Free is glee

Simple changes

2011-01-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

One change that I intend on making this year is watching portion control. Quite honestly, I love food. When I eat, I really eat. I love chips and dip, cheese, chips, fraps from Starbucks, sweet tea, pasta, chips and dips....are you noticing a theme? My mouth is drooling just thinking about all the stuff I love. And because of that simple fact of overeating, I have always been about ten pounds higher than I should be and I have been hanging out with a BMI classification of mildly overweight. Sigh...

Part of the solution is admitting you have a problem. At least, that is what I hear.

My plan is that when I get the taste of something that I am craving, I am going to stop eating. And when I feel full, I am going to stop eating. And I need to tone down my eating out, as my work lunches are consistently out of the office. Sounds easy enough, right? Ha!

Fortunately, I have already lost my baby weight and a few more pounds on top of that. I also have the added help of having less time to eat, so my diet is smaller as my brain has less time to think about eating, as I have been more than preoccupied with taking care of my two little kiddos. Another piece I need to focus on is having less of the bad stuff and more of the good stuff, meaning if I want something bad, I should only have a small portion of it and I should try to fill up more on my fruits and veggies. (Sidenote: unfortunately for me, both my husband and oldest hate veggies!)

I have been doing well so far this year. If you don't count that moment of weakness where I made my red pepper hot cheese dip and ate it over the course of three days for lunch, but I digress. The true test will be when I go back to work, go back to my normal routine in a couple months. The reality is that I probably won't stop going out to eat because I like the time away from my desk. But as I drill into my toddler's brain about making good decisions in his day-to-day life, I need to do the same. Healthier food and not as much food in general. I also need to steer away from feeling like I need to finish my plate of food, even if it is oh so tasty.

Sounds simple enough, right? Wish me luck. I need it!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Simply Orange® blogging program. If I am one of the first 65 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 Target gift card and a gift pack that includes a Simply Orange® cooler bag and logoed fleece.

5 tips for editing and creating beautiful digital photo projects

2010-11-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

I love taking pictures. While my husband has been our go-to-cameraman lately, I was the one who got him interested to start with. There is so much you can do with every day moments and I would like to take this opportunity to provide some tips in creating some beautiful photographs.

1) Get a solid camera. We recently invested in a DSLR which makes the pictures much clearer (and makes editing less necessary). It can be so disappointing to take a great shot/angle, only to have it fuzzy and out of focus.

2) Get creative with your angle. Get on the floor, get on a chair, peek around the corner, angle up, and angle down. A unique angle can really make the shot. In fact, I would say it can make a non-picture a picture.

3) Avoid shots in which people are staring at the camera, hunched over, with their arms around each other. There is no creativity involved whatsoever in pictures like that. I sincerely despise posed shots, except for one situation: children. Children trying to pose with each other can turn out wonderfully endearing.

4) Capture those everyday moments. You don't necessarily need to only shoot momentous occasions. One of my favorite pictures ever is catching my son hugging his halloween monkey costume in the middle of our family, three weeks before the holiday, because he was so excited about it. If I wasn't constantly on the lookout for thos everyday moments, that moment would have been lost forever.

5) Edit away. Get rid of red eye. Crop to your little heart's content. Play with color vs. black and white. See if reversing the photo makes for a more aethetically pleasing picture. Be sure to keep a copy of both your original picture as well as the edited version, in case you ever want to go back.

One thing you may have noticed is that most of my tips revolved around the taking of the picture itself. While editing is always an option, you simply can't edit a bad picture into a great one. You really need to have a solid basis of a picture first and foremost in order for it to make sense for you to spend time on editing said picture.

And one last parting tip: back-up, back-up, back-up. Ensure you are saving your photos in two places in case one of those places crashes and burns. There is no way to get those memories captured back.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Adobe blogging program, making me eligible to receive a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

The Balancing Act

2010-11-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

Being a mom, a wife, a homeowner, and a full time employee (in no particular order of course) makes life a *little* hectic. I always feel like something is suffering and it is usually my personal time, but at the same time, I would not trade my life for anything in the world. What I have learned is to adapt, to know that perfection is a thing of the past, and that giving 50% is better 0%!

Over the course of my 30 years, I have learned some tips that, as of lately, being a mother of almost two little boys, have helped me maintain my sanity. Well, almost.

1) Stockpile. Other than groceries, I rarely run into a situation where I have to drop everything and run out to the store because I need . At my disposal, I have a ton of diapers, wipes, body wash, shampoo, face soap, bar soap, kleenex, hand soap, toilet paper, paper towels, and lotions, among other items. On top of not need to run out at a moment's notice, I also don't have to pay an arm and leg for my needed product. Most of what is in my stockpile was purchased on sale!

2) Learn that your house is not always going to be neat. As I write this post, my family room is toy-central. But if I were to care and were to clean up every night, I would be wasting 10-15 minutes every night, because the next night, we are right back to toy central. Pick a day of the week to get things in order and try to ignore it the other days.

3) If you can afford it, hire a cleaning person. This is by far the best thing I have done since having a child. I never have to spend time on weekends washing floors or cleaning toilets. I can focus on my family instead. And you know that day of the week I talked about in tip #2? Yeah, that's the day before my cleaning lady comes.

4) Know that you can't be everything to everyone. Sometimes, it's OK to put your child in front of Elmo's World. Or instead of hanging out with your husband during child's nap time, go take a nap instead. As the saying goes, if Momma's not happy, no one is.

5) Make sure you and your spouse are on the same page regarding money. One thing we implemented in our house that has eliminated any money "discussions" is setting up what we call our fun money accounts. Every week we get the same amount of money to spend on whatever we want, which includes food during the day. This way I don't care how much he spends at lunch and he doesn't care how much Starbucks I get in a week. This has eliminated a lot of stress in our world.

6) Embrace your crock pot. It's lovely to be able to throw 4 or 5 ingredients together before work and come home to a cooked dinner with very little effort. This also saves money (see #5) and keeps your household a little healthier.

7) Split up responsibilities between you and your spouse. It's helpful for me to know that he is going to handle the garbage, the yard, and bathtime, while I'm in charge of our finances, errands, and the morning routine. It definitely takes some of the pressure off. Your household members should work as a team!

8) Don't be too proud to accept help. If someone wants to make you a meal, or come over to watch your child so that you and your husband can do a date night, let them. And repay the favor, because you want to keep these people in your life!

9) Learn to accept that you can't change anyone but yourself. This will eliminate a lot of stress in your life.

10) Laugh. If you can't laugh at the stupid things that happen to you or even the stupid things you do, life becomes not fun. Life does always need to be so serious.

This list is by no means all inclusive, but has really helped me in surviving the day-to-day life as well as maintain perspective that my life is pretty good. It's very easy to get overwhelmed and stressed with what the world throws out at you, but as long as you maintain perspective and surround yourself with good people, there is nothing you can't handle!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Oral-B blogging contest, making me eligible to get full-sized Oral-B Glide products and a $30 Target gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

My Favorite Road Trip

2010-11-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

By far, my favorite road trip had to be when during the summer of 2005, my husband and another couple drove out from Indiana to Wyoming to visit Yellowstone National Park and camp in the Bighorn Mountains, minus any of the modern conveniences if you catch my drift. While the drive seemed to take forever, we got to make several stops along the way to visit place that we wouldn't have normally visited, like the Corn Palace, the Badlands, and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

Also, while we were traveling out there, we ran into all the folks headed to Sturgis, SD for the motorcycle convention - I had never seen anything like that! As we drove, I have never been in a situation where I was surrounded by that many motorcycles. It was nuts. I was worried the whole time I was going to hit one of them!

Really, the benefit of road trips is to experience the world that isn't in an area well-traveled, see things that you probably wouldn't see otherwise. The nature at Yellowstone and the Bighorn Mountains was phenomenal: clear water, random wildlife, Old Faithful, and my favorite, the stinkpots. And if we had gone the roadtrip route, I can safely say we wouldn't have seen the world we did see.

While the trip was memorable, I would like to share some tips that I learned that can make or break a trip!
1) Figure out ahead of time who is driving. The other female on the trip did not feel comfortable driving on unfamiliar roads, which landed us into some tense situations. We really thought it was going to be split four ways and it didn't end up being the case.
2) Bring snacks and entertainment! Not all roads have things to look at. See: Iowa.
3) Make sure phones and cameras are charged. It's a bummer when you get to a great photo op and your camera is about to die!
4) Ensure the car you are driving is safe as well as roomy to fit those going. We opted to rent a car with low miles to fit this criteria, which looking back was a very smart decision. The added bonus was that we didn't put any miles on any of our cars too.

In short, a road trip can be great if you are prepared. The sites and scenery you come across on the road less traveled is priceless! I am ever so thankful for that experience.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Discount Tire blogging program, making me eligible to receive a $50 gift card and be entered for a chance to win a prize valued at $1,000. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am very happy right now. I have a healthy family, a happy son, and another baby boy due December that I am so excited to meet. I have a flexible job that is mostly rewarding, but stable. We've done some great things to the house this year. We are about one month away from having no car debt. I'm been incredibly lucky this year and I thank my stars every day.

I feel like my last post was very negative, but that's not who I am, especially given that I am happy for the opportunity that the blogging world gives me to try out new online sites and new excited items. It might be more because I am 33 weeks along and the lack of sleep is making it difficult not to be crabby, but I try not to complain about that specifically because I am so happy to be pregnant.

Anyways, life is great.

Starting my list of giveaway pet peeves...

2010-10-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need an intro to this. I think I've entered several hundred blog giveaways now and almost feel like an expert on how NOT to make people stop entering your giveaways.

1. Post your winners. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to invest lots of time to your giveaways to never see who wins. Even if the winner is not me, it makes me feel like the blog is much more legit if I could see who did. It doesn't necessarily have to be a picture of the random.org (but that's nice)...I just want to see the prize is actually going to someone....even if it might be your aunt!!

2. "Slow down, you are posting comments too fast." Seriously? I'm not a bot, but I'm just trying to get through my entries asap. I hate having to sit and wait a few seconds to press the submit button. I know it's a way to minimize spam, but I'd rather enter one of those passcodes than to sit and wait.

3. Don't make every single entry type worth two entries. What a waste of time. I'm sure it's a matter of trying to up the number of comments on your site, but as an enterer, my odds are the same. While I will give the blog a try, if the multiple entries for every action keeps up, I usually abandon my efforts and that blog.

4. Number 3 leads me to this one: unlimited comments. While I am more than happy to support your blog, I cannot tweet and comment all.day.long. I don't have a shot at these giveaways so I don't even bother. Multiple tweets in one day don't really bother me, as long as it's limited to 3 or 4 in day, not once an hour. Again, that's just crazy talk.

5. I don't like posting my full name out for the world to see. I'm sure you can figure it out with my blogger email address and the alias names I use...but I just don't like to post it together. I would like to be anonymous in some capacity. So, in short, I won't post my facebook name. I'll give you my first name and initials, but that's it. Please be aware of us commenters needing some privacy. It also makes me cringe when winners are ID'd by their email address, which is normally hidden and often contains commenter's first and last names.

This is just the first few things that come to mind. It's not meant to offend and I would welcome any feedback that would make my pet peeves less of a pet peeve. :)

So, I know I don't post a ton...

2010-10-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

This blog was initially set-up for my crazy amounts of giveaway entering, but lately, I have considered jumping on the wagon and actually trying to make a name for myself out in the blogging world. I'm opinionated and I like to write, so it seems like that makes for a good blog owner. At least I can only hope. So for those who follow, despite the lack of content, thank you. For those just stopping by, feel free to press that handy little "Follow" button over to your right. I would be grateful.

One post I need to do soon are my blog pet peeves. I feel like I've been compiling the reasons why I decide not to enter certain giveaways, most of which have to do with the blogs themselves and not the giveaways. I know there is a risk of offending some folks, but maybe someone out there would actually listen to some of my suggestions and make improvements.

But, hey, look on the bright side. If you've made it to my blog via your blog, you are on my approved blog giveaway list. Ha!

Happy Saturday!

Win a Melissa & Doug Puzzle!

2010-04-17T18:27:00.001-07:00

Hobo Mama Reviews is giving away a wooden puzzle of your choice (up to $12) from Gummy Lump Toys.
Choose based on your child's age and interests — jumbo knob puzzles for the littlest tots, chunky puzzles that are sure to delight the terrific twos, or wooden jigsaws for preschoolers on up — in a variety of themes, from adorable farm animals to realistic dinosaurs to twirling ballerinas to flashy trucks.
Melissa & Doug puzzles are well-made, colorful, educational, and imaginative, and GummyLump.com is an online toy store selling only the best in creative, high-quality toys.
Enter at Hobo Mama Reviews by May 12 for your chance to win!
Open to U.S. addresses only.

Win a bed. Yes, a bed! (New Giveaway!)

2010-01-16T18:52:00.001-08:00

Go here to enter to win a Sealy Posturepedic bed:

http://www.fromdatestodiapers.com/2010/01/sealy-posturepedic-signature-11-series-mattress.html

Other Great Giveaways on the Web

2010-01-07T18:13:00.001-08:00

Go here to enter for a Amon Gift Card $50 - http://aubutfamily.blogspot.com/2009/12/amon-maternity-giveaway.html
Go here to enter Baby Bjorn Travel Crib - http://www.thriftyandchicmom.com/2009/12/baby-bjorn-travel-light-crib-giveaway/
Go here to enter for a Bumbleride giveaway - http://www.momsbalancingact.com/2009/12/holiday-extravaganza-26-bumbleride.html

New Giveaways at other blogs here

2010-01-03T17:20:00.001-08:00

Go here to enter for the Keurig Coffee machine: http://www.mommypr.com/?p=17611
Go here to enter for the Summer Infant Video Monitor: http://www.babybix.com/blog/2009/12/20/giveaway-summer-infant-complete-coverage-color-video-monitor-set
Go here to enter for a Subway GC: http://momfuse.com/2009/12/subway-25-gift-card-holiday-giveaway
Go here to win an Evolve showerhead: http://thanksmailcarrier.blogspot.com/2009/12/giveaway-evolve-water-lily-eco-luxury.html
Go here to win ActiveIon Pro: http://thanksmailcarrier.blogspot.com/2009/12/giveaway-activeion-pro-clean-and.html\
Go here to win Patientstyle Chenille socks: http://thanksmailcarrier.blogspot.com/2009/12/giveaway-patientstyle-chenille-lounge.html
Go here to win a Bumbleride Indie Twin: http://www.thebraggingmommy.com/2010/01/bumbleride-indie-twin-stroller-review.html
Go here to help name a blog for Amazon $25 GC: http://giveaway-central.blogspot.com/2010/01/help-me-ill-give-you-25-amazon-gift.html

Giveaways at The Not-so Blog

2009-12-30T17:43:00.001-08:00

Go here to enter!

Frito Lay party pack - http://www.thenotsoblog.com/2009/12/frito-lay-giveaway-2/
$100 Amex gift card - http://www.thenotsoblog.com/2009/12/halls-refresh-amex-giveaway/
Kraft Foods giveaway - http://www.thenotsoblog.com/2009/12/kraft-foods-gift-basket-giveaway/
Safeway $50 GC - http://www.thenotsoblog.com/2009/12/safeway-50-gift-card-giveaway/

Another Ergobaby Giveaway

2009-12-30T06:27:00.001-08:00

Can you tell yet that I really want one of these?

Go here to enter (or don't, bc I don't need any more competition to win this!):

http://lifeinla.typepad.com/life_in_chicago_reviews/2009/12/ergo-review

Parent Trend's $100 Best Buy giveaway

2009-12-30T05:50:00.000-08:00

Go here to enter:
http://parenttrend.com/2009/12/ul-makes-your-home-office-safe-and-100-best-buy-gift-card

ERGObaby giveaway

2009-12-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

My baby is getting too big for his existing carrier and I have been lusting over this carrier for months. I would absolutely love to get my hands on one of these.

http://thefabulouswon.blogspot.com/2009/12/ergrobaby-review-giveaway.html

Thanks to the Fabulous Won for hosting!

After-Christmas Party At My Four Monkeys

2009-12-26T11:13:00.001-08:00

Beginning Dec 28th through Dec 31st, My Four Monkeys is hosting an after-christmas giveaway party. Don't miss out!

http://myfourmonkeysproductreviews.blogspot.com

Go here to win a $50 GC to Sam's Club

2009-12-22T18:56:00.000-08:00

I need to renew my membership and this GC would be perfect to use it to renew.

http://blog.thescienceofbeingdad.com/?p=1743

Win a bed. Yes, a bed!

2009-12-21T18:50:00.001-08:00

Go visit this blog and entered to win a Sealy Posturepedic. HOW EXCITING!

http://mommymandy.com/sealy-posturepedic-signature-series-giveaway

http://sealy.com/Posturepedic/posturepedic.aspx

Blog party at Go Graham Go and Jolly Mom

2009-11-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

Get the opp for some extra entries by promoting "Here comes Santa Claus" blog party at Go Graham Go and Jolly Mom, starting November 23th.

http://www.jollymom.com
http://www.gograhamgo.com

Making your own baby food

2009-11-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

My son is 13 months and I really didn't understand how easy making baby food could be. When E started eating finger foods, I spent time trying to cook/prepare fresh food that his gums could chew and process. And it's not as hard as it seems.

Here's a post to get you started: http://theshoppingmama.com/2009/07/howtomakebabyfood/

For baby #2, I would love to get my hands on one of these Baby Beaba Babycook, so that I could start much earlier than finger foods.

Enter here: http://theshoppingmama.com/2009/11/beabababycookgiveaway/

Bumbleride giveaway

2009-10-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

Can I please win this giveaway? Please?!?! I would love this Bumbleride. I have been lusting for it for the past year!

http://www.thenotsoblog.com/2009/10/bumbleride-indie-stroller-giveaway/

Crane humidifier giveaway

2009-10-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

Go here to win a humidifier from Crane:

http://www.theshoppingmama.com/2009/10/crane-humidifier-review-all-about-baby.html
http://shop.crane-usa.com/home/index/1779.0

New Jabbering Jessi giveaway - Halo Sleepsack

2009-10-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

I would love to win this giveaway. Fingers crossed.

http://jabberingjessi.blogspot.com/2009/10/halo-sleepsack-review-and-giveaway.html

Me and My Boys - Great Giveaways!

2009-10-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

This site is doing several baby-related giveaways that I am WAY excited about. Wish me luck!

Crane Humidifier - Crane link here
Bummas - Bummas link here
Bamboosa - Bamboosa link here
No Throw-4 Winners - No Throw link here
Kissaluvs Organic Diaper - Kissaluvs link here
Homestead Company Mommy & Baby Set - Homestead link here
Baby Star Hooded Towel - Baby Star link here
Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier - Baby Bjorn link here
Zehn Naturals - Zehn link here
Ecostore USA $25 GC - Ecostore link here
Zutano-Itzy Bitzy $75 GC - Zutano link here
Woombie - Woombie link here
Mrs. Smith's Diaper Bag- Mrs. Smith's link here

Visit the site here:

http://meandmyboys-abby.blogspot.com

Woombie giveaway at This Mama Rocks

2009-10-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

I would love an opportunity to try out a Woombie. This Mama Rocks is giving away one here:

http://thismamablogrocks.blogspot.com/2009/10/woombie-review-and-giveaway.html

Jabberingjessi.blogspot.com giveaways!

2009-10-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

Go check out the Back 2 Blogging Bash on Jabbering Jessi.

She is giving away a $20.00 gift certificate to M.A.H. Creations.
She is giving away a pair of shoes from See Kai Run.
She is giving away two tins of bandages to one reader from Ouchies.
She is giving away a $25.00 gift certificate from Fun Felts.
She is giving away 2-30 count packs of Boogie Wipes to one reader.
She is giving away a weeks worth (3 packs) of socks to one reader from Little Miss Matched.
She is giving away a Squirt Spoon from Boon inc.
She is giving away a complete laundry system from Mystic Wonders Inc.
She is giving away a toddler pillow/blanket OR burp cloth/blanket from Mr. Bobbles Blankets.
She is giving away a minky blanket and set of burp clothes from The Spunky Monkey.
She is giving away an Organic wrap from Sleepy Wrap.
She is giving away a Dropper Stopper.
She is giving away a pizza gift set from Curious Chef.
She is giving away a teething gift set from Smart Mom.
She is giving away a set of 6 reusable snack bags and a sandwich bag from Makc Creations.
She is giving away a $20.00 gift certificate to Dee's DeeZigns.
She is giving away a Flipper toothbrush holder from Cupcake Cuddles.
She is giving away a Miche purse from Miche Bag.
She is giving away an original newborn Woombie.
She is giving away a Speed dial combination lock from Masterlock.
She is giving away a sample pack of safety tat in either boy, girl or multi from Safety Tat.
She is giving away a custom Minky Baby Blanket w/ monogramming from Minky Baby Blanket.
She is giving away a plate and spoon set from Baby Bjorn.
She is giving away stainless steel water bottles from Ecousable.
She is giving away two prizes tonight you can either win a Safe Starter 9 oz or a Safe Sporter in your choice of color from Kid Basix.
She is giving away vinyl wall art/phrase of your choice from Sticky Words.