Wordless Wednesday

Life is not measured 

by the number of breaths we take, 

but by the moments 

that take our breath away.

 Rebekah wanted a Happy Napper for Christmas. She didn't get one on Christmas day, but when we got home and opened presents here, there was one under the tree.

For those who don't know, a Happy Napper is a pillow and a pet (but not a Pillow Pet--that's different). The pet comes inside a house with a doorbell that works. Then you unzip the door, turn it inside out and it becomes the pet. Unzip the flap again and turn it inside out so that you have the house again.

Rebekah got the ladybug in the pink house. When you ring her doorbell, you hear the ladybug snoring.

The day after she got her Happy Napper, she was carrying it around and told me, 

"Mommy, I've ALWAYS wanted a Happy Napper. Now my life is complete!"

There you have it. 

Nirvana at age 5...because she has a Happy Napper. 

So glad that $19.99 made her whole world complete. 

Whew! That was easier than I thought. (giggle)

And here's princess Rebekah who had a sick day on Friday. She fell asleep on her Happy Napper while watching TV and her brothers were at their piano lesson. We walked into this precious scene on our couch. 

Tips on Tuesday: Walk a Mile in Someone's Shoes

The past few weeks, it has become more and more clear to me. I have been reconnecting with people after the holidays and some folks I haven't seen in a while. And each person, no matter how polished and cheerful they appear to be, is going through 'stuff'. What I'm learning is that everyone is going through 'stuff'...and usually it is 'BIG STUFF'. And while my BIG STUFF might seem manageable to me--I'm learning it's still big, it's still stuff and it affects my interactions with others.


I'm also learning that everyone I'm talking to is going through their own BIG STUFF and it affects them. Some react better than others. But when I find out that the person who was a little snippy with me learned that a father/mother/sister/brother is battling cancer and there are more unknowns that known, I can forgive a little easier. And when people share their stuff with me, I sometimes marvel at the fact that they are still standing. I often think that if I had to go through their stuff, I'd be crushed and couldn't cope. Yet, when I share my stuff, I often hear people tell me, "I couldn't ever do what you're doing." But here I am...doing what I do...and trying to keep myself upbeat.


I'm sure you're wondering what the point of all of this rambling is. I'm glad you asked. If each of us would accept the fact that everyone we meet is going through BIG STUFF in their life, couldn't we be a little more kind to each other. If we give out a little more grace and a little less judgement, would it be easier to get through our own BIG STUFF? 

Here's my thought for today...and tomorrow...and the day after that...

Tips on Tuesday: I resolve...

Well, another new year has begun and it seem like everyone is talking about their New Year's Resolutions. I have a fairly strict policy of no New Year's Resolutions. I find them to generally be made with no real belief that they will be accomplished.

I've always believed in a more goal-oriented style. I tend to set my goals to run with the school year and add a few minor ones over summer vacation. This year, however, finds me in a place of quandary. I worked a part-time job for the Christmas season and found that for six weeks, my goals (and most of my life) had to be put on hold while I just tried to keep clean clothes on my kids and food on our table. 

So this year, I am NOT making any resolutions. I AM making goals to carry me to the end of the school year. I'm a firm believer in using the SMART goal-setting method. 

Is your goal:

1. Specific (What exactly will you accomplish?)

2. Measurable (How will you know when you've reached the goal?)

3. Achievable (Is the goal realistic to achieve with effort and commitment?)

4. Relevant (How is this goal significant to your life?)

5. Timely (When will the goal be achieved?)

I'm setting some goals to get my house back in order after six weeks of neglect. I'm setting a goal for cleaning out kid closets and getting a specific number of items prepared to sell at the spring consignment sale I participate in. I'm also setting a goal to reconnect with friends--which means I make some time for me. 

I hope you will create or take some time to check in on your goals. Are you moving towards where you want to be? Keep me posted on your progress. I'll let you know how things are going here, too.

Happy New Year 2012

Wishing you and yours a 

Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Merry Christmas 2011

I've always loved this scene from the Peanuts Christmas Special. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas Eve

Remember the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas!

Oral B Stages & Crest and Oral B Pro-Health FOR ME Review

We came, we ate, we watched, we talked about brushing and we had a ton of fun.

I invited over some of my mommy friends and their children. We had a chance to watch the movie "Cars 2" and munch on popcorn and other goodies. While the kids watched the movie, us moms had fellowship--the most important thing this time of year!! We talked about oral hygiene and talked about the pros and cons of toothbrushes, toothpaste, flossing, etc. The younger girls and boys LOVED their Disney Oral B Stages toothbrushes. With beloved Disney characters, we all agreed it encourages them to brush. 


One of the fun facts was that you should start taking your kids to the dentist by the age of 2. Most of the moms didn't know that. There were also very few who know that you should start brushing teeth/gums by about 4 months of age. Also, did you realize that even young children are allowed to use toothpaste? The most important thing is to make sure the portion size of your toothpaste is small enough. The size of a pea is a good rule of thumb to follow. 

The little ones also got a sample of the Cars 2 Gummy Vitamins. They were yummy--and good for you. I tried them too and decided they sure taste better than the multi-vitamins I had to take when I was a child. 




Since I also have tweens and teens, we also got samples of the Oral B Toothbrushes that are Stage 4 for the older kids and Crest Pro-Health FOR ME toothpaste. The older kids like the toothbrushes with the cool designs on the toothbrush. I have discovered that my tween and teen  prefer how clean their mouth feels when using the Pro-Health for Me toothpaste. They like the updated look of the packaging that is more appropriate for an older child. We also tried out the flossers. The little ones thought the Disney Princess and Cars flossers made flossing more fun. The older kids liked how easy their "FOR ME" flossers were to handle. 


There was a flashcard game included and I used it to help giveaway some of the other prizes at the party. Overall, we had a fun time, we learned better ways to care for our children's teeth and we got to watch a movie and socialize. What a great day!

Be sure to check out Oral-B Stages online!
http://www.oralb.com/stages/

You can also "Like" them on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/oralb

Be sure to follow  @OralB and @Crest on Twitter

Thanks again to Mommy Parties!
http://www.mommyparties.com/

Thanks to Mommyparties, Oral B and Crest, we had a great time getting together. 

Disclosure: All products were provided to me at no charge by Oral-B, Crest and MommyParties in exchange for hosting a party and sharing these great products. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours. Here's a great song Matthew West created for KLOVE Radio. 

Enjoy--and Gobble Gobble!!!

Winner: Mickey Mouse Band Aids

Congratulations to Tiramisu. She won the Mickey Mouse Band Aids.

Remember the Xia-Xia Giveaway ends tonight and...

If you drink coffee--be sure to keep an eye out on this blog this weekend. I've got a review and giveaway that you're gonna love!!!

The Newest Addition to our Family

Could it be a girl???

Maybe it's a boy??

Ready to find out???

It's a...

Honda Odyssey. 

My former van was starting to show its age and needed some major repairs. We had reached that point in time where it was better to take the money and get a newer van.

It's a black Odyssey with the Navigation Pack (which means the back up camera that I like because I have a hard time seeing out the back window in reverse). There's also the optional eighth seat which is critical in our carpool endeavors.

We hope to have many years and lots of adventures together. :-)

Heelys Roll into Our Home

My boys have wanted Heelys for quite a while, but I wasn't sure they would really enjoy them so I've always waffled on them. When Heelys contacted me about a potential review, I jumped at the chance. I got a pair of Heelys for Nathan to try out. He was so excited when they came in the mail. He couldn't wait to put them on. He picked out the style called "The Edge" which is a navy pair of shoes with yellow trim. 

Now, keep in mind, Nathan has worked hard during OT to gain strength in his limbs and to improve balance. He's doing so well now, but Heelys is a new challenge for him. He is learning how to balance himself on his heels while rolling. He does better right now if he holds his scooter handles and keeps the scooter between his feet. It gives him more balance to make him roll faster. He's now working on rolling without his scooter. (He wouldn't let me take pictures of him using the scooter, so don't ask.)


I got great news from Heelys that I can share with you. Heelys is throwing a Black Friday special!!! Between November 25--November 28, buy any pair of Heelys, get a second pair for $25. Or buy a Nano and get a pair of shoes for $25, and get free ground shipping on all orders! Head over to Heelys.com to take advantage of this great deal.

Also, be sure to check out the Heelys Playbook which includes safety information. There are also some how to videos and videos showing how to do tricks in your Heelys. Check out the videos at the Heelys site. 




Nathan gives Heelys an enthusiastic Thumbs Up!!

Disclosure: I was provided a pair of Heelys for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DaGeDar Coming to Nintendo DS - Review

 Have you heard? DaGeDar, the popular ball bearing racing game is now going to be available on Nintendo DS and DS Lite. If you aren't sure what DaGeDar is, please see my original DaGeDar Review where I shared all about these Ball Bearings from the 33rd Dimension. My kids all loved the original DaGeDar and they were thrilled to get to work with a demo of the new Nintendo DS Game.


The game consists of 30 different ramps and numerous DaGeDar online balls--including some new ones--that you can race. The springs and power-ups give you even more ways to speed along the track to the finish.


From the manufacturer:

Battle it out with your friends or race evil spirits alone; DaGeDar’s virtual raceway will keep you playing for hours. With more than 30 fast and furious raceways, you’ll be looping, dropping, climbing, and banking your way to the end with fury, but watch out for the blocks and gaps in the raceway!  Featuring 100 collectible balls and special, limited edition characters, you’ll have a blast collecting and trading your favorite DaGeDar items.  Whether playing alone or sharing with a friend using the game’s single card download option, the action-packed world of DaGeDar will keep you hungry for more racing, collecting and conquering of evil spirits in a unique 33^rd dimension world. 

Additional DaGeDar game features:·         Collectibles: Unlock and collect up to 100 DaGeDar racing balls, for collectible and trading fun! Special limited edition, cool characters available too!
·         Unique Race Abilities: Each ball carries abilities of Acceleration, Top Speed, Defense and Attack modes.
·         Rewards: Earn DeGaDar points at the end of every race for special rewards and bonuses!

All three of my kids tried the demo game we received and all thought it was really cool. Since it was just a preview, they couldn't access the collectibles and couldn't unlock more tracks and levels. This really frustrated them because we have a highly competitive family. They all agreed that it was fun to have a way to take DaGeDar on the road and they really enjoyed playing it in the car on some car trips. 


From their commentary and my own (failing) attempts to play the game, we found that when we were at home, we'd rather play with the real DaGeDar ball bearings and race them down the ramps. Anytime we were away from home, the Nintendo DS DaGeDar game was a wonderful way to have the opportunity to play the game without taking the toys and gear with us. 


With the game being released just in time for the holidays, you might want to consider this for all your DaGeDar fans. 

Disclosure: I was allowed to use a preview copy of the game for a limited time in order to write this review. No other compensation was given for this post. 

Family Photos 2011

Rebekah and Nathan reminding me...

It DOES take two to tango. 

Rebekah, age 5

Nathan, age 9

Andrew, age 14

The mischievous faces of Rebekah.

Nathan is serious...and quite GQ looking.

Andrew--my first baby--growing up so fast. 

He's gotten to be so handsome.

I love this picture of Sean and I. After 20 years of marriage, he's "Still the One" for me.

He didn't catch my musical reference before so I needed to put it here for him to hear.

Some of my favorite lyrics are, "You're still the one who can make me laugh,

You're still the one who's my better half,

We're still having fun and you're still the one."

Finally--some family photos.

And a few more of the kids being silly. Rebekah wouldn't stop kissing Andrew.

Hope you enjoyed the 2011 edition of Family Photos.