February Is Blog Luv Month at Sited and Blogged

So Sited and Blogged wants to spread some bloggy luv all around the blogosphere, and we want you to join in the fun!

All February, we will be focusing on sharing positive happy comments among blogs we visit. To join in the fun, visit Sited and Blogged and pick up the "Blog Luv Button" and put it on your site.

Make a commitment to yourself that you will spread the luv by leaving a certain amount of positive comments per day. Make it 5 or 10 or 100 depending on how much time you have or how badly you want to do this.

When you see this button on another site, be sure to leave a luv comment as well.

Let's see how much we can all make a difference in the comment quality and luv around the blog world.

I'm Loving The Closer --But Don't Ask For Spoilers!!

I love The Closer. I am a big fan of reality TV, as I point out too often about myself, but I do like some other TV as well...and The Closer is too good to not watch.

I am so happy it's back. I think part of what attracts me to The Closer is that it's one of those shows that I can watch and really get lost in. It's kind of like living vicariously through some of the characters, especially Brenda. So when I got an advance copy of the first two new episodes of the new season, (Thanks Role Mommy and TNT!!) "Good Faith" and "Power of Attorney", I was beyond excited.
I don't want to give away any spoilers, but suffice it to say that cliffhangers from last season are resolved...sort of. I cannot say what happens exactly to Detective Sanchez or much about Brenda's personal angst... it's not like you want to be given spoilers...do you?? Ok, one small hint--you do get to see some Brenda's parents (played by Frances Sternhagen and Barry Corbin.)
If you did watch Monday night's episode, "Good Faith", I'm sure you are planning to watch the next episode, "Power of Attorney", I mean, how could you not? I have to brag here and say how lucky I feel that I got to watch the first episode, and then continue straight on to the next (please don't hate me 'cause I'm special, hehe), and I can honestly say that it just gets better and better. But don't come to me begging for more spoilers, haha, you will just have to wait until Feb. 9th and watch the next episode, "Power of Attorney" !

Bloggy Giveaways!!

YAY! It's time for the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival (Jan.2009)! These are so fun--you can see the complete list of fantastic giveaways going on all over the blogosphere! You can literally enter HUNDREDS of contests and win awesome prizes. Do Not Miss This Opportunity!

I have two giveaways listed on Bloggy Giveaways. The first is The Tiny Prints $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway. Reminders** this is a worldwide giveaway--not limited to USA, and will end around the end of Jan.-so hurry! Every blog that is holding this contest can have one winner!

My second giveaway is for a fabulous book for young girls, "Secrets of The Happy Heart Princess". This is a delightful book full of gorgeous illustrations, Take a peek--and enter to win a copy for your princess! This is U.S, Only Giveaway.

Have fun checking out all the great bloggy giveaways!

Economy Woes Hit Girl Scout Cookies! Oh No!

Now this is beyond serious. Really folks, something has to be done asap. I wonder if Obama has heard this news yet?!

Girl Scout Cookies are going to shrink. Yes. You read that correctly. The boxes the cookies come in will be cut down, cut down, by one centimeter. If that is not bad enough, they will be packaging less, yes..LESS cooies in each box.

What????

We, the buyers and consumers of Girl Scout Cookies will soon be getting less of our beloved Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, and Tagalongs. But wait, there's more distressing news. They will also be reducing the size of its Lemon Chalet Crèmes.

Oh My.

Apparently even girl scouts cannot beat the economy woes. The Girl Scouts of the USA made the decision to offset the cost increases of cookie ingredients by shrinking boxes and cookies. Sigh.

According to the organization, the cost of flour rose by 30 percent, assorted cooking oils by 40 percent, and cocoa by at least 20 percent. Other alternatives to deal with the increases would have been using cheaper ingredients and/or raising the price of their boxes of cookies. The Girl Scouts Organization chose the solution they felt best.

I understand. I do. Silly economy. I can handle many things and many cutbacks and sacrifices during these tough times. But when you mess with my cookies...well, I may just have to put in a call to the white house.

My name is Irene.
I am a cookieholic.
Anyone have the number to the white house???

An Award For Little Old Me (and my blog!)

Aw--can you see me blushing?? Honest I am. I am so honored to have received this dubious "Lemonade Stand" award from fun loving Noah's Mommy from Project Mommyhood!

I am happy to pass this award on to some very deserving bloggers that I love following and reading every day. They share so much with all of us--they truly deserve to be awarded!

Here they are:

I am Harriet

moomettesmagnificents


Kiss My Cheek

mommying on the fly

Blah-Zay

and here are the rules for passing on this sweet award:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post
2. nominate at least 10 blogs which show great attitude or gratitude!!!
3. be sure to link your nominees with your post.
4. let them know they received the award by leaving a comment on their most recent post on their blog.
5. share the love and link this post to the person that gave you the award!

BOOGERS--A Rockin' Review!!

Oh my goodness, I am in love with Boogers! LOL--now let me explain myself. My little men and I were asked to review a CD by a fantastic kids band named--yes.... the BOOGERS!

First I have to say that my boys laughed themselves silly when I told them the name of the band that we were going to listen to. It is a catchy name, is it not? Anyhoo-- after the giggle-fest ended, we loaded up our new CD and sat down to listen.

But sit we did not do for long. It would be impossible, I promise you, to stay sitting while listening to this music. Boogers is rock'n roll in it's finest kiddie version ever. Now I'm not talking wild incoherent crazy rock n' roll-- but fun, energetic, and shall I say, "cool" modern kids music.

Listening to the CD, you know that there is some very creative talent behind this music. And that talent is Paul Crowe, also known as "Crusty Booger". A musician, developmental psychologist, and proud dad to three boys. The Boogers is Crowe's brainchild. Joining "Crusty Booger" are "Sticky Booger (Rich Reichert) on drums, and "Greeny Booger" (Dave Leffel) on bass and vocals. This is a very impressive collection of Boogers indeed.

There are familiar classics on the CD, like "The Wheels on The Bus", which just so happens to be one of my all time favorite songs to sing with my kiddos, and original songs written by the Boogers as well, with their "I Don't Need To Be Worried" quickly becoming my 4 year olds' favorite. The entire CD is such a fun collection of songs and each song is sung with high energy and creativity -- I could not resist falling in love with the Boogers. Needless to say, my boys were in 'silly laughing happy land', jumping, dancing and singing along to all the songs.

If you want to fall in love with Boogers like me, hehe, check them out on their website. Now let me tell you just how cool these Boogers are-- they have FREE songs you can download and burn for you and your kids (or just you... just saying..) to listen and boogie out to! And look for "ROAD TO ROCK"
THE BOOGERS DEBUT CD at stores like Amazon and CD Baby soon!

Get Sited and Blogged Today!

I am proud to say I have become a contributor at Sited and Blogged! Have you checked out this new site yet? If you haven't, go on over and take a peek! We have launched today, and to celebrate there are a couple of fun giveaways going on!

I will be on the lookout for some great posts to "site and blog" about (check out that cool "I've been sited and blogged" button on the right, and if you have a post you'd like considered, just send me a link to it! This is a fun way to read posts from around the blogosphere in one place, and help build some extra traffic for your own blogs as well.

TNT's Trust Me Is Deliciously Fun To Watch

Thanks to Role Mommy and TNT, the hubbs and I got a sneak preview of TNT's new drama, "Trust Me", starring Eric McCormack (who did not love Eric in "Will and Grace"??) and Tom Cavanagh from "Ed." (also yummy to watch!)

We settled in to watch our preview copy of the pilot episode and the second episode the other night, and we really enjoyed it. I may sound surprised here because I am not a drama type girl so much. I generally go for the reality based shows and light hearted romantic comedies. But a series with the so cute Eric McCormack starring in it is definitely worth taking a look at, right? And I am so happy I did.

"Trust Me" is centered around the daily ins and outs at a high profile ad agency in Chicago. McCormack and Cavanagh play best friends working as an energetic successful creative team at the agency.

Mason, an art director, is a responsible, workaholic family man with a beautiful wife, Erin (Sarah Clarke), two children and an undying loyalty to the brands he helps sell. By contrast, his writing partner, Conner (Cavanagh), is a single, impulsive copywriter with the attention span of a teenager. Their yin-yang relationship is put to the test when Mason is named a creative director of the agency, making him Conner's boss. The series follows the changing dynamics between the two friends, who are better together than they are apart.

Although it builds a bit slowly, the action picks up quickly and draws you in. I found myself getting so into the characters and their interactions that I couldn't wait to watch the second episode. That is when Mason's wife Erin is introduced, and I know her character is going to be popular with women--I loved her from the get go!

And an ad agency probably would not be complete without the quirkiness of a "nerdy" creative team -- and in "Trust Me", the junior creative team of Tom and Hector, played respectively by Mike Damus and Geffory Arend fit the bill perfectly. The newest person to join the agency is Sarah Krajicek-Hunter, played by "Boston Legal's" Monica Potter. I see her as the type you kind of like and don't at the same time-- a somewhat egotistical high maintenance sort that has won awards for her work in the past and makes sure people know about it. But she plays perfectly off McCormack and Cavanagh.

Both my hubby and I loved "Trust Me", and I know if you tune in and watch it, you will get hooked. It is the kind of show that draws you in and gets you involved with the characters and their lives. It has drama but also humor, wit and light hearted fun too. Definitely going to be on my select list of television shows to watch from now on!

You can check out Eric McCormack, Tom Cavanaugh (so easy on the eyes...) in "Trust Me" on Monday Jan. 26th when it premieres on TNT at 10/9c.

Some Obama Inspiration For Diaper Duty Parents

I came across these diaper covers today and had to share them on here. Are they not too cute? The bookstore of Occidental College, the school Barack Obama attended for several years before transferring to Columbia University, carries these covers for just $11 each. But you can expect to wait for your Obama-inspired diaper cover--the store is having a hard time keeping these hot diaper covers in stock!

I Know It's Tuesday, But I'm Posting This Anyway!

LOL--I am running a day behind today--I swear all day I kept thinking it was Monday! I even forgot to pick my daughter up from school at her "Tuesday dismissal time" which is earlier than all the other days dismissal times. Anyone else have a hard time today remembering it was actually Tuesday and not Monday (PLEASE....someone else say they did so I don't feel so silly!)

Anyway....Mommying On The Fly has Manic Monday on her blog, which is a Virtual version of I never.. and this is how it goes:

What you have to do to play is:


"I will pose a question beginning with I never....
If you've never done it .....

1. Add yourself to Mr Linky, so others can come go visit.. (including me)
2. Post your own question on your blog...
3. Come back next Monday.

If you've done it....

1. Add yourself to Mr. Linky, so others can come visit.. (including me)
2. Post your own question on your bog.
3. share your story in a comment
4. come back next Monday

So here is mine..."I have never gone skiing" (nope, never!)

If you want to play along, leave a comment, put your own "Never" question on your blog, and then go add your link to Mr. Linky over at Mommying On The Fly, so people can come visit you, including me!

Sunday In The Blogosphere..Some Linky Loving!

So I am amiss at showing much linky love these days. I am not even caught up on showing my EC Droppers gratitude. I am hanging my head in shame (honest, I am!!) and will vow here and now to improve my ways.

With that said, let me share some weekend linky love right now starting with some interesting, funny or otherwise notable posts from fellow bloggers whose blogs I follow.

First up..a very disturbing post from I am Harriet who has a written about "sexting" and teens. Ack. What are these kids thinking? As if I wasn't already a very nervous mommy these days. Sigh.

Baby Fest is starting Monday at A Frog In My Soup. Shera is going to be giving away great stuff, sharing reviews and information,and lots of ways for you to get in on the fun! So be sure to go visit her!

Erin from The Mom Buzz has a most yummy recipe for a Happy Hour Chocolate Martini. If that's not enough, Erin points us in the direction of a recipe for making mouth-watering donuts at home over at The Southern Plate!! Bad Erin...but hmmmm....thank-you for being bad, HeHe!!

And over at Feisty Frugal and Fabulous, there is a wonderful giveaway going on for Red leaf's Bubble Bath Dough!
After all, a girl's going to need a long hot soak in the tub after sipping chocolate martinis and munching home made donuts!!

Happy Holiday Weekend!

Tiny Prints Valentines Day Contest

I cannot believe that Valentine's Day is coming up--where does the time go??? My favorite part of Valentine's Day has to be helping the kids put together their Valentines to pass out to school friends and neighborhood friends. They love doing this, and get so excited when they get to add some special treat in with their cards! And I have some great news to share for this Valentine's Day--

I am so excited to announce Tiny Prints is giving away a $50.00 gift certificate to one Happy Healthy Families reader!! Read on for all the details--

Visit the Tiny Prints Valentine's Day Cards special section. Then click on the link to the Valentine's Day cards for kids. Check out the adorable Valentines Day cards for kids (my 4 year old would go crazy for the dinosaur cards---so cute!) . Pick out the card you like the best (and this is not going to be so easy. All the cards are adorable, I'm warning you, hehe). Then after you have selected your favorite, click "Save to Favorites" from the link with a heart graphic directly under "personalize." It takes less than a minute to register after clicking "save", super fast and easy.

Then come on back and leave me a comment telling me which card you picked, and why. Also--very important--leave me your email address that you used when you saved your favorite card.

If you would like more chances to win the $50.00 Tiny Prints Gift Certificate, you must complete the above requirements first, but then do any of the following and leave me a comment for each one you do. Each one will get you another entry.

1. Blog about this contest
2. Stumble this post
3. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest
4. Add my button to your site, or add HappyHealthyFamilies to your blogroll
5. Subscribe to HappyHealthyFamilies

Special notes**
Contest is open to everyone worldwide --not only U.S. residents
Winner will be selected randomly from those who both saved the card as a "Favorite" on our site and commented on your blog.
You may enter more than once.
Other sites/blogs may be holding the same contest, but you may only win once.
The winner will be announced soon after Jan.30th, 2009 11:59MT
I will notify the winner after Tiny Prints confirms they have registered and haven't already won on another site.
Winner will have 72 hours to respond to my notification , or another winner will be chosen.
In your comment, please leave the same email you used to register your favorite card so that Tiny Prints can confirm you followed the rules.
Winner will be responsible for full purchase price of any items that fall outside of contest winnings.

Winner Of The Signed Jetta and The Jellybeans CD.......

Stacie -- "I loved Wiggle!"

Congratulations Stacy! Your going to love this cd! Please contact me with your mailing info.

"On Being a Real Princess"-- Review and Giveaway

I was very fortunate to receive a copy of a wonderful book for young girls titled "On Being a Real Princess, Secrets of the Happy Heart Princess" to review. The book is written by the very inspirational Sandi Stonebraker, who also happens to be an extremely talented blogger and artist.

A bit of background on Sandi. Sandi is a grandmother living in MainStrasse Village, Covington, Kentucky. When Sandi's granddaughter offered to move out of her bedroom and into another bedroom in order to accommodate her new baby brother, Sandi offered to decorate the new bedroom for her granddaughter. And just like so many little girls, what Sandi's granddaughter wanted was a princess theme for her bedroom. Sandi's beautiful mural of a princess in a garden enthralled everyone who saw it, and soon Sandi was creating beautiful murals for others.

And so Fairytales Kids, home of the Happy Heart Princess, was born. When you visit HappyHeartPrincess.com, you will see a collection of beautiful paintings done by the talented Sandi, and I can promise you that you will be entranced by them!

Sandi's describes The Happy Heart Princess as "the princess of the 21st century who bridges the gap between fairyland and the real life dream that lives in the hearts of little girls everywhere."

There are many reasons why I fell in love with this book instantly. First, the book is just so darn cute. As soon as you see the beautifully illustrated cover, you want to open it and look inside. This is a good thing when it comes to motivating young girls to read. The book is light, colorful and fun looking and like I said, soooo cute looking that even my 11 year old daughter couldn't resist picking the book up as soon as she saw it and read it!

When you open the book you are immediately drawn in by the beautiful illustrations that fill up page after page. I cannot imagine any little girl not being delighted just looking at the pictures. The colors are vibrant and the scenes are beautifully detailed.
But beyond the gorgeous illustrations, comes a very important message about young girls and self-esteem. Girls learn that it is the inner qualities that make someone special. There are 16 princesses to meet inside the book, and each shares a secret of being a Happy Heart first, and a Princess second. And the princesses are drawn as everyday girls living all around the world and doing everyday things. Personally, I believe that as adults, one of the most important responsibilities we have is to instill and build self-esteem in our children. That will be their foundation for building a happy healthy life, and we should embrace every opportunity available to do this.

With that said, I have to say my favorite part of this book are the Journaling Activities for children which are on every page where a new princess is introduced. Children are asked questions about their feelings and thoughts, as related to the princess they just read about. There are beautifully lined pages for journaling their answers and thoughts. There are also spaces provided for children to draw pictures as well. The discussions that adults and children can share from these journaling activities are wonderful -- so many issues relating to self-esteem can be discussed using these activities as stepping stones.

This is a beautiful book and perfect for a parent and daughter to curl up and read together. And I was delighted to read that Brave Heart Prince , a self esteem book for boys will be available soon!

You can win a free copy of ""On Being a Real Princess, Secrets of the Happy Heart Princess." Just visit happyheartprincess.com. Let me know your favorite gift item offered there in a comment.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive extra entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But for extra entries, you can:

* Add happy families to your Twitter and Tweet the contest.
* Blog about the contest - add a link to Happy Healthy Families and the happyheartprincess.com
* Add the Happy Healthy Families button to your site OR add Happy Healthy Families to your blog roll.
* Subscribe to Happy Healthy Families.

Please Note:
Contest is Open to US entries only.
You have 72 hours to claim your prize once the winner is announced.
If you want to be contacted via e-mail, please leave your e-mail in your comment entry.

Contest ends Jan. 14th, midnight.

Blog Popz

Valentine's Day is coming...and what better way to get in the spirit than sharing Blog Popz with fellow bloggers?

Blog Popz come in different colors, with each color representing a different theme. You can "buy" popz at different "candy stores" (blogs) which are listed below. Each store will have a list of tasks that you can complete, and each completed task earns you a popz that you can then give to a blogger of your choice! Each popz you earn and share, you also register, And at the end of the contest, prizes will be given for "buying" and receiving the most popz!

How to Pop & Win!!

* How to Give a Pop: Navigate the widget above to learn more about giving Blog Popz to fellow bloggers. Once you get a pop by following the directions in each candy store, click "Share" in the lower right corner of the widget to get the direct link, HTML code an more. Easiest way to send a pop is to email the direct widget link.

* How to Get a Pop: If someone sends you a pop, proudly display it on your site. The HTML code can be found by clicking "Share" in the lower right corner of the pop widget. Reciprocate if you'd like, and don't forget to register your pop.

* Candy Stores: Visit Cool Baby Kid, The Not-So-Blog Blog, Ohana Mama, Suzy Q Homemaker and From Dates to Diapers to get the popz.

* Register Your Pop & Enter to Win: Register the popz you give and receive by clicking on the "Register" button on the small Pop Widget you received. Seven prizes will be awarded, one for the blogger who receives the most pops in each category as well as a "Two Biggest Pop Purchasers" for those who "buy" the most popz. Choose from Valentine's Day gifts for either you or your little sweetheart, including:

Moms *Heart* Chocolate: Red Thread Confections Gift Certificate

Passionate Mom Gift Pack: Tees for Change Live Passionately Long-Sleeve Shirt & Mom Works Inc. Red Bundle with Long Sleeve Tee & Cinch Sack

For Your Sweetie: Doodlebug Dezigns $25.00 Gift Certificate
Boyfriend/Girlfriend: Your choice of complete Zutano outfits (boy or girl) from their Baby Basics line worth nearly $150.00.

Bubblecakes for Babycakes: Bubblecakes Baby $45.00 Gift Certificate

Grand Prize: Corky and Company Coats at KidsCoats.com $250 Shopping Spree

Getting Healthier This Year

My hubby and I are not exactly spring chickens anymore. Which of course means we should be taking better care of ourselves than we actually do. Procrastination has become our buddy, hehe, as we plan to walk "tomorrow morning" and start eating more fruits and veggies "tomorrow" as well. But since we are still in the first month of a new year, I am still motivated enough to put some action behind those empty promises and really work on getting healthier.
I have been checking out websites and books and getting ideas on how to kick start our "getting fit and healthy" regime going. One thing will be to fill our kitchen with healthy foods--if the junk isn't there, we can't eat it, right? So fresh fruit and veggies will be in plentiful supply while the chocolate chip cookies and chips will be taking a "vacation" for a bit.
I also have been reading about colon cleansing. I have a niece who did this, along with her fiance, and they also did a "cleansing diet" for two weeks as well. They swear they feel better and more energetic than ever before. I am a bit nervous, shall we say, about the colon cleansing thing, but I found out some interesting things about it. For example, The idea behind a colon cleanse,such as the herbal based Dual Action Cleanse, is to eliminate the toxins which have built up in your digestive system. These detoxification processes are so important to maintaining a healthy balance in your body that many doctors consider it to be a key to personal wellness! And I didn't know that more radiant skin and hair, could be benefits from eliminating the toxins in our digestive tracts. Maybe the hubby and I will give this a try. Sounds like a healthy way to start our "get healthier this year" regime. But I'd love to hear from anyone who has done it and hear what you thought of it.

Application For Dating My Daughter

This is sooo funny (but yet so appropriate somehow!) that I just had to steal (OOPS--I meant borrow)it from On The Verge. I am going to print it out, frame it and hang it where my daughter sees it everyday!


Application for Permission to Date My Daughter

NOTE: This application will be incomplete and rejected unless
accompanied by a complete financial statement, job history, lineage,
and current medical report from your doctor.

NAME______________________________________
DATE OF BIRTH______________

HEIGHT____________ WEIGHT_____________ IQ__________ GPA_____________

SOCIAL SECURITY #___________________
DRIVERS LICENSE #________________

BOY SCOUT RANK AND BADGES______________________________________________

HOME ADDRESS__________________________ CITY/STATE___________ ZIP_____

Do you have parents? ___Yes ___No
If No, explain:
_______________________________________________________________________

Number of years they have been married ________________________________

If less than your age, explain ________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Do you own a van? _______________

A truck with oversized tires? _______________

A waterbed?_______________

A pickup with a mattress in the back?_______________

Do you have an earring, nose ring, or a navel ring? _______________

A tattoo?_______________

(IF YES TO THE ABOVE, DISCONTINUE APPLICATION AND LEAVE PREMISES)

In 50 words or less, what does LATE mean to you?______________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

In 50 words or less, what does "DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER" mean to you?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

In 50 words or less, what does ABSTINENCE mean to you?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Church you attend ____________________________________________________

How often you attend _________________________________________________

When would be the best time to interview your:

father? _____________

mother? _____________

pastor? _____________

Answer by filling in the blank. Please answer freely, all answers are
confidential.

A: If I were shot, the last place I would want shot would be:

_____________________________________________________________________

B: If I were beaten, the last bone I would want broken is my:

_____________________________________________________________________

C: A woman's place is in the:

_____________________________________________________________________

D: The one thing I hope this application does not ask me about is:

_____________________________________________________________________

What do you want to do IF you grow up? ______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

What is the current going rate of a hotel room? _____________________

I SWEAR THAT ALL INFORMATION SUPPLIED ABOVE IS TRUE AND CORRECT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH, DISMEMBERMENT, NATIVE AMERICAN ANT TORTURE, CRUCIFIXION, ELECTROCUTION, CHINESE WATER TORTURE AND RED HOT POKERS.


_____________________________________________
Signature (that means sign your name, moron!)

Thank you for your interest. Please allow four to six years for
processing.

You will be contacted in writing if you are approved. Please do not
try to call or write (since you probably can't, and it would cause you
injury). If your application is rejected, you will be notified by two
gentleman wearing white ties carrying violin cases (you might watch
your back).

P.S If you enjoyed this, you should visit On The Verge--it is one hilarious blog!

Could You Be Pregnant and Not Know?

These stories always baffle me. How is it possible to be pregnant for nine months and not have a clue? I simply cannot imagine it. But we've heard the stories from time to time from women delivering babies and not knowing they had even been pregnant. This morning, I read of another such weird but true case.

Juanita Stead, 36, of Port de Grave, N.L., had a surprise ending to 2008--a new baby. Stead says she never knew she was pregnant because she never had any pregnancy symptoms. No morning sickness (well, okay, not all women get morning sickness) but no real weight gain either, she claims. UH? Now that I don't get. Of course I am looking at my still-there baby belly (minus a baby of course!), and wondering how this lady did not notice anything weird happening with her stomach.

"I wore my everyday clothes. No sickness. My regular menstrual period every month," she said in a phone interview with CTV's Canada AM on Friday morning.

On December 31, Stead says she started getting pains in her back. Apparently as the day went on, the pains increased in their intensity. While at a New Years Eve party that night, the pain got so bad she had to be rushed to the emergency room by ambulance.

Stead delivered her surprise baby at 12:31 am Jan.1st--a healthy baby boy weighing 7lbs. 12 oz.

Wow. I guess if you are going to be pregnant, that wouldn't be a bad way to do it. But do you think it would possible to be pregnant and not know it? With all my pregnancies, I pretty much knew I was pregnant before I tested. I guess maybe having a regular period would throw someone off. But what about the baby moving? And other changes the body goes through when you're pregnant?

I don't get it.

On Being a Real Princess

I had the wonderful opportunity recently to review a book written by a fellow mom blogger. I am going to be posting a review and GIVEAWAY for this awesome book very shortly, but just wanted to let everyone know what was coming up!

Will I Be Perfect This Year?

For the most part, I am pretty mellow when it comes to having a more messy than tidy house (ahem..okay, a lot more messy than tidy)and kids running around being more noisy than quiet (yea, of course way more noisy than quiet...sheesh!) but sometimes I try to revise who we are as a family.
Usually this will happen around the beginning of a new year...like now. You know...the whole resolution thing and all. The last week or so I have found myself going from great highs to lowly lows...all because of me and my annual "itch" to become the oh so perfect mother and wife. Not that I believe Donna Reed (oops...pardon me while I cover my age a bit), I mean Carol Brady (age still showing? Oh well...it gets harder to cover up each year...so be it!) were examples of what women and mothers should strive for in order to be happy. Not at all!
But I do find myself thinking I can wave some sort of magical motivational wand, and voila! My kids will cooperate, the hubbs will cooperate (!), and life will be organized, happy and chaos-free. My house will be clean at all hours of the day so that there are never any of those horrible moments when someone unexpectedly decides to come and visit! Yes--I can open my door proudly and usher in company with a big smile on my face. No toys will cover my living room floor, my two year old will be dressed in cute clothes ( I rarely get to see this boy dressed, sigh. He takes his clothes off as fast, no faster actually, than I can dress him.), my four year old will not be practicing his flying dives off every piece of furniture in the house, and no dog hair will mysteriously appear on my company's clothes. So maybe my 11 year old and her daily entourage of giggling girls will be listening to the Jonas Brothers, but the music will be at a reasonable level, and no ear piercing shrieks will break the sound barrier every few seconds. And perhaps, best of all, my hubby's socks and shoes will not be waiting for company to trip over. Nope, they will be safely secure in our closet (put there by the now-cooperative hubbs of course!)

I imagine having the perfect balance of work time and time with my kids. I even have the perfect amount of time left to prepare delicious healthy meals every night. I picture my kids sitting near me quietly working on puzzles, painting, and other educational quiet toys as I accomplish great things on my laptop. Then I see us playing outdoors in the brilliant sunshine and laughing so happily. Yes--of course there is a bluebird nearby, hehe!

Yes..somehow each January I decide I will accomplish this. By February I am usually over it. I won't be perfect after all. Nor will my kids be (except to me, of course.)
But I still wouldn't trade my life as a stay at home mom with loud jumping diaper clad only shrieking kids in a messy house over run by six dogs for anything else right now. I guess for me, things are perfectly fine. And I feel very blessed.

Jetta and the Jellybeans CD Review and Giveaway

***** OOPS! If you have come to this post via the link @ Five Minutes For Mom's Ultimate Blog Party---I am so sorry! I accidentally put the wrong url in my link, eeks. Here is the UBP Party Post, sorry! Hope you stop by the party post though...please???? **********


I really wanted to do this review much sooner than this, but with the holidays... you know how it goes, right?

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the "Fabulous" Ms. Jetta and the Jellybeans!! Jetta and the Jellybeans have entertained kids with their educational songs for over a decade. Their music is silly, fun, educational and just...happy. Seriously. I think the best word to describe Jetta and the Jellybean's music is Happy! Mix in styles like pop, rock and even blues with great sing along lyrics, and you get music that kids are going to love. And for the record, I will admit I now go around the house doing things like washing dishes and picking up stray legos while humming Jetta and the Jellybean songs. I'm telling you there are catchy tunes on this cd, and fantastic messages for kids in every one of them.

We received a copy of Jetta and the Jellybeans new cd, "tell me what you want to be" just before Christmas. As soon as my four year old saw the cover, he wanted to hear it. Me too. It is a cute picture. And when you open the cd cover, there are even cuter pictures to look at.

The first song came on and I can honestly say that myself, my two year old and four year old just started dancing away. The song, "When you're all grown up, tell me what you want to be" is my favorite. Hands down. I loved it from the first beat, and there is no way you (yes...you, not just your kids!)will not be able to dance when you hear it. Kid you not. We were laughing, dancing and jumping around like crazy. But I especially loved the message on the song which is kids can be anything they want to be. Awesome. The fun thing this song and the others on the cd is that the lyrics are easy to hear and sing along with. And of course we all did!


Every single song on the entire CD my kids and I enjoyed. My four year old especially fell in love with the song, "Skat Cat". It is like a rendition of a classic Blues type song--and brings out the "cool cat" in my little man, hehe. Just look at his cool moves, LOL.

There are a total of 12 songs on Jetta and The Jellybeans CD. All of them are fun and teach things like how to wash your hands and how to take care of a pet. There are songs about gravity, outer space, and taking medicine. If you want your kids to burn up some energy, the songs "March Your Feet" and "Wiggle" will do just that. Guaranteed.

We play Jetta and The Jellybeans just about everyday now. I can put it on and instantly stop a raging battle over a toy, quiet a temper tantrum and cheer up bored little boys that have been inside too much this chilly winter we are having. Pretty impressive.

Now for the best part. Jetta and The Jellybeans have offered to give one lucky family a SIGNED copy of their "Tell Me What You Want To Be" cd. I am telling you, it is a great collection of songs and your little ones will love it, especially with a signed message from Ms. Jetta herself inside!

To enter the giveaway,

Visit Jetta and The Jellybeans.com. read about the band, and then listen to their songs (you get a taste for how fun and educational their music is!) on their website
Come back and leave me a message telling me which song is your favorite. (remember, you only get to hear part of each song...but you're going to love them!)

That's it! You're entered.

If you'd like extra chances to win, you must complete the above first, and then any or all of the following (each one will get you an extra entry):

Add Happy Healthy families to your Twitter and Tweet the contest.

Blog about the contest. Add a link to Happy Healthy Families and Jetta and the Jellybeans, and leave a comment for me letting me know.

Add the Happy Healthy Families button to your site. (It's on the right sidebar).

Subscribe to Happy Healthy Families.

Contest ends Sunday Jan.11th, midnight. Winner will be randomly drawn on Monday Jan. 12th.