The Chrancy Family

TheChrancyFamily.com is no longer available....

2013-02-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry to report that my domain name (TheChrancyFamily.com) is no longer available. I decided not to renew it and the domain name should be deleting pretty soon. That is including my previous email (nancy@thechrancyfamily.com) so it's safe to remove it from your address book.

If you still want to follow me, my newest blog is http://missnancypantalones.wordpress.com. It's still pretty much the same but with a new blog platform, look and new name. I hope I can keep up with it. I hope to see you guys there. =)

Arianna's Birthday Party = Disastrous Chaos at Monkey Joe's

2013-01-10T08:30:00.000-06:00

I hate to use my blog as a "negative review" aspect. I really do. I don't like to complain especially on my blog. Even though I hardly use my blog, I want to my readers (especially the ones who are local too) to be well aware of our recent experience with the facility where we had Arianna's birthday party.

Our impression with Monkey Joe's at the Copperfield location was very disappointing. When I heard the news they were going to build a Monkey Joe's in the Copperfield location. I was thrilled because it would be a potential birthday place for my daughter. When I went to check out Monkey Joe's, my first impression was they were clean, very well-kept and the facility room was huge. I thought it would be a perfect to have my daughter's 2nd birthday party there. They even had a toddler section (that I thought would be perfect for Arianna & her toddler friends) and I thought the facility room was spacious enough for the older kids we were inviting. The girl who booked our party (who is also a party coordinator) told us that 1 ADULT would be allowed to go into the bounce house if the child was 3 years or younger.

We got the package for a party of 8 kids which costs about $209 (Fri-Sun). Their policy is that you cannot bring your own food except your own cake. You can order their pizza which they order from Papa Johns. It's $15.95 a box with 8 slices of pizza and one topping. (You can do the math there.) The beverages for the children are included in the package but if the adults wants drink, you have to start a tab or they can buy their own drinks.

On the day of the party, we arrived 15 minutes early so we could check into our party. They told us since our party started at 12pm, we won't be room into our party room till 1:15pm. Understandable and they took our cake, party favors and balloons in for us. At that point, I thought it was going to be a breeze. Ugh, I was wrong. Totally wrong!

We KNEW when we booked our party, the activity room was going to be opened to other people that also have reserved parties as the same time as us. It was a Saturday afternoon and I UNDERSTAND they are busy. They state "YOUR TIME IN THE PLAY AREA IS NOT PRIVATE. However, the 45 minutes in the part room is private."

Alright, I got that part and understood BUT I didn't realize was how OVERCROWDED the play area became. It was way too crowded and it made it very hard for some of my guests to enjoy watching their children because there were so many other children running around including the adults standing around waiting around for the other parties to begin. There were so many children running around and I think I saw a few kiddos bump into each other. They state they supervised the play area with their referees but I didn't even really see anyone supervising.

The walkway to get to our party room was cluttered with so many people in the way. Then we are told we are not allowed go into the bounce house with our daughter even though they told us we could when we booked our party. That was very frustrating for us but their policy, their rules...right? *sigh*

Second, the lack of staff help was terrible. Not only they were terrible but some of them staff that I encountered were rude to me. My guests that arrived for my daughter's birthday party told me there was no one helping them to get their wristbands so they could check into our party but they were just standing around. I asked two girls at the far end (who seemed they weren't doing anything after they helped one customer) that my guests needs their wristbands. They replied "Oh those girls could help you down there." Those two girls they referred me to were helping another customer and another one was on the phone. I just wanted my guests to get their wristbands. Is that so hard to ask??

Again, none of the staff was available to help. I took matters into my own hands and I saw the extra wristbands for my daughter's party after some of my family members told me there was NO ONE helping them. I grabbed the extra wristbands and gave it to my family members. One of the staff saw me, got really rude with me and told me I needed to wait. At this point, I'm already fuming with the staff. I thought the purpose of booking with them was they will have a staff on hand to help us with our party. I just literally watched a bunch of staff standing around and behind the counter just gossiping away.

The time came and it was time to head to our party room. In our party room, my husband asked one of the staff that he needed to order some drinks. They told him that he could go up to the front, order drinks and bring it back to the party room. He asked would anyone be available to help him bring it back instead of making a few trips. She said "No, you have to do it yourself." My husband and brother-in-law had to made a few trips to bring drinks for our adult guests.

Overall, the only positive experience I had was my host (Danna, I think that was her name) in the party room. She really took care of us like she said she would and was very helpful. She was sweet and soft-spoken. I did not have a problem with her. I think she really did her best to help us have the party run smoothly in the party room.

The entire time I was there, I felt like we were having to take care of our party. Even they stated they will help, I didn't feel that way. They tell you that they will have helpers take the presents and your other items to your car. It says on their paper but nope, no one helped us with anything.

I was seriously disappointed with it being overcrowded, it was unorganized, lack of staff help and a few of the staff were rude. It's a new place of business but it was majorly a ~~cluster of chaos~~ disastrous chaos. That same evening of Arianna's party, I sent a tweet to Monkey Joe's expressing how disappointed I was and this is what they responded me with:

I did DM Monkey Joe's back with my contact information and the location but I have yet to hear anything.

My husband has already tried to speak to a manager to complain but someone said there wasn't a "manager on shift duty" available. Yet, no one has called him back. We aren't expecting anything back in return but we want to relay our experience back to them so they know how to handle something like this in the future. My opinion is that I'm going to tell everyone NOT TO HAVE a birthday party there. I'm sure open play is fine but having a birthday party? Forget it. Save your money and go elsewhere.

A new year....

2013-01-01T22:11:00.001-06:00

I have mentioned before that I was thinking of changing over from Blogger to Wordpress. After thinking for awhile and it was a difficult decision for me to go through with this. I have made the decision to NOT renew TheChrancyFamily domain name. As you can see that I have neglected my blog. My dedication is not into my blog anymore and I don't know why.

My domain name is supposed to be renewed sometime in the spring so if anything, the domain name won't work and it will just take you to my original Blogspot name.

I haven't decided what I really want to blog about. Did I want to make a new domain name and try to stick with that? Not sure. I'm afraid I won't be dedicated to it as much. I wanted to lean away from the whole "family" blog name. Granted, I still love talking about Arianna and parenting but I haven't really been all about that. I would love to try something new that something out of the "mommy blog" genre.

If I do decide to buy another domain name, I will be sure to make an announcement. I haven't even thought of new names but I am open to some suggestions! Right now, I really don't know what to blog about. As you can see, I will never stop blogging about Arianna. I love talking about my daughter, no matter what. Although mommy blogs can be a bit repetitive and it can get boring. I'm not going to lie about that. I'm on a mission to find a blog on what makes about "me plus Arianna" without having to fill my entire blog about her.

Anyways, I'm a huge TV junkie so I probably will find myself talking about a lot of TV shows and doing recaps of the latest shows. Gossip news? Of course, my guilty pleasure. I love reading books too so I could also write my own book reviews. Heck, I even decided that I need to do a new makeover for myself so you could possibly see new posts of my journey to a new me. (I still need to get out that frumpy funk) I didn't make any resolutions for 2013 because I decided that I'm just going to go with the flow of life and live my life everyday to the fullest. Pretty much, I'm going to do "me" & of course, Arianna. I will always do my best to be the best mother I can be.

I know I could do this with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram but I would love to always document and hear some opinions about it. I'm not sure what's in store for me in 2013 since it's only been a day but we shall see.

2013, I'm going to own you and make you my bitch. =D

See you for the next 364 days!

Enjoy a nice cold glass of Stella Artois!

2012-12-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

I know everyone isn't usually a fan of beer.

People says it taste like piss water, it's not fruity or bubbly or whatever.
Have you tried Stella Artois? No? Well you have came to the right place.

I remember when Chris bought a few glasses of Stella Artois when we were in Vegas at the airport. They didn't leave him with the bottle like they do with other beer and it wasn't in your regular beer drinking glass. They poured it in a Chalice. What is a Chalice? It's considered a first class in glassware. It is designed to preserve the beer's aroma and ensure the head foams flawlessly. I occasionally drink beer which is usually a spur of the moment so I was given an opportunity to try out Stella Artois in a Chalice.

Stella Artois is a lager beer brewed from Belgium. At first, Stella Artois was originally brewed as a holiday beer but now you can enjoy all year round.

It's a pretty refreshing and satisfying beer. I feel like it leaves a wonderful aftertaste but that is just me. The angles at the bottom of the Chalice causes a wave that positively affects the relation of the liquid to the glass. It pretty much enhances flavors in your beer. When it comes to drinking Stella Artois, you have to master the The Nine-Step Pouring Ritual. There are 9-steps to pouring a Stella Artois. Believe me, it's worth doing it this way. {For the record, I purchased my own six pack of Stella Artois. BzzAgent provided me the Chalice.}

It's golden in color with exceptional clarity and a spicy hoppy character. Stella Artois should be served between 36-38 degrees F while using the nine-step process.

1.) The Chill

2.) The Purification

3.) The Unveiling

4.) The Alchemy Begins

5.) The Crown

6.) The Beheading

7.) The Judgement

8.) The Cleansing

9.) The Bestowal

Here is my BEFORE picture of my Stella Artois in the Chalice.

AFTER: You better believe it was awesome.

You can easily purchase the beer at any liquor store or grocery store. You want your own Chalice or knows someone who wants one for Christmas? You can purchase your very own Chalice for a 2-pack for $14.99. I'm sure they will thank you and love the gift.

Be sure to check on Stella Artois {official website}. Are you on Facebook? Check them out on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. Please note that you must be 21 or older to enter. Drink responsibly.

I was provided with the above mentioned products {Chalice} as a BzzAgent. No other compensation was received and the views expressed here are my own opinions are 100% mine.

It's a miracle! Snoopy is back home!

2012-12-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

Would you call this a Christmas miracle? I don't even care but I think it's a miracle. My dog Snoopy is back home!! Words cannot express how much I am so happy to post this.

For the past 2.5 days, we were a mess. I can't remember the last time we cried this much. It was so hard to think about celebrating Christmas without Snoopy. We were thinking all the worst case scenarios and just couldn't imagine Snoopy was gone. We couldn't sleep or eat. We focused every waking moment searching for him and hanging a billion of signs on every light post and stop signs. We wanted him to come back home so bad.

I had to ask my parents to babysit Arianna for the weekend so we could focus on getting Snoopy back home. We had plans to make trips to every animal shelter and passing out signs to every vet clinics. That Saturday morning, I was on my way back home picking up Arianna because my MIL came to help us search for Snoopy. She also wanted to see Arianna. I won't ever forget that phone call I received.

My phone rang and I picked up, a man greets me with his name and told me "Hi Nancy. I just want to let you know we have your dog. My daughters took him in and have been caring for him." I had all these burst of emotions exploding through me that I probably scared guy on the phone. It turns out we both lived on the same street and we lived really close to each other.

I mean REALLY close. Like literally, across the street from each other. I could walk to their house. It felt so good to know that Snoopy was not out in the streets far away from home. I quickly called Chris and let him know. He was not expecting that phone call from me.

As soon as we arrived home, I ran right to Snoopy and held him. {My BIL/SIL helped with the search too. They went to get Snoopy from them since they were closer to them} I cried and pleaded him to never do that again. I apologized over and over to him for being terrible and impatient with him. I am so grateful that he is a part of my family. He was so happy to see me and loved me right back.

Chris and I went to the neighbors house to introduce ourselves and thanked them for what they did. They didn't have to take in Snoopy but their kindness in their hearts did. The lady (Shannon) said she saw Snoopy wandering around the street and her daughters begged her to get him because they didn't want him to get run over by a car. They took him, bathe him and fed him. They were getting ready to make FOUND signs and when they saw ours, that's when they called us.

My neighbors are going to forever be held to my heart for life. We even gave them a reward but they couldn't accept it but we didn't take no for an answer. We pleaded them to take the reward and to enjoy Christmas with it. They were such nice people and I can't thank them enough for bringing our family member back home to us.

After that day, my adrenaline was still pumping with happiness. It felt so good to have Snoopy back home to us. I spoiled the crap out of Snoopy. I took him out to Petco to play with other dogs, bought him Christmas gifts and went shopping for him We got him a new collar with new {updated} tag. This week, I plan to get him microchip so we won't ever have to go through this again. Our neighbors even offered their help and walk Snoopy for us if we needed them to. Seriously, the husband and wife are such wonderful people. Their 2 daughters was so sweet and I told them they are more than welcome to come over to play with Snoopy if they want.

After going through this, I have learn to appreciate Snoopy more than ever. He's just not a "pet" or a "dog". He is my family, my son and Arianna's big brother. I don't care what anyone says. If you don't understand the bond with a pet then you can't really understand or relate. It's a wonderful bond with my furbaby!

Welcome back home Snoopy!

You will never learn to appreciate till it's gone.

2012-12-07T01:09:00.000-06:00

Before I start this post, I want to excuse every possible grammar mistakes I am going to make. I have no desire to grammar or spell check after this post because I am hysterical mess. Yesterday, my dog Snoopy got out of the house and has been missing since.

Look at this cute little bugger, Snoopy.

Around 5pm-ish, Arianna and I came back from getting the mail. I left the the garage open cracked opened while leaving the entry door {to the garage} open so I can let some cool air come in. I was feeding Arianna dinner and Snoopy was hanging around us as usual when there is food. I saw him go in and out of the backyard and that was the last I seen him. Normally, Snoopy is VERY good about staying inside the house {since he is an indoor dog} and he is never curious to go explore further. Snoopy is usually in his bed asleep and never goes anywhere. I lost track of time and got distracted as I was focused on Arianna. By the time Chris came home from work, I realized he wasn't in his bed after I kept calling his name. That's when we noticed he had already been missing for hour and half.

I'm heartbroken. Terribly heartbroken. I am so angry at myself because I was the one who left the garage cracked open. Snoopy was my first baby and we spoiled him rotten. Honestly though? The huge guilt I am getting is that I was giving him less attention right since Arianna has been born. I have been slapped in the face. Not once but multiple times.

I have been slapped with the realization that he is gone and I miss him terribly so much. I didn't mean to give him less attention and lose my patience with him. He loved me and he loved Arianna too. I was always constantly reminded that we were all Snoopy have. We were his ONLY family and I am so mad at myself. He is an indoor dog so he really can't handle being outside on his own for long. He doesn't have his tags/collar on and we never got him micro-chipped. I keep slapping myself in the head so many times for putting it off. I can't stop being angry at myself. I really can't.

Chris searched all around the area last night looking for him. I have a flyer made up for him so I can get ready to print them tomorrow first thing in the morning. I will have to spend ALL day and night if I have to go look for him. I made a Craigslist ad in the Lost/Found, I have reported him LOST to the Animal Control, I used Facebook and begged my friends to share the link so we can find him. I'm at loss. I can't stop crying and I can't stop feeling guilty because it was my fault that he got out. I am hurting so bad.

I'm not the spiritual type and ask for prayers but I could really use them. I have faith that he will find his way back home to us. When Snoopy comes home, I'm going to hug him and kiss him. Then I'm going to scold him for 5 seconds to never scare and do something like that to us ever again. Then I'm going to hug him even more. I promise I will never let him go and admit to him that I have been a terrible dog-mommy. I want to make it up to him and give him all the love/attention that he has been wanting so much from me. All I asking is that Snoopy to come home. I don't need anything else but him, Arianna and my husband. Snoopy IS my family.

Please come back home, Snoopy. This house isn't the same without you.

He was so protective of me when I was pregnant.

I am so sorry Snoopy. Please come back home.

Oh hello blog, you have been neglected.

2012-11-30T08:30:00.000-06:00

Oh hello my dear blog. I have most certainly been neglecting you. That is a definitely a fact. I feel like I have really nothing to blog about. I have said previously in my past blog that I'm a constant Twitter-whore and I use Instagram a lot now. I'm not sure what I should even blog about. I will keep this post a bit brief.

Now that Thanksgiving is over with, I have to look forward to Arianna turning 2 years old (OMG, I can't believe she is going to be 2 years old!) and Christmas. Time is going by way too quick. Luckily on my part, I have finished all Christmas shopping before the month of November. Thank you Amazon Prime and online shopping because it was so much easier to do it from home in my pajamas. Right now, I'm just working on getting a few gifts for her birthday. I can't wait for Arianna to open up all her Christmas gifts. She is going to be so excited!

As for my blog - I haven't decided if I wanted to renew my host name. I'm not sure. I'm still in between if i want to dedicate my time to my blog or not. I have been thinking about switching from Blogger to Wordpress but also wanting a new name. I'm not really feeling "The Chrancy Family" anymore even though that's identity of who my family is. If I do end up getting a new name (which will cost money) - I will seriously have to dedicate my time to my blog and of course, responding to emails. I want a completely whole new layout for my blog and I want to start fresh. I still have till next year to think about this before my renewal. We shall see how next year goes...

Next year, I am suppose to be looking for classes and registering for spring classes for 2013. I haven't even think to look for classes because I have been putting it off. I feel like I am coming at a cross point in my life that I am not sure if I want to become an educator. What makes me really sad is that I am about 36 credits away from completing my Associates of Arts in Education degree which I could finally transfer to a university to complete my Bachelor's degree which could also take another 3 years. I have been constantly thinking about working in forensics science field but I am not sure. Chris thinks I will be amazing at it because my interests in science. That's what I wanted to be was to become a science teacher if I went into the education field. If I went into criminal justice to go work in forensic science, its another 2 year program (which shouldn't be a problem because I already have a few credits completed) and I can transfer to get my next degree. I am just not sure what I want for my future besides being a SAHM.

My life as of right now has just been being a SAHM to Arianna. We don't have baby #2 planned for the future {right now} which is why I want to take the opportunity to work on my schooling. I have no idea what the future holds for me right now. I need to get through Christmas and Arianna turning 2 years old which means I'm going to plan an awesome birthday party for her. Again, we shall see how everything goes for me.

Until then, I am still a Twitter-whore (so follow me!) along with being on Instagram. I'm still a TV-junkie so I would love to discuss about some current shows and the shows that currently got canceled. Boo. Hopefully I can put more effort into my blog more and update about us (if anyone cares or read this).

My Influenster Beauty Blogger Voxbox 2012 {Review}

2012-11-16T08:30:00.000-06:00

I am so excited that I am part of Influenster and I have been selected to review their most awesome beauty products. Although it took me some time to review the products but I am finally getting the chance to post and talk about the products.

Bath & Body Works Mini Candles - $3.50

{Product} Bath & Body Works Mini Candles (Cider Lane)

{Review} I love the smell of Cider Lane. This mini candle did the job of what a regular candle would do. It made my office smell like Fall with the hint of smell of syrup. The candle literally fits in the palm of my hand. If you head over to Bath & Body Works right now, you can get 2 mini candles for the price of $5. These are perfect stocking stuffers!

{Product} EBOOST Facebook Twitter

{Review} EBOOST will boost your mood, focus, and immunity with natural ingredients. No crash at all. It came in a small packet and easy-to-mix with your bottle of water. It also comes in a shot and comes in four flavors of orange, pink lemonadae, acai promengrante and super berry. Personally, I was looking forward to trying it out but I was definitely not a fan of the taste orange. The powder dissolve quickly in the water but the aftertaste was "BLECH". If I tried out another flavor, I am sure I would have it liked it more.

You can buy your own EBOOST - $28 for a box of 20 effervescent powders, $39 for a box of 30 effervescent powders or $39 for a box of 12 shots.

{Product} Vitabath Facebook Twitter

{Review} Vitabath is a new line of lightweight fragrance mists that comes in 16 fabulous scents. It's revitalizing, weight-less formula which is infused with conditioning vitamins and a unique antioxidant blend to keep your skin refreshed and happy. You will smell absolutely delicious! It's been awhile since I have used body fragrances sprays since I can easily get so sick from it but the Vitabath is wonderful. It's feels great on my skin and smells wonderful. My husband loves the smell too. You will not be disappointed! This is also a great gift for a female co-worker, friend or family member.

You can purchase Vitabath right now and receive a 25% discount until 12/31/2012 by entering the code "Influenster25" at the check out. You can also receive free standard shipping with a $50 purchase or more.

{Product} Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream

($6.00 for a full sized 4-oz bottle)

NYMB / Facebook / Twitter

{Review} I know the product sounds kinky but OMG, it's absolutely worth it. I have crazy and thick hair and the cream was perfect for my hair. It smells of natural grape seed and jasmine. Definitely encouraging for the curls and eliminates a lot of the frizzy hair.

{Product} NYC New York Colors Indivudual Eyes Custom Compact $4.99 / Facebook & Twitter

{Review} I have always been a fan of the brand NYC since I have been in high school. It's absolutely affordable and lasting. I'm a huge fan of their eye-wear line. Their all-in-one compact comes with everything you need for a complete eye look: primer, illuminator, applicatior and complimenting shadows You can create and enhance the color to make your eyes pop! It's available anywhere from your grocery store to drug stores. Since I'm a SAHM on a budget, I am happy to choose NYC as my make up brand.

{Product} Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin $7.29 / Facebook & Twitter

{Review} I usually never use hair accessories because my hair is crazy thick. I feel like nothing is really up to par when it comes to my hair. The Goody Simple Styles Pin allows me to easily achieve some chic updo hair styles. You simply twist your hair up into a bun, spin the two Spin Pins in for a perfect undone, side bun or double bun! BAM! It's that easy!

{Product} Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit $5.99 / Facebook & Twitter

{Review} When it comes to having a girls night out, I do enjoy wearing some fake lashes but I am always having trouble trying to find the right lasses. With the Kiss Ever Pro Lashes starter kit, you can bring the salon home with you. The eyelash starter kit comes with a complete eyelashes, adhesive and applicator. Their latex-free glue has a 24-hold for lashes you can wear all day and all night. I only wore mine for a few hours but it's so worth to reuse it again. I am definitely using my eyelashes again for my husband's company Christmas party coming up soon!

Disclosure: I received these products as part of the Influenster program. I am in no way obligated to write positive reviews, or any reviews, and anything I say is my own opinion. All opinions are all 100% my own.

The Blogger's Block continues...

2012-10-24T13:20:00.000-05:00

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Ahhh....the good ol' blogger's block continues with me. I am most certainly M.I.A. and only seem to update with product reviews. (Actually, I have a few products that I need to review and I apologize in advance for that) My blogger-brain is in "stuck" mode. I have been spending most of my time on Twitter or Instagram. Sometimes I wonder how mommy bloggers (especially SAHMs) have the energy to focus on their blog. My life is in constant circles and it doesn't stop. I feel like I am constantly on the go especially with Arianna because something needs to be done and my blog gets put at the end of my list.

Actually, a lot of TV shows has been sucking the life out of me. What can I say? "Hi, my name is Nancy. N-a-n-c-y. I am addicted to the TV. I am a TV junkie." Do you think I need an intervention?

Last week, Chris and I spent a whole week watching The Walking Dead. We caught up to season 3 last night and it has sucked me in. Now I can't stop thinking about zombies! It's literally f^cking with my sleep! I think it even put our co-sleeping transition back to square one. Lately, I have find myself either falling asleep in Arianna's room or when she cries in the middle of the night, I will go lay down with her till she wakes up in the morning. When I hear her cry on the monitor, I start to freak out thinking I can hear the "walkers" moaning and getting my baby girl. See, what I mean?! By the way, Grimes & Dixon 2012! ALL THE WAY!

Oh! Did you see the recent new yummy-ness? The show, Arrow. Stephen Amell who plays Oliver Queen. Holy hotness.

Arrow comes on Wednesday's 8/7c on The CW
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I am so sad to hear that Gossip Girl is on their finale season. What am I'm ever going to do without the gang? No more Serena and Blair? Chuck Bass & Nate Archibald? *gassssp* Of course, Lonely Boy Dan. Ok, second of all what's up with Ivy and Rufus hooking up with each other? Ugh, gag.

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I have a lot more of TV shows to talk (Grimm, Emily Owens, M.D., Underemployed, Revenge, Once Upon a Time, Hart of Dixie...etc) about but that would take an entire day to write. I would love to write TV recaps if I could watch my shows the same day and find the energy to post it. Better yet, you could always follow me on Twitter and follow me on tweets as I watch my shows.

Until I can get out of the blogger's block, I shall post whenever I can!

Favorite Childhood Books {What's Yours?}

2012-10-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Growing up, I have always loved reading books. My parents said that my nose was always in a book. It's something that I grew up with and to this day, I still enjoy reading books. I hope that one day Arianna will be able to love books like I do. I have been collecting most of my favorite childhood books to add to her library and I can't wait for the day I can start reading to her before she goes to bed. There is so many to choose from but I wanted to list my top 10 favorite childhood books!

1.) Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

by Bill Martin Jr & John Archambault

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2.) The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

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3.) Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

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4.) Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel

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5.) The Story about Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese

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6.) We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Hele Oxenbury

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7.) The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop & Kurt Wiese

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8.) A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams

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9.) Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

by Bill Martin Jr & Eric Carle

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10.) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by Judith Viorst

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I have even 50+ more books to add to my list but I had to choose 10 that were my top favorites! No matter how old I get, I will always love reading these books.

What are you favorite childhood books?

Glade Expressions® Collection {Review}

2012-10-05T14:48:00.000-05:00

I admit that I have a weakness for smell-goods household items. Air fresheners, candles, oils, etc...you name it. I have a collection in my house because I am obsessed with keeping my house smelling good. In our family of 3 which includes my toddler (who is still in diapers. Poop diapers, anyone?) and our crazy Jack Russell Terrier dog, Snoopy. It's complete chaos in our home! When I clean our house, I like to add a final touch with something smelling good.

I was given an opportunity to review the Glade Expressions Collection items and I was happy to try out Glade's newest products.

The Glade Expressions Collections comes in a Fragrance Mist and an Oil Diffuser Kit.
They come in the most heavenly scents of Cotton & Italian Mandarin, Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice, Lavender & Juniper Berry & Pineapple & Mangosteen.
Refills are available for purchase too.
My favorite scent is the Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice!

Fragrance Mist {Review} The fragrance mist comes in a stylish holder in which you can remove the label off. It looks simple and nice without having to advertise the full blown label of air freshener if you are trying to make your home look simple. My favorite part about using the fragrance mist is that it comes out quietly like a mist. (Haha, get it?) It's longer lasting and it sprays out finer. It's not anything like those aerosol air freshener cans! You can keep your holder and always buy a new refill so you don't have to buy a new fragrance mist kit every time. It's worth it!

Oil Diffuser {Review} Look at how contemporary the oil diffuser kit comes in. It blended in so well into my home. The oil diffuser releases longer lasting fragrance for up to 30 days and that's a long time! You don't have to switch out every two weeks to replace another. The best part? No plug in needed! The diffuser itself is so easy to put together without having to make a mess on your hands.

If you would like to buy one of your own and save a few bucks: get $2-off on your Glade Expression Fragrance Mist or get $4-off in your Glade Expression Fragrance Mist. If you keep an out in your Sunday newspaper, they usually have some Target coupons that you can stack with these which means you can get them for free or for really, really cheap! You can't say no to that, right?

I have seen them sold in stores at Target, Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens, and H-E-B. If you can't find it in your local stores or don't feel like leaving the house, you can also purchase online on the Glade website.

I was provided with the above mentioned products as a BzzAgent. No other compensation was received and the views expressed here are my own opinions are 100% mine.

Just a regular ol' Sunday for us.

2012-09-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

Just a little late for Wordless Wednesday but oh well. Who says it has to be a specific day to show pictures of Arianna?!

This past Sunday (she spent the weekend with us instead of at the grandparents!), we got to enjoy our Sunday together as a family and watching football. It was a very relaxing Sunday for us.

Oh by the way, the Texans beat the Broncos. YES! *fistpump*

Our Co-Sleeping Transition

2012-09-25T11:26:00.001-05:00

Last week, the co-sleeping transition started and it has been a rough transition for the both of us. I have been extremely nervous about it but it was time to put Arianna in her own room. We have been co-sleeping since the day she came home from the hospital. We went from bed-sharing to converting her crib into a co-sleeper during her first year. Later, we struggled with Arianna still not STTN and trying out the No-Cry Sleep Solution with her which didn't really work out successfully for me. This past summer, I put her crib back together and in hopes she will stay asleep in her crib while she was still in our room. She still woke up. I converted her crib into a toddler bed and moved it to her room. I thought we could get her to at least take a nap in her bed while in her room. That didn't turn out so well so my last resort was to use the queen-size bed that is currently in her room. {Her room also serves as a guest room too}

Chris took a week's vacation to stay home with us and I started introducing Arianna to her room. I brought some of her favorite toys into her room and we would hang out in there. I turn the TV on and let her get a feel of her room. She eventually got very comfortable and she was understanding that she has her own room. To start the transition, I also took apart of the bed frame and let the mattress sit on the floor. Arianna and I co-slept {on the queen-size bed} in her room for next few months. I loved co-sleeping {and still do} with Arianna but I was taking a beating from her. I was hardly getting any sleep, getting judo-chopped in her sleep and I was ready to go back to sleep in my master bedroom.

I was stressing out to the max because I wasn't sure how we could get Arianna to sleep in her room. I was venting to my brother and told him that our mom lost my baby monitor. I didn't want to transition her without any way of knowing if Arianna woke up in the middle of the night. My brother offered to buy me a video monitor and said he wanted to help me with the transition. Say what?!?

Motorola MBP33 Wireless Video Baby Monitor {Amazon}

My brother and I researched baby video monitors and came across this one. I was able to help him save some money on the video monitor by getting a great deal through Amazon. {Seriously, gotta love Amazon! The Prime membership is worth it!} I am so thankful that he bought the video monitor for me. It has been a great help during our transition. I enjoyed the last few nights of co-sleeping with Arianna.

First night of starting the transition from co-sleeping

First Night: Rough. I laid with her till she fell asleep. I eased out of her room quietly and laid some pacifiers close by in case she woke up looking for it. Through the entire night, I found myself constantly looking at the video monitor because I was so worried. I hardly got any sleep that night. I got up 3 times that night because she woke up crying and looking for me. She started our morning at 5am and I was exhausted.

Second Night

Second Night: It slowly got better but I only got up with her once. She woke up again at 5am on the dot and I went to go lay down with her. All I remember was waking up a couple hours later with her in bed.

The transition has been getting much better!

Now, it's slowly getting better. Still sticking with our bedtime routine and laying down with her till she falls asleep. I have been able to sleep for about 5 hours till she wakes up. Although today was a huge progress for the both of us because she slept 6 hours and I didn't hear a peep out of her. She was still asleep when I woke up this morning so I got up and went to go snuggle with her. She still slept through and woke up so happy this morning.

I'm absolutely okay with the transition now. I still snuggle while I can with her and I'm happy to be sleeping in my own bed! The question I have been asked: Would I co-sleep again with future baby #2? Yes, I would do it again but I would start the transition a little early though. Now that we have Arianna sleeping in her own bed and room, we can finally finish remodeling her room. We have been talking about getting a new twin size bed for her too. I am so excited and looking forward to it. :)

The Nuby™ Sure Grip™ Bowl {Review}

2012-09-21T15:38:00.001-05:00

This bowl is conveniently sized, just right for dry cereal and other baby foods. Since we are past the baby food area, we use this bowl for Arianna to hold her snacks. She loves eating her Annie's organic Cheddar Bunnies out of this bowl.

Image Source: Nuby

The bowl is made of tough break resistant polypropylene and is engineered to fit either the left or right hand. The ergonomic design allows the bowl to be held in a comfortable and more natural feeding position without the worry of spilling contents of the bowl. {It works out well for those who are feeding their baby when they are starting solids} You can find your most most comfortable position while feeding your little one which has a great grip while you are holding one hand with the bowl and the other with a feeding spoon.

Review: Personally, I love it because it's a perfect size for Arianna eat her snacks out of. It has a good portion size for her snacks so I had no worries about overfilling her bowl. In my opinion, it's also a great bowl for toddlers if you can trust them not to spill it. Arianna love to hold her bowl of crackers in her lap while she is watching TV. It was comfortable to hold the bowl for her too so I wasn't worry about my hand cramping up. It comes in bright colors so this is perfect for any boy or girl!

You can purchase your own Nuby™ Sure Grip™ Bowl at www.BuyBabyDirect.com

The Battles with My Picky Eater

2012-09-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Picky eaters are typically normal during this toddler stage years. I know every child is different but when I can't help but talk to other mothers hearing how much of a great eater their toddler is. I start to wonder, "What could I be doing wrong to make Arianna reject almost every food I offer?".

I introduced solids to Arianna at 6 months old. After many stressed failed attempts of introducing solids to Arianna at the age of at 4 & 5 months old after her pediatrician advised me to. I have given up on our her pediatrician and followed my daughter's cues for when she was ready for solids. She was ready to read baby food a week before she turned 6 months old.

I am glad I went with my motherly gut instinct. At 6 months old, Arianna was ready and a fantastic eater. She loved eating her fruits and her vegetables. Feeding her solids was such a breeze till we hit a rut when she turned around 9 months old. She stopped showing interests in baby food and was spitting everything out. She was more interested in feeding herself with Gerber Puffs and Yogurt Melts. No big deal right? I introduced to her to meats (baby food meats is literally gross. It reminds me of wet dog food) and she didn't like it. I introduced table foods and she was amazingly great with it for a short amount of time.

Now at the age of 21 months old, she is beyond picky about what she eats. Some days she will love certain foods and the next day, she wants nothing to do with it. Chris and I would eat a lot of healthy food in front of her because knowing her curiosity of what we eat, she wants in too. Then when we try to feed her a bite of our food, she turns up her nose and shakes her head "no".

I'm stuck a lot of times of what to feed her. I try to make new food for her and she turns it down. There goes a lot of food and time wasted. I spend a lot of money on a bunch of snacks that has veggies and fruits in it but she doesn't like it and spits it right out.

I hear the saying, "They will eat when they are hungry." I know I won't let her go hungry but she snacks a lot or either eats small bites of her meals. I have to ask my mother to help me on getting her to eat more food in which she eats great for my mother except my mother cooks just Thai food for her. I haven't mastered at cooking that yet. I have hidden veggies in her food and she won't touch it. I depend on those veggie pouches so she could eat them. What now? Help!! Why do I have such a picky eater?! Here's her main favorites:

Breakfast:

Waffles or mini pancakes
Bagel with cream cheese
Bowl of cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios or Corn Pops - I know, so terrible.)
Breakfast fruit/cereal bars
Scrambled eggs (her favorite)
Bananas
Muffins (where I will sneak in fruits and veggies in there)

Lunch/Dinner:

Chicken nuggets or tenders with french fries (Again, I know. So terrible.)
Steamed white rice with scrambled eggs or pork.
Cheese pizza
Whole wheat pasta with a little sauce on the side.
Turkey dogs
Sticky rice with choice of meat (usually chicken)
Cheese bread (it has to be mozzarella cheese)
Eggrolls and fried rice with eggs
Black beans and rice
Spanish rice and fajitas

Snacks:

Fruit/veggie combo pouches
Applesauce
Annie's Cheese bunny crackers or Goldfish
Yogurt
Raisin Bread
Bananas
Peanut butter with crackers

She drinks a lot of water and milk which is great. I am starting to pick up her habits to where if I'm feeding her something, she will drink a lot of water to make herself full. She is so sneaky! My dog is having a field day of how much Arianna rejects and throws her food on the floor. I would like to end that because my dog looks pitiful staring at her waiting for the food to drop down on the floor, haha.

I am glad that she eats but I want to be able to introduce her to a lot more newer food and not just making the same food for her all the time. I would like her to eat more of her fruits and veggies too. She is gaining weight and her doctor said she is perfectly healthy. She says to continue doing what I'm doing but keep encouraging her to introducing new foods each time. I have pinned a few recipes on Pinterest but I have failed because Arianna instantly rejects about 90% of the food I make for her.

I'm stuck and I need suggestions! What do you do when your toddler just gets stuck with the same foods? How do you encourage them to eat new food without having to battle? Food suggestions? Please tell me! I would love to try them out with Arianna.

The silly faces of Arianna.

2012-09-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Flip the camera on the iPhone and she does this. Silly!

Yes, let's stick our fingers in our mouth.

She was like "Wooooow."

She got her basket, took it into a corner and sat in it. LOL.

Is Fall season here yet?

2012-09-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Fall season is my favorite time of the year! It's actually one of the seasons that Texas happens to get and I look forward to it to every year. It usually doesn't start cooling down here till about the beginning of October but lately, it has been about mid 80's here. I was getting tired of the crazy 100 degrees heat but I'm tolerating it.

Football season is back and I have been enjoying a few Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks. I'm looking forward to go clothes shopping for Arianna so she could have some Fall clothes. My birthday happens to be next month but I don't really think about it much it. I'm dreading it because I am turning 27. The late 20's....dude, really? Whatever! Let's not think about that! Let's talk about the many things I am looking forward to doing this Fall season of 2012!

~~Drink plenty of Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks~~. Check!

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~~Football season~~! Check!

I'm loving spending our Sunday's with our family and enjoy the time together.

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Attending some pumpkin patches & Fall festivals with Arianna & friends.

Now that Arianna is older, we will be able to walk around and do more activities with her. *squeeeeals with excitement*

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Halloween!

I haven't decided if I wanted to take Arianna around our neighborhood to go trick-or-treatin' or just pass out candies to the kiddos. Decisions, decisions!

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Shopping for new outfits. Hoodies, cardigan sweaters, boots and all these cutesy stuff!

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Catching up on all my TV shows this fall season! Woohoo!

Especially some new TV shows that I am happy to try out. I'm so glad I have my Roku and Hulu Plus because my DVR won't be able to record all these shows!

Left to Right: Bones, Glee, Gossip Girl, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, The Vampire Diaries, Raising Hope & 90210

I wish sometimes Fall was all-year long. That would be amazing!

What are you looking forward to doing this Fall?

The Nuby No-Spill™ Cup {Review}

2012-09-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have been on a search on finding the perfect sippy cup for Arianna. With her new teeth coming and transitioning her to drink out of a cup. Nuby was awesome to send us Nuby No-Spill™ Cup featuring the Dual-flo™.

We received the 9 oz/270ml size cup

The best feature of the No-Spill™ Cup is that it has a Dual-flo valve that can be adjusted to control the flow of liquid. You can easily change it to "slow" for the introduction of the sippy cup for your little one. As your toddler gets use to using a sippy cup, you can adjust the flow of the liquid to "fast" with a picture of a hare on it. It's a pretty neat feature!

The easy to use spout is hard and perfect for toddlers with newly formed sharp teeth. This helped us transition Arianna from a soft-spout sippy cup to hard-spout so she wouldn't chew any holes on it. It comes with a screw or snap on lid and various designs to make cup drinking more fun. It prevents spills and no leaking.

It fits perfectly in her hands.

The only negative side about this sippy cup is do not give this sippy cup to your toddler during a tantrum. Arianna was upset about something and she threw her sippy cup onto the floor in our kitchen. It made a crack on her sippy cup and it leaked everywhere. Oh boy! Nuby was wonderful on sending us another one so I can continue reviewing the sippy cup. Since then, the Nuby No-Spill™ Cup has been a perfect fit for Arianna!

You can purchase your Nuby No-Spill™ Cup at these at these retailers:

www.BuyBabyDirect.com

Wal-Mart

We will never forget 9/11

2012-09-11T10:15:00.001-05:00

God Bless America

Grandpa and Arianna

2012-08-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

My dad never notices how much pictures I take of him and Arianna. I thought it was incredibly sweet at the time I took this picture of the both of them. My dad has always been a huge sap when Arianna was born. I can't remember the last time him being like this when I was younger. I know he loves being a grandfather more than anything.

My dad downloaded the Pocoyo app for Arianna.

When we go to my parents house, she plops right next to my dad and takes his iPhone.

I try to capture as much pictures of them together while she is growing up. I hope I can make a nice photo album for the both of them so they can always look back together. <3

I am so happy that Arianna gets the opportunity to get to know my dad.

11 days left till the first kickoff...

2012-08-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

For the beginning of football season for the Houston Texans!

(Image Source)

Chris and I have been anxiously waiting for football season to come back. We have been enjoying watch a few preseason games and I am pumped for the football season to start. I think it's because it's getting closer to the fall season and I know it will be cooler. I love to spend our Sunday afternoon watching football, BBQ'ing and having a few beers with Chris. Fall is the best season ever!

I even bought myself a Texans jersey. Well at the time I took this picture, I was trying it on. :)

Last weekend, I went to celebrate my friend Irais' birthday and we watched the Texans go against the New Orleans Saints. Sadly, we lost. I was pretty upset. :(

I haven't been tweeting during the preseason game but I must warn you to watch out for my tweets during football season. I tend to go a little crazy on the tweets on my Twitter. Hehe!

Are you ready for football season?

Who is your favorite football team?

Fall is getting closer! I can't wait!

Nuby Easy Go™ Suction Bowl and Spoon {Review}

2012-08-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Arianna is now 20 months old and she is learning to be independent especially when it comes to eating. Even though she is a picky eater, she loves being able to feed herself. Having a toddler who wants to feed herself comes with a bit of messiness. No biggie, right? Until your child knocks down her bowl of food and then you have this huge entire mess to clean up. That's NOT fun at all.

Nuby makes this awesome bowl called Easy Go™Suction Bowl that comes with a spoon.

The Easy Go Suction Bowl is perfect for home, daycare, travel or any on-the-go occasion. The bowl is about the right size for a bowl of cereal or other baby foods. Arianna loves to eat her cereal out of this bowl for breakfast. It also comes with a lid that steals tightly to keep food fresh during storage. It's definitely an easy and on-the-go bowl for sure!

My favorite part of the bowl is that it has a suctioned base. It keeps the bowl firmly in place on any surface during feeding so no mess in case Arianna accidentally smacks her bowl onto the floor.

Yup, she likes to wear a t-shirt and diaper on in the mornings.

The spoon makes a perfect size for her so she can easily feed herself without too much of a spilling. It also makes a perfect travel companion because it snaps onto the lid of the bowl for easy storage.

Oh nom nom nom! I love cereal!

The Nuby Easy Go Suction Bowl is made from break resistant plastics so they are dishwasher and microwave safe. It can stand up to the rigors of everyday use.

The Easy Go™ Suction Bowl and Spoon is available in a variety of fun colors so you can mix and match to create your own stylish combinations. They are available at these retailers for purchase:

www.amazon.com

www.diapers.com

Disclosure: All opinions and reviews are 100% my own. I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.

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2012-08-26T22:32:00.000-05:00

Be Seen & Be Safe with Safees {Review}

2012-08-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Be Seen & Be Safe - www.safees.com

It's getting close to the end of the summer. You know what that means? It's back to school time! We have to start thinking about the extracurricular activities that our children will be participating after school and that means it's getting closer to daylights savings time.

Did you know most traffic accidents involving pedestrians happen at dusk or dark and in twilight, in fog or rain. The majority of accidents happen at road crossings, and most happen during normal daily activities such as children going to or from school or when parents getting back from work.

What are Safees? Safees are hard prism reflectors that are attached by a simple pin (or you can get a spiral attachment for additional $1) to your clothes at knee or thigh height. When the Safees is swinging freely, facing traffic, it will reflect to oncoming cars and headlights. This will alert the drivers and their visibility of your presence on the road which help drivers give more time to stop or steep clear to avoid accidents.

If you watch the video below - You can see how much of a difference Safees help.

The Facts - Without a reflector, walking on dark roads, cars can see you first when they are within 25-300 feet of you. At a speed even as low as 30 miles per hour they won't have a chance to stop in time. By wearing a high quality Safees reflector you increase your visibility by anything from 300 to 700 percent. This means that by wearing a Safees a driver can see you over three times as far away.

This is the bag that my Safees reflectors came in.

Safees are available at www.safees.com

They retail at $6 USD each and come in a wide variety of fun designs and colors.

Discounts are available for school and nonprofit organizations.

If you would like to take advantage of the back to school discount, simply enter the code "Safeesbacktoschool2012" at checkout. You will receive a 15% discount!

It's absolutely worth the purchase and safety!

I love the cute designs! These aren't your regular bike reflectors.

It makes me feel better that I am taking the next step to promote safety. The spiral attachment is actually worth the $1 because I am able to attach my Safees on my diaper bag, purse, my backpack and my daughter's stroller. The clip gives it a nice snug so you don't have to worry about it falling off or slipping off. It's worth it!

Who should wear Safees? Everyone! Even bicyclists! It's a risk we take when we walk in the dark.

Safees can be a wonderful help especially with Halloween coming up.

Interesting fact: No waste is produced when manufacturing Safees. No harmful waste is produced and everything is used directly or recycled. Of course, Safees themselves are 100% recyclable!

All opinions and reviews are 100% my own. I did not receive any compensation for this post, although I may receive items to sample or review.

Splish and splash at the pool.

2012-08-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last week, Arianna and I got together with Karen (Life in the Chic Lane) with her daughter, Kayla to their neighborhood swimming pool. I was really nervous on how Arianna was going to handle the water but I didn't have to worry. It was so freaking hot in Texas that the kiddie pool water was warm. Kayla and Arianna had so much fun together playing in the pool. Arianna didn't want to get out of the pool! She is such a fish!

She was testing the waters by hanging onto the side.

They are both so adorable! They had so much fun.

Kayla decides to splash her mommy with the water.

Somebody walked by the pool and Arianna waves "hi" to them.

They couldn't stand still to take a picture. They were having too much fun!

Towards the end of playing in the pool.. I think she was ready for a nap.

Summer flew by pretty quick. I didn't know why we thought of taking the girls to the pool. At least we still have a few more weeks to enjoy to the summer and still take the girls to the pool.

How is the summertime treating you so far?