There is not a lot in the way of treat ideas for kids for Presidents Day.

I’ve looked.

I stumbled across this idea of Abe Lincoln’s Hat in a few places during my extensive random, last minute search yesterday.  None with pictures, though.

Here’s my rendition….

Abe Lincoln Hat Treats:

Ingredients:

Keebler Fudge Stripes
Rolo Candy
Brown Icing

Directions:

1. Turn each cookie upside down so the solid chocolate side is facing up.

2. Put brown icing on bottom of a Rolo candy and “stick” to middle of cookie.  I used Oreo decorating icing since I had it on hand, but in hindsight wished I used a darker brown icing.

3. Repeat to stack Rolo candy 2 high on each cookie.

Voila!  Abe Lincoln Hat Treats!!

If you are looking for other Presidents Day ideas, be sure to check out my Pinterest board of Presidents Day crafts and school activities:

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Yesterday, I posted about the Happy Valentines Day Love Bug valentines that Banan made for his classmates.  (They turned out super cute!)

I think these Shooting For Brownie Points Valentine teacher gifts also turned out pretty cute:

I bought the Betty Crocker brownie mix at Target and the Betty Crocker spatulas at Dollar Tree.

I knew Dollar Tree sold Betty Crocker utensils, which are RED (hello, perfect for Valentines Day!!), which is one reason I bought that brand of brownie mix, plus there are Box Tops.  Win win, haha.

I bought the “brownie points” printable here for $1.29 after seeing it on Pinterest – they have the blue that I used as well as pink (both are included in the price).

I printed out heart clipart to use as the to/from label since there wasn’t room on the brownie points printable.  You could just cut out hearts (or write super tiny on the printable).

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I know this doesn’t apply to you, heehee, but for anyone that may still need to pick up a little something or two for Valentines Day, CVS may have just the hookup you need.

From Elizabeth Arden fragrances to boxes of chocolates in all varieties (including Godiva truffles!!), from adorable stuffed animals to whimsical gifts and just about everything else you need to cross off your Valentine shopping list… CVS has ya covered!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

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Products provided by CVS & Elizabeth Arden.  All thoughts & opinions are 100% my own. 

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These are the Valentines Banan made for the kidlets in his class.

Aren’t they adorable?

The Happy Valentines Day Love Bug printable is available for free here.  We bought the “glitter bugs” at Dollar Tree.

Banan wrote his friends’ names on the back of each Valentine, wrote his name on the front at the bottom, and then glued a bug onto each one.  I might be a little biased, but I think they turned out fantastic!

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Are you scrambling this weekend to get everything done for Valentines Day?

{It is this Tuesday, in case that information somehow slipped by you, lol.}

Banan has decided to make Love Bug Valentines for the kidlets in his class, but if your kids are still in search of great Valentine exchange ideas, check these out (see the pic above for a sampling!).

Need Valentines Day card holder ideas?  Look at these cuties:

If you need Valentines Day crafts, classroom activities, or other fun stuff, take a look at these ideas:

And if you need to whip up some Valentines Day themed yummies, you will find plenty here:

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These adorable treats look like mini cupcakes but are actually large marshmallows with pink icing coated with Valentine Sprinkles and red sugar crystals.

It literally takes just a few minutes to make a nice batch of them.

 I found this package of heart & flower marshmallows at CVS & added them to the batch of decorated marshmallows:

I made these last night for my son’s Kindergarten class today as their theme this week has been Valentines & Friendship.

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New Releases Notes

February 7, 2012

:: The Adventures Of Chuck & Friends: Friends To The Finish,  Disney’s Lady & The Tramp Diamond Edition, Disney’s Treasure Buddies, Timmy Time: Timmy Needs A Bath, Thomas & Friends: Curious Cargo, and Angelina Ballerina: Sweet Valentine ::

The Adventures Of Chuck & Friends: Friends To The Finish

Release Date: February 14, 2012
Format: DVD
MSRP: $12.99
Shout Kids, Hasbro

:: Buy Chuck & Friends: Friends To The Finish ::
:: Chuck & Friends coloring page ::

Episodes:
Race To The Race, The Best, Chuck’s Big Break, Game On, Revving Up Rally, Grandpa Treadwell, Chuck Backs Up, Need For Speed, Vertie’s Stunt School, and Dancing Wheels.

Bonus:
Color your own cover (see reverse side of DVD wrap).

Synopsis:
Follow Chuck The Dump Truck character and his incredible cast of friends in this delightfully fast-paced, song-filled, high energy series for preschoolers.  Every visitor to the truck stop where Chuck lives fuels his exciting fantasies, and he enlists his pals Digger, Boomer, Rowdy, Soku, Biggs, and Handy to turn those fantasies into reality.

My boys – ages 15 months and 5 years – love Chuck & Friends.  Calen (15 months) still has a very limited attention span, but for the few minutes he sat down for it, he was loving it and pointing at it.  As his attention span lengthens, the short episodes will be perfect for him to watch without overwhelming him with too much TV.  Banan (5 years) is just past the preschool age, but it was still a fun watch for him.  Both boys love vehicles, so Chuck & Friends is right up their alley.  Chuck and the other trucks are really cute and the episodes are full of fun! 

Disney’s Lady & The Tramp Diamond Edition

Release Date – Blu-Ray & High Def Digital: February 7, 2012
Release Date – DVD & Std Def Digital: March 27, 2012
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

MSRP:
3 Disk Blu-Ray Combo Pack (BD, DVD, Digital): $44.99 US / $51.99 CAN
2 Disk Blu-Ray Combo Pack (BD & DVD): $39.99 US / $46.99 CAN
1 Disk DVD: $29.99 / $35.99 CAN
High Def Digital: $39.99 US / $46.99 CAN
Std Def Digital: $29.99 / $35.99 CAN

:: Buy Lady & The Tramp Diamond Edition ::
:: Lady & The Tramp Activities, Recipes & Valentines Day Cards ::

Synopsis:
A classic love story unfolds in the best Disney tradition as a lovely young pedigreed cocker spaniel named Lady, who lives a pampered life, finds herself falling romantically for Tramp, an amorous street-smart pooch without prospects.  Although they have fun together on several dates, including a sentimental spaghetti dinner by moonlight at Tony’s restaurant, their relationship is strained not only by Lady’s loyalty to her human family and their newborn baby, but by Tramp’s devil-may-care attitude that eventually gets Lady in trouble and tossed into the dog pound. However, good-hearted Tramp redeems himself by saving the baby from potential harm and thus wins Lady’s love and the affection of her human family.

:: Continue reading about Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition ::

Disney’s Treasure Buddies

Release Date: January 31, 2012
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

MSRP:
2 Disk Blu-Ray Combo Pack: $39.99 US / $46.99 CAN
1 Disk DVD: $29.99 / $35.99 CAN
High Def Digital: $39.99 US / $46.99 CAN
Std Def Digital: $29.99 / $35.99 CAN

:: Buy Treasure Buddies ::  {Available for less than MSRP on Amazon!}
:: Treasure Buddies Recipes ::
:: Treasure Buddies Crafts & Activities ::

Synopsis:
The Buddies are off on an all new adventure, and this time their journey takes them all the way to the ruins of ancient Egypt where, with the help of some new friends, including Digger the Archeologist dog, Cammy, a baby camel, and a misschievous monkey named Babi, they’ll explore mysterious tombs, dodge treacherous booby traps, and race against a devious cat in search of the greatest treasure known to animalkind, the lost collar of Cleocatra.

:: Continue reading about Disney’s Treasure Buddies ::

Timmy Time: Timmy Needs A Bath

Rub-A-Dub-Dub! Fun in the tub!

Release date: January 24, 2012
Format: DVD
MSRP: $14.98
Lionsgate, HIT Entertainment

:: Buy Timmy Time: Timmy Needs A Bath ::

Synopsis:
Enjoy some good clean fun with Timmy & his friends! Adventures with mud, glue and paint leave Timmy in some sticky situations.  THis clever little lamb uses his creativity to make tub-time fun and turn a paint fight into a masterfleece!  Timmy cleans up and discovers the most fun of all is being with friends!  Soak up the good times with Timmy… just don’t forget to wash behind your ears!

Episodes:
Timmy Needs A Bath, Sticky Timmy, Tidy Timmy, Timmy Goes Camping, Timmy The Artist

DVD Bonus Features:
Timmy’s Tune #2 - Music Video, Shaun The Sheep Bonus Episode: Supersize Timmy

Thomas & Friends: Curious Cargo

Hop aboard a wild ride to the animal park with Thomas!

Release Date: January 17, 2012
Format:
MSRP:
Lionsgate, HIT Entertainment

:: Buy Thomas & Friends: Curious Cargo ::

Synopsis:
All aboard for a wild ride on the Island of Sodor as Thomas and his engine friends deliver some Curious Cargo – from giraffes and cows to birds and bunnies and more!  Thomas meets a tall challenge while taking a giraffe to the Sodor Wildlife Center, Percy learns to be gentle with the animals of Sodor, and Belle and Toby discover the importance of listening to others.  Join THomas on his wildest adventures yet!

Episodes:
Thomas’ Tall Friend, Percy;s New Friends, Toby and Bash, Big Belle

DVD Binus Features:
Find What Doesn’t Belong Game, Determination Song Karaoke Music Video, Exclusive Activities & Fun With Driver Perkins

Angelina Ballerina: Sweet Valentine

Release Date: January 3, 2012
DVD SRP: $14.98
Available on DVD, Digital Download, and On Demand
Lionsgate, HIT Entertainment  

:: Buy Angelina Ballerina: Sweet Valentine ::

Synopsis:
Love and friendship take center stage in these sweet stories.  Angelina uncovers the mystery of her secret admirer with some help from her friends.  Angelina and Alice help Marco realize the true importance of helping his friends.  The students celebrate Ms. Mimi, and although it may have been for the wrong reason, they do it with a lot of heart!  And when Angelina and her girlfriends try to make a girls’ club, they realize a friendship club is much sweeter.  Spread the love with dancing, skating, singing, and best friends forever!

Episodes:
Angelina’s Secret Valentine,  Angelina and the Hearts On Ice,  Angelina’s Big News,  Angelina and the Mouslinghood of Dancing,  Angelina and the Laughing Poet

DVD Bonus Features:
Angelina’s Picture Game &  Get Up and Dance Music Video

The True Story of Puss ‘N Boots

Release Date: October 4, 2011
MSRP – Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack: $24.99 / DVD: $19.99
Phase 4 Films

:: Buy The True Story of Puss N Boots ::

Synopsis:
The Trus Story of Puss ‘n Boots is a tale of a young farmer’s son that inherits a strange talking cat with magical boots.  With his cunning wit, Puss helps him win the heart of the Princess while battling devious suitors that are after the throne.

This animated movie is true to the original story based on the famous Puss ‘N Boots character by Charles Perrault.

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Products provided.  Thoughts & opinions, where posted, are 100% my own. 

Thank you for visiting the original Shake The Salt!!

Thank you for visiting the original Shake The Salt!!

If you are hosting (or heading to) a Super Bowl party and still need ideas on what to make, here is a great selection of yummy appetizers!

:: Yummy Sides & Apps ::

.

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Disney’s Lady & The Tramp

Diamond Edition

Release Dates:
Blu-Ray & High Def Digital: February 7, 2012
DVD & Std Def Digital: March 27, 2012

MSRP:
3 Disk Blu-Ray Combo Pack (BD, DVD, Digital): $44.99 US / $51.99 CAN
2 Disk Blu-Ray Combo Pack (BD & DVD): $39.99 US / $46.99 CAN
1 Disk DVD: $29.99 / $35.99 CAN
High Def Digital: $39.99 US / $46.99 CAN
Std Def Digital: $29.99 / $35.99 CAN

:: Buy Lady & The Tramp Diamond Edition ::

:: Lady & The Tramp Activities, Recipes & Valentines Day Cards ::

Synopsis:
A classic love story unfolds in the best Disney tradition as a lovely young pedigreed cocker spaniel named Lady, who lives a pampered life, finds herself falling romantically for Tramp, an amorous street-smart pooch without prospects.  Although they have fun together on several dates, including a sentimental spaghetti dinner by moonlight at Tony’s restaurant, their relationship is strained not only by Lady’s loyalty to her human family and their newborn baby, but by Tramp’s devil-may-care attitude that eventually gets Lady in trouble and tossed into the dog pound. However, good-hearted Tramp redeems himself by saving the baby from potential harm and thus wins Lady’s love and the affection of her human family.

Blu-Ray Bonus Material:
Inside Walt’s Story Meetings (Disney Second Screen & Audio Commentary)
Diane Disney Miller: Remembering Dad
Three never before seen deleted scenes
Never recorded song: “I’m Free As The Breeze”
Classis DVD Bonus:
- Lady’s Pedigree: The Making of Lady & The Tramp
- Finding Lady: The Art of The Storyboard
- Original 1943 Storyboard Version of the Film
- PuppyPedia: Going To The Dogs
- “The Siamese Cat Song”: Finding A Voice For The Cats
- “Bella Notte” Music Video
- Trailers
- Excerpts from “Disneyland” TV Shows

DVD Bonus Material:
Diane Disney Miller: Remembering Dad
PuppyPedia: Going To The Dogs

Digital Bonus Material:
Diane Disney Miller: Remembering Dad
Three never before seen deleted scenes
PuppyPedia: Going To The Dogs

Lady & The Tramp was a childhood favorite of mine and I enjoyed sharing this wonderful story with my children.  We could do without the dreadful Aunt, but then again, it was her and her equally dreadful cats that led to Lady meeting Tramp.  It is a sweet story and I’m excited that this Disney classic has come out of the vault.  The downside is that being an older Disney movie, the animation is in the older fashion and not the animation Banan is used to.  The beginning was slow and didn’t really catch his attention until a little bit into it.  He loved all the animals’ antics, though (and the adorable puppies at the end of the movie).

Also releasing from the Disney vault in 2012 will be Lady & The Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure.  Look for it this Summer!

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Product, synopsis & additional product information provided by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.  All thoughts & opinions are 100% my own.

Thank you for visiting the original Shake The Salt!!

Thank you for visiting the original Shake The Salt!!

One of my big goals for 2012 is to ease my way back into couponing and shopping the deals.

The big perk of couponing, if you use more than just 1 or 2 coupons, is getting enough non-perishable (or at least somewhat long lasting) items that you create something of a stockpile.

I am not talking the obsessive store looking stockpiles you’ve seen on the show Extreme Couponing.  That is just insane. 

I’m saying that next time you run out of something and need to pick up some more, you realize you already have extra on hand – and that you got it for 75% off using a coupon with a deal.  So you don’t have to rush out and pay full price for it.  Win-win.

I’m not much of a pro in the kitchen – and I’d probably rather be just about anywhere else – but I do have grand ideas of doing better meal planning and preparation and I would love to go through a fairly simple ingredient list and and tick them all off in my head – have that, have that, have that.  I want a well stocked pantry and freezer.

While this is great for cost savings and overall convenience, it is also great in an emergency.  I live in Florida, AKA Hurricane Central.  Even though our area has been blessed to have avoided a hurricane since Dora struck in 1964, we still get plenty of tropical weather – outer bands of storms, tropical storms, etc.  Generators, water, and plenty of food can become hot commodities around here.

Prepare Wise {http://preparewise.com/} offers affordable food storage for families, whether for stockpiling, emergency food storage, or for backup when you just don’t want to cook (wait, that last one would be me everyday).  You can check out their options at preparewise.com.

I don’t know how long it’ll take me to stock up since my plan right now is just easing back into it, but it is a step in the direction I want to go.

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Some links provided by preparewise.com.  All thoughts and opinions (and goals!) are 100% my own.

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Disney’s Treasure Buddies

Digging up adventure, the Buddies find themselves treasure hunting in Egypt!

Release Date: January 31, 2012

MSRP:
2 Disk Blu-Ray Combo Pack: $39.99 US / $46.99 CAN
1 Disk DVD: $29.99 / $35.99 CAN
High Def Digital: $39.99 US / $46.99 CAN
Std Def Digital: $29.99 / $35.99 CAN

:: Buy Treasure Buddies ::  {Available for less than MSRP on Amazon!}

:: Treasure Buddies Recipes ::

:: Treasure Buddies Crafts & Activities ::

Synopsis:
The Buddies are off on an all new adventure, and this time their journey takes them all the way to the ruins of ancient Egypt where, with the help of some new friends, including Digger the Archeologist dog, Cammy, a baby camel, and a misschievous monkey named Babi, they’ll explore mysterious tombs, dodge treacherous booby traps, and race against a devious cat in search of the greatest treasure known to animalkind, the lost collar of Cleocatra.

Bonus Material:
DIGS: B-Dawg Edition – In this fun bonus feature, B-Dawg, the hip hop happening pup gives a tour of his home to a kid reporter G.
“Roam” Music Video – A re-make of The B-52s song performed by Caroline Sunshine, Kenton Duty, and Adam Irigoyen from the cast of the Disney Channel hit series “Shake It Up.”

Disney’s Treasure Buddies is a super cute, fun family movie!  We love the Buddies and always welcome their newest adventure.  Their individual personalities are funny and cute, and though they seem to end up in a tight spot more often than not, they always conspire to get themselves out of it and not only save themselves, but become the heroes (and heroine!) of the story.  Treasure Buddies is no different.  I enjoyed this movie just as much as my son (5 years old) did.

When you pick up a copy of Treasure Buddies (in any format), be sure to enter the Disney Movie Rewards code because it qualifies you to get a Treasure Buddies plush free ($2.99 shipping).  I just ordered mine & can’t wait to surprise Banan when it comes in the mail.  (You could also stash it when it comes to get your birthday or Christmas shopping started).  A cute carrier is also available for $4.99 when you order the plush.

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Product, synopsis & additional product information provided by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.  All thoughts & opinions are 100% my own.

Thank you for visiting the original Shake The Salt!!

Thank you for visiting the original Shake The Salt!!

So, I’ve had this cough thing for the past month…  It started one day when my throat felt a teeny bit sore, like a sore throat was coming on… then the next day I had a cough like the kind you get when a cold is breaking up.  I thought it was weird, but I wasn’t complaining that I seemed to skip the actual cold part.

Except the cough just kinda stuck around.

THEN, last weekend, I felt drowsy all day, both days – like I hadn’t slept at all.  Except as far as I know, I slept great both nights.

Even worse? It continued most of the week.  I spent most of Saturday and Sunday on the couch, sleeping on and off and thankfully was slightly more awake during the week, but still very sluggish.

What gives?

I’m feling more energy coming back today and the cough is also happening less and less – thankfully.

Thanks to that major case of the Zzzzzzzz’s this week, I’ve been mainly “off the grid”.

Man, can email and work load pile up super quick in just a few days’ time!

Fingers crossed the cough and those Zzzzzz’s are both done with me.

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Thank you for visiting the original Shake The Salt!!

Thank you for visiting the original Shake The Salt!!

We checked Banan out of school early Friday and the four of us headed to the Fire Rescue East Trade Show in Daytona – with a stop at IHOP along the way.

A lot of the vendors typically have candy, pens and other goodies to giveaway to attendees and this year was no exception.  Banan thought it was Halloween, lol.  Candy, toys, pens, pencils, cups, etc… plus brochures full of awesome fire trucks!

Calen loved getting out of the stroller and checking out things that interested him – which would be wheels, of course.  Fire trucks have very large wheels - all the better for Calen.  It cracks us up just how obsessed with wheels he is!

We headed out along the beach for the drive home.  The wind was whipping pretty good right on the beach, but it was otherwise a nice day, so we decided to stop for a few and let the boys run & play.

I’m ashamed to admit that this was Calen’s first beach vist.

He’s 14 months old – almost 15 months.  And we live in Florida.

Instead of beach days last summer, we did our water play at resorts while visiting Orlando. It was fun, even with him being so little then, but his first beach day was long overdue.

OK, so it wasn’t really a beach day, but still.

Banan ran ran kinda wild, being silly, and kept getting closer to the water.  In the end, his shoes and socks were soaked and his pants weren’t much drier.

Calen didn’t run around persay… he just made a beeline straight for the water every. single. time. he was put down on his own two feet. The water was simply too good to resist.

Overall, it was a fun family day!

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… there were all these other things that needed my attention this weekend.

Then I was barely home today.

I’ve thought of just “officially” taking the weekend off from blogging, but my blogging schedule kind of doesn’t exist at all.

In any capacity.

So, that wouldn’t really work.

I did get some much needed, away-from-the-computer, stuff done this weekend. A little bit happy about that.

OK, a lot of bit.

Our master bedroom now has a nice little sitting area and I reduced a lot of the clutter that had been slowly building in there.

I also completely reorganized the bathroom closet.

Oh, boy, has it been needing that.

Those were my two biggest projects this weekend, but I tackled some smaller stuff as well.

And of course, there was some family time thrown into the mix.

I had a dentist appointment today and got a referral to have the other 3 wisdom teeth pulled. Fun times ahead.

Patrick and I both had Dr appointments today. Basic check ups, blah, blah, but helped eat up a decent portion of our afternoon.

Back to the blogging thing -

I have a bunch of partially written posts that I am pretty excited about, but need to actually finish so I can publish them.

Story of my life.

I am working on a series of my 2012 New Years Goals and Resolutions – partially written posts, but I’m still nailing down exactly what I want 2012 to be for me.

Yes, I am well aware that I’m late to that game and by now, most people that made resolutions have already broken and/or just completely forgotten all about them.

I am trying to be a little more deliberate and make attainable goals and loose plans of getting there. So, if I’m a little late but actually succeed, isn’t that better than posting about them on Jan 1 and throwing in the hat by Feb 1?

Oh, and there’s this challenge (kinda blog related) that I was supposed to prepare to start over the weekend and actually start today, but… um…

Yeah.

I kinda didn’t.

Hopefully, I can play a little catch up tomorrow and still be a part of it.

And on a side note, because I’m all random that way, I am super excited about Banan’s reading.  Let’s just say he’s rocking it.

I’m proud to say that he gets that from his Mama.

{The temper thing I deny with every fiber of my being – couldn’t possibly get any of that from me.  I lay all of that on his Irish heritage.  Which is on his father’s side.  Just sayin’.}

Another quick side note – Calen moved up to a “big boy” car seat today and rode facing forward for the first time.  It simply amazed me how well he fit in it.  I had been in denial about how he had been outgrowing the infant seat.  He’s my last baby and it simply is not ok with me that he really isn’t a baby anymore.

But I gotta admit he looked pretty darn cute in his seat with his “I’m a big boy” grin.

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… in a matter of speaking.

My wisdom teeth – namely my top, right wisdom tooth – has decided it would be a great time to come barging in.

Or at least start making an attempt to.

Actually, it has been going on for a little while.

Off and on.

Since it has gotten to be more on than off as of late, I bit the bullet and made a dentist appointment.

Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, that bad boy is coming out.

I’m not sure what to expect and I am gonna go ahead and decide that I should not be held responsible for anything I may or may not post on the blog tomorrow.

Just sayin’.

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But, no.

Not so much.

The pic is horrible, sorry about that, but closest I could get to a visual.

Calen is very much awake, sitting up in his bed… playing.

He was reaching through the crib slats, trying to get the toy trucks in the bin beside his bed…

He was holding his CloudB constellation nightlight sea turtle (he loves that thing!)…

And who knows what else.

I can’t tell exactly what he was doing in this pic, but if you look to the far left of the crib, you may be able to see him sitting up, holding something.

It is a picture of a small black and white monitor and there’s no lights in the room, save for the nightlight turtle, etc.

No wonder he took such a long nap today, if this is how he spends his nights!!

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The boys enjoyed our little excursion to Target this afternoon – Calen thought he was in charge, pushing the shopping cart (and his brother!) around.

This little shopping trip was Banan’s first experience with having an allowance and purchasing something on his own.  I don’t think he realizes yet that his little purchase pretty much wiped him out financially.  It is a learning process.

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Linking up - Wordless Wednesday: Mom Spotted and Mama Dweeb.

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Right now, you can get two Neff Beanies for only $28 at Tilly’s when you use this Tillys coupon.  This deal price is good through January 26, 2012.  Other deals are available at that link as well.

While you are shopping at Tilly’s, be sure to check out the SALE link – there are some pretty good deals there, too right now.  I noticed a couple of women’s shirts that are regularly priced at $22 and $25 that are $8 and $10 right now, respectively.

There are also some deals to be had in men, boys, and girls.  By now the newness may be well worn off the school clothes, so it might be a good time to refresh the wardrobes a little bit.

As is the case with a lot of clearance items, sizes available may be limited, but browse around and I’m sure you can find a good deal or two in the sizes you need.

The boys sizes start a little larger than what I would need to get for my boys and the only toddler size items they have right now are boots – but oh, my goodness – they are too stinkin’ cute!

This looks like the makings of a mom & dad only shopping excursion – not quite used to that!!

As always, remember to look for online coupons before you check out.  You can score some pretty decent discounts {on top of sale prices on the store(s)’ site(s)}, free “with purchase” merchandise, free or deeply discounted shipping, etc, etc.

Checking the online coupons before you start shopping can help you find where some of the hottest deals are as well.

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Links provided by couponcodes4u.com.  All thoughts & opinions are 100% my own.  Happy deal shopping!!! 

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I have been giving some thought lately to emergency preparedness - DIY 72 hour kits are popular, including clothing, money, freeze dried meals and other food items, water, stuff to keep you from going bored… especially for the kids.

I’ve never made one, nor have I done much stocking up of disaster food.

It goes beyond saying that I really need to get a diseaster kit organized, Buy Emergency Foods, do all those things in advance so I am not scrambling if a hurricane or other diseaster comes upon us.

I live in Florida.  Some areas have their tornados (we get them periodically, usually with a storm of some sort, but not like Tornado Alley).  Some get massive snow storms.  We get Hurricanes.  Thankfully, our area hasn’t had a major hurricane hit in nearly 70 years, but we get plenty of tropical weather.

Assuming nothing is going to happen simply because nothing has happened in a long time isn’t safe thinking.

Having kids adds a whole new twist in emergency planning.

They are going to get ansy, and depending on their age may have specific food, sleeping, or other needs.

Granted, I may not be able to take the pack-n-play if we have to go on foot, but if we go by car, it needs to go.

I heard a great idea of creating a spreadsheet with a list of every ziplock bag for each backpack and highlighting items in one color that needed to be roated out every 6 months and in another color the items that need to be rotated out every 12 months.

As I’ve started researching (and I’ve only done a little), I know that good organization is the key.  It’ll be quite a project, but may prove to be a great investment of my time if it turns out we find ourselves needing those kits.

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Some links provided by  buyemergencyfoods.com.  All thoughts & opinions are 100% my own.

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I recently came across this video and news story of Dr. Drew interviewing Sarah McKinley.

The above video from the source wasn’t working when I went to post, so I found this one instead:

Sarah is an 18 year old mom to her (then) 3 month old baby boy and had lost her husband to lung cancer on Christmas Day.  On New Years Eve, two days after her husband’s funeral, there was a break-in at her home.

I have to admit that I have never heard of Dr. Drew prior to today, but I am assuming he is a well known TV personality?

I am astonished beyond belief that he is questioning Mrs. McKinley’s motives and even jokingly called her infant son “the accomplish”.  She is obviously in deep mourning for her husband, whose passing made her baby’s First Christmas one she will remember with sadness; dealing with the fact that her well-being and the well-being of her baby were threatened – which is a horror enough on its own; dealing with the fact that she is responsible (no matter how justified, and IT WAS) for taking the life of another person; and knowing that she sat on the phone with a 911 dispatch operator for 21 minutes with no sign of the police.

Dr. Drew said, “I have a billion questions.”

Really?

The intruders were not there for a friendly social visit.  She took all the measures she could to avoid the fatal ending.  She was on the phone for TWENTY-ONE MINUTES with 911 dispatch.  She blocked the door with a couch, hoping it would stall them or prevent them from entering.  She saw a weapon, though she misinterpretted the type of weapon that it was.  Not that it matters.  They were there for foul purposes and she did what she had to do.

Why didn’t she run?  Do you regret what you did?

Sarah McKinley wasn’t amused and I don’t blame her.  Dr. Drew came across as disrespectful and demeaning, at least in my opinion.

Toward the end of the segment, he says he feels emotionally gratified that she did what she did, but he certainly didn’t come across that way while he was questioning her.

Dr. Drew had two other guests on to discuss the situation: Lisa Bloom & Heidi David.  They understood completely why she did what she did.

Ya think???

Ms. Bloom commented that while she agreed with Mrs. McKinley’s decision, she discussed the issue with guns in the home and accidental shootings and how this case was rare, which is why it was in the news.

I’m really hoping she meant rare that the intended victim shot the intruder and not rare that a gun in the home was used in a justifiable way.

Because what isn’t rare? Intrusions, theft, rape, and murder.   Cases where the victim isn’t able to defend themselves.

I think it is awesome that she had the presence of mind to do what needed to be done and even more so that she showed restraint as long as she could in an effort to preserve the life of some low-life criminal.

Just my two cents.

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