K

I can't believe how quickly time flies by. It seems like yesterday that I started this blog. Can you believe that it's actually been 4 1/2 years ago? Really! Go look at my first post- http://mommydaisy.blogspot.com/2007/01/recovering.html. It was about my sweet little baby who had chicken pox.

Well, now that sweet, little baby is healed from the chicken pox and all grown up. He is 5 years old now. And this week...he starts Kindergarten! Talk about time flying.

It's all bittersweet that Zachariah is starting school. I'm not exactly where I pictured our lives to be. But I think I've raised a very good boy who is completely ready for school. It's going to be tough seeing him get on that great, big bus every morning. He's been really successful through the open house and orientation that we had today. He is ready for school.

I'm not sure I'm ready to send him. I know he's ready. But it's hard sending my only baby off to school. I have been around him 24/7 for his whole life. It's a very strange feeling sending him away from me for the majority of his day. He will get on the bus at 8:15AM and get off the bus at 4:10PM.

I know that I can do this. It will be an adjustment, but we'll do it. I honestly know he'll be fine there. Zachariah is a mature and smart kid. I just know I'll miss him so much. For now the hardest part will be getting him on that bus.

This all brings big, huge changes for me. I am a stay at home mom. This is my only child. Now what am I? (I need to explore this in another post, because there are so many things going on in my mind.) I do know that I'm still valued at home, though, so for now that's where I'll be.

Zachariah had open house Sunday. We love his teacher, his classroom is great, and the whole staff at the school are wonderful. The building he is in only houses Kindergarten, so I know the staff there is completely devoted to these little kids. Today was our orientation. We were at the school for several hours this morning. The kids took a tour of the school and got a very fun practice bus ride. The parents were briefed about what to expect this year in the school and in our child's classroom. I do feel really good about this school, and I'm excited for what this year can bring.

The rest of this week, while the rest of the school district is in session already, the kindergarten has staggered start days. They take 1/3 of each class for a full day the rest of this week. So, Zachariah will go all day Friday. He will get on the bus, then go to school all day.

I know if you've sent a kid to school, you understand my mixed feelings. It's such a roller coaster. And it's a big change in our lives. Here's the beginning of the end... I'll continue to do my best as a parent, and he'll work hard to get through school for the next 13 years.

Taken at open house 8/28/11

Variety

I didn't sit down intending to write a blog post, so we'll see where this goes. Life has been pretty busy lately. I feel like the last week or so was a whirlwind. It's just the little things that add up. But all is good.

*****

The Screen Free challenge we did went well. I plan to write about that on my other blog soon. I've already noticed differences in our routines without those distractions around. Are we (I really mean Zachariah here) watching TV/playing video games again? Yes, but definitely way more limited.

*****

Kindergarten! Yikes! This might deserve a post of it's own. I can say...it's coming soon. We're in the midst of preparing for it. I'm proud and nervous all at once.

*****

On a related note, I was reading a book with Zachariah last night before bed. It was a simple book to help young readers that we got from the library. I know he can read certain words, but he surprised me last night. I would point to words that I thought maybe he would know. For instance I tried "go", "is", "are", etc. These are just simple sight words. He's pretty good at sounding out bigger words too. But he knew almost all the little words I asked him. I was seriously surprised. It's just that this is the first time he's "read" them to me like that with no hesitation. My little guy is growing up.

*****

How was your Easter? Ours was nice. We had a great church service, then I made dinner and Matt's parents came over. I wasn't planning anything until early last week. I decided I'd just make a small ham for just us. I couldn't help it, I wanted ham on Easter. If I was going to make ham, I may as well make a meal out of it. So I got things to make ham, cheesy potatoes, rolls, deviled eggs, and no bake cherry cheesecake, plus we already made Easter cookies. When I realized how much food that was, I knew we wouldn't eat it all. Matt's parents don't generally do anything for Easter, so we called to see if they wanted to come over. It worked out well that their church was over in time and they came to join us. They brought along broccoli salad and sugar cream pie. Every thing was great, and we had just enough leftovers.

Zachariah enjoyed hunting for Easter eggs when he woke up in the morning. And this is the first year that I hid his basket (a tradition my parents always did). He loved trying to find it. (I made it easy this year...next year it's on!) And to continue another Easter tradition of my mom's, I got him pajamas. Fun!

Tell me about your Easter traditions.

Challenge

My family is taking on a challenge this week. It will be a big one for us. And my apologies in advance for being more absent on your blogs, Facebook, and twitter this week. Go see what we're up to and follow our journey here- http://psmomreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/screen-free-week.html.

Just a Little Longer...

When will this end. I miss Matt so badly. He was supposed to be back in Ohio by this afternoon. We were going to the city where he's coming in to do a little shopping, go out to lunch, then go get him. Then we were going to bring him home. It was not meant to be that way...yet.

Yesterday afternoon we found out that the flight leaving the city they're in was canceled. And the next available few flights were booked full. The only possibility found (after hours and hours of trying to work this out) is to leave Monday instead. And even this plan is sketchy, because only one of the two of them has a seat on that flight. They are hoping and praying that another opens up by then. At least this is how I understand this all from where I sit. Ugh.

So the plan right now is for them to head our late Monday night. This would put them arriving home Tuesday afternoon. I'm glad that I don't work outside of the home, so it's easy for me to be available to get him from the airport whenever needed.

I am very thankful that they have a safe place to stay and aren't stranded in an airport in a 3rd world country where they don't speak the language. They found out just in time that this had happened and were able to stay put and take care of things. They should have no problems staying there for a few days, and there are hopefully some things for them to do while they are there. They have WiFi, power, and water. And I'm sure there is food available too.

I'm praying that the flights they are scheduled on stick, and they will have no problems getting back Tuesday. Matt is already worried about missing 2 more days of work, but he doesn't have many options at this point. He has time he can use, he just didn't want to. He's already been gone for two full work weeks, and we're going away for a week in the next few months for our family vacation. But things will work out.

I felt really helpless yesterday as I was receiving periodic updates about the situation. Fortunately Matt was able to get on Facebook with me, so we could chat for a while. I think it was a good distraction for both of us. I feel lucky, because 20 years ago we could not have communicated this way. In fact I probably wouldn't have known of the cancellation and might have waited at the airport for him not know what happened. Modern technology is wonderful!

So, I have a few more days to be a single mom. I need to pull some new tricks out of my hat, because I was not prepared for this. My mom is wonderful, and at least she's helping me salvage today. She called earlier to see if they could come here for the day. We can maybe go shopping and eat lunch together. It will give Zachariah someone else to play with. And she's bringing my adorable nephew, Easton, with her since my sister is working. I won't complain about that.

Here goes nothing. I can hang in just a little bit longer.

Only a Few More Days

Matt is finishing up his work in Africa. Today is their last day to work, and tomorrow they start their long journey home. We'll get to pick them up this weekend. And we can't wait to see him.

It's been a long two weeks, but it's gone by fast too. I have had lots of support and activities. When several of you offered to help distract us with things to do, it meant more to me than you know. I feel bad that it didn't work out to actually take you up on that, but it felt like I had a lifeline if/when I needed it. Thank you! (And I still hope we can get together sometime even after this....especially when it warms up and we can get outside.)

We have eaten out a lot! We went shopping a few times. We had lunch dates with new friends. We rented movies. We pulled out new games and movies that were saved for this occasion. We spent a weekend sick. We spent a weekend with my parents. We went bowling with my inlaws. We went to church and small group.

Zachariah is going to the local museum today with his grandpa (my father-in-law), so I can have a little break from him. We've had zero time apart for two weeks. I can't even leave the house alone to go to the store quickly. I'm used to being around him a lot, but this is extreme. I still have no idea what I'll do with my time this afternoon. I had several projects that I wanted to work on, but I didn't get to any of them. It seems like a waste to start now, when I know I can't finish. I might just run to the hobby store and enjoy the quiet of my house for a while.

Matt's trip has gone very well. If you'd like to read a little about his adventures, you can check out his blog. He's shared a little about what he was doing there and some of the things they did. I know he'll be happy to see us, but there is also a period of adjusting to being back in the US after a trip like this. Not only is there the travel weariness and jet lag that takes a long time to get over, but the cultural differences are huge and it takes some time to process. And he'll be in for a big weather shock as well. They were getting up to 115+ degrees during the day there. Here it's been cold...even for a typical March in Ohio. And now there is snow on the ground again. I hope for his sake it warms up here soon. (Who am I kidding? We all want it to warm up already.)

Things I've learned while Matt was away. Two weeks can go by pretty quickly, especially if you pack them full of activity. The house is cleaner when he's not here. My kid will go a little crazy at times without Daddy around. I've been calmer this time, so I can tell I've done it before. I sleep better when I can hog the whole bed. I am a big girl and can take care of myself and child when my husband isn't here. I do like his support (a lot), but I'm glad that I can feel like a grown up and know I'm capable of doing it alone from time to time.

With all that said...Matt hurry home! We miss you a lot and can't wait to see you again!

What is Normal?

I feel like life has been crazy these past few weeks. There have been so many activities taking up our time. Yet, when I do have the time I still don't feel like blogging or reading blogs. I have a few times. I do read your blogs, I do. I just don't comment as much as I think I should. And I don't feel like I should have to apologize, but it still feels like ignoring my friends when I don't comment. And I am sorry for that. I'm still here. I still care.

It always seems if we can get through these few days or the next few weeks or into spring, etc. that things will get back to normal. But I find myself really wondering what normal really is. Normal seems to be busy, so I may as well embrace that and learn to schedule life around it. I don't see things getting any calmer soon. Learning to manage my schedule is a must do. And finding a place in that for blogging (and review blogging) is important to me. Time with my family is also important, and that takes top billing. I just need to squeeze other things in when I have free time and use it wisely.

So, here are some things that you've been missing, especially if you don't follow me on my other blog, twitter, or facebook:

- Matt is leaving soon for another mission's trip. Some of you may remember when he went 2 1/2 years ago. He is blogging about it again, so if you'd like to see more about what he's up to while he's away let me know and I'll e-mail you the link for his Missions blog.

- Matt's well prepared for his trip, but we're sure going to miss him here. He'll be gone for two full weeks plus 2 full travel days, so almost 16 days. That's a long time for a stay at home mom to spend with no other adult in the house. We're planning a few distractions. There might be a trip to the grandparents for an evening or an overnight stay at some point. I'm also trying to think of fun things that we can go do just to break up the long day of being together all the time without Daddy around. But mostly I'm feeling OK about him being gone, and I'm excited for what he'll be doing on his trip.

- Last week we received a warning about people from our country going into the country Matt's going too (sorry I want to be a little vague). They were not telling people not to come, but they just wanted them to be on guard. While it did worry us a little, we still felt that it was safe and necessary for him (and the other guy who's going with him) to go. Then this week, we got notice that the threat was not a viable one, so there was no reason for alarm at all. Thank God! Of course I still have a few concerns about him going that far from home for that long, but I know that God has planned it all and things have fallen into place perfectly.

- My baby turned 5 two weeks ago! 5! It just seems so...grown up. He'll be starting kindergarten in the fall. We're getting ready to register for that and start that whole process. I'm nervous about it for sure, but I know it's going to happen whether I like it or not. I cannot get this kid to stop growing.

- Matt was sick two weeks ago. He was miserable for quite a while. The medication he was put on seems to have done the trick, and he's mostly better now just in time to leave.

- I hate to say this. We've had a pretty healthy winter. I know so many people/families have been really sick this winter. It's been a bad one. Zachariah continues (mostly) on the healthy path. I know how lucky I am that he's been such a healthy kid. See next item.

- Of course just before Matt leaves, Zachariah gets sick. He woke up yesterday morning with a fever, then threw up. Ugh! He took a nap in the morning, then he started to perk up. The fever went away right after he got sick, so that helped. We went out to dinner last night and he ate really well, probably because he didn't eat much all day at home. He was much better by bedtime. This morning...the fever is back. Poor baby. He's got a bit of a cough and this fever that did go down with some tylenol. I hope it doesn't get any worse.

- I'm starting to wonder today if I'm getting sick too. Of course! I sure hope it just passes quickly. Pray for me. I don't want to deal with being sick while I have no other adult help.

I know I have other things to share and blog about...like some things happening with my sister and what my cousin just went through. But I think I'll save that for later. For now I just wanted to get some words written here on this blog. I want to get back to normal.

Meal Rut Help

Yep, you read it right. My family is in a meal rut.

When I started watching my nephew, Patrick, in the fall, I got away from meal planning and grocery shopping with coupons. I was doing so well with that for a while, but I was busier during the day with him here. Those things all got pushed to the side. Before that I had time during the day, so that's when I did all my grocery shopping. I would scan the ads of the local stores, look online, find the best deals and match coupons to save a lot on our grocery bill.

In January when I was no longer watching Patrick I still found myself in a bit of a rut. I was preparing meals and keeping the house stocked with groceries. But we were still eating out about twice a week (too much for us), and a lot of evenings I didn't think about dinner until 5:00. That doesn't work so well when you're used to eating at 5:30. It ended up being more work that way. There was no plan.

So last month my husband pointed out that I needed to get back to meal planning. I agreed. So I got to work.

It's difficult for me to plan meals for a week. There are only 3 of us, and to prepare something every night I would end up with way too many leftovers. Plus our grocery bill would be too large for us to handle. What I generally do is plan 3-4 big meals to make for the week. I try to keep a few easy extras on hand to make on a boring night. And I keep in mind that we will probably eat out one night a week. The other days we can fix leftovers from previous meals.

This seems to work pretty well, and it's working with our budget as well. I have a big dry erase board that hangs on the fridge. It has the days of the week and areas for menu and more. (It's the one I reviewed at PS Mom Reviews.) I don't worry about lunches, we do simple lunches here. (Need ideas? I can share lunches if you're interested.) So all I'm planning is suppers. It works, and I think things have run smoother since I started doing it.

The problem is by the weekend we're in a rut. On Saturdays we're often busy, and I don't really want to cook. Sundays we have church all morning, and we get home just in time for lunch. Then we take naps and head out to small group (church group/bible study group) for the evening. We try to grab something to eat quickly before we leave. We don't mind eating leftovers, but by Sunday the leftovers are a little too...left over. It's OK to eat them for one meal, but by supper on Sunday it's very boring.

Saturdays I'm working on. If we eat sandwiches or leftovers for lunch, I can make something easy for supper. Sunday is the biggest problem. Especially for Matt. He's really tired of two rounds of leftovers.

Here's where I need your help. What would you suggest for Sunday meals?

One thing I've considered is using the crockpot (which I do like), but I don't think I have enough time Sunday mornings to get things ready. And I think it would either be not enough time to cook (for lunch) or too long (for supper). Another option is just eating out for lunch Sundays. This would be easy to do, because we're already out and about for church. There are lots of options between church and our house. I would have to either adjust the budget or plan well for this. That is doable I think, but I wonder if we'd get tired of it too.

So, that's where I'm at with it. I could use your advice, though. Please, help a girl out. My family thanks you!

Contest Redraw

Unfortunately Melissa is having troubles using the CSN gift code. She's in Canada and they add extra taxes that  don't really make it worth all the trouble. Anyway, after speaking with Melissa, she would rather pass the code back to someone else in the US. And we need to do it quickly, because the code expires at the end of the month.

I'm revisiting the post now and drawing a new number. The new winner is...#2 - Sarah @ No Whey, Mama. Sarah, I have an e-mail on the way to you. Just be sure to use this right away. Wouldn't want to let a $55 gift card go to waste. Plus many items have free shipping in the US.

Thanks everyone for entering!

I Really Should Draw a Winner...

OK, I was going to close the comments on my little giveaway Tuesday. But things came up. I ended up going to my sister and brother-in-law's hockey game to watch my nephew. I know, such a tragedy that I had to hold a sweet baby for 2 hours. Terrible, I tell you. He he, OK, so I enjoyed each and every minute. He's such a sweet little guy. He cried for the last part of the game, because he was so darn tired. But he still kept trying to calm down and rest on my shoulder. I felt bad. I knew it was past his bedtime, but I did what I could. I'm sure he fell right asleep on the way home. Poor guy. The bad news is I was so busy with him that I didn't take any pictures. You wanna see one from the last time he was here?

Easton & Zachariah

Now that's a pretty adorable excuse, don't you think? Not that it accounts for Wednesday, but let's just say I wasn't feeling great and Aunt Flo came to visit too. The two might be related, but they might now. Either way, I didn't do anything yesterday pretty much all day.

Today is a new day. We have our last swim lesson...until the next session starts next week. Zachariah has come so far. He's doing amazingly well. I anticipate they will move him up to the next level. And he really wants to continue lessons, so next week we'll just keep going to the Y twice every week.

So, on to the business at hand. I am using random.org to determine a winner for the CSN giveaway. Thank you all for entering.

Random.org just picked number 18. That is Melissa. Hi Melissa! Congrats! You'll be receiving an e-mail from me with your gift code and instructions on redeeming it. Enjoy!

Because I love you all!

It's time for a giveaway! I've been doing reviews for CSN Stores for a while now, but I want to share the fun with you. They have such a variety of products on their websites. With over 200 online stores CSN Stores has everything you need from a chic leather briefcase, fitness equipment or cookware.

You are all so nice. I love the friendship and support I get on my blog. So because I love you all, and I know you all probably like to shop as much as I do...I'm hosting a giveaway here. Not on my review blog where I get tons and tons of entries. Oh no, this is just for you faithful Mommy Daisy readers. I appreciate you and I want to pass it along.

So watch for a post very soon to see how you can win a Gift Card from CSN Stores!

Here

I still want to write here, in my little space on the internet. Why do I find it so tough to put the words and thoughts in my head down into this tiny space in front of me?

Part of my problem that is there is so much to say that I know I can't possibly say it all at once. Do you know what I mean? I'm sure you've felt like that before too. I need to accept that I can't say it all. This blog is just a small peek into my life. I know there are parts that you, my readers, are missing out on. But the truth is, that's just the way it's going to be no matter what I do.

So, let me just give you a brief overview of what's going on in my life.
*Christmas was fun, busy, but fun. I enjoyed the family time.
*I am no longer babysitting my nephew.
*I enrolled Zachariah in swim lessons again.
*Swim lessons get me to the Y, so I'm actually getting some exercise again.
*I am overwhelmed by even the thought of sorting toys in my son's room.
*We were spoiled for Christmas.
*I've enjoyed more time with my nephews (especially the one I wasn't babysitting- we saw him a lot over the holidays).
*I'm working out our new daily schedules since I'm not babysitting.
*I'm trying to get my house in good, organized shape and a cleaning schedule.

That's what you have to look forward to. And more. I'm hoping to post on this blog twice a week. That's my new year goal. And you can always catch me on Twitter or pester me in e-mail to make sure that I'm still posting.

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Yes, I totally put that photo in our Christmas cards this year. Ha! That's my little family, being goof balls as always. So why not just show us like we really are.

I am taking a break from blogging, tweeting, and other such for a few days. I want to relax and enjoy Christmas with my family. So I wanted to take the time to tell you all Merry Christmas!

I hope that you enjoy the holidays with your family, and you'll probably see me around next week. 




*I apologize for my absence lately. There is so much I want to tell you, but so much I hesitate to say here. I will come back around soon, I'm sure.*

The End

OK, ya'll. I was going to answer your questions on the last day. But you all have some great ones. I think most of them will take a little longer to get a thorough answer. Especially since I don't have my laptop, it's getting late, and I'm tired. So, I promise to get to ALL of the questions from the last comment section.

So for tonight, here are some of the easy ones. :D

From Shelly-
Q1: What do you do when you can't sleep?
A1: I tend to stay up if I think I'm going to have a hard time falling asleep. I'd rather get really tired while I'm finishing up laundry at midnight than go to bed at 10:00 and not be able to fall right to sleep. That said, there are times (though not many) that I get up in the middle of the night and can't sleep. If I lay there for more than 15-20 minutes and can't fall back asleep, I get out of bed. I work on the computer, read blogs, crochet, read, watch TV, or a combination of several of those things. I keep busy for a while until I'm tired again and then head back to bed.

Q2: What are your favorite comfort foods?
A1: Uh, I'm overweight (obese in fact), you could say I got that problem from having a lot of comfort foods. It's true. Mashed potatoes are a big time comfort food for me. Beyond that it tends to be sweets, desserts, or chocolate (pretty much of any kind).

From Annonymous-
Q1: Are you having another baby soon?
A1: Define soon. Also, Sarah sort of asked me about the same things. I will answer them, but I can't do it quickly. I would love to have another baby right now. But it does take 40 weeks to get one cooking. And then there are other complications for us. So, no, I'm not having another baby soon, but I sure hope to. (I'll write more later. So many things to say, but not enough time right now.)

I hope those will suffice for now. I'll get to the others as soon as I can. And if you think of anything else you'd like to ask, go ahead. I need to keep up this blogging more often thing, even though NaBloPoMo is finished.

One More Day

Alternately titled: So Close.

So, here I am, one day away from blogging every day (almost) in November. No, they haven't been quality posts. But I'm here. And I've tried to be a better commenter.

Since you are all so wonderful, I want to answer some question for you. But first, you have to ask them!!

Anything that you've been dying to know about me? I'll answer pretty much anything. Really!

Wanna know what size shoe I wear? Or maybe what time I go to bed? Am I a side or stomach sleeper? What do I want to be when I grow up? How's that next kid thing going? How much fun is it to be an aunt?

Anything. Ask away. Please!!

Wordless Weekend- Sunday Flashback

Dog

Anyone want a 10 (almost 11) year old dog. He's a beautiful black and white cocker spaniel. But I have to warn you, he can be a bit of a brat.

OK, OK, so we probably really aren't going to get rid of the dog, but Matt & I might entertain an offer on him tonight.

We got home this afternoon from a few days away with our families. Generally we keep Chip (the dog in question here) in our fenced in back yard. But when he's at my parents' house he roams free, because they live in the country set back off the road. He's always stayed around the house anyway. Mostly he prefers being inside to outside.

When we got out of the car at home, we just open the door and let Chip out. He always heads straight for the house. Then he usually begs by his water dish until we fill it.  Tonight we left the front door propped open, because we had to haul in parts of twin beds that we brought from my parents' house (one for Zachariah...more on that later this week perhaps).

After bringing in most of the bed and the other things from the truck, I noticed I not longer saw Chip in the house. He usually stays nearby the window or doorway until we're done. Zachariah was playing quietly in his room and the rest of the house was quiet. We checked Chip's crate, where he sometimes waits for us, but he was not there nor anywhere else in the house. I took off outside, because he has wandered off the the neighbor's before when he escaped once. As soon as I got to the front of our yard, I saw movement in our neighbor's side yard...the neighbors across the street! I yelled, but he didn't come. Then I waited for 3 or 4 cars to go by on the road before running over there to grab him.

I called for him and ran towards him. That silly dog took one look at me and took off running the other way. By this point Matt had come outside from searching the house and saw I had seen Chip. He came running with me and Chip just kept running through the neighborhood.

Matt finally got him to stop and cornered him about 5 houses down. He picked him up and carried him about half-way, then I carried him the rest of the way. (I think the running around and carrying a 35 lb dog just about did him in since he's not feeling well.)

Grr, I can't believe him. I guess we'll keep a better eye on Chip or make him go to his crate when the door is open. I just couldn't believe he ran like that. Usually we can get him quickly if he gets out. But I thought for sure he was going to get hit by a car as traffic kept going by when I was chasing him. He tends to not pay attention to things like that, and he easily would have darted right in front of one.

So, for tonight only (ehh, maybe tomorrow too), if you make us a good offer, we might let you take our dog home.

Insert Title Here

This is my "oops" post. I did not make it to post yesterday. So I'm back dating this post. And yes, I'm fessing up and admitting it.

Matt got really sick Thanksgiving night. He was uncomfortable going to bed. His stomach was upset. A few days before he felt like he might be coming down with a cold or sinus infection, but this is not what was causing problems. A little after midnight, he was throwing up in the trashcan we fortunately moved beside him in bed. Then he was up miserable for a while. He got sick again later in the night too. And all day Friday was spent at my parents' house with Matt trying to be comfortable on a couch or chair somewhere. He finally slept most of the afternoon. He did not throw up any more, but he had a terrible headache, heartburn, and still a queasy tummy for a while.

Today was better. Matt slept well last night, and he was able to eat just a little today. Mostly he has a cough and some congestion bugging him now. He's still being cautious about what he's eating but his stomach is better. Thank goodness. I just hope it's the last that we've seen of it. Poor Matt.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving with your families. We did our usual holiday routine with lunch at my Grandma's and supper (less than 4 hours later) at Matt's aunts. Now we fed and full. I know I'm stuffed to the brim with turkey, ham, potatoes, and more.

May you find many things to be thankful for today!

Thanksgiving Eve

What are you all doing on Thanksgiving Eve? Cleaning your house? Packing your bags? Driving to the relatives? Cooking up a storm?

I'm catching up with laundry. I have a salad in the fridge. I'm thankful for wonderful family who shares such a lovely Thanksgiving meal with us.

I hope that you all have a lovely Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Review blog

Have you guys been by my review blog in a while? I have some super cool giveaways going on right now. There is the $75 CSNstores.com gift card, a Barney Learning Pack 6 DVD set, 2 Families of the World DVDs- Kenya & Afghanistan, and one for 3 Melissa & Doug puzzles.

You could finish some of your Christmas shopping if you win. :D Plus I have another Pillow Pets giveaway coming up among other things.

And don't miss me on Facebook, Twitter, and my Facebook fan page too. Thanks! You guys rock!