break. I still want to know where that was when I was in school!) and then had 2 snowdays this week. Yes, 2. The first one I couldn't get out to go watch them but I was in sooo much pain from my earlier in the week workout, I got zippo accomplished. Then yesterday, I got up way early and went in and spent the day with them.

So, what does all of this mean? I got absolutely zero accomplished this week. My house still is a disaster zone (like call out the national guard level) and I still have a million and one things on my to do list. I bet you're wondering what this means for Finish It Friday, right?

Well, even if you're not, I'm going to tell you. You ought to know that about me by now. It means nothing more on my to do list will be accomplished today. You see, it's the every other Friday Friday. That means I go get the boys, we go grocery shopping, come home, drag it all into the house, make dinner, eat dinner, maybe watch a movie while eating dinner and then it's bedtime for them and because I'm still a little sick, I collapse on the couch with some water and tv. Holy cow, was that a long sentence or what?

I will be finishing something though. I'm going to finish my bad attitude. All week, I've been sick and once I gave into it, I also gave into the blah/meh feeling that comes along with it. I pretended like it didn't matter what I ate, didn't matter that I couldn't really workout and basically gave into really bad habits. So, enough of that. It ends today. I know it's not going to be easy because well if it were, wouldn't more of us be making huge changes in our lives? Sure we would! It needs to happen though. The mehness needs to go byebye and the back on track (because soon it will be back to the scale) needs to come through.

So that's what I'm doing. What about all of you? Be sure you leave a comment with a link to your Finish It Friday post. I know you won't regret it! Plus, it means I can come by and give you some comment love and support!

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Free Belly Bag

2011-02-24T15:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CryoCell International for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm not pregnant. I just thought I'd get that said right out of the gate. In fact, for the first time in a long time, I'm not sure that I even know anyone who is pregnant. However, let's just say that you are. Have you hard of www.Cryo-Cell.com? Cryo-Cell is America's most established family cord blood bank. I wish I could have stored either of the boys' cord blood but it was a very expensive and not really offered option back when they were born. I really think it's something that all pregnant families should look into.

Plus, if you speak with one of their www.Cryo-Cell.net now, you can receive a really cute BellyBag for free! I like free. You like free. Not to mention, from the pictures I've seen of this bag, it will be quite the conversation starter! Now, what's more fun than free and attention grabbing? Not a heck of a lot...Ok, maybe the way you got pregnant to begin with. I admit, that may be more fun than a free bag. Until that cutie pie arrives though, why not check into this and get some swag in the process?

Tackle It Tuesday - Week 5 Extension

2011-02-22T23:52:00.000-05:00

Hey all! I'm so sorry for not getting on here and posting this sooner. I know all of you came by to check on this week's project and to post your links for last week and here I didn't even come on all day.

I'm sick. There, I finally admitted it outloud. I've been sick for 2 weeks now and it's not getting better. It's getting worse. I kept thinking if I kept going and pushed tons of water that it'd just flush itself out but it hasn't. It started out a sore throat and a bit of a stuffy head and it has settled itself fully in my chest. I'm not sleeping well at night because of the coughing. I'm propped up but still I cough. I've tried vics and it's not helping. Tomorrow, I'm giving in and getting some cough medicine. I know I should go to the doctor and I promise, if it's not better by the weekend, I'll call and make an appointment. I don't know how I'll get there (my doctor is an hour away & I have to pick the boys up at 3:25 every day which is 30 minutes in the opposite direction) but if I have to, I'll figure out a way.

For now though, I'm going to go curl up with my teddy bear and pray for one night's sleep. Enjoy your extra week to tackle that fridge. I expect to see you all back here next week with lots of links and photos!

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Time for Me Thursday

2011-02-17T10:39:00.000-05:00

Wow, long time no see on that graphic, huh? I've been a total blog slacker and one of the things I've slacked on is this post. That's pretty crazy since it's a post that I feel so strongly about. Then again, I feel pretty strongly about all of my themes or I wouldn't write them, huh?

Ok, well now that we have that covered, I need to tell you something. Are you ready? Ok, well here it is. I'm sick. Yep, me. I've been battle this for about a week and it finally took me down. However, I may be down but I'm not out. I'm not letting it defeat me or the progress I've been making for my health.

With that in mind, my time for me today is going to last all day because I'm making it my goal today to drink 4-5 water bottles full of water. This is going to take care of me. The water will keep me hydrated and help flush all the ickiness out of my body. Hooray for byebye to ickiness!

So, tell me, how are you going to take care of yourself today? What are you going to do to pamper yourself? Make sure you let me know by blogging about it and then coming back here to leave me a link to come check out! Just like with our Tuesday challenges, if I get a few of you regularly doing these posts, I'll add a linky for you.

I'm off to fill up my water bottle for the first bottle of the day!

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