Giveaways

Sweeps 4 Bloggers is giving away a $100 gift card to Zutano for infant clothes and accessories, a soft and snugly muslin wrap for your precious baby from aden + anais, Spoiled Mama natural and vegan pregnancy bath and body care gift set, Heaven's Alchemy perfume set, a gorgeous enamel tree necklace from Zedana, and a copy of the book The English American by Alison Larkin.

Freebie!!!!

Sign up for a free back-to-school calendar full of money-saving coupons from Nestle.

Movie Review: The Time Traveller's Wife

I read the book The Time Travellers Wife about a year ago as part of a reading list I'm working my way through...I read a LOT of books, and because of the sheer quanity, not too many stick with me long enough to be recommended to friends and family...a year after reading this book, I'm still recommending it as a must-read. Not because of any philosophical message or deep spiritual content, but because the concept is so ingenious and the characters are so well-developed that they become part of who you are. I literally could not put this book down, and fell in love with both Henry and Claire and the unorthodox and challenging life they make together. So I was super-excited when I first saw previews for the movie based on the book...excitement quickly turned to anxiety. What if it didn't meet my expectations? Would it be a disappointment and forever taint the beauty of the book? After waffling on deciding to see or not to see, I took advantage of a rare kid-free day to see it with my brother's girlfriend...the verdict? I really liked it! Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams were Henry and Claire, and to the best of my recollection, the movie stayed pretty true to the book (of course, as a movie, things had to be left out or I'd be sitting in the theater still). However, I can't for the life of me figure out why the movie didn't end with the heart-warming and romantic final scene of the book!

Disclaimer: There is some rear-view nudity during time-travel, so don't see it if that's a deal-breaker for you. Because of this, I recommend the movie only for my older readers, even though it has a PG-13 rating. Also, it has been a while since reading the book, so if you read it and are offended by something in it, I apologize. I honestly don't remember there being anything objectionable in the book, but sometimes those details get glazed over with time...

Why I Love Being a Mom: Part 2

Conversations like this:

"Mom, I'll be really careful with my lunch in the living room."
"No, we do not eat meals in the living room."
"But Mom, I'll be really---" *splat*

End of Discussion...for some reason Amelia no longer felt she had a valid argument.

Or this:

"Mom, I really want you to have a good day today"

Accompanied by a Big Hug...

Sin-Eaters, Scrapbooking, and Smelly Garbage

I'm starting to put my week back together into a semblance of a mini-vacation...today I went to Bible study with The Ladies (aka my mom's 3 dear friends, also known as my surrogate mothers) at my parents', then we all went out to McDonald's. After a long lunch, I stopped and picked up five movies: The Last Sin-Eater (excellent, by the way. Everyone MUST see this movie, it really gives a unique picture of what an awesome Savior we have.), Catch and Release, In the Land of Women (not worth anyone's time), The Hulk, and The Duchess...and dropped the kiddies back at my parents'. I've made my way through three movies, scrapbooked my wedding album start to finish (impressed? because I sure am!), had Godfather's pizza with the inlaws (yay for living in the same town), planted onions and green beans (don't know if there's enough growing season left, but since harvesting gallons of carrots there's extra garden room so why not give it a shot?), cleaned out the kiddie pool, remembered to take the smelly garbage to the curb, weeded the driveway, and played a killer game of Farkle on Facebook. Tomorrow I'm excited to finally use the Day Spa gift certificate B got me "just because" a while back, and maybe check out a movie at the $3 theater. Also have plans to get together with my mom and my brother's fabulous girlfriend to watch movies later in the week. Poor B is stuck in 120 degree weather, sweating off all that yummy Chinese takeout. Sitting in his boss's guest room, missing his girls. Come to think of it, I'm missing my girls, too. Never mind that they'd be dead to the world right now, there's something about having your children snoring away in their own beds. Anyhow, wish you were here, babe....actually, I wish "here" was Fargo and we were enjoying the pool hot tub right now...but "here, here" would be great, too.

Disappointment City

B and I were supposed to be heading out tomorrow morning for a business trip/mini-vacation...it's been years since I've had a few days away just for myself...it would have meant a nice roadtrip with hubby, a few days in a hotel to scrapbook, read, watch cable, and visit the hot tub, evenings out together...I'd even struggled through two days of untangling all the babysitting details...and guess where B is right now...on a plane (solo) to Arizona for the week on a last minute job (as in 6pm phone call, 10pm flight). I'm trying to keep my chin up, but I'm soooo disappointed. I'm so glad my family lives in town so at least I won't be alone all week, but what a bummer!!!

Giveaways

Katydid and Kid is giving away a really useful, unique kid's drinking glass from Silikids. Silikids products are chemical-free glass covered in a silicone outer for protection. She's also giving away a bottle of Smelly Washer, a dye and fragrance free product designed to freshen your stinky washing machine. And a personalized name plaque from Annabelle at Home.

A Nut in a Nutshell (love that name) is giving away a gift certificate to Sew Much Fun boutique. I'd use mine to order customized art smocks for my girls!

Piece of Me is giving away a gorgeous tote from Kokopax.

Leslie Loves Veggies is givng away a six-pack of herbal flavored water from Ayala. I'm always looking for new ways to get my daily water in, and I love that these have flavor, but no artificial sweeteners.

Sweeps 4 Bloggers is giving away a set of Bummas cloth baby wipes.

Top Ten: Reasons I'm Proud Of Myself This Summer

My blog has been really boring lately, which is good as it means I've drastically cut back on my computer time, but I suppose I'd better throw out a little tid-bit before I lose all my followers...so here's a random top ten list:

Top Ten Reasons I'm Proud of Myself This Summer:

1) Stripping wallpaper and painting a whole room while B was gone for the weekend.

2) Going a whole summer without air-conditioning.

3) Back on a bike after ten years of fear following an accident.

4) Figuring out how to manage a small business.

5) Finding ways to fit extra expenses into the household budget.

6) Giving up my favorite DirectTV channels to save some money.

7) Successful vegetable garden.

8) Deciding to host a foreign exchange student after several years of considering the possibility.

9) Learning to be more content with what I have: staying out of the mall and not tuning in to makeover and style shows helps!

10) Spending more quality time with my children, and less time on the computer and on household chores.

A Bloggy Birthday Party!

Jolly Mom and Go Graham Go! are hosting a blog party starting August 24th. Head on over there today to find out how you can earn extra entries into each and every giveaway!