Saturday, August 29, 2009
When I got the idea to do Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids it was a Godsend! My children have always been interested in cooking and have always loved being in the kitchen with me so it just seemed like a natural progression. Having them bring their unique personalities and perspectives to my blog has given Misadventures in Baby Raising something I feel it was missing! As my children get older and take on more tasks in the kitchen I’ve found many tips and tricks that I find helpful that I thought I’d pass on to all my readers! Not all tips are my own but I’ve tried to give credit where credit is due! Enjoy!
Tips for Cooking with your Misadventurous Kids
- Each Tuesday before I go to the grocery store I make a weekly menu,this helps save time at the grocery store and makes week night meal prep quick and easy. Getting your children involved in the menu planning and grocery shopping process does a number of things; it gets them interested in cooking and trying new things and it also helps them become a little more aware of how much things cost by having them help you comparison shop!
- Before we start an episode of Cooking with My Misadventurous Kids I always go over the recipe with them. I think giving them a clear plan for what they are doing helps avoid frustration on their part and saves us moms from becoming too stressed.
- Be sure to explain the need for safety in the kitchen with your children prior to cooking. If everything is spelled out in a clear and direct manner there is less of a chance that there will be an accident.
- Having an apron especially for your little chef will make your little one feel special and important and will no doubt help them take their “job” in the kitchen more seriously.
- Purchase a set of cooking essentials (mixing bowls and spoons, measuring cups, whisk) especially for little hands. (keep an eye out for a future episode of Cooking with My Misadventurous Kids where we get to review a great set of children’s cooking utensils!)
- Prep ingredients ahead of time. Taking the time to chop, dice, or julienne fruits and veggies before beginning to cook will allow your children to be more active in the cooking process…kids love to pour ingredients into the mixing bowl!
- Keep things simple (this is the reason we usually do deserts on CWMMK)!
- HAVE FUN! This is so important to remember when you’re elbow deep in a pot of chili with children at your feet begging, “Mom I wanna stir the pot!” Don’t freak out if your son is wearing more icing than the cupcakes, don’t lose your cool when your daughter gets part of the shell into the egg whites, and LET.THEM.LICK.THE.SPOON! Make cooking with your little ones a fun and rewarding experience for both of you!
Now on a separate, but related note some of you may have noticed that I recently acquired a new Cooking with My Misadventurous Kids button…go ahead and admire it I’ll wait…pretty cool huh? A great gal by the name of Kasandria of the blog Southern Bella’s Ways to Save was nice enough to make it for me! So go on over and check out her blog for awesome ways to save!
I’m feeling a little generous today, so if you grab my new button and put it up on your blog I’m going to give you 5 extra entries into ALL of my current giveaways! Just make sure you leave me a comment telling me that you have it on your blog!
Friday, August 28, 2009
With summer coming to an end and the holiday season fast approaching, Misadventures in Baby Raising has started taking submissions for our Holiday Guide 2009! Starting September 1st. through the end of December, I will start featuring the products and businesses on my Holiday Gift Guide 2009!
We will feature your product or business with a 125x125 ad on our Holiday Gift Guide 2009 pages! We will also include links to your website as well as product descriptions and images. Companies or products that are reviewed and or do a giveaway on Misadventures in Baby Raising (Sept. 1 thru Dec. 31) will also be included in the Holiday Guide!
We will feature products (and businesses) for every member of the family! Our guide is arranged by category so that finding what you’re looking for is easy as point and click!
If you would like to be included in our Holiday Gift Guide or you would like more information please contact Allison Proffitt @ a_proffitt79@yahoo.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
Since my girls were old enough to know what pets were they’ve always begged me for one, of course we’ve had dogs and cats but they were always outside animals and not at all what my girls had in mind. For the past two years my middle daughter Savanna has begged me for a hamster, and for the past two years I’ve told her “no” more times than I can count! I’ve promised that child for the longest time that I’d find her something better than a hamster and until recently I hadn’t come through, and she was sure to let me know as much!
Imagine my surprise when Mom Select told me that I had been chosen to do a review and giveaway for Zhu Zhu Pets. What are Zhu Zhu Pets you ask? Well they are cute, furry, interactive hamsters! If you (or your child) hasn’t seen Zhu Zhu Pets advertised on TV yet, they will, and they will surely just have to have one! Zhu Zhu Pets offer 4 playful hamster pals for your little one to enjoy; Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, Chunk, and Pipsqueak, each one has it’s own distinct sounds and personality. Each Zhu Zhu Pet has 2 different operating modes; Loving Mode (Pet them, love them, hear them squeal and chatter) and Explore Mode (Let them scoot, scamper,bump and boogie across the floor through their Hamster Habitat). Zhu Zhu Pets also have their own Hamster Habitats that are almost as cute as they are some of the play sets include; the Hamster Funhouse, Skateboard and U-Turn Ramp, Hamster Car and Garage, Spiral Slide and Ramp, and Hamster Tunnel and Wheel. 
From the moment the UPS truck arrived with our box of Zhu Zhu Pets my children were in heaven. Not only does my middle daughter Savanna (she’s 7) loves playing with her Zhu Zhu Pet (Chunk) and it’s habitats so do my two youngest children. My youngest daughter Ki Ki gets the biggest kick out of watching the hamster scurry across the floor. I do have to admit that watching Chunk (that’s the Zhu Zhu Pet by the way not my daughter) ride around in her little hamster car is quite a sight! Savanna really enjoys the feeling of having a pet that she can interact with and I enjoy knowing that her cute and furry friend isn’t going to require any more attention from me than the occasion battery change!
Now I know you’ve been waiting for it so here it is! Thanks to Mom Select one very lucky Misadventures in Baby Raising reader is going to win a Zhu Zhu Pet and a Slide/Ramp!
How to win! To be entered into this giveaway leave a comment on this post telling me who you want to win this for and why! Pretty simple stuff! This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries count!
Extra Entries! Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow my Misadventures via email, my feed, or on blogger…2 extra entries each!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway (Zhu Zhu Pets #Giveaway...Misadventures in Baby Raising...Check it out! http://tinyurl.com/kongow)…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day!
- Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook…3 extra entries!
- Enter another giveaway on Misadventures in Baby Raising…1 extra entry per giveaway!
- Comment on any of my non-giveaway posts…1 extra entries per comment!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post as well as Zhu Zhu Pets…10 extra entries!
This giveaway ends on Friday September 11, 2009 @ 11:59 PM EDT. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and posted on this giveaway post! Please include your email address in your comment so that I can get in touch with you if you win! Winner will have 48 hours to contact me and claim their prize, failure to do so will result in winner forfeiting his/her prize.
**Updated With Winner**
Winning number is...
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
86
Timestamp: 2009-09-12 13:22:16 UTC
That makes our winner...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
When we moved into our current house I had grand ideas for how I would decorate! A little over a year later I haven’t had the time, energy, or creativity to get very far.
When I was contacted by AccentFurnitureDirect.com to do a review I was more than happy to say yes since my lack of decorating sense is starting to become evident. AccentFurnitureDirect.com is a website dedicated to helping you make your home beautiful! To say Accent Furniture Direct is just an online furniture store is an understatement! If you’re looking for something for your home, they have it! From Office Furniture to beautiful Wall Art there is something to fit every style and taste!
I received the Light Blue P3 Chalkboard Wall Panel by notNeutral to review, the Chalkboard Wall Panel also comes in an assortment of other colors. The notNeutral brand offers many fun, funky, and no doubt stylish accessories for every room in your home! The Chalkboard Wall Panel is stylish, convenient, and a wonderful addition to my kitchen. It’s the perfect size for my already busy kitchen and it’s functionality makes it a must have when I need to jot down a phone number or write a quick message! Attaching the wall panel was a snap (it literally took all of 30 seconds)thanks to the adhesive tabs on the back and the light blue tray on the front adds a splash of color that works perfectly in my kitchen!
Buy it! You can find the Chalkboard Wall Panel and many other items online at AccentFurnitureDirect.com!
How would you like to have the Chalkboard Wall Panel, or maybe you need a new wine rack? The great people at AccentFurnitureDirect.com are generously giving one of my readers any item from the site valued at $30 or less!
Win it! To be entered into this giveaway please go to AccentFurnitureDirect.com and look around, come back and leave a comment on this post telling me what item from the website you would choose if you won. That’s it! This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries count!
Extra Entries! Please be sure to leave separate comments for each extra enrty!
- Follow my Misadventures via email, my feed, or on Blogger…2 extra entries each.
- Grab my Misadventures in Baby Raising button and place in on your sidebar…2 extra entries.
- Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook (please make sure you’re a Fan and not just a friend)…3 extra entries.
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway (with link)…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day.
- Comment on any non-giveaway post…1 extra entry per comment.
- Enter any of my other giveaways…2 extra entries per giveaway.
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post as well as AccentFurnitureDirect.com…5 extra entries.
This giveaway ends on Tuesday September 8, 2009 at 11:59 pm EDT. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and posted on this post. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their information or forfeit the prize!
US Residents Only Please!
Good Luck!
Updated with winner
Winning number is:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
88
Timestamp: 2009-09-09 12:17:57 UTC
And that makes the winner:
-
I would pick the Tadpoles Canvas Double Closet Organizer in Blue for my little boys closet:)
mscoffee77(AT)juno(DOT)com
Monday, August 24, 2009
Well it’s that time again…back to school! I swear nothing makes me more nauseous than knowing that I have to get up at the butt crack of dawn 5 days a week. You’d think that after having a houseful of kids all summer I would be counting down the seconds until the first day of school, but nope, not me, I dread it!
There are so many changes with respect to school this year. My oldest daughter Tay Tay starts Middle School today and to say that she is nervous is an understatement! It seems impossible that she’s in the 5th grade, I swear it seems like yesterday when she started kindergarten. Of course middle school comes with many challenges and I have to admit that I’m not ready for most of them. I can just imagine her coming home and demanding that she have this and that because she would surely die if she didn’t. Then there is the issues of boys and thankfully she hasn’t been too boy crazy yet, but I know it’s coming! Can’t they just stay little forever?
My middle daughter Savanna is going into the 2nd grade and will no longer have the security of having her big sister in the same school building. I have to admit I’m more than a little nervous about her riding the bus by herself, but thankfully she has a teacher who I know and trust and that helps to ease my nerves some!
Sometimes it just feels like everything is moving so fast and that I am moving so slow…know what I mean? It’s not that I’m stuck in time or that I want to be stuck it just seems like my girls are growing up and needing me less and less and that I’m fading into the background in their lives more and more. Hopefully they’ll need mom around a little longer, and by a little longer I mean forever!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Monday started yet another semester of school for me and while I am usually excited and ready for whatever comes my way, I have to admit that I am NOT looking forward to the next 4 months!
Sometimes when I think about school and look back at the two years I’ve spent earning my degree I wonder how I’ve managed to stick with it and not only stick with it but maintain an A average. When I look back at the road I had to take to get to where I am now I’m amazed that I’ve had the diligence and the strength to keep going. There is something that no one reading this post (aside from maybe my sister) knows about me, and while I did think long and hard before posting about it, in the end I decided that it would give all of my readers some insight into who I am and why I view how far I’ve come as a great achievement!
When I was in high school I was somewhat of a rebel. I did things that I knew where wrong, I made choices that I knew I shouldn’t make, and I did it all without thinking twice about any of it! When I look back at my teenage self I know why I did some of what I did, I had an overprotective mother who refused to let me out from under her wing long enough to make mistakes and my way of getting back at her was to rebel…hardcore! When I turned 18 and realized that by law my mother had very little, if anything to say about what I did and how I did it, I made a series of choices that would not only set in motion a chain of events that would shape my life then but who I am now!
A couple of months after I turned 18 I decided that I could no longer take my overprotective mother and what I felt where her very outrageous rules so I moved out! My best friend Amy and I moved into our own one bedroom apartment and for the first time in my life I had no one telling me what to do and when to do it. I can’t even begin to tell you how great that freedom felt, it was like I had been living in a padded room or a jail cell before and now I was out in the great big world and it was amazing! I maintained a job, though looking back I have no idea how, and life was going great, or so I thought. It was no secret that Amy and I partied a little too hard, or that we were less than mature in how we handled most situations, but we were young and free and the rules didn’t apply to us!
About a month after moving into my own place I made a decision that I will always regret making! It was the beginning of May 1997, less than a month before I was to graduate from high school. I hadn’t been going to school on a regular basis since I left my mother’s house, I had more important things to do! I decided one day on a whim that I wanted to go to school, as soon as I walked through the door I saw the principal who called me into his office without hesitation. I remember him sitting me down and telling me he was disappointed in me and at that moment I had a flashback of being in my mothers house being grounded for some insane reason and I just lost it. I asked him how I could go about signing myself out of school, he pointed me in the direction of the front office and I left…I didn’t withdraw from school (I figured he and everyone else knew that my leaving meant I was not coming back), I didn’t tell anyone goodbye, I didn’t even look back…I just left! I remember my mother being heartbroken over the whole thing and my less than mature 18 year old self could not understand, and to be perfectly honest, did not care what anyone thought about the choice that I had made!
Fast forward several months later and the newness of freedom had worn off, my less than carefree life had turned into a haven for trouble! I reluctantly moved back in with my mother when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter shortly after turning 19. One of the first decisions I made upon finding out I was going to be a mom was to get my GED, sure it wasn’t a high school diploma but it did mean that I finished what I had started, even if it was in a round about way. All I could think about was having my child grow up with a mom who didn’t finish high school, I couldn’t imagine having to tell my daughter that one day. So I took the GED and aced it…I was always smart I just never chose to apply myself!
Now 11 years later I look back and realize that of all the mistakes I made (and there were many) my choice to dropout of high school was the worst! For the longest time I toyed with the idea of enrolling in college, I always had a million reasons why I couldn’t possibly do it; I had two kids, I didn’t have time, it was too expensive, but when it came down to it those reasons where little more than excuses. When I finally made the decision to enroll I was almost 28 years old with two children, the decision to devote so much of my time to something other than my family was a hard one but it was one that HAD to be made.
Now almost three years later I’m one more semester away from a degree….a college degree, I can’t even begin to tell you how good those words look and how wonderful they sound! It hasn’t been easy, going through a two year divorce battle, moving out of the home I was certain I would grow old in, dealing with financial struggles that I never imagined I would have deal with, raising my two oldest daughters and then having two more babies in the span of 14 months, all of that happening after I enrolled in college. And though it has taken me longer than I expected to complete my degree I have never given up. Even when giving up would have been the easiest thing for me to do, even when I felt like a failure as a mother because my school work seemed to be taking more of my attention than I was giving my kids, even when I would sit at night and cry staring at the mountains of books and homework or thinking about how on earth I was going to repay all of my student loans, I didn’t give up…I couldn’t give up. All it took was one look at my children for me to realize that not only was I going to college for me, but for them…and that alone has been my driving force for the past two and a half years!
Moral of the story? If I can do it ANYONE can do it! It’s never, ever too late to make your life better or to do the right thing!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
I have a secret to tell you, come closer…closer…closer (whispering) I have been trying to watch my weight! There I said it, I …the one who has never worried about what I eat, the one who never knew what a love handle was, and the one who never, ever had to exercise…am getting fat! I guess I should have expected it after having my fourth child but deep down I always thought that weight would never be an issue with me…I.was.wrong!!! Big time!
In order to keep my weight under control I have committed to changing the things I can a little bit at a time. So when I was asked by My Blog Spark to try out the New Fiber One 50 calories yogurt I was more than happy to say yes! In case your not familiar with Fiber One yogurt here’s the 411!
- Best Selling author and food expert Lisa Lillien, AKA Hungry Girl has given her seal of approval!
- Fiber One yogurt is the only leading nonfat yogurt with 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber.
- Fiber One yogurt is a great source of calcium, and Vitamins A&D.
- Each cup contains creamy, delicious Yoplait yogurt in tempting flavors like Strawberry, Peach, Vanilla and Key Lime Pie!
Want to see what Hungry Girl really thinks about Fiber One? Watch the video below to find out!
I am a huge fan of Yoplait yogurt so I was more than excited to dive right into my Fiber One Strawberry yogurt! Not only was the taste exactly what I expect from Yoplait the fact that it was good for me made it all the more delicious! Knowing that I could enjoy Fiber One yogurt without feeling guilty was a great feeling! The Fiber One yogurt made a great choice for an after dinner snack and the fact that I had to fight my two year old for the last bite speaks volumes about how good it tastes! Would you like to try Fiber One Yogurt? You can get a $1.00 Off coupon by clicking here!
How would you like to try Fiber One yogurt? Well thanks to My Blog Spark 3 of my readers are going to receive a “Healthy and Fit Weight Management gift bag from Fiber One! The Gift Bag includes; One yogurt VIP coupon (good for free four-pack of Fiber One Yogurt, cooler pack, and other cool storage items for you to carry your snacks and yogurt!
Win it!!! To be entered into this giveaway leave me a comment telling me how you maintain your weight…that’s it! Easy peasy! This entry is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries count!
Extra Entries!!! Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow my Misadventures via email, my feed, or on Blogger…2 extra entries each!
- Grab my Misadventures in Baby Raising button…2 extra entries!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway (with link)…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day!
- Become a Fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook(Friend of Misadventurous Mommy counts as well)!…2 extra entries!
- Add Misadventures in Baby Raising to your BlogRoll…2 extra entries!
- Comment on any non-giveaway post (please leave post URL in comment)…1 extra entry per comment!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post…5 extra entries!
This giveaway ends on Thursday September 3, 2009 at 11:59 PM EDT. 3 winners will be chosen via Random.org and posted on original giveaway post. Winners will have 48 hours to contact me with their information, failure to do so will result in winners forfeiting their prizes!
US RESIDENTS ONLY!
GOOD LUCK!
The winning number are:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
176 1 174
Timestamp: 2009-09-04 12:45:58 UTC
That makes the winners:
-
I'm big on portion control. I think that's so important. It's really helped me.
-
I try to manage my weight by trying to do small things like take the stairs, playing with my daughter, exercising when I have the energy! And eating healthy foods like yogurt, lowfat milk, and crackers.
-
1.FB fan- Bridget Combs
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Alright for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about you can read all about it and find out how to participate here, I’ll wait…ready? Great! Now for the best part…the giveaway(s)…yes that was plural…remember I’m a week behind so I’m doing two at once!
Thanks to My Blog Spark I am giving away 1 Crayola Creativity Pack to give away each week through August…how fun is that? What’s in this Creativity Pack you ask…well let me show you!
- 24-ct. Crayola Crayons, the quintessential back-to-school tool that kids love for their vibrant colors, and moms and teachers choose for superior quality and value
- 10-ct. Crayola Markers, with an array of consistent, true colors to complete any task
- 12-ct. Crayola Colored Pencils, which come pre-sharpened with thick, strong lead made to tackle touch projects and art activities
- Crayola Pip-Squeaks Colored Pencils and Glitter Glue, which give children big color in a small size and are perfect for jazzing up art projects with bright, bold, shimmering colors
- Crayola Window Crayons, to help let your little ones transform glass surfaces into instant decorations with bright colors that lay down smoothly, dry quickly, and wipe clean with a damp cloth
- Tadoodles Washable Crayon Buddies, which are colorful little characters that hold a triangular-shaped crayon that twists up when the tip wears down - perfect for little hands!
- Crayola Color Explosion Black Extreme Surprises, which comes complete with a stencil sheet and two Broad Tip Color Explosion clear ink markers that reveal a different surprise design as they´re colored on 18-page tablet
- Crayola Color Switchers, which are dual-ended markers that allow kids to magically change the colors of their drawings with a swoosh of the "color switch" tip.
Win it!!! To be entered into this giveaway all you need to do is leave a comment here before Tuesday August 18 telling me why you want to win this awesome prize! Pretty simple huh? This must be completed before any extra entries count!
Extra Entries!!! Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day!
- Tell me something you learned while participating in the GNO Creativitycast Twitter Party…2 Extra Entries
- Become a fan of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook…2 Extra Entries!
- Follow my Misadventures via my feed, email, or on Blogger…2 Extra Entries each!
- Add Misadventures in Baby Raising to your blogroll…2 Extra Entries!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post as well as Crayola…5 Extra Entries!
This giveaway ends on Tuesday August 25 at 11:59 pm. Two winners will be chosen via Random.org and posted in a separate winners post! Winners will have 48 hours to contact me with their information following the drawing, failure to contact me in that time will result in winner(s) forfeiting their prize! 
Winning numbers:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
162 250
Timestamp: 2009-08-26 14:16:39 UTC
Winning comments:
-
blogged with links:
http://iblameitonthecat.blogspot.com/2009/08/exp-825-misadventures-in-baby-raising.html
dontaskme22@yahoo.com
#5 -
subscriber via feed
#2 - (I know the last one says 50 but my comment numbers only go to 200 and then start over so I assure you this is 250). Congrats ladies you have 48 hours to contact me!
As y’all know I recently got my super long hair all cut off! Well this past weekend I must have been having some super strange identity crisis because I decided to do something I have NEVER done before…I dyed my hair! At first it was a complete shock because it was so different, but after that initial shock wore off I LOVE it!
After
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Do you have a child who exhibits artistic ability? Do your children love to draw, paint, and be creative? Well if the answer to any of those questions is YES I have something that I am very excited to share with all of you!
All of my children love art; they love drawing, painting, and being creative in every way imaginable. I am constantly looking for ways to encourage that love and inspire them to be creative! So when I was asked to review the website HenkelHelps.com I was more than excited! In case you’re not familiar with Henkel here’s a little information from the site!
"Henkel – A Brand Like a Friend." This claim underlines our promise to make people’s lives easier, better and more beautiful with our brands and technologies.
Henkel is the name behind some of America’s best-known brands. From Dial® soaps to Purex® laundry detergents, göt2b® hair styling products, Right Guard® antiperspirants, and Loctite® adhesives, Henkel brands are part of your daily life. Henkel has grown rapidly in North America during the past several years and now generates about 20 percent of worldwide sales in this region. We have approximately 8,000 North American employees.
Henkel is a Fortune Global 500 company with more than 55,000 employees worldwide. People in approximately 125 countries around the world trust in brands and technologies from Henkel.”
HenkelHelps.com is a hosting an online art contest where children ages 2 thru 18 can go to submit their artistic visions for making the world an eas
You can check out the art gallery on HenkelHelps.com to see all of the submissions so far! How great is it that HenkelHelps.com is not only encouraging children to be more creative but also helping to inspire change by having our children think about what would make our world easier, better, and more beautiful! In addition to being able to submit your artwork you can also check out the drawing board where you and your kids can download lots of great pictures and activities (not to be used for the contest). You can also check out Henkel Helps on Facebook and Twitter!
As a mother of four very creative children I LOVE the idea of fostering the love of art in children! I would love it if all of my readers would not only enter this very cool contest but also help me in spreading the word about it! And as an added bonus…every readers who blogs about this contest (and leaves a comment here with the URL of the blog post) will receive 5 extra entries into a very cool upcoming giveaway! Stay tuned!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
It’s time for another Blogger Bingo task! If you have no clue what Blogger Bingo is head on over to MomDot.com to find out more!
Task is: Do a post on what you wanted to be when you grew up and what you actually are now!
When I was a little girl I always wanted to be a singer! I remember being 7 years old and having a Michael Jackson microphone; I would take all of my dolls and line then up on my bed and sing to them for hours! I remember my mom yelling at me constantly to “Shut Up” because all I ever did was SING…LOUDLY!
Over the years I lost my passion for singing, it wasn’t that I was bad at it…I was actually pretty good…I just had (and still do) horrible stage fright. I could never seem to sing in front of people and for someone who wanted to be a singer that would just not do!
Today I’m a Mommy! Some people may smirk at that and be sure to mention that Mom is not a job title, but I disagree! Since my days of longing to be a singer I haven’t been happier! Sure I’m in college and one of these days I will rejoin the workforce, but until then being “Mommy” is all I need!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I decided to combine Wordless Wednesday with Blogger Bingo (going on all week at MomDot.com) to find out more about Blogger Bingo go check it out here!
Blogger Bingo Task: Task is: Have your child color on a paint or graphics program, save the ‘art’ and post displaying them!
We’re here with another episode of Cooking With My Misadventurous Kids, we hope you’ve had a chance to check out our other videos but if you haven’t you can access them by clicking on the links on my sidebar!
This weeks episode (or is it webisode?) is Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Pops and my helper is my fiancé's daughter! Enjoy!
This weeks episode (or is it webisode?) is Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Pops and my helper is my fiancé's daughter! Enjoy!
Remember I told you yesterday about Blogger Bingo? If you’re sitting there scratching your head wondering WTF I’m talking about you can go check out all the details here!
Alright so this time I’m supposed to tell about my dream vacation! Well there is only truly one place I want to go that I haven’t so I’m pretty sure that would qualify as a dream vacation! ITALY! Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of going to Rome and tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain, marveling in the history that surrounds the Coliseum, and setting on the Spanish Steps and taking in the amazing sights and sounds of Rome! When someone asks me to name the one place I HAVE to visit before I pass I always say Italy! I’m not sure if it’s the food (um may very well be since I LOVE anything Italian), the sights, or the history but Italy is the vacation I dream of!
We have another winner! The winner of this giveaway wins the Pillsbury simply prize pack!
The winning number is…
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
347
Timestamp: 2009-08-11 04:37:25 UTC
That makes the winner:
rbailey1958 on August 10, 2009 7:32 PM said... 147
Blog follower #2
pkbailey@charter.net
Congrats! You have 48 hours to contact me with your information! If you fail to contact me within that time then you forfeit the prize and I will have to choose another winner!
Thanks to all that entered!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Blogger Bingo that is! To kick off PR Blackout week, Trisha over at MomDot.com has given all of us mommies a little help with our Writer’s Block, or as I always say “Bloggers Block” by giving us a fun filled week of Blogger Bingo! You can find out more about it and be part of the fun by going here!
Alright so the first ball was posting about being married and since I’m not married (and I’m being a little lazy today) I figured I would just wait for a new ball to drop..lol! So I’m supposed to post about my first kiss…aright here goes!
Is it a little weird that I remember my first kiss so vividly even though it almost twenty years ago? It was July 4th, I was 11 years old and I had the biggest crush ever on my neighbor J! I remember it was dark and all of the kids on my street were playing Dark Tag. It was J’s turn to be “it” so I took off running around the side of a vacant house on our street and hid on the back porch in the dark. I remember standing there quietly for what seemed like forever but could have only been a few seconds. I heard J’s footsteps long before I saw his shadowy figure approaching my hiding spot, trying not to make too much noise I slowly crept towards the stairs. I wasn’t quiet enough, J heard me and before I could even take off running from him he caught the hem of my shirt and pulled me to him. I’m not sure if he knew he was going to kiss me or if it just happened but there in the dark J planted a big, sweet kiss right on my lips and then he yelled..”You’re It” and ran away!
I will never forget that kiss or the fact that fireworks were bursting in the background as it happened!
I don’t know about y’all but I have a serious weakness for brownies, not chocolate…just brownies! As I’ve gotten older I’ve found that my tastes have changed, but try as I might I can not seem to give up brownies…they are truly my one weakness!
Recently I was approached to do a review for Bake Me a Wish and it only took me half a second to agree because guess what…there were brownies involved! Alright not really brownies, something even better (who knew there could be something better than brownies). Here’s a little more information about Bake Me a Wish from their website…
Our gourmet birthday cakes, baked in our award-winning New York City bakery, can be sent overnight, nationwide and are guaranteed to arrive on the day you request or your money back. Each delicious cake includes a greeting card that you can personalize and comes packed an elegant gift box. Make your loved one’s next birthday, anniversary or holiday an occasion to remember by sending a gourmet cake from Bake Me A Wish!
We received a Triple Chocolate Enrobed Brownie Cake from the Classics line at Bake Me a Wish just in time for my son’s second birthday party. Before our cake arrived I was very anxious and somewhat skeptical that the cake would make it here without becoming a melted, gooey mess, it was the beginning of August after all. When my cake arrived I nervously opened the box to find a very big, very cold ice pack covering my Brownie Cake, still skeptical I removed the ice pack to find a perfectly intact ridiculously delicious looking cake! I decided to serve the Bake Me a Wish cake as an alternative to my sons birthday cake. Most of the adults at the party couldn’t resist opted for the Brownie Cake and when I tell you that I had to wrestle the last slice away from my fiancé I am not exaggerating! The cake was absolutely to.die.for! Rich, chocolaty, and absolutely amazing are the best words to describe how irresistible and yummy this cake is! Of course Bake Me a Wish’s cakes come in many equally amazing options; Tiramisu Classico Cake, Red Velvet Chocolate Cake, S’more Brownie Cake to name a few! Bake Me a Wish is also doing an amazing thing for our deserving soldiers overseas…5% of every order goes towards their effort to send birthday cakes to soldiers overseas…that in itself is a pretty awesome reason to go order one of their amazing cakes right now!
Now the very cool people at Bake Me a Wish are giving one of my readers a chance to try the Triple Chocolate Enrobed Brownie Cake…you can thank me later!
Win it!!! To be entered into this giveaway please visit Bake Me a Wish, come back and leave a comment on this post (make sure to wipe the drool from your mouth first) telling me what other cake you would love to try! This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries count!
Extra Entries!!! Please make sure to leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow my Misadventures via email or on Blogger…2 extra entries each!
- Grab my Misadventures in Baby Raising button…2 extra entries!
- Follow me on Twitter please leave your Twitter ID in your comments…2 extra entries!
- Add Misadventures in Baby Raising to your blogroll…2 extra entries!
- Become a friend of Misadventurous Mommy on Facebook…2 extra entries!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post and Bake Me a Wish…5 extra entries!
Unlimited Extra Entries!!!
- Comment on any non-giveaway post on Misadventures in Baby Raising (please leave URL of post in your comment)!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway!
This giveaway ends on Monday August 24, 2009 at 11:59 PM EDT. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and posted in a separate winners post! Winner will have 48 hours to contact me after drawing…failure to do so will result in winner forfeiting the prize!
US RESIDENTS ONLY PLEASE!
Good Luck!
Winning number is:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
107
Timestamp: 2009-08-25 11:38:55 UTC
And that makes the winner:
-
I'd love to try the S'more Brownie Cake too!
- Congrats! You have 48 hours to contact me with your information!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Alright so I totally stole this from Alexis, but I figured she wouldn’t mind too much! Besides I am having total Bloggers Block and I didn’t wanna leave y’all with nothing!
10. Mean girls! Now I was sorta kinda never one of these bitches. I mean I could totally be a bitch if the situation called for it but I was never just cruel for the sake of being cruel, but there were so many bitches who were and sadly some of them over 10 years later are still the same way…it’s sad!
9. Going to class! I would be a total liar if I tried to tell you I didn’t do my best to get out of every single class I had, because I so did! As a matter of fact my line in the senior song parody was “Allison Riggs is known to play hooky” CLASSIC!
8. Guys who thought they were God’s gift to everyone! You know the hot jock who thinks his gym shoes don’t stink…um FYI…you’re working at Burger King now to support a nasty drug habit and that rock hard body that we all drooled over in high school is now GONE and we’re all LOL!
I am in no way insinuating that anyone in my high school looked like this…I just thought DB was the perfect example of HOT jock! And he’s pretty damn nice to look at!
7. Teachers who refused to brush their teeth and then insisted on getting close enough to your face that you could smell the garlic on their breathe from dinner last night…YUCK!
6. Picture day! This was indeed the worst day ever for me! I hate having my picture taken (I know you’re shocked). Those damn photographers (and I use that term loosely) gave you one shot to get it right and that was it… I still take at least 5 pictures of myself before I’m satisfied and willing to post one…I never did understand that about school pictures!
5. The school cafeteria! I NEVER ate school lunch but I did have to endure sitting in the cafeteria
4. The long lines for the bathroom…enough said!
3. Cliques! I never understood why the most horrible people insisted on hanging out together! It didn’t make sense then and it doesn’t make sense now!
2. The cheerleaders! Not to be confused with the mean girls. I wasn’t a cheerleader in high school mainly because I refused to think I was better than everyone else. The things some of those girls did were beyond reproach and to me they were a piss poor representation of our school!
1. Prom! I didn’t go to mine and I regret it to this day!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Alright for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about you can read all about it and find out how to participate here, I’ll wait…ready? Great! Now for the best part…the giveaway(s)…yes that was plural…remember I’m a week behind so I’m doing two at once!
Thanks to My Blog Spark I am giving away 1 Crayola Creativity Pack to give away each week through August…how fun is that? What’s in this Creativity Pack you ask…well let me show you!
- 24-ct. Crayola Crayons, the quintessential back-to-school tool that kids love for their vibrant colors, and moms and teachers choose for superior quality and value
- 10-ct. Crayola Markers, with an array of consistent, true colors to complete any task
- 12-ct. Crayola Colored Pencils, which come pre-sharpened with thick, strong lead made to tackle touch projects and art activities
- Crayola Pip-Squeaks Colored Pencils and Glitter Glue, which give children big color in a small size and are perfect for jazzing up art projects with bright, bold, shimmering colors
- Crayola Window Crayons, to help let your little ones transform glass surfaces into instant decorations with bright colors that lay down smoothly, dry quickly, and wipe clean with a damp cloth
- Tadoodles Washable Crayon Buddies, which are colorful little characters that hold a triangular-shaped crayon that twists up when the tip wears down - perfect for little hands!
- Crayola Color Explosion Black Extreme Surprises, which comes complete with a stencil sheet and two Broad Tip Color Explosion clear ink markers that reveal a different surprise design as they´re colored on 18-page tablet
- Crayola Color Switchers, which are dual-ended markers that allow kids to magically change the colors of their drawings with a swoosh of the "color switch" tip.
Win it!!! To be entered into this giveaway all you need to do is leave a comment here before Tuesday August 11 telling me how you make being creative affordable! Pretty simple huh? This must be completed before any extra entries count!
Extra Entries!!! Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day!
- Tell me something you learned while participating in the GNO Creativitycast Twitter Party…2 Extra Entries
- Become a friend of Misadventurous Mommy (Allison Proffitt) on Facebook…2 Extra Entries!
- Follow my Misadventures via my feed, email, or on Blogger…2 Extra Entries each!
- Add Misadventures in Baby Raising to your blogroll…2 Extra Entries!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to this post as well as Crayola…5 Extra Entries!
This giveaway ends on Tuesday August 11, 2009 at 11:59 pm. Two winners will be chosen via Random.org and posted in a separate winners post! Winners will have 48 hours to contact me with their information following the drawing, failure to contact me in that time will result in winner(s) forfeiting their prize!
US Residents Only please!
Good Luck!
I figured this weeks Wordless Wednesday could use a little explaining! This past weekend our family attended the Buffalo Trace Balloon Race and it was such a fun, family-friendly, very cool experience. We rode in hot air balloons, listened to awesome live music, and at the end of the night were treated to one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen…the Balloon Glow. The following pictures were all taken that night! Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
My son is a movie buff (yes two year olds can enjoy movies too) and while I am more than happy to fuel his movie obsession I have only one rule…the movie must be educational in some way. While the vast majority of Bub’s movies do offer the best of fun and learning they are not always the most entertaining and Bub gets bored relatively easily with them.
Recently I had the chance to review (thanks to NCircle Entertainment) the Word World DVD Castles in the Sea and I have to say that I was more than impressed with it! First I will say that Word World is a show on PBS that my children watch all the time and the DVD that I reviewed offered the same fun and creative ways of learning that can capture and keep my children’s attention. I love the fact that the words are not only used repetitively in the DVD but that everything from the plants to the characters (my favorite is the duck) are the words themselves (see example below). My son not only sat in front of the television and watched the entire DVD (which is extremely rare) I found him saying the words and really paying attention to what was going on. I even noticed my seven year old watching the DVD intently and she even bragged later that she had learned to spell shark and castle!
If you’re looking for a fun, educational, and entertaining DVD for your preschooler I highly recommend Word World Castles in the Sea!
Another day another giveaway winner to announce…have I mentioned before that I love this part? I want to thank everyone that entered this and all of my other giveaways!~
Now on to the winning number…drumroll please…the winning number is…
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
36
Timestamp: 2009-08-04 04:12:48 UTC
And that makes our winner…
I blogged about the giveaway and In an Instant on my blog at:
http://wonderful-mornings.blogspot.com/2009/07/worried-about-wrinkles.html?showComment=1248133912987#c5878624940567634452
arochel52@hotmail.com
Congrats to the winner! You have 48 hours to contact me with your information so make sure you send me an email ASAP! Failure to do so will result in you forfeiting your prize and me choosing another winner!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Last night I was chatting with a friend of mine (I’ll call her M for the sake of not typing my friend 50 times) when we started talking about the new episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8 (don’t worry this is not a post about that). I expressed to my friend how I couldn’t wait to see the show and she confessed the same. We started talking about how drama filled this season is going to be (because of Kate no doubt) when I admitted that I don’t know who to believe (Kate or Jon). I did say that Kate was hell bent on making Jon look like a bad father..and then I admitted that I am starting to believe that he’s definitely not behaving like a Daddy gallivanting all over God knows where with all kinds of women while Kate stays home with the kids and then M said that Kate would probably do the same thing if she had the chance and why should anyone point out Jon for his irresponsible behavior when plenty of men behave the same way! The last thing M said really got me thinking…and you know me…ME + THINKING = BLOG POST!
Without realizing it M had inspired a blog post (yeah M)! Why do we as women sell ourselves so short? Why do we assume that we have to put up with behavior that we know is WRONG? Is it because that’s just the way we’re programmed? When something goes wrong or when someone flakes on their responsibility we just have to take over…well yes and no! I have never been one to sit back and shut up when something is bothering me, I am completely the opposite…I don’t care if it causes drama, I don’t mind having someone not talk to me because of an opinion I have…if I feel strongly about something then I am going to say it…and I feel strongly about this!
It really bothers me when women think that men’s shitty behavior is alright, or worse when they know it’s wrong and put up with it because they think they have to. I will be the first to admit that my fiancé does very little to help me with the kids (aside from giving Lil Man the occasional bath and changing a few diapers) it’s pretty much me all the time, but why? Are our children any less his than they are mine? NO. Did I unwittingly sign some paper in the throws of labor assigning myself 99% responsibility for my kids? I’m pretty sure I would remember that…Demerol or not! Does having the title MOM mean more than Dad? In my book YES! Now that may be controversial (ask me if I care…um I do not)! I see it this way…men typically assume less responsibility for their children than women do and while it isn’t right it seems to be more widely accepted than say a mother who refuses to have anything to do with her children. Say you have a friend whose baby daddy has little to nothing to do with his kids…not right but it’s the norm. Now take those same people and switch the roles with the mom having little contact and it’s a shit storm waiting to happen…but why? Where is it written that mothers should assume all of the responsibility for raising her children? Now before you go thinking that I’m suggesting that women shouldn’t raise their children that is not what I’m getting at…I’m simply trying to understand why we allow that kind of behavior from the fathers of our children when we would be the first to throw stones at a mother who exhibited the same behavior. I have a hard time understanding why my fiancé (and many other fathers like him) do not want to take a more active role in parenting. Of course those same fathers are also the first ones to say, “That’s my boy!” when their son uses the potty for the first time…well actually since you brought it up that’s not your boy, oh sure biologically but that’s about the extent of it. I taught “your boy” to use the potty, I cleaned up all of the accidents when he forgot to tell me he had to potty, I am the one who insisted he be potty trained in the first place…how dare you take any responsibility for that…now that’s what I think…but do I say that to him? No! Why? Because some things are just more satisfying to think, why cause unnecessary fights, why make sure that you tell him something that he must already know? And therein lies the problem…we would rather sit back and not cause a fight silently cursing him the entire time than stand up for ourselves (and our children) and insist that they be men! Notice I said we…I am just as guilty as anyone else. Guilty but pissed that it has to be this way…or does it?
I propose that we as women take a stand. So grab your best girlfriends, get all dolled up, tell your SO not to wait up and go out and party like you did before you had kids…you deserve it!
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