Winey Mommy

Sick Day.

2012-02-15T13:50:00.001-06:00

My sweet Brynlie is sick today. My heart aches when one of my girls is sick...I feel so helpless.

Here's hoping that my sweet Brynlie will be feeling much better by tomorrow. I miss her smiling, laughing, trouble making usual antics.

A Valentine's Tradition...

2012-02-13T16:32:00.002-06:00

My Mom has made a strawberry pop cake for as long as I can remember--seriously. It's a Valentine's Day tradition and SO good. Not to mention that it's insanely easy to make.

-Buy a box of white cake mix

-Substitute strawberry pop for the water (so you will use strawberry pop, oil and egg whites. NO water)

-Bake as directed

I also make a strawberry frosting. It's insanely good!

-Powdered sugar

-Melted butter (a couple of tbsp)

-Softened cream cheese

-Strawberry pop

Dump in powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese and a small amount of strawberry pop. Mix with your mixer and add more powdered sugar/strawberry pop as desired. Mix until frosting consistency.

I don't have the exact frosting measurements...I just add until I get the frosting that I want.

Top your cupcake with red hot candies, candy, fresh strawberries, sprinkles--or anything that you would like. You'll then end up with the most delicious cupcake ever.

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I Have a New Love...

2012-02-12T19:56:00.000-06:00

Meet my newest friend, the new love in my life:

The Nikon D5100. I sold my D40 & begged pleaded treated myself to a little bit of an upgrade. It is everything and more that I anticipated.

Hope you don't mind the sure to come flood of pictures that are to come in the days, weeks, months, years ahead?

Loves Madonna? Check.

2012-02-07T15:04:00.001-06:00

I remember as a girl the love and adoration that I held for Madonna. Vogue? One of my all time favorite Madonna hits ever.

I found it not quite coincidental that Brynlie discovered her own love of Madonna during the halftime show during Sunday's Super Bowl.

Here she is dancing her little heart out to Vogue such as I did so many years ago (and may or may not have been doing on Sunday night as well...):

Madonna rocks, Mommy!

My Kitchen Sidekick

2012-02-06T22:22:00.000-06:00

Raise your hand, nod your head or murmur in agreement if you have a child that loves to be your assistant in the kitchen. Maybe they are younger like my Isabella, or perhaps they are a tween and have recently decided that cooking is cool again. Luckily for me Isabella is in love with being my sidekick in the kitchen and I? Love this about her.

Whether she is helping me to gather the necessary ingredients, measuring with my supervision (I may love her help, but I kind of want my food to taste decent, too), or pouring in ingredients as directed, she is so enthusiastic about being my kitchen helper. She is an amazing helper and so eager to learn how to cook. A task may seem trivial to an adult, but to her it means the world to be helping Mommy out.

As a parent I believe that one of the best gifts that I can give my children is proper nutrition. When I say give them proper nutrition I do not mean by only feeding them a healthy, well-balanced diet, but to teach them the life skills to know what being a healthy eater truly means. Sure, I can just give them their whole grains, fresh fruits, fresh veggies, but how will that help them when they are old enough to make their own healthy choices? This is where teaching in the kitchen comes in to play in my home.

If you are thinking to yourself sure this sounds like a good idea but how do I make this happen, I have a few ideas on how to incorporate the entire family in cooking healthy meals for all to enjoy:

Make a meal plan on Saturday and on Sunday do the grocery shopping for the week--as a family. Let your children be involved in picking out a healthy side dish or main course for a certain day. Once they are involved with the decision making they may be more apt to want to be involved. At the store let them help pick out the products that are on your list.

Make meal time fun! Do you sit around the table as a family? If not, I encourage all parents to do this with their family. Maybe start a new tradition that you do at the dinner table. Have interesting dinner conversations, have each person ask another family member a question about their day, etc. Sometimes dinner can be so rushed that it is easy to scarf down your meal, leap up and rush around. Try for a more laid back type of dinner a few times per week and see if that makes it more enjoyable.

Let your children (age appropriate of course) help out in the kitchen. Have them help tear up lettuce for your fresh salad. Allow them to measure out your brown rice that is for a side. Tear up that fresh head of broccoli to be cooked.

Remember that your plates should be a rainbow of colors at meal time. While doing your meal planning ask your children which yellow/red/green fruit/veggie/side they would like for the meal. What is a healthy (and kid loved) side that everyone would love? Could you mix all the ingredients together to make a great dish and serve it with brown rice? Use your imagination in this and see what your children will come up with.

There are so many different, fun and interesting ways to make eating healthy a fun activity for the entire family--children included! With our country's overweight and obesity percentage on the rise it is up to us, as parents, to ensure that our children are as healthy as possible. Make it a fun time for the entire family to be healthy and to get on track towards a healthier lifestyle.

Uncle Ben's is hosting a wonderful contest Let's Get Kids Cooking! on Facebook. It's super simple to enter: 1) Cook a rice inspired dish with your child and help inspire healthy choices. 2) Film your child(ren) sharing their enthusiasm in the dish and what they learned. 3) Upload the video on Uncle Ben's Facebook page on the enter contest tab.

You have until February 26th 2012 to enter--good luck!


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Uncle Ben’s blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Lately.

2012-02-01T20:51:00.001-06:00

Madelyn has been having a hard time lately sharing me with her sisters--or anyone for that matter. I knew that this day would eventually come, but I also assumed that it would have hit a little sooner than now.

She cries constantly if I am unable to hold her right then and there when she wants me to. This is usually when I am feeding Brynlie or rocking Brynlie to sleep. It breaks my heart that she is hurting so much with adjusting to a new baby sister.

I am trying to make it easier on her and trying not to get frustrated with the amount of tears and tantrums that are occurring on a regular basis around my home. Believe me when I say she cries a lot. It's hard being a mom and seeing your child hurt in a way that we try to fix, but all that will truly fix it is time and acceptance on her part.

Until this phase passes I will keep showing her how much I do love her. I hope that when she is old enough she will understand how much I love her and how much this is hurting me to see her struggling like this.

Brynlie's Baptism Weekend

2012-01-31T20:47:00.002-06:00

Our sweet Brynlie got baptized on Sunday the 29th. Her godparents (Leo's sister and her husband) came in from Texas, along with his parents and our niece and nephew. We had such an amazing weekend and it definitely flew by.

Here is my munchkin with her godparents--I LOVE this picture.

19 Questions for My Girls...

2012-01-24T11:45:00.000-06:00

I have seen this idea float around for quite some time and never took the time to do it.

Until today. All of the girls plus me are sick with the worst cold in the history of colds. It has been a miserable few days over here. I took this as a plus--we were going to do 19 questions!

I saw this on Pinterest and loved her list of questions-I modified a few for my girls and we had so much fun giggling over their answers. I hope to ask my daughters these questions each year--it will be a fun way to see how they grow and change.

1. what is something mommy always says to you?
Bella: take a Bath
Maddie: Minnie Mouse

2. what makes mommy happy?
Bella: to clean up
Maddie: dinosaurs

3. what makes mommy sad?
Bella: when you get hurt
Maddie: sad

4. how does mommy make you laugh?
Bella: when you make silly faces! that makes you funny.
Maddie: dinosaurs

5. what was mommy like when i was a little girl?
Bella: you liked to play with us!
Maddie: Minnie Mouse. (anyone else sensing a pattern?)

6. how old is mommy?
Bella: 4
Maddie: little snake

7. how tall is mommy?
Bella: really tall!
Maddie: *claps and plays with toys*

8. what is mommy's favorite thing to do?
Bella: eat
Maddie: drink

9. what does mommy do when daddy takes you all out to the park or to lunch?
Bella: you sit at home.
Maddie: *has totally lost interest in this game*

10: if mommy was to be famous, what would it be for?
Bella: me, me, me!

11. what's mommy really good at doing?
Bella: picking up the stuff in the living room

12. what's mommy not very good at doing?
Bella: i don't know.

13. what does mommy do for a job?
Bella: you read to us.

14. what is mommy's favorite thing to eat?
Bella: chicken

15. what makes you really proud of mommy?
Bella: when we pick up you get really happy.

16. what is mommy's favorite tv show?
Bella: you watch the news.

17. what do you and mommy do together?
Bella: we play games.

18. how are you and mommy the same?
Bella: I'm 4 and you're 5.

19. when we leave the house, what is mommy's favorite thing to do?
Bella: shop!

I had a blast with my girls doing this little activity. Some of their answers really made me laugh--I can't wait until next year when we do this again!

8 at 8

2012-01-23T16:35:00.002-06:00

This little cutie is now 8 months old (as of Saturday):

And because I love writing about my girls more than anything, I figured why not create a little list for her to see what she has been up to?

1) She is infatuated with clapping and waving. It's adorable and melts my heart every single time. She's a heart melter, this one.

2) Still in love with cat/dog food although cat food is her nibble of choice. I have now resorted to moving said bowls, although I'm sure me chasing her around has been a huge help in my weight loss.

3) She tried homemade chicken noodle soup last night and LOVED it. She may or may not have also tasted a homemade oatmeal cookie for dessert after her dinner.

4) Story time is one of her favorite times of the day. She snuggles up with her older sisters and just listens to me read to her.

5) Speaking of sisters, when they wake up after she and I do? Her face breaks out in the biggest of smiles. The amount of love that she has for Isabella and Madelyn is enormous and I love it.

6) Still no teeth. I can feel her bottom two--but they haven't made an appearance as of yet. Maybe by 9 months? We shall see.

7) She loves beans. Not green beans, but homemade by her mommy or daddy pinto beans from the Crock-Pot. She cries for more--and she usually gets more.

8) She is loves standing up everywhere that she can--in her crib, at the couch, at the windows. If she can hoist herself up she makes sure to do it.

I cannot believe that my Brynlie is already 8 months...I mean, really--she will be 1 year in less than 4 months! Mind blowing and knowing how quickly time passes I make sure to soak up all of my time with her. It doesn't bother me one bit to rock her to sleep, move her into bed with me to nurse during the night. I want to enjoy every sweet moment with my baby girl.

Counting Calories Really Does Work. Huh, Who Knew?

2012-01-19T14:26:00.000-06:00

When I was in the Air Force I taught nutrition. Counting calories. Good foods. Bad foods.

You get the picture.

After I rang in the new year I knew that something had to give. I've started and stopped multiple fitness routines. It's hard to find some sort of workout with three little ones at home, one who never naps and the other two rarely nap at the same time. We don't have an elliptical/treadmill/etc so those are out.

The husband leaves for work at 6:15 in the morning and typically doesn't arrive home until 6:00 or even later.

I've tried the workout videos. I stuck with them for awhile, but I had my teenage stepdaughter here at the time who would watch the girls for that small window of time (which, by the way, she was an AMAZING help!).

Nothing worked out for me. Every time I "failed" at some sort of fitness routine I would eat even more. Baking is my weakness--and let me tell you I love nothing more than a warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven. They are therapeutic and make me feel good. Until I have to weigh myself and see the number steadily rising instead of lowering.

I woke up one day and started utilizing my food diary app on my phone (MyFitnessPal). I decided that it was time to accept that I need to lose weight.

I have been on a strict calorie routine for two weeks now. In that two weeks? I've lost 7 pounds.

7. freaking. pounds.

Amazingness, really. I cut out a ton of crap from my diet. I no longer eat cookie after cookie.

I smile now when I weigh myself. Granted my numbers aren't where I would love them to be, but they are getting there. I'm eating in a way that adapts to my lifestyle--not some fad diet that is a temporary fix.

And the biggest shock? Seeing what equals out to my allowed number of calories. I truly have to wonder how many damn calories a day was I eating?! It's insane. I told Leo I want to go for a day in my old ways to count how many a day I had been consuming...

I'm not going to lie, the first few days were excruciating for me. I thought I was going to die without some form of refined sugar hitting my lips. It was as if I was having sugar withdrawals (which I'm sure I was...). If there is a cookie and we are out I will allow myself one and it gets recorded on my app. I am holding myself accountable for what enters my mouth.

Are you trying to eat healthier or lose weight? What's your weight loss goal?

*We are hoping to pay off another credit card and then save for an elliptical. Until then I'm just walking the 3.4 miles on our local bridge on Leo's weekends off.

**I am still eating an adequate amount of calories in order to breastfeed.

My Personal Beauty Resolutions

2012-01-18T13:50:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.discoverbeautywithin.com/.

With a new year comes new resolutions. I always hear people talk about the weight they are determined to lose or that this year will be the year to kick the tobacco habit once and for all. But one resolution that I don't hear about as much would be in terms of beauty.

After thinking about my beauty routine (or lack thereof in some areas) I have vowed to do more for my body on the beauty side of things.

First, I need to wash my face more. I know, I know. I am in my early 30's and I still don't have a nightly regimen down for cleaning my face. I do wash my face with warm water...but I am thinking I need to add a cleanser to my lacking routine. My skin is sensitive so I have to be super careful to what I place on my skin. My top pick for cleaning my face? The Neutrogena Liquid Facial Cleanser (Fragrance Free).

My second beauty resolution is to take better care of my nails. Before I had my daughters I was always getting a mani. But now that I am a mom? Not so much. My favorite polish brand is Essie. I love their entire line. I've been eyeing the Essie Disappearing Trick Conditioning Cuticle Remover for some time now. I think I will add this to my list of beauty resolutions for 2012.

My final beauty resolution for the year is to always, always, always wear sunscreen on my face. I'm good at remembering it on my arms, legs, feet. I need to remember that my face needs protection from the sun and its harmful rays, too. The easiest way for me to remember to do this is to use a moisturizer with an added SPF included. I moisturize my face daily so it would be a two-for-one. I want to try out the Cetaphil Daily Face Moisturizer w/Sunscreen SPF 50. It looks to be something that will moisturize and not irritate my skin.

Do you have any beauty resolutions for the new year? I would love to hear what you plan on doing for yourself in 2012!

Need a Good Read? I Have Two for You...

2012-01-16T20:30:00.000-06:00

One thing that I want to do differently this year is read more. I love getting lost in a good book and thanks to discovering Goodreads I have been discovering an entire world of books and recommendations on what to read.

The first book of that I have read in 2012 (and, yes, it feels very bizarre to type 2012) is Pretty Little Liars. I am addicted to the ABC Family series and my Mom recently loaned me the entire series and I am thankful. Book one of the series was great. Nothing too mentally draining, quick to read and I found that I couldn't put it down. If you love the series on television check out the books. It's impossible to put down and a really fast read.

There are four main chacters: Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hannah. When their best friend, Allison, disappears and she is never heard from again they are unsure of what to think. Two years later the four remaining friends have drifted apart. That is, until Allison's body is found. One by one they all begin to receive cryptic and mysterious texts that are signed "A". These texts tell secrets that only Allison herself would know. So who is the one that is sending the mysterious texts to the four girls?

I just finished Skipping a Beat and I LOVED it. Julia and Michael are both from West Virginia and they haven't had the easiest of childhoods. When a chance encounter leads them to one another they both know that they are destined to be with one another forever. Many years later they are a power couple, with a mansion too big for words and more money than they know what to do with. Then it happens. Michael, while at a meeting with his beverage company, dies for four minutes.

The Michael that comes back to life is unlike the Michael that Julia knew in the past few years. He is kinder, loving and realizes that he had focused entirely too much time in the wrong areas of his life.

So, there you have it. Two books, two totally different genres. What are you currently reading?

7 Months (a few weeks late...ahem.)

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

Happy 7 months, Brynlie! I'm a few ~~days~~ weeks late, but it is only because you have kept me so incredibly busy these past few weeks. Want to see what you have been up to?

~You are my super speedy crawler. You'll be by my side the next thing I know I am running out calling your name trying to find where you have gone. This has made closing doors to bedrooms a must.

~You love getting into the cat and dog bowls. I need baby proof bowls...

~Your nickname is "Trouble". Not in a mean way by any means, but in the way that you are so mischievous and adorable that you are nothing but sweet baby trouble.

~No teeth yet--however, you are teething. That has been fun.

~Still my nursing champ. I tell Daddy that is why you love me so much and cry for me. You just have to have your milk supply close.

~Standing up and even cruising a little bit. Really? Why are you so determined to be an early walker? I can wait for a few more months--I love having a sweet baby in the house. No more milestones for awhile, okay?

~And you can clap. Holy adorableness. It is seriously sweet.

Those are your 7 month milestones sweet girl! I love you so much--and you are such a wonderful baby. I am truly blessed to have you in my life!

Because They? Make Me Happy.

2012-01-06T00:30:00.000-06:00

My Not So Miraculous Hair Oil...

2012-01-05T12:05:00.003-06:00

I am a self admitted hair junkie. I love finding amazing products to keep my hair in perfect condition. I love getting my hair done by my new hair girl who is a miracle worker in all ways possible.

Imagine my surprise when the cool weather hit and my hair turned into a disgustingly dry mess. It was awful. I resorted to throwing my not so lovely locks into a quick ponytail and went on with my life.

Until the day I was doing some Google ~~research~~ browsing and stumbled upon using olive oil in your hair. Genius! We had plenty of olive oil and I announced to Leo that I was going to take a shower.

I went into the kitchen and got a measuring cup. I filled it up part way with water and then added the olive oil. I popped the concoction into the microwave and once it was done getting warm I took it into the shower.

I had tested the mixture with a dip of my finger-not too hot. Perfect. My hair was about to be awesome.

I wet my hair and decided to test the oil one more time to ensure that is was not too hot. I dipped in three of my fingers to stir it up.

F&*#!!!

That is what came out of my mouth screaming. I had just managed to scald three fingers. I should have taken that as a sign to just stop, but no, I ignored this warning.

Once I recovered and deemed my oil miracle safe, I used my one good hand and I very carefully drenched my hair with my oil miracle. As doing so I kept picturing perfectly soft hair. I envisioned strangers coming up to me to ask me what my secret was, and I would tell them with a whisper it's olive oil...

Snapping back to reality I rinsed out my hair. Huh. It wasn't rinsing out as well as I thought that it would.

I did another rinse.

And another.

My hair felt like a water repellent. I quickly dumped some shampoo on my head and scrubbed it. Crap. This was so not going as planned.

After drying off I went into the living room filled with shame and embarrassment. I had one hand that wasn't functional. And even worse I looked like a duck that had been rescued from an oil spill.

Leo thought that this was hilarious. I told him once I blow dried it that my hair would be stunning.

I went and dried my hair. I looked into the mirror with sadness. My hair was not beautiful. It was sure as hell wasn't soft. It looked that I hadn't washed my hair in months.

I learned something very valuable with this hair fail: never stick my hand in a water/oil microwaved mixture.

NEVER.

Christmas Cuties

2012-01-02T08:48:00.001-06:00

I decided to take a break from blogging during the holidays this year and spend time with my family. This time last year I was pregnant and missing my husband while he was in Afghanistan. I had a lot of time to catch up and enjoy the holidays this year unlike last year where I was heartbroken.

With that being said, Leo bought me a new lens for my camera--I got a 50 mm f/1.8 for my Nikon.

I? Am in love.

Here are a few of my favorite shots that I took on Christmas Day. Enjoy!

Gift Cards = My Favorite Gift

2011-12-21T16:22:00.000-06:00

When I give someone a gift I want it to be something that the recipient will love. There is nothing worse than being the giver (and in some cases the receiver) of a gift and seeing a fake sort of happiness spread across someone's face.

It is one thing to know someone so well that you will know exactly what said person would love to receive. But it is another to have an office gift exchange, a house warming party, sibling gift exchange, or a birthday party where you may know the recipient, but you don't know them so well that you feel comfortable giving them a gift.

This is why I adore giving gift cards as gifts. Gift cards are an easy way to ensure that the person on the receiving end will get just what they wanted--or they could use it towards an even larger purchase that was out of the price range for asking someone to give them.

Another thing that I love about gift cards? You can do so much more than just mailing them in an envelope. Here are my top five ways to give (and hey, even receive for myself!) a gift card.

Buy something small that you can tuck the gift card into. You could get a cute change purse, a cozy pair of socks, or a cute coffee mug and then give the remaining balance of gift money in a gift card. So if your gift amount is $20 and said coffee mug is $5, buy them a $15 gift card. It's a cute and fun way to give a gift card.

Stick them in a stocking as a fun way to stuff your stocking during the holidays.

Hang them from your tree. This is especially fun if you're doing a Secret Santa type gift exchange and you are the host. Ask your guests if they plan on participating to bring "x" amount on a gift card and then wrap the gift. When they arrive you can punch a hole in the paper, tie a string and have them hang it up on the gift tree. Then draw numbers to see who gets to pick the first card on the tree and so on. Doing a White Elephant exchange? This would be a fun way to try and get the much coveted gift card on the tree.

A lot of gift cards can be purchased electronically. This can be a little tricky to email to the recipient. You could always buy the amount, e-mail it to yourself and then once the big day arrives e-mail it to your recipient.

If you are giving a baby gift, you could roll up a diaper cake and then attach a gift card to the cake. If the parents-to-be only have one item left to buy for their new little one, try to plan with the other guests and family members to donate a gift card to the same store and attach them all to the diaper cake. Now they can have a starter on that crib or nice carseat that they have had their eyes on.

With almost all stores offering some sort of gift card program these days you can really be creative on how to give the gift of a gift card. Have fun and remember when in doubt, buy a gift card!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Gift Cards Rock blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Because Everyone Shops with Poop on Their Shirt...Right?

2011-12-20T18:33:00.002-06:00

Friday was supposed to be a fun day. Key word there is "supposed".

We woke up and decided that we would finish up some last minute shopping, give in to Isabella's pleading for a visit with Santa, mail some packages, and finish up with dinner at our favorite restaurant.

Once we arrived for our shopping Leo decided that it would be the best thing to just carry Brynlie rather than lug around our double stroller. I happily agreed to this and off we went.

As we arrive at our destination Leo informed me that he smelled something--and that it wasn't a good smell. He did the butt sniff test on Brynlie and the look on his face said it all.

We had a pooper.

He was walking ahead and yelled back at the girls and me that he would just take her into the family bathroom. I stayed with Isabella and Madelyn so we did some walking around. Isabella begged for a guitar. Madelyn was running around. Isabella licked some shop windows. Madelyn did some screaming.

It was great.

I was wondering where the hell Leo and Brynlie were and what the hell happened to the two of them when out walked Leo.

He was drenched with sweat. Brynlie is wrapped in a blanket. He looks, well, unhappy.

I looked at him wondering what in the...?!

He must have read my mind. He then told me that Brynlie had the most massive poop that he had ever seen.

Said massive poop was all over her back. Her shirt. Her pants.

There were no spare clothes in my massive bag. Not even a onesie.

When he reached into my bag to get out the wipes? We had two measly wipes.

Two.

There was no air circulation in the family bathroom. He said it reeked of shit from the diaper and that he couldn't breathe.

As he's pouring sweat off of his body he looks down to see what he had feared.

Shit all over his shirt.

We learned a few valuable lessons during this. One, we always double check the wipes container. Two, keep an extra outfit in said bag at all times--and make sure someone *ahem, me* has not removed outfits to wash them.

Final lesson? Make sure that Leo wears an undershirt that isn't so see through that his nipples are showing.

Book of the Week: Recession Proof

2011-12-20T00:01:00.000-06:00

I love being introduced to a new author whose novels make me fall in love with the entire book. From the characters, the story, the obstacles that the characters may face; if the book is impossible for me to set down, I know that I have a winner.

The latest book to suck up every spare minute of my time to include being sleepy and sneaking in reading time at every possible chance is Recession Proof by Kimberly S. Lin.

Recession Proof is about a woman named Helen who is successful yet not fulfilled with her life and career in the finance department. She has been with Mark, her boyfriend, for six years and their relationship is at a standstill. As she is pondering if the finance world is ultimately for her and if Mark is actually "The One", the recession hits. She is suddenly left unemployed and begins to wonder what would truly make her happy in life?

Helen was so likable--as was her best friend, Sophie. I could relate to her in the way that she felt as if there was something out there that she was meant to be doing and she wanted to follow her dreams to reach her goal. I found myself rooting for Helen for her dream job and in the love department.

All in all, I loved this book. It was a great read and I honestly could not read it quick enough. It was so easy to love Helen and all of her little mishaps and to cheer her on while she decided that she could follow her heart and her dreams.

My only critique of the book would be the typos and lack of commas. I noticed that for the majority of times a character would be spoken to that there wouldn't be commas before/after their name. There were other typos and for me it took away from how great of a book Recession Proof is.

Introducing "Recession Proof" from Kimberly Lin on Vimeo.

About the author: Kimberly S. Lin is a California native, graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in economics. After college she moved to Los Angeles and worked as a financial writer and hedge fund analyst, but always dreamed of becoming a women's literature writer. Utilizing her experiences she writes stories that are witty, heartwarming and relatable to the modern woman.

A huge thank you to Chick Lit Plus and Kimberly S. Lin for this book review opportunity. No other compensation was given.

Shoppers in a Panic--JCPenney to the Rescue!

2011-12-16T08:50:00.000-06:00

By a raise of hands who still has at least one gift left to buy? Maybe it is for that impossible to buy for person, the one who has everything, the one who is too picky or the one that you honestly have no clue what to buy him or her.

This is where one of my favorite stores, JCPenney, comes to our rescue! They have an amazing gift guide out there for all of us shoppers who need help and are finding ourselves in a panic with only days to go until the holidays officially arrive.

Here are a few of my favorite gifts that you can find from jcpenney--no need to panic when you have such amazing finds right at your fingertips:

Do you know a coffee lover? This Keurig coffee maker is sure to be a hit!

This Makeup Studio Blockbuster by Sephora is the mecca of makeup for beauty lovers. So fun!

The Liz Claiborne Clear and Rose Gold Resin Watch is perfect to tuck away in the woman of your life's stocking. Loving the rose gold trend!

These Stafford flannel pants are so cozy and warm--perfect for the cold winter nights ahead.

If you need more gift ideas check out the JCPenney gift guide--there is something for everyone on it! There is no need to panic this year when you can find a special gift for everyone at JCPenney. Make sure that you order by December 20th for standard delivery to arrive by Christmas Eve!

JCPenney Don't Panic Last Minute Shopping Guide

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of jcpenney and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Life Glances

2011-12-13T08:37:00.001-06:00

* I went out last night. No children. No husband. I met up with two moms at a coffee shop. We laughed. We talked. We closed the place down. Which, by the way, I haven't closed anything down for years. Mission accomplished.

* This will probably sound weird--but it is weird. Around a month ago I noticed one of Madelyn's ears smelled...and not in a good way. She goes to the doctor today--and I may or may not have giggled when explaining what the problem was when I booked said appointment.

* Making Christmas cookies and cinnamon rolls this weekend. I love this time of year. My weight, though? Yeah...not so much.

* I did the 30 Day Shred yesterday. My body is in some pain today. Yikes.

* Reading another awesome book--I'll be writing about it next week. I can't put it down.

* I have really went overboard this year on presents. Every year Leo and I are all no going overboard this year, Chelle! And then it's always an excuse to why the overboardness has happened. I love buying presents for people. It's too much fun!

* Brynlie is a real life crawler. She crawls around the entire house. No more worm crawling, either. This is full on I'm super baby crawling like a pro, Momma! This is going by WAY too fast.

* I turned my air conditioner back on. It's in the 70's. I hate this. I want cool weather, please.

And...I think I got it...

2011-12-12T08:19:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Super Cute Grandparent Gift Idea {I Made This!}

2011-12-11T17:51:00.001-06:00

While browsing the most addicting site known to man, aka Pinterest, I ran across a cute idea--but then I made my own spin and did my own thing with it.

What I loved about this craft was that my girls could be a part of it and actually help create an adorable gift idea for their grandparents. So much of Christmas can be purchased at the store and I wanted something special and unique from the girls to their grandparents.

Here are their fingerprint snowman ornaments:

Cute, right? Here are the supplies that you'll need:

*Wood shape of choice. These can be found at any craft store (Hobby Lobby, Michael's, etc)

*Child safe paint. We used washable paints because my girls are a little paint happy.

*Paint pen

*Ribbon (I used scrapbook ribbon)

*Sharpie

*Mod Podge

*Hot glue gun

After you have all of your supplies, give your child(ren) a paint brush and a little of the paint. Have them paint the wood shape in color of choice.

Once the ornament shape is dry you then pour out some white paint onto a plate. Spread it out some and place child's finger into paint.

Press the finger down firmly enough onto the ornament to make the snowman's body.

Repeat for however many little ones that you have. Since I have three girls we have three snowmen.

Once the snowmen are dry, write the year on top of the ornament. I chose a silver paint pen but any color will do.

Using the sharpie draw on your snowman eyes, mouth and arms.

Once you have the snowmen complete, Mod Podge the ornament. I did this just as a sealant for the ornament.

After Mod Podge is dry cut your ribbon to the desired length. Fold into a loop and hot glue onto back.

And...that's it! Super easy, super cute and my girls are so proud that they helped make their grandparents' gift.

Infantino Sync Carrier

2011-12-10T19:01:00.001-06:00

I have been searching for a baby carrier for quite some time and I am starting to think that my list of requirements is what is making it so difficult for me to pick a carrier.

First and foremost on my list is safety. I realize that is a given for all of us as parents, but you would be surprised at how many carriers are not worn safely.

My second requirement is comfort. Not just for me, but for Brynlie as well. Carriers that pull on my back and shoulders won't do me any good. I have a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a 6 month old--I must have all of my muscles working properly in order to keep up with these three while out and about.

And my final (personal) requirement? Cute. It must be something cute.

When I pulled my Infantino Sync Carrier out of the package I was both excited and confused. Excited because this was the type of carrier that I had just been looking at. Confused because of the straps and where to put what.

After reading the instructions over for quite some time I recruited my husband to assist me. I honestly wasn't comfortable doing this alone for the first few times--and even now that I have had it and used it for a few weeks I am not comfortable using it alone quite yet. You need to be able to pull the straps tight and I still don't think I am at the level in order to do that while holding onto her at the same time.

I loved this carrier for a variety of reasons. The Infantino Sync Carrier met all of my above requirements. Once Brynlie was snug and secured inside I LOVED it. The carrier was extremely comfortable. I have used carriers in the past that killed my back and shoulders. Not true with this one. It is so comfortable and Brynlie was also comfortable.

It's really cute! I love the red and black floral combination. A lot of my clothes are black so it compliments them perfectly.

And finally, most importantly, I could feel and see that Brynlie was secure. She was strapped so tight, but not tight enough to make her fuss and be uncomfortable. I did some squatting, leaning over and walking around with her. She loved it all! Remember to ALWAYS read your instructions first and utilize any videos that the baby carrier may come with. Your baby's safety is the most important thing always.

You can view and purchase the Infantino Sync Carrier from Amazon. There you can find reviews and read what other moms thought of the carrier in addition to my review. Want to see the Infantino Sync Carrier in action? Check out their YouTube video here.

What to be kept in the know with Infantino? Find Infantino on Facebook, follow Infantino on Twitter and/or subscribe to the Infantino YouTube channel.

I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Infantino and have received various Infantino products as part of my participation.

I think a redo is in order...

2011-12-06T23:01:00.001-06:00

I am not sure if I want this photo to be the photo that all of my family will receive for our Christmas card.

However, it's almost too funny for it not to be, right?