Going on a vacation soon!

Heading down to Southern New England (NH & RI) for the holiday weekend. July 4th, which happens to be hubby's birthday will be fun to celebrate away from home this year. Looking forward to fireworks, BBQ's and fun providing the weather holds out!
It's been a VERY rainy June here in New England, and I am hoping that summer finally decides to arrive. (Watch it arrive July 13th the day I head back to work! Isn't that always the way it happens?!)

I have some packages to mail out, review/giveaway to post before I leave, and lots of other fun things to do. Tomorrow is going to be a crazy, crazy day. Today we went shopping at HD for new flooring for our hallway and living room carpet. Our carpet is gross-after 4 cats and a teen son who would barf all the time you can only clean up so much with the steamer. (my son has a weak stomach, always has-doc said its nerves) Now my son didn't barf purposely on the living room carpet, but he'd fall asleep watching TV/playing video games many times and then wake up sick to his stomach. I think part of it was stuffing himself too full with pizza, Chinese takeout, and sweets too darn late in the evening. The kid eats like a horse, and is rail thin-I wish I had his metabolism! So anyways, although he has outgrown the barfing on the carpet because I couldn't make it to the bathroom on time phase-we decided it was time for a new floor because no matter how much we tried to get our beige carpet clean, it just wasn't going to happen. So we got laminate flooring in a nice wood design-simply gorgeous. I figure with that I am safe and can put area rugs on the new floor as well.

Before we tackle these home improvement projects, we are taking a few days off for some R & R. Wishing you all a happy, safe and fun Fourth of July!

What Is This World Coming To? Remember the 3 P's.

Ever wonder what the heck is going on in the world? Have you turned on the news lately? Lately, we've had some high profile people pass away-some were older, sick with a terminal illness, and some were a complete surprise. Farrah, Michael, Ed and now this Billy Mays infomercial star-all in one week. WTF is going on, anyways?

North Korea is threatening to give us our own nuclear fireworks show, the Middle East is a hotbed of activity and the Iran election protests continue on. In Honduras this morning, we have a military coup and the President has been removed from office, kidnapped and sent to Costa Rica. Chavez is getting his Venezuelan army ready and doing some serious saber rattling down in SA. Iran, North Korea and Venezuela are all bitching about the US in some way or another-whether we get involved, or we stand back and let them deal with their own BS in their country. Seems we're doomed if we do, doomed if we don't.

And our own country, with its current economic crisis, flood of foreclosures and exodus of jobs as companies learn to do more with less. Do you live in one of those 19 states that just might not be able to pay their bills and issue IOU's to its creditors next week? Here in Maine, Monday July 6th is a state shutdown day-luckily we got hubby's drivers license renewed before it expired on July 4th. Are you at all worried that you will wake up one day and realize our money has lost its value? It CAN happen, other countries have faced the same issues in the past and just because we live here does not make us immune to that fact. Sometimes I wonder if this infusion of cash into our system, the bailouts etc... is just postponing the inevitable-which is the collapse of the dollar and our economy as we know it.

Face it folks-America is a consumerist society. We import way more than we export, and of course that increases out debt. The days of old, where manufacturing was a way of life here in the US are long gone. The old mills stand idle, vacant-or are converted into offices, apartments, etc... I watched the paper industry, our local shirt making factory and other mills shut down here as manufacturers realized that the cost of business here in the US wasn't profitable for them. They had to pay union wages, or good salaries with bonuses and benefits, adhere to strict environmental laws and regulations and had to pay overtime and other high bills, such as heating and electricity which cut into their profits.

Now they are overseas, paying a pittance, not worrying about child labor laws or environmental issues. What may have cost $5.00 to make here only costs 10 cents over there. But what about safety concerns? So many cheap imports flooding the market-overworked inspectors passing shipments through without safety checks. Who pays the price? We do-melamine in our pet food, lead in our kids toys, food and candy recalls and so many other things that we don't even know about-yet.

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Maybe it's time to pay heed to the current world events. Prepare yourself for what might come. It may be a lay off, a foreclosure, a natural disaster or something much more catastrophic than that. Remember the three P's: Prepare, Protect and Persevere. It won't be easy, but by preparing, you can protect your family from any crisis which may be immediate or long-term, and using your knowledge-you can persevere though these difficult times ahead.

It's Summer-Finally!

The weather here in Maine lately has been wet, rainy and miserable. I seriously began questioning whether summer would actually arrive this year-so imagine my surprise when the past couple of days have been hot, humid and full of sunshine.

Today of course, is another dreary day-we're expecting showers and its a bit cooler now that a cold front has gone through. Thursday night was actually the worst, sleeping was hard to do in a stuffy house and not to mention a nice, loud thunderstorm decided to head our way just as I was starting to doze off. Have you ever felt like a thunderstorm was directly over your house? With this one I did, the thunder was so loud and the lightning so bright-even hubby was a bit freaked out by it. My daughter and son both slept through the whole thing. I, on the other hand, was wide awake. So were the cats, who made their presence known by meowing loudly and jumping in bed with me.

Back to today, it's a bit cooler and the sun is peeking through the clouds. I've got a hair appointment at 1:30 and hope to decrease 10 years off my age by having my highlights done. Wishful thinking, right?

Deja decided to try out her Crayola goodies that we had won about a month ago. She'd been bugging me for the longest time, but with all that wet weather it just didn't make any sense to create a design that would be gone five minutes later. She enjoyed the Crayola rake-it's so easy, the chalk goes in it, you bend over and draw. She made several nice designs that graced my front walkway these past few days-I even caught the mailman checking them out as he came to deliver our mail yesterday. Her older brother Demetrio even decided to get into the act that evening. She'd left the rake in the hallway near our shoes and he picked it up and was wanting to rake some color down our hall carpet. After I threatened his allowance for the next few months, he decided his sister was an easier target-and raked the back of her new Jonas Brothers pajamas Grandma had given her earlier that day. You'd think with 9 years difference between them, there wouldn't be any sibling bickering, but oh yes there is! He loves to aggravate his little sister, and she loves being the victim. Oh, here is a tidbit for you-the stripes he left on her back from the colored chalk DO NOT come off in the wash. I think I used half of the bottle of Spray & Wash and even though the marks weren't as dark as before, they don't disappear completely. Just an FYI for you not to put them in their Sunday Best and let them create with Crayola. :)

Well, off to the fountain of youth! (going to get my hair done) Gotta leave this house, hubby is ripping up the hallway carpeting (no, my son did not rake it with the Crayola rake!) and the dust and dirt flying around is going to set me off if I don't get some fresh air. (Reminder to self: Go to CVS and get more Claritin-the pollen count is high already here and now the inside air is contaminated too!)

1984-Whaddya mean it's been 25 years already?!

25 years ago I vaguely remember going to Colby College for our high school graduation. Young and full of ideas, hopes and dreams I listened as our keynote speaker began talking about where life might take us, and what we might expect from our futures.

It's safe to say I was in the top 10% of my class, and graduated with the gold cord around my neck, same as my mother did back in 1961. I had no college dreams, my mother was a single mother in a time when that wasn't the norm-and she struggled to keep food on the table and keep me from working during high school so I could use my time to study. Luckily, I also lived with my grandparents-although my grandfather died when I was a 15 yr old freshman. Life wasn't easy when you don't have money, and although I had dreams to go to college and to BE someone-it just didn't happen when you are the only child and needed to help out at home after you graduate.

At times, I am upset with myself for not going to college. But right now, having a steady job with or without degree is certainly challenging enough-and I am grateful that I am among the fortunate. Apparently we have a 25 year class reunion planned and several of my high school buddies want me to go.

Sure, I am curious as to how everyone is looking nowadays. But with classmates.com and other social media websites it really doesn't take too much effort to track someone down if they want to be found. Now if I still looked like I did in 1984 I might be willing to go... lol. Parts that were once youthful and perky are now following the rules of gravity, other parts have expanded so that I now resemble the beached whale on the Animal Planet special, and I feel like my wrinkles will rival that of a Shar Pei within the next several years. I liked my hair light, but now it's turning white, and after the birth of my kids my once healthy head of hair decided to shed like a long haired housecat losing its winter fur. Now, I have to struggle to comb over the "female pattern balding" going on and wondering if I will end up wearing a wig later in life.

And not to mention that the icons of my day are dying! God, does that make me feel ancient. Just today, we lost Farrah Fawcett (I was so darn jealous that my boyfriend put her poster in his room, I even ended up getting the haircut so I could look like her! lol) And then Michael Jackson, where back in the day I tried to imitate his moonwalk and danced to Thriller-which was the longest video ever! It's strange how someone had just suggested MJ songs for our reunion and today he's gone.

Another factor-what about the cliques? You know, the mean girls? Yes, they existed even back then. Will they still be huddled in a corner someplace flashing their huge diamonds and tanned bodies, manicured nails and dazzling smiles while laughing at how the rest of the class has turned out? And what about the handsome football player? Is he balding with a paunch and currently out of work? Hmmm, the class loser-how did he get so sexy looking AND rich? Or will everyone just be nice to everyone else and let the past be the past? Sure, there will be successful alumni and not so successful alumni. People that have been married, and divorced-and married again, like myself. High school sweethearts that are still together. And other grandparents too.

I have a few more days to make up my mind whether I will attend the evening function or not. Hubby doesn't want to go. And I have about 5-6 female buddies from back in the day that are attending alone too, for whatever reason. They are having a free get together during the day at the local playground for families and to show off the kiddos. I am thinking about taking Deja to that event, which is safe. Give me the evening event, a few Sex on the Beaches and I might not be so nice. My buddies laugh, they know me. A little liquid courage goes a long way, and that snobby jerk who still can't be nice at the reunion would get an earful (25 years worth) from me. I wasn't in any particular clique, thank God, but had friends from all different groups and it worked out well. But a few people I know SO wanted to be noticed all those years ago, got laughed at, made fun of, and treated badly. And I know that they still want to be noticed, after all these years. I'm hoping that at least their old crush will be cordial and pleasant-but not cruel. After all, we're adults now, right?

Photos of First Grade Concert

As Deja is waiting to go into second grade in the Fall, I thought I'd post a couple pics of her First Grade Concert which was held May 21st. They had the concert over 2 nights, with four classes participating each evening. It was a hot day and Deja decided she wanted to wear a skirt. She didn't really care about getting all dressed up, and with the heat in the auditorium she just wanted to be comfortable... I myself was sweating bullets during the concert.

It was so cute to hear all those kids sing-and they all were so happy and proud that their family and loved ones could make it to the concert. The theme was the four seasons, and each of the children had taken the time to make a headpiece of the sun, snowflakes, leaves or flowers. The concert also revolved around different songs for the season, and one song they all loved to sing was "I Love Mud!" I honestly think that song was the loudest one sang at the concert since all the children piped right up and sang that song at the top of their lungs.

It's hard to imagine that my baby is going to be in second grade already. The time has passed by all to quickly, and seeing my grandson has got me thinking about babies again. But this time they will be my grandchildren-lol. Since the grandbaby also lives with us, I've been changing diapers, bottle feeding and all that stuff I thought I had forgotten years ago. Boy, doesn't it come back to you after awhile.

So, while I search for my digital camera USB cable yet again so I can upload new pics to the blog, you can check out the concert photos! (I seriously think that the USB cable walks off and hides when I am not looking, because every time I want to use it, I can't find it!)

It's Fathers Day tomorrow!

My dad passed away this past Valentine's Day-so this will be the first year that he won't be around which is kind of depressing but I will get through it. (and probably visit the cemetery as well)

Sometimes I wonder who is the kid-lol... here is a photo of hubby and Deja at the local bowling center (Central Me Family Fun Center in Skowhegan if wondering) playing some games. We went there a few weekends ago and had some awesome pizza and nachos! Deja was able to get a ring pop and couple of other trinkets with her skee ball tickets, but the time she spent with daddy is priceless :)

Little baby D continues to grow and Aunt Deja is right there making sure all of his needs are met. She feeds him, holds him and WATCHES when I change him-she doesn't want to attempt that yet. We usually give my son and his girlfriend a few hours a day to relax and watch TV or go out and visit friends-the weather has been rainy and damp so they haven't wanted to take the baby out. So far, they are adjusting quite well to parenthood at such a young age. It seems strange that this year there will be TWO dads in the house, my hubby and my son.

Tomorrow I have plans to take hubby to a breakfast brunch/buffet with our daughter-my son (who is seriously sleep deprived---won't even want to get up early)so he will probably sleep in after a long night of waking up to feed baby. He and the girlfriend take turns, because they both need to share parenting responsibilities. So, I haven't decided what to do for my son yet. Probably get him his favorite meal when he manages to venture downstairs-which could be mid afternoon knowing him.

So, I just want to give a shout out to all the dads out there-Wishing you all a Happy Father's Day! Remember, anyone can be a father-but it takes someone very special to be a daddy. :) Enjoy your day!

It's a Party-'cuz her hubby rocks...!

Katy Lin over at The Great Adventure blog is having a party this week and giving away some really cool prizes! Stop by and visit her blog (click on the event button on my left sidebar or click here to find out more!)

Did you get your free Friendly's ice cream June 6th?

This is Deja, enjoying her own Friendly's ice cream. No, this was not the free ice cream-Deja got an extra special ice cream volcano as a reward for helping around the house because I was too busy to get some things done due to the birth of my grandson and needing to be in the hospital.

It was a nice sunny day and we could see the lines forming at the outdoor walk up window. Next door, at the local car parts store they were having a customer appreciation day. Hubby, of course, wanted to be appreciated with the free hot dogs and beverages they were giving away since he is a frequent customer.

So we headed over to the car parts store so we could get a free hot dog (hubby and Deja actually had TWO!) and I also got some much needed air fresheners for our vehicles. (with the summer heat coming, hidden stuff tends to bake and then ferment in my car. I can search for it all summer, and never find it-but the smell remains on!)

I had a coupon for a $4.99 appetizer at Friendly's-and hubby and I decided we'd get an appetizer as well for us to share. (to be honest, I actually think he wanted more hot dogs!) I had restrained myself and only had one hot dog and hadn't had breakfast-it was mid-afternoon and I was hungry so rather than wait in the line outdoors, we went inside and sat down.

Deja barely touched the appetizer. She had her eyes on the volcano ice cream featured on the kids menu... Hubby and I saved room for dessert, something we don't usually do. I had my Peanut Butter Cup ice cream... it was good! Hubby told me to surprise him, so I ordered him the Black Raspberry which he had never had before. And of course, he thought it was great! Deja has peanut butter topping drizzling down her volcano... (when I was preggers with my son I would eat Friendly's peanut butter ice cream topping straight-they used to have to give it to me in a take out package.)

We had a great afternoon, with free hot dogs, an awesome priced appetizer and our free ice creams from Friendly's. With Deja's ice cream and the appetizer and tip, everything was about $12.00 or so. Keep your eyes open for customer appreciation days near you, and great offers from local eating establishments too-even with the economy the way it is today, you can still have a great time at a low cost price by checking around and trying to get the best deals with coupons, offers, customer freebie days etc... see if you can find a Frugal Fun Day near you!

Baby Grandson Pics!

For those that have asked, here he is! The first pic of course was right after he was born in the hospital on June 5th-they had just given him that ointment in his eyes and he wasn't particularly happy about getting a photo opp.

The second one is later that evening, his Aunt Deja getting to know him in the hospital.

and the third was just taken a couple of days ago while he was crashing on grandma's waterbed watching some Spanish TV (music videos) with my hubby Jose.

TIP JUNKIE BIRTHDAY BASH!

Head on over and check it out, and be sure to post this button up on your blog too!

Ficklets-Review & Giveaway

This past year my 7 year old found out she needed to wear glasses. At first, she was a bit excited. Then, the excitement wore off and she began forgetting them at home, leaving them in her backpack, etc... the excuses NOT to have them on just kept coming.

After several really bad headaches, I sat down and asked her what was up. Seems some kids are not that nice to other kids who wear glasses. (Geez, who'd have thought that was still going on?) I advised her to pay no attention to the others, even though it wouldn't be easy at times. And I told her she may even grow out of her need for glasses in the future, or get contacts later on in life. But that for right NOW, she needed to wear her glasses all the time so that her eyes could get strong and she could see better without having terrible headaches at the end of the day.

I have to admit, her glasses/frames are cute and she does look good in them. But, being a kid-it's also important to her what other kids think too. One day I was visiting another blog and happened to see a review on Ficklets and I was amazed at the cute little charms they had for glasses. Ficklets come in a variety of shapes and colors-and they are not just for kids either-they have a few designs that even can jazz up adult glasses too!

We got Deja a few pairs of Ficklets and immediately she went from being "Four Eyes" to being stylish. Deja has a few pairs of Ficklets now, and I plan on getting her more once I return to work. She is able to put them on her own glasses easily enough, and enjoys changing the designs often. With all the colors offered, some days she will choose her Ficklets based on what she is wearing that day-and match her Ficklets with her outfit.

The first time we wore them to the specialist's office the Assistant and the Doctor both asked where I had gotten her Ficklets because they had never seen anything like them, and thought more parents should know about these cute little eyeglass charms. I agree, since I think these would be excellent items to stock at the eye doctors office so when your child is getting glasses they can also pick out some cute charms to go along with their glasses.

Do they stay on? Absolutely! This was actually one of my concerns when I got the Ficklets. But they attach easily with very tiny elastic circles and in Deja's case, have only fallen out twice since she has had them. Both times she was engaging in some very rough horseplay with Daddy, and they got knocked off her frames. So since this is not something that happens every day, I can say that these will stay on without any problems with normal use.

Ros over at Ficklets has offered a giveaway for my readers! He has offered TWO winners TWO sets of Ficklets of their choice! Now, how cool is that?

Giveaway starts 6-14-09 and ends 6-30-09 at 11:59 PM EST--- US ONLY PLEASE Please leave a way to contact you via blog profile or put your email contact in your comment. I will email winners and they will have 72 hours to respond before I will choose another winner. (with summer vacations going on, I want to be sure to give you several days to get back to me)

For the first, mandatory entry you must head over to Ficklets and tell me what two sets would be your pick!

OPTIONAL ENTRIES: (you must leave a separate comment for each) if you already do these things, leave a comment letting me know!

+1 for following me on Blogger
+1 for following me on Twitter
+2 for following my RSS feed (or in a reader)
+2 for sending out a tweet about this giveaway & leaving link in your comment
+3 for blogging about it and leaving me a link in your comment

so there is a chance to get 10 entries if you do everything! Good luck!

Living for today, Being prepared for Tomorrow

Although I usually write about fun loving mommy topics and stuff like that-there are the occasional moments that I actually feel like writing about something completely off topic. And this is one of those moments.

The subject isn't a pretty one. It has to do with the current state of the world today. As in the world we are living in NOW, the events that are happening NOW, and my concern with current world events. Because if you have been following the news lately, you know that things are going to hell all over the place not just here in the US with our current economic crisis.

As a mommy blogger (and now grandmommy blogger!) this particular world situation affects us all. Our children, our grandchildren and their children-all will have to live in a world that could one day be very different from what we know today. I grew up watching The Jetsons, and thought when I was "big" I was going to live like Jane and have a robot maid and have virtually NO housework or cooking! Boy, was I wrong!

First up, our current economic state in the US. Foreclosures and layoffs continue, tent cities continue to have new residents and gas, oil, food and other life necessities continue to rise. I bet most of you personally know of or have heard of someone affected by this "deep recession". When my job was done in March, we had just started getting the fallout from those that had lost their jobs. I will be heading back in July to continue with fuel assistance and after a record season that ended April 30th I can guarantee this year will be challenging and stressful to all of us as we struggle to provide everyone their assistance before the cold weather sets in. One trend I have noted is that more extended families are living together than before. Grandparents, kids and grandchildren all living in the same house-adult children moving home to live with parents, all things that I hadn't seen in years.

Then we have issues with other countries-you know who they are. Talk of nuclear weapons, war, terrorists all threats to us in one way or another. I mean, if a nuclear weapon goes off in a country halfway around the globe, how is that gonna affect us, right? Um, ever hear of fallout? I read Nevil Shute's "On the Beach" years ago and saw the mini-series-while lots of it was Hollywoodized for TV it is a very real issue. What if, for some reason, a nuclear missile goes off way above the US atmosphere? And that triggers an electromagnetic pulse which effectively fries all our communications and destroys all those nice little countertop appliances you are all accustomed to using? Are you prepared? Do you have a back up plan or some way to cook and feed your family short term or possibly long term if needed?

Look at what happened during Katrina, stores were looted, and people began panicking-survival of the fittest-here in our own country. With your local grocery stores only having about 3 days worth of food at any one time, and communications disrupted-that food will not last long. We always think it won't happen to us... I'm sure those in New Orleans and Biloxi never thought it would happen to them...until it did. It is always prudent to have some kind of a stockpile-food, water, the basics. Our own weather is unpredictable, and a severe ice or snow storm or hurricane, earthquake or tornado could disrupt food and supplies coming to your area for awhile.

Some of you may think that I should be on a street corner with a sign around my neck declaring the End is near. Kind of a funny thought, but hey to each his own, right? I will admit, I am a bit of a SciFi buff and all those disaster movies have influenced me some. I'm not saying that you need to go out and buy hundreds of dollars worth of supplies at once, not all of us can afford that. But, if you use coupons, rebates and take advantage in creating a stockpile of goods you can successfully have some sort of a stash in case the shit hits the fan in your area. And that could be something as simple as a pink slip when you go to work that Monday-at least you'd have food, right?

So the main point to this post is to plan ahead, think about what may happen given current world/US events and weather, and go with creating a comfort zone that you and your family are comfortable with that would provide for you and any other extended family members or friends/neighbors. Maybe assign different duties to different people-have one person pick up the canned goods, another the paper products, etc... (don't forget baby wipes, cloth diapers, cloth pads for the ladies and toilet paper-that in itself will be worth its weight in gold if there is none around, trust me)

Alright, back to posting more mommy stuff before you all think I'm a lunatic and never come back to visit my blog!

Giveaway winners!

Hey everyone! Thanks for playing!

For the International only giveaway I only had TWO entries! C'mon people, I know there are more international bloggers out there! lol... Anyways, Halifax did the only two entries, so Halifax wins the giveaway! Congrats!

For the Florastor Kids giveaway no one entered! Ok, now what is up with that? Since no one entered, I will save it for my grandson to try out with his formula when he's a month or two older.

Now for the Avon Tropical scented giveaway Random.org picked:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

34

Timestamp: 2009-06-13 16:39:10 UTC

and that would be....drumroll please.... Beth! Congrats Beth, I'm sending you an email soon! Beth has a Blog called Interviews with Friends, be sure to stop by and say hello!

and finally the surprise box winner! Seems a lot of you like surprises, huh? Well, my buddy AKA as Random.org picked:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

20

Timestamp: 2009-06-13 16:47:40 UTC

Now who could this be??? Let's see: Emilie at Babylovingmama! Yay! Congrats! And since I have been to her blog myself and follow her blog, I have a pretty good idea of goodies I can put in her surprise package! I will be contacting you soon!

Congrats to all the winners! New giveaways will be starting this weekend for Ficklets and Jumpstart, so don't go away just yet!

Busy, busy!

Boy, am I busy! Between hubby's PT appointments for his Achilles issue, babysitting my new grandson and taking care of household stuff I have been absent for a few days of posting.

Little baby Demetrio was born June 5th at 7:39 am (and yes, I was there ALL NIGHT!) and weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. I have to tell ya, I almost forgot how to take care of a baby! He's just so darn tiny, I am scared to hold him. (but that didn't stop me from holding him for 2 hours today while I watched a movie on the PC) And changing diapers again, oh my goodness! I thought I'd left all that behind me years ago.

So I have been busy, learning how to be a grandma. It feels strange, that I am a grandmother already. I don't really think it has sunk in yet. I will say that despite the fact that baby has some very young parents, they are doing a wonderful job of bonding with him and caring for him. And besides, I am right downstairs anyways. I don't butt in, the baby cries and they get up for feedings or to change the diaper. They do get a couple of free hours daily to go shopping, go out to eat, or just to sit and play PS2. (but lately that free time has been sleeping, as they are sleep deprived with a nocturnal child.) I will be posting some photos soon, and also doing a giveaway/review for Ficklets and for Jumpstart within the next few days after my current giveaways end. So make sure you stay tuned!

Avon Naturals Shower Gel Giveaway-INTERNATIONAL ONLY

GIVEAWAY OVER!





I can't celebrate my bloggy anniversary without giving a shout out to all the International blogs out there! I have been lucky enough to have won a few international giveaways and it's always fun getting a package from some far, off distant place.

So I am giving away an Avon Shower gel in this giveaway. The only stipulation? You must live out of the US. It can be Canada, UK, Siberia, basically anywhere the USPS will deliver to.

You can also choose from one of four scents: Banana & Coconut Milk, Papaya & Kiwi, Cucumber Melon or Strawberry & Guava.

Giveaway starts today June 4th and ends 11:59 pm EST on June 12th. Please leave your email in comment or a way to get in touch with you via your blog.

MANDATORY FIRST ENTRY: 1. Pick the Scent that you want to try 2. Tell me something you think I might like to know about where you live.

OPTIONAL ENTRIES: (leave separate comments for each entry)

one entry for following me on Twitter (see link rt sidebar)
two entries for following my Blog (see link rt sidebar)

Thanks and good luck! I hope to learn something interesting about where you live :)

Giveaway-Take Me to the Tropics!

GIVEAWAY OVER!





Ah, the smell of coconuts, papayas, bananas and kiwis-who can resist them? I know that I can't! I can remember years ago, buying a particular suntan lotion and slathering it on like perfume...just because I loved the tropical coconut scent. And I still love the smell of the tropics-because everything I tend to buy has that scent!

Do you enjoy tropical scents as much as I do? If you do, this is the giveaway for you! One winner will receive the following:

Avon Naturals Papaya & Kiwi Body Polish
Avon Naturals Banana & Coconut Milk Shower Gel
Avon FootWorks Tropical Coconut Foot Lotion

Come on! You know you'd love some pampering! Good Luck! Read below how to enter:

Giveaway starts today, June 4th and ends June 12th at 11:59 PM EST. US only. Non Bloggers may enter, but they need to leave an email with their comment so I can find them! You don't have to leave your email in every comment, just the first one is ok.

FIRST MANDATORY ENTRY: Tell me your favorite TROPICAL scent. And if you for some reason don't like tropical scents, what is another scent that you enjoy?

Optional Entries: (leave a separate comment for each: 5 entries = 5 comments)

For TWO extra entries, follow my blog on blogger (scroll down rt sidebar)
For ONE extra entry, follow me on Twitter (link on rt sidebar)
For TWO extra entries, tweet this on twitter & leave me the link in your comment
For FIVE extra entries, grab my new button and add it to your sidebar!

Giveaway-Win A Surprise From Me!

GIVEAWAY OVER!




Ok, I am celebrating. No, not my ex-husband's birthday which also happens to be June 4th-I am celebrating my bloggy anniversary! On June 12th of last year I made my first post and Creative Writings 101 was born. Now, there have to be anniversary gifts, right? I mean, what is a party without presents?

The winner of this giveaway will receive a surprise package from me. How will I know what to get you? Well, of course I am gonna look at your blog (if you have one) for some hints, but you can also help me by giving me an idea of things that you like, your favorite color, a lovely souvenir from Maine that you would enjoy-you get the idea, right?

No, I cannot send you an Xbox360, an iPod touch or anything that costs tons o' money 'cuz this mama is usually broke! But since I love shopping, I can try to find fun things to send you that will make you smile :) So, in order to try to win a surprise package from me please read the rules below:

Giveaway starts today, June 4th and goes on until 11:59 pm EST June 12th. US only.
Please leave a way to get in touch with you, either leave email in comment or have it available on blog profile. You don't have to have a blog to win. Please leave each comment as a separate entry-if it's 5 entries, leave 5 separate comments please!

FIRST MANDATORY ENTRY: Tell me what would make you smile if you won my surprise package. Fave colors, scents, stuff like that-which all helps me to pick out things you really would enjoy of course!

Other Optional Entries: PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH

For TWO extra entries, follow my blog on blogger (scroll down rt sidebar)
For ONE extra entry, follow me on Twitter (link on rt sidebar)
For FIVE extra entries, grab my new button and add it to your sidebar!

Good luck! I know I am gonna enjoy reading your comments, I love to see what others like to receive...

My Bloggy Anniversary is Here!

Gosh, it's hard to believe that a year ago I began my adventures in blogging. At times, I really wondered if it was worth it putting all these thoughts, ideas and rantings down on "virtual paper" for all to see.

I have to admit, I have made some great bloggy friends, gotten some wonderful recipes, parenting tips, and won some wonderful giveaways over the past year. I've discovered some awesome new websites, such as Etsy, and purchased fun gifts for family from vendors as well. I learned tweeting is not just for the birds and still have much to learn-the only stumbling I do is when my feet trip over each other, and I've procrastinated on starting a Facebook page and don't have a clue as to what Technorati means. Heck, I just learned about Twitter parties and the tweet grids, tweet chats and tweet decks and realized they are all the same thing but in different formats. Vlogging? I've got a Flip camera, but since ANY camera adds 10 lbs to my weight I am staying away from that for awhile. It seems there are just not enough hours in the day to learn it all.

So I have been posting away, with breaks here and there for family issues and emergencies. And before I knew it-a year went by. They say time flies when you are having fun, and I guess they are right. It's been a fun creative outlet and way to express myself (and also saves on therapists bills when I start ranting, haha!)even if ya'll don't always agree with me. For those that visit...I enjoy reading your comments and hope you will continue to stop by from time to time. It's been a great year and I look forward to the next one!

Review: Eden Fantasys (Adult Site)

First, let me start off by saying that I'm a firm believer that fun between two consenting adults can be a GOOD thing. And sometimes, to enhance that "fun" I like to add a few things to make it interesting. I mean, seriously, what's a taco like if you don't add a little spice now and then, right? (Yes, I like my food very spicy folks-it's part of having a Latino hubby)

So when I was contacted by Eden Fantasys to do a product review I have to admit that I was pretty happy. And when I told hubby about it, he was even happier and of course, a very WILLING participant. Having him home this past month with an Achilles Tendon injury has been a pain, but we got plenty of reviewing time, lol! Eden Fantasys has much more than adult toys. They also have movies, books and party favors/gag gifts. Have you ever gone to a bachelorette party with that fun gag gift that was the hit of the party? I know in the past when I had friends that had birthdays coming up, I would stock up on some gag gifts and then wrap them up and let them open their gift in front of everyone. It sure resulted in some very red faces, especially those who opened their gifts in front of dear old mom and dad. Know what would be a great idea? Years ago when I was in my 20's I went to a bachelorette party. The bride-to-be got some wonderful gifts and then she made us play party games. She'd actually gotten a pinata and filled it with adult gag gifts and goodies for us ladies! Eden Fantasys has tons of fun stuff like that that you can order! It was a good night-we had a great time whacking the heck out of that donkey and scrambling for our fun little presents. (and the mixed drinks helped of course too!)

Back to my review-I'm a fan of couples toys-so hubby and I spent some time visiting the site, reading the reviews from other users (very helpful by the way!) and checking out the different options before selecting one that suited us. The site is super easy to navigate and very well divided into categories so you can find what you are looking for with relative ease. Once we had made our choice, the item arrived quickly-and it was discreetly wrapped so the lady that handed me my mail would not have had any idea what on Earth was in the package. It was so discreetly wrapped that my 7 year old saw it in the car and wanted to open it thinking it was for her. I almost let her open the package (she's my official package opener) but knowing that the product was on the way, I made sure she didn't touch this one!

Now for the unfortunate part. As women we all have to deal with it, so let it be said that Aunt Flo decided to visit me the next day. Hubby of course was disappointed, but offered to lend his services to another willing participant who could review it for me. Of course, he was just joking, trying to hide his disappointment but when I threatened him a la Lorena Bobbitt he decided it was time to shut up. You'd think that it ended there, but the toy that we selected needed batteries. Hubby assured me that he had some in the house, so I omitted them from our weekly shopping trip. So the moment arrives that we're alone in the house for the first time in awhile. We drew the curtains, shut the windows, and locked the door. Our king sized waterbed was awaiting. Hubby was in charge of the batteries. He runs to the living room and takes the batteries out of--the DEAD remote control. Of course, he didn't tell ME this. I can tell you, I have never seen a man throw on his pants so fast and drive to the store down the road as I saw hubby go that day. Usually it's a cold beer that gets him this motivated, lol.

We've been trying out our toy for a week now-and I can tell you it is well made, lots of fun, and um, hits all the right spots if you know what I mean. With so many toys and other items available, Eden Fantasys surely has something for everyone. Be sure to check out what they have to offer you! Thanks to Drew for letting me review such a great product and give my opinion on what they have to offer-I'm already eyeing a few more things to add to my stash!

Florastor Kids Review & Giveaway

Awhile back I was selected to review the Florastor Kids Dietary Supplements and was anxiously awaiting them so I could try them out on Deja, who had checked out their website with me and thought it would be neat to help mom out.

At times, Deja has said that her tummy just didn't feel well-and I really didn't know too much about Probiotics until I visited the Florastor website and started using the Florastor Kids supplement packets with Deja. Sure, I'd heard that yogurt contains Probiotics but before visiting the Florastor website I never knew what Probiotics WERE.

Probiotics contain live micro-organisms (good bugs like yeast or bacterium) that, when taken, produce health benefits. With all the stomach ailments that people have been having nowadays (I know at work most of us are out several times a year with "the stomach flu") I thought it'd be worth it to promote good intestinal health and have the good microorganisms growing in the stomach-to keep up a healthy balance in the intestinal flora. Because let's face it: too many bad bugs in your system and you are bound to get sick!

What is Florastor Kids? Florastor Kids is a probiotic made of live freeze dried yeast cells of the species Saccharomyces boulardii lyo. Travel, stress, disease and a number of other ailments can creep up on your child and cause the intestinal flora/bowels to be upset. And I know as a mom, you definitely don't want to deal with that! Saccharomyces boulardii lyo has been studied for over 50 years and has been shown to be effective in maintaining a health balance in the gut, and is safe and natural. It can be taken for more than two days and it's recommended one packet in the morning and another in the evening. Just by doing something as simple as adding Florastor Kids to their diet can help to prevent and manage several types of diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis-and it can be given in children as young as two months by adding it to their formula since it comes in a convenient powder. I know that if we ever visit hubby's family in Guatemala, my tummy (they have Florastor for adults too!) and those of my family are going to be protected against the curse of traveler's diarrhea-who wants to spend their vacation in the bathroom, right? But knowing hubby, he will take us to the street vendors and our systems just might not be able to handle that very well :)

I was sent 2 boxes of 10 packets and the reason I haven't been able to review it before this is that the lovely Fedex lady who delivered on a Saturday wasn't aware of where I lived and left my package with a neighbor. Sure, she called me and I sat around waiting knowing she was coming by-but as the day grew late I had to run some errands. And that of course, is when the delivery came. So my neighbor Meg intercepted the package and kept it at her house :) and with two little ones under four, she did what every other mommy does at times-she forgot about it. About two weeks ago she sheepishly brought over my package and apologized profusely for not bringing it to me sooner. But I forgave her :)

Deja decided that we'd try the Florastor Kids that following Monday. Since she was going to be the test subject, I let her pick the date. That morning, she decided she wanted applesauce as a snack before she headed off to school and we poured a packet into the appplesauce and mixed it around. She ate it all, and everything was fine. That evening, she decided she wanted a packet poured into her bottle of Poland Spring water. And then we shook it and shook it to mix things up thoroughly. Although it was mixed fine, Deja did not tolerate it in water-after the first few gulps she decided she'd had enough. However, when mixed with Apple Juice, well that was another story. She drank it all and didn't make any faces like she had with the water. So, to be safe we stuck to apple juice and applesauce and things worked out just fine.

I didn't notice a huge difference in Deja-only that she complained less that her belly hurt her. Going to the bathroom and stuff like that? In her grown up 7 year old tone she told me- "Mom, it's all good!" She's been off the Florastor for a few days now, and today she came home telling me her belly hurts again and she feels like she wants to puke. She was warm and had a headache too. It's probably just a bug going around, but I think it was kinda strange that now that she is off the Florastor she is back to feeling yucky in her tummy. While I may not give Florastor to her every day, I definitely want to have some on hand at home along with other things that I like to keep in the medicine cabinet-just in case.

I still have one box of Florastor Kids (10 packets) for you to try out. Here's what you need to do:

First Mandatory Entry: You will need to go to the Florastor Website and tell me a fact about Florastor, or where you can buy Florastor near you. (or online)

Other Entries: PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH

For TWO extra entries, follow my blog on blogger
For ONE extra entry, follow me on Twitter (link on sidebar)
For FIVE extra entries, grab my new button and add it to your sidebar!

Giveaway starts today June 1st and continues until June 12th 11:59 pm EST which is my one year bloggy anniversary! PLEASE leave a way to get in touch with you, either leave your email in your comment or leave a way to get in touch with you through your blog. US only please. Good luck!

Waiting for baby's arrival-

I haven't been posting the usual stuff because the due date for my son's girlfriend was last week-and no baby yet. Last night, she was having contractions every half hour and I don't know who was more nervous-her or me.

Today they both went to school, but left early because the contractions were getting worse, and we think that her plug might have come out this morning. So I have been busy trying to calm two nervous teenagers, dealing with her mom (who is celebrating by getting drunk-no family support there) and I will probably be heading up to the hospital later if they keep her.

Last time she had pains, her mom went up, signed her in, (because of her age her mother has to be there) and signed the paper releasing her at the same time, and she stayed awhile and then left her pregnant daughter at the hospital so she could go home and get her boyfriend up so he could go to work that night. Um, there is something wrong with this picture, folks. The boyfriend needs an alarm clock and she could have CALLED him to get his lazy butt up for work not leave her daughter hooked up to a fetal monitoring machine in a hospital ready to have her baby alone. (considering all of the girl's older siblings had been removed by the state for neglect it only goes to say that "mom" sorely lacks in parenting skills.) Because of this, both of them are looking to me to be their parental support-her mom only gets drunk or shows up drunk and acts like an idiot, embarrassing them both in front of the nurses and midwife. I know I shouldn't be ranting, but nothing irks me more than parents who don't step up to the plate and support their kids. Granted, I didn't support or even encourage their sleeping together (her mom allowed it-it's more money come the first of the month as far as she is concerned)but now that they did, and there is a child involved I am trying to help as best as I can.

So now it's a waiting game. The baby will come when he decides he is ready. Because he is a bit overdue, they may induce her as well. I'm hoping by the next time I post there will be a baby here :) I'm going through a whole range of emotions-excited, sad, disappointed, happy, worried-you name it. For my hubby, it's really no big deal since a couple of his sisters had babies very young, it's fairly common in Guatemala where he is from. His ex-wife and he were married when she was 15 and he was 18-and she ended up having her first child at 16. Things happen, and I need to deal with it but sometimes it isn't easy when you are a parent and have dreams and aspirations for your child and things change. But no one ever said life was easy, right? ;) The kids called just now, will be heading to the hospital in a few so I will keep ya'll informed!

update: nothing yet, at 9pm est. My son informed me that the doctors wanted to see his girlfriend today, but her mom was too busy out spending her first of the month check so they never got there. (which explains why he never called me to tell me to meet them at the hospital) Considering her mom needs to be there to sign her in, and she is probably not sober-waiting to see how all of this plays out later on. I think she will be staying at my house most evenings now, just in case she needs to get there in a hurry... geez-parents like that really should be stripped of their rights until they can get a freakin' clue on HOW to be a parent.