Sea Doo time

So to finish up my Weekend Round Up

(Yes, I am aware that it is almost the weekend again...where does time go??)

Sunday we headed to the beach, a little bit later than we wanted due to some fixing of the Sea Doo we had to do.

But we did make it and the kids had lots of fun, as well as the adults=)

This Sea Doo goes so much faster than the one we borrowed last year.
It is fun, and riding on Lake Erie compared to a small calm lake in Michigan that we are used to was a whole new experience.
FUN though.

Insurance for kids??

I bet you didn't know you could get
life insurance for kids!
But you can. We had it at one point, but don;t currently.
We were told that if we kept the policy paid throughout our kids life they could keep it at the really cheap price for their adult life.
It would have been nice to be able to keep it up for them.
Check out your options, your kids will thank you.

Gifts

Are you looking for a good gift for your mom, grandma, wife...?
Maybe you should check out the womens gold watches.

Beautiful and many different selections should help you find the perfect one for whoever you are looking for.

Honey...if you are reading...I don't like gold, but you should already know that;)

Intimidating

I am quite intimidated when I think about all we have to do when it is time to buy a house.
We will first have to look AND agree on the house we want and then we need to look into all the mortgage lenders out there and decide which one is best for us. I am sure if you have bought a house you understand.
I know it will be worth it in the end though=)

They make it hard

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to get a new cell phone?
I think it is quite ridiculous what some of the companies expect you to do in order to get teh phone you want.
We have experienced some problems when wanting a specific phone, but it is offered by another company than who we have service with.
We have had to pay almost $100 to get a phone unlocked, now you can purchase an already
unlocked phone!
They makes things so easy nowadays=)

LadyBugs

Ladybugs are so cute.
Maybe that is the reason people like Ladybug steam cleaners!
They are pretty cute, I must say, definitely resembling a ladybug.
Maybe you would like to buy on with you economic stimulus check...or maybe not!
But if you have allergies you may seriously consider it, I think it could help you out.

Weekend Roundup part 2

Saturday we woke up ate a big breakfast, and left to go to the African Safari Wildlife Park!
I was so excited about this. I love giraffe's and knew I'd get to see on up close.
Which I did.
We all enjoyed ourselves, well I guess maybe Ethan didn't so much.
He spent most of the time yelling for us to STOP.

When we drove away from the giraffe (which was oh so gentle and sweet) Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and muttered "Ah, safety" LOL
What a cutie.
He did get brave and fed the deer the second time through.

Enjoy a slide show of my favorite pics:

Weekend Roundup

I think I will copy Wendy and do a Weekend round-up series. It was a busy weekend resulting in a lot I want to document!

Friday after Merci got home from school we packed up and headed to the camp ground.
We were pretty hungry since Josh and I forgot to eat because of all the busyness of getting ready.
We stopped at McD's and wondered how much longer until we got to the campground.
To our surprise the camp ground was seriously across the street.
We felt silly for not being able to wait a bit longer to cook some hot dogs or something.
Oh well.
We had fun, the kids were surprised that their aunt (only 4 years older than Merci) and uncles (11, 16, & 17) were there and immediately got to driving us crazy.

We started the nightly tradition of glow sticks, sparklers and smores!









And this is how close McD's was, this is from our camp site:




We were really roughing it with this so close and WiFi
(even though I contained myself and didn't bring the laptop)

Don't want to bore you, so stop back the next few days for the rest of the story!

A few thoughts!

Rotten, moldy banana bread smells terrible.
Trust me on that one.
____________________________________________

Driver's on cell phones are VERY dangerous to us drivers who refrain from being on the phone constantly in the car.
____________________________________________

Congrats Amy and Mike on you new baby GIRL!!!
_____________________________________________

Camping was GREAT!
Pictures and details coming, I know you are dying for them;)

In a tent...

blogging....how cool is that?  I love my iphone

::Delicious::

Oh yum...I was at Target, which meant I had to walk past Starbucks, and who can walk by without ordering something?? Oh an let me remind you I NEVER drank coffee drink until less than a year ago, now I am in LOVE...LOL.

I aksed for a cold raspberry mocha, no raspberry so the nice gentleman offered to add some strawberry stuff, but if I didn't like it he would make me something else....I LOVED IT.
Chocolate covered strawberry drink, YUMMO!

They should add it to the menu.
Too bad I only got a small. I drank it in like 2 minutes.

Happy Friday!

Sad

If you are a fan of Christian music, and if you aren't I am sure you have heard about Steven Curtis Chapman. Tradegy hit their family this past week.

Pray for them.

Even though...

the last couple posts have been "paid" post's read this one!

It is true, it will be ours as of later TODAY!!!

Hip

Sunglasses have become a very trendy thing. I am sad that I can't wear them, they give me a headache more than the sun itself. I have found a few pair that I loved and I could wear, but of course they broke or got lost. If you are into sunglasses check out this website: vintage sunglasses. I am sure you can find a hip pair that you like...LOL=) (for a costume party, that is!)
Hopefully you won;t have to buy upwards of 10 pair a year like my husband (I think he eats them)!

ON/OFF

The lights

in this house stink.
Something with the electrical is wrong.
Ligtbulbs seem to burn out so quickly, then you go to change them and they work.
Weird.
We also had a problem in our basement with the lights. really burning out quickly.
We go the twirly ones, and now we don't seem to have that problem.
We thing it may have been from the kids jumping around, the filament in the bulb must have been breaking, or maybe not, that is our guess though.

OURS

After the payment I make today the Jeep will be OURS!! It feels so good. 5 years of monthly payments and replacing the engine and finally no more $ to pay for this thing!
Until....I realized the air conditioning compressor is still broke, so then I decided we would replace it, because driving in a car with NO A/C in the summer, well, sucks.
And then hubby said he really needs to fix the suspension, and....the list goes on.
I guess we will still be putting $ into this thing for awhile. ::sigh::

Rip off

If you haven't heard me rant about car insurance, you haven't missed much.
I am sure you guys don't like paying tons of money to the insurance companies either.
I kinda forgot that buying a Sea Doo meant having to insure it.
Our first quote was for $450 a year...WHAT??
We live in a state where we will be able to use this thing maybe for 3 good months, and we live at least an hour away from a good lake to take it to.
Finally found a quote for less than $200, still a rip off but much better.

Renting

I didn't think there were companies that offered computer rental
but there are!
I couldn't find places to rent jet ski's either. Until today on Craigslist there was a guy offering rental on his. Could have saved me some $, we could have just rented instead of buying.
I am glad my brother went in half with me because with tax, title, registration, plates for the trailer etc. it got pretty costly. Oh well, what am I gonna do now?

Is it me?

Or is the blog world kinda slow this week?

::Oh My::

My son coming down the stairs from going potty:
"Mommy there was a sausage in my belly and it came out of my butt."
Me:
"What? Ethan, it was poop" (I would loved to have seen my face...HOW FUNNY)
Ethan:
"No it is sausage."
Me:
"Let me see" (only if you are a mom...would you ask to see your kids poop)
Me:
"No that is poop, poop looks different all the time E."

Tony the Tiger

I am sure we all ate Frosted Flakes when we were little.
A simple cereal that young and old enjoy!

I wonder if I have bought these for my kids
(I don't think I have, at least not since E was born, yikes)...
BUT now I can feel a bit better about giving my kids Frosted Flakes, they
have a new healthier version!

Kellogg' s Frosted Flakes Gold

This version is made with whole grains and sweetened with honey and a great source of fiber.
(and high fructose corn syrup...why can't they just cut this out?)
Definitely more nutritious than the regular Frosted Flakes.

I buy "sugar" cereal sometimes, my kids know it is a treat, or I have a coupon to make it really cheap!

But with Frosted Flakes Gold, they win and I win.
Compromise is good!
I plan on buying some for our camping trip this weekend.
Maybe you will try them too!

Check out the website to find family fun, great promotions and recipes!
Kellogg's is really trying to be a family friendly company offering great resources to families and they even have a good sportsmanship program!

It is great to support companies like this.

Catching up

I always have stuff I want to blog about but never get to. I usually have short periods of time to be on this here computer.

So here are a few thing that I want to catch up on:

My Scrapbook pages from our visit to Kalahari in February I even got them done the day I said I was. Haven't scrapped in like a year so I am a bit rusty, but I do like the pages, simple and cute!






Wendy and I will be doing a review blog!
Our Two Cents will be up and running in the near future. We already have some great stuff planned and reviews in process. Stay Tuned!

I won 2 giveaways in one week (a few weeks ago)! 2 t-shirts from Jelly Bean Apperal hosted by Andrea. A a plate mate for E from Domestic Diva. He loves it and gets mad when I forget! Thanks Ladies!



The turquoise one says "about to pop" I sent it to a friend who is about to pop!!
The mommy one is for ME!

E and I went to Chic-Fil-A the other day and he got a cd on how to speak Chinese in his kids meal, HE loves it and repeats everything he can. So cute! ( I love their educational toys!)

And we (my brother and I) did buy the JET SKI yesterday!!!
It is ours! Hubby already wants to go buy the other one we looked at...LOL.
But without anyone to go half with us, I am not too sure.

I ordered some Tupperware from Iowa Mom's online "party"!
I got a great deal and love my stuff!!



That yellow one..it is a new line, it is called Flat-Out...it turns into a bowl, but flattens to save room in your cupboards..I LOVE the idea!!

Enough for today!!

Everyone loves em!

I don't know too many people who don't like those yummy Rice Krispie treats.
Who can resist the melt in your mouth buttery, marshmallowy, crunchy delights?
(Not to mention how quick, easy and cheap they are to make!)

Childhood is Calling
is the name of an awesome website that has all kinds of rice krispie treats.
Recipes, different products, COUPONS (my favorite!), games, tales of Snap! Crackle! and Pop! special offers and more.

The newest flavor, Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® With Real Strawberries, looks really tasty!

Get your kids in on the fun.
They have helpful age appropriate tips for getting your kids in on kitchen help.

So many fun things!

There are so many Rice Krispie recipes you will have to try them all!

Flaunt it Friday

A new round of Flaunt it Friday brought to you by The Mommy Kelly at Taken With a Grain of Salt (she is quite fun to read, if you haven't met, go introduce yourself!)

This week we are flaunting our latest bargain, sale or steal!!

I have a few, and since this is my favorite past time (shopping for bargains!!), this is so exciting for me!!

I was recently at Old Navy and there was a rack of stuff for .97 cents. That's right, cheaper than a thrift. Cha Ching, they had girl stuff in my daughters size!!





(Just in case you didn't believe me on the price!)

And then my great bargains from a few weeks ago....


The jeans were .69 cents at a thrift, Children's Place, PERFECT condition, the tanks $1.98 each!!

I LOVE getting cheap, cute clothes!!!
Have a great weekend!

Nerd

I guess I have turned into a nerd. I aced my English class with flying colors. I didn't like writing all those papers and doing research etc. but I did and my final grade wasn't too shabby, if I don't say so myself! 653.5 point out of 698!!! 94%

Might be a bit more impressive if I was taking more than 1 class at a time...LOL.

Hormones

As a woman I am sure you understand that hormones are crazy things. I don't experience random hormone levels very much but when I do, I do. Thoughts about going out and drinking lots of alcohol, dreams about being admitted to
drug rehab, and all sorts of thoughts that do not enter my head on a regular basis.
What the heck.
Glad whatever issues my hormones were having are all over now!

We might buy this....

...and if we do, I will definitely be out of my FUNK...HAHA.
It is used and we will be going half with my brother!
It is such a GREAT deal, I think we should do it, but it is like 2 hours away.

Go....

HERE for my stolen Wordless Wednesday!!
My guy is the Hulk=)
Looks like they had LOTS of fun.

My wonderful friend offered to take E for the day to keep her little guy occupied and so I could go do something by myself! I am ever grateful to her...Thanks L!!!!!!

::FUNK::

If you don't hear from me, it is because I am in a funk.
I am uninterested in anything and everything.
I have posts planned out, but just no interest in doing so.
I will be reading blogs, otherwise I'd have nothing to do.
I need a job or something.
I need to get away from this house more, see friends more, have something for me, not do the same things all the time.
UGGGGG.

If you are or if you aren't yet.....

Happy Mother's Day
My Friends!

A few Saturday things

I did a bit of cleaning today (I attacked by 2 ft pile of junk), wrapped gifts, wrote out cards, showered, did some laundry, painted my nails, and talked to a friend on facebook for awhile.

My wonderful husband had no one to work with today
so he did a few estimates and came home by 1.

We were gonna do a bit of shopping but after a failed attempt at Target (2 crabby a@@ kids) we are home.

I whipped up a strawberry rhubarb pie for our picnic tomorrow
( I have never made one, so here is hopping it is good).

We will drop off mothers Day gifts to his side of the family today and share our pie
(If it turns out good!)

And then we will finish a bit of shopping hopefully.

Happy Saturday.

FREEDOM

I am officially DONE with school for this semester,
I just took my final and can't wait to find out my grade!!

WOO HOO!

Night!

23 cents

Check out this article.

Would you wait in lines of more than 2000 people and for hours just for a 23 cent pizza?? Now Papa Johns is really yummy, but so NOT worth it. Go spend the $10 somewhere else!

**UPDATE**
We got pizza somewhere else. At the beginning of the week when I heard about this deal I planned to get pizza tonight, but didn't realize the crowds it would draw.
It was reported that at one location there were more than 2000 people in line at one time. YIKES.
Seriously for $10????
Maybe for a guaranteed few hundred off something I would do it.
Here is a picture from 7:30 PM after the dinner rush etc. You can only see a bit of the line but I just thought it was hilarious. It wrapped around the whole building.
$10 bucks people $10 bucks.

He is a comedian

Another of E's famous funnies...

Last night as I was dressing him for bed he was pointing out all of his boo-boos and as he was searching for more he found his nipple area and was like "What is this rash mom." I starting laughing so hard!! This kid cracks me up. I then explained that it was a nipple and made daddy show him that he has them too, he then asked to see mine (which I did not show him!)

I have decided

A few things!

*I have decided NOT to eat Burger King for the entire month of MAY. I am 6 days in and loosing the craving already! Now I didn't eat there daily and it wasn't burgers and fries. It was cheesy tots, Mocha Joes (YUMMMMMMMY) and occasionally sausage egg and cheese croissanwich (only 2 for $3, you can't beat that). So in order to save a few calories and hopefully a few pounds I will stay away as long as I can.

*When Ethan goes down for a nap I will do a scrapbook page or 2.
I hate to work out of order because I want the pages to be in order but I am making an exception.

I am going to do our sledding ones and maybe Kalahari pictures.
We will see how well stinker goes down and how creative I get!

PS I haven't scrapped in over a year (maybe more).

Weekend Roundup

Friday we went out with a bunch of friends for Jason's birthday, we went to Mongolian BBQ

(Great Place!) and then around the corner to LA CAVE DU VIN (The Wine Cave) for a few drinks. The hit of the night was a Raspberry or Cherry Beer! Yummy! They had a huge wall of imported beer, micro brew beer and any kind you can think of, oh yeah and lots of wine!

Saturday we got to sleep in since both kids were sleeping over someone's house. After we picked E up we can home and made breakfast together. It wasn't long before sleep deprived parents and son needed a nice 3 hour nap. Merci was still with my aunt. We then spent some time together had dinner and went back to sleep for the night.

Sunday we had brunch with some people who we haven't seen in awhile and discussed a Radiant Church, we then took E to get his stitches out, we went to the Nature Center, We went to Bob Evan for lunch (thanks Gma) and then went to our homegroup, we got home in time to go to bed! LONG DAY! LONG WEEKEND!











I just wanted to hug this little fox.



This shirt is NOT flattering to my stomach, it is not that big!

Let's see if you can guess???

How much it was for E's ER visit and 3 stitches??

E did get his stitched removed Sunday. It was horrible, THANK God Josh was there to go in with him, he was screaming so loud, I wanted to cry.
He was much better when he was getting them put in.
Afterwards he said it didn't hurt, I think he was just scared because he didn't know what to expect.
Here is what his boo-boo looks like now:

Another VOTING favor

Remember awhile back I asked you to vote for a band to get into a festival?? Well they amde it, and now they are trying to get into another one.

Can you vote for them again??

http://www.sonicbids.com/voting/default.asp?poll_id=168

The band name is State Fair and they are close to the bottom!
Thanks in advance.

Alive is a HUGE festival with lots of live bands, mostly well known Christian artists. This would be a GREAT opportunity to get their music known in this area.

I love my son

E has said/done some of the cutest things this morning!
I am surprised he hasn't popped from me hugging him so much and so hard!

#1) I had asked M to go brush her teeth, she soon came running in the kitchen and dramatically whining that she was scared because when she turned the hall light on they went off (we have some sort of electrical problem, they work sometimes and shut off randomly...she knows this). E quickly jumped up and assured her it was ok and told her he would go with her
( I know it was to get out of eating, but it was way too cute!)

#2) We were waving to daddy and Uncle Josh (my brother- aka uncle Goshy)as they were leaving. He saw my brother eating something.
He said, "Uncle Goshy is silly, he eats smokers."
HAHA...He thought he was smoking a cigarette.
I love that kids are so innocent, he thinks they eat cigarettes...LOL.

#3) He immediate turn and sees the dryer vent on the side of the house and says,
"That thing makes our world warm."
So adorable!

We will see what the rest of the day holds!

Not much...

to say today. Just a boring old Thursday. We did have a play date this morning, E had lots of fun.
I have so much to do around here that I am not sure where to start. So i guess I will sit on the computer and do nothing...LOL.

I got these new cloth napkins from and Etsy store:



I realized using cloth napkins was another simple way to go GREEN.
My kids are napkin crazy so this will definitely save some garbage. I should get more though.

I entered a contest at SIMPLE to win a MUNCHLER from POLKADOT PLATYPUS
Check them out, they are so cute!!
The Polkadot Platypus has other great things also!

I had more to say than I thought!