Happy Birthday To Us Party

Last Sunday SusieQ, MB and I ended up talking about our birthdays after church. Turned out MB had celebrated 2x already. Huh, interesting since we didn’t know about either of them. So, SusieQ and I decided to discuss amongst ourselves what we could do to celebrate our birthdays since we all had July birthdays.

At first we thought we’d go to a waterpark and spend the day luxuriating on the water. Unfortunately that wasn’t going to work out. Then we decided we’d go out to dinner then hit Summerland in St. Cloud, MN for some miniature golf and go karting. We decided to let MB in on the plans, cause that’s the kind of gals we are.

It kind of spiraled out of control and the next thing we knew, we were inviting our 3 daughters to go along and make it a last hurrah. All 3 girls were heading off to college in mid-August. Unfortunately, Smoochie couldn’t make it because she had to work.

Tuesday evening the 3 of us ladies headed up to St. Cloud and we went to Mongo’s Grill. They serve Mongolian Food. Ok, not really Mongolian, but I played along. I’d never been there and it was definitely an experience.

We went thru 4 different stations trying to pack as much food into a bowl as humanly possible. After you pile it up and watch your Thai noodles fall off repeatedly you hand the bowl to a kid standing around a big burning stove. They cooked it all up and put mine into a wrap. I have to tell you, I’ll be going back. That was so yummy.

The ladies and I thought we’d done a good job shoving and stuffing as much food into that little bowl until we watched more experienced people head up and piled theirs twice as high as ours! We sat there with our jaws dropped open trying to figure out how the laws of science weren’t working against them!

You have no idea the amount of restraint I had to use not to go over and ask if I could take a photo. I know, I know, I should’ve gone, but I missed the opportunity!After we got done there, we headed to the Mall before the kids met us at Summerland. I went to Children’s Place because they had some clothes on sale. I walked out with a HUGE bag stuffed with clearance priced clothing for $36. Next we headed to Victoria’s Secret where my girls gave me a gift certificate for my birthday! It was fun being a bit girly!

We heard from the kids and headed over to get our game on and headed to Summerland. We started off with mini golf. I learned very quickly that I’m not good at the game! LOL And since I wasn’t any good, I decided to have some fun. Let’s just say we’re lucky no one was injured. I made sure to call out, “Incoming” or “Fire in the hole” so they knew to get out of the way.

I had no idea that it took so long to play mini golf! It took us almost an hour and a half. It’s been a long time since I played any kind of golf. I think I’d be much better on a full size golf course. I get some serious distance, which is no good for a mini golf setting.

By the time we finished, and I clearly won with the highest score, we headed over to the go kart course. I haven’t done go karting for probably 7 years. Never done it on this track. I grabbed the Hot Wheels kart figuring it was a good sign. MB’s son was ahead of me and went ALL out! I wasn’t afraid of keeping the pedal to the metal, but going around 2 of the turns, the kart would shake and bounce so badly I thought I was going to spin right off the track.

We drove for 5 minutes and as we came to the end I was still, sadly, in 2nd place and my battery died just as we went into the pit. SusieQ’s kart died before the pit so she came in dead last. Not good for a woman who is uber competitive!

I have to admit, it was a great night. It’s not very often I get to hang out with girlfriends, but this was so much fun. I wish our lives didn’t take us in so many directions that we had to wait a year or two to hang out.

How often do you get together with friends? Do you really have to put a lot of effort into it or are you guys on the same page, making it a priority?

Plum District: Cake Sugar Designs Edible Cupcake Toppers

Since I’ve been with Plum District, I’ve taken one offer, that was to the Waterpark of America. We know how that fiasco turned out. Well, I think I’ll be taking them up on their offer with this one.Buddy’s birthday part is going to be in a couple of weeks. Then again, I just read that it could take a couple weeks to get them after they’re ordered. We shall see. I went to their website and found Star Wars themed cupcake toppers!! Buddy would be so excited!! And they’re personalized to boot!

 $10 for $20 worth of Edible Cupcake Toppers from Cake Sugar Designs

Cupcakes are delicious (news flash!). But special? They're everywhere nowadays. How can they be special or unique? Here's how.
Cake Sugar Designs' personalized cupcake toppers let you add the perfect, themed touch to any party. You can choose from designs for specific holidays, birthdays, weddings, and religious events, or design toppers that resemble your child (as him/herself or as a superhero!). Add personalized text to any toppers. And the best part? They're edible — and scrumptious!
These beauties are a magnificent way to add a little something extra to your tasty treats.

CAKE SUGAR DESIGNS

Chicago native Janine Martin founded and runs Cake Sugar Designs. She transitioned from the medical field to being a stay-at-home mom, and in August 2010 found herself looking for a cute birthday party theme for her son's first birthday. Not finding anything unique and affordable, Janine was inspired to create a simple way for others to add their own personal touch to any occasion. Cake Sugar Designs' personalized edible cake-toppers offer a fresh and fun way to return to simpler times.
*I’m HOPING to be compensated for this post. As of the time of publishing this post I haven’t heard back and I just sent the request! Here’s to hoping!

Plum District: EcoMaids of Minneapolis House Cleaning

Now this offer could open Pandora’s box around this house. Having someone come from EcoMaids would be heaven on earth. That is, after I got over the horror of someone coming to my house. I’d seriously have to do major power house cleaning before anyone came to clean. I’ll have to give this one some serious thought!

$129 for Two EcoMaids House Cleanings - a $262 Value

Have weekends spent on one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes left your home in disarray?  EcoMaids is your answer to even more fun in the sun – with this investment, not only will you have more time to spend with the ones you cherish most, but you can rest easy knowing that EcoMaids uses only Green Seal approved cleaning products, ensuring your home environment is safe for your loved ones.
One of EcoMaids’ friendly and professional cleaning teams will make your kitchen, living room, dining room, one bedroom and one bathroom sparkle not just once, but twice!, with this exclusive Plum deal.

ECOMAIDS OF MINNEAPOLIS

EcoMaids is the Minneapolis Metro’s premier green cleaning company, providing service to homes and businesses on a weekly, bi-weekly and monthly basis.  EcoMaids also offers one-time appointments, move-in / move-out deep cleaning services, and budget-friendly alternatives such as their “Fill-in Service” (cleaning of just your kitchen and bathroom starting at only $59).  EcoMaids fits into your busy lifestyle by offering free estimates, booking, rescheduling and confirming appointments electronically.
This offer is good while supplies last and ends 7/31 at 11:59pm CT. Make sure to read the Fine Print before purchasing. Any questions should be directed to Plum District.
*I have not been compensated for this post. The jealousy I have for anyone who purchases it is real.

Project 52 Weeks 29 & 30

So I think I missed a week. Half way through and only missing a week is pretty good…for me that is. Here’s what we’ve been up to:
Meeting my newest grandson. Ok, so he’s not mine by blood, but I’ll claim him! This was my first time seeing him (his mama is holding him in the first photo). Man is he a chunk! My boys love being uncles. Every year their sister invites them over for the weekend so they can play with their nephews. My oldest grandson (makes me giggle when I say that) is only a year younger than Doodle. My step daughter had her first son ON her 19th birthday. How crazy is it to have a baby ON your birthday? That’s some kind of present I tell ya! This is also my Baby who turned 20…TWENTY last Wednesday holding her nephew.

Their dad & I got the boys a Wii. I have enough Amazon gift cards and his $ thrown in that it barely “cost” anything. Of course when the boys came home from their sister’s they mentioned that Nintendo is coming out with a new Wii in 2012! Of course, that’s just my luck. Everyone on the face of the planet had one. We finally get one and a new one is coming out. Whatever!

 

Buddy’s team came in 3rd place at a baseball tournament. It was an awesome success! Rugby thinks it’s been a little hot! Spending the afternoon on the lake. It was gorgeous out! Here’s where my girlfriend’s and I went for our birthday dinner. I’ll post about our evening tomorrow…hopefully! What has your week been like? Have you shared them on your blog? If so, let me know where I can come check them out! Have a great weekend!

Marie Callender’s Perfect For On-the-Go Families

I am so thankful Marie Callender’s makes meals that are healthy, tasty and perfect for families on the go. Some days I think we could be the poster family for “families on the go”, at least for the summer.

Monday through Thursday I work and my boys have baseball every night. Then every other Tuesday, Buddy also has guitar practice. A couple of Tuesdays he ended up with soccer, then guitar, and then baseball! It was too much! Now, that we’re nearing the end of July, Buddy’s baseball has finished, but Doodle’s hasn’t. He has one more game left on Monday. Thank goodness!

This week with me getting off work late, having to run to the grocery store, get home in time to make something and run Buddy off to his game, there was zero time to make a meal. So, I threw in A Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie for the boys to share and a Steak in Mushroom Sauce meal.

The boys pot pie was 490 calories and my meal, which included Roasted Bell Potatoes and Classic Green Bean Casserole was only…wait for it…350 calories! Spectacular, I know, right? I do have to admit, the green beans did have that frozen taste, but not enough to keep me from eating them. Come on, I a meat and potatoes kind of girl!

Marie Callender’s offers 34 single-serve varieties of their One-Dish Entrées, Complete Meals and Fresh Flavor Steamers that deliver the satisfying comforts only Marie Callender’s offers but are available for less than 500 calories.

Since I am meat & potato kind of girl I’m also interested in trying out:

• Beef Pepper Steak
• Beef Pot Roast
• Beef and Broccoli
• Salisbury Steak

Don’t those meals sound good?

I typically work six hours a day. Perfect for a single mom who wants to be home when her kids get off the bus. Unfortunately, I’m not a big lunch eater when I’m at work. I only get a ten minute break, which I typically extend an extra 5-10 minutes depending on how busy we are. And I have to be honest here, my lunch typically consists of a Pop Tart or a granola bar. I know, not so healthy.

Well, with this next week coming up, I’m going to be working 12 and 10 hours shifts overnight. That means I’m actually going to have to eat something decent to keep up my energy and stay healthy. These are going to be some long hours. I’ve already grabbed one meal, the Three Cheese Tortellini. I’m a fan of all things Italian! My belly is actually getting grumbley just thinking of it!

I think this coming week I’m going to try a new meal daily…er, nightly. I’ll let you know how it goes and which ones I tried. Make sure to follow #under500 on Twitter to hear about other great meals from Marie Callender’s that are under 500 calories!

*I am being compensated for this review. This campaign is part of The Motherhood & Marie Callender’s partnership. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Deleting Your Links: Should I Do It?

When I do my Wordless Wednesday, I always use Inlinkz.com. I started using them last year because they had awesome image options instead of just text links. They were getting so large, earlier this year they had to start charging for the image option. Totally understand that, but I wasn’t in a position to pay anything.

Inlinkz.com does have an option to have one free image link as well as their always free text links. What I’d have to do for that free image linky though is delete your links every week for a new Wordless Wednesday post.

GASP! I know! Deleting a link to your page!

What I’d like is to get your opinions on the matter.

1. Do you care if I only use a text link for Wordless Wednesday or do you like having an image link?
2. How do you feel about me doing the free weekly image by deleting your previous week’s link?
3. Maybe paying to get image links and not even worry about text links. That’d be about $20 for the year.

By setting up an account with InLinkz'>Inlinkz.com where I pay, I’m able to get referral earnings for people who sign up with Inlinkz.com That would be a nice bonus. An extra 10 days at the end of the month that I’ve already paid for or .65 from Paypal, the option would be mine.

What are your thoughts? Do you already use Inlinkz? Do you pay for image links, with whatever linky service you’re using?

*I have not been compensated for this post I’m just trying to get your opinions

Water Bobble Review

We have well water out in our rural town. Not so thrilled with the taste so I never drink the water from the tap. I used my Water Bobble last week for the first time and had no idea what to expect.

Thankfully I read the instructions because you're supposed to run water through filter once to get the charcoal out of it. The first time you run water through it you see the black come through.

I filled the bottle up and off we went. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste. To me, it didn't taste like well water at all. I'm kind of cringing right now even thinking about well water taste.

I didn't realize how thin the bottle was. I tried tipping the bottle back to let the water just flow out of it, but it doesn't work the same with the filter in place. I found that I had to squeeze the bottle to get a good flow. When I squeezed it the first time, I could tell how thin the plastic was because of how it squeezed. It wasn't a hard plastic.

I love that the Water Bobble is BPA free, Made in the USA, and it made from recycled PET and is recyclable itself! The filter is good for 300 uses. Speaking of their filters. I love that you can have a rainbow of colors. There's also an assortment of bottle sizes. The medium 16.5 oz bottle is perfect for me.

One of my biggest issues with reusable water bottles is that I always forget to fill them up and put them in the fridge. I love my water freezing cold. When I remember, I drink a bottle of water nearly every day at work. That’s a lot for someone who isn’t a big water drinker.

Speaking of work, the nice thing about the Water Bobble is that it sticks out. My coworkers know it’s mine. Now, if I had one of the filters that was super bright in color then it’d really pop in the midst of all the other “blah” water bottles.

filter facts.

bobble has an activated carbon filter which has a slight electro-positive charge, making it attractive to chemicals and impurities. As the water passes over the positively charged carbon surface, the negative ions of the contaminants are drawn to the surface of the carbon granules.

Carbon filters require very little maintenance, and are perhaps the most powerful chemical absorbents known to man. bobble's carbon-based filter removes organic contaminants from regular municipal tap water and meets or exceeds NSF International Standard 42 for chlorine, taste and odor reduction.

For best results we recommend changing your filter after 2 months or 40 gallons/150 litres. Filter for use with bobble only.

WARNING: Do not use where water is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality.

http://www.waterbobble.com
http://www.twitter.com/waterbobble
http://www.waterbobble.tumblr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waterbobble/
http://www.foursquare.com/waterbobble
http://www.youtube.com/user/waterbobble

Do you have a favorite water bottle or brand? Does it come with it’s own filter that fits right into the bottle?

*I received a sample for review as a BzzAgent. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Wordless Wednesday: Day on the Lake

Today SusieQ and I hung out at her house, which is on the lake. Yes, I brought the boys along. What was I thinking? Well, tonight I will be childless as we are going out with another friend and celebrating our birthdays tonight! We all have a birthday this month. We’re going out to eat and then to a Fun Park!!

Rugby & Izzy

Who knew seaweed could be so much fun?

Make sure to follow these other Wordless Wednesday participants:

Plum District: Taste of the Twin Cities

Now this is something I’m definitely interested in. When I lived in Seattle, they had the Taste of Seattle every Summer and that was always such a fun time. I have never been to ANY Tastes here in Minnesota. I think I might ask my BFF if she wants to go!! I’ll eat the food & she can drink the wine!

$40 for a Ticket to Taste of the Twin Cities Originals

Dig into bountiful wine tastings and food from more than 20 local restaurants from around the metro, including Murray's and Spill the Wine, along with live music. Participate in one of the area's premier culinary events at the sixth annual Taste of Twin Cities Originals, happening July 28 at TCF Bank Stadium from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Your ticket scores you a Riedel crystal wine glass, for many more nights of delightful toasts and culinary delights! There will also be beer tastings from Great Waters Brewing Company PLUS cocktails from Bacardi USA!

TWIN CITIES ORIGINALS

TCO offers local diners the opportunity to see (and taste) for themselves the exceptional quality and variety of cuisine that can be found at independent restaurants in the metro area. Beyond self-preservation, TCO restaurateurs also seek to sustain the fabric of their local communities. They sit on boards, host events at their restaurants, and give both time and money back to local charitable organizations. Not to mention stimulating the local economy with their patronage of other local businesses, including banks, print shops and food producers.
*I have not been compensated for this post

A Test Of Brotherly Love Or The Lack Thereof

My boys. My dear sweet, fighting boys. Siblings at their finest I tell you. Maybe I should say sibling rivalry at it’s finest.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the summer to be over. Maybe ready for this season of life to be over. I can hold on to the hope that when they’re teens they’ll do more bonding instead of boxing.

My girls were that way. As toddlers they would argue a lot. Same through adolescence. As they became teens most of that died away. They became involved in their own things, their own lives with their own friends. They were also only 2 years apart. I think that age difference made them closer to each other.

The boys are 4 years apart. I think the further apart the kids are spaced the greater the jealousy and rivalry. One boy could make extremely obnoxious noises one day while the other one complains about it and the next day the roles are reversed. I do try to point this out to them. Not that it sinks in, but I don’t want them to be oblivious to the contradiction.

When we lived in our previous house, referred to as “The Blue House” on the lake. There, my girls had a couple of friends on the street. Yes, where we lived there was only one street. No boys to play with in the area, but my oldest son was only 7 and under when we lived there.

Then we moved to the new house outside of town, just the opposite direction. There are a number of boys around us, on this yet again, single street, and a dirt road. Only problem here? These boys are all the same age as my oldest son. There’s one girl that lives next door. She has the same name as my youngest son, just spelled differently. Anyhow, they’re in the same grade, but my Doodle doesn’t always want to play with a girl.

So, this problem comes in when they’re all playing together. Doodle is left out, ignored or hears stuff I just would rather not have him hearing. Well, the same goes for my oldest son when it comes to the stuff these other boys talk about.

I have tried over and over again to instill in Buddy the importance of being the big brother, what my expectations are, and how to stand up for what’s right. I realize he’s only 12, but if I don’t start planting those seeds in him now, when should I? It’s not that I’m just starting to do that either, probably the last couple years as these boys play more and more together.

I’m one of those moms who has NO problem calling a spade a spade. If these boys are all blatantly being mean, hurtful, or bullying, I’ll call them on it. I will go right up to all of them and tell them that it’s not ok to do that to ANYONE and if it keeps up, they can all go home for all I care. Don’t mess with me. Your parents may not give a crap what you do, what you say, or how you treat people, but trust you me, I care and I’ll tell you what I think!

Those kids don’t scare me! LOL

Now I need some help. I’m not used to these boys. I know everyone says girls argue with their words and boys argue with their fists. Just because that might be common doesn’t mean I find that acceptable.

Do you have boys? If so, do you have any suggestions? Ringing their necks or bonking their heads together isn’t an option. Tying them up facing each other HAS crossed my mind. Solitary confinement has flitted through my brain. Anything else would be a great addition!

Plum District: 20% Off This Week and Erin Condren.com Personalized Products

I’ve always loved products that are personalized. The designs at the Erin Condren website are adorable and scream my name. And hey, with 20% off this week, what better time to get a Plum deal?

$25 for Vibrant Notepads, Life Planners, Calendars, and More from erincondren.com - a $50 Value

It's never too early to start thinking about back-to-school supplies, and Erin Condren has the most elegant, colorful and vibrant must-haves. Use this deal to double your money towards Erin Condren's beloved note pads, stationery, calendars, planners, and more.Erin Condren is well-known for products that make your life a little less serious and a lot more fun. Her signature bright designs are the perfect accents for organizing your life and ensuring your kids are beautifully-prepared for school.
This offer is good through July 26th, 2011 until 11:59pm CT unless the offers become sold out.

Out With the Old, in With the New

Not all change is bad. We have a new site and we want you to see it! That's why we're offering something special for a select few of you - come to our site and get 20% off any purchases when you enter the code "inwithnew". This offer lasts for this week only, so come check out some of our great new deals!
*I was not compensated for this post.

Moon Dough Magical Molding Dough & Gomu Eraserland Reviews

Over the 4th of July I thought it’d be fun to include the nieces and nephew in trying out Moon Dough and Gomu, two products neither of my boys have ever played with. Now, you might be thinking of Moon Sand, and it’s similar, but definitely not the same in the end.At first when the kids started playing with it we weren’t sure if it was going to be moldable, but as we continued to play with it, it became less like Sand and more like Dough. We started off with the Moon Dough Magic Zoo, which there’s a bit of putting together, but nothing major.

The big hit was the creation part. Putting the Moon Dough into the mold, then Attaching that to the Zoo Arch, the kids crank the handle and as it gets to the bottom, the dough forms around the walking feet and it pops out automatically! All 5 kids couldn’t get enough of it. They kept making different colors for the different animals and watching them walk around.
My niece mentioned that they should have enough walkers as molds. That way all the animals can be made to walk around at once. I thought that was a good point. We also had some issues when we got to the bottom of the Zoo Arch as we were trying to pop them out to walk. The crank would get stuck at the bottom and the walker wouldn’t come out so they were over cranking! Yikes, that was a terrible noise. I had to manually unsnap the walker sometimes.
On to the Gomu. I have to be honest, I told my PR contact that I wasn’t so sure this would be a very big hit with my boys. I mean, they’re boys. Gomu are trading erasers. Didn’t feel like the two mixed well. Let me tell you, I ate my words!
I gave each of the 5 kids a couple packs of erasers. They busted into them and started trading and marking down which ones they had. As they started looking closer to the paper that comes with each pack, they realized each eraser had it’s own points. Some of them were super special and had higher point.

The kids played with these and traded them for nearly 3 hours…THREE hours! I went and took a nap, and when I came back down, they were still playing with them. It was the craziest thing.
As you can see from the photos, there was a lot of wheeling and dealing going on with their Gomu.
What’s interesting about the Gomu erasers is that they’re not one solid piece. Most of them have at least 2 different pieces. They could come apart in the most interesting ways. Like the scissors you see above, each half of the scissor can be separated. For the brush, the black parts can be taken off.
In the middle of the Gomu packages are secret erasers that you don’t see until you have the packaging taken apart. Your kids can visit the website and keep track of the points they have as well as their collection.
I think these are going to be a fun back to school item this Fall!
*I received these products to review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Anyone A Glutton Like I Am?

When my boys are gone for a day or two, I try to relish the time alone. Unfortunately, all it does is give me too much time alone with my thoughts. That can make me very melancholy. It reminds me of how truly alone I am sometimes.

I haven’t shared my life with someone for almost 5 yrs. Yes, I mean with a man. Before that, my marriage was bad pretty much from the beginning. I thought I knew what I was getting into and it was clear after the vows were taken that I was clueless…but I had no idea how clueless I was for about 8 yrs.

It was a very loveless marriage. We went through the motions, but it was never a happy marriage and my kids grew up in a very tense filled home. We tried counseling, but I never knew what the underlying issue, or that there even was an underlying issue, so I kept thinking it was all my fault when I had no idea what was going on in the background.

So here I sit, 13 yrs later, in Minnesota…alone. Yes, I have friends whom I love to death. But I wanted to share my life with someone who I loved as the foundation of our lives. Being married before, I knew that marriages have their ups and downs, but you try to push through.

Photo courtesy of soundlessfall

I have only ever wanted to be loved and to love back. Passionately and deeply. No, I’m not saying I want a movie romance, because they are non-existent. It’s that knowing no matter what, you love that person. They are a part of you. You really have become one with that person. That when you fight you might not like them at the moment, but you love them regardless.

Don’t we all want to be known, and still be loved, for who we are at our core? For someone to say that they love us because of who we are? I just can’t even imagine that, especially after being in a marriage where I was constantly being told to change.

The clothing I wore wasn’t appropriate. On one hand I didn’t know anything, but then was asked advice, because apparently I was smart, but not smart enough to follow the advice.

I feel like I’ve spent my life not being good enough for anyone. From the beginning all I’ve wanted was for my dad to love me. From there I figured I’d find a guy to love me. It wasn’t an intentional quest, but subconsciously acted upon.

I’ve truly loved 2 guys in my life. One was in high school. We went to prom together. He wouldn’t kiss me. I didn’t understand that. He was a year younger than me. I was used to guys going in for the kill pretty early on, yet here was a guy who wouldn’t kiss me? He wrote me sweet letters and was so good to me, even way back when. He’s one of the guys you’re told to never let go. Well, I did because I just didn’t understand what was wrong with me that he “loved” me, but wouldn’t kiss me.

Photo courtesy of Aunt Owwee

Then, between my marriages I met a man I knew I could’ve spent the rest of my life with. For over a year he was my best friend and my boyfriend. I was giddy every single time I was with him. The joy in my heart just spilled over. Unfortunately, he wasn’t ready to be a dad and I had 2 little girls who were my world. Obviously this wasn’t going to have a future so we broke up. That was probably one of the most painful times in my life. The love I had for him was a beautiful thing.

Now here I sit mulling over my “options”, which in my last personal post, I explained that at the moment I don’t have any…really. There’s one guy, but I just don’t know. And when I say there’s one guy, he has no clue that I might be interested. Of course for now it will all have to wait. The divorce isn’t finalized, but it’s been over for so long. My ex and I haven’t spent more than a few minutes together in almost 5 yrs. I’m hoping the paper work is almost done. I’m ready to move on.

I wasn’t ready in the last 4 1/2 years, but the time has come. I feel like my heart is ready to jump out of the nest again. It’s a scary unknown. I wish I was one of those people who could date numerous men at once so I could see what I really want. I’m not one of those people though. I’m a one man woman. If I’m with someone, I’m completely with them. Always have been, always will be. I don’t have it in me to share myself with more than one person.

Then again, as I mentioned the other day, my options are pretty limited so I wouldn’t necessarily have that problem anyhow.

As for the glutton part…when my boys are gone, I have the weight of my aloneness weigh on me. So I listen to music that feeds those feelings and I watch movies like The Notebook or P.S. I Love You. Did I have my one true love that one time for that one year? Is that all I get? Should I be satisfied with that? If so, then why do I want it again?

After my boys come back you won’t have to deal with these emotions and thoughts! My boys keep my brain spilling over with all their chatter, arguments, and just being here in general! I just needed to regurgitate my thoughts so I could go back and mull them over later. This blogging sure can be cathartic! Who knew?

Avery’s Give Back to Schools

The Avery's Give Back to Schools contest is open to any K-8 public or private school in the U.S. You just register your school and anyone can vote once per day until the contest ends on 9/16 at http://www.avery.com/giveback

There are lots of ways to help earn cash and much needed supplies for your school today. First, make sure that Avery school supplies are on all your Back-to-School supply lists. Avery offers high-quality, durable school supplies with Box Tops for Education® coupons, so kids and parents can clip off the coupons and give them to their schools. Each coupon is worth 10¢—and boy does it add up fast! Schools have earned over $1,000,000 from Box Tops coupons found on Avery products that have helped purchase computers, playground equipment, books and more.

And with the Avery Give Back to Schools™ promotion, all you have to do is vote for your favorite school. The top five schools at the end of the promotion will each win $10,000 worth of Avery School Supplies, 10,000 Bonus Box Tops coupons, and $1,000 worth of gift cards. Twenty-five runner-up schools will also win 5,000 Bonus Box Tops coupons! So what are you waiting for? Start voting today!

The top five schools will win:

-$10,000 in Avery school supplies

-10,000 Bonus Box Tops (equal to $1,000 cash)

-$1,000 in gift cards for teachers to purchase additional classroom supplies

The next 25 schools will win 5,000 Bonus Box Tops (equal to $500 cash).

* I have not been compensated in any way for this post.

Project 52: Week 28

Last week was a wash. I pretty much only worked all week. I know, don’t be jealous of the life I lead!
The boys “playing” DS. It never stays this calm for long! Buddy got a pair of glasses. Doodle said he looks like Harry Potter, which is funny because neither of the boys have even seen the movie. I’m guessing it’s from products they’ve seen. Saturday July 16th was my birthday. I didn’t do anything spectacular. In fact all I did was go to work. Again, let’s not get all green because I have so much excitement in my life.

If I could have any car from my birth year, I’d go with this baby: 1969 Chevy Camaro Z28

My mom & dad got me a Keurig for my birthday. A KEURIG people! I’ve been zinging every morning with my coffee. Woo Hoo for birthdays! Thanks mom & dad!!I realize this is a week late, but better late than never. =)