The Girls Say....

Merry Christmas!

Safeway Making The Holidays Easier On Your Pocket Book!

I've said it many times before, and I'm saying it yet again! Times are tough and we all need to watch what we spend.

Safeway and its family of grocery stores (Vons, Dominick's, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Pavilions, Carrs and Genuardi's) are helping Moms make this season a bit easier. Shopping with Safeway's Club Card offers us the opportunity to earn gas rewards whenever we grocery shop, buy prescriptions, and even gift cards.

You can earn double PowerPump Gas Rewards for every $100 in gift cards purchased with your Club Card at Safeway stores. You can pick up gift cards from over 300 retailers, restaurants, sports and entertainment companies (including Best Buy, The Home Depot, Macy's, iTunes, plus many more!).

To find a participating store near you, go to www.Safeway.com/PowerPump and enter your zip code. You can use the giftcards as presents or for your personal use to receive the extra benefit of double gas rewards at the pump. The offer of double PowerPump gas rewards on gift cards will only be available through the holidays.

Girls Are So Touchy

I'm a mother to three girls. One of those girls has apparently come in to puberty quite early. She is 10, she is growing like a weed!

Its a funny thing with girls. You really have to be careful of what you say to them, because everything is taken the wrong way. For instance, the other night J and I commented on her outfit, telling her the outfit she was wearing was getting way too small. She freaked, like freaked in a way that would lead to her binging on cheap diet pills if I hadn't nipped it before it was out of control.

I had to explain to her that we just meant she was getting taller. Taller meaning shirts get shorter and jeans show much more butt crack than anyone should ever have to see. We both realized at that moment......from here on out anything we say to her can totally affect her body image. This is definitely a topic that I need to read up on and prepare for. Girls have it so rough with the way they change, so I am going to continue to try to make sure all of my girls are 100% comfortable with themselves

READ KIDDO READ

As I have mentioned before, I LOVE books! Thankfully my kids love books as well. Morgan is in the 5th grade and is reading at about a 10th grade level now. She used to hate to read, I'm so glad that changed. She devours books daily! I keep a lot of books in our home and we visit the library quite often.

One of my favorite authors is James Patterson. He is the man behind Read Kiddo Read. Read Kiddo Read was designed to help you find great books that will make your child want to read! They have reviews on books that are separated for the appropriate ages and types of books.

• Great Illustrated Books
• Great Transitional Books
• Great Pageturners
• Great Advanced Reads

I have all girls, so I can not attest to this on a personal level.... but I hear that boys are harder to get into reading for pleasure than girls are. I noticed on the site they is a list called Almost Can't-Miss Sure Shot Books... For Boys.

If you give your kids great books that they enjoy reading you will get a kid who loves to read. The Read Kiddo Read site can help us all pick out some great books to help our children along.

James Patterson has also been writing books for all ages, beginning with the critically acclaimed Maximum Ride series. The series debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list at #1 and remained there for 12 straight weeks!

I want to thank Mother Talk for letting me in on this great site so that I could share it with you!

Oh and this post is not complete without me telling you what my favorite James Patterson book is. It is called Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas, and I highly recommend you check it out. Be forewarned...this one requires tissues.

Ultimate Party Meatballs Recipe

I know you all probably have all kinds of holiday family dinners to attend. This requires you to think of something to prepare and take! It's not like your busy enough right? So how about something easy this year?

Heinz and Ocean Spray have teamed up to bring you a great easy recipe for this years holiday season! Their Ultimate Party Meatball recipe only has 3 ingredients and 2 steps! How much easier can it get?

Ingredients:

• 1 16-ounce can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
• 1 12-ounce bottle Heinz® Chili Sauce
• 1 2-pound bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail-size meatballs

Directions:

Combine sauces in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Add meatballs. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.

Makes 30 appetizer servings.

Want it even easier?????? Of course you do!

Slow cooker Preparation:

Place meatballs in a slow cooker. Combine sauces and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook 4 hours on HIGH.

Heinz and Ocean Spray have many other recipes, entertaining tips, and even a sweepstakes! The grand prize is $3000 to throw the ultimate party. I know you love to party!

I would like to thank Mom Central for sending me this awesome recipe to try out! It was a big hit with my kids and I will be making it again for Christmas Eve!

Christmas, is it almost over?

Ok so I am almost done with my gift shopping. I still have to go get my oldest daughters BIG present. She is going to be so excited to finally have her own computer. It's a pretty big deal.

Jeremy was the hardest to shop for. I had thought about scrapbooking about the band so far, but really just didn't have enough time. So I decided to order one of those photo books. I just did it a few days ago and he was quite suspicious of the questions I was asking. Oh well. Well, when I hit the order button it said 2-3 weeks for delivery....say what? But I just got an email confirmation last night saying it would be ready to pick up at the local store in 2-3 days. That's awesome! Totally made my day to find that out.

I have been working my fanny off catching up on custom orders and finally got caught up and everything mailed in time. I have also been working hard with the new graphics portion of our business. The .com has been purchased and the new site should be up soon! So exciting! As well as the band web site being worked on and it will be up very soon as well!

$100 Lands' End Gift Card!

Lands' End really wants some mom opinions! You can give them yours by completing the Lands' End Sun.Life 2008 Survey. The survey consists of 22 multiple-choice questions. Upon completing the survey, your name will be entered to win one of five $100 Lands' End Gift Cards. To be eligible to win, you must complete the survey by midnight (CST) on Friday, December 19th.

Check Out This Diaper Lottery!

CottonMamma has some items in stock, and along with it a fantastic lottery! If you win, you ONLY cover the shipping! This is a first quality diaper. Here is the description for the listing.

Jolly Bums Diaper In Peach - XL Lottery

This listing is for one Jolly Bums Diaper, for the cost of shipping only! Just a fun listing from me to you! It's that time of year when gift-giving is fun! So take a chance, enter your name & you just might have another gift for your little one or a friend for a nominal cost.

You will receive one AI2 (all-in-two) style diaper in a peach color. This diaper has a waterproof outer & a snap-in soaker. This diaper is best suited for day-time wear. Other snap-in soakers may be used to enhance this diaper for nighttime performance.

This diaper does NOT require a cover. The outer layer is PUL (polyurethane laminate) and is a waterproof barrier.

The soaker you will receive is the old-style Jolly Bums soaker. It is composed of organic cotton fleece and topped with microfleece.

This AI2 does NOT have a sewn-in soaker component in the shell.

Please see below for diaper sizing:

Small-12-16 waist, rise 15
Med- 14-20 waist, rise 17
Large-16-22 waist, rise 19
XL-18-25 waist, rise-21

Baby Einstein Holiday Blog Tour

You know, I had never watched a Baby Einstein DVD. My girls had never watched one either. We have had Baby Einstein books, which are among some of the favorites here at our home. So of course I wanted to see what else they offered.

I was super excited to be chosen to participate in the Baby Einstein Blog tour hosted by Mom Central. It was the perfect opportunity to see first hand what was so special about Baby Einstein.

In our package we recieved the following:

• 10th Anniversary Baby Mozart DVD
• Baby Einstein Board Book
• Lullaby Classics CD

We are currently listening the the Lullaby Classics CD right now and you know....it's REALLY peaceful and relaxing. Maybe I should place this in my room at night to help relax this tired mama. The girls, however are dancing! It's looking like a 4yr old and 2 yr olds version of ballet. I would have to say they are loving it and so am I. I mean I am typing while my kids listen to music that I can actually stand! That means I am able to concentrate! WOW! I must get more of this thing called Baby Einstein!

The board book was the first thing the girls ran off when the package arrived. Ms. Emma is 2 and has claimed the book as hers. Ms. Lauren (age 4) also loves the touch and feel book. She enjoys showing me how the fur turns different colors depending on which way you rub it.

The DVD was another hit and one I actually enjoyed. A nice change from the overly obnoxious children's shows on TV. Sorry...this mama can't stand a doodlebop, there for no doodle boppin a bops in my house. The DVD was not too long! That is great, because I like TV in small intervals for the kid's so they are not just veggin' out on the tube for hours. This is a great length for some evening relaxation to wind down before bed time.

I was also sent some DVD viewing tips and I would like to share a few of those here with you.

DVD Viewing Tips

At Baby Einstein, each DVD is designed to reinforce parent-child interaction by providing visually interesting, entertaining content that you and your baby can watch together. Whether the theme is art, music, or barnyard animals, each DVD offers an opportunity to cuddle, share, talk, or sing along with your baby. The DVD can also be a jumping off point for more parent child interaction during your everyday routine.

Talk! Talk! Talk!

From the moment we say that first hello to our new baby, we begin developing our little one’s language. So, when you’re watching a Baby Einstein DVD, you don’t have to be quiet. This is a chance to create little stories.

From the Video Theme to the Real World Scene

Whenever there is an opportunity to link what you have seen on the DVD to other experiences in baby’s life, make that connection. For example, if you watched a DVD about animals, you might say, “Oh, look. There’s a BIG fish on the screen. Do we have another fish in our house?” And off you go to look at your gold fish. This kind of activity shows baby that something we see in one place can be seen in other places too.

So hop on over and check out Baby Einstein and Mom Central!

I Want A Huge Bathroom

I'm bored so I'm posting about what I would like to have in my dream bathroom. I have more than one sort of bathroom I would like so for now I will just cover one. I want a tub like this:
I want one of these Kohler faucets:


On a Vanity like this but not those colors! Oh and not those lights or mirror.....I just mean the vanity itself with the drawers and cupboards:


Dude, I would spend all day in there. Throw in a comfy chair and some books and I would be in Heaven! Ohhh maybe a fireplace? Yea that would rock!

I've Won A "MAJOR AWARD"

Ok, I didn't win this rad lamp, but I was awarded a blog award! Tracy from One Retro Mama gave it to me!

The award is for PROXIMITY and it's explained this way:
"This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

This is my first blog award! Woohooo! Now I get to award 8 others! Who will then award 8 more, and it will go on and on.

So...here are the bloggers I award!

'Cuz I Felt Like It for being 100% real ALWAYS! Everything you read on her blog is truly 100% her and I love her.

Christi's Creative Side for being a very talented STRONG mama!

Hello Jobi because she is RAD and her kids are RAD, she just needs to update her blog!

4 Girls and a Marine truly a great person and new to the blogging world

Blah Blah Blah Blog I love reading her posts, just check out her newest one about her dog for sale!

Dinker and Giggles She always posts very imformative blog posts and reviews, check out all of her giveaways that are currently going on. She is also a great person!

SWift wOrds is local to me and she is also a poet and an awesome mama

Five J's this is a blog that I just started reading. This mama does a lot and there is a TON of great stuff over there!

Now go check all these great people out and give them some love!

Why Do We Have Such Bad Luck?

So my last post was about how awesome everything seemed to be lately. Well today, not so awesome. I am sitting here worried about J. A few weeks ago he fell off of a roof while working. This sucked really bad because they had just started the job and yea it sucks because falling hurts.

He worked through the pain and after a few days was feeling a bit better. His arm still hurts and it has this funky little bend to it. Today he woke up having trouble breathing. Its all on the side that he hit when he fell. I am worried that he cracked his ribs and maybe in his sleep something shifted. He still went to work, but the look on his face told me he was in a lot of pain. I wish we were built with a little pain pump built in. Give that baby a push whenever you felt crappy. Really though, I never take meds, so I would probably never push the button on it.

I'm half asleep, only have had 1/2 cup of coffee. I have a lot to do OFFLINE today, so hoping to get all of mu puter stuff done this morning and SHUTTING this thing off to get stuff done the rest of the day.

This Week Is Tree Time

I really can not wait. J is picking up the Christmas Tree this week. This year all 3 girls will be able to help decorate. I know they will have such a blast. Now my deal is getting everything ready for the tree to arrive. I need some sort of moving services to help get it in order for me. Anyone want to volunteer? This is our first Christmas in this house and I hope that it is a nice and memorable one for my girls.

This week was quite a full one. We had a surprise birthday party for J. Its funny because I had this planned before I knew about the one they had for me, so all of our friends were like ugh 2 in a row??? HAHAHA! Some good friends showed up and we all had a good time.

Before people arrived Morgan and J built a massive dog house for Morgan's dogs. Complete with porch and all. It still needs to be shingled and painted. It was a great weekend and I think it's going to continue to be awesome for us through this Holiday season.

Speedealer and The Misfits

So yesterday was J's birthday and last Friday was mine. We decided that we would go see the Speedealer Reunion show! They played with The Misfits and we had an awesome time! I met some new people, got a few bruises, and a few pictures. One of the girls I met got her camera knocked out of her hands and lost her memory stick! How bad does that suck! This was after she had taken MANY pictures. So the night goes on and the show is over. We were all standing outside in the back and met Dez Cadena (of Black Flag fame). As we were standing outside a guy came up and had the memory stick that had previously been lost in a sea of craziness. Rad! Here are some of my photos from the night.

Revolution Money Exchange

No FEES, great alternative to paypal! RME cards are now accepted at many stores! Click on the button below or in my side bar to sign up!

MoneyExchange is an easy and secure way to send and receive money online for FREE.

• FREE to register for an account
• FREE to add money from your bank account
• FREE to send money
• FREE to receive money
• FREE to request money
• FREE to electronically transfer money to your bank account

The following is taken directly from the Revolution Money Exchange site:

About Revolution Money

Launched in 2007, a new payment network – Revolution Money – was created to deliver significant value to both consumers and merchants through two products, RevolutionCard and RevolutionMoneyExchange. The RevolutionCard eliminates costly interchange fees for merchants while simultaneously providing consumers with enhanced PIN-based security, identity protection, and periodic merchant discounts and incentives. MoneyExchange offers an easy and secure way to send and receive money online between accountholders for free. The accounts are issued by First Bank & Trust, Brookings, SD, Member FDIC and part of the Fishback Financial Corporation. These products are leading the transformation of the payment industry by providing secure, easy, and instant payment solutions to everyone.

Revolution Money is based in St. Petersburg, FL and is part of the family of companies within Revolution, LLC, which was founded by Steve Case to drive transformative change by shifting power to consumers.

With series B venture capital funding from Citi, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Revolution LLC, and a world-class Board of Directors, Revolution Money has strong financial resources and leadership to compete and grow.

Board of Directors

Ted Leonsis, Chairman	Vice Chairman, AOL; Owner, Washington Capitals
Steve Case	Chairman, Revolution LLC; Co-Founder, AOL; Former Chairman, AOL Time Warner
David Golden	CFO, Revolution LLC; Former Vice Chairman, J.P. Morgan
David Pottruck	Chairman, Eos Airlines; Former CEO, Charles Schwab
Frank Raines	Former Chairman & CEO, Fannie Mae; Previously head of OMB
Larry Summers	Former Secretary of Treasury; Former President, Harvard University
Jason Hogg	Founder, President and CEO, Revolution Money

Stores that accept RME:

ABC Liquors A.J. Wright AutoZone Barnes& Noble Belk Bed Bath &Beyond Big Y BJ's Wholesale Club Bloomingdale's Buy.com Chico's Circuit City Claire's Stores CVS/Pharmacy David's Bridal Dillard’s Dollar General Duane Reade Family Dollar Famous Smoke Shop Food Dynasty Finish Line General Nutrition Centers Giant Eagle Gordon Food Service Harley Davidson Hobby Lobby Hollister Co. Home Goods Hy Vee iGourmet.com Kay Jewelers Key Foods KOHL'S Department Stores MACY'S MAPCO Express Marshalls

Meijer Murphy USA Murphy Express Nordstrom Office Depot Office Max Party City Pharmacy Express Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Phantoms Price Less Foods Publix Rainbow Ray's Food Place Rent-A-Center Ryan's Restaurant Shipley Energy Shop Smart Shoebuy.com Skechers USA Talbots The Andersons Thorntons QuickCafe & Market T.J.Maxx Tom's Stores Tractor Supply Company U-Haul International Urban Outfitters Verizon Center (Washington Capitals) Village Inn Wachovia Center Walgreen's Whole Foods Wilson Farms WinCo Foods Winn Dixie

2 more Norton PC Tune Up's For Grabs!

Since my computer was dead I had to take it in to be fixed up. I am back! Wooohooo! Anyhow, since I was not online to promote the giveaway I have 2 more to give away! Post here! First 2 responses get one!

Rambling Cause Its Working For A Minute

Friday is my birthday. I'll be 34...I think... J's is like a week later.
I think how cool it would be to have a party for J&I, but instead all I know is that I have very few friends that actually live in Texas, so who would come? Yea, maybe if I got out more I would make some more friends, but I can't... so oh well. It's hard to make more friends my age, when most of the women my age act their age, and well frankly...in my head I am still about 21-23. I mean I am mature and have my responsibilities, but I still like to have fun. I like to go out and have some drinks, watch some bands. I still like to dye my hair, get tattoos, and be young. I don't want to sit around talking to "Martha Smith" about Ephadrasil hardcore and her recent wrinkle cream purchase. I want to still be young, and I will stay this way as long as I can.

Addicted To Books

My computer as you have previously read is on the fritz. Dying. Dead. Well sometimes not dead but partially resurrected like at this very moment. It's working a little bit, but I can not do much. This has been going on for about a month. It crashes. Then it crashes again. Each time getting worse and worse. So in this time of no Internet to entertain me I have rediscovered my love of books. I've become a book junkie again and the local libraries are my pusher.

Slow Computers Make Me Angry & A Giveaway To Make You Happy!

So my computer bit the bullet. Really, I am like struggling just to get this post up. I was lucky enough to get invited on the Norton PC Tune-up Blog Tour with Mom Central and give the service a whirl. I have to say the tech I had was super nice and friendly and gave me a LOT of helpful advice. He spent so much time with me because my computer just takes FOREVER to do anything. He tried and he tried, but alas, my hard drive is just fried! Had my hard drive not been damaged this would have improved my computer tremendously. He also made sure to tell me how to keep things running smooth and educated me on a lot of computer lingo and tips I never knew.

Mom Central has given me some Norton PC Tune-up cards to giveaway! This will give you a FREE session with an expert to help get your computer up to speed! This is a $69.99 value and I have 3 to give away!

• Expert 24x7 diagnoses of issues affecting your PC's performance
• 10-point performance service conducted by your Norton expert to repair your PC over the Internet
• Personalized help tailored to your needs from the leader in computer security and performance
• Service takes about 30 minutes

Yes, it says service takes about 30 min, but this really depends on your computer. My Norton guy did not say "OH 30 min time is up". He spent over an hour with me because my computer was so slow.

Want to try it out? Leave me a comment here telling me how awesome I am and oh you can leave me birthday wishes so I can feel loved. Winner will be chosen at random on Monday, or whenever I can get logged on to do so...since my puter needs repair!

Virtual Books For Kids

I got a chance to try out MobiStories, and my girls loved it! MobiStories are virtual books for kids. These "books" can be purchased and downloaded to your computer. You can play them on the computer or load them on to a portable viewing device.

I downloaded 4 different titles from MobiStories this morning. One being titled "Tobias Turkey" which teaches a great lesson of determination. My little ones sat at the computer and watched and listened to the entire thing. The stories are narrated very well, with great artwork for the "pages".

There are many educational stories to choose from, and all are classified by an age group. I do think this is a site I will order from again. I had one small issue and customer service was quick to respond and take care of it immediately. Basically a paypal glitch in notifying them of my payment. I was pleased with how quickly the issue was resolved.

Guess what? As a limited time offer to my readers you can get $10 worth of MobiStories downloads for free! This offer may only be redeemed in one sitting and expires on December 31st, 2008. At checkout simply enter 205A in the coupon code area. Easy as pie. You get to try a great new service, and your kids get some awesome stories. Don't forget to add the free book to your cart as well!

Stitchblade Goodies In Action!

Road Trips And Good Friends

Lately I have been planning (just in my head of course) a road trip. Just me and a few good friends as well as J. Straight through Texas, stopping at any ghost towns along the way and all the was to las vegas. I have always wanted to go. I have a friend that goes every year with her husband, every year they have a blast. They go see cool shows, gamble a bit, drink a bit and have a good time. I used to plan on going to Las Vegas and getting married in a drive thru by a fat Elvis. I still think about that. I want cool memories to talk about when I am old and sitting on the front porch chewing tobacco and drinking whiskey. I want to go to Vegas. Jessica let's go to Vegas....OK?

Drum roll please.....

The winner of Carrie's fabulous Goat's milk soap is CHRISTI! Congratulations Christi!! I bet you fall in love with Carrie's soaps!

Yummy Soaps And Other Goodness

So, I have this online friend FOREVER now. Her name is Carrie and she is one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. She only has one flaw that I have ever noticed and that is her undying love of cats. She is always getting a new cat. She even has some freaky dwarf cat! It's like a wiener dog! If you know me even a little bit, you have probably learned I have a huge FEAR of cats......and wiener cats just push me past my limit......but really, this isn't about me, it's all about Carrie

Tell me about you and your family......
I am a stay at home mom, I have 4 children ranging in age from 3-12. I have been married to my wonderful husband Tom for 8 years. We live on the "Funny Farm" (That's what a lot of people call us) We have around 40 animals. Dogs, Cats, Chickens, Goats, Rabbits - you name it we have taken it in!

What is your store name and link?
My store is Country Cottage Aromas

What do you specialize in?
Well, I started out with Goats Milk soap, then added tarts, and now I am adding my handcrafted items and more.

How did you get started?
I started out because I had tried a bar of Goats Milk Soap and fell in love! I tried to order again and saw that the wahm went out of business. So, I tried someone else - same deal, she went out of business as well. So, I thought to myself "I can do it!"

What do you love about your business?
I love that I am home with my children most of all. I also love making soaps and sewing so I do what I love :-) Working from home gives you the freedom to work when you want like it isn't a 9-5 job!

What is your favorite product right now?
Definitely my Oatmeal Milk & Honey Soap! I LOVE IT!

What makes your shop different?
I think my shop is different because I sell such a wide variety of items and I make them all myself.

What do you love about handcrafts?
I love how every item is unique!

What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create?
??????? No clue!
Stitchblade note.....MY BLOG!

What are some of your favorite online shops?
Of course Stitchblade! I think you are awesome!!! I could learn SO MUCH from you!!! I also love Missys Tempting Tarts, and Bella Bug Boutique
Stitchblade note...head is swelling, it may explode...

Want to try Carrie's Goats Milk Soap? She has given us a bar to giveaway to one lucky reader! All you need to do is visit her site and then come back here and comment about what you would love to try sometime.
Want MORE ENTRIES???? Subscribe and leave another comment letting me know...you will get 5 more entries for this! Carrie also gave a coupon code! You will get 20% off when you use Stitchblade at checkout

Winner will be randomly chosen FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14th!

Want MORE ENTRIES???? Subscribe and leave another comment letting me know...you will get 5 more entries for this!

Vintage Rosey

Things I Hoard

I have noticed that I have a tendency to keep things. Like keep them and covet them and not use them the way they are intended to be used. Like stationery. I love all this cutesy stuff and I can barely bring myself to use it up. I have stationery here still from when I was a KID. Fabric...I have BINS full of fabric. I look at it and get the scissors, then at the last minute I just can't do it. I fold it up and put it back. Another one is pens...like promotional pens. Especially the prescription pens and bank pens. I know there are others like me. What is this weird obsession? Help me to let go and CUT the fabric and use the pens to write on the stationery....help.....

DREAM HOUSE "If I was Rich"

I have 2 different types of dream homes. Yea, I day dream a lot! I have an "if I was rich" dream home, and an "I want to be self sufficient" dream home. Currently I think about the "I want to be self sufficient" home on a daily basis. things are scary to me right now and I worry about the future. Today I will list 10 things about the "if I was rich" home.

The "if I was rich" home has the following 10 things. It has enough bedrooms so no guest would ever have to sleep in the living room. It has a theater with home theater seating and an old school popcorn cart. A Practice/Recording music room. A huge library, playground, pool, those wall vacuum things like The Duggar's have. Hmmm... a hot tub! Oh I totally need a craft room that is fully decked out with storage for everything. Then I think the last thing would be a stage for the girl's.

Barbie & The Diamond Castle

My girls were so happy when we received the Barbie & The Diamond Castle DVD to review. We already had some of the other Barbie movies and the girls liked them. This one however, they absolutely loved. I can not even tell you how many times they have watched it. I know the first day they watched it as soon as it ended they begged to watch it again. They were singing and dancing around the room. The animation is done so well, and the soundtrack was enjoyable. I wasn't cringing for it to be over as I am with some of the movies my kids like to watch again and again.

Liana and Alexa are two girls who share everything, including a love of singing. One day they meet an old woman and share what little food they have with her. In return the old woman lets them pick a "treasure" from her basket. They choose a tarnished old mirror. After taking it home and cleaning it up they realize this is no ordinary mirror. They meet Melody, a girl locked inside an enchanted mirror. Melody holds the secret key to the Diamond Castle. Alexa and Liana want to rescue their new friend, and so the adventure begins. Along the way they face challenges and learn about true friendship.

I really thought the story was good for our young girls. I am pretty choosy about what I allow them to watch. There are a lot of shows aimed at our children that show things I just do not agree with. This movie I am comfortable with completely.

You can find out more by visiting Everything Girl. There are activities, music, games, etc there for your child's enjoyment.

Thank you MomCentral.com for allowing us the chance to review this great movie!

Halloween Pictures FINALLY!

American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists

I have Endometriosis. Endometriosis is a common gynecological condition among American women of all ages, races and backgrounds. It is more common in women in their 20’s and 30’s, but I was diagnosed when I was just a child. When I was about 13 I had my first surgery to remove some of the cysts that I had developed. This surgery was called a Laparoscopy. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia. Access into the abdomen is obtained through the navel and a harmless gas such as carbon dioxide is used to inflate the abdominal cavity and create a safe working space. I have the teeeeeniest tiniest scar there. I also have one a few inches below that in my pubic line.

The AAGL is the leading association promoting minimally invasive gynecologic surgery among surgeons worldwide.

A new awareness study found that virtually all women expect their OB/GYN to inform them about minimally invasive treatments for common pelvic health disorders (PHDs), yet comparatively few are aware of the newer treatments designed to cause less pain and provide shorter recoveries.

Well, I am here to help inform as well. Luckily I had this awesome doctor that was one of the leading physicians for the study and treatment of Endometriosis. My mother had Endometriosis, so when I started having horrible pains in about the 4Th/5Th grade he made sure to keep an eye on this. I first had an ultrasound and he was able to tell from that. Then later the Laparoscopy was done to remove the cysts so I could get started on a hormonal treatment to help put this in remission. Thanks to this less invasive treatment my chances to have have children were increased and I now have 3 daughters that were conceived without issue. With my daughters I will watch for signs for this as well so they can start any treatment needed at a younger age as my mother did for me.

AAGL, the professional organization of gynecologists interested in endoscopy and minimally invasive gynecology, has retooled its Web site, www.aagl.org, and added a comprehensive patient education section on common gynecologic conditions and the minimally invasive options available to treat them.

I highly suggest checking out the AAGL website. It is full of information that should be passed on to other women who may not know and are living in horrible pain. I know that I myself have told many people about Endometriosis, because I recognized the signs. Most of these women had NEVER heard of the condition and did not know there were these treatments available. Educate yourself!

MomCentral.com is helping to get this information out to everyone, and I was glad to jump in and help since this is an issue that has affected me for most of my life and I have experienced the treatments first hand. I also want you mothers to be aware of this for your daughters.

The Other Breast Cancer

IBC....Ever heard of it? If you are like most women then you probably have not. IBC stands for

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

I want you to click that link and watch that video of a newscast talking about IBC. It could save your life. There are no tell tale lumps with IBC. People think they have bug bites, seriously...bug bites...this can KILL YOU. For most women by the time they find out its just too late.

Here are some more helpful links:
National Cancer Institute
IBC Research Foundation
MayoClinic

Take some time to check it out, and spread the word!

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