*SOLD OUT* Cuddlee Pets $3 shipped

1saleaday has an assortment of Cuddlee Pets for $3 shipped! Deal is only good today for those of you new to the site. You won't know which one you get until it arrives, I ordered 3, so here's hoping I don't end up with 3 pink bunnies for all my boys:)

Next best price I can find is Amazon and they range from about $10-20.

Summer Kids Bowl Free

Bowling center, schools and Community organizations are launching for the first time Kids Bowl Free. Aimed to allow the Bowling centers to give back and supply safe, secure fun all summer!

Click on your state to find the centers participating near you. It allows for up to 2 free games a day, for the whole summer!

Unfortunately there are none around me but for my PA friends there are tons! Even Palmyra Bowling

Possible Free Hair Color!

John Frieda's Facebook fan page contains a survey that could qualify you for a free box of hair color.
I qualified!!!! Your product voucher will be mailed to you. Please wait 8-10 weeks for delivery. To learn more about the 20 salon-inspired Precision Foam Colour shades or how simple it is to achieve salon-quality results at home, we invite you to visit our website www.johnfrieda.com/homecolour.

For those who don't qualify you are still eligible for a $1.50 off coupon.

Saving money on meat

The last few weeks I've had some great finds on meat sales so I thought I'd share how I save even more than the sale price.

You have to shop the flyer. Most stores stock up on the weekly sales so by the end of the end of the sale they need to sell what's left, makes sense right?
Talk to your meat dept and find out when they do the most mark downs. For me, our sales run Sun-Sat and our store is open 24/7 so Friday mornings right around 9 o'clock the bring out all the newly marked down meats. Currently I have over 30lbs of both ground beef and boneless skinless chicken breasts in my deep freezer, just from the last 2 weeks!

Of course, during the week you can catch a few items here and there, but from my previous experience working in a grocery store and from what I've garthered talking to my current meat dept. the shipments come on certain days and before they can begin packaging the next week sales they need to get rid of the last weeks. Don't always count on it though, I was hoping there would be some left over corned beef to stock up on after St. Patty's Day and unfortnately they had sold out.

Pull-ups Potty Dance Party

"Oh, Mom what's in the package?" All my kids were asking when I recv'd the box from Houseparty for my Pull-ups Potty Dance Party. I couldn't wait to find out either, especially since I'd already invited a bunch of mommy friends enticing them with the freebies.


To make my party a success included were supplies for 15;

*Potty Training Success DVDs
*Dance mats
*Color pages
*Intro 5pts to Enjoy the Ride
*Pull-up info sheets
*Kimberly-Clark coupon books
**for me 1GB flash drive and 1 free coupon for Pull-ups**

Everyone loved, loved, loved the freebies! I had 8 moms and they were more than happy to take the extras for the siblings of the potty trainer. For the start of the potty I had running the games/activities and songs from the DVD because they wisely put them on a Play All feature. This gave us moms time to chat and talk about our potty experiences and what worked and more importantly what didn't work for each of us.

Prior to the party I watched the video so I knew what I was giving everyone and to my surprise was really impressed with it. To be honest I really thought it would be Huggies pushing their Pull-ups brand and filled with all the reasons why you should use Pull-ups but I was totally wrong. It was thoughtfully and informatively done, filled with great bits of information that would help any mom. And yes, I said any mom because they gave every scenario or every personality of child and parent to insure success. For example; how to train if you're a mom on the go.

Their were a couple things that I was disappointed in; 1)They only very briefly addressed night-time training. From all my talks with moms this is the most difficult to overcome and where the most questions are and there really wasn't any helpful info included. 2)One point was to never switch between diapers and pull-ups; once you back the change stay there and don't go back. I understand that this is situational, but that should be stated and should not be a blanketed 'never'. I do this with my child as a reward system. He is 3 and old enough to reason with, he know that if he wakes up dry he's earned the opportunity to wear a Pull-up, if he's wet he wears a diaper.

The party was a success, with the icing being all the helpful freebies! One thing we all agreed on even before the party; Pull-ups are the best for training, the Velcro side is extremely helpful, and reason enough to not buy other brands. And the various designs, from nighttime to cool alert, give the child what they need for success!

How we celebrate Dr. Seuss

There's never been a time when I can't remember celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday. My mom, among many other wonderous things, always made a special point to remember his brithday growing up. I used to tell everyone at school about eating green eggs and ham and they thought I was crazy but still pretty impressed. At that time it really seemed out of the norm and like we were the only ones who even knew, now it seems it's all over the place.

Last night I took the kids to a party at the mall celebrating America Reads and honoring Dr. Seuss's birthday, my daughter's in a Seuss parade at school today and my son's preschool is having a Seuss party. Those are just the events we've done, there were numerous events that we simply couldn't fit into our schedule.

Tonight, however, I have saved for my family's Dr. Seuss dinner and thought I'd share what I planned.

We've gotten to the point that my kids recite or read the book when I read to them so we're having to do things a little different this year than eat a Seuss meal and read the story the meal is themed around at dinner. Here's what I've written (with help from the Dr.)for my kids to start the dinner off, hope you enjoy!

I wish I could do what they do in Katroo,
they sure know how to say "Happy Birthday to You!"
But we'll do our best in the household of Manning
to say thanks Dr. Seuss, for your caring and sharing.
I've cooked up your dinner with my cooker-mobile
to bring to your plates a Seuss filled meal.

We'll dine on the fruit of the Truffula Trees,
Cat and the Hat meatloaf that's sure to please.
With a side of custard with sauce made of mustard
just like the fine fluffy bird called the Bustard.
But, can you imagine eating as the beast called the Flustard
who only eats mustard with a sauce made of custard!

We'll have Who-hash but no roast beast,
since the Grinch ate the last at the Who Christmas Feast.
I've traveled far away to the Mountains of Tobsk
to bring back yummy, crisp corn-on-the-cobsk.
I've poured in your cups the juice of moose's
because moose juice, not goose juice is the preferred juice of Seuss'.

To end your meal 1 red fish, 1 blue,
a big fish, a small one and a puffer fish too.
Thanks, Dr. Seuss, today's YOUR day,
your mountain's inspired us we're on our way.
Just follow his lead and you will succeed,
98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed!

So be your name Maddie, Andy, Grant or Harrison,
ALWAYS be the best of YOUR best and you'll always win!

I'd love to hear how your family celebrates, whether Dr. Seuss's or some other special day! I'll let you know tomorrow how everything goes and hopefully have pictures to post if my camera works!

Beloved Coraline

I'm a huge deal hunter and so when I saw that Coraline on Blu-ray was on sale for $10at Amazon I was all over it. It's one of the absolute favorites in our house so I thought I'd check out the reviews and what other folks thought. Most were very positive but the one I cannot get out of my head gave it 1 star because "Not suitable for young audiences. Despite that we consider our self an open-minded couple, we believe that because of the darkness of the plot this film should be rated PG13 not suitable for young kids. My disappointment is because this film is advertized as a cartoon for open audiences." (D. Fernandez "FL, USA")

Reading this my head immediatly goes in a million directions, firing back a hundred reasons why he's wrong. My first thought is that it's not about being open-minded it's about what kind of mind do you want to have? One of the greatest, if not The greatest fantasy is about going to another world, one not far off from the one you live in but about finding a door that leads somewhere other than where you are, and for Neil Gaiman to so artfully create that and for Henry Selick to capture it in the film is thrilling. A child watching such imagination cannot help but wonder where there own mind could take them.
Yes, it is dark, she wants to sew buttons on her eyes, but if you can get past that one note of creepy, there's a great lesson that every kid needs to learn..."There's no place like home." The more you think about it the more unnerving it really is. The Other Mother tries to, in a sense, kidnap Coraline by sewing buttons on her eyes, but how is that any worse than watching Pinocchio on Pleasure Island, or Eric ram a ship through Ursula in the Little Mermaid, or every other Disney movie where the villian somehow dies in the end? Cartoon means nothing, animation, stop motion animation, computer animation; they're all just trying to tell a story. If you're thinking any movie/show that labels itself animated is for kids then you've never watched Adult Swim.

I am not a parent who pays attention to the ratings. I know my kids and what they can and cannot handle and frankly there is subject matter in far too many PG/PG-13 that I'm uncomfortable with. When I was young my parents did the same, what we were told is that we weren't allowed to watch anything stupid, and I do my best to keep stupidity far from my children as well. I suppose that goes back to my initial thought of 'what kind of mind do you want'? I hope that my children, many years from now, leave my house with the ability to think; to not pigeon-hole themselves into whatever the rest of the world is telling them, to be able to have a conversation, to be able to form their own opinions regardless of mine. It's amazing as an adult how many people you meet who cannot think.

Gaming Systems

Growing up our electronic games consisted of a keyboard hooked into the TV that had maybe 3 games, none of which we could ever really figure out. Now there's crazy amounts to choose from and it can be so overwhelming. Not only are the various consoles mind boggling but the mental battle over whether I should give in and pay too much for a toy I'd give them limited access to or forget the whole thing and have them continue to ask and leave me with less "quiet" time.

I gave in. My 5,4,and 2 year olds all have Leapsters. And they are the most wonderful things ever! We use them generally on long car rides, summer nights before bed and when they need some alone time. I've found that setting limits makes me feel a lot better about having them stare at a screen. The games are all educational, and I've definately picked up on various things they've learned from the games. Each unit tracks your childs progress on Leapsters Learning Path website. It's super simple to connect the system straight to your computer and download the info. We don't use this feature; my kids switch their systems up all the time so there would be no telling whose progress was whose.

I have recently been begged for a DS. My prompt response was not until you're 6. So in a few more months I'll be able to blog all about a new system:)

Movie Night

We've started weekend movie night at our house. A few weeks ago my 4 year old son picked "The Ant Bully." I hadn't really remembered ever hearing about it but it was $5 at Walmart so I wasn't complaining. It stars the voice talents of Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and many more.
It's about a young out of place boy who floods an anthill only for the ants to use a potion to shrink him. His only way to get back home is to "become" an ant. So he learns the way of the ants and befriends them only to remember the exterminator is coming. He helps join the ants with the other bugs to save the colony and get home.

For kids I have to give it 4 out of 5 stars, every one of my children love it. Seriously, I think we've watched it at least 5 times since we bought it and that doesn't count the hundred times they've asked and I've said no.
For parents 3 stars. It's enjoyable enough that I can still watch after 5 times in one month and that for me merits 3 stars. There's a great moral to the story and no violence other than stinging bees. The only thing that really grated me was Julia Roberts; her voice just did not connect to the character, maybe the ant's mouth just wasn't big enough:)

The Diaper Dilemma

Diapers are such an annoying expense, but we all know that if you push them before they're ready it normally ends in disaster. So, we suck it up and buy the things. But when you get to the store and stare at all the multitude of decisions it's even more annoying, how are there so many different kinds?
When my daughter was first born we of course used every Pampers Swaddlers we could snag from the hospital cart and after they ran out we went to Luvs. Both seemed to do the job but I eventually switched to Parent's Choice once I saw the crazy price difference. And now 3 boys later we're still using Parent's Choice as our main diaper.
My in-laws supply diapers for our visits and always get either Huggies or Pampers Cruisers so we've really used every possible diaper brand created and here's what I've found.
Every kid is shaped differently and moves differently, whatever diaper you use the most will leak at some point. Whether during beginning mobility stages or growth spurts and your best response is to switch brands, and if your very loyal to your brand go right back and you most likely won't have any issues.
My big hang up is when the diapers pill with all those pee filled beads and then explode, they are such a mess to clean up! I've found that that only happens with the brand names lables, so that's a big reason I stick with my store brands. The name brands do tend to hold up better over night so whenever I get a box from my in-laws I extend it by doing store brand during the day and name brand at night.
What's funny is that it seems to be the exact opposite for pull-ups. Maybe it's just my son, but I'm washing a lot more sheets when we use name brand pull-ups then store brand. And with Goodnights he's sure to wake up wet in the morning.
What experiences have you guys had? Anyone want to back me on supporting the store brands?

I'm back!!

Here we go again! I started my blog without any real vision and that left me after only 3 entries somewhat lost. So I stopped, took a long time thinking about what exactly I wanted to do with this blog, and I figured it out!! I spend most of my computer time filling out surveys for the many opinion sites I'm a member of. And when I'm not on the computer I'm busy giving my "mommy review" to all my mommy friends. So why not share it with all of you! Having 4 kids in 5 years I've pretty much set myself up to be the official tester of all mommy/kid products. I can't wait to share everything I've learned!

Do you know me at all?

I promise this is not a husband bashing blog.

After a wonderful weekend snowstorm, it's Sunday afternoon. The babies are sleeping and the older ones are outside with Dad so I sit down only to find Rebecca just starting no commercials in HD. What a dream way to relax before the coming week of what is inevitably no school and a house full of kids to entertain.
I was full aware that I would not be able to finish the movie, it's a long one, I realize that's asking a lot. About an hour and half into it Dad and the kids all come back inside. After everyone's changed and comfortable, kids are sitting with me and Dad sits down on the floor. "So what's this?" Me- "What do you think, you should know." And I give him props, he actually figured it out! Absolutely no joke, he starts asking, "So what, she's just scared of a woman who's dead? So how did she die?"
Are you kidding me? This is the most irritating thing anyone can do to ruin any movie, but are you really going to sit their and ask questions during my favorite movie? We have been together for 8 years, 8 years....do you know me at all?

I feel like this is a lesson we've been over. It seems so easy to understand: watch the movie to answer your questions and talk at the end. I'll even allow for the sci-fi mid-movie pause to collect your thoughts and make sure you're keeping up.
I do take some fault, he's so annoying to watch any movie that you need to pay attention or has any thought behind it that I prefer to watch them myself, so he does not get adequate practice.

Where's the excitement?

Since moving to Virginia one thing stands out more than any other...school closings. A strange thing to be at the top of the list, but I kid you not, one of the craziest differences between Pa and here. The counties around my area cancel, delay, and dismiss early according to whatever the weatherman or woman says. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen. (Well maybe not the craziest, I still say I saw a kangaroo on the side of the road in Lancaster.)
Back to the snow, here's the thing that gets me the most: the cancellations happen before anything even starts! Today for instance, we reported to have record snowfall this weekend so at 6pm tonight school was cancelled for tomorrow along with every school activity for the entire weekend. It has done nothing yet, nothing! It normally doesn't and mom's take the chance to take their school-age kids to places they don't normally get to during the week.
I love to plan, probably more than most, I keep 4 calendars. But, there is no longer the morning of the snow sitting in front of the TV in your pjs waiting until the last minute possible to get dressed in hopes that your school will pop up. So for me as a mom, the planning aspect is great. But for me remembering those mornings and still feeling that excitement and knowing my kids won't makes me sad.

Mr. Dad

Yet another Monday morning of waking up to nothing in it's place. Find of the morning was the opened applesauce in the pantry. That's where his fault normally lies peanut butter in the fridge, milk in the pantry, eggs in the freezer. You'd think the food would something he could keep straight.
Every impending weekend I sigh and think I have the whole weekend with the hubby home to help and I can really clean-up and get control of everything. It never happens, NEVER! He makes a bigger mess than all 4 kids combined and of course doesn't clean-up after himself. Rather he decides that the one area I can't ever keep clean (the media center) will be his mission and then won't leave me alone asking a million questions; what's this paper, do you need this, why are there pictures over here??? AHHHHHHH!
I can't be alone in this, if I am help me, please!

Shut-up already!

My girlfriend and I often talk about how annoying baby information talk is. You know what I mean, those moms that can't help but tell you every minute detail of their babies eating, sleeping, and diaper schedules.
I have 4 children all under 5, yet I have no understanding of this; why in the world do you think anyone cares? And why do you even want to talk about the most mundane, irritating parts of parenthood?
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for moms helping other moms, but unless you're seeking advice or I'm looking for some, shut-up already!