My Belated Weekend Update

It was a good weekend---
Friday was the last day of school before spring break -- Jaden had an diorama due at school on habitat -- he choose to make one of the ocean, here is what his finished project looked like.

It was crazy hair day at Gavin's school and this is how he want to school -- he had just recently cut his hair, so there was not alot we could do to his actual hair, so we grabbed a fun extension pony tail that his sister has bought and managed to keep it on his hair with barrettes and bobby pins, I also spiked it with get and sprayed  it with multi glitter hairspray.

We played a great game of pictionary for the Wii as a family on Friday night, boy do we get some funny drawings with that game.  Saturday me and Alexa went to an all-day scrapbooking crop-- it was alot of fun, but what a bad weather day --- lots of rain -- driving home there was so much water on the road and it looked like there were waterfalls coming down the side of the mountain thru Harpers Ferry.  Alexa worked on her Christmas 2010 Album and I am working on scrapping our 2008 Ireland vacation. --so far I am only mid way thru day 3 of a 12 day trip.  Sunday was a trip to the library and get some laundry done day.  Hope everyone had a great weekend:)

Giving it a try

So I have done a few reviews and giveaways on my own before, as well as for some communities that
I belong too such as BzzzAgent, and One2One Network, after doing a lot of reading I have decided to
join another network -- the Business2Blogger Network, I am hoping that this will help me to offer you
more reviews of products that I find interesting or useful and that you might too.  If you don't know about
B2B you can find out more information here on their website or check out their blog, there is great information  on social media you will find useful even if you don't become a member, but I think it is definitely worth a try. The main goal of B2B is to help business with tailoring campaigns to bloggers of any size to help with product reviews., it can be a product you are launching, an established product, a book.  Businesses can tailor their campaign by geography, blog theme, diff ranking systems, and other categories.  Since it is not just ranking based this helps the new and or smaller market blogger get their name out into the world as well.  It is bloggers and businesses helping each other.

Lets Plant A???

Let's plant a what you say.... -- yesterday my 3rd grader came home from school with this....

Yes, every 3rd grader came home with a tree to plant -- not sure if all teachers gave out the same kind of tree or not, at my other son's school their 3rd graders got them today, but he is only in 1st grade.  My 3rd grader was really not sure why he had gotten the tree, but boy was he excited about it.  I think it is a combination of Arbor Day-Md celebrates the 1st Wed in April, National is the last Wed in April I believe and Earth day is coming up too. I had him re-water the roots and wrap it in the plastic bag so they would stay damp, as I did not think we could plant it then--heck I am not even sure it will grow in our yard.  At bedtime he cried and was very upset for over 1/2 hour that we would not plant the tree in the dark.  We promised him that when Daddy got home from work today that we would plant the tree in our backyard, so in the cold and damp -- (yes our weather that had been springlike is now back to gloomy and grey), we went outside and .....

Gavin waiting to Daddy to make the hole bigger

Digging the hole.

Helping hands putting the tree into the hole together.

Covering the roots back up and making sure it

could stand on its own.

Gavin with his planted tree:)

Now we just have to wait and see if it actually survives.  We told him that it may not, and that we were not even sure if this was suited to our soil and area, but that we would give it a try. We have a snowball bush that has survived over many years, and some flowers out front but I would not say that we have green thumbs in our immediate family.  If it actually starts to take root and grow I will post updated pictures.

ZZZZzzzzz....

Is what I really should and want to be doing right now -- considering it is 5:45 am and I have not been
to sleep yet -- insomnia is getting really tiring----lol.  I can usually grab a nap after the kids get on the
bus, but I really would like to sleep at nighttime again -- last night was OK, went to bed at 12:30 -- one night last week I even made it at 10:30, but no matter how well I sleep the night before each evening is always hit and miss.  I have tried about all the sleeping medicine my one Dr can think of and none of them make me feel sleepy -- now my M.I.L takes one pill and you can tell w/in 1/2 hour that she needs to go to bed.   I am just craving one good night of sleep.  What are you craving??  or dreaming about since you are probably asleep??

Household Maintenance Made FUN

How can that be you ask..........maintaining a household can be FUN, with housework, repairs, cooking etc......Do you want to learn how to make all of these things more enjoyable.  Then you should check out a book I have been hearing about: Home Ec 101 -skills for everyday living by Heather Solos

Here is a sneak peek at what I learned from Chapter 20 --Meal Planning, not just for Control Freaks. As a mom to 3 with a busy husband, this is something we have gotten out of the habit of, actually sitting down with a planned meal to eat. This chapter was written in a lighthearted, funny and open way that would make it easy for anyone to follow, the author even shares mistakes she has made in the past, which makes it even easier to relate too. There are tips, tricks and even recipes. I really enjoyed her suggestion to ease into meal planning unlike some others I have seen that want you to jump in with 30 meals, with no processed food help right away. If this rest of the book is as user friendly as this chapter every home should have a copy. You can find this book at  Barnes and Nobles and Amazon

As a member of the One2One network I did receive a sample Chapter of this book to download and review, the review is strictly my expressed opinion only. 

It's Party Time

Yes, I've been a bad blogger lately and have not gotten anything posted.  I really want to get into the habit of posting regularly and what better way to do that than get motivated by making new blog friends at the best party of the year.

Find out more about it at 5 Minutes for Mom/Ultimate Blog Party

A little bit more about me, I am a married Mom of 3, who likes to share about her family with scrapbooking,
share my love of scrapbooking by showcasing designers that I like and whose CT teams I am on, share lil tidbits of daily life that may be funny or helpful or things I just need to talk about with others.-- it could be kids behavior, recipes, books, photos -- a mix-mash of ideas, but hopefully it will be fun.  Hope you will enjoy what you find and stop back by:)

sick = yuck

Can you just say we have had enough of the stomach virus around our house these past weeks -- first our oldest came home not feeling well --mild but lasted a week, then it hit one boy hard for 48 hrs, then the next boy for 48 hrs, and then Alexa has had it again--- 3 dr visits and today she is finally starting to feel better.

Are you Racing??

In the ADSR6 at NDISB -- I am this is my first year and so far the first 2 challenges have been posted.
They were fun to complete and can't wait to  see what is coming up next. I have already learned one new
digi scrapping technique.  Here are my LO's

A Different Kind of Family

Dear Nana

So Many Things

.........that I have not blogged about

*  I am participating for the first time in ADSR6 this year -- so far the 1st 2 challenges have been posted -- when my layouts are finished I will post them here for you to see.
* BlueHeartScraps who I CT for is now a designer at Brownie Scraps!!!!!!!!!

Speaking of Brownie Scraps we are having a great SPRING BREAK BASH -- full of fun challenges and games -- you will earn raffle tickets to be entered into a super giveaway at the end of the month.  I am hosting a treasure hunt this first week, hope you will come and play.

*All of the kids dance cabarets for the season are over, At their 1st competition Alexa's team jazz dance received a High Silver and their production number received Gold, their next competition is Mothers Day weekend and then they will be going to National in July in Ocean City, MD -- glad closer to home this year.

*My parents just got back from a cruise to Hawaii that left just after the Tsunami in Japan,(at first they did not even know if their ship would make it back from Hawaii to begin the cruise) so it was a different experience for them, hopefully we will get to see them this weekend and maybe I can get some pictures to share with everyone.

I'm sure there is ALOT more, will be sharing some of the favorite LO's I have made in a different post.

Guess Who

Guess who is a guest designer at Brownie Scraps this month ---- BlueHeart Scraps ---go take a look at the kits she is offering ---

Are you Crafty???

Then you have to check out CDAC-- they have great forums, digi stamp challenges, tutorials, and all kinds of other stuff. In February they are hosting a 5000 Member Celebration, with all kinds of great giveaways and 3 different ways to enter. Come take a peek and join in on all the fun!!
Here are some of the great store giveaways...........

and here are the other giveaway prizes........

Care to join me???

I am hosting a Speed Scrap at Brownie Scraps tomorrow Sunday Jan 16th at 3pm EST --- Come join in on the FUN!!!

Project update

well my 365 goals are probablly easier kept as project 52 instead, I can keep up with taking the pics but it is harder to actaully get them on the puter and then to scrap them. Here are my pics from week 1 finally:

Alexa got these for Christmas, but it took her awhile to actually sleep in them because she was afraid she would wake up and forget the monkeys were suppossed to be on her feet and they would scare her

I was up late on the computer and the boys came downstairs and fell back asleep on the love seat -- don't you still love to look at their lil faces while they are sleeping

just a sample of our weekly trip to the public library

luved this cute turtle image provided by Whimsey and Stars for a freebie challange at CDAC, most of my supplies are packed up right now, but still think I made a pretty cute card:)

It's a New Year

Happy 2011 to everyone!!!
It is one of my goals this year to really keep this blog updated more, as a way to share with friends and just to have a record of the year to look back on later.   I am also going to try and do Project 365 this year -- or at least weekly if not daily -- my kids may even join in -- got that idea from Heather at Not Everyone's Mama.  Have a job interview tomorrow for an instructional asst position, have to get emissions tested on the van, and some appointments to make/reschedule.