Crunchy Green Lovin' Mom

Sofia Valeria Collection - Birthday Bash Day 3

2009-07-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Sofia Valeria Collection is just as lovely as it sounds! This Etsy boutique has beautiful clips and some of the best personalized murals I have had the chance to see. I love to have different options for my daughter’s hair, things that will match their colorful outfits and fit with the holidays, not to mention a way to get their hair out of their face. However, with as many bows and clips I have… I needed a place to put them all, right?

When I spoke with owner, Nadia, about the theme of the girl’s room she quickly stepped up to the task and made me some amazing murals to hang on their wall and duel as hair clip holders!

Totally cute… right?

This one is Issa’s (Her name is Jacqueline)

This one is LaLa’s (Her name is Suzanne)

The hairclips she has are beautiful in my daughter’s hair. I will have pictures of those tomorrow; living in two houses has placed things all over the town, so those will be a day late!

Today is July 10^th, and a HUGE sale on The Sofia Valeria Collection…. She is having her 2-Clippie set, Single clippies and u-pick collections being sold at a $1, Today only!! Orders over $20 always get FREE U.S. shipping. Can you imagine how many clippies you could get for 20$?

She has also been generous enough to offer a bow set, these are blue and white and totally cute! (Will put these pictures up soon.) Wanna win these?

Wanna enter? Here’s how….

Visit Sofia Valeria Collection and check out all the cool products that she has. Then come back here and tell me your favorite item.

Want extra entries? :

Subscribe to my blog or tell me you have.
Become a Twitter fan - @CrunchyGreenMom and tweet this giveaway (link)
Write a blog post about this birthday blog party giveaway (leave me a comment with a link)
Put my blog button up (leave me a comment with a link)
Let me know if you bought something from Sofia Valeria Collection and I will give you an entry per dollar.

Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

Giveaway ends on Friday, July 17, 2009 at midnight (US only unless specified)

Winner will be selected from all eligible entries using Random.org. Winner will be contacted via email and must respond within 48 hours.

~Many thanks to Nadia for sponsoring today's giveaway! She is a truly talented woman!~

Don't forget to enter:

Day 1: Story Tot's Personalized book

Day 2: Nalgene OTG bottle

Nalgene bottle - Day 2 of Birthday Bash!

2009-07-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to join Day 1 - Story Tot personalized book

I love to drink water! It is one of the fastest ways to lose weight and a great way to get my kids to sit down and chill… a cold glass of water and a fan.

When I got the Nalgene bottle I was skeptical. See, my teens and my toddlers are hard on things, they get tossed around, broken and with water bottles, always spring a leak. Can I tell you how bad it is to toss a water bottle in your purse while you are pulling the kids out of the car only to get back in the house and have a flooded purse? I don’t think I’ve EVER found my BlackBerry faster.

My son started freshman football for a week in June. It was a little warm so I made sure to test out the freezing power of the Nalgene bottle, filled it half way with water and tossed in the freezer at work. When I left I put some water in it and headed off to the football field. The kids all came running up for a drink, I tossed the Nalgene at him. Apparently the Nalgene is aerodynamic…. I however am a horrible throw. The bottle came down to the ground with a crash. Guess what?

It didn’t break.

Joey scooped it up, popped open the top and tossed it back to me when he was done. I was ecstatic. Finally, a bottle that can handle football practice, trips to the zoo and it fits in the cup holder in the minivan.

So, that being said… You know you want one.

* BPA Free
* Holds 24 ounces
* Allows for an easy one hand opening.

You can purchase one at Nalgene and at select retailers. They are only $11.99, get a few of these for hot summer days and freeze them at night to keep it cool.

Wanna enter? Here’s how…

Visit Nalgene website and tell me which product you would like to have. The winner will receive a Nalgene OTG, you will be able to choose between colors like Spring Green, Slate Blue, or go bold with Red.

They were kind enough to go “green” and will be sending the bottle straight from their offices instead of putting more waste in the environment by sending it to me first. I love these people!

Want extra entries?:

• Subscribe to my blog or tell me you have.

• Become a Twitter fan - @CrunchyGreenMom and tweet this giveaway (link)

• Write a blog post about this giveaway (leave me a comment with a link)

• Put my blog button up (leave me a comment with a link)

• Leave a Happy 1st birthday message to my best friends son, Grady was born at 12:30am on July 9th. He’s a special little man and the first child to my “soul sister” Gretchen and her husband, Dan.

Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

Giveaway ends on Friday, July 17, 2009 at midnight (US only unless specified)

Winner will be selected from all eligible entries using Random.org. Winner will be contacted via email and must respond within 48 hours.

Story Tots - Day 1 of Birthday Bash!

2009-07-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

We all try to be good Mom’s.

We feed our kids great food, give them baths, sing silly songs and read to them.

Sometimes, good deeds bring very harsh reality.

That the same book, over… and over… and over can breed… insanity.

I can not tell you how many times I have said. “Go Dog Go” or “Emmy said: Let go get some dandelions”… I need something different, and so do my daughters.

Storytots was the answer. I pulled the book out of the packaging and was instantly in love. The book is sturdy and fun, with bright colors, beautifully illustrated pictures and a little girl that looked just like Issa.

And more importantly… it has her name in it.

I couldn’t wait for the next bath time and snuggle in the chair, hair was combed, jammies wrapped around clean bodies that smelled like oranges. We all cuddled up and opened the book with anticipation.

I loved how their eyes lit up when I said “Issa” the first time. They both looked at me and waited for me to say it again. Pretty soon they were pointing out monkeys and yelling out names of other people in the story. It was an interactive reading night instead of just fighting me to turn the page.

Issa now calls it her “Issa Monkey” book.

I can tell you that this holiday season I will be purchasing at least three of these books and one gift certificate.

Yes, I said it, gift certificate. This will be for my best friend’s son, he will be getting one of these delightful gifts and his parents will get to make it for him! What a cool present all the way around.

Another wonderful fact about these books, they are created by a talented MOMpreneur located here in Colorado! Just makes me all warm and fuzzy helping out another local mom.

Wanna enter? Here’s how….

Visit Story Tots and check out all the different personalized books. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me what book you would choose if you won this.

Want extra entries?:

Subscribe to my blog or tell me you have.
Become a Twitter fan - @CrunchyGreenMom and tweet this giveaway (link)
Write a blog post about this giveaway (leave me a comment with a link)
Put my blog button up (leave me a comment with a link)
Tell me Happy Birthday… Leave me a tip, a poem, heck, even a cake made out of lines and dots!

Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry. If you do not have your e-mail address easily accessible, please leave it in the comment post.

Giveaway ends on Friday, July 17, 2009 at midnight (US only)

Winner will be selected from all eligible entries using Random.org. Winner will be contacted via email and must respond within 48 hours.

Huge Thanks to Jessica of Story Tots who sponsored this giveaway!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2009-07-07T23:28:00.001-07:00

It is official... I am now 36.

How did it happen? I am not sure but blaming my parental units seems to be in order.
Want to hear a story?

Two years ago I had my worst birthday, my guy at the time forgot my birthday and did not remember until days later, to which he said, "Well, we were fighting a lot, so I forgot. So, Happy Birthday"

After that, I made the decision that NO ONE gets to make me feel sad again on the day I was born. So... I vowed to make myself happy on my birthday and if people wanna catch up, they can, if not... it's not necessary.

So last year, I had the honor of spending my birthday in the hospital with Gretchen, Dan and their whole family waiting for the birth of little Grady. He waited... and waited... and finally showed up, at 12:30am.... the next day.

Yea... he and I had words on the matter.

But it was one of my best birthdays, I got to join in the birth of their first child, I got to run back and forth with my ear pressed to the door hoping for the cries of their son.

I made my birthday something *I* wanted... and it was worth it!

What do I wanna do this year? Hmmmmm.... How about giveaway gifts to my friends?

Yep... that is what I wanna do... and know what? I've got a 9 days of giveaways! This is my biggest bash yet, So tell your friends, tell your family... tell everyone... The festivities start at 12:34:56pm.

Here is a list of what you will see this week

July 8 – StoryTots - Personalized Book

July 9 – The Simple Stencil - 40$ in free product

July 10 - The Sofia Valeria Collection - Bow set

July 11 – YoBaby organic yogurts - YoBaby bowl with lid, an organic YoBaby bib, and a bundle of five YoBaby coupons

July 12 - Skin Free Skincare Products

July 13 – Tiny Star Couture Hair Clips - Any two they choose

July 14 – Nalgene bottle - Nalgene bottle any color

July 15 - Sugarbeez Tutus

July 16 – Hot on the Range- Hot on the Range book

July 17 – All Detergent Coupons (2)

I want to send out a ton of thanks to my sponsors for making my first every bloggy bash come to fruition.

Stolen Moments

2009-07-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

It was a simple night.

Like that place was put there for us… we had driven around looking for a place to eat, splashing in puddles after the ark-like rain that had flooded out Jake’s t-ball game and there it was… like a beacon for two hungry drifters.

We laughed, caught up on life and forgot any drama that had come up after a month of hard work on the house. The sangria was a pitcher of bliss for us, sugar rimmed with subtle tastes of cloves and fruit lingering on our tongues. When we left… we were relaxed and reconnected once again.

(Picture done by: Wistfulwanderer)

Finally got back home, it was getting late and the alcohol had started to wear into our minds, promising a haze of sleepy thoughts and playful antics before we settled in for the night.

I will never know what it was that engulfed both of us. The hue of dim cobalt, mellow music lulling us to romantic thoughts or the soporific words of adoration; It is one of those moments that will always be etched into my memory, an aimless interval, stolen, treasured…

Blog Party!

2009-07-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Two days away from the big Crunchy Green Mom Birthday bash!

I am holding a week long party starting Wednesday, July 8th.

Want extra entries?
Want ways to get Pre-party points?

Here is how!

* Grab my birthday bash button from my side bar and post it on your blog. Then leave me a comment on this post with your blog address.

* Put this link up on Twitter and then send me a direct message so I know it's up. (@Crunchygreenmom Birthday bash July 8-17 early entries at http://tinyurl.com/nlcxas please RT)

*Put up a post before July 8th at midnight about this blog party and you leave me the post link in comments.

I want to send out HUGE kudos to Krista from Welcome to Married Life who made me my birthday blog button. She will gain an extra entry to all the giveaways! Thanks a ton Krista... you are a life saver!

Lola doll Review

2009-07-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

I am a nature mom.

I know… you couldn’t tell by the name of my blog right? That being said, I am not a huge fan of toys that take up space and have no purpose for my daughters.

So when I got the Lola – Plush toy I was thrilled!! She is not just a random toy that is found on TV or a toy that is advertised through clothing, she is one that teaches and shows our little ones how to better care for the world they live in.

She has her own website that explains all about her. She is an expert in plants and flowers; it also shows that she loves drawing shells and bright colors. I gave her to my 8 year old daughter to peruse the website, learn something new and have a very soft, original doll.

See, each doll is made by hand so each one will be different than the other, just like our kids, nothing is a carbon copy of the other.

However… now… I’ve come up with a new plan for Ms. Lola. She is going to be my companion. I am going to start taking pictures with her in random places that I go, and start placing those photos on my blog and my Facebook. What better way to see that world than through the eyes of a Flower girl?

Want a new way to teach your children about saving the world we live in? Go check out the line of Nature Conservancy toys found at NMCtoys.com and find a place for each of these lovable plush dolls!

Gamer girl

2009-07-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

She's all dressed up....

Waiting to watch some America's Got Talent with the whole family ... Innocent enough.. right?

(See the XBox controller resting innocently in LaLa's lap?)

She's dressed up and ready to ... "P'wn some n00bs" (Gamer speak... hehe)

Who wouldn't wanna meet her on the battlefield... don't give in to that cute little smile and doe like eyes... she's a beast!

Dont'cha just wanna snuggle her to pieces??

Wordless Wednesday - Tooth Fairy Cometh

2009-06-30T23:26:00.001-07:00

(Confused? Read the story here)

Happy Wordless Wednesday, visit other WW's at 5 minutes for Mom

The Tooth Fairy Cometh!

2009-06-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

It happens many times in my house….

Incessant whining, pulling and tugging, then… a squeal.

Suddenly a tooth is lying in a tiny palm with a bit of blood on my kids tongue.

They are happy because they know she’s coming.

The Tooth Fairy!

Back in the day, she was forgetful. It would be nights later before she could fit a kid into her busy schedule. Mornings of disappointment because “MOM” forgot to call her.

Yea… I suck.

But suddenly, The Tooth Fairy changed her tactic. No longer were there battle crawls to the head of the bed and hands trying to be stealthy in the dark looking for a tiny gem under a goose down pillow.

No longer would a parental unit try to keep the change quiet as quarters or dollars were put under the sleeping child’s head.

Nope…. The Tooth Fairy now leaves toys.

Here is what I do now.

The fallen tooth is wrapped with love inside of a bright bit of cloth and hung on a tree outside the house. We take pictures and make a ceremony of the “tooth gifting” to the greedy winged pixie.

The next morning, like Christmas, the children run outside to see what they got. A doll? A game? Perhaps a new pack of Yu-Gi-Oh cards?

So tomorrow… be ready… The Tooth Fairy is on her way to give Faith a gift for her donation of a healthy chomper…. Wanna see what she left?

(Now… I wanna know… What traditions do you have in your house with the tooth fairy? How much money is left? Do your kids even know about The Tooth Fairy?)

Open Letter Friday 6/26

2009-06-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mouth,

Just because you ate does not mean you need to eat more. If you *MUST* keep moving, please talk with co-workers. Eventually you will say something stupid and get socked in the jaw. Then… you won’t want to keep moving.

I appreciate the help,
The Stomach

***********************************************************

Dear Stomach,

Quit your gurgling, how about you quit growing and I won’t have to keep finding items to fill it up! Oh, and in defense… I RARELY say something stupid that gets me socked in the jaw… I usually just say something that gets eyes a glare from the Dave.

Mouthing off,
The Mouth

***********************************************************

Dear Stomach and Mouth,

Keep me out of your petty games. I’m not longer WATCHING what you eat. Fend for yourself, and if you happen to pick up a diaper or a rotten apple, we will see if you will continue getting me in trouble with … the Dave.

Glaringly,
The Eyes

***********************************************************

Dear three traitors,

I am NOT picking up a stinky diaper or anything else that is squishy, dirty, or will stick to my skin. Do you KNOW how busy I am? If it were up to me, I’d be at the salon, getting a fabulous massage, lotioned and painted, Not here listening to the three of you yammer on like you are a bunch of old ladies!

Flipping you off,
The hand

***********************************************************

Dear mutinous dogs,

I have listened to this banter since lunch. Honestly…

Mouth, you did NOT need to eat that cheesecake, it was not necessary.
Stomach, you should perhaps slim it down a bit, you are gaining a little more speed than mouth can keep up with (Butt… you should listen up!).
Eyes, just avoid his look when Mouth gets you in trouble.. it’s easier than trying to give him the puppy dog look.. it rarely works.
Hand… you do enough of the flipping off in traffic must you REALLY do it right now?

Now… get back in line… or I am going to check out and you do NOT want to see me all blank gazed and hollow.

Shape up!
The Brain

(This is what happens when Lilith has a large lunch, very little sleep and wants date night to start NOW!)

Jumpstart for the Wii!!

2009-06-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Jumpstart.com and I have been in love for a while.

Okay… I might be exaggerating. I have been in love with Jumpstart.com for many years. Through PC games that helped my children through kindergarten and 1^st grade, internet games that I play with Jake and now…. Wii.

Yep… Jumpstart has gone HUGELY interactive, even to the point of demoing the game at E3 this year.

They have a new game coming out for the Wii, JumpStart Pet Rescue, a new version of Storyland from JumpStart.com.

Want to see more? Here is a video they have for it.

I will hopefully be getting this soon… and I’ll do a video of the kids playing it.

How cool is it..? Learning… getting off their bumpers to play it, and getting to all play together?

Keep an eye out for it in the next few months!

Tell me Thursday (06/25/09)

2009-06-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

This was a picture that I had adapted after his friend Daryl and Lacy’s wedding in May. Dave has said he wanted it framed…. So I did the next best thing.

I had it put onto canvas. No broken glass when they play ball in the house, no losing it in the shuffle of changing out pictures and age. This will become a wonderful memory for the two of them, father and son.

I found GeeZees through a bloggy friend about a month before Father’s Day.

The owner Stephanie Morris was amazing from the moment I sent the request form.
Within 24 hours I had three proofs and the option to choose what I liked and how I wanted it done.

After I tweaked it a little she started working on it.

I got it about a week later and fell in love with it. It is a sturdy design with strength in the wood that holds the canvas. I could not WAIT to give it to Dave on Sunday.

I had Jake give it to him for Father’s Day. (I was going to head over early and make breakfast for Dave. I didn’t make it… my little ones slept until 9am… who was I to deny the little darlings sleep?)

I can’t wait to find a wall to hang it on, and to add many more of the years of canvas printed photos!

Wordless Wednesday - Father's Day gift

2009-06-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

(A beautiful canvas made by: GeeZees for Dave)

Hope everyone had a blessed Father's Day!

Wordless Wednesday

Help me decide...

2009-06-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

Ok... I have a decision to make.

My toddler girls (30 months and 17 months) have a newly painted room, that will be scrubbed, vacuumed and decorated soon.

There will be quilts on the walls, their cribs head to head, a dresser, a reading corner with a bookshelf, an over sized chair and a lamp for nighttime cuddles with Mommy.

They have lovely decorations like this:

(Made by: Nadia from Murals with Love)

And lettering like this:

(From: Jennifer at The Simple Stencil)
(Yes.. the color is about the color of the walls as well)

This is where the help comes in. I don't know what area rug to pick.
I want something in front of the floor in front of the chair where my toddlers and I will be reading.

I like these four area rugs options.... any ideas, preferences... other ones you like?

To do Tuesday 06/23

2009-06-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Crazy Adventures in Parenting does a weekly To-Do list. I need some focus, I decided this morning that this was my best bet for getting things done and ready to go!

Tuesday

Pack up the closet (winter clothes, etc)
Pack up the minivan to take things to the house
Do last load of laundry
Clean out fridge/bathroom
Take out trash
Swimming with the kids

Wednesday

Take Joey to the house for his football weight training
Pick up Canadian (Kerik – 2 week visit)
Move things into the house
Spot paint/Clean the toddlers room
Clean out the window seat
Clean/Sort out kitchen cabinets
Grill something to eat for the guys while they work on electrical
Wordless Wednesday

Thursday

Pack up kitchen items (not many)
Sort through girls toys – Purge
Swimming with the kids

Friday

Take Joey to the house for his football weight training
Get Joey home
Date night!! (Being all wrapped up in one another, much needed!)

Saturday

Take the kids to the zoo (Canadian has never been, must take him!)
Go through DVDs – pack
Go through games/systems - pack
Make sure the kids are getting packed up

Sunday

Spend a little time with the girls before they go to their dad’s
Go to the house; spend the AM with Dave and Jake
Clean up and purge hall bathroom
Clean up and purge master bathroom
Start moving things around and getting organized

Monday

Help with cleaning garage
Help with the organization with the basement

Mantra Monday: 6/22/09

2009-06-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

~Soon~

It is my mantra.

Soon I will be fully moved into the house. 40 days in fact.

I have missed Dave these nights when I am at home; I miss the teens when I spend the night at his house.

~Soon~

I am listening to drilling, hammers and wood being cut into pieces to fit a wall, a TV, an Xbox….

~Soon~

I am painting the toddlers room with visions of hanging quilts and chalk walls, window gates and gates on the stairs to keep my one year old from leaping off.

I am cleansing the space and making sure there are no hidden dangers lurking to disrupt our relationship.

We fall into bed exhausted with thoughts of what it will look like, what it will be like to curl up next to one another once the projects are done and the house is quiet. I imagine the sound of a kids wandering to get some water at midnight, or scurrying into the bathroom when it’s time for school to start. I can sit at a stop light and imagine the mornings when his son curls up into bed with us and plays in the sandbox as we sit on the back porch and talk.

~Soon~

The packing and unpacking will be done. The last bit of art placed on the walls and I come home to a quiet home, the sound of footsteps disappearing as they run to the park or the greenbelt behind the house. Squeals of laughter in the pool and that knowing look between he and I.

~Soon~

(Go to Baby Tea Leaves, read some Mantra: Mondays... and join in!)

6 weeks until moving day

2009-06-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all.. I know.. I've been quiet lately.

*Between getting thing set up for this Bloggy Birthday Bash in July
*Trying to figure out how to make a button (Anyone help me here? I am LOST)
*Getting packed up to move
*Painting and assisting a little with construction
*Keeping up with my bloggy friends

I have been a busy girl. As well as the kids and work.... AHHH....

But.. I do have pictures.... not many.. but a few with more coming weekly.

This first set of photos is of the toddlers room. The color was supposed to be a little browner, however came out more yellowish. Amazingly, it looks great. Dave likes the color and I have images of little girls in swirly white dresses dancing around their new room when it is all decorated!

In reality, it will be little girls in shorts, food on their face and hair standing straight out running around putting their grubby hands on my new paint job. Yep.... the reality makes ya cry!

Before
(The room was almost a greyish color, I never realized it until the yellow went up. The closet had not been painted before, so it was a clean slate for my additions. Oh.. and we are taking off the doors to the closet to put up fabric like "princess style" curtains.)

Before

(Faith looking rather bored because of all the taping and covering up of windows and doors I was doing. She just wanted me to get onto painting!)

After
(It looks all grainy because I was taking a picture in a non-ventilated room after I had just used the paint sprayer on the walls and there were particles in the air. Needless to say, Lilith did not sleep well that night.)

Today I am painting the ceiling to repair what I painted while doing the walls.. I am a dork :)

I will put up pictures of the basement bedroom in a few days (It is almost fully framed) and show it all coming together!!

I ♥ faces sepia

2009-06-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

Kids entry

Adult entry

I have been trying to convince myself to join I ♥ Faces for a long time.
I am either too late, or not confident enough in my photography to get the picture up.

I am not procrastinating anymore!
This weeks contest is Sepia... so here I am.. my two entries for the week!

Next week is: Let's Hear It For The Boys!

I hope ya’ll join in and enjoy the photos, they are all exquisite!

It's a Party!

2009-06-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hey... whatcha doin' between 4-6pm PST?

Wanna join a party on Mom Logic??

You know you do... if you join up you can say I sent ya... :)
(Crunchy Green Mom) (LilithSilvermane(at)gmail(dot)com)

(This link doesn't like me... so I made up something on my own : ))

The GRAND PRIZE is a Frigidaire Gallery Built-in Dishwasher (valued at $650). Join Club Win It for a full list of prizes. We look forward to seeing you at the party!

Yep.... I'm gunning for this!!!

What if....

2009-06-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

.... You knew it was your time?

If you were sitting in a bed with crisp, cold sheets and the sad eyes of your doctor telling you...

"There is nothing we can do." and "I am so sorry."

You go home and start writing letters, making phone calls, cleaning out drawers and making plans for your passing.

I wouldn't want to write letters or make phone calls or clean out my life.

I wouldn't want to say goodbye over 1000 miles away from my childhood friend, Mandy OR tell my aunts and uncles in New York that I will never see them again.

This story is what I would want... the laughter, the tears, the memories... I don't want a funeral of people crying in a stark building. I want the air hitting their face and feeling ME around them.

Before I go, if I am blessed enough to know the end is coming... I want to dictate MY ending, dictate MY wishes... and depart this life on my terms... It's my last rebellion.

Open Letter Friday - 6/12

2009-06-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Ms. Nature,

Did someone wrong you this past year? Were we not careful enough treading on your earthy flesh or inhaling your breath? Has Colorado specifically been cruel to you?

You have been fierce this spring – The mornings offer soft sounds of birds singing the welcome of your bright star rising in the plains. The afternoons slowly become darker, clouds and walls of moisture off in the distance, moving closer until they are atop us, joined with the rumble of thunder and bright flashes of electricity.

We are all sent scurrying like mice when the white pellets of ice fall from the clouds. Deafening inside the home and threatening to shatter glass and bring a swirling mass of air to destroy things that should be left standing.

(Picture taken by Dave Smith: Outside his garage June 2009)

Exposed toes having been given the warm weather pedicures, bright pink toenails and decorated ankles are hiding within shoes once again. The nights demand a sweater and baseball games are visited with layers of clothing and a blanket.

When are you allowing the warmer nights of tank tops and a cold beer? When will I sit on the front porch and let the girls play in the sprinklers? The lilt of laughter from neighborhood children have been silenced by your roaring winds… we miss the warmer breeze and slipping into the pool at 7pm just to cool off.

Give us the warm nights and leave the chill to autumn.

Think about it,

A pleading mom who’s toes are always cold because she REFUSES to remove the flip flops until October

Wordless Wednesday (Six kids before bed)

2009-06-09T23:12:00.000-07:00

Make sure you visit the other Wordless Wednesday's here at 5 Minutes for Mom

Please come back tomorrow for Tell me Thursday about Wordless Wednesday

Monday morning memory

2009-06-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

There is a toddler curled up in my arms before a diaper change, the other one having slipped onto the floor to wander the room and find something to play with.

A whimper, pleading cry to be put back into bed for “sleep” is granted with a new sippy of milk and her favorite blankie as she curls up in her crib.

The littlest one is picked up to be wrapped in my arms, and placed into bed so there can be a little snuggle time.

The other little girl requests me with a sob, a bad dream has woken her up and she needs love.

As I rock her quietly, my Blackberry is found and the music comes softly flowing from it, melodious sounds of Missy Higgins fade into a faster paced song as the baby starts to dance to help dry up the tears of her older sister.

There is laughter from the three of us, and spirits are lifted to help them start their day.

Their father shows up to take them to his house for the day… It’s Monday morning at 6:30am and I’ve already had a busy day.

The Giveaway Birthday Bash!

2009-06-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I was just wanting to let you know about The Giveaway's 1st Birthday Bash that will run June 5th-12th. Haven't heard about 'The Giveaway'? It's this great blog that has several easy-to-enter giveaways starting every week!

And the Birthday Bash will be the biggest week ever! There are over $2100 in prizes to be given out! Starting with a Giveaway Carnival and giveaway on Friday, June 5th, a Photo Contest on Saturday, Scavenger Hunt on Sunday, regular giveaways Mon-Thurs, a LIVE Grand Prize Giveaway on Friday, June 12th, and Daily Door Prizes. This is going to be HUGE!

(Vote for my daughters Birthday pic! It was her 1st birthday!)

For more info on the Birthday Bash, here's the link.

Remember, it started on June 5th with The Giveaway's 1st Annual Birthday Carnival & Giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment to enter the giveaway. And if you join the Carnival, you get an extra entry!

And if you blog about this too (before Friday, June 12th) (just copy and paste this post), then you will be entered to win the special Early Bird Prize! Just come back here and leave a comment with your blog post url!

Hope to see you there!
http://www.the-giveaway.com/