In Honor of Gramps

Happy Birthday Grandpa!  In honor of your special day we had mini-cupcakes this morning for breakfast.  Wish we could have a virtual birthday party for you.  Oh, and your present is on the way if it hasn't gotten there yet, it will be the Target box!  I asked the kids how old they thought you were and the consensus this morning (you will be pleased to know) is that you are 35!

 

 They were yellow and blue.

 B excited.

 

C digging in.  Love his bed head!

Hello, Hey Cupcake!

While A and B were at gymnastics camp, C and D and I went exploring.  Check out this nifty cupcake place we found.

 

Isn't it cute?  Apparently, the cupcake up top used to spin around but the motor is out right now, bummer.

 

The menu.

C picked a snowcap.

 

Who looks happy?

 

 What did they think?  Well...

This place reminded me so much of a book that David and I have called Hello, Cupcake!  In fact, we have made several cupcakes out of that book.  Here are a few pics of some of them...

 

Princess cupcakes at A's 5th birthday.

Monkey cupcakes for a friend's baby shower.

And we made the circus cupcake tower for Great Grandma's birthday, I will have to find that one and add it when I do.

 Found it!!  I think the elephants are my favorite.

Look What We Did This Morning

Our family cracked the dawn this morning so that we could watch some hot air balloons!  We had so much fun.  I have always wanted to see some fill up and launch and it was super fun for the kiddos.  Especially since we have been studying air in science and we discussed hot air balloons a few weeks ago :)

 

B and a friend in front of a basket getting ready to head to the field for lift off!

 

 

 This is a pi ball, which stands for pilot's balloon.  Just an ordinary black balloon.  They release it to see which direction to go.  Old fashion and it works!

  

Testing the flame.

 

Blowing up the first balloon.

 

 

Getting bigger...

  

 

Almost up...

 

Upright.

 

 

And away...

 

Higher still.

 

 

From a distance.

 A few more.

 The inside

Seventh Generation Diapers Review & Giveaway

****Giveaway Now Closed****

Congratulations to Chelle!

Seventh Generation have re-launched their Free & Clear diapers. What does this mean?

Seventh Generation's Free & Clear diapers do not include chlorine processing, fragrances, latex and petroleum based lotions. In an effort to contribute less overall landfill waste and continue to ensure a premium standard of absorbency, the new Free & Clear diapers have been redesigned with a lighter-weight core. With processed chlorine-free wood pulp in Free & Clear diapers, Seventh Generation also makes certain that no chlorine is released into the environment during the totally chlorine-free (TCF) whitening process of the diapers and training pants.

Seventh Generation has also reduced the size of the diapers’ plastic packaging, meaning that each pack now contributes even less overall landfill waste than before. In fact, Seventh Generation Free & Clear diaper packaging can now be recycled at local supermarkets where plastic bag recycling collection boxes are available!  Love that.

 Here is D posing with her new diapers.

 Cheese!

I was super excited to try these on D as I have never tried them before and I am super impressed.  They work extremely well in the absorbency department for both daytime and nighttime use.  I never had a leak.  The tabs are also a big plus, never once did they break.  They are not bulky and fit D well; this is sometimes tricky as she is petite and slim waisted but the tabs adjusted well and the diapers worked great.  Diapers that work great and that are eco-friendly, can't beat that!

Want to try Seventh Generation right now. Click here to download a printable coupon for $2.00 OFF any ONE Seventh Generation Baby Product (Diapers, Training Pants, or Wipes)!

Onto the Giveaway: one lucky reader will receive their own pack of Free & Clear Seventh Generation diapers in thier choice of size 2, 4 or 5.

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment letting me know what you think about the new Free & Clear diapers OR what you love about eco-conscious baby products, that's it!  Please be sure and leave your email so I can contact you if you win!

Extra Entries, leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

 1. Follow me on google friend (2 extra entries)
 2. Tell me if you have ever tried Seventh Generation diapers before (1 entry)
 3. Click here to follow Seventh Generation on facebook (1 entry)
 4. Enter my Honey Nut Cheerios giveaway (ends 7/26) and let me know you did (1 entry)
 5. Rank my review on Life, In Spite of Me (2 entries)
 6. Click here to vote for my calf in the chick-fil-a photo contest (2 entries)


Giveaway will end on August 1st at Midnight. Winner will be selected using a random number generator and will have 48 hours to respond. If there is no response, I will randomly select another winner.  Open to US residents only.

Disclosure: The coupon link, prize pack, information and giveaway have been provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark. I was blessed to receive a package of my own.

Vote for my little Calf

Well, I officially entered D in the Chick-Fil-A Cow Appreciation Contest.  If you want to vote for her or check out her photo click here.  Go D!

Book Review: Life, In Spite of Me

Life, In Spite of Me is the story of Kristen Jane Anderson told by Kristen herself and Tricia Goyer.  At seventeen, Kristen had enough of life.  Family struggles, loss of loved ones, date rape all took their toll on her and one night she was ready to end it all.  She layed down on a railroad track and waited for her pain to end.  However, after 33 freight cars had passed over her body she found that she was not dead.  She found herself in a new place, a life without legs.  By the grace of God, Kristen survived and this is her story.

This book is heart-wrenching and inspirational at the same time.  I have never personally struggled with depression but Kristen has a way of taking you into her life and I think everyone can relate to at least some of her story on some level.  This book becomes a gripping read as Kristen lays out her life and experiences with brutal honesty.

This is not only the story of Kristen's failed suicide attempt but also her faith and hope in Christ afterward.  She went from despair to hope in spite of losing both of her legs. This did not happen overnight but was more of a process of transformation.  I love that she has new purpose and is being used mightily by God to reach out to those who are/have been struggling with depression.  I would highly recommend this book.

Want a sneak peek of this book?  Click here to download Chapter 1 of Life, In Spite of Me. 

Disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.



If you read this review and would like a chance at winning your own copy of Life, In Spite of Me please rank my review. You will automatically be entered in the giveaway (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group will contact you if you are a winner).

Honey Nut Cheerios: Review & Giveaway

****Giveaway Now Closed****

Congratulations to winterbabe98!

Have you heard the BUZZ?  Honey Nut Cheerios cereal is America’s Favorite Cereal!  And to celebrate, Honey Nut Cheerios is hosting a "Billion 'O' Giveaway" providing free samples of Honey Nut Cheerios cereal to fans while supplies last.  Zip on over here for your sweet sample.

General Mills and MyBlogSpark sent me an awesome prize package.  And what do I think?  What is not to love about Honey Nut Cheerios.  They taste great and they can help lower cholesterol!  When the kiddos and I sat down today to enjoy our Honey Nut Cheerios there were lots of smiles, lots of laughs and one unanimous response: more please!

My Honey "B" - she loves the bee antenna headband!

Now, onto the giveaway!  One lucky reader will win a Honey Nut Cheerios Prize Pack pictured above.  The prize pack contains

• 1 box of Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
• 2 cereal bowls
• 1 Honey Nut Cheerios t-shirt
• 1 bee antenna headband

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment letting me know why you think Honey Nut Cheerios is America’s Favorite Cereal, that's it!  Please be sure and leave your email so I can contact you if you win!

Extra Entries, leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

 1. Follow me on google friend (2 extra entries)
 2. Tell me if you have ever tried Honey Nut Cheerios (1 entry)
 3. Click here to follow Cheerios on facebook (1 entry)
 4. Enter my Purex giveaway (ends 7/15) and let me know you did (1 entry)


Giveaway will end on July 26th at Midnight. Winner will be selected using a random number generator and will have 48 hours to respond. If there is no response, I will randomly select another winner.  Open to US residents only.

Disclosure: Honey Nut Cheerios cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.  I was blessed to receive a prize pack of my own.

MOO

It has been a rough week but things are looking up!  The kiddos and I managed to go to Chick-fil-A the other day for Cow Appreciation Day and had a lot of fun.  We all received free combo meals so that is always fun!

 

D getting ready for her meal!

A waiting happily.

Can you tell how much my kids love Chick-fil-A?

The cow comes over to say hello.

C and B looking at the cow and enjoying their treats.  My kids almost always trade in the toys in their kids meal for the ice cream.

 Mommy and D.

Hope you had a chance to go too!  If not, there is always next year.  They do this every year :)

Mixed Bag of Emotions

Update on D: Well, last night we took D back to Dell Childrens.  She was having uncontrolable crying and what seemed to be little bits of delirium.  Anyhoo, the great news is that they looked her over and she is doing well.  She passed her neuro exam with flying colors so we are to continue monitoring her.  She is doing really great today and there seems to be no sign of fever.  Just wanted to keep everyone up-to-date.

D this morning looking at her card from A.

Well, today started off as one of the scariest days of my life.  But it did end a lot better!  Miss D woke up early this morning having a seizure.  It just so happened that I was holding her at the time (the mercy of the Lord if you ask me).  I called 911 and we were taken to Dell Childrens.  As D and I were walking toward the ambulance I had such mixed emotions.  I thought to myself, this is something that no mother ever wants to see.  And then at the same time, I thought this is what every mother would want to see (if your child needs help!).  I almost lost my cookies so to speak in the ambulance but luckily that was not to be.  D received great care and was diagnosed as having a febrile seizure.  A seizure associated with a high spike in temperature, fevers.  Apparently, children who have them are 20-30% more likely to have them again with fevers but we are hoping and praying that we will be in the 70-80% who never see them again.  So we are home resting and recovering.  I would appreciate your prayers for continued healing for our princess.  I knew God made her with a little bit more spunk for a reason :)

Get READY!

D getting ready...

Don't Forget that this Friday, July 8th is Cow Appreciation Day!

The more you wear, the more you get.

Click here for more details!

4th of July Fun

Happy 4th of July to everyone!  Hope you had a great one.  We had some friends come over and they brought a small pool and jumpy house for the kiddos - it was a party in a truck when they got here!!  The guys worked on our van while the moms and kiddos had a fun visit.

 

Portable jumpy house.

Pool fun.

 Our friends even brought cupcakes to decorate and eat, what fun!

Life on the Farm

Today I took the kids on a homeschool field trip to a family owned and operated organic fruit and veggie farm.  We had so much fun!  We made homemade ice cream - strawberry flavored, picked grape tomatoes, had tractor rides & more.

 

 The ice cream crank.

This is the sink to wash the lettuce and produce.

 

 Lettuce ready to go to market.

 Tomatoes sun drying.

 

Tomato picking.

The kids each got a cup to fill up and take home - yum!

 

A little pretaste by D.

 

I couldn't believe how many there were.

With her cup full, D is ready to move on.

Just a small part of the farm.

 

Another view.

Super C riding and driving the tractor.

 A in control.

 B's turn - actually she went first!

Thank you so much to this family for opening up their home and farm to us!