Winners!

The 5 lucky winners of Dare to Surrender are.......
Felicia E.
RubynReba
Amy
Simply Stacie
Carma

Congratulations!  I will be contacting everyone through email to get your info. to send your book copies to you.

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to ecoSTORE USA!  Winners will be announced sunday, March 7. 

Those of you with little princesses will want to check back this Tuesay, March 2 for your chance to enter to win something great for her!

Friday Fragments

It's time for Friday Fragments with Mrs. 4444. It is a wonderful way to download your brain. You should give it a try!

* I found my dog on the kitchen table eating my son's abandoned breakfast. I don't mean he was standing on the floor or chair with his paws on the table. His ENTIRE 22 pound self was on top of the table going to town. I didn't know who I wanted to yell at first....the furball who had the audacity to climb up on my table or the Big Kid who went off to do who-knows-what leaving his breakfast behind.

* I've been watching American Idol and am beginning to wonder what the judges were thinking. I haven't heard anyone that can sing very well yet. Is it just that this show has been on for so long that all the talent has been used up?

* I took my son to the doctor this week and left with 2 appointments for myself. Only I can manage that one. I'm beginning to wonder what I got myself into.

* My boys completed their Pinewood Derby cars and are ready for the big race on Saturday! They worked hard and are proud of their creations. Now if only the weather would cooperate.

* I tried a new recipe for dinner and I think the world came to a temporary halt....ALL 3 of my kids liked it and asked for more.

* Looks like my meeting for the Middle Child's IEP will be snowed out tomorrow, AGAIN!!  This was a reschedule already!

* Snow has become the bane of my existence. I was prepared for this storm though....I hit the liquor store first.

* You can view my latest rants about the snow, including a letter to Mother Nature here and here.




Don't forget to enter for your chance to win:
Dare to Surrender ends 2/28
$25 g.c. to ecoSTORE USA ends 3/7

A letter to Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

I would like to tell you how much I admire your beauty and am in awe of your strength.  You bring us 4 seasons that are all full of wonder and have their very own character.  While Fall is my favorite with Spring being a close second, there are still parts of Summer and Winter that I enjoy.

All that being said, I need to ask you if something is wrong with you this Winter?  You seem a bit cranky this year.  What's the matter, dear?  Did Father Time break your heart?  Are you going through the change(asked in a whisper)?  Just feel like reminding us all that you are the one who is really in charge?

Because dear Mother Nature, while you are up there throwing your temper tantrum some of us down here are not enjoying your attitude so much.  While you  no doubt are getting your fits and giggles some of us are shedding tears and grasping at straws to hold on to our sanity.  

I chose to live at the shore because I enjoy the ocean breezes, the seagulls chirping, the sand between my toes.  I chose NOT to live in the mountains because I truely don't enjoy being burried under endless feet of snow.  Don't get me wrong, a little bit of the white stuff is pretty and I'll even go as far as saying enjoyable.  However, enough is enough already. 

I have run out of creative ideas to keep the kids busy.  We have created mountains of crafts, read libraries of books, watched movie upon movie, baked, cooked, spent some time on the computer, held campouts in the basement, played games and of course, built snow men, snow forts and made snow angels and shoveled.  Shoveling has actually taken up quite a bit of time. So please, can't you just cut a fellow mother a bit of a break?  Please? 

I'm tired of wiping away my children's tears when something they've really been looking forward to gets cancelled because the roads are too dangerous to navigate.  I'm not happy that they will be in school until freaking July which is now cutting into my beach time. I've tried to ask nicely.  I've even been on my knees begging.  I don't feel like being nice anymore so I'm just going to lay it all out for you.  GET THAT BUG OUT OF YOUR ASS AND THROW US A LITTLE SUNSHINE ALREADY! 

Fondly,
B

Wondering why I'm taking issue with Mother Nature?  See  my previous post, Winter Wonderland  here. You can also visit here, or here and lets not forget here.  I'm sure there are more.  We've just been hit by storm after storm but that should be enough reading to keep you occupied!

A winter wonderland

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry.  It's snowing.  Again.  Words like snowmagaedon and snow-icane are being thrown around.  Apparently it would be too much to ask for a wham-bam-thank-you-mam.  Oh no, this storm wants to stick around.  For days. 

I attempted to make a reservation for my padded room but they told me they were full.  So, I did the next best thing....I raided the liquor store.  That's right my friends, I stocked up on some mommy juice.  Any of you local girls that need a little something added to your hot chocolate can come keep me company. 


Don't forget to enter for your chances to win:
Dare to Surrender
ecoSTORE USA $25 gift certificate

Terrific Tuesday...Eco Store Giveaway!

Since I shared my terrific weekend with all of you yesterday, today I decided to give my readers something terrific for Terrific Tuesday....an opportunity to win a $25 gift certificate to Eco Store USA!

I was given the opportunity to try out some products from Eco Store.  I decided to give the laundry liquid and the toilet cleaner a whirl.  With 5 people in the house the piles of laundry are never ending and the toilets are always in need of a good scrubbing so I knew I'd be able to give these products a good work out.  If you are interested in learning more about their products pop on over to their blog and sign up for their newsletter .

The thing I liked about these products is that they are plant based and lack any nasty chemicals.  My 6 year old daughter is always asking me if she can help me when I'm cleaning.  I usually shoo her out of the bathroom because I really don't want her handling the cleansers I'm using.  However, the day I had my Eco Store toilet cleaner out for a test drive I let her pitch in.  You would have thought that I told her she could go to Disney World when I told her she could help scrub toilets!  She happily gave the bottle a squirt and went to town with the brush.  The result?  Clean toilets with no chemical smell!

While we were cleaning the bathrooms I threw in the first load of laundry to be tested out  which were the bath mats (which I have to admit hadn't seen the washer in a while so were in need of a good scrubbing).  One of the bath mats from the kids bathroom was pretty dirty so I figured if that came out clean we could give the laundry liquid  thumbs up.  The result?  Clean bath mats!  I have since been using it on my children's clothing.  I like the thought of their clothes not having any chemical residues left behind. 

Now it is your turn to give the products of your choice a try!  One lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Eco Store USA.

The fine print:  The winner cannot have won an Eco Store USA product/gift certificate/prize in the last 6 months as you are not permitted to win more than once in a 6 month period. Winners cannot be someone who has done a review of their products.  The winner must provide their name, address, phone number and email address in order to be awarded the prize. 

How to enter:

Visit Eco Store USA and tell me what product you most want to try out with your gift certificate!

Additional entries:

You must complete the above entry first. 

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you. 

1.  Go on over to the Eco Store Blog and sign up for their newsletter.

2.  Become a follower of eco store on Facebook .  Be sure to let them know that Life in the BAT Cave sent you!
3. Follow eco store on twitter
4.  Follow Life in the BAT Cave on twitter.
5.  Tweet this givewaway!

One winner will be chosen randomly from all of the entries using Random.org on Sunday, March 7.

Don't forget to enter into my other giveway for your copy of Dare to Surrender.

Disclosure:
I was provided the mentioned products for review.  All opinions are that of my own which were formed by using the products.  No compensation was received for doing this review.

Exhaustion

I had an amazing weekend.  It was one that was rare in which I truely got to spend a lot of wonderful quality one-on-one time with my kids.  While it was fun it left me, well, exhausted!  I tucked the kids in bed last night and then curled up in my own and watched a little TV until I passed out. 

Saturday I headed into NY City to see The Miracle Worker which I was asked to review.  Part of the review was taking a child 9 or older to the show so this was a great opportunity for some quality time with the Big Kid.  Even though I only live a little over an hour from the city we don't get much of a chance to go and my son has only been there twice before.  So I didn't want to just go see the play and head home again, I wanted to experience the city!  My cousin came along with us and she gave my son a driving tour of part of the city before the show.  Afterwards, we walked through Central Park, I gave him a crash course on The Metropolitan Museum of Art and we finished up with a trip to Dylan's Candy Bar.  Beware....the candy bar is filled with too many tempting treats and ends up costing some serious cash!  In short the day was an amazing day and the show was phenomenal.

Knowing that The Middle Child was a little green with envy (especially since he was stuck home confessing his sins for his first pennance) I had promised him we'd hang out on Sunday.  He was in desparate need of some pants that fit him so I told him we'd go shopping.  Yes, I know that this is less than thrilling to a 7 year old boy so I promised him lunch too.  Well, after lunch topped off with ice cream, we headed to the mall.  We were amazingly successful and snagged 7 pairs of pants that fit this child!  (string beans are hard to dress, he doesn't take after his mommy in this department!).  Our shopping excursion was topped off with a pretzel and when I thought we'd be heading home he asked if we could go to the movies.  How could I say no?  I did take the Big Kid to a play the day before!  So off to the movie theater we went.  I called home after the movie to find the rest of the family ate without us, the Middle Child wasn't overly hungry so drive-thru french fries and a milk shake it was for dinner!

That left Baby Girl being the only one without any quality time with me.  So upon my arrival home we locked ourselves in my bedroom and I painted her nails and read her some books.  She was tickled pink and I completed the weekend feeling full to the brim with love.  (even if I was broke, fat and tired!)

The best part?  When I was tucking the kids in to bed, The Middle Child said he had to tell me a secret.  He whispered in my ear "Thanks.  I love you".  The Big Kid said to me "I love you so very much".  Baby Girl is always full of kisses and hugs and love.  What more could a mom ask for? 

Friday Fragments

Is another week coming to an end already?  I really don't know where the time goes to.  I really need to put a bell on it or something so when it tries to sneak away on me I can catch it. 

Anyway....it is time for Friday Fragments!  Click the button on my sidebar for more Fragmented fun with Mrs. 4444.

*Last week my Friday Fragment seemed to be more of a rant about being snowed in with the kids.  This week Tuesday was a really super terrific day because my kids FINALLY went back to school.  Know what I did all morning?  NOTHING!!  That is right, absolutely nothing.  I had big plans to put my house back in order but I decided to savor the silence.  I was so thrilled to be able to hear myself think again!  I grabbed a cup of coffee and caught up with my favorite blogs.  It was TERRIFIC!!!!

*My terrific day of nothing eventually made me get up and get dressed.  I had to be a taxi driver and scout leader after all.  People look at you funny if you show up at dance classes and go to run scout meetings wearing pajamas. 

*Monday my kids helped me make dinner.  It was a great way to fill up a little time on our 6th day of our unexpected 6 day weekend (remember all that snow I keep complaining about?!) and it solved my dinner issues.  They had a great time helping me make it and then when it came time to sit down to eat it?  Two of them wouldn't touch it.  WTH?  I thought all the experts said that if your kids helped participate in making food they would be more willing to try it.  I have YET to see this piece of expert advice come to fruition. 

*I'm not sure how it keeps happening, I always swear I'll stop myself before the NEXT time.  What next time?  The time when I say I'll volunteer for something.  Somehow I keep getting myself into things.  I'll be chairing another fundraiser for one group and have somehow committed to my son's coach that I'll brainstorm some fundraising ideas for our team (which will turn into me running that one too!).   I need to go back to when I was in school full time and working multiple jobs.  Oh wait, I still volunteered like a crazy woman then too!

*We had the cutest tea party at Daisies yesterday!  The girls made princess crowns and learned all about manners befitting a princess at a tea party and had to use those manners.  The girls loved it! 

*I've been paying attention to my daughter lately and realizing how independent she is becoming.  She sometimes says the most grown up things that are so darn cute.  Today she wanted to play in the snow (you know that stuff we can't seem to get rid of around here!!).  She carefully bundled herself up in her snow pants, coat, hat and gloves and headed out to the yard.  (I being the hater of all things snow kept a watchful eye from the kitchen window).  I peaked out at her and saw her rolling a snow ball and making it bigger and bigger.  Before my eyes she built herself a snowman.  She found sticks for arms and somehow in all that snowy mess found rocks for a face.  She came running to the window yelling for me....she couldn't wait to show me what she had built all by herself!  She was so proud and I couldn't help but smile. 

*I love Thursday nights.  It is my favorite night to curl up on the couch and watch TV.  I'm thrilled Survivor is back on....and a great Heroes vs. Villains this season!  Then on to Grey's Anatomy and finish up with Project Runway.  Don't tell anyone but I have a girl crush on Heidi Klum.  I just think she is quirky and adorable.  I want to be her BFF. 

*The Middle Child makes his first Pennance on Saturday.  I'm not Catholic but but I married a good little Catholic boy and agreed to raise the kids Catholic.  I'm not a particular believer in confession, especially at such young ages, however I decided to use this to my mom-vantage.  All week when he has acted out, not listened, fought with one of his sibblings, I've been sure to point out that whatever the offensive act was would be a great thing to take to pennance on Saturday.  Yes, I know, my handbasket is probably waiting for me. 

*I'm really looking forward to Saturday.  While the hubby is at church confessing sins with the Middle Child, the Big Kid and I will be in the city to see a play that I will be writing a review for.  Woohoo! 

*I'm sure as soon as I click publish some more fragments will come trickling out of my brain but for now, this is all I've got! 

Terrific Tuesday

Shhh....do you hear that?  No?  Listen again.  Still nothing?  THAT is the TERRIFIC sound of SILENCE!!!  Something I haven't experienced in way too long.  That is the sound of my 3 little cherubs returning to school after an unexpected 6 day weekend.  You see, we keep getting dumped on and have been burried under about 80 feet of snow.  The kids had 3 snow days last week (making 6 total so far!) leading into a planned 3 day weekend for President's Day.  It has been a long week in this house. 

So my friends, it is terrific that I will once again be able to hear myself think.  It is terrific that I will be able to get my house in order.  Now, I am not a neat freak by any means.  Far, far from it.  However, my house is currently trashed.  TRASHED I tell you!  There have been piles of wet clothes strewn about, remains of our arts and crafts projects lying about, toys littering every available surface of the house, and wayward crumbs from our cooking projects that the dog hasn't cleaned up.  I can't wait to put it all back where it belongs and have it actually stay there for more than 30 seconds.  I can't wait to get out the vacuum (the only noise I want to hear today!), the broom and maybe even the steam mop. 

It is raining out which in itself is terrific.  Why do I think rain is terrific?  Because it ISN'T SNOW!!!  I never thought I'd be so happy to see rain.  But they were calling for more snow last night and I was making reservations for my padded room.  Waking to rain drops instead of snow flakes was such a joyous sight!  I'm hoping it will help wash away some of the mountains of snow outside!!

Now it is your turn!  Tell me something terrific in your life right now! I'm off to relish in the silence for a bit. 

Dare to Surrender {Giveaway & Review}

Are you in need of something hot and steamy to warm up these cold winter nights?  Then I have just the thing for you.  Let me introduce you to Dare to Surrender by Lilli Feisty. 

Joy Montgomery is an art curator and in order to save her job she needs to book a show for her gallery with a hot new artist.  Along comes Ash Hunter, who she literally bumps into when first meeting.  He is an erotic photographer, something that Joy thinks would be pefect for an art show.  Unfortunately when she approaches him about it he tells her he isn't taking photo's any longer and is leaving the art scene.

Joy is heartbroken to hear this news, she feels he is extremely talented and his work needs to be shown off.  When she discovers his scultptues, she is even more determined that he should not give up his art.  She is also nervous about losing her job if she cannot convince him to work with her.

Ash agrees to meet with her however, instead of discussing work matters, they become entangled in a sexual affair.  They contrast one another in many ways, Joy is a bit unorganized and chaotic while Ash is an ex-Seal who is super organized and put together.  For some reason, despite their many differences, they feel a magnetic pull towards one another. 

As the book goes on we begin to see bits and pieces of Ash's life reveal themselves and Joy begin to let go of her inhibitions and see herself in a new light.  We are introduced to Erica, Joy's best friend, and get a peak into her love life as well.

While there is a loveable plot in this book, you should know that there is plenty of sex as well.   (Some of these scenes made me blush and I don't blush easily )  My favorite part of the book was Joy.  I found Joy endearing because, well, I too am a bit of a mess!  I've been hung up on many inhibitions (still have quite a few) and because I have been so totally overtaken with my magnetic attraction to a man that I've forgotten about everything else around me.  So, (sex scenes aside) I saw a little of myself in Joy which helped me connect with her and the book.

So now for the giveaway!  5 of you will be lucky enough to win your own copy.  This contest is open to residents of US and Canada (adults only please, this is an adult content book!).  Winners will need to provide their street address (no P.O. boxes) and books will be mailed directly to you by the publishers.  

To Enter: 

Entering is easy!  All you need to do is leave me some comment love.  Tell me your favorite way to curl up  on a cold winters night.  Please be sure to leave a way for me to contact you.

5 Winners will be picked using Random.org on Sunday, February 28.



Disclaimer:  I was provided one complimentary copy of this book for review.  I was not compensated in any way.  All opinions are my own.  I found this review opportunity through The Product Review Place.

Ahhh, a trip to the dentist

I had a dentist appointment this morning.  I like going to the dentist.  Yes, I'm wierd like that.  And my pal ChrissyMac over at Life as a CEO would be cringing to hear me say that. 

I didn't always enjoy the dentist so much, it began after I became a mom.  One day I was lying in the chair and realized, my feet were up, my head was back and I didn't feel guilty about it even though it was the middle of the day!  I was being entertained (our hygienist is quite humorous), I got a clean bill of health, someone else was in charge of the kids... I mean really, what else could a girl ask for?

Now that my visits usually fall when the kids are in school and our beloved hygienist retired, I can't say I look forward to my appointments quite as much as I once did.  But today I was giddy.  Yup, giddy with excitement over going to the dentist.  You see, we've been burried under snow.  We keep having snow storm after snow storm and it just isn't fun or pretty any more.  Today was the 3rd snow day in a row for the kids, giving us a 6 day weekend.  I needed out of this house.  I didn't care what form it came in. Just.Get.Me.Out.  I didn't even mind being lectured about the need to floss more. 

Next time you have a dental appointment, pretend you are at the spa.  Put your feet up, your head back, and engage in some friendly banter with the hygienist....you'll see that changing your frame of mind will help your experience at the dentist!

Friday Fragments

* Today is the third snow day in a row turning this into a 6 day weekend.  Really, I love my kids, but I've had enough of togetherness.

*This snow day now makes a total of 6 days we need to make up, plus AM kindergarten has 2 days to make up since that gets cancelled during delayed openings.  We still have more than a month of winter left, not to mention the freak spring snow storms we sometimes get.

*My breakfast this morning consisted of Advil, the breakfast of champions after shoveling wet, heavy snow for 2 days.

* Have I mentioned I don't like the snow very much?  I live at the Jersey Shore.  I like the sunshine and the beach, not the mountains of snow.  There is a very good reason I don't live in the mountains of Colorado or in Buffalo, NY.   Have I mentioned this is our 3rd blizzard in the past 1 1/2 months?  Plus a few smaller snow falls.

*We are going to have a big clean up when the weather clears.  We've had a lot of damage to the trees in our yard with this storm.  Big trees that are nearly broken in half.  Not pretty. 

*I have a dentist appointment this morning and I am absolutely giddy about it.   It gets me out of the house.

*Have you noticed that my fragments are turning into a complaint about the snow?  I really could have just typed a whole post about it. 

*Valentine's Day is Sunday.  I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day.  I usually get just a little doo-dad for the kids or bake some sort of sweet dessert for a treat.  I usually don't get my hubby anything.  I don't like the pressure of coming up with something for a man who is impossible to buy for.  I used to make him things for valentine's day but then we had 3 kids.  Even though I say I don't like Valentine's Day very much you better believe the hubby better have something for me! 

*Anyone want to clue my hubby in that Sunday is Valentine's Day?

*Do any of you have any good ideas how to keep my kids entertained for 4 days? They get cold and wet very quickly, the fun of the snow doesn't occupy nearly enough time. 

*My house is completely trashed.  Part of me is not happy about that fact and part of me just couldn't care less.  I'd post pics but I don't want you to judge me.  Yes, it is that bad. 

*Is it normal for a dog to spend 99% of his time lying on his back?  This is what my dog does.  I think its weird.

*I was giddy with excitement that the new Survivor started last night.  Villains vs. Heroes?  Perfect!  They brought back some of my all time favorite players.  Now, if the villains could just not play so dirty it will be a great season.

*We are expecting more snow on Monday night.  I hope you have a padded cell ready for me!

Travel Time Thursday

I'm tired of being here:

This is my backyard. 

I want to be here:

Photo from photobucket

Terrific Tuesday

Terrific Tuesday started as a way to celebrate my weekly weigh ins at Weight Watchers.  Now that I'm at goal, I want to keep Terrific Tuesday going but don't want to bore you with anymore of my weight talk.  So I'm going to share some other terrific tidbits with you!

For starters, I'd like to introduce you to a terrific giveaway over at Life as a CEO.  ChrissyMac addresses her muffin top...and her love for Muffin Tops....vitalicious muffin tops that is!  I've been wanting to try these diet friendly treats ever since starting back on WW.  What has been holding me back is that they come in very large packs and I haven't been able to find smaller ones.  Being the picky eater I am, I didn't want to invest in such a big pack for my first time out.  So, I'm excited about her giveaway of a Vitalicious Sample Pack.  Go on over and check it out!

Another terrific thing is that Baby Girl's birthday party didn't get snowed out.  Oh, we got snow, and plenty of it.  However, the snow stopped falling Saturday evening and the roads were clear enough to make our way to BounceU.  What a terrific time the kids had!  The parents were pretty jazzed about the fact that the kids got to bounce their ya-ya's out too!

Know a terrific highlight of today?  I came home from my weight watchers meeting to find not one but TWO packages awaiting me.  Want to know what was in them??? 

These goodies are for a review I'll be doing over at From Blah to Ta-daa in March.

These goodies were ordered from Batter Up Kids with a 50% off coupon!

You can save too!  Visit the website by the 15th and use code KCS0150 at check out.

You'll be hearing more about Batter Up Kids over on From Blah to Ta-daa in March too!

Hope you are having a Terrific Day!  Leave something terrific here in the comments!

And the Winners Are.....

It is time to announce the winners of the Date Night Challenge:


The winner of the red heart from Rosy Stitch is:
Ashley said I'm a facebook fan!

The winner of the yellow heart from Rosy Stitch is:
Steph said I'm a blog follower

And the grand prize winner of the $50 gift certificate to restaurant.com and the L-O-V-E heart set is....drum roll please.....
Amy!  Amy entered through McLinky and you can read her submission on her blog The 4th Frog.

All winners were chosen randomly using random.org.  I will be contacting winners through email!

Today is My Day and Last Chance!

Saturday is my day over on From Blah to Ta-Daa.  I'm cooking up some Rainbow Bean Soup, perfect for the snowy weather we are having.  It is also a great nosh for Super Bowl viewing on Sunday!

This is your last chance to enter 2 great giveaways!  Tell me about your favorite date night here for your chance to win a $50 gift certificate to restaurant.com!  Take your favorite Valentine out for a nice dinner!  You can also enter for a 3 month Premium Membership to zoodles.com . 

This is Your Brain In Love {Review}

This Is Your Brain In Love by Dr. Earl Henslin: 

Book Description:


Learn the secrets of proactive passion.

Using the latest in brain research, This Is Your Brain in Love helps couples become Master Level Lovers by encouraging each mate to bring their healthiest, most balanced and joyful self to their marriage.

Dr. Henslin speaks to the vital connection between spirituality and sexuality. He identifies the five types of lovers, with ground-breaking insights and effective solutions for the challenges presented by each:
* Scattered Lover
* Over-focused Lover
* Blue Mood Lover
* Agitated Lover
* Anxious Lover

Filled with relatable stories and humor, this is not your boring brain book! Engaging and practical, Dr. Henslin provides an amazingly accurate, scientifically-based brain test to help spot typical brain imbalances. (And yes, most everyone has at least one!)

Bonus material offers brain-researched strategies and new hope for women dealing with hormones and men struggling with sexual addictions.

My Take:
"If we don't take responsibilty for this {soul care}, we never bring our healthiest selves to a relationship."  That is the whole premise of this book.  We need to take care of ourselves and understand what makes us tick or throws us off balance in order to bring our best selves into a relationship.  We need to "bring our best brain to the marriage".  Without that, the relationship faces extra challenges.

The author helps us identify what kind of lover we are.  He names 5 different types and has a chapter dedicated to each one.  At the beginning of the chapter is a quiz which has 2 columns, one for you and one for your mate, which helps you decide if you belong in that category.  The chapter then explains traits and most importantly, gives tips for yourself if you fall into that category and tips for you if your mate falls into that category.  Understanding yourself is truely important, but understanding how your mate ticks is priceless!  These chapters give you the insight in how to modify how you perceive and handle interactions with your spouse. 

Overall, I found the book very interesting, however at times it was a bit too scientific.  I enjoyed learning how our brain functions and how it affects our moods and interactions.  However, most of us will not be running out to get a brain scan and I really began to wonder how much professional help I should really be seeking after reading this book... I came away feeling as if my brain was more screwed up than I could have imagined!  I wish he focused a little less on the scientology and a little more on the personalization.  I enjoyed his tips a lot, some of them being just good basic reminders and he shared stories of his encounters with clients which is a great way to connect to a topic.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Thomas Nelson.  I received no compensation for this review and opinions are my own.  

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl

Dear Baby Girl,

Today you turn 6 and I'm not sure how to feel.  I see how excited you are and that makes me excited too.  However, I see things you don't see...I see my baby slipping away as you growing bigger every day.  I see you maturing into a beautiful little girl who is happy, loving, and self assured.  I see my baby is no longer a baby. 

I see you are happiest in the surf and sand:
 

I see you pull in a good catch and you look great doing it:

I see how you love exerting your independence and attempting new things:

I see how you love being silly and being outdoors:

I see how you love to give a helping hand:

 

 

I see a girl who loves life and everyone around her.  I love you, Baby Girl and I wish you the happiest of birthdays.

Sigh

I've been really bad about posting this week.  It has just been one of those weeks.  Even though there have been some good moments, over all it has been a tiresome and frustrating week and I didn't want to dump that on you. 

Tomorrow is Baby Girl's birthday and she is so excited.  However, my about-to-turn-6-year-old is also worrying her pretty little princess head because we are expecting another blizzard and she is afraid that A) her grandparents aren't going to be able to make it down for her birthday dinner tomorrow night and B) that her birthday party on Sunday is going to be ruined. 

In case you didn't already know this....I hate snow.  That S word is the dirtiest little 4 letter word you can utter in my presence.  If it came an inch or 2 at a time and didn't derail life I could live with it.  If it came when there was nothing of importance planned (like my Baby Girl's party!) I could even deal with  a little more of the white stuff.  But Mother Nature and Murphey's Law don't work that way!  So, that just feeds my hatred for the white precipitation that insists on blessing us with its presence. 

But anyway, enough whining.  See....my whole week would have been filled with whiny posts which is I've been avoiding dumping on you! 

On to something better....time to go get my Grey's Anatomy and Project Runway fix for the week!  Perhaps that will brighten the mood in here a bit.

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a $50 gift certificate to restaurant.com and a 3 month Premium Membership to Zoodles.com.  Both giveaways end this weekend! 

From Blah to Ta-daa!!!

Wondering what to cook up for dinner?  Well you are in luck!  Today is the official kick off of the recipe blog from From Blah to Ta-Daa.  You can check in every day for new recipes and on Sunday link up your own recipes. 

 
Go on...click on over and check out what we are cooking up today!