My Daughter, The Teenager

Just typing those words makes me uneasy and a bit sad. When did my little girl become a teenager? How did this happen so quickly and so covertly?

But more importantly, how do I handle being a mom of a teenage girl and doing a good job of it? Some say it can't be done. Mothers and teen girls are just meant to not get along--it is written in the cards, as they say.

Saturday Giveaway Linky Love

Happy Saturday! Got Giveaways to share or want to find one? Link Up Here!!

Review and Giveaway: Raisels!

What is a 'raisel?' you say?


I did not know either, (so don't feel bad) until I had the opportunity to review this new healthier snack alternative for kids (and maybe adults too...just saying.)

Winner of Yopliat Frozen Smoothie Prize Pack!

Congrats to #3: Raven in a Blue Room! Please check for an email shortly.  Enjoy!

Dice Roller

You rolled 2 dice:

 

Timestamp: 2011-02-24 15:51:05 UTC

[Celebrity Moms] Alyssa Milano Tweets Pregnancy News

Actress Alyssa Milano ( wasn't she just on Who's The Boss??) is going to be a mom!

Milano and her husband, Dave Bugliari, are expecting their first baby this Fall.  People posted about this latest celebrity pregnancy this morning, and Alyssa later tweeted her happy baby news as well~

“Yes, it’s true. And we couldn’t be happier. Thank you for your warm wishes and love!”

Hollywood's baby boom appears to be going strong  with Alyssa joining other expecting moms-to-be, Jewel, Selma Blair, Jessica Alba, Alicia Silverstone, Pink, Marion Cotillard, Victoria Beckham and Kate Hudson.

Goal Setting Can be Fun and Easy With Goalforit!

Setting goals and sticking to them is not an easy thing for me. I am more of a 'fly by the seat of my pants' type person than an organized one. When I was asked to review goalforit.com, I eagerly said yes and with fingers crossed off I went to explore the site.

The first thing I thought of when I heard about the site was that it was another source for free chore charts and such that you could print out and use with your kids. But when I checked out the site, I was surprised to find out that this is an interactive program, and that while yes, it has charts for kids, it also has goal setting charts, To Do Lists and more for adults.

The more I read about the programs, the more interested I became about creating a chart for myself where I would have specific goals to reach by certain dates. I love that this is an interactive program as papers never seem to stay in one place in our house, and you know the saying-out of sight, out of mind! But with goalforit I have no excuses of losing my paperwork, so I already am one step closer to actually accomplishing my goals.

I found that I can customize my charts so that they are exactly what I want. Plus, I can set email reminders for myself which I think will really help me when I get lazy or too busy to stay on track.

And as I mentioned, there are things here for the kiddos as well, including chore charts, behavior charts and goal-setting charts as well. There are over 50 background themes for kids to choose from to personalize their charts. There are special interactive stickers that can be placed on completed tasks each day, and larger stickers that are used for goals/chores done at the end of a week. Both the behavior and chore charts can be used online as well as printed out if you prefer.

With my 4 and 6 year olds, I am very excited to try the behavior charts -- they both love to be on the computer, so I know they will love accessing their charts and putting stickers on as they achieve behavior goals. Using the behavior charts is really something I believe will help teach my kids to make good decisions and use better judgement on a daily basis, which both my little guys can use help with!

There is also the option to keep your lists private, shared with friends or viewable by everyone.

And one last very important detail: this is all completely free!! Just register and get going creating your own personal lists and charts! It's kind of like having a personal secretary. But without having to pay them!



Disclosure: I was asked by MomSelect to review GoalForIt, and was compensated for my time. All opinions expressed are my own.

What Tops Your List as the Yuckiest Thing You've Ever Done For Your Kids?

Moms are the champions of grossness. Really who else does things for their kids like we do? Even dads would probably come in third, at best, with maybe Grandma coming in second. I am talking things like cleaning your baby's pacifier with YOUR MOUTH (yes, I have done that--eek.) when there was no water anywhere near by--things like that!

Thanks to motherhood, I have found myself doing things I would have never ever have thought I would. Here is a sampling of the grossness I have been involved in ~

letting my kids use my shirt as a tissue (ew)

that pacifier cleaning thing I mentioned before

cleaning poop from surfaces it should never have been smeared found on

cleaning vomit from my hair (not my vomit either) when holding a sick child who used me as a throw up solution

going through (very icky) garbage looking for something that was lost by a child (sometimes going through it twice when hysterics over lost item threatened to scar my kid for my life)

It is amazing what we moms do out of love for our kids. More amazing is that we would do any of them again, in a second, for our kids.

So what is one of the grossest things you have done for your kid?

Saturday Giveaway Linky

Happy Saturday! Looking for a giveaway or have one to share? Link up here!

10 things Only I Can Do Around The House

I came across this hilarious post today at Juggling Teens. I loved it so much I decided to steal BORROW it from Shauni (Thank-you, Shauni !!) It seems that Shauni has these mysterious powers that enable only her to perform certain things at her house. After reading her list I felt so envious of Shauni and her special powers, that I had to sit and think for a moment if I possessed any of my own. And guess what, I do. I actually do. Lucky me. Now I am going to record on here my powers for all to see and marvel at. But be warned. This list might make you jealous too.

Only I can wipe a runny yucky nose.

Only I can clean a toilet bowl (getting jealous yet??).

Only I can wake up in the middle of the night to parlay my amazing powers of comfort upon a child that is a) ill, b) scared or c) just awake to be awake.

Only I know how to find mysteriously hidden items such as socks, shoes, wallets, watches, stuffed bears, dinosaurs and ponytail holders.

Only I can clean up after a sick dog (fun and amazing power of mine).

Only I can remove empty containers from our refrigerator and clean the refrigerator.

Only I am able to lower toilet seats that have been left up.

I am sure I have more special powers, but I do not want to make anyome too jealous here. So I will keep the others to myself, for now.

But I am interested to know if any other mothers possess special powers, and what they are? Maybe you do not have any as glorious as mine, granted, but I am still curious , so please share if you don't mind.

( I first posted this way back in 2009--I just came across it again, and decided to re-post it today in honor of all the mommies out there with special powers. Happy Valentine's Day!)

Saturday Giveaway Linky Love

Happy Saturday! Looking for a giveaway or have one to share? Link on up!!

The Princess and the Pee Helps With Bedwetting and Potty Training

 Written by author Susan Meyers, The Princess and The Pee is about a little girl, Princess Pia and her struggles with wetting the bed.

Princess Pia shares a bunk bed with her sister, The Darling Milicent, who sleeps on the top bunk.  But Pia decides she would like to sleep on the top bunk so she can see fireflies outside the window.

Wordless Wednesday

Guess where my daughter and I will be Friday night?

Yep, the new Justin Bieber movie!

Happy Healthy Families Best of Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day has such potential for bringing families together and reminding those we love just how much we value and love them. In our house, I find that we get so caught up in getting the kids valentines for school, along with presents for the teachers, and such, that we often lose out on celebrating our family and our love for each other.

How Do You Feel About Romance These Days?

This post brought to you by Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.
I am curious as to how other people that have been married a while and have kids, money issues, dirty houses, pets, homework, and cooking detail (just throwing out a few perks of marriage here. Pardon my sarcasm) handle romance.
Let me be more specific.
Do you and your significant other even try to be romantic anymore?

Happy Super Bowl!!

I am so excited to see all the commercials this Super Bowl, and of course the half-time show with the Black Eyed Peas!! (And I hear there may be a surprise visit from Usher!!)

Enjoy the day everyone!

Can Having an iPhone Be Like Having a Limo Driver?

This post brought to you by Evie. All opinions are 100% mine.

Uploaded with Skitch!

I am about to share a fantasy that I really believe many if not all moms have had. At least once. No, it is not that kind of fantasy. Sheesh.

No, my fantasy has to do with a limo and of course, a very cute limo driver. Okay--so just a touch of that kind of fantasy.

Why a limo fantasy, you ask?  (Really, you have to ask??) So I can work on my laptop while driving my kids everywhere they need to go, of course, not to mention giving orders to that cute driver who will just do what I ask without talking back.  

But seeing as how I have as much chance of that fantasy coming true as I do of getting a maid to clean my house, I figure the next best thing would be a new iPhone with an application like Evie where I can give voice commands and the phone will obey me (quite unlike my kids. Or the hubby.) And if you know me at all, you know I love giving commands!

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So as drive here and there with three loud kids in the backseat all oblivious to any commands I may issue, I can tell my iPhone to call the hubby, I can tell it to play my favorite sappy love song, I can even listen to my Facebook feeds --all while keeping my hands on the steering wheel and with no talking back! And best of all, I can tell my iPhone to get directions and  it will get them-- just -like-that!

So While I may not ever give up on my limo fantasy, I do think I could be satisfied with Evie and an iPhone. Just saying. 

 

 

Walmart Introducing Make-Up Line For 8 Year Old Girls: What the Heck??

My daughter is 13 going on 16, 18, 30. She is at that lovely age where she and her friends have the world figured out and have decided that we (us ancient parents) know absolutely nothing. They are smart enough to realize however that while we may be dinosaur-like in our way of thinking, we are still useful for things like money, driving and well, more driving. Oh yea, laundry and cooking too.

I find myself in a constant 'ping-pong' game with my daughter. I give in to this, and she will agree to that. We compromise more than we fight, so I guess I should count my blessings, and I do. But the one area I have held firm on is make-up. When she was little, she loved playing with the play make-up sets I would buy her, and she would happily set up beauty parlors and happily play for hours. When she got a little older, I let her play dress up with my clothes, and yes, some real make-up. At home. Now she is much older (oh, my heart) and she has been asking me to let her wear make-up to school.

Proven: Broccoli Really Does Fight Cancer!

Make some steamed broccoli for dinner tonight (and maybe for lunch too!) Why? Because there is now scientific proof that broccoli, if it is cooked the right way actually does fight cancer!


And if you add in some broccoli sprouts along with that lightly steamed broccoli you get twice the benefit.

Steamed Broccoli Recipe

Here is a recipe for steamed broccoli that is pretty simple and will keep the healthy benefits of broccoli intact!

1 small bunch broccoli (about 3/4 pound)
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice


Discard tough lower third of broccoli stem. Peel remaining stem and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut broccoli into 2-inch florets. In a steamer set over boiling water steam broccoli, covered, until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

While broccoli is steaming, finely chop garlic and in a small skillet combine with oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat garlic mixture over moderate heat until garlic is fragrant. In a bowl toss broccoli with garlic mixture.

Try tossing the steamed broccoli over pasta and sprinkling with Parmesan Cheese to make it a bit more kid-friendly. And if that doesn't work well, try bribing with an after dinner ice cream sundae! After all, it more important than ever to get kids to eat their broccoli--so bring on the desserts, I say!

Recipe comes from epicurus.com.