Friend Makin' Monday: Survey Says.....

Amber is hosting Friend Makin' Monday this week and I was glad to be able to participate! I have just enough time to answer the questions while I wait for my yoga pants to finish up washing so I can throw them in the dryer! So you should pop on over to {aefilkins}, I would love to read your answers!

*****

1. Favorite website:


Hmmm.... This is a tough one! The three I know I am on the most are: Blogger, Facebook, and Yahoo mail. If I am online I am usually at one of these three places.


2. Favorite color


easy peasy: PINK



3. Facebook? {Post a link or share your name if you want some new Facebook friends!}


http://www.facebook.com/friends/?ref=tn#/smeiers?ref=profile



4. Favorite Christmas song?


Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve Sarajevo


5. Christmas tree: Real or fake?


LOVE real, but I always kill them! So, it's TOTALLY fake now!



6. Hottest celebrity?


Totally digging the abs of Taylor Lautner at the moment....  hubba hubba



7. Favorite restaurant?


no real favorite.... I like different things at all the standards! Any meal that I don't have to make is my favorite :)



8. Favorite magazine?


hands down US weekly



9. Favorite thing to drink around the holidays?


Love Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks, but lately I have been on a Peppermint Mocha kick yummy!

10. Favorite Christmas movie
 
A Christmas Story or National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

The holidays are here.....

I hope everyone had a super Thanksgiving! Our family had an awesome one! We spent it with some wonderful friends and it was the best Thanksgiving we have had in quite some time…

This morning we woke up to discover that our magical Christmas elf came back to visit! Anthony and Madison spotted his hiding spot right away! We were all so happy to find that he returned again this year! He even brought us a Christmas movie to get us even more excited for the holidays…

Jason spent the day giving Casa de Staci some much needed Botox. It was beginning to get a little rough around the edges…. I will be sure to post pics once he is finished this project. We have many mini projects in the works and I am so excited to see them all completed…. Sooner rather than later I HOPE!

The kids and I spent the day gearing up for Christmas! The tree is up, the stockings are hung, and some decorations have been carefully placed... The kids LOVE it all! We have lots more to do and I know we will have fun doing it all!

Here is a video of little Miss in all her Christmas caroling glory!

Wordless Wednesday... well ALMOST!

My Pretty Pouting Princess!

My princess has learned to pout and she has a very special place she likes to hide while she pouts! She will pout for a few minutes and the next thing I know she's laughing! Silly girl!


For more WW: Momspective, Five Minutes For Mom, 7 Clown Circus, Ordinary and Awesome, MomDot, Wordless Wednesday , , Life @ 30, Three Peas in a Pod, & Conversations with Moms

Mommy you forgot....

I threw on a tank and a pair of sweats and I was set for the day. A day of LOUNGING! Oh how I have missed those days. Little did I know my shadow was watching my every move as usual.

I headed down stairs to start getting breakfast together, when Madison comes RUNNING into the kitchen. Clutched in her chubby little fingers and dragging behind her is my quadruple padded guaranteed to add 6 cup sizes (hey, I am so NOT endowed over here) Victoria Secret bra...

"Mommy! Mommy! You forgot to put your boobies on!"

What would I have ever done without her? lol :)

Thankful Thoughts! All about MEme Monday!

Today I am thankful for.....

1. 
   
   The minis! Madison got me sick and Anthony wakes up too early, but OMG I love them so much my heart hurts! They are the best little guys ever!
   
   
   
   
2. 
   
   I am thankful for being able to stay home with my babes. Even though most days I feel like I am failing, I would NOT change it for a thing! I just hope they are not stuck in therapy for too long!
   
   
   
   
3. 
   
   I am thankful for Jason. He rocks. He is the best bestie and I love him so much... Even though he was being passive aggressive last week and made me organize our disastrous closet.... we had words let me just tell you, but in spite of it all he is the best hubs!
   
   
   
   
4. 
   
   
   
   I am thankful for Zumba! I heart dancing, shaking, and jumping for an hour 4 days a week! I ALWAYS feel great after!
   
   
5. 
   
   Finally, I am thankful for baby wipes. Seriously! Those things clean anything and EVERYTHING! I use them ALL the time! Love them! Best thing EVER!
   

   
   
   
   

Now, go check out Adventures of a Wanna be Supah Mommy and share what you are thankful for!

EDITED TO ADD: I suck at following directions! it was supposed to be FOUR thankfuls.... ooops! My bad!

girl talk

Last night Anthony fell asleep on the car ride home and was OUT for the night. Madison and I curled up on the couch and took tons of silly pictures and video clips! It was so nice. Just the two of us. Together, No boys, just us girls! Secret telling, whispering, singing, and laughing. LOTS of laughing!These one on one moments are rare and I cherish them! My baby girl is getting so big!

***

Out of the mouths of babes!

Yesterday at our preschool’s Thanksgiving Feast, Anthony’s buddy got a blue jello cup for dessert. As Anthony has never had jello, I was shocked he even knew what it was, but he was adamant. He wanted one too. So, we head over to the dessert table and he asks the teachers serving:

Can I have some blue jealous please?

***********

I walked past the bathroom and spy Madison standing in front of the toilet with her pants around her ankles. She turns and says:

Look mommy! My gina reaches now! I can pee like Anthony!!!!

Thankfully I caught her BEFORE she attempted it!

Wordless Wednesday

My Lemon Loving Little Lady

Picture quality not the greatest (from our phones) but I had to share she was DIGGING those lemons!

For more WW: Momspective, Five Minutes For Mom, 7 Clown Circus, Ordinary and Awesome, MomDot, Wordless Wednesday , , Life @ 30, Three Peas in a Pod, & Conversations with Moms

JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island

Our family LOVES everything JumpStart! We have a bunch of their PC games and JumpStart Pet Rescue for the wii. We LOVE JumpStart’s educational products which is why I jumped at the chance to review their new wii game, JumpStart Escape from Adventure Island.

Escape from Adventure Island is designed for children between the ages of 5-9 and the ESRB has rated it “E” for everyone! It’s an action-packed game that invites players to use their explorer skills and brain power to find a way to escape the mysterious island that they crashed landed on. As players race to collect the pieces needed to repair their blimp, they will navigate 3D worlds both above and below the water. Along the way, players will practice over 150 math, reading, and critical thinking skills all while having fun!

The game arrived and Anthony could not wait to play! In this game there is a lot of sideway remote holding, which Anthony is familiar with from other games he has, so he did not have any problems playing. He really enjoyed finding the letter sounds in the jet pack practice game! He played that game over and over again! He also enjoyed just exploring the Island. (Madison LOVED reading the directions and telling him just what to do! lol)

Key Features:

A magical 3D learning environment packed with games, adventures and hidden surprises.

Seamlessly integrated learning games that encourage players to practice math, reading and critical thinking skills to earn virtual rewards.

Wii Remote™ technology that allows players to run, jump, fly, swim, roll and dance across a virtual island.

The chance for players to express themselves while selecting the perfect avatar outfit, hair, features and more!

I think this game is great and the learning aspect is AWESOME! The kids do not even realize they are learning as their playing! Rhyming, ABC order, adding, time telling, cause & effect, are just a few of the MANY concepts explored in Escape from Adventure Island! Anthony was a bit young for this game, but there were a few games that he could do (on level one and easy). I think this game will be wonderful in the upcoming year!

JumpStart Escape from Adventure Island will be available from major retailers tomorrow, November 17, 2009 for $29.99. I think this would make an awesome Christmas or Birthday gift for a school aged child!

JumpStart game me a copy of JumpStart Escape from Adevnture Island to review.  This did not shape or influence my review at all! This product was Kid Tested & Mother Approved :)

Want a chance to win your own copy of Escape from Adventure Island? Visit the JumpStart blog to win your own copy PLUS a TON of other great prizes! Hurry, the contest ends today!

The Prizes:

50 winners will be randomly chosen to receive a copy of JumpStart Escape from Adventure Island, a brand new Wii™ learning adventure for ages 5-9. Plus, 3 lucky winners will be chosen to receive the Ultimate Escape Prize Pack including:

• 1 copy of JumpStart Escape from Adventure Island (rated E by the ESRB)

• 1 Nintendo Wii console – to escape boredom

• $250 in SpaFinder® gift certificates – to escape stress

• 1 Flip™ Mino HD video camera – to record your adventures

• 3 lifetime JumpStart memberships – 1 for you, 2 to share with friends

• 500 JumpStart.com virtual coins – to keep your kids’ online adventure exciting

• JumpStart gear – to dress for adventure

Fun First Fridays

I used to LOVE roller skating as a kid. It was a favorite past time! I used to take the girls I babysat for and we ALWAYS had fun, so I was super excited to take my little rugrats one day! The kids were invited to a skating party so the day had come... We headed over to the local roller rink, strapped on some skates, and tried it out!

First, they did GREAT on the carpet as we were walking to the rink. They were pretty steady on their feet! I was surprised how steady. As soon as we hit the slick surface though they got wobbly. Thank goodness Kylen, one of those girls I used to take skating, was there to help otherwise there would have been NO WAY!

Madison was all over the place. She was really afraid :( poor girl. She just wanted me to hold her! Anthony did awesome, but he gave up when he saw me holding Madison! He made poor Kylen carry him! We only made it around the rink once... lol :) It was fun while it lasted though!

I think I will take just Anthony one day soon. Madison was still too little. The funny thing is thought, they both keep going on and on about how much fun they had being carried skating around the "sink" lol :)

Roller Boy & Roller Girl

My pereceptive little mini me!

In all my married years (14 and ¾ to be exact) I have had to wait on Jason. He takes FOREVER to get ready to do ANYTHING! We are just on two different wavelengths in that department….

Lately it seems that I am always waiting because he is ALWAYS in the bathroom! Seriously?!? How often does one need to go! It drives me insane especially as the need always arises while

A. We are walking out the door

     and

B. We are already late!

Yesterday was no exception. It was T-minus 20 minutes until we HAD to leave for the dentist and Jason was still not even showered! Madison came upstairs to see what I was doing when I asked her what her father was doing….. Her response?

“Daddy doin nothin…. He just poopin…. AGAIN!”

I died. Right there. I did not know if I should laugh because Madison so GETS it or if I should be irritated because he was on the crapper and I was waiting yet again!

Disclaimer: Incase you are wondering Jason knows I posted this. He found as much humor in it as I did…. What a good sport I have :)

Wordless Wednesday

My Own Little One Man Band!

 

For more WW: Momspective, Five Minutes For Mom, 7 Clown Circus, MomDot, Wordless Wednesday ,  http://jessmalexander.blogspot.com/, Three Peas in a Pod, & Conversations with Moms

Johnny Test: Johnny X and Super Pooch

Not too long ago, NCircle Entertainment sent me a copy of Johnny Test:: Johnny X and Super Pooch to watch and review. Typically, the shows the kids watch are educational, but every so often we watch something just because its fun! I think Johnny Test falls into the fun category. :) Johnny Test follows the adventures of a fearless 11-year-old boy, his talking dog, and his 13-year-old genius / scientists twin sisters who use Johnny as their guinea pig for all of their crazy experiments.

The other night, Anthony and I snuggled up on the couch and tuned in. I have to say this DVD had us both cracking up. It was super silly and fun! There were a few times when Anthony snuggled in tight from being afraid, but it never lasted long. I think he was a bit young, but he enjoyed the show a lot and continues to ask to watch it!

I think this is a great show for both boys and girls. There are 6 stories on the DVD and the approximate running time is 60 minutes. The DVD can be found at Toys R Us, Amazon, or at NCircle Entertainment. The suggested retail price is $6.99.


Note: NCircle Entertainment gave me a copy of Johnny Test:: Johnny X and Super Pooch to watch and review. They did not influence my opinion of the DVD at all.

It's all about MEme Monday :)

This week's prompt was SCREAMING: Do Me Do Me! Pick Me Pick Me! So I just had to comply :) Really though it was super fitting as I have just completed so major and much needed retail therapy. This mama's closet was MAJORLY lacking and I have since rectified that problem.... for now anyway :) All of you should pop on over to Adventures of a Wanna-Be Supah Mommy because I would love to see what YOU would purchase :)

It's time to dump your dull duds

and sassafras your wardrobe!

Supah and I just handed you a big, phat (and very phake)

VISA gift card* with your name all over it.

Now, go spend it ... in the first evah,

All About MEme Shopping Spree-Spree!

There are MANY things I would LOVE to purchase, but I could only pick 5, so I narrowed it down so that I could be rocked out head to toe :)



The first item is a Cashmere boyfriend sweater from Gap. It is classic and looks oh so COMFY! I am loving the off white!

My second item of choice is Always skinny destructed jeans also from Gap. I don't know what it is, but I love me some ripped up jeans!

Next, I would buy The Suburb Crochet Tall Uggs boots in espresso. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! Do they not look totally awesome?!

Finally, my accessories. First up this AWESOMELY cute dragon fly bracelet from Tiffany.

And last, but not least....

Kate Spade's cornelia street noel stevie handbag in red!

So that my friends is my shopping wish list of the moment.... What I could find in the few minutes I had to search out images....  Now, what is yours!?

When I grow up I want to be....

a snowbird!

The cold is starting to creep in and I am already getting the winter blues.... I need my sunshine! Today was GORGEOUS ( and its supposed to be like this for the next few days!) and I instantly noticed there is more pep in my step, more grins on my chin, and.... um, yeah that’s all the corniness I could come up with at the moment! Anyway, you get the picture. Today we rode 8 miles on our bikes, played at the park, and just enjoyed the fresh. Warm air! It was FANTASTIC! It was in the 70's and Oh so BEAUTIFUL! I have to repeat it all tomorrow! 

Ahoy there matey!

This morning as I was sleeping soundly; all of a sudden something changed. I could feel it. Two eyes were intently peering at me. I was lying on my back, arm casually thrown over my head so only one eye was visible. Do I dare open it and peek to see which of my wee ones is staring so intently willing me awake?
After a few moments I could no longer take it. I had to know. Very slowly I cracked my eye lid.... Before I could even focus to see who it was I was attacked!

"Mommy! Mommy! You look just like me! A PIRATE!!! Arrrrrrr! You only have one eye! You’re waked up mommy!!! I was waiting for my pirate mommy to get me breakfast!!" In a midst of squeals, my dear Anthony dove onto me, squeezed me tight, and covered me with smooches!

And that my friends is how my morning started!

What A Weekend!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! I know we did! All week long it seemed as though we were in full celebration mode. Something was ALWAYS going on! The kids had a BLAST on Saturday! We went to a super fun pre trick or treat party and good times were had...

We rushed home and the preparations began... Costumes were put on, make up was applied, pictures were taken, and glow sticks were cracked! We were ready! Anthony RACED door to door while Madison lagged behind. Both were full of smiles and giggles, but true to their personalities they both approached trick or treating in different ways....

Anthony would sprint to the front door; bag clutched tight, and rings the door bell. Then he would spring into action. He would hide off to the side, behind porch posts or bushes, when the homeowner would open the door he would squeal "BOO! Trick or treat!" He would always engage the people and tell them all about his "mustard"(aka mustache) before he would offer his thanks and run to the next house!

Madison took a whole nother approach. She was always behind so as Anthony was leaving she was arriving. Madison's bag was ALWAYS dragging behind her and she would ever so gently whisper "trick or treat". Her eyes lit up with each and every item, and she always said thank you, BUT no one could hear her! :) The people could NEVER put the candy in her bag; instead she chose to clutch it tight until we got to the bottom of the driveway.

(Excuse the semi blurry pictures. Madison rubbed her fingers all over the camera lens and I forgot to clean it. I didn’t realize until AFTER we trick or treated, so the only clear picture is after a sugar high set in)

After the kids were settled and in bed, a sitter came and Jason and I headed out to a Halloween party ourselves! It was a blast!!! Jason was a creepy mask wearing guy and I was a wee little school girl :) Let's just be glad there are NO pictures! Many cocktails were consumed and many laughs were shared!

I hope everyone's Halloween was as fun filled as ours!