Little Kids and Advent

My 9-year-old son Michael is so stinkin' cute. He goes to Religious Education class on Tuesdays with his brother and sister while I babysit in the nursery with Eva and Sam, and this year Michael has an amazing teacher who really challenges the kids ... and me.

She has given them a chain of things to do for every day of Advent. Each day is something different, like one might be to clean his room, one might be to read a Christmas story to his family. He also gets very serious about reading the Advent prayer every night and lighting the candles. In fact, Aron took him out to buy an Advent wreath because we didn't have one. He has to keep track of his daily chain items on a log.

Last night he was starting to get worried because one of the "assignments" on his chain had been to make a card for an elderly neighbor. Then yesterday's assignment was to mail the card to the neighbor. He was very specific and said we had to go to the post office to mail the card to the neighbor across the street.

Of course when one of my kids is like a dog with a bone, I help them out as much as I can. So we drove to the post office at 8 p.m. to mail the neighbor her letter. Michael likes to make sure he is doing everything right. Need I mention he is a model student for me?!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers, paid and volunteer, who give it their all, who challenge the kids to be better people and have fun along the way. You are amazing.

Weight Loss Rewards

When I saw this gem I said (Carrie Bradshaw-style), "Hello, lover!"

You know how some people reward their weight loss with, say, a trip to the all-you-can-eat buffet?

I think that's dumb. Yep, I said it.

It's like "look at me depriving myself ... now I've lost 10 pounds so I'm going to get me somethin' to eat that I really want."

Yeah, let's celebrate losing 10 pounds by gaining a couple of those back. Great idea.

I have a better way! (for the record, Weight Watchers is not about depriving yourself or eating ONLY their food or only certain foods ... I eat all sorts of fun things from the healthy to the not-so-healthy and don't usually feel deprived ... I've only gone on 2 chocolate binges in 3 months!)

When I hit my 15-pound loss a couple of weeks ago, I marched my happy butt over to Target and picked out a cool, retro, herringbone "work tote" ... a huge bag like I love to carry and that holds all my crap ... snacks, a notebook, my food tracker, sunglasses, apothekerrie kit for when the kids get owies, wallet, brush, cell phone, pens, lipstick and Valium. Just kidding on that last one.

I'm already dreaming of my next weight loss reward. I'm thinking once I hit 25 pounds down it's time for a lovely black hooded coat from the vintage store. Or a trip to New York City :-)

MoH Wristband Flash Drive Giveaway and Review

Are you always losing things around the house? Do you put something down in one room and later remember that you put it there? I’m really bad about this with pens and flash drives. I switch my flash drive from my PC to the laptop often, then yank it out and am on the go to use it at the library or a friend’s house. I have been known to call a friend at night to ask them to please pull my flash drive from the back of their hard drive and save it for me because I NEED it back and will pick it up tomorrow. Oh, and I leave flash drives in pockets or lose them in the deep abyss of my purse. Then we have my 3-year-old taking off with them. Sigh. What’s a writer mama to do?

[How do you like all the TECH TALK so far? Jeez, I feel like I’m in an episode of Startups on BRAVO Channel, only for the over-40 crowd instead of 20-somethings.]

So what shows up at my door but a flash drive that is like a bracelet. An MoH (memory on hand) wristband flash drive, to use proper terminology. And I’m thinking this is more brilliant than the pen necklace! I am all for things we can attach to our body so we don’t lose said things.

Here’s what I love about this product:

1. It’s on my person so I’m less likely to lose it
2. It’s got a cute design on it so it’s fashionable
3. It’s rubbery, so it’s comfortable
4. It’s there when I need it, like a good friend
5. It’s durable. I know this because the kids got ahold of it and it held up to the McLoughlin Naughty Child test. Yes, readers, I do extensive product testing for YOU!

Here’s what I don’t love about this product:

As a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, I do a lot of dishes. A lot, folks. I also shower from time to time and give baths to my little ones. All this means my wrist will be in WATER, which is not a friend to the flash drive. Never fear, because this gadget can attach to a purse, diaper bag, belt loop or whatever you want to hook it to!

Here's how to find out about them on Facebook and Twitter.

From the sponsor:
"MoH Bands are available in 34 styles, as well as 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB memory capacities.  MoH Bands are plug n play compatible with Windows or Mac operating systems.  The 7.5 inch silicone wristband clasps tightly for a secure fit making the MoH Band water resistant able to withstand washing your hands, rain, or sweat.  MoH Bands should not be submerged under water. MoH Bands have been selling for a year and a half with over 100,000 sold.  MoH Bands have become a favorite for students, mothers, and tech gurus who need help keeping track of their information.  A great stocking stuffer for any student in your family this holiday season!  Retail from $14 - $24 dollars at www.memoryonhand.com."

So how about a giveaway of one camo wristband? Tell your techy friends because this thing is cool, and I have it in my possession along with a padded envelope and am ready for you to win it so I can pop your name on the envelope and send it to you!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Simply 7 Snacks Review

I feel like a better mom feeding my kids things like Veggie Chips, but they stopped making the flavored ones, and the regular ones are bland. Then I got these Simply 7 Snack Chips to try and was intrigued by the fact that they are hummus chips, lentil chips and pomegranate chips. Sounds healthy!

I have a hummus kick lately. It’s fueling my life. I crave it. Put some natural flavoring on some hummus chips and I am in, sister! Check out these flavors:

·       Sea salt hummus chips

·       Roasted red pepper hummus chips

·       Tomato basil hummus chips

·       Chili pepper hummus chips

·       Jalapeno lentil chips

·       Sea salt lentil chips

·       Creamy dill lentil chips

·       Bruschetta lentil chips

·       Sea salt pomegranate chips

·       White cheddar pomegranate chips

·       Black pepper pomegranate chips

What does Simply 7 mean? I’ll tell ya what I read on the bag, that “all of our snacks are made according to 7 core standards and they are oh so simple”:

1.     0 grams trans fat

2.     No artificial colors or flavors

3.     No preservatives

4.     Gluten free ingredients

5.     All natural recipes

6.     Simple ingredients

7.     Simply delicious

Where to find them? I want them for my Heathen Homeschoolers weekly park day because many of my friends in that group are all-natural eaters and feed their kids the same. I’ve stopped showing up with Snickers bars and Doritos, and now I can show up with something cool and new and yummy and ALL NATURAL and yummy (did I already say yummy?) and crunchy. And YES, this reviewing thing is hard work, but I did personally taste all 11 varieties of chips as a service I like to provide for my readers J

Oooh, and I think I just found my new go-to snack for dipping into my vat of hummus I like to buy! I’m thinking the sea salt variety will be perfect for my Greek olive hummus. Or one of the spicy varieties will work wonderfully with my plain hummus.

Here are Simply 7's Facebook and Twitter links so you can connect with them!

*For all you Weight Watchers geeks out there, it’s 3 points for about 30 of the Tomato Basil hummus chips, and hummus is about 1 point per tablespoon.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Thrift Store Christmas Shopping

At Target a new holiday dress would be at least $20. This one was closer to $2.

A couple of weeks ago I was at Target. I have always gone there because it's close to home and easy, and they have great hours. I saw the cutest holiday dresses and decided this year my girls would have nice dresses for the holidays. They do have some nice dresses (thanks, Miss Kay, Mom and Nancy!), but I was thinking of something festive they could wear to all the parties and family gatherings we attend.

Then Christmas shopping started in earnest, gymnastics started, and other life and home things got costly. I decided I would fuel up my kids with some good snacks and we would hit the thrift store. Not just a small one, but a huge one that would be more likely to have things we were looking for. I have always loved vintage and thrift store shopping but it got hard to do once I had the kids and my brain was too foggy to even contemplate keeping track of the kids while shopping for them at the same time.

Well, today I spent $16 on:

A fluffy yellow scarf for Callie
A nice shirt for Joel to wear to church ($1!!!)
Pants for Joel to wear around
A couple of things for my dad that he asked for
A Christmasy dress for Callie
A Christmasy dress for Eva (see above!)

I was also dreaming of some new clothes for myself as I hopefully continue to lose weight, but things cost so much new. I vow to have Aron watch the kids on one of his Fridays off so I can go vintage and thrift store shopping for my new CHEAP wardrobe. It's the green way to go, by the way, for the planet and our wallets.

What will we do with all the money we will be saving since I finally got smart? Well, we were talking with my dad the other day about going to Germany (where I was born) ... and I'd love to take my mom to Italy and the family to LegoLand. We shall see!