I was a Senior in high school and had just auditioned for the big musical of the year. It was The Wizard of Oz and I wanted to be the Witch more than anything else in the whole world. I had been practicing my cackle like nobody’s business. I really wanted that part and was as dramatic as any other teenager at that stage in life is. This was my life. Oh how I laugh at what was so important back then.

The next morning I went to read the cast list. My name was nowhere near the space reserved for the person who got the role as the Wicked Witch. My best friend got the part instead. Granted, she did have a much better cackle than I did. I was cast as Auntie Em and I was heartbroken. Embarrassed about anyone seeing me in this fragile state I called my mom and before I could even shed a tear she was at the school to pick me up and let me be sad. She let me play hooky that day and drown in my sorrow, but only for a little while.

She too had a story of her own to tell to me. It was also her senior year in high school when she had tried out to be a cheerleader. She was awesome and could do the splits and all the tumbling required. She had practiced and practiced and was feeling very confidant that she had what it took to make the team. It ended up being a popularity contest, her fellow students voted and she did not make the cut. Not even her closest friend had voted for her. She was as devastated as I was and I could feel that in the way she told me her story.

My Mom telling me these real stories is how she related to me. She always had an experience to tell me that went right a long with something I had just gone through. She reserved them for times in my life when I would need them. Like an old school google with the corresponding story to be brought up whenever the right moment came along. It had always amazed me how she waited to tell me a particular experience until I needed it most.

These were not stories I had heard over and over again, where I could recite the punchline, like maybe my Dad’s stories were. (Just kidding Dad you know I love your stories!) My Mom’s stories were usually brand new to me. They softened the blow of my heartache and helped me know that others experienced what I did and are just fine and even better for having experienced it.

I really believe this was my Mom’s gift to me. Each story was a present, her way of telling me it was ok to feel vulnerable and sad, that she had been there and lived on.

Of course I went on to put on a Tony award winning performance of Auntie Em with gray hairspray and drawn on wrinkles that rocked the house.

Now I have four young daughters. They will need me to soften the blow. They will need to know that I care and that I can relate, as small as the drama may seem they will need my love and support to let them know that whatever they are going through is not trivial, that they matter.

So when my oldest daughter feels embarrassed about some thing I will tell her about the time I walked into a wall trying to follow a boy I liked, or when I threw up pasta in the parking lot after eating at a restaurant with a big group of friends. How one of those friends even nicknamed me Barfie and occasionally sent me the barf bags from airplanes in the mail.

When another one of my daughters likes a boy that does not like her back I will relate story after story ( I have a million on this subject) about how I often felt like a female version of Ducky in Pretty in Pink. We will then watch Pretty in Pink and all the other brat pack movies of course and cry and laugh together like only a mother and daughter can.

Nothing will be off the table. (well maybe some things will be!) My daughters will see that through my stories these kind of things happen to everyone. They mold us and make us the kind of people who can dust themselves off after a big fat life fail.

It’s nice to know that these things happened to me for a reason. That these hilarious, awkward, mortifying experiences all happened so that I can pass on my mothers amazing gift of stories that will soften the blow.

Good thing I have so many stories, because with four daughters I think I am going to need them all.

*This was my reading for Utah’s first Listen To Your Mother production that took place on May 9th 2013.

About a year or so ago I came across an awesome event That was taking place in different cities in the US. It was a night of readings by all different kinds of women and the subject was motherhood. I remember thinking that if this ever came to Utah I so wanted to audition and be a part of it. While browsing things on the internet awhile back. I found at that it was indeed to come to Utah that someone had applied for it to be here! I was so thankful Heather had thrown her hat in the ring to produce Utah’s first ever Listen To Your Mother Event.

You really do not want to miss this event!

It will be May 9th at 7:00 at Thanksgiving Point. Go here to purchase tickets. You can also buy them at the door.

The point of this show is to give motherhood a microphone. So please bring your Mom’s, your sisters. your girlfriends, or anyone else you would love to cry and laugh with this evening as you listen to everyday women talk about the most wonderful subject that unites us all, Motherhood!

I was in great company with a ton of fun blogger friends. The set up was so much fun. They had an awesome area for us to chat then we all took turns getting sugar foot scrubs, Chair massages and mini table massages. It was amazing!! Any fear or nerves I had immediately faded. The staff was so great and very friendly. I also loved how professional they were. I have a feeling that I am going to want to get massages more often!  I also learned the many benefits. Massage can improve posture, lower blood pressure, improve circulation and much more.

I also enjoyed the sugar foot scrub! I went home with samples of the awesome products they use and the girls and even Brandon each got a sugar foot scrub from me. I know it was not as amazing as the one I got at Massage Envy but it was still a lot of fun. They all loved it. Especially my four yr old. I hope they don’t get too used to me pampering them on a regular basis though.

Massage Envy was kind enough to give me a certificate for a free one hour massage to give away to one of you, right here! You can use it at any Massage Envy location on Utah’s wasatch front. The certificate just needs to be used by May 31st.

What a nice chance to have a break from your crazy kids and relax! Just fill out the rafflecopter below. ALso be sure to Follow Massage Envy Utah on Facebook to keep up on the latest happenings.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was also given a certificate to have a massage from Massage Envy. All opinions are my very own.

The past few weeks have been challenging to say the least. We are getting ready to say adieu to our tiny two bedroom one bath condo for something that fits us better. This has meant a lot of things. I have had to have a clean house. Not just a semi clean house but an immaculately cleaned house. Keeping a house that tidy is just not in my DNA.

Everyone says that once you have a clean house it is easier to maintain as long as you are putting it back to clean mode everyday which is somewhat true and does take a lot less time then waiting for your house to get super messy before cleaning it. What I have found though is that having a super clean house is not all it’s cracked up to be. Sure it feels nice and is much better than sitting in a house that could be featured on an episode of hoarders, But it taunts me. Once the house is clean I look around and still see imperfections. Because nobody can clean that perfect. It is so clean every tiny thing stares out at me and screams loudly just as if it is another child in my household. Following around my children to make sure they don’t mess it up is also not fun at all.

When I have had to leave the house squeaky clean so some interested buyer can come look at it. I literally have had to run out so the tiny imperfections stop blaring there horn at me. I would much rather have a mediocre cleaned house. Nothing too messy. But just enough mess so the tiny things don’t rear out their ugly head and drive me quite so crazy.

I have never been the best homemaker. I hold onto clutter and things can get pretty messy fairly quickly. Don’t even get me started on the laundry. I let it pile up so long that it is intimidating as slaying a fearsome dragon to rescue the princess in the tall cloud reaching tower.

I have never wanted to be a slave to a clean house. Maybe that is why a little mess never bothers me too much. When faced with the decision to go to a park with my kids, a lunch date with friends or lets face it maybe even a visit to the OB. or stay home and tackle my daily chores. I would gladly leave my messy house. The mess can always wait right?

This constant June Cleaver mode of cleaning has taught me a few things. Sometimes messy is ok. Constant clean house perfection is overrated, and  no matter how my house looks, some good chocolate and a nap can always ease the mind.

*Photo Credit:Wikipedia

A few weeks ago I was sent the NUK Freshfoods Cook-n-Blend baby food maker in the mail to review through Moms Meet. My girls, especially my oldest, Shriek were so excited to help me make all kinds of baby food for their cute baby sister.

I went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of produce to make baby food with. my best tip is to buy the produce on sale and to buy fruits and veggies in season. That will help  you to save even more money making your own baby food.

Sometimes new gadgets intimidate me but this one was pretty plain and simple. Shriek got my camera and started snapping pictures of each step just like a future blogger should. The recipe book it came with was great. I have so many recipes I want to try out.

I loved the separate steaming baskets to steam different veggies or fruits at the same time. I loved that it beeped when it was done. I also loved the spatula that fit in the holes of the basket to make it easier to handle when hot.

There are two options for the textures of your baby food. Since Squeal is 10 months I loved the chunkier texture. My only mistake I think was choosing the first flavor to be things Squeal had never eaten mixed. I got a little too creative trying to be all Julia Child. Squeak was not a big fan. It was Broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, but she LOVED every other single recipe I made. which included

Sweet Potatoes and apple’s

Apple Sauce

an organic frozen veggie mix of sweet white corn,Peas, carrots, and green beans.

Her favorite was the Sweet Potatoes.

Honestly this product is so easy to use. It’s easy to rinse off and it’s not too huge. my one wish is that maybe it would make more baby food at a time. I seriously  have found myself using it a lot and I cannot wait to make even more flavors for squeak to try out. I also loved how good it tasted. I tried every one. I really did.

There are other accessories that looked really neat that you can get separately including a freezer tray and stackable cubes to store the baby food.

Go here for a $20 off coupon for the NUK  Freshfoods cook-n-blend baby food maker and $1 off of any of the accessories. You can Also Check them out on Facebook

I am so glad I got to try out this product it has made super simple to make Squeak home made baby food. I did not think I would like it as much as I did, and for a sometimes underachiever mom it really made me feel like I was doing something extra special for my baby.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from
the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinions on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

You will never believe the song I have stuck in my head right now, repeating itself over and over. No, it is not something I heard on the TV, or the radio. It is the demo song on my daughters keyboard in her room. Lately we have been playing all of the demo songs and dancing around to the different tempo’s of the multiple songs, One song makes us feel like we are at the queens palace doing curtsies and pointing our toes. The other ones are various styles that we all dance differently to. I love to make up words to these songs and serenade my daughters when I suddenly notice that they barely blink. it does not phase them anymore, my daily silliness must be getting old.

They never question my odd behavior as we approach a gutter and I shout 1, 2, 3!

Just so we can all jump over it at the same time. They don’t even stop me when I sing at the grocery store to an oldies song while we shop for food. I asked my oldest today if I embarrass her. She said no. I then asked her if I danced around while I sang and shopped. She did say that would totally embarrass her so at least I know when to draw the line, right?

I have pondered this thought before many times, but I can’t help but wonder when these things will bother them. I know the time will come when I ask everyone to show me there most weirdest bazaar facial expression and they won’t want to comply when normally they think really hard about how they will contort there face to make us all laugh hysterically  But when will this be? How much time do I have to be silly. Or should I always be silly and just ignore the groans and moans and whines that are bound to come when I decide to do something beyond the norm.

I think I have known the answer all along. I have to be myself to be the parent I want to be. We all know our children will all have some type of issues from how everyone has decided to parent. We are not perfect and we are all just doing this Mom and Dad thing how we think is best. There are times we completely lose are cool. Times when we know we should have acted any other way than they way we did to a particular situation. I think we all have to be ourselves because you never know, the times we are silly  might be they type of memories our children hold on to when they are not focusing on the times we probably did not do our best.

No two parents can ever parent the same way. I remember singing with my mom. We loved to sing together. Old Doris Day songs were our favorite. We would memorize them and sing at the top of our lungs and then try to harmonize when neither of us knew how. We would laugh so hard that tears would streak down our faces. My Mom used to sing the song  ”Que Sara Sera” to me everyday. I seriously thought she wrote it just for me until I one time saw it sung during a movie.

I remember getting a little older and sometimes feeling embarrassed when she would break into a song or dance. I never said anything but would try to focus on something else hoping she would end soon.  I also remember that this phase did not last long and now I  love to sing with her. I am so glad she did not stop being who she was just because for a few years of my awkward adolescence it bothered me.

Life is boring without songs and laughter. Being silly is what can get us through the tough times when their does not seem to be a lot of hope which is getting to be more frequent every day. This is what I want to teach my daughters. So if it takes a few more times of singing Groovy Kind of Love while I pick my produce, so be it.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud Diapers.

Last week I  had the opportunity to attend a fun play date sponsored by White Cloud diapers. I was so excited to have plans with my two youngest and was really looking forward to it. We have been getting a little stir crazy in our house lately. The few days before it was freezing in Utah and I was so glad it warmed up a little bit for our park play date. As you can tell from this picture I think I was more excited than my four yr old.

This was a really fun group of ladies. I love meeting bloggers who don’t live faraway and was fun that there was bloggers I had never met and also fun to see blog friends that I already knew.

We had received a package of diapers a few days before the event and I had been putting them to good use on Squeaks cute tush. I have always been a one brand diaper mom and have rarely ventured out of my comfort zone. I am so glad I tried something new. Honestly we have had no leaks or any other issues since I have been using them. White Cloud diapers are available at Wal-Mart and have been great! I have been on a HUGE polkadot obsession lately and was so happy when I saw this pattern. I Love the polkadots that are featured on some of the diapers! Polkadots are such a happy design.

It was fun visiting with the other ladies and playing fun baby shower games and eating yummy snacks. Squeal was a huge fan of the finger food and although she is shy I could tell she loved hanging out with new little friends.  My favorite part of the party was winning the big  prize which was a brand new diaper bag. I had been wanting one of these bags for forever.

I really appreciate that these diapers can be bought on a tight budget. Also the extra details on leak protection and that they are hypoallergenic is always a plus. I found that the stretchy fit on my little one was just right. Squeak has just started to sleep through the night and no leaks have happened at all.  She is also a mover and is mastering her stair climbing which is freaking me out. These diapers have stayed put for her every move. I also love that for the size 1 and 2 diapers there is a wetness indicator so you can easily tell if you baby needs to be changed.

Diapering can be one of the biggest expenses in a family’s weekly budget and a great performing diaper is a must-have for parents. In order to make this affordable, Wal-Mart has reintroduced their premium line of White Cloud diapers to address the needs of today’s busy parents.

White Cloud Diapers provide your baby the highest quality diaper with superior leakage protection, exceptional softness and great fit. White Cloud Diapers are available exclusively at Walmart, where you can find low prices everyday on all your family’s needs. Check them out today!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of #WhiteCloudDiapers.

I have always stressed to my girls that they need to always thank everyone promptly when someone has done something for them. I think it is one of the most important things we can teach our kids. I always am nagging them asking them if they said thank you. I am sure it drives them crazy but thats what Mom’s are supposed to do right?

I hate to admit this but I have never been the best at sending Thank You cards You might even gasp when I tell you I did not send any for wedding or baby shower gifts that I recieved! Now that I am older and wiser (not too old though) I am realizing that sometimes you need to go a little out of your way to say thank you.

One of my favorite ways to thank someone is to make them a gift basket. A few  of  my favorite ones to give have been filled with things I enjoy or things from where I live, also a movie themed basket was fun where I included some popcorn a movie and treats for the family to have a movie night. I have had fun involving my kids in making the baskets so they know how important it is to Thank people.

It is usually just a few simple things. it is never super expensive or anything, but I hope it makes the person feel loved and appreciated.

King’s Hawaiian has a really awesome project going on right now called Project Mahalo. Which means thank you in Hawaiian.

They want you to help them say Thank You to four amazing charities by voting for one of these great organizations. The Charities are

Big Brothers Big Sister of America

Family Caregiver Alliance

Meals On Wheels association of America

One Warm Coat

I am sure all of these organizations would love your vote!

Each charity will be awarded money but the one with the most votes will get the most donated for that particular charity

The results will be announced on May 1st which is known as Lei day in Hawaii. All of this Hawaii talk really makes me want to go on trip there now!

It is super simple to vote and can be done once and just needs your e-mail address along with it. It only takes a minute. What a great way to say Thank You!

Mahalo is the Hawaiian word for thank you.  You can say thank you to these wonderful charities- Big Brothers Big Sisters, Meals On Wheels Association of America, Family Caregiver Alliance, and One Warm Coat by voting for them on www.kingshawaiian.com/project-mahalo.

All charities will receive $10k, but the winner with the most votes will receive $25k.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kings Hawaiian® Project Mahalo. The opinions and text are all mine.

Today I am over there sharing all about Squeaks Birth. Go check it out here!

My husband is a pretty practical guy. He has a certain way of doing things and thinking about things. I had to bust up laughing when I overheard them have the following conversation. I knew what the outcome was going to be as soon as he asked our nine year old Shriek one question. I had to write it down. Hopefully my husband remembers never to ask this question again, well at least not unless he has a few million hours to talk about it.

(My husband) or Dad: I was thinking that we could talk about you focusing on a talent or hobby you would like to get really good at. Something you could focus on now so you can work towards being really good and possibly get a college scholarship doing that. Or just to really excel at something.

Shriek: (With Sheer panic in her voice) I have to think of something now? I don’t know Dad! There are so many things I like! What could it be? Why do I have to come up with it now? AAAGH.

Dad: Just so we can get you really good at something. It could be like guitar or basketball or drawing or anything you want. It really does not have to be one thing. How about a few things you can focus on?

Shriek: Anything? ok let me think about it. How about mind reading dad, would that work?

Dad: Umm maybe not mind reading. What are you interested in? It could be any hobby.

Shriek: How about time traveling, cooking, opening presents, or playing with toys? (There was more but I could not remember them all)

Dad: I don’t think any of those will really work. what about Chess?

Shriek: Why not any of those Dad? whats wrong with those? I can’t think of one. what will I do?? I have to come up with one NOW! I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO CHOOSE!!

You get the Idea. Lets just say that this went on all afternoon!

I personally think she should get into time traveling. If any one knows of a good time traveler that offers lessons please let me know.