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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

i wish i had furry feet: random tuesday thoughts


randomtuesday


It's Random Tuesday and so of course that means I will posting a bunch of nonsense lmao, stuff that goes on around here and what's new in the Shaw household.

I wish I had furry feet. 

There I said it. 

Hair on the tops and sides, that way I could walk barefoot through the house on the cold hardwood floor without wearing socks.  I hate wearing socks!  My feet would stay warm and then FD (forgetful dad) would stop bugging the crap out of me about dressing my feet up.


MY SON THE GOALIE ROCKS!

We got home Sunday night from K-town, back from Gamer's last hockey tournament for the season.  He rocked.  Here is a pic of him in net.  I am a proud mama.


Making a big save!


Gamer is eleven, so pizza, swimming, hanging out with the guys.  It was the best weekend ever for him.  He was a bit hesitant to be up there since his biological sperm donor or "He who should not be named" as Gamer calls him, lives there and Gamer was a tad nervous about perhaps running into the (bleepity bleep bleep bleep bleep) guy after not seeing him for nearly year.

It was all good though.

Road trip wise, so much fun for Pickle.  He was stoked.  "Are we there yet?" was the common question asked during the four hour drive.  He was also a bit off set about peeing in the snow at the side of the Coq.  "Mama, I can't pee outside!"  Like it was the most digusting thing we'd asked him to do.  This coming from a child who at one point ate his own poo!

We got to our destination and heard... "Now we can go home!" 

Trying to explain the fundamentals of how a vacation works to a four year old is like trying to explain to my husband why he's in the dog house when he's done really nothing wrong, I'm just in a mood. 

So much fun!

So FD went down to the local coffee shop to pick up some food today.  Now being he has a brain injury, sometimes crap happens and apparently they (the blood sucking east indian owners) claimed he ordered the meal twice, despite the fact I called the order in and we've been going there as regulars for over four years.

They took FD's money but kept our food order, screamed at him (I wasn't there or my foot would have been claiming sunshine up their a$$) and made Pickle cry because they called the cops!

I went down in my pj's, due mainly to the fact that I'm still sick.  The cops thought the situation was absolutely retarded.  The lady accused us of trying to scam them. 

Yeah I'm not the one stealing a brain injuried man's money, making a four year old cry and calling the cops over a bunch of onion rings and a BLT!

So lunch was fun.


If you particpate in Random Tuesday Thoughts, head on over to visit the UNmom as she rocks!
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Saturday, March 27, 2010

blockbuster express: for busy moms on the go



Having a movie on hand can be a moms secret weapon when it comes to keep wee ones quiet, on long trips, at home for an hour or two while you blog, a before bedtime ritual or what have you.  I know I have used movies to give both PB (Pickleboy) and myself some much needed quiet time, both together and separate from one another.

That's why when I heard about BLOCKBUSTER Express™ kiosks., I thought what a totally cool idea!  I mean who has time to load up the kids, trek down to the video store, wait and find something to watch, and by the time you get home every one is too wound up or too tired to watch the movie.  That's why the kiosks is a great secret weapon for busy moms and dads.  It makes renting a movie quick and easy.  You can rent a movie for a $1 per night.

Going to blockbusterexpress.com you can create a favorites list, browse available movies, order up to three movies at once online and then pick up at your local kiosk.  Spend less time renting and more time with family.  I do have to say though, here in Canada I cannot seem to find any kiosks available anywhere, but if you live in the states you can input your search and find your local kiosk near you.  Sad for me and other Canadian moms but great for you guys.


Blockbuster Express is offering a special Rent One Get One Free coupon code for members of MomSelect to use and share with all our friends and family and our followers (MEANING YOU!)  Your coupon code is 555G13B.




When you rent a movie at the regular price using the code in the banner above*, you'll receive the first night's rental on the second movie FREE. This offer expires on 3/31 so make sure to take advantage of it soon and encourage your friends to do the same!


*Code is valid thru 3/31/2010. When you rent a movie at the regular price, you'll receive the first night's rental on the second movie FREE. Extra night charges and taxes apply. Limit one per customer. May not be combined with any other offer. Rental terms and conditions apply. Not valid at Blockbuster store locations. 


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Thursday, March 25, 2010

how to train your dragon: special premiere for moms march 26th


My boys totally want to see the new movie "How To Train Your Dragon" hitting theaters this weekend, and now for a limited time Paramount is looking to get the word out and is offering moms all over to a special early morning screaming starting March 26th, @ 10 am.

These are the cities involved:  Chicago, Denver, L.A., Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake, Tampa & Washington DC.


Get Tickets to How to Train Your Dragon Online!
Visit the Official How to Train Your Dragon Site



This message comes to you from Twittermoms, sharing and caring the very best with parents abroad and this blogger was not paid to post, but is a member of Twittermoms.com

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

wordless wednesday: k-town


It's Wordless Wednesday and we are heading out of town. Before we go though I wanted to share a few pics with you of where we are going. Kelowna is a gorgeous place. We used to live there --- ahhhhhh the sun, sand and sweetest people ever!






If you participate in WW then head on over to their website to post your link and hop around to see other people's photos. It's fun and great way to meet new friends!




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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

denise richards "i'm in" at modern mom and teaching your kids great communication.


So as always when I come across a great story from another mom, I love to share it here, and I just so happened to have such a story from Denise Richards, actress and mom of some gorgeous girls.

Now for those of you who don't know who Denise is (duh?) she's a gorgeous actress and star of such films as Starship Troopers, Wild Things (one of my favs) The World is Not Enough where she plays a Bond girl, very cool and various other flicks.

Denise talks about communicating with her kids and how her and her girls do this cute little thing when one of them is emotional or angry about something called "All in" and they will put their hands in (one on top of the other) and raise their hands up and yell "GIRLS!"  I love it.  It's important as a parent to have something to help aid our children in communicating.

In our house when my boys don't listen...or have a hard time with their feelings and seem to be getting too upset or out of control--I say "You and Me," and I hold up my hand.  The boys will lace their hands in mine and say "Home Team."

It is our way of saying we are all in this together, no matter what we do in life, what we say to hurt one another at times...or who we are mad at.  It's us - we are a team - and we are one.

I love Denise's story about her girls.  What do you do with your kids to help aid their emotions when they are upset?  You can read Denise's story HERE at Modern Mom.




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random tuesday: where are all the spoons?


It's been a quiet week here at the Shaw household, while I've been getting better after a tooth infection, the flu and whatever else God decided I needed to deal with this week.

We are getting ready to go away to K-town, Gamer has a hockey tournament coming up this weekend. He's very excited. It will be great to get away for a couple of days, blow this town and think about nothing but my family and maybe even have some fun.

So Gamer came home yesterday and went outside to play of course. I asked FD to look through his knapsack to see if he finished his homework, you know it's not that I don't believe him when he says he's done it all. But it's a moms job to stay on top of things.

So FD goes through the kids bag and HOLY CRAP! Guess what we found? No, come on guess? Okay I will tell you. We have been asking Gamer where all our utensils are going. He claimed he had no idea. I asked him if he left them at school. He said not. Well here is what we found.

19 spoons in total! I could not believe my eyes, but hey at least my darling boy didn't throw them out. However, FD and I have told him from now he's getting plastic spoons because I cannot keep buying them when we have none.





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Monday, March 22, 2010

sunday slam


Night out with the girls, at home. How convenient, and much needed since I've been feeling like crap lately. I got my tooth pulled this week, it got infected, then I got the flue or what I thought was the flu and then my period came today. Nice, eh?

So my girls came over and we cracked a bottle of red and drank and laughed, talked about love, kids, giving birth, marriage and all the fun stuff girls do when they get together and have a few.  It was relaxing and much needed, I must say.

Shoelessmommy was a bit upset with me because mom called today and asked how I felt about her and my dad maybe moving to K-town. Of course my response was -  let me know when you are going, so I can pack up my house.  I know I'm 37 turning 38 in October, but I cannot be away from my mom. I love my mom and we talk every day. We live in the same co-op and my boys are very close to her. If she and dad move, I and FD will of course follow.

It's not like moving doesn't sound appealing anyhow. I hate Abbey. I hate this town. I feel like I can't breathe. My stepson lives in K-town and the boys would love it there, the sun and beaches and shops. It's totally relaxing and gorgeous. Dry winters, not wet. Hot summers and dry, not humid. The Okanagan is just amazing!

But it's still all up in the air.  I would miss all my wonderful friends here, my kids have friends, they love their schools.  I just hate that I can't breathe here, the air quality is like sticking your head in a toilet and breathing in, muddled and crappy.

Gamer and Corky (FD) hubby do NOT want to move back.  Gamer's father lives there, and they both hate him.  Actually hate is a light colored word for it. Gamer calls his father "He who should not be named" if that clearly gives you a definition of where he stands where his biological sperm donor exists, and he's only ten.  But that is what happens when a kid watches his father beret his mother again and again, yell and scream and forget to call him over and over, blaming life for his misfortunes.

I don't blame my son really. The last time he spoke to his father was during the summer (last year) and it wasn't pleasant. My ex started a big fight and attacked me verbally in front of the kids, before leaving in a huff.  His excuse for not calling, sending a Christmas card, birthday card or anything remotely resembling contact was he forgot our address, even though we haven't moved in going on five years.  Gamer does not want to be around him.

K-town is appealing though, but I don't want to move if Gamer is going to be upset. He's doing well here, has made lots of friends, loves the team he plays for in hockey and I don't know if I want to put him back in the middle of big fights like before with "he who should not be named."

Ahhh life - what it throws at you eh?

It's Munday tomorrow, start of the new week, and three days before we leave for a hockey tournament. Hope there are no more surprises. Knowing me and Munday's though, it wouldn't surprise me.

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend!

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Thursday, March 18, 2010

royale reno-cation giveaway!


This is a once in a lifetime contest! And here at Rants n' Rascals you are invited to this grand opportunity to enter Royale's biggest contest of the year.

The contest runs from March 15th to April 27th. There are plenty of chances to win, too. Grand prize is $13,000 to spend on home renovations, along with a $7,000 Royal Caribbean Cruise for two to the "Jewel of the Seas!"

I would love a cruise, even if I cannot go on it, because I cannot leave Pickleboy right now, he's four and never been without mama. I know, boo hoo for me, right? Still who wouldn't love a cruise, and a chance to redo their home anyway they want?

There will also be 15 weekly prize packs drawn and given away to lucky winners from the Royale Luxury Bath Collection, including: soft Royale bath robes, personal heated towel rack and a new luxurious towel set. I know I could put those things to use when I soak my worries and cares away after a long day of mommy-hood. How bout you?

To enter GO HERE.  Play the game of the week, which is fun by the way and you will get 2 entries instead of one.  More chances to win.

I'd like to thank my friends at Royale and Mom Central.  I am hosting my own MINI RENO-CATION and giving you (MY READERS) a chance to win a $50 Cara gift card which is accepted at (Swiss Chalet, Montana's, Miletstones, Kelsey's and Harvey's) plus a $50 Home Hardware card!

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me exactly what you would do with your own Reno-cation.  This contest is open to all CANADIANS and will run until April 27th.  I wish you all the best of luck!

Disclaimer: Rants n' Rascals would like to take this opportunity to thanks the good peeps over at Mom Central for this grand giveaway and allowing my readers to enjoy this contest and allowing me to be a part of this blog tour.

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step 2 motorcycle review goes vrooom vroooom!


I recently had an opportunity thanks to the wonderful people over at CSN Stores to do a review on the Step 2 Motorcycle and I have to tell you, when it first came I clear thought Pickleboy was going to jump right out of his skin!

PB just turned four.  His birthday was March 11th and he could not wait to try this toy out, and was excited when it came a couple of days ago.

Here is a picture of him with the box before we opened it.

When we opened the box, everything was there in plastic.  It appeared pretty simple, despite the fact there were instructions, we didn't actually need them, it was that easy.  Both FD and Pickle sat on the floor to check the parts out together.

Now upon first glance the product looks pretty solid, something every mom loves to see.  Durable plastic, red, comes with stickers to make it look more like a motorcycle once it's together, with headlights and tail lights, reflectors and what not.  It took FD approximately ten minutes to get the entire thing put together, wheels and all.  I was pretty impressed.

Here is a pic of the bike finished.


The wheels are hard plastic, and the bike is not nearly as big as I thought it would be.  PB is almost three feet, he has short legs though and so it's perfect for him now but he will quickly out grow this.  The specs are 25.75" H x 16.75" W x 8.75" D, it should have been made a bit bigger especially for placing a 3+ age on the box, and it would have been nice if the steering wheel turned a little making maneuvering easier.

The Result?

My son absolutely loves this toy!  And for the price $29.99 you cannot go wrong, even if they do grow out of it, they can lift their legs, push their feet and go vrooooooooooom.  PB has been on it since we got it and even carries it upstairs to his room to park it (in his garage) he says so nobody can steal it.  And being that PB has Cerebral Palsy, one thing I instantly noticed an love was that it helps with his learning to balance which is great.

You can read what other moms and dads are saying about this toy and about CSN Stores HERE.  Shipping was fast, and I live in Canada.  I got emails giving me tracking numbers, telling me when it would be here and how long.  Customer Service at CSN Stores is fantastic and if you have any problems with your items, ship them back and they are happy to replace them.  Now that is good!

All in all The Step 2 Ride on Motorcycle is a great product and would make a great gift for any child.  If you have a tall 3 year old you might want to look at something with a bit more height, but shorter 3 year old / 4 year olds are sure to have a blast on this little beast of fun!

Disclaimer: I wrote this post as part of a review for CSN Stores, and I was compensated with the product to which I reviewed.  This post was written by myself and is my honest opinion of the product discussed in the post. I wish to thank CSN Stores for allowing me this opportunity to share this with my readers.


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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

twilight saga: eclipse trailer sneak peek


I saw Twilight. Loved it! Saw New Moon, and read the books. Loved it! I am currently anticipating the third installment, Eclipse.

Now I wish I could tell you I love the books and movie because of Robert Pattison who plays Edward.  Or sexy  (for his age eye candy) but I'm old enough to be his ahem (sister) Taylor Lautner.  But I would be lying.

I love the Twilight series because of the stories.  I love Vampire stories.  I grew up reading and adoring Anne Rice's Interview with a Vamp, the way she weaved her stories.  What I didn't like was how long the books were and how much unnecessary detail sludged them up.

Stephenie Meyer's is brilliant in the way that she doesn't over write or over describe something, she keeps you connected to the characters and even characters you are supposed to not like, you find yourself wanting to know more.

I will admit I am looking forward to seeing Pattison in his new movie starting Friday "Remember Me" because it looks like a interesting tale.  But for right now I'm a fan of Twilight because the story captivates me, keeps me interested and wanting to know more about Bella, Jake, Edward and the Cullan's.








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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

just yank them all I say: random tuesday thoughts


randomtuesday


It's Tuesday and you know what that means. It's time for randomness according to one of my "fav" bloggers Keely at the UNmom.

I woke up at 6 am, yesterday morning in such extreme pain, I actually cried hard, like a baby wanting a bottle. I wailed and wailed, telling hubby I could not stand the pain anymore, it had to stop.  FD called the hospital but of course they did not return our call - yacklickinfartmongers!  Did they not understand how I was feeling?

So once again I drugged myself up with Advil and T3's (taken together) which was the only thing helping the excruciating knife wielding pain in my ear.  Well that and my contemplated thoughts of taking hubby's tools and just yanking the little bastards out that were causing me so much pressure in my skull that if the kids asked me again for another drink, something to eat, another drink or something to eat, I was going to replay for them scenes from the exorcist - the part where the girl turns ugly, spins her head around and vomits green puke all over the walls!

This pain had to stop.

It finally did.  FD got a call from a local dentist at 8 o'clock saying they needed to see me right away.  So in we went.  I was prepared to rip off their heads if they gave me a lecture as to why I hadn't been to the dentist in over ten years.

Hey I was a UBC kid.  That should be explanation enough.  If you broke that is where you go to allow student dentists to hover over you with their drills, salivating at the chance to put holes through your cheeks for better grades.  It's torture I tell you!

But they didn't lecture me.  Instead the Dentist, an older and well -- rather sexy man in his fifties held my hand and told me... "We can save your teeth.  They aren't that bad.  Some have to come out, but we can save them."

When he smiled every bone in my body melted and I almost believed him.  Sorry huny, but man the dentist was hot!  I like older men.  Move over Shaun Connery.

They worked on my mouth, taking x-rays, which they didn't charge me for.  Then after putting needle after needle in my mouth, they decided my teeth needed to be cleaned, and again they didn't charge me for it, so how could I say no?  Nobody refuses a free dental cleaning, right?

Some twinkie not even old enough to babysit my soon to be eleven year old began scraping the crap off my teeth, over ten years of build up on my pearly (yellows).  Did it hurt?  Feck - yeah!  I actually had no idea how much calcium deposits rested on my teeth and by the time she was done.

I looked at FD and told him anything oral he wanted done to him would happen in the next life time because my jaw felt like crushed bone.  He wasn't thrilled to hear that - but I'm sure our marriage will be fine (wink wink).

The shots they gave me were not nice.  They didn't hurt but had adrenaline in them which induced an anxiety attack which I wasn't prepared for, but I managed it.  Then came time for the tooth extraction.  Dreamy Dr. Dentist couldn't believe how hard it was to take the tooth out because I could still feel it.  He continued putting in needle after needle until my face felt like a pumpkin.  Finally, he cut off the top of the tooth and put the needle directly into center of it and wala... yes I said wala, it's a neat word.  The tooth area was frozen and he wrenched it out of my mouth!

No more ear aches.

No more pain in my neck.

No more swelling.

I was free!

Now I'm just waiting for the tooth to heal and trying not to get a dry socket.  Ouch!  those kinda hurt worse than the tooth ache.  The dentist showed me why I was having so much pain.  The tooth was severely abscessed.  Nice - and I brush!

I go back next week for a follow up and more cleaning.  He said he won't be there but his sons will.  Mmmm I'm thinking well-- if they look anything like their dad.  I just might enjoy going to see a dentist for the first time in my life.

Happy Random Everyone!




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Monday, March 15, 2010

google chrome puts a smile on my face


For the past week or so I have been having internet problems. We moved the computer. The signal is strong (portable by Bell) upstairs and the dlink router seems to working correctly. So why on heavens earth was I still having problems connecting to the Internet?

I tried everything. I reset the modem, configured things properly. My laptop has 4GB of ram, 64bit, Windows 7 (maybe it's Windows?) Nawww it can't be. I have over 300GB of disk space, more than my 80GB on the home back up computer which FD (Forgetful Dad) is using.

I was stumped. Not only stumped but downright furious! How on earth am I expected to work this way? I have to blog, my readers will miss me... (okay I like to think you will miss me) and I have emails to answer and deadlines to meet for blog campaigns and so forth.

I did not. I repeat DID ABSOLUTELY F*%$ING NOT want to go back to using IE, even with their new release of IE8 which I tried but only because it came pre-installed on my HP. What other option did I have?

None, when I discovered the problem wasn't my connection but FIREFOX!

Heart broken, because I have been an avid Fox user for the past several years, lately they seem to be having trouble, especially ever since I upgraded to 3.6. I love their add-ons, it's where my friendbar lives so I can post to both Twitter and Facebook and keep up on what everyone is doing. How could this happen, and what the hell in hand basket was I going to do now.

That's when my brother told me to try out Google Chrome.

I know I don't need to tell most of you net users what Chrome is. It's Google's new web browser (okay not so new) it came out before IE8 did last year. New to me though and I hate change, especially when it comes to thinks like my browser, because let's face it. You can have all the space you want, all the ram you want, but without a fancy and fast car to drive the shit stuff around. There just isn't a point.

Well I think I just found my RX8!

Chrome is FAST!  No seriously I mean it's fast.  I have been using it for two days now and I am in love.  The user interface is simple with one search bar where you can search or type the http addy you want and get the results you want quickly.

Do they have add-ons though like FF?

Yes, yes they do.  Their bookmarking is easy, add on's similar to the Fox without the lag time or slow down issues that FF seems to be having lately and like IE, Chrome has separate tabs, so if and when one crashes the others are okay.  Not like FF which completely goes into critical overload.

If you haven't used Chrome yet, give it a try.  Their logo reminds me of that mimick game "Simon Says", kinda not the best to look at and I miss the fox wrapped around the world.  But I wanted to share how much I really enjoy Chrome, and besides having another browser (besides using IE) because honestly who really wants to use IE LMAO.  Well it doesn't hurt.

I'm not sure when FF will be back up and running, but for now I'm enjoying playing with Chrome and it's lightening quick speed without connection problems.  I'm paying for the Internet monthly, so hey it's much nicer when I actually get to enjoy it for both work and play.






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hydraSense Nasal Aspirator for babies works like a charm!


I absolutely hate it when my kids are sick, and with both PB who just turned four and Gamer who is turning eleven in school now, bringing home colds happens more often then either of them cleaning out their lunch kits when they get home.  The worst part-- everyone in the house gets the cold as well.

But even worse than that is when a baby is sick.  They can't breath, nose is itchy and irritable which they can't blow, breathing is difficult and sleep is interrupted, making for cranky babies and cranky mommies.  Not nice.

That is why I was so thrilled when I heard hydraSense has created a new Nasal Aspirator with filters, developed with paediatricians and is the leading brand in saline solutions for the whole family.  Saline, being a mixture of minerals and salt water with no harmful chemicals, providing a safe way to relieve your child's nasal congestion quickly, allowing baby to breath clearly which in turn helps baby sleep, without medication.

Now I'm not a baby, but I AM congested right now and in severe pain due to a sinus infection, which I get about three times a year.  They suck and I hate feeling congested and not being able to breath, so I can only imagine how my kids feel.

I have been given a great opportunity to review hydraSense products, including the Nasal Aspirator and before giving it to my girlfriend to try out on her five month old, also with a cold;  I thought who better to test the product then myself.  I mean what mommy wouldn't test a product before giving it to their most cherished of gifts (their kids) right?

So yep, I tried it.

Let me tell you, I was surprised at how soft the tip of the Nasal Aspirator actually was and how easy it was to use.  Pop off the cap, fit in a filters that trap the mucus, hook up the tiny tube and gently put the tip of the Aspirator into the nose, put the other end of the tube into your mouth and suck slowly.

The filter action keeps any mucus from entering the tube and the suction was surprisingly gentle and yet effective.  I used one of the travel saline packs to moisten my nose before using the Aspirator and was surprised at how easy, quick and safe the mucus came out.

The transparent design is also very cool.  It allows you to see how much mucus is being removed, and the best part--the tip is easy to clean and safe to reuse, so I can give it to my g/f with full confidence her baby will sleep well, aiding in his congestion, giving him room to breath again.

Watch a short video here to see how truly easy and effective this wonderful little invention can be.  It's so easy PB even tried it out, and he hates blowing his nose, and he laid down and let mommy work her magic to suck out the OBBERY GOOBERS as he calls them.

When both my boys were little, allergies played a big part in their lives.  I used to use a small nasal contraption that blew more air into their noses then sucked stuff out.  I wish the hydraSense Nasal Aspirator had been around back then to help ease my sons discomfort.

The hydraSense Nasal Aspirator helped my congestion, so you can be sure it will help your baby.  Mom tested and true is the only way to go, I say.

So if you want more information on this and other HydraSense remarkable products then visit HERE before April 10th, 2010 and sign up for the Dolphins Club to download an exclusive coupon.  Make sure you enter the code MC2010 under the online coupons to get an $8.00 off coupon toward  your purchase of the HydraSense Aspirator.  It would make for a really nice birthday present or baby shower gift for anyone expecting or celebrating the first year of their child's life.

I totally loved being part of the this blog tour campaign by MOM CENTRAL and wrote this post while participating, plus I received a Mom Central gift pack as a thank you, which was totally awesome!  Thank you Mom Central and be sure to check them out @ www.MomCentral.com










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Saturday, March 13, 2010

small talk six - why my online friends rock!



Welcome to Saturday Small Talk Six. Want to join in? Go here to learn how and view the years topics of choice.  This weeks topic is how are your online friends better than your real ones?  You can choose 6 words, phrases, pictures, videos etc.. you get the point, right?  It's fun!

I love all my friends, online or real life.  They are important to me and my life, supportive in my endeavors at becoming a successful blogger and when I need an ear to lean on.  But what do my online friends give to me that my real life friends don't?  Well I wouldn't say they are better, just different.


1.) My online friends come from all over the world, so I get to learn new things about where they come from, places I have never been before which is totally cool.

2.) My online friends have great tips and advice, since many of them are bloggers themselves, I learn a great deal from them on how to be more successful with the direction of my blog, tips and tricks, pr info and more.

3.) My online friends send me the greatest contests ever.  I love contests and because they are all online, they have more to draw from than my real life friends who would not know to send me a twitter contest for a grand prize to share with my readers which I appreciate.

4.) My online friends have the most amazing blogs to read, making me laugh, cry, helping me relate to things going on in my life and what not.

5.) I can be working online, building a site, working on a novel or short story and talking to my online friends at t he same time and none of them get upset if I say BRB or HT (hang tight) for a second.

6.) And finally there is a saying... "I love my friends because they live inside my computer."  That is what I love the most.  My online friends are always online, most work from home, like I do.  They are there when I need them, to talk, chat, share and always supportive. 


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Friday, March 12, 2010

slow internet connection makes for friday frustrations


ConversationsWithMoms:Every day Conversations with a Mom Blog


It's Friday, time for some frustrations according to Conversations with Moms, and this Friday my biggest frustration has been my internet connection.

We recently switched internet providers because I could not stand Telus's lack of customer service, that and FD (Forgetful Dad) wanted satelitte tv, more channels, more sports, you know how men are.

So we went with Bell expressvu, and they have something called portable internet. At first I thought (wow!) internet that is portable. You mean I can take it with me? Anywhere I want?

Well almost anywhere. The internet works off towers, so where ever there are towers and a signal, there is internet to be had in Canada. So what caused my frustration?

Based on where we live, a tower was like right around the corner, but these damn oak trees and tall buildings were preventing me from getting a signal in my home. That is until we found one--in the upstairs bedroom of all places.

So--FD and I took apart the main computer station to move the desk, my files, drawers and everything I need to work upstairs. I mean I need the internet and with this fancy new laptop I have to get the job done, my favorite new toy by the way, I had to plug the modem into a wireless router so I can be downstairs with the kids if I need to work on the go.

I wish these things didn't have to be so damn difficult, but our only other internet option was a bell stick which runs off cell towers and can cost up to $100 per month. OUCH! That is too much.

Right now we are paying $22 for internet, the cheapest ever and now that I have things working accordingly it's super fast and I now I have signal all the over house, even outside if I want.

So I'm now back online after being off for a couple days, battling with this. Funny how important being online has become to me, work and all, but also to keep in touch with other people important in our lives.

If you participate in Friday Frustrations then please take a minute to visit Conversations with Moms.

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

papermate twitter party tonight


It's Thursday, a great day for a party. It's also my son's fourth birthday today so I'm in such a great mood, I mean what mom gets to host an event with 16 or so kids for three hours and then kick back and hang out with other fab bloggers at the Paper Mate Twitter Party starting tonight? The joys of blogging rock!

Mom Select is excited to invite everyone to join in the fun as Paper Mate celebrates their newest products Gel, Design, Silhouette and Biodegradable. Some of the questions asked.

How do you use writing to keep your personal connections in our busy world?

Well I blog yes, which is basically typing. But I am a firm believer in library books, binders with paper, three hole punches and pens are my best friend. During back to school, FD has to hog tie me down because I salivate over all the pretty colors and new writing tools. It's a sickness for me really.

Do you keep a personal journal to share with your kids, share your favorite recipes with friends or take the time to send personal notes?

FD has a brain injury and thus forgets everything every day, so we are very much a family that writes things down. I keep a binder with all my favorite websites because as much as my laptop is my best friend, I don't want to lose anything, and if you could wear sticky notes all over your body and call it an outfit, well I would. Life would be so much easier, especially when dealing with the kids.

So come out and join Mom Select tonight for hours of fun, share your stories and giveaways and have fun!

Paper Mate/MomSelect Twitter Party
Date: Thursday, March 11, 2010
Time: 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. EST
Location: #PaperMateMom
Host: @MomTalkRadio (Maria Bailey, Founder of MomSelect)

And hey guys before the party starts tonight do a few things, eh... like tweet tweet tweet the party to get it started and let everyone know.  Use the tag #PaperMateMom between 8am to 8pm.  And by all means take a minute to visit the sponsor because let's face it without our sponsors we would not have all these great things to talk about, right?  So go ahead and visit Paper Mate, watch their latest and greatest COMMERCIAL and become a FAN on facebook.


Mom Select is so excited to party with you! Be sure to follow @MomTalkRadio, @ResourcefulMom, @MomSelectValika and @MomSelectAmy throughout the evening for updates, prize information and contest details. 


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