New favorite

I downloaded a new CD to my ipod this weekend, and I love it! It's the Matthew West- Something to Say CD.

I like it!

My mother in law recently sent me an email about this blog that she enjoys reading. As I appreciated the entry she had sent me to, I was thinking there is no way I have more time to read any more blogs. Then this morning I went back to it, and starting browsing through it, and I am hooked. I am sure many of you have heard of Lysa TerKeurst, but I had not. Check out the blog, she is someone I would love to hang out with, and I hope to read some of her books (I have tons of time for reading). If you get a chance, watch the Oprah show segments, it's a great way to see into the type of person this woman is. There is a lot of inspiration seeping out of this blog. I will for sure be heading back.

Cute gift idea

I was online for a couple of last Christmas gifts and I came across this really cute gift idea. You put your child's name, age and where you live and it will insert that into the book. You can get them for any occasion! (click on the picture to see all of the options).

Pits of life

I signed myself up for a bible/book study at our church. It's out of my comfort zone because I don't know many of the women, and this means I would need to be real and vulnerable with strangers about the pits of my life. I thankfully got a good friend of mine to sign up with me. We are reading Beth Moore's new book, Get Out of that Pit. As I sat down this morning and starting thinking about some pits I have been in, gotten out of, and might currently be in, I was thinking about Joseph and the pit he was thrown in by his brothers betraying him. I love what Joseph says in Genesis about the pit he got thrown in.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
~Genesis 50:20

Sometimes we end up in pits because of other people's choices, sometimes because of our own choices, and sometimes because God is trying to teach us something and He puts us there. It's a matter of how we react to being in the pit and "who" we use to get out of that pit that matters. I encourage everyone to read this book. You maybe are not in a pit currently but odds are you have been, or you will be again.

Home check

Found this on the goodyblog. We delt with ear infections several times with Jacob, but have lucked out with Izzy and Andrew. Maybe this is something your family would benefit from.

Is It An Ear Infection?
If your child is prone to ear infections, you might worry about her ears every time she gets a cold and seems cranky—especially if she's too young to tell you that they hurt. Should you take her to the doctor? I was impressed when I met with the makers of EarCheck ($59), a brand new easy-to-use device that looks like an ear thermometer. You put it in your child's ear and it emits safe sound waves that detect fluid in the middle ear—a key sign of infection. It’s very similar to a device that pediatricians have been using for the last ten years. If it registers in the red zone, you should take your child to the doctor—otherwise, you can relax and assume that her crankiness has nothing to do with her ears.

D.E.A.R

When I was a teacher, we had DEAR time in our classroom. It stands for Drop Everything And Read. Last night I was tired and there was work to be done around the house, but I decided to drop it all and read my Parent's magazine that I got over a week ago and haven't gotten around to yet. I've read other parenting magazines, but this one is my favorite for many reasons. Typically I can flip through a magazine in 10 minutes, but after 30 minutes I hadn't even made it through half. There was so much to read. They were not long articles that I was reading, it was a tidbit here and there and some more lengthy articles, but I thought it was all good. I think everyone should check it out. There are barely any adds, lots a great parenting advice, cute stories, party ideas on a budget, receipes that the whole family will love, decorating tips, seasonal ideas, and much much more! Also, I found a new blog that I plan on frequenting often. It's the called the .
I would be willing to say that if you don't like it I would refund your money, but I'm not going to do that for the fact that I might get scammed! Just check it out- let me know if you like it!.

Gotta have it!

The Reston blog has done it again, found an awesome product that I really really want. It's the "Peter Potty" a kids urinal to help the boys stand up and go. I need to figure out a way to get this. There is also a potty chair with toilet paper attached to the front...genius! The main reason Isabelle needs me to wipe her is because she can't reach the toilet paper. WOW I am really excited about both products.

Super Why!

Jacob has been watching this for a week or so, but this morning I sat and watched it with him. I LOVE it! It's interactive, educational and positive. All the kids are tunned into the show and participating by answering the questions the characters ask. It's technologically (is this a word? :)) current as Super Wy ( boy with green eye thingy) carries around a gadget that looks a lot like a video ipod. The show is all about these 4 kids that have super educational powers. They all come together to solve a problem, and they look in books to find their answer. They talk a lot about letters, sounds, and words. I am very excited about the kids getting into this. Check it out on PBS in the morning or on channel 17 in evening.

Watch this

I like the new reality show called, Don't Forget the Lyrics. It is kind of like Who Wants to be a Million but they have to sing their way to the the Million. I like the host, Wayne Brady- he is not irritating, but he is funny and let's be honest, he's attractive! You can catch it on FOX Wednesdays at 8:30 Central and Thursdays at 7:30 Central. I can't sing, so I would never want to be on this show, but it is a entertaining to watch- Let me know if you like it.

New to me

Yesterday I experienced two new places that I wish I would have discovered earlier. I have heard of both before, but never ventured in to either. First, Jacob needed a haircut, and I have heard people rave about the Kid's hair. I never wanted to pay the extra $4.00 that it is when he could get it cut in town. Well, I now see why it's worth the $4.00. Usually when Jacob gets his hair cut it's a long drawn out discussion about how he will act. Then we get there and he freezes up like a deer in the headlights before latching onto my leg and screaming that he doesn't want to get his hair cut. Those days are gone. He did awesome at Kid's hair! They have a tv, toys and video games to keep kids occupied and distracted from what's really going on. There are many fun colors and things around- it's a must do again stop. If you want to check it out visit their
website and get a coupon for $2.00 off your first visit.

After the hair cut, I earned 8 FREE meals at Let's Dish with my Tupperware Director. This place is amazing!!! I want to go back sometime with friends or mom and mother-in-law. It's relaxing and fun! If you've never been, then you have to try it. I made 8 meals and each meal feeds 6! So, I split most of them because I know they are things the kids won't like and then there are more meals from Brenton and I. Everything is prepped for you, you just dish up the food into freezer bags and tins. Then they clean everything up for you- AMAZING! It took me about 2 hours to prepare all of that. The meals all look delicious- I can't wait to cook them. My director goes their often and has compared prices with what she would spend at the grocery store and she says it's VERY competitive. I love knowing that we can have healthy, delicious meals that will take little to no effort on my part. It's difficult preparing a good meal when you have little ones tugging on your legs. Check it out if you can, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Coming soon

I got this link from my sister-in-law. It looks like it's going to be a great site when it's complete. I am always looking for helpful resources for my kids, and I will checking back with this one for sure. There is helpful information from infant through high school. It's called Minnesota-Parents know.

I have been wanting to see this movie since I heard it was coming out. I loved the book, and even worked behind the scenes of the play done in our town when I was a kid. Yesterday, when I heard it was suppose to snow again, I rented Charlotte's Web for us to take up some time. The kids really liked it because they love farm animals. I thought it was ok. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was really slow moving, and the animals talked with this monotone soft voice which was tiring and creepy, not that animals talking isn't creepy enough. I think the main reason I didn't like it was because the spider (Charlotte) was so nasty looking. Spiders are so gross. I'm not afraid of spiders, I will kill them with pleasure, but they are really ugly to look at, and I didn't like looking at her. I did however like the innocents and sweetness of the story. I liked watching the movie with my kids and talking to them about being a good friend-like Wilber and Charlotte, how to take care of animals, and feelings that people have when they are sad from someone dying (oops I hope I didn't give anything away). It was nice to have a completely "clean" movie. If you haven't seen, I would recommend it, just prepare for yourself for the ugly spider.