A New Favorite!

I'd like to introduce to you a new favorite read of mine It's Almost Naptime. Missy is a wife & mommy with four kids and she's a great writer! I mean seriously. She likes coffee, so she's right up my alley. Ha ha!! She's right in the heart of being a mommy and teaching her kiddos about loving Jesus. I highly recommend that you read her "What I Really Want You To Know" (located on the top right hand header of her blog). Also, she wrote an incredible post about How to Encourage Your Child's Relationship with Christ. It's a must read. Now, go read!

PS - The Giveaway ends tonight at 7pm PST.

This Little Boy

This little boy dressed himself. Went upstairs with only a pullup on and came down looking like this. Picked out his clothes, put them on - correctly, I might add and put his shoes on the correct feet. OH!!! And we started potty training last week. In three days he only had one minor accident. So the question is, "what am I going to do with all my spare time?" In case you're still wondering, I'll be doing laundry from day four of potty training. HA HA!

Jam Plan

Monday my mom ad I made strawberry jam. I ♥ strawberry jam. We eat lots of pb&j around here (by the way - those our my husband and my initials, ha ha!). So I was excited to "store up for the year" by making freezer jam. It's oh-so-easy. While I was at it, I flash froze some strawberries and then put them in ziplock freezer bags so we can make "moothies" (as Luke would say) throughout the year. I really luv not having to buy jam throughout the year. Now if I can just learn how to can some produce and make enough applesauce for a year. THAT would be AWESOME! And of course, while I was making jam I couldn't help but think about the Friends episode. The one where Monica needs a plan. A plan to get over her man. So she's makin' jam. LOL. The sad part is, I had to explain all that to my mom. She didn't get it.

My Blog is One Year Old!

~GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED~

I've been blogging for one year today! It's gone by quickly. Of course having a baby during the year always helps pass the time too. Ha ha! While I haven't always posted regularly I hope to continue to grow and evolve my blog over the next year. As a thank you for reading and to help celebrate my one year of writing, it's only appropriate that I would give away one of my fav things! The lucky winner will receive three "coupons" for 10% off your purchase at any participating Starbucks. These can be used for something as small as a cup of coffee or to purchase a larger item like a coffee maker! Plus, I will include a ten dollar Starbucks giftcard and some Starbucks Milk Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans.

To enter my bloggy birthday giveaway simply leave me a comment telling me of your favorite drink (coffee or tea) you like to order to treat yourself. As always be sure to include your EMAIL ADDRESS!

Giveaways Galore!

Head on over to my sister-in-laws blog at dot...dot...dot for her one year blogiversary! Just some of the name brands she's giving away are Ed Hardy, Coach, Juicy Couture and many more including some cute custom mommy cards courtesy of Angie Warren.

I Ate the Whole Bag of Chips

That's right. You heard me. I was watching John and Kate Plus 8 and I went down the stairs, into the kitchen and got my comforting bag of Buffalo Bleu Kettle Chips. I finished off the bag. I was so sad watching the show I just continued to eat. I know everyone has their opinions about the show and John and Kate and about what happened, and who's "side" they're on etc. But the reality of it is that divorce and separation is awful no matter who you are, where you live and what you do. It affects the family indefinitely and holidays have more anxiety than ever before. My heart broke just a little bit to see another family headed down that path. I was 21 when my parents separated and 22 when they divorced. And every time I fall asleep and dream about my folks . . . they are still married and happy. Almost 10 years later in my dreams what could have been - for a little while still is in my dreams. On a brighter note, the chips were good!

Happy Father's Day

My DadBaker's Dad

My Baby's Daddy
My Maternal Grandpa & Step-Dad
My Paternal Grandpa

God has blessed me beyond measure with the father's in my life.

I love them all.

♥ Happy Father's Day ♥

Hair ya go!

Bed Head, Hemp, Redkin, Pureology . . . just a few of my favorite things. I have thick hair and lots of it. I believe that good hair products help to make good hair days. Now, I would like to say that I almost never pay retail for any of these products. My cousin is my hair dresser and provides me a pass to the local supply store for almost a 50% discount! The one product I'm going to recommend is the Alterna Hemp Styling Mud. It works great on short hair, taming fly aways and also adds shine. If you have a problem with humidity then apparently this product works well for that too! Check it out.

I ♥ Dove

I had four soap recommendations from my dermatologist for my skin. Since I have a condition that gives me little bumps on my arms and legs (like baby acne - isn't that divine) I needed to try a new soap/cleansing routine. BTW, did you know you don't need to lather up every day? That was slightly shocking to me, but I digress. The only soap I have tried so far has been Dove. I found one of their multiple body washes - Doves Gentle exfoliating body wash to be exact and I am hooked! It smells clean, fresh and light. Don't pay retail of $7 or so. Wait for a sale, use a coupon and get it for $2 or less! At that price you too will be happy every time you lather up :) What are some of your favorite soaps & scents? I would love to hear!

Mineral Makeup

I use to sell Mary Kay Cosmetics. I've been using the products since I was oh, maybe 16?! However, once I became pregnant with Luke, I became intrigued with Bare Minerals makeup. I had seen it advertised on television and once I was pregnant decided to try it. The reason I switched was because I was so hot all the time being pregnant and therefore, "glistening" okay that's putting it mildly. I was sweating. All the time. Sweating. My feet swelled up, my hands swelled up and I sweated like a pig. Anyhow, I wanted to try the mineral powder makeup vs. a liquid foundation. I tried Bare Minerals and LUV'D it. I could sweat and at the end of the day I still looked good. The stuff is incredible. So, it was very hard to go back to Mary Kay. I finally had to throw in the towel and concede that (gasp) it's okay to like another brand. I still use some Mary Kay products and they have some awesome products by-the-way. Like their mascara. Still heart that. But, I tried the Mary Kay mineral makeup and I must say. I was so completely disappointed. I felt like I looked the same with their mineral makeup on - as I did without makeup! I also tried their brush and it felt like the bristles were stabbing me. Not good. Anyhow, I know I'm only comparing two brands vs. six or ten, but I'm just sharin' a few of my favs. Now . . . what about you? What are some of your makeup or skin care favs that you think I should try? What am I missing out on?

Tan in a Bottle - That Works!

I am not a naturally dark person. I don't have Italian running through my skin like my olive complected sister-in-law. I don't turn dark brown at the end of summer like my dad, my mom, my sister or my two brothers. I have fair skin. I get sun stroke in overcast weather. Seriously. It's kinda pathetic. So, believe me when when I talk about "natural" tanners. I've tried Mary Kay, Banana Boat, tanning beds, & spray on tans. I've even been temped by those tanning towels on tv. Tempted, but didn't buy. So, this year I thought I would try the Jergens Natural Glow Revitalizing Lotion. Only instead of buying the lotion for fair skin, I bought the medium skin toned lotion. Guess what? I luv it. It darkens within a couple uses, it looks like a tan and most of all . . . it doesn't smell gross. Banana Boat worked fine too, but the smell was obnoxious. Jergens actually smells good. The only down side to a faux tan is that it does wipe off when you're drying off after a shower. Just a side note. But, if you've ever tried spray tanning you know a little tan on the towel is nothing!

Portland Beanie Company Rebate for Readers

A while back my sister-in-law had a giveaway from the Portland Beanie Company. My mom entered the giveaway and won! Of course she entered for her grand baby, so we got to choose a hat of our choice and I picked the chocolate newsgirls beanie size 12-24 months. This way Natalie can wear it in the fall/winter. We had to try it on and what do you know? It's soooo cute! I'm thinkin' these would make for some really cute baby gifts. Check out the company. I'm always proud to support local small businesses and hope you do too! In fact, Nili at Portland Beanie Company has offered my readers a 15% discount/rebate from now thru the end of July. Enter Belly Laugh in the message to seller to receive your rebate. Hurry, offer is only valid until July 31st, 2009.
By the way, she has products for adults too! So even if you don't have little babes you can still shop for yourself or a friend. I'd love to hear what your favorite finds are :)

A Week of Product Reviews

I've been wanting to share some of my favorite products and have decided to do that with a week of reviews. Each day I will share different products and my likes and/or dislikes.
Some of the things I will be sharing are: a local Etsy Company, lotions, soaps, makeup & hair products. Stay tuned!

Summer Time Adventures

I promised to share a few of our fun days from last week so here goes. We went with our friends Emily & Wyatt to Omsi last Tuesday. They have a year pass and invited us to tag along. The boys had a great time and even Nat got to put her toes in the sand and play with the blocks in the kids area.

On Wednesday, we went to the Rose Festival Jr. Children's Parade. We talked Aunt April, Maddox and Sean into joining us and made a day of it. It was very warm and humid and the parade didn't start until 1pm. After over an hour of Jr. high marching bands, we decided we had enough of a new thing and decided to get the kids home. By this time everyone was hot and ready to get to some air conditioning. I'm glad we went, but we probably won't be going to the junior parade again any time soon. The Rose Parade is more fun with the large floats vs. Jr. high marching bands :)

How about you? Do you have any summertime things that you enjoy doing with your families?

The Clean Up Continues . . .

If you haven't read about my Stuart Little I & II experiences, I urge you to catch up. Here, here, here, & here, should suffice to get you in the know. Last week as I was preparing for a garage sale and therefore rummaging through my garage for lost treasures, I decided it was time to tackle the task of cleaning out my maternity clothes bin. I offered them to a friend and when I opened the lid - WHOLA! Mouse tracks. yuck. So, I had set the bin aside because I didn't have the time (or patience) to wash all of the clothes, and I most definitely wanted to make sure the mouse was not still residing in the bin. So fast forward to last Thursday I decided I was ready to tackle the task. As I started sorting thru the clothes (in the garage with gloves on) I found several surprises. First, this mouse had been "living" in my maternity clothes. Secondly, he chewed through my most favorite comfy pants and three shirts. Completely chewed holes through my shirts. GRRRRRRRR. Thirdly, he was storing dog food in my maternity bin. There was so much, I had to take a picture. Insane. Completely insane. I'm so glad I found this now, instead of when I was pregnant and needed my clothes. shiver.

Guess what day it is?

Before you read, there's a couple other good related reads @ dot. . . dot. . . dot & the creative mama.



This last weekend was CRAZY busy. I'm not joking. My sister-in-law April and I had a gi-normous garage sale on Friday in the pouring down rain. And yet we so almost everything. Huge success. Friday night was dinner with Baker's fam for his brother's birthday. Kids got to bed late and had short naps. Saturday was chores around the house. I felt so icky I slipped back in bed for a few minutes. I think that means I'm getting old. My whole back was sore and gave me a stiff neck. Don't forget the sore throat and hurting ear. Saturday night was dinner with Baker's bro and April and a movie (just the two of us). We saw Star Trek. It was good. And I was pleasantly surprised. The kids got to bed late. So, by Sunday morning while preparing for church, the babies weren't real thrilled about being hurried out the door and managed to have a few crying fits simultaneously (the beginning clues that we had pushed them too far). However, Baker had planned a nice day for just the two of us (after church) and so the babies went to my dad's for lunch and afternoon naps while we had lunch at Roses and shopping at the Woodburn outlets. Sunday night - babies went to bed ON TIME. My mom has Monday's off of work and we generally get together at her house. It gets us out of our house, gives the babies time with Gama Jean (as Luke would say) and allows me to run errands while the babies take naps in the afternoon. Today though, those poor babies were pushed to their max. Even though they took great naps and were on schedule I could completely tell by the end of the day that they needed the normalcy of their home, their own beds and just to be in their own environment. At 9:45 am the produce guy at New Seasons had pity on me and offered Luke a banana. And it got better from there. I had made Luke the promise of a bagel before leaving the house this morning and he was more than excited. Since he ate a protein bar and a banana at the store, and I offered him a Vivano smoothie from Starbucks and he said no . . . I just kinda forgot about the bagel (pronounced beagle in Luke's world). We pull away from the drive thru window and he says from the very back seat. "Beagle mom?" "I want a beagle." Ugh, whoops. Sorry buddy. No bagel. After a trip to Costco and 3 naps later (Nat 2, Luke 1) we headed to Safeway. It was glaringly obvious that Natalie was not feeling well and had a fever. But, we needed more baby motrin and food for dinner, so off we went. We ended up giving Natalie motrin while shopping because she was so fussy and hot. REAL hot. By the time we left, I think everyone in line either felt sorry for us or happy to see us leave. Probably both. I've never experienced such a fussy/screaming baby in a store like that . . . until today. And I lived to tell about it. Wonders never cease. So guess what today is. As long as Nat's fever doesn't take us to the doctor, it's a laid back day at home. It's pajama time.

Book Review

I just finished reading Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock. Incredibly good. It is a very fast read, you won't want to put the book down. The chapters are short, the story line fast paced and the moral of the book parallels the story of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15. If you're looking for some good summer time reading this book gets an A+.

The Winner is . . .

Babies and Bargains! Congrats on being the recipient of the Stonyfield Organic Yogurt giveaway. Thank you to all who entered this contest. Stay tuned for more giveaways later this month!

just a reminder

The giveaway ends tomorrow night at 7pm PST. If you haven't entered, go for it! I have lots to catch up on next week. This week was full with a trip to Omsi, a children's parade, a garage sale (which included finding more cleanup from the mice incidences - ick), and my brother in law's birthday. Next week I'll show pictures and stories. Should be fun!

Yo-Kids!

Hey all! I just wanted to say, if you haven't checked out the giveaway from Stonyfield Farms, be sure to enter. My little boy has been eating their yogurt for some time now. In fact, one of his favorites are the yogurt tubes. They're a handy snack to pack during the summer time months. We took some to the park last week to share with a friend and we are taking some with us today to the children's parade. So if you haven't tried Stonyfield products be sure to check out their entire line of organic products!

Yo-Baby Giveaway!

NOW CLOSED

It's June 1st and what better way to start off the month than with a giveaway! The friendly folks over at Stonyfield Farm contacted me and offered my readers some free goodies! The winner will receive everything shown in the picture courtesy of Stonyfield Farms. This giveaway includes a bowl with lid, an organic bib and five coupons for free yo-baby yogurt! If you have ever priced Stonyfields organic yogurt it costs around $4 (at least in the Pacific NW), so these are some high value coupons!

Here's how to enter:

• 1 entry - Leave me a comment (with your email address) telling me of your favorite Stonyfield product, or Stonyfield product you would like to try.
• 1 entry - Become a follower. If you are already a follower then leave a second comment stating the fact. You MUST have a blog acct to be a follower. (Don't forget to include your email address)!
• 1 entry - Blog about this giveaway. Leave a direct link in your comment so I will be able to find your post. (Include your email address in your comment too).
• 1 entry - Post a picture of your little one enjoying their favorite Stonyfield product on your blog. Again, be sure to leave the direct link in your comment so I can find your post quickly. And as always - INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!

The fine print. If you do not include your email address and I don't know how to contact you personally, (meaning I don't know you) you will be disqualified from the giveaway and another entry will be drawn. Also, this giveaway will start June 1st and end June 7th at 7pm pacific standard time.