CSN....The Store that has it all!

It's that time again. I'm giving CSNstores.com another go. I will be reviewing an item (or items) for them coming soon. I have not chosen what I will get yet. It's also so hard to pick something out since they have so much.  Do I want one of their contemporary coffee tables or new cookware for the kitchen? Or should I check out toys for Christmas or purses and shoes for myself?

With over 200+ stores to choose things from, I can always find something great with CSNstores.com. What would you get with a gift certificate from them? I'm leaning towards some decorations or things for my living room. I want to redecorate a bit now that our flooring is finished.

Who is Trick-or-Treating really for?

OK, I can't stand it anymore. I don't want to post on Facebook for fear that someone will think I'm singling them out. I'm not, and I'm sorry if you think I'm talking about you. I'm not. This is just a general rant about Halloween and trick-or-treating. And I have a feeling I can't be alone in my views.

First of all, if your child is not eating candy (they are too young), is it really worth taking them trick-or-treating? If they are coming along with older kids, I can see the fun in having them come along. But you really don't need to ask for candy for a child that is obviously too young to eat it.

And even if you do take your young baby trick-or-treating and you're taking candy for them, don't laugh and make excuses for the baby when they are sleeping and you are still collecting candy for them. Sorry, but I found that tacky.

I should also say that it is fun to dress a baby up, so I do understand wanting to maybe take them to an event to show them off a little. But it's the candy collecting thing that gets to me. If you, as a parent, really need candy just go buy it yourself.  My son's first Halloween was when he was 7 months old. I dressed him up, mostly for me, and he came along to a party I was helping with for kids. But I never dreamed of going out trick-or-treating with him. I didn't feed my 7 month old candy, so why would I do that. In fact my son has only done trick-or-treating at the mall. He doesn't get tons of candy that way, and it's well light, indoors, and so much safer.

Which leads me to my second issue...Do your children really need to go trick-or-treating more than once? Really? I don't know about you, but I don't really need my child to have that much candy. We go to one event, so he can dress up and enjoy the trick-or-treating part. That's plenty for us.

This year we attending a Trunk-or-Treat event at our church. It was a lot of fun. But since we did this, we ditched going to the mall-o-ween like we have done in past years. One time trick-or-treating is plenty.

And yes, I'm totally judging my friend who took her 9 month old to the church event and to the mall. What is the point?!! He doesn't eat candy, and he's too young to even remember this and understand what's going on. I should be nice, though, and say I do understand they were having fun taking him out, so whatever.

Fun Fact Friday

1. Can I just complain for a minute? Thanks.  We've had soccer games for 2 weeks now. At the beginning of the season they asked parents to sign up to bring a snack. No problem.  I'm happy to bring a snack for the kids afterwards. It cost around $10 or so to bring a small snack for all 12 kids.

First of all one of the mothers made a comment about needing to have her snack day be at a certain time, because she would need to get her paycheck first. OK, I understand needing money, but do you really live that much paycheck to paycheck that you don't have $10 (or less in some cases) for a small snack for the kids. And if that really is the case, I'm not going to judge, but I'd be happy to take over and provide snack a second week if needed. That's not a problem...really (and we live on one income). I know that's a little judgy, but I just see it as poor planning/budgeting.

Second, when asked to bring a snack after an athletic event I'm thinking of all the good things that I could bring for the kids to build their energy back up after playing so hard. I guess I'm alone in that thinking. So far we've had goldfish crackers with sugary juice box, Little Debbie chocolate brownie with sugary juice drink, and Little Debbie chocolate cookie with sugary just box. Now, I am not saying my kid doesn't eat those things from time to time. We've left him save these snacks and eat them later. Whatever! But come on parents, can't we give these kids something a little better.  The best out of that list is the goldfish crackers, which I'm OK with.

So this is our week to bring snacks. We take them to the game tomorrow (which looks like we might get rained on...great!).  It was hard for me to find "good" snacks that we prepackaged.  It's not mandatory that the snacks be prepackaged, but it's so much easier for a game to have something the kids can take on their way home. We found Minute Maid 100% juice boxes, mini-boxes of raisins, and whole wheat snack cracker packs.  I would have liked a slightly better alternative to the crackers, but my options were few. At least I found some whole wheat with no trans fats ones. We'll see if any of the kids (or parents) makes any comments about this week's snack.

2. Why is it so difficult to find great fitting jeans for real women without spending a small fortune?  After asking for recommendations on Twitter/Facebook I found some good options. I am a plus-sized woman, and it's tough to get good jeans that fit nice.

I found a new place I'd never heard of or been to... Avenue. Their jeans are priced pretty well online. Plus they happen to be running a sale this weekend, and you can find good online discounts for them. I had a few things picked out, but I was nervous about spending money on shipping not knowing how things would fit. I didn't want to pay to ship stuff back.

I heard mixed reviews about Old Navy's plus-sized jeans. I looked around and didn't see anything on their site that was what I wanted anyway, so maybe I'll try them some other time.

Erica suggested JC Penney. I didn't end up going with the brand she recommended, but I did find a lot of selection in my size there. I was surprised, and I'm glad I went to the mall instead of ordering online. I was able to try some different types/brands on and see what worked. I lucked out and they were having a sale on jeans, plus I had a 15% off coupon from a mailer. So I did end up with 2 pair of jeans and a new shirt from Penney's.

I was also going to try Macy's, but by the time I got there I'd already purchased 2 pair of jeans and didn't need anymore. So I didn't even look at pants there. But I did find a few cute tops for a reasonable price.

3. It felt good to go shopping just for me today. This plus-sized girl doesn't do clothes shopping very often.

4. Since we're already on the clothes kick...what do you think of the short (knee length or just above the knee) sweater dresses with leggings? I'm leaning towards cute. But I had a thought today...is that really going to last more than one season? Will it be a purchase that won't even work for one more winter/fall?

And would that style work for a plus-sized girl? I saw some really cute sweater dresses in Macy's. They had leggings too. I have fat legs, but with a knee-length sweater dress over top, I suppose it's no worse than wearing my knee-length sundresses in the summer. What do you think?

5. I'm working on an awesome afghan for my sister for Christmas! She's been after me for a while to make her one. I think she'll love it. I like it so much I want to keep it for myself!

6. Have you seen the pumpkin hat I made? I posted pictures on Twitter & Facebook. OK, OK, I'll add some to the bottom of this post in case you missed it. Also, if you're like me to make one for you, let me know. Shoot me an e-mail (mommydaisy@gmail.com or psmomreviews@gmail.com), and we'll work something out. (I can make newborn, 0-6 month, 12 month, and toddler size)

7. If I hear "Hey, Mom?" one more time while I'm typing this list I may scream. Then promptly send my kid to bed! GRRRR!

8. In case you were following the "should I tell my sis-in-law that my nephew rolled over for the first time here or not" debate...she didn't stay long enough for me to say anything yesterday. And I won't see them until Monday. I'm truly hoping that Nephew rolls over for his mommy & daddy this weekend!

9. I've been sorta dieting. I'm more trying to watch what I eat than anything. I hate calling it a diet. Plus there have been days (usually on the weekends) when I wander from it because we're going away or doing other things and I want to have something fun to eat. But I have lost 5 pounds. I need to add some exercise and get moving here. I have a LOT of weight to lose, but I'm taking this step-by-step. I know if I try to jump in and be really strict I'll quit as soon as I start. So I think changing my mindset, which I truly am already, is going to be the way to go.

10. The best news might be that Sarah from Semi-desperate Housewife had her baby boy this week. I've seen pictures from her husband and her sister-in-law. He's delightfully adorable! A beautiful baby! I can't wait until she posts about his birth and shares more pictures.  (I need to hurry up and make him a pumpkin hat too!)

1 week old baby with the pumpkin hat I made

Newborn pumpkin hat (my friend's new baby)

Nephew with the 12 month size hat

My adorable nephew with the adorable pumpkin hat I made