<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" media="screen" href="/~d/styles/rss2full.xsl"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" media="screen" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~d/styles/itemcontent.css"?><rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0" version="2.0">

<channel>
	<title>Mommy of a Monster &amp; Twins</title>
	
	<link>http://mommyofamonster.com</link>
	<description />
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:01:49 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1</generator>
		<atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins" /><feedburner:info uri="mommyofamonsterandtwins" /><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/" /><feedburner:emailServiceId>MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins</feedburner:emailServiceId><feedburner:feedburnerHostname>http://feedburner.google.com</feedburner:feedburnerHostname><item>
		<title>Blissdom, Baby!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/Y9xr94zs_Xk/blissdom-baby.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/blissdom-baby.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3311</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin itOkay, I&#8217;ll admit: my time management skills just ain&#8217;t what they used to be. I&#8217;m behind on my writing over at Smart Mom Picks and haven&#8217;t even had a chance to visit blogs this week. I suck. Next month will be another story because I&#8217;m significantly cutting back on my work load. But for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p>Okay, I&#8217;ll admit: my time management skills just ain&#8217;t what they used to be. I&#8217;m behind on my writing over at <a href="http://www.smartmompicks.com"  target="_blank">Smart Mom Picks</a> and haven&#8217;t even had a chance to visit blogs this week. I suck.</p>
<p>Next month will be another story because I&#8217;m significantly cutting back on my work load. But for now? I&#8217;m screwed. I have a ton of writing to do to get ahead of the game before I head out to BlissDom at the ungodly hour of 6AM on Thursday. And packing. And cleaning. And cooking. And getting my husband prepared for being alone with the kids for 4 days.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.blissdomconference.com"  target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.blissdomconference.com/2k12/buttons/BD12brown_GoingYall.gif" alt="I'm Going, Y'all! - Blissdom" width="250" height="250" /></a></p>
<p>I&#8217;ll be back to my normally scheduled blogging next week, but in the meantime, here&#8217;s some stuff you can check out while I&#8217;m gone&#8230;</p>
<p>Looking for a good book to read? Check out my <em><strong><a href="http://wp.me/p1DozA-Ra"  target="_blank">review of The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy</a></strong></em> for your chance to win a copy!</p>
<p>I&#8217;m so excited to announce that the new Chiquita Moms Community that I am writing at is now LIVE!! Head over to <em><strong><a href="http://www.chiquitamoms.com"  target="_blank">ChiquitaMoms.com</a></strong></em> and check it out!</p>
<p><center></center><center></center><center><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=252937&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank"><img src="http://www.shareasale.com/image/26770/sale_Fall_300x250.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />
Psst! Guess what?! <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=223619&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank">Tea Collection</a> is offering <strong>30% off Sale items</strong> for three days only–Tuesday, February 21st through Thursday, February 23rd!  Use this code: YAYEXTRA30 to get an extra 30% off the already great sales prices! Visit<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=223619&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank"> Tea Collection</a> today!</center></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=Y9xr94zs_Xk:WUYO8fZfgxs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=Y9xr94zs_Xk:WUYO8fZfgxs:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=Y9xr94zs_Xk:WUYO8fZfgxs:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=Y9xr94zs_Xk:WUYO8fZfgxs:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=Y9xr94zs_Xk:WUYO8fZfgxs:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=Y9xr94zs_Xk:WUYO8fZfgxs:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=Y9xr94zs_Xk:WUYO8fZfgxs:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=Y9xr94zs_Xk:WUYO8fZfgxs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=Y9xr94zs_Xk:WUYO8fZfgxs:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/Y9xr94zs_Xk" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/blissdom-baby.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/blissdom-baby.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Meaningful Beauty: The Four Week Test</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/tP0MWfBz-r8/meaningful-beauty-the-four-week-test.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/meaningful-beauty-the-four-week-test.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[review/giveaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cindy crawford meaningful beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cindy crawford skin care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meaningful beauty]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3318</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin it I think I&#8217;ve mentioned before that I&#8217;m an informercial junkie. I love watching informercials and trying out the products&#8230;heck, I blog about them all the time at SmartMomPicks.com! One of my favorite informercials to watch is the Meaningful Beauty one hosted and endorsed by Cindy Crawford. In it, they show a picture of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/meaningful_beauty_products.jpg" ><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3319" title="meaningful_beauty_products" src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/meaningful_beauty_products.jpg" alt="cindy_crawford_meaningful_beauty_products" width="654" height="297" /></a></p>
<p>I think I&#8217;ve mentioned before that I&#8217;m an informercial junkie. I love watching informercials and trying out the products&#8230;heck, I blog about them all the time at <a href="http://www.smartmompicks.com/?s=as+seen+on+tv"  target="_blank">SmartMomPicks.com</a>! One of my favorite informercials to watch is the <em><strong><a href="http://www.meaningfulbeauty.com"  target="_blank">Meaningful Beauty</a></strong></em> one hosted and endorsed by Cindy Crawford. In it, they show a picture of Cindy in her 20s and then again in her 40s. She looks almost <em>exactly </em>the same, and she claims it&#8217;s because of Meaningful Beauty. I&#8217;ve always wanted to try it, and now I get to!</p>
<p>Last week, I received a box in the mail that contained the Meaningful Beauty skin care regime. It included:</p>
<p>1.) Skin Softening Cleanser<br />
2.) Antioxidant Day Crème SPF 20 UVA/UVB<br />
3.) Crème de Serum<br />
4.) Lifting Eye Crème – Advanced Formula<br />
5.) Skin Brightening Décolleté and Neck Treatment SPF 15<br />
6.) Glycolic Treatment Pads<br />
7.) Glowing Serum</p>
<p>Currently, I use an amazing cleanser and moisturizer that I&#8217;m completely happy with&#8230;but I&#8217;ve got to tell you, I&#8217;ve been so intrigued by Meaningful Beauty for so long that I&#8217;m willing to try it for a month to see if there&#8217;s a difference. If there is, I&#8217;ll be a client for life. But if not &#8211; you&#8217;ll be the first to know that I didn&#8217;t see any life-altering results. Now is the right time for me to try this system out because I&#8217;ve just recently noticed that I look &#8220;older&#8221;, and I&#8217;m not happy about it. At all.</p>
<p>Do I have high hopes for these products? Absolutely. You use some of them in the morning time, and again in the evening time. I hope to see less wrinkles, clearer and brightened skin and I&#8217;m hoping it will also get rid of my dry skin areas. But yeah, I&#8217;m hoping to see those little wrinkles creeping in on my forehead, eyes, and mouth gone or greatly diminished. I&#8217;m really excited about trying out the Glycolic Treatment Pads, and plan to try them tonight for the first time!</p>
<p>I was also pleasantly surprised to find an additional kit that came with mine with an attached note to give it to someone meaningful in my life. Since my sister Angie and I have talked about wanting to try this product before, I knew she&#8217;d be the right person to give it to &#8211; I&#8217;ll make sure to share her thoughts about Meaningful Beauty as well!</p>
<p>Stay tuned! I&#8217;ll make sure to share the results next month &#8211; until then, wish me luck!</p>
<p><em>I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf Meaningful Beauty and received a 5-step treatment kit to facilitate my review, a second 5-step treatment kit to giveaway, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.</em></p>
<p><strong>Looking for a good book to read? Check out my <em><a href="http://wp.me/p1DozA-Ra"  target="_blank">review of The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy</a></em> for your chance to win a copy!</strong></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=252937&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.shareasale.com/image/26770/sale_Fall_300x250.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />
Psst! Guess what?! <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=223619&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank">Tea Collection</a> is offering <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>30% off Sale items</strong></span> for three days only&#8211;Tuesday, February 21st through Thursday, February 23rd!  Use this code: YAYEXTRA30 to get an extra 30% off the already great sales prices! Visit<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=223619&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank"> Tea Collection</a> today!</center></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=tP0MWfBz-r8:ZpuFnw6khEs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=tP0MWfBz-r8:ZpuFnw6khEs:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=tP0MWfBz-r8:ZpuFnw6khEs:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=tP0MWfBz-r8:ZpuFnw6khEs:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=tP0MWfBz-r8:ZpuFnw6khEs:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=tP0MWfBz-r8:ZpuFnw6khEs:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=tP0MWfBz-r8:ZpuFnw6khEs:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=tP0MWfBz-r8:ZpuFnw6khEs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=tP0MWfBz-r8:ZpuFnw6khEs:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/tP0MWfBz-r8" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/meaningful-beauty-the-four-week-test.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>12</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/meaningful-beauty-the-four-week-test.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Mommy Moment – Debi Style</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/wMd_AtzoGhc/mommy-moment-debi-style-2.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/mommy-moment-debi-style-2.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:25:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[monster mommy moments]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3292</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin it Welcome to another Mommy Moment! If you’re not sure what it is, head over and read all about how Mommy Moments at the Monster came to be. Today, I&#8217;m so excited to welcome Debi from The TRUTH About Motherhood! Debi is nicknamed &#8220;Truthful Mommy&#8221; because, like me, she can&#8217;t lie (when we try, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2011/09/%20http://www.mommyofamonster.com%20"  target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://i972.photobucket.com/albums/ae206/nataliehoage1/MommyMomentsbutton.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>Welcome to another Mommy Moment! If you’re not sure what it is, head over and read all about how <a href="http://www.mommyofamonster.com/2011/01/monster-mommy-moment.html"  target="_blank"><em><strong>Mommy Moments at the Monster</strong></em></a> came to be.</p>
<p>Today, I&#8217;m so excited to welcome Debi from <em><strong><a href="http://www.motherhoodthetruth.com/author/truthful-mommy/"  target="_blank">The TRUTH About Motherhood</a></strong></em>! Debi is nicknamed &#8220;Truthful Mommy&#8221; because, like me, she can&#8217;t lie (when we try, you TOTALLY know we&#8217;re lying!). She&#8217;s a mommy to two beautiful little girls, and recently started writing over at <em><strong><a href="http://www.smartmomstyle.com/author/debi/"  target="_blank">SmartMomStyle.com</a></strong></em>. I love her honesty, the fact she doesn&#8217;t shy away from any topics, and her sarcasm. She&#8217;s my kind of girl!</p>
<p>Go grab a cup of coffee and a donut, ahem, I mean a low-fat muffin, or depending on the time of the day maybe some wine and chocolate, and sit back and enjoy the story!</p>
<p>———-</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Signed with Love and Chicken Scratch </strong></p>
<div>
<p><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/debi_mommy_moment.jpg" ><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3307" title="debi_mommy_moment" src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/debi_mommy_moment.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="159" /></a>Last Sunday was the day before my 4 year old had her pre-school Valentine’s Day party, but they don’t call them parties because her preschool teacher is the party Nazi. She doesn’t believe in them, not even on love day.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>It also happened to be day 111 of all of us being sick. I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired. Of course, it all fell on shark week of the week that I started a brand new job. On top of that we had a particularly full weekend including the Daddy/Daughter Valentine’s Day Dance, especially since I am the room mother for my 6 year olds class. The only reason I am not for my 4 year olds class is because her teacher doesn’t want a room mother. NO parties for us or rather no parties that parents are invited to attend.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>I spent the entire weekend, coordinating the Valentine’s Day party for my first graders class. Purchasing candy, making treat bags, calling parents helping my husband plan what he was going to do for our daughter’s for Valentine’s Day and all while I was having the world’s most aggressively debilitating sinus infection that seemed to be competing with my hormonal migraine to see which could make me cry first. I was up to my eyeballs in party planning and my mouth was writing checks that my ass couldn’t possibly cash. You’ve been here before, right?</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>Thanks to Pinterest, I had decided to make handmade Valentine’s Day cards for my daughters to hand out to their little friends. They were adorable, butterflies with sweet nothings written on them and a pink tootsie pop served as the butterfly’s body. I meticulously hand cut 41 butterflies out of card stock. I lovingly penned the sweet messages of preschool friendship and adoration on each card. Ending each with a <em>Love</em>, and then letting my girls sign their own names on each card. That was the plan.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>Somewhere between drawing tiny hearts and writing a personalized message on each child’s card, the migraine overwhelmed me and I decided to finish the task the next day, Monday because Valentine’s Day was on Tuesday.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>Sunday night, I completely forgot that my 4 year olds party was being held on Monday because she doesn’t go to preschool on Tuesday and her teacher also doesn’t believe in sending home reminder notes for anything. Monday morning, on the way out the door, my sweet 4 year old reminded me that she needed her Valentine’s Day cards for class. Her big doe eyes and exuberant ear-to-ear grin melted and broke my heart simultaneously.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>I did the only thing I could do, since her sister had signed all the cards with her own signature. I grabbed the package of Skittles Valentine’s Day cards that my Mother-in-law had picked up for the girls (yes, the same one that Pinterest had two days earlier made me scoff at) and I filled them out vigorously at drop off.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>Signed with love, in chicken scratch. My 4 year old did not care or notice. She happily took her store bought Skittles (her favorite candy) Valentine’s Day cards and handed them out with that same ear-to-ear grin and an ever so sweet Happy Valentine’s Day that had just melted and broken my own heart.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>I drove home ugly crying behind my sunglasses, feeling like the world’s worst mom. She never knew. She never will. But next year, she is going to have the finest Valentine’s Day cards that Pinterest can provide.</p>
</div>
<p>———-</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing, Debi! I am also sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I totally get where you were coming from. I don&#8217;t have a creative bone in my body, but tried to make some cute candies for Tater&#8217;s preschool class at Thanksgiving that I had to dump and go buy store bought stuff. So I feel your pain there, too.</p>
<p>There’s no manual out there for what we do, so sharing stories like this helps us all learn from each other.</p>
<p>Now head over to <em><strong><a href="http://www.motherhoodthetruth.com/author/truthful-mommy/"  target="_blank">The TRUTH About Motherhood</a></strong></em><strong><em> </em></strong>and say hello to Debi. If you are a Twitter addict, you can find <em><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/@TruthfulMommy"  target="_blank">@TruthfulMommy</a></strong></em> there too. And if you are a new follower, make sure to tell her that I sent you!</p>
<p>Looking for a good book to read? Check out my <em><strong><a href="http://wp.me/p1DozA-Ra"  target="_blank">review of The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy</a></strong></em> for your chance to win a copy!</p>
<p>I&#8217;m so excited to announce that the new Chiquita Moms Community that I am writing at is now LIVE!! Head over to <em><strong><a href="http://www.chiquitamoms.com"  target="_blank">ChiquitaMoms.com</a></strong></em> and check it out!</p>
<p><center></center><center></center><center><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=234534&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank"><img src="http://www.shareasale.com/image/26770/sale_200x200.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></center>Psst! Guess what?! Spring is right around the corner and <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=223619&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank">Tea Collection</a> has put together the most adorable Spring 2012 Collection designed and influenced by the island of Bali. Shop the new collection now and take advantage of Tea Collection&#8217;s 10% off coupon (no minimum required) with promo code SS12SAS valid through 3/31/12. Although I love the entire collection below are a few of my absolute favorites!</p>
<p>I absolutely adore the <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=365785&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank">Dancing Fern Dress</a>. The colors and design make this the perfect dress for a school picture or a casual family gathering. Boys will love the <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=365784&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank">Monkey King Tee</a> inspired by the Ramayana Monkey Chant dance in Bali. Don&#8217;t worry moms! Tea Collection has even designed a Bali collection for women and I love the <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=365783&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank">Artisan Ikat Tunic</a>. It&#8217;s lightweight and goes perfect with a pair of jeans.</p>
<p>Be sure to check out the entire Bali Collection. Happy Shopping!</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=wMd_AtzoGhc:9HuuM_F_Dk4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=wMd_AtzoGhc:9HuuM_F_Dk4:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=wMd_AtzoGhc:9HuuM_F_Dk4:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=wMd_AtzoGhc:9HuuM_F_Dk4:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=wMd_AtzoGhc:9HuuM_F_Dk4:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=wMd_AtzoGhc:9HuuM_F_Dk4:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=wMd_AtzoGhc:9HuuM_F_Dk4:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=wMd_AtzoGhc:9HuuM_F_Dk4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=wMd_AtzoGhc:9HuuM_F_Dk4:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/wMd_AtzoGhc" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/mommy-moment-debi-style-2.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/mommy-moment-debi-style-2.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Blog Tour: The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/iNJR3dWVs7o/blog-tour-the-legacy-of-eden-by-nelle-davy.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/blog-tour-the-legacy-of-eden-by-nelle-davy.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:35:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[reading]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[review/giveaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nelle davy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the legacy of eden]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3296</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin it It&#8217;s been awhile since I got to sit down and read a book from cover to cover&#8230;remember the post I wrote: Oh Reading, How I Miss Thee? Part of the reason I wrote it was because I was trying to get through The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy and it was killing [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/TheLegacyOfEden.jpg" ><img class="alignleft  wp-image-3297" title="TheLegacyOfEden" src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/TheLegacyOfEden.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="307" /></a> It&#8217;s been awhile since I got to sit down and read a book from cover to cover&#8230;remember the post I wrote: <em><strong><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/oh-reading-how-i-miss-thee.html"  target="_blank">Oh Reading, How I Miss Thee</a></strong></em>? Part of the reason I wrote it was because I was trying to get through <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Eden-Nelle-Davy/dp/0778329550"  target="_blank"><strong><em>The Legacy of Eden </em></strong>by Nelle Davy</a> and it was killing me that I wanted to finish it so badly, but couldn&#8217;t find the time!</p>
<p>The book is being released this month, however I was lucky enough to get a copy to review earlier this year. From page one, I immediately fell in love with the story&#8230;here&#8217;s how Amazon.com describes the book:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway&#8217;s dream to elevate the family name &#8211; no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways &#8211; and the once prosperous farm.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died &#8211; alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land, or the memories.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia&#8217;s youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family&#8217;s once-great name. Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family&#8230; and her own part in their mottled history.</em></p>
<p>I really loved how <a href="http://www.nelledavy.com/"  target="_blank">Nelle Davy</a> introduced us to the family (both the living and the dead). Towards the end of the book, I did feel like it was starting to drag, but even saying that, I couldn&#8217;t put it down. The book was well written and draws you in to each character enough so you’ll want to know more about them. The timeline does jump from past to present it&#8217;s easy to keep track of what&#8217;s going on and it was not at all confusing.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s an excerpt from the book:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Just before it broke for commercial I said aloud, “This is madness.”</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Swift in reply, she answered, “Only if you expected a different outcome.”</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>It was at this point that I decided to call the lawyers.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>“Good afternoon, Dermott and Harrison, how may I help you?”</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>“Yes, this is Meredith…” I hesitate. What name do I use? And then with a sense of weariness I think, what’s the point in trying to pretend. “…Hathaway. May I speak with Roger Whitaker, please?”</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>“Will he know what it’s regarding?” the receptionist asked.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>For a second I was struck dumb. “Yes.”</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>I was sitting down this time. I took a deep breath and leaned back into the headrest as I was put on hold. After a few seconds the line was picked up and a male voice answered the phone.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>“Miss Hathaway, so good to hear from you.”</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>“Is it?” I asked.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>“Of course. I assume you’ve had time to think over what we detailed in the letter?”</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>“What part? The part where you told me my cousin was dead or the other bit where the farm’s going to be sold off and auctioned to the highest bidder to settle against his debts?” </em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">If you enjoy sagas and/or gothic stories, <em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Eden-Nelle-Davy/dp/0778329550" >The Legacy of Eden</a></em> will suck you write in. But I&#8217;m not the only one who thinks so! Many other <em><strong><a href="http://booktrib.com/?page_id=152294&amp;preview=true"  target="_blank">bloggers</a></strong></em> are participating in the blog tour and revealing pieces of the story and their own reviews. Tuesday, head over to <a href="http://www.tammystwocents.com/" style="text-align: center;"  target="_blank">http://www.tammystwocents.com/</a> and see what she has to say!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Are you ready to run out and put this book on your To Read list? If you are, you&#8217;re in luck! I am able to giveaway a copy of the book to one lucky reader! Simply leave a comment and tell me what interests you about the story. The winner will be randomly chosen next Monday. Good luck!</p>
<p><em>This giveaway begins on Sunday, February 19th and will end on Monday, February 27th, 2011 at 8:30 pm. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. The winner will be announced on Friday and must respond within 48 hours to claim. Otherwise, another eligible entry will be chosen. US/Canada residents only.</em></p>
<p><em>Disclosure: I received a free copy of The Legacy of Eden in order to write this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=iNJR3dWVs7o:NsW2seJRfSU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=iNJR3dWVs7o:NsW2seJRfSU:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=iNJR3dWVs7o:NsW2seJRfSU:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=iNJR3dWVs7o:NsW2seJRfSU:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=iNJR3dWVs7o:NsW2seJRfSU:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=iNJR3dWVs7o:NsW2seJRfSU:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=iNJR3dWVs7o:NsW2seJRfSU:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=iNJR3dWVs7o:NsW2seJRfSU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=iNJR3dWVs7o:NsW2seJRfSU:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/iNJR3dWVs7o" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/blog-tour-the-legacy-of-eden-by-nelle-davy.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/blog-tour-the-legacy-of-eden-by-nelle-davy.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Monster Likes #6 – 2012</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/ysGjCjFMLJ8/monster-likes-6-2012.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/monster-likes-6-2012.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:47:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Monster Likes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3218</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin it It&#8217;s the weekend and you know what that means&#8230;it&#8217;s time for Monster Likes! What&#8217;s Monster Likes? I list my favorite selection of posts I found throughout bloggy land over the past week. I&#8217;m gonna be honest &#8211; these past few weeks have kicked my blogging butt. I committed to do a job that [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2835" title="monster-likes-button1" src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/monster-likes-button1.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></p>
<p>It&#8217;s the weekend and you know what that means&#8230;it&#8217;s time for Monster Likes! What&#8217;s Monster Likes? I list my favorite selection of posts I found throughout bloggy land over the past week.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m gonna be honest &#8211; these past few weeks have kicked my blogging butt. I committed to do a job that I thought I&#8217;d have time to do, but it&#8217;s leaving me doing nothing but sitting in front of the computer writing. Don&#8217;t get me wrong I love to write, but damn if I have not been neglecting my blog, reading your blogs, and everything else. Next month, my work load is going to lighten up significantly and I&#8217;ll be back to normal. I hope&#8230;</p>
<p>Now on to the few things I have had time to read! If one of your posts is listed below and you want the badge, just shoot me an email or leave me a comment and I’ll send you the badge to put on your post!</p>
<p>And now on to the good stuff….</p>
<p>Poppy from <em>Funny or Snot</em> made me laugh out loud with her post <em><strong><a href="http://www.funnyorsnot.com/2012/02/what_not_to_say_in_church/"  target="_blank">Shit Hank Says</a></strong></em>. Not for nothin&#8217;, but I think Hank was right on the money with his observation!</p>
<p>Have you guys seen the site <a rel="nofollow" href="http://childsown.wordpress.com/"  target="_blank"><strong><em>Child&#8217;s Own Studio</em></strong></a>? It&#8217;s the coolest site EVER! She takes your child&#8217;s drawings and turns them into stuffed animals! You&#8217;ve got to check the site out.</p>
<p>Over at <em>SITS</em>, there is an AWESOME giveaway going on right now that you won&#8217;t want to miss! Check out the <em><strong><a href="http://www.thesitsgirls.com/she-says-she-says/contests-giveaways/summer-camp/"  target="_blank">Summer Camp Giveaway</a></strong></em>, enter and then tell your friends about it too! I think that this summer camp would be awesome for my niece Nikki. She&#8217;s always wanted to go to Catalina and maybe this would be her chance. She&#8217;s adventurous and would love trying all those outdoor activities like archery and the climbing wall. And she LOVES to wakeboard and I&#8217;m sure she&#8217;d want to try that in the ocean! <strong>I am entering to win a session of <a href="http://www.catalinaislandcamps.com/" >summer camp</a> for a child at Catalina Island Camps from <a href="http://thesitsgirls.com/" >The SITS Girls</a>! </strong>You should too!</p>
<p>Wanna make money blogging? Then you&#8217;ll want to check out my post about <em><strong><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/so-you-wanna-make-money-blogging-how-to-get-sponsored-posts.html"  target="_blank">How To Get Sponsored Posts</a></strong></em>. But I didn&#8217;t stop there&#8230;in case you missed it, I wrangled up a few of my good friends to discuss the topic on their blogs too! Check out these posts if you are interested in monetizing (or not monetizing!) your blog&#8230;</p>
<ul>
<li>Katie (Sluiter Nation): <a href="http://wp.me/p1qChn-11K"  target="_blank">Not My Business, Baby</a> (why you do NOT want to monetize your blog)</li>
<li>Devan (Accustomed Chaos): <a href="http://accustomedchaos.com/why-monetize-your-blog/"  target="_blank">Monetizing Your Blog: Why’s &amp; How’s of Making Money</a> (why you do monetize and how you do it)</li>
<li>Kristin (What She Said): <a href="http://www.saidkristin.com/?p=6325"  target="_blank">Getting Paid to Blog: So Many Questions, So Little Time.</a>(newbie in the monetizing world)</li>
<li>Gigi (Kludgy Mom): <a href="http://www.kludgymom.com/freelance-writing-jobs"  target="_blank">So You Want To Be A Freelancer? What You Need To Know.</a>(freelance work)</li>
<li>Alex (Late Enough): <a href="http://www.lateenough.com/?p=2669"  target="_blank">Writers Teach, Why Can’t Bloggers?</a> (on teaching blogging and social media)</li>
<li><em>D</em>ebi (The TRUTH about Motherhood): <a href="http://www.motherhoodthetruth.com/how-much-to-charge-for-a-sponsored-post/"  target="_blank">What to Charge for a Sponsored Post and Why you need a Media Kit</a> (what to charging for sponsored posts, media kits)</li>
<li>Tina (Life Without Pink): <a href="http://www.lifewithoutpink.com/2012/02/16/building-successful-relationship-with-brands-and-scoring-paying-opportunities/"  target="_blank">Tips For Building Successful Relationships With Brands and Scoring Paying Opportunities</a> (pitching brands, sponsored events, ambassadorships)</li>
</ul>
<p>Over at <em>SmartMomPicks.com</em>, I wrote about <em><strong><a href="http://www.smartmompicks.com/esalon-com-allows-you-to-get-professional-hair-color-delivered-to-your-door/"  target="_blank">eSalon.com</a></strong></em>, and if you haven&#8217;t seen it, go check it out! You can get professional, personally customized hair color for just $20! And I also wrote about the funniest site I&#8217;ve seen in awhile&#8230;but it&#8217;s also incredibly awesome! Read all about <em><strong><a href="http://www.smartmompicks.com/poopoopaper-com-no-im-not-kidding-its-a-real-site/"  target="_blank">PooPooPaper.com</a></strong></em>! Note to my family: start expecting to get presents made out of poop! And I wrote a <em><strong><a href="http://www.smartmompicks.com/fit-moms-for-life-by-dustin-maher-is-worth-the-read/"  target="_blank">book review of Fit Moms for Life by Dustin Maher</a></strong></em>. This book changed my outlook on dieting and exercising and is a must read.</p>
<p>Still want more weekend reading? Head over to <em><strong><a href="http://sluiternation.com"  target="_blank">Sluiter Nation</a></strong></em> where Katie is also sharing her fave posts of the week! Check ‘em out!</p>
<p>And be on the lookout for a new somethin&#8217; somethin&#8217; me and Katie are working on&#8230;we think you&#8217;ll like it!</p>
<p>If you are Mom and never get any sleep, you want. You need. You MUST HAVE <a href="http://www.eyedews.com/"  target="_blank"><em><strong>Eyedews</strong></em></a>!</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.eyedews.com"  target="_blank"><img src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/eyedews_logo_sm_rev-2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></center>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=ysGjCjFMLJ8:rix2Xep6bPw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=ysGjCjFMLJ8:rix2Xep6bPw:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=ysGjCjFMLJ8:rix2Xep6bPw:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=ysGjCjFMLJ8:rix2Xep6bPw:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=ysGjCjFMLJ8:rix2Xep6bPw:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=ysGjCjFMLJ8:rix2Xep6bPw:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=ysGjCjFMLJ8:rix2Xep6bPw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=ysGjCjFMLJ8:rix2Xep6bPw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=ysGjCjFMLJ8:rix2Xep6bPw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/ysGjCjFMLJ8" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/monster-likes-6-2012.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/monster-likes-6-2012.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Blok Squad Fire Patrol Rescue Review</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/648m73y_H78/blok-squad-fire-patrol-rescue-review.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/blok-squad-fire-patrol-rescue-review.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:47:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[review/giveaway]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3283</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin itIf there&#8217;s one thing Tater loves to do, it&#8217;s putting together building blocks. He likes to build things and have us guess what they are. He has fun doing it, and always wants us to do it with him. Which is why Mega Blok&#8217;s Blok Squad Fire Patrol Rescue was a perfect thing for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/blok_squad_box.jpg" ><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3284" title="blok_squad_box" src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/blok_squad_box.jpg" alt="" width="281" height="271" /></a>If there&#8217;s one thing Tater loves to do, it&#8217;s putting together building blocks. He likes to build things and have us guess what they are. He has fun doing it, and always wants us to do it with him. Which is why <em><strong><a href="http://www.megabloks.com/Shop/MEGA_Bloks/Blok_Squad/Fire_Patrol_Rescue_2422/"  target="_blank">Mega Blok&#8217;s Blok Squad Fire Patrol Rescue</a></strong></em> was a perfect thing for Tater and his dad to put together.</p>
<p>Although the set is geared for kids 5 and up, with his dad&#8217;s help, he was able to build the Fire Rescue Pumper Truck for the Blok Squad Firefighters to hook up their <a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/blok_squad.jpg" ><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3285" title="blok_squad" src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/blok_squad-300x147.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="147" /></a>hoses to so they could put out fires and save Bloktropolis. They even put together the Fire Patrol ATV. The set has 190 pieces&#8230;and I&#8217;m talking very SMALL pieces, and it took the two of them some time to get it together.</p>
<p>Was it fun? Did it keep them busy? Did they spend some father/son time together doing something Tater loves? Yes to all three questions.</p>
<p>Do I want something with 190 very small pieces in the house? Absolutely not. Ethan ended up dropping the truck on the tile floor and it broke all over. Pieces scattered everywhere. I thought I got them all cleaned up, but I&#8217;m still finding the pieces in the girls mouths. I have no idea where they keep finding them, but they do!</p>
<p>I think the Blok Squad Fire Patrol Rescue is a great set and Ethan enjoyed putting it together. However if you have small kids in the house, you might want to steer clear of it for a few more years.</p>
<p><em>Disclaimer: I received a Mega Blok Blok Squad set for this review. All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own.</em></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=648m73y_H78:sQKn-6pWvKg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=648m73y_H78:sQKn-6pWvKg:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=648m73y_H78:sQKn-6pWvKg:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=648m73y_H78:sQKn-6pWvKg:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=648m73y_H78:sQKn-6pWvKg:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=648m73y_H78:sQKn-6pWvKg:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=648m73y_H78:sQKn-6pWvKg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=648m73y_H78:sQKn-6pWvKg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=648m73y_H78:sQKn-6pWvKg:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/648m73y_H78" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/blok-squad-fire-patrol-rescue-review.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/blok-squad-fire-patrol-rescue-review.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>So You Wanna Make Money Blogging? How To Get Sponsored Posts</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/xo_SAQRdKg0/so-you-wanna-make-money-blogging-how-to-get-sponsored-posts.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/so-you-wanna-make-money-blogging-how-to-get-sponsored-posts.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:32:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3270</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin itAfter writing my post titled Talking Taboo: How Much Do You Make With Your Blog?, I was overwhelmed with the responses and questions I got from readers. I don&#8217;t have all the answers&#8230;not even close, but I do know some ladies that do! A group of us got together to tackle topics about freelancing, sponsored [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Getting-Paid-to-Blog-300x284.jpg" ><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3281" title="Getting-Paid-to-Blog-300x284" src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Getting-Paid-to-Blog-300x284.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="284" /></a>After writing my post titled <strong><em><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/01/talking-taboo-how-much-do-you-make-with-your-blog.html"  target="_blank">Talking Taboo: How Much Do You Make With Your Blog?</a></em></strong>, I was overwhelmed with the responses and questions I got from readers. I don&#8217;t have all the answers&#8230;not even close, but I do know some ladies that do! A group of us got together to tackle topics about freelancing, sponsored posts, ads, brand ambassadorships, product reviews, and more – and how much to charge for these things. We’ll be talking about media kits, how to pitch a brand, why people do and don’t monetize, and fears about monetizing.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a lot right? But don&#8217;t worry &#8211; the group of bloggers that have come together to help answer your questions are some of the nicest bloggers I know, and they&#8217;ve helped me out more than once! So sit back, get ready to take some notes, relax, and learn how to make some money&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p>So you decided to take the plunge and try to make some money with your blog. Why not? We spend enough time and effort to have people read it &#8211; to trust our words. And companies are starting to recognize that a lot of people do trust and listen to what bloggers have to say. They know our product reviews and things we write about can change people&#8217;s minds or sway the decisions about the products that they use and buy. We have a voice, and it&#8217;s a loud one.</p>
<h3><strong><em>What is a Sponsored Post?</em></strong></h3>
<p>If you do decide to make money, you might not know where to start&#8230;I didn&#8217;t! One of the easiest ways to monetize your blog is through sponsored posts. What is a sponsored post? According to Wikipedia: &#8221;A <strong>promoted post</strong>, also known as a <strong>sponsored post</strong>, is a post to any community-driven notification-oriented website which is explicitly sponsored as an advertisement by a particular company in order to draw a large amount of popularity through user promotion and moderation to the most active or most viewed page on the website. The model has become adopted by various ad-supported but community-driven websites as an addition, substitute or replacement of other pay-per-click advertisement formats, such as web banners, text and rich media.</p>
<p>Specifically referring to context of blogs, &#8216;<em>sponsored post</em> was defined by Mutum and Wang (2010) as &#8220;The promoted blog entries or posts that contain links that point to the home page or specific product pages of the website of the sponsor for which the blogger receives compensation in the form of money, products, services or in other ways&#8221;.<sup id="cite_ref-0">[1]</sup> They are also known as paid posts or sponsored reviews.&#8221;</p>
<p>A brand might ask you to link back to their site, or to a specific product. Or they might ask you to use specific keywords and link to certain pages on their site. Or sometimes they want you to talk about a certain topic. There&#8217;s a lot of different ways that you might be asked to write a sponsored post.</p>
<h3><strong><em>Where Do You Find Sponsored Post Opportunities</em></strong></h3>
<p>Where do you find sponsored posts? For me, most of the sponsored posts I write I have to &#8220;apply&#8221; for (meaning the brand doesn&#8217;t approach me directly). Sometimes I&#8217;ll be contacted by PR reps I&#8217;ve worked with in the past and asked if I&#8217;d like to write a sponsored post. Other times, friends will ask if I&#8217;d be interested, and then they&#8217;ll pass my name along to their contacts.</p>
<p>There are also lots of places that you can find these opportunities yourself. Usually you have to become a member of the site and you may have to put their button on your blog to (a) help promote their site (b) show people that you are a member. Here are a few that I&#8217;ve had great success with&#8230;</p>
<p><strong><em><a href="http://momsparkmedia.com/bloggers/"  target="_blank">Mom Spark Media</a></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em><a href="http://www.momcentral.com/for-bloggers"  target="_blank">Mom Central</a></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em><a href="http://clevergirlscollective.com/our-network/members/"  target="_blank">Clever Girls Collective</a></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em><a href="http://theblogfrog.com"  target="_blank">The Blog Frog</a></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em><a href="http://www.one2onenetwork.com/"  target="_blank">One2One Network</a></em></strong></p>
<h3><em>Don&#8217;t Forget to Disclose!</em></h3>
<p>I think the most important thing to remember is to disclose that your post is a sponsored post.Often times, you&#8217;ll be given specific wording to use that you include at the bottom of the post. Sometimes though, you&#8217;ll have to do it yourself. It doesn&#8217;t have to be anything fancy &#8211; if you check out some of mine (posts where I was asked to write about anything but use specific keywords and link back to certain sites and pages), you&#8217;ll see I simply said &#8220;<em>I was compensated for this post, however all thoughts and opinions expressed are 100% my own.&#8221; </em>at the bottom of the post. You might not even have known it was sponsored when you read it, but I still need to be honest and let my readers know that I got paid to write the post.</p>
<h3><em>Blog With Integrity</em></h3>
<p>What I mean by this is that you should never write a post that makes you feel uncomfortable. Stay real and true to yourself. The reason I&#8217;m mentioning this is because about a year ago, I was asked to write several posts, using specific keywords and linking back to sites. They didn&#8217;t have to be long, and I was paid $50 to write each post. Because I wanted the money, I said yes. I wrote about topics that had nothing to do with me or my readers. I sold out.</p>
<p>Since then, I&#8217;ve taken those posts down, but I learned that sometimes monetizing just isn&#8217;t worth it. Keep it in mind is if your approached to write sponsored posts that you really have no interest in.</p>
<h3><em><strong>Questions?</strong></em></h3>
<p><em><strong></strong></em>I&#8217;d be happy to answer specific questions you may have! Feel free to leave them in the comment section below!</p>
<h3>There are as many ways to earn money blogging as to blog so check out the other bloggers participating in <em>Lifting the Veil On Making Money In Blogging</em>:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Katie (Sluiter Nation): <a href="http://wp.me/p1qChn-11K"  target="_blank">Not My Business, Baby</a> (why you do NOT want to monetize your blog)</li>
<li>Devan (Accustomed Chaos): <a href="http://accustomedchaos.com/why-monetize-your-blog/"  target="_blank">Monetizing Your Blog: Why’s &amp; How’s of Making Money</a> (why you do monetize and how you do it)</li>
<li>Kristin (What She Said): <a href="http://www.saidkristin.com/?p=6325"  target="_blank">Getting Paid to Blog: So Many Questions, So Little Time.</a>(newbie in the monetizing world)</li>
<li>Gigi (Kludgy Mom): <a href="http://www.kludgymom.com/freelance-writing-jobs"  target="_blank">So You Want To Be A Freelancer? What You Need To Know.</a>(freelance work)</li>
<li>Alex (Late Enough): <a href="http://www.lateenough.com/?p=2669"  target="_blank">Writers Teach, Why Can’t Bloggers?</a> (on teaching blogging and social media)</li>
<li><em>D</em>ebi (The TRUTH about Motherhood): <a href="http://www.motherhoodthetruth.com/how-much-to-charge-for-a-sponsored-post/"  target="_blank">What to Charge for a Sponsored Post and Why you need a Media Kit</a> (what to charging for sponsored posts, media kits)</li>
<li>Tina (Life Without Pink): <a href="http://www.lifewithoutpink.com/2012/02/16/building-successful-relationship-with-brands-and-scoring-paying-opportunities/"  target="_blank">Tips For Building Successful Relationships With Brands and Scoring Paying Opportunities</a> (pitching brands, sponsored events, ambassadorships)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><em>Also&#8230;.some topics weren&#8217;t covered in this blog hop (like product reviews, ads, and some questions that you asked). Over the next few weeks, I&#8217;ll be addressing those topics so stay tuned!</em></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=xo_SAQRdKg0:HMQbWIfIZfI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=xo_SAQRdKg0:HMQbWIfIZfI:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=xo_SAQRdKg0:HMQbWIfIZfI:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=xo_SAQRdKg0:HMQbWIfIZfI:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=xo_SAQRdKg0:HMQbWIfIZfI:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=xo_SAQRdKg0:HMQbWIfIZfI:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=xo_SAQRdKg0:HMQbWIfIZfI:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=xo_SAQRdKg0:HMQbWIfIZfI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=xo_SAQRdKg0:HMQbWIfIZfI:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/xo_SAQRdKg0" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/so-you-wanna-make-money-blogging-how-to-get-sponsored-posts.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>34</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/so-you-wanna-make-money-blogging-how-to-get-sponsored-posts.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Kielbasa Potato Soup Recipe – The Ultimate Comfort Food!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/HA0ap_AOJjI/kielbasa-potato-soup-recipe-the-ultimate-comfort-food.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/kielbasa-potato-soup-recipe-the-ultimate-comfort-food.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:56:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[cooking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[easy soup recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fast soup recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kielbasa potato soup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[potato so]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soup recipes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3263</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin itLast week, I posted a recipe that&#8217;s perfect for cold weather called Italian Sausage Soup with White Beans and Kale. It is supposed to rain again here today so I thought I&#8217;d give you another soup recipe that is perfect comfort food. Enjoy! Kielbasa Potato Soup 1 pound fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p>Last week, I posted a recipe that&#8217;s perfect for cold weather called <a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/soup-weather-italian-sausage-soup-with-white-beans-and-kale.html"  target="_blank"><em><strong>Italian Sausage Soup with White Beans and Kale</strong></em></a>. It is supposed to rain again here today so I thought I&#8217;d give you another soup recipe that is perfect comfort food. Enjoy!</p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">Kielbasa Potato Soup</h1>
<ul>
<ul>
<li>1 pound fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into bite-size pieces</li>
<li>3 bacon strips, diced</li>
<li>1 small onion, diced</li>
<li>1 garlic clove, minced</li>
<li>1-1/2 cups chicken broth</li>
<li>1-1/2 cups water</li>
<li>2 medium potatos, peeled and cubed</li>
<li>1/2 teasopoon chicken bouillon granules</li>
<li>1/2 cup torn fresh spinach or kale</li>
<li>1/2 cup heavy whipping cream</li>
<li>Pepper to taste</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div><strong><em>Directions</em></strong></div>
<div id="attachment_3265" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/kielbasa_potato_soup_recipe1.jpg" ><img class="size-full wp-image-3265" title="kielbasa_potato_soup_recipe" src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/kielbasa_potato_soup_recipe1.jpg" alt="kielbasa_potato_soup_recipe" width="300" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Photo Source: TasteofHome.com</p></div>
<p>In a large skillet, brown the sausage and bacon. Drain, but reserve a teaspoon of the drippings. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until tender (a few minutes).</p>
<p>In a large saucepan, bring the broth and water to a boil. Add the potatoes, bouillon and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes).</p>
<p>Add the meats and the kale and cook until the kale is wilted.</p>
<p>Reduce heat, add cream and cook a minute or so until it&#8217;s heated through.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s yummy and comforting and filling&#8230;and so easy to make!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.momtrends.com/2012/02/friday-food-recipe-linky-king-cake-cupcakes/"  target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk31/momtrens/friday-food150.png" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=HA0ap_AOJjI:AGgRNyXhU4Q:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=HA0ap_AOJjI:AGgRNyXhU4Q:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=HA0ap_AOJjI:AGgRNyXhU4Q:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=HA0ap_AOJjI:AGgRNyXhU4Q:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=HA0ap_AOJjI:AGgRNyXhU4Q:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=HA0ap_AOJjI:AGgRNyXhU4Q:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=HA0ap_AOJjI:AGgRNyXhU4Q:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=HA0ap_AOJjI:AGgRNyXhU4Q:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=HA0ap_AOJjI:AGgRNyXhU4Q:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/HA0ap_AOJjI" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/kielbasa-potato-soup-recipe-the-ultimate-comfort-food.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/kielbasa-potato-soup-recipe-the-ultimate-comfort-food.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>My Life In A List: 5 Moments I Would Live Over Again</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/bErlA_pteSI/my-life-in-a-list-5-moments-i-would-live-over-again.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/my-life-in-a-list-5-moments-i-would-live-over-again.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:24:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[listable life]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3259</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin itMy lovely friend Nicole over at moments that define life launched a new meme called Listable Life. Each week, Nicole will give us three topic starters to choose from, then all you&#8217;ve gotta do is write a list of 5 things! So here is my Listable Life&#8230;the topic starter I chose was this one: [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p>My lovely friend Nicole over at m<em>oments that define life </em>launched a new meme called <strong><em><a href="http://www.momentsthatdefinelife.com/2012/01/listable-life-meme-launch.html"  target="_blank">Listable Life</a></em></strong>.</p>
<p><a href="http://momentsthatdefinelife.com/"  target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h147/cnhempeck/MTDLBlogListableLifeButton125x125.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>Each week, Nicole will give us three topic starters to choose from, then all you&#8217;ve gotta do is write a list of 5 things!</p>
<p>So here is my Listable Life&#8230;the topic starter I chose was this one: <strong>Option #1: 5 Moments You Would Live Over Again</strong>.</p>
<p><strong><em>Finding Out I Was Pregnant</em></strong></p>
<p>After years of struggling with <em><strong><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2010/04/we-just-dont-do-it-right-part-i.html"  target="_blank">infertility</a></strong></em>, the moment I heard &#8220;You&#8217;re Pregnant&#8221; was incredible and left me being able to do nothing but cry. Jason thought something was wrong as I told him through sobs that I was FINALLY pregnant. And then <a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2011/09/2052.html"  target="_blank"><em><strong>seeing Ethan for the first time</strong></em></a> (via ultrasound) was also something I will never forget. He was our miracle baby.</p>
<p><strong><em>Our First Kiss</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em></em></strong>You remember those fireworks and indescribable butterflies the first time you kissed your husband? I would love to feel that again!</p>
<p><strong><em>Holding the Twins For the First Time</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em></em></strong>I remember not knowing how to hold them both together! Instead of holding just one baby, they placed <a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2011/07/pictures-of-twins-at-birth.html"  target="_blank"><em><strong>two babies in my arms</strong></em></a>. I don&#8217;t even have words to describe that feeling.</p>
<p><strong><em>Our Wedding Day</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em></em></strong>I know it&#8217;s not just one moment, but I&#8217;d love to relive our entire <a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2011/08/down-the-aisle-link-up-your-favorite-wedding-photo.html"  target="_blank"><em><strong>wedding day</strong></em></a>. Feeling like a princess, being so happy and feeling so in love&#8230;yeah, I&#8217;d love to have a repeat of that day.</p>
<p><strong><em>Being Serenaded In Fiji</em></strong></p>
<p>We were lucky enough to score a free trip to <a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2010/05/wedding-of-my-dreams.html"  target="_blank"><em><strong>Fiji</strong></em></a>, and every night when it was time to head to the main cabana for dinner and drinks, the local musicians would gather in front of our bure and serenade us with a Fijian love song we had both fallen in love with. I can still hear it in my head, and I would love to hear it again.</p>
<p><em>What five moments would you relive? Write about them and link up at Nicole&#8217;s place!</em></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=bErlA_pteSI:9fs8DaZFToY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=bErlA_pteSI:9fs8DaZFToY:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=bErlA_pteSI:9fs8DaZFToY:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=bErlA_pteSI:9fs8DaZFToY:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=bErlA_pteSI:9fs8DaZFToY:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=bErlA_pteSI:9fs8DaZFToY:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=bErlA_pteSI:9fs8DaZFToY:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=bErlA_pteSI:9fs8DaZFToY:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=bErlA_pteSI:9fs8DaZFToY:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/bErlA_pteSI" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/my-life-in-a-list-5-moments-i-would-live-over-again.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/my-life-in-a-list-5-moments-i-would-live-over-again.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
		<item>
		<title>Mommy Moment – Desiree Style</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~3/EkG2rGhVeL8/mommy-moment-desiree-style.html</link>
		<comments>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/mommy-moment-desiree-style.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:02:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mommyofamonster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[monster mommy moments]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mommyofamonster.com/?p=3254</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pin it Welcome to another Mommy Moment! If you’re not sure what it is, head over and read all about how Mommy Moments at the Monster came to be. Today, I&#8217;m so excited to welcome Desiree from Sarcastic, Funny and Brutally Honest! Desiree is mom to two with another on the way. She also lives [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pin-it-button-wrapper"><a href="javascript:exec_pinmarklet();" id="PinItButton" title="Pin it on Pinterest">Pin it</a></div><p><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/2011/09/%20http://www.mommyofamonster.com%20"  target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://i972.photobucket.com/albums/ae206/nataliehoage1/MommyMomentsbutton.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>Welcome to another Mommy Moment! If you’re not sure what it is, head over and read all about how <a href="http://www.mommyofamonster.com/2011/01/monster-mommy-moment.html"  target="_blank"><em><strong>Mommy Moments at the Monster</strong></em></a> came to be.</p>
<p>Today, I&#8217;m so excited to welcome Desiree from <em><strong><a href="http://desireeeaglin.com/"  target="_blank">Sarcastic, Funny and Brutally Honest</a></strong></em>! Desiree is mom to two with another on the way. She also lives in the same city I do, and we&#8217;ve met before and keep planning to get the kids together (we really have to do it soon, Desiree!)</p>
<p>Go grab a cup of coffee and a donut, ahem, I mean a low-fat muffin, or depending on the time of the day maybe some wine and chocolate, and sit back and enjoy the story!</p>
<p>———-</p>
<p>I’d like to start of my guest post: “Mommy Moment” by admitting to you all here at Mommy of a Monster and Twins that I had a <em>very hard</em> time choosing a “moment” to share. Well, to be more exact, I had a hard time weeding through the <em>hours upon hours</em> of my awesome parenting skills to find just a single “moment”. I’m not proud of the fact that I fail on an almost daily basis, I’m just comfortable enough to admit it to you all.</p>
<p>“The Incredible Green Hulk Mommy”</p>
<div id="attachment_3255" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 266px"><a href="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/4438009721_3650891d39.jpg" ><img class="size-full wp-image-3255" title="The Incredible Hulk" src="http://mommyofamonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/4438009721_3650891d39.jpg" alt="The Incredible Hulk" width="256" height="256" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Photo Source: flickr.com</p></div>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<p>Disclaimer: It was a stressful week, my 18th month old finally decided to grow some molars and was cranky and needy as all hell, I had errands and appointments and writing due dates and play dates and activities up the ying yang and my husband was non-existent when I needed him the most-he had been working late every night that week. Oh and I had just hit the 24 week pregnancy mark. You know the mark: the one where you lose your marbles and teeter on the brink of insanity?</p>
<p>We were rushing to get out the door after a hectic morning of whining, complaining and arguing about toys and what to eat for breakfast and what to wear and what to watch on T.V. and yadda yadda. We were heading towards a local children’s museum to meet up with some friends. We were running late, nothing new for this family but this particular morning was different (see disclaimer). On this particular morning, while we were rushing to get out the door to meet our friends on time I snapped. But I didn’t just “snap”…<em>I lost my sh*t</em>. I became in an instant, The Incredible Green Hulk Mommy.</p>
<p>My 5 year old son started crying because he couldn’t put his shoes on, my 18th month old daughter was squirming and shrieking and not allowing me to get her dressed. The house was a mess, the messiest it had been in weeks, I wasn’t dressed and we were late. So I started screaming. I screamed at both kids, I screamed about how messy the house was. I yelled “clean up this sh*t” to my son.</p>
<p><em>I used the word “sh*t” in front of my kids</em>.</p>
<p>I had never, in my life ever used profanity in front of my children before. Ever.</p>
<p>Like a crazy person, I started throwing all of the toys that were strewn across the house into one big heap in the middle of the family room.</p>
<p>My children stood there-still as hunted prey, eyes as large as saucers watching me. They watched me stomp and huff and puff and turn bright red. They watched me lose my cool. They watched me turn into the Incredible Green Hulk Mom.</p>
<p>I can only imagine how terrified they must have been. I’m usually pretty collected even when I am angry, even when I am disciplining I don’t curse, I don’t throw toys, I don’t stomp around like a mad man.</p>
<p>My mommy moment is probably not something you haven’t heard before and is probably something that many mothers have done. However, this was something new to me, cursing in front of my children and losing my cool was something I had never done. I am not proud of my “mommy moment” and to be quite honest, I am embarrassed to admit it. I can however, admit that I am more aware now of the extreme stress factors that can lead to extreme over exaggerated destructive behavior. I know now, that if I’m having a bad week and nothing is going well to take a moment to breathe and relax before attempting to accomplish anything. And for the love, I know now that if my son starts yelling the word “sh*t” at the dog, to blame it on my husband.</p>
<p>———-</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing, Desiree! Unfortunately I cuss in front of my kids more often than I&#8217;d like to admit. I am really impressed that you&#8217;ve only done it once!</p>
<p>There’s no manual out there for what we do, so sharing stories like this helps us all learn from each other.</p>
<p>Now head over to <em><strong><em><strong><a href="http://desireeeaglin.com/"  target="_blank">Sarcastic, Funny and Brutally Honest</a></strong></em></strong></em><strong><em> </em></strong>and say hello to Desiree If you are a Twitter addict, you can find <em><strong><a href="http://https//twitter.com/#%21/DesireeEaglin"  target="_blank">@DesireeEaglin</a></strong></em> there too, and on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com/DesireeEaglinPhotography"  target="_blank"><em><strong>facebook</strong></em></a> as well. And if you are a new follower, make sure to tell her that I sent you!</p>
<p>Love cute kids clothing, and boutique clothing for you, too? Then you MUST check out <em><strong><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=252936&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank">Tea&#8217;s semi-annual sale</a></strong></em> going on now!</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=252936&amp;u=508905&amp;m=26770&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack="  target="_blank"><img src="http://www.shareasale.com/image/26770/sale_Fall_200x200.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a></center></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=EkG2rGhVeL8:O3baIRIyrlg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=EkG2rGhVeL8:O3baIRIyrlg:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=EkG2rGhVeL8:O3baIRIyrlg:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=EkG2rGhVeL8:O3baIRIyrlg:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=EkG2rGhVeL8:O3baIRIyrlg:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=EkG2rGhVeL8:O3baIRIyrlg:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=EkG2rGhVeL8:O3baIRIyrlg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?a=EkG2rGhVeL8:O3baIRIyrlg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins?i=EkG2rGhVeL8:O3baIRIyrlg:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MommyOfAMonsterAndTwins/~4/EkG2rGhVeL8" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/mommy-moment-desiree-style.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		<feedburner:origLink>http://mommyofamonster.com/2012/02/mommy-moment-desiree-style.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
	</channel>
</rss>

