Picuture of Rufus

Some people had asked for a picture of Rufus, so I went out and took one tonight. Here is the little guy. He is really a sweet puppy but he is a puppy. I went outside tonight and he had caught a turtle and was eating it. Poor Poor Turtle. Let Rufus out of my sight for a few minutes and he goes to hunting. Brookster told him that was gross and the turtle never did any thing to him. She then asked if she was as bad as Rufus as a baby. I told her she never ate a turtle. She turned around and said I thought so. I will keep you posted on the antics of Rufus. I am so afraid that there are going to be so many more LOL.

VGNO- Winners, Games, Giveaway's

It is Friday!!! This has been a busy week. Wednesday a stray puppy came to the door. He looks like a full lab but I am not sure. Brookster of course feel deeply in love at first sight. I explained that he could belong to someone and they could be looking for him. We live way out in the country so not to many to ask. I called the neighbors no one had lost a puppy. So, for now we have adopted the dog and named him Rufus. An owner could still show up but unlikely at this point. I forgot how much trouble a puppy could get into.

He has eaten a bag of dirt, tore up one of Brookters ball's, took my potted plant out of the pot and started chewing on the pot. So as you can imagine I am ready for a drink. Tonight I have chosen to have a Frozen Margarita.

Ingredients

2 tsp coarse salt

1 lime wedge'

3 oz blue tequila

1 oz triple sec

2 oz lime juice

1 cup crushed ice

Directions

Place salt in a saucer, rub brim of glass with lime wedge and dip in salt. Mix the tequila, triple sec, lime juice and crushed ice in a blender until mixed. Pour into the glass and enjoy.

What is a party with out a game. Ann has a game

"Modern Barbie"

Use the chart to find which Barbie you are. Use the letter of your first name.

A - D = Sunscreen Barbie

E - H = Lactose Intolerate Barbie

I - L = Migraine Barbie

M - P = Blogger Barbie

Q - T = Mini Van Barbie

U - Z = Bi-Polar Barbie

I am Migraine Barbie. Which is a good name since the dog is giving me a migraine until he is trained. LOL.

Winner

Last week I was giving away a cookbook and the winner is Lizze at Infectious Chatter. Congratulations I have sent you an e-mail.

I have another contest that I would love for you all to enter. I only have 3 entries. Please Please enter.:) I am giving away the second season of 8 Simple Rules in Dating My Teenage Daughter. I loved this show and watching it again brought back a lot of memories of college days. Please go here to enter. I would appreciate it very much. I hope everyone is having a great day and will have a great rest of the weekend. Go on over to Ann's and join the party.

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter Review/Giveaway

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter Season 2 released on May 19th

Season One of 8 Simple Rules has John Ritter and Katy Segal in a comedy that centers around raising 3 teenagers. In the 2nd season John Ritter stars in the first 3 episodes, since sadly he passed away during the taping of the 2nd season.

Of course with this new development, 8 Simple Rules had a little change in direction:

It’s a time for healing and learning to deal with life without family patriarch Paul (the late John Ritter), as the Hennessys discover the frailties of life and the strength of the family unit. Widowed mom Cate (Katey Sagal), now finds herself in the precarious position of raising three teenagers on her own. She does get a little relief from her father, Jim (James Garner), who’s been staying at the house since Paul’s death. But the family is thrown for a loop when Cate’s wayward nephew, C.J. (David Spade), moves in and finds it hard to resist getting himself into trouble or offering questionable advice to the kids.

After a two part episode of a touching tribute to “Paul” (John Ritter), 8 Simple Rules picks right back up with the funny business (in a respectful and appropriate way).

We loved 8 Simple Rules in my house, so when we got the chance to review it we jumped at the chance.

Would you like to win a box set of 3 DVDS of season 2 of 8 Simple Rules just leave me a comment of a show that you loved to watch that is no longer on the air.

Open to U.S. addresses only. Please leave your email address so I will know how to contact you. The contest will be running until June 2nd.

Extra Entries:
1. Follow my blog and leave a comment that you are following

2. Twitter this give away and leave a comment with the link.

3. Blog about this give away and leave a comment with the link.

Thanks for your interest in this give away.

Meal Plan Monday

I have been reading so many posts about Meal Plan Monday, that I have decided to join in this week. I am trying to be more prepared where meals go so they will be healthy and save money. So here goes my first attempt at having a meal plan for the week. I will let you know how it goes next Monday.

Monday- Grilled Hamburgers and Hot dogs

Tuesday- Spaghetti and garlic bread

Wednesday- Meatloaf, potato's and vegetables

Thursday- Homemade Fish and Fries

Friday- Eat out

Saturday- Homemade Pizza

Sunday- Dinner at Mimi's

Head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie to see more Meal Plan Monday's. It is a great place to find new recipes.

Wish me luck on sticking to this schedule, but I think it is going to be a really good tool for me.



Thanks for taking the time to visit.

Outdoor play is important for kids

Brookster would live outside if I let her. When Momfluence gave us the chance to review outdoor toys we jumped at the chance. We got to review the Supersoaker. Brookster turned it into a watering gun by watering the outside flowers with it, she put water in the cats bowl and chased away bugs with it. I think this was the great because she used her imagination. I have noticed with some of friends that they do not that great of imagination. I have also noticed that those few friends do not like to play outside. They would rather be inside playing video games then be outside. I am not a psychologist so I can not say for sure that their is a correlation between imagination and outside play but I think it plays a part for Brookster.

According to Familyfun.go "statistics show that children ages 3 to 12 spend just 1 1/2 percent of their free time (about 30 minutes each week) in unstructured outdoor play." That seems like such a low number considering that research has shown that outside play leads to a number of health benefits both physical and mental. Kids learn to build forts, swing, slide down slides, climb. I will never forget the first time that Brookster was able to climb to the top of the slide by herself. She smiled the biggest smile that I have ever seen and thought she had climbed the tallest mountain. Ex cerise is important for kids and they get plenty of it by playing outside. If you are wondering what kinds of toys are good for your child to play outside with you can check out Time to Play Magazine. They review products and give opinions about them. It is a great site to find out different opinions about toys.

If you child has been playing outside and you would like for them to play more here are a few ideas from Family Fun:

Go Slowly- Alene Archer of the National Wildlife Federation's education department recommends that kids get one "green hour" -- unstructured play in a green outdoor space -- each day. But, she says, "you can start smaller, with even ten or fifteen minutes a day." Try scheduling some of that time after school and before homework, says Kuo; it just might help your child work more productively.

Try a monthly nature excursion-Periodically expand the boundaries of family outings by exploring areas "where you're surrounded 360 degrees by nature," says Lizette Castano, executive director of the Children's Nature Institute (childrensnatureinstitute.org). "Find a place that's exciting, where there are things to see -- an autumn forest, a pond filled with aquatic insects," says Joseph Cornell, author of the "Sharing Nature With Children" books and founder of the Sharing Nature Foundation (sharingnature.com). Consider combining nature watching with other activities, such as canoeing, cross-country skiing, or camping. If proximity to nature is a concern, don't worry. Richard Louv suggests beginning with "nearby nature -- a clump of trees at the end of a cul-de-sac, a ravine behind your house, or even your backyard, if you leave a part of it unmanicured."

Cultivate Curiosity -Kids are more likely to get excited about nature "when they're captivated by a sense of mystery," says Cornell. Fortunately, the natural world is full of mysteries that parents and kids can try to unravel together: Where did that seedpod come from? Whose tracks are those? "Ask open-ended questions so kids can start wondering," says Castano. That sense of wonder in nature that you kindle today can benefit your child for years to come.

Appeal to the senses- Help your kids focus on all the sensory experiences they can have with nature," suggests Castano. "Ask them to smell the plants, stick their hands in the soil to see how it feels." Try playing a game that Cornell calls Still Hunting: Find a spot and stay very still as nature returns to its normal routine all around you. What do you hear? A chipmunk tunneling through leaves? What do you see? Grass waving in the breeze? "Nature is always inspiring," says Cornell, "and it's only our restless minds that keep us from being joyfully aware of this."

It is never to late for kids to play outside. Maybe you have kids like mine that you have to make come in. I have learned by doing research for this article that playing outside is really good for kids and maybe I should let her play outside more than I do. Even though she does play out at least 1 to 2 hours a day all total. I did enjoy finding out that one of my parenting skills is right on the money by letting her play outside. Now my other parenting skills will have to be talked about in another post because no one is perfect and I have a lot of flaws. Parenting is a lot about learning and moving forward. Most importantly parenting is about loving our kids. Sometimes things get so busy for us that I forget something very important and need to be reminded. Enjoy the time I have with Brookster because she will not be little long and there will come a time that she does not want to play with me. (mommy crying now) Now go have some fun with your kids.

VGNO-Party with a Cookbook giveaway

Is is finally Friday. This has been a busy week, with the last of school activities and all. I am ready to sit back in my nice comfy p.j's and have a drink with my friends for VGNO. Cant have a party with the drink and I have a great one tonight. It is getting warm here in Tennessee so this nice cool drink is just I needed tonight. A party needs a drink, a question and a give away to make it lots of fun and tonight I have all three. Go on over to Ann's to check out some more fun tonight. Mr. Linky is down but that is not going to spoil our party. When you go over to visit leave your link to your post in the comments, and Ann will place them in the post.

Drink

Creamsicle Dream

You will need:

1 1/2 ounce Rum, Coconut

Orange Juice, enough to fill glass

1 scoop of Vanilla ice cream

Type of Glass needed:

Highball glass

Mixing instructions:

There are two different ways to mix this drink.

1. Add the Rum and Orange Juice to the glass and add the scoop of ice cream like a float.

2. Mix all ingredients in a blender then add to the glass.

I like the first way because you get some the ice cream that has not melted.

Now that we have a great drink to get the party started off to the question for the night:

Question:

What are you doing for Memorial Day?

We are staying home this weekend to enjoy some family time. DH has been working so much lately due to the storms we have been having here so the time with the family will be great. I think we are going to buy a new grill. Ours is so old I am scared to use it any longer. We love to grill out so I know we will be buying a new one soon.

The drinks have been made, we have talked about our Holiday plans. I thought tonight a great way to add to the party tonight would be with a give a way. What is a party without food. Where can you get some great new recipes for the party you ask. Why a new cookbook of course.

Giveaway

The Good Home Cookbook has over a 1,000 recipes that have been tested in kitchens across America. One of the recipes I would like to share with you tonight for the party comes right out of this cookbook p. 206. It is really good and I know you will like it for the party tonight.

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 ( 1 pound) pork tenderloins
6 slices bacon
2 tablespoons oil

How to make

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Combine the garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano in a small bowl. Rub the seasoning all over the tenderloins. Wrap each tenderloin in 3 slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks. Brush with oil and place in a shallow roasting pan.

3. Roast for about 1 hour, until the bacon is crisp and the meat registers 150 degrees to 155 degrees F.

4. Cover with a tent of aluminum foil and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.

This recipe sound good. I am giving away a copy of the Good Home Cookbook.

This one is easy to enter just leave a comment. See I told you it was going to be easy.

I know some people like the extra entries.

1. Tweet about the giveaway and VGNO and leave the link in the comments. ( 1 entry)
2. Blog about the giveaway and leave a link. ( 5 Entries leave a separate comment for each entry)

Please leave your email address, if it is not in your profile, so I can get in touch with the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org on March 28th at 12:00 midnight central time. The winner will be notified on March 29th and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Head on over to Ann's she has a great popcorn give away on her blog and continue the great VGNO tonight. Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and be safe.

So easy a kid can do it- Purex 3-in 1 Review

Ever tried to get an eight year old to do laundry with liquid detergent. If you have then you know you can have a suds fest or no suds at all. The liquid soap can be all over the floor, the washer, the eight year old. Now some of you may have the perfect child that know exactly how to measure the detergent. If you do congratulations and tell me how you did it. Brookster loves to help but putting soap in the washing machine does not really work very well, until now.

Purex has created a new way of doing laundry. The Purex Complete 3-in 1 system. It is one sheet that serves as detergent while in the washer and then you place the same sheet in the dryer and it is a softener and anti-static sheet. This product was so easy to use Brookster washed a load of clothes. (I video taped it and was going to do my first vlog but she got upset about it being on the web so we are not using it.)

I asked her what she liked about it and she said that it was easy "you just throw it in but the scent made her sneeze" The sheets come in 3 fresh scents Spring Oasis, Tropical Escape and Pure and Clean. We had the Pure and Clean scent. Brookster did not like the smell but she has a lot of allergies so it bothered her allergies. If they ever make it in unscented we are getting it for sure.

Awards Day

Today was awards day at Brooksters school. She was so excited because the teacher had told her she was getting an award. She asked me over and over again for 3 day. " Are you going, Are you going" and each time she asked I gave her the same answer. YES. I asked why she kept asking and she said she " Did not want me to forget about it" I asked her how many times I had ever forgot something that was important to her. She said " never but there is always the first time for everything and I don't want this to be the first time. "

I have to give her credit she was covering all bases. She also told her Mimi to help remind me. Her Mimi takes her to school every morning. They kept up this tradition even after I stopped working because they both do not things to change so she kept going over to her Mimi's every morning for breakfast and to be taken to school. It was fine with me since we live right next door and all she had to do was walk across the yard. This morning after she took Brookster to school she called the house and asked if I was up. I told her I had been up since Brookster came over. Well, Brookster wanted to be sure I did not go back to sleep.

Well enough with my compulsive daughter and on to the awards. She got 5 awards today. The first one for was achieving excellence in academics. Only 20 children in the whole 2nd grade got this award. :). She got in the 50 point club in the accelerated reading program. Handwriting award, Good Conduct award, and Citizenship award that was signed by the State Representative.

I am very proud of her and I love her more than anything in the world. I love how hard she works for things and achieves her goals that she sits for herself. She acts so much older than she really is. I am so glad that I have stopped working and is going to be spending time with her this summer. I hate that I have missed so much time with her, but I will be making up for lost time this summer.

Thanks for letting me brag about my little girl.

Time Management

I used to be the best at being organized and time management but since I have stopped worked it seems like I am not good at either one. I have not learned how to organize my day since I am at home all day. When I worked time was pretty much managed for me. I went to work at the same time, came home, got dinner done, homework, bath, spend time with Brookster and bed. Now though, time seems to get away from me. I know it is something that I have to get used to, but it frustrating when I used to be so good at it.



Tonight it was Brownies. I got Brookster's bath early so when we got home we did not have to do that. I was reading some e-mails and when I looked up at the clock I had 10 minutes to get her to Brownies and she was doing the special flag ceremony tonight. I called the leader to explain that we were running a little late but we were coming. She was super nice and said it was fine. Brookster however was not has nice and understanding. According to her I have ruined her life and she is going to be sooooooooooooo in trouble for being late. Now keep in mind I have already talked to the leader and worked it out with her. I however understand Brookster because I used to never be late to anything.



I have bought a daily calender and I am going to try to schedule things that need to be done. A friend of mine suggested that. When I worked I lived by the calender so maybe that is what is missing.



Tomorrow is the last day of school, so Brookster and I both will have to get on a summer schedule. I will keep you posted on how I am coming with this time management thing. Thanks for letting me vent a little bit it has made me feel better. Do you all have any advice on how to juggle it all?

VGNO- Sweet

It is already Friday and it is time for some Virtual GNO. It is going to be a busy weekend in our household this weekend so I thought I would post a little early tonight and get to do some surfing later on tonight when we get back home. If the weather holds out we are going to a baseball game tonight. Brookster is so excited but it looks like rain again. It has rained so much in Tennessee this Spring we might need to build a boat.

Tomorrow is also the Strawberry Festival in our town and it is a big deal in small town USA. Brookster gets to ride a float in the Parade this year and is on cloud nine. It is suppose to rain so please pray for it to hold off while the parade is going on. The kids will be so disappointed if it was to rain. I will post pictures next week. So in honor of the Strawberry Festival I thought the drink for tonight should be Frozen Strawberry Kiwi-Tini

Ingredients

2 cups ginger ale

1/2 cup vodka

1 tub Crystal light Strawberry Kiwi Flavor Drink Mix

2 1/2 cups crushed ice

6 each kiwi and strawberry slices

How to make it

Place ginger ale, vodka and mix in blender container: cover. Blend until drink mix is completely dissolved.

Add ice; cover. Blend on high speed until smooth. Pour into 6 martini glasses. Garnish each with a kiwi and strawberry slice.

After drinks we need a party game and the game Ann has chosen for tonight is:

Sweet as Candy

If you were to have a candy bar named after you what would it be called? Just for fun follow the guide below to create your candy bars name. Ex.If your first name starts with an 'A' and your last name starts with an 'H' your candy bar would be called "Sweet Confection". Try it out.

Your First Name

A - C = Sweet

D - F = Honey

G - I = Lucious

J - L = Sugar

M - O = Precious

P - R = Savory

S - U = Delightful

V - Z = Heavenly

Your Last Name

A - C = BonBon

D - F = Tart

G - I = Confection

J - L = Chunk

M - O = Honey

P - R = Blossom

S - U = Bits

V - Z = Buns

My candy bar would be named Sugar Confection. What is your candy bar's name? I hope everyone has a great VGNO.

Dora the Explorer Super Babies Dream Adventure Review

Dora is taking on naptime in the all new DVD Dora the Explorer Super Babies Dream Adventure

The DVD includes 4 interactive episodes, "Super Babies Dream Adventure", "Dora Helps the Birthday Wizzle","Pirate Treasure Hunt" and "Benny's Treasure". Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment.

Program Description

In the feature episode, "Super Babies' Dream Adventure" Dora has a special naptime story! Once upon a time, the Super Babies were getting ready for their nap but the Dream Fairy never showed up because she was still asleep! With your help, the Super Babies try to wake the dream
Fairy so she can deliver all the happy naptime dreams.


When Brookster was little she loved anything that had to do with Dora. I always liked it as a parent because it is a fun way for the kids to learn. Brookster learned quite a bit of Spanish from watching Dora. I never really knew how much until she started telling me what a word was in Spanish. She was learning a second language and did not even really know she was learning. That is the best kind of learning.

The DVD is going to be released on May 2, 2009. It has a retail value of $16.99. If you would like to buy a DVD of Super Babies' Dream Adventure you may click here, here or here.

Thanks to Erica for the opportunity to review this DVD. We still love Dora in our house.

Lowes Build and Grow Program

This past Saturday I decided to take Brookster to the Lowes Build and Grow Program. It is a free program for kids where they learn to build things. They have different programs a couple of times a month. This past Saturday the kids got to build a planter for Mothers Day. The next clinic is May 23rd. The project is a Ready 2 Go Kit. According the website the project is about safety. On June 13th the kids can build a mini putting green for Daddy. Brookster can not wait for this one, since she plays golf all of the time. She says she may give it to her Coach. So, much for Fathers Day. Oh Well.

The clinics start at 10:00 and last about an hour. Each child that participates receives an apron, goggles, a kit and a badge that can be sewn on the apron. It is important to register so the store will have enough kits for each child. The store that we were at Saturday ran out of kits and had to turn kids away. It was so sad because some of the kids left crying. I highly recommend this if you have a Lowe's close to you.

On to Brooksters day:

She had never really built anything so she was very excited. Here she is waiting to start. She did not want to wear the goggles because they made her "ugly and did not go with her outfit" Oh boy! I explained the safety reasons for it an she kept them on but was protesting about them most of the time.

She did not like the goggles. She said they made her look ugly and did not go with her outfit. Don't really know what to say to that one. I had to explain the safety reasons behind them but she still was really buying it. She wore them because she could not do the project with out them but it was under protest. She did get into the project finally and forgot out them.

Here she is working on the project. They have instructions with the kit but the one thing that I did not like about it was they really did not help the kids very much. They expected the parents to read the directions and help the kids. Did they not know that not all Moms know how to build things. I was having a really hard time reading the instructions with the diagrams but I finally got them figured out and we got it finished. The only thing we did wrong was we got the sides on backwards so the flowers did not show up correctly. Brookster said that was fine because we did it ourselves. For this project they gave each child a gift card to add to the project to give to the mother's. They lady that was helping was so nice she took Brookster off to the side to give her the card because Brookster told her I could not see it yet. That was so sweet. The following pictures are the finished project. I have to say I think this will be a new Saturday activity on the days that they are offering it. I have already signed up for the next two kits.

Finished project:

Quantum Life Settlements

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A life settlement allows the owner of unwanted life insurance to sell their policy to a third party for a one-time cash payment. Based in Baltimore, Quantum Life Settlements is a Registered Investment Advisory firm with more than 17 years experience providing comprehensive and innovative financial solutions for affluent individuals, corporations, seniors, and their families.


Quantum Life Settlements are currently offering a complimentary appraisal of policy holders life insurance coverage to determine if they are eligible for a life settlement. For more information and to see if you qualify for a life settlement, log on to: http://assets.sinuatemedia.com/2009/05/quantum/



If Quantum Life Settlements sounds like something you would be interested in checking out, visit HERE to take the free online qualifier quiz. Also, you can visit their site to read testimonials from others that have decided that Quantum Life Settlements was the right choice for them

My Mothers Day

I had the greatest Mother's Day yesterday. I hope all of you did as well. It started with breakfast in bed. A bowl of Apple Jacks. Brookster is so sweet. Then I got my presents. I just love presents especially when they are from Brookster.

First, I received my drawing. It says I heart you down both sides. She loves to draw. This one is going to be framed. I always pick one drawing that I love a little more than the others and frame it. She loves it that her pictures get framed like famous artists. Then she gave me a string of hearts. She stated that there were 8 hearts because she was 8 and it they stood for 8 reasons she loved me. ( cry starting here). She told me the eight reasons were

1. I always took care of her

2. I cooked for her

3. I hugged her when she felt sad

4. I magically made hurts go away

5. I leave her special notes in her lunch. ( I always write a note in her lunch box. Sometimes I just say I love you or sometimes if I know she is going to take a test or something I will tell her good luck. Did not know they meant so much to her until yesterday.)

6. I take her places

7. I play Wii with her

8. I am her Mommy.

Now, I would have been very happy with these presents but she brought out a bag, that had a little bag in it. The little bag held the following
Thanks to Mimi, she knows just how to top off my Mother's Day. Then we went to Logan's to eat lunch and I just enjoyed being with Brookster. I told her that I was lucky to have her as a little girl and without her there would not be a Mother's Day for me.

Happy Mother's Day

I just wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day. I was surprised with breakfast in bed. I had Apple Jack's. I will let you know of all the other fun things Brookster did for me this weekend tonight.

Small Talk Six

5/9 -6 ways that you are like or unlike your mother



1. I put Brookster first in everything just like my mom did me. ( not sure yet if that is a good thing or not)

2. Both me and my mom love strawberries.

3. My mother and I both love to cook.

4. My mother did not work after I came home from the hospital, I worked until a month ago.

5. My mother did not ever go anywhere without me, I do go places without Brookster.

6. My mother lived for my dad which is what her generation did. I am glad that I have learned to have a life outside of my husband. Now I just have to learn how to do that with Brookster, but hey she is only 8 and I have time on that one.

VGNO Glad the Storm is over

I am so glad that it is Friday. It has been a very busy week. It has rained so much that I think that I need to build a boat. I went to pick up Brookster at school today and I was sitting in the car when a teacher came out to say that we were in a tornado warning. This meant that I could not get Brookster until it was over. When I went in side I have a whole new appreciation for the teachers. There were so many kids crying because they were scared of the storms. All of the kids were sitting outside in the halls and the teachers were trying to calm them all down. The principal was so calming that she even calmed me down. The students were not allowed to leave at the normal dismissal time because of the storm so that was very upsetting to some of the kids. The teachers were doing a very good job in calming down the kids. Once we finally got to leave I found out that a tornado passed right over the school but luckily did not touch down any where. I am so thankful to God for keeping all of those kids safe.


I hope that everyone has a great Virtual Girls Night Out. Go visit over at Ann's to see what everyone else is doing tonight.

What to do with expired coupons?? Send to the Armed Forces

It is the beginning of a new month and I was cleaning out my coupons. I hated to throw them all away so I went looking for something that could be done with them. I found that we can send them overseas to the Armed Forces. The families overseas can use them on base for up to six months past the manufactures expiration date. The website GrocerySavingTips.com has an updated list of the addresses of the bases overseas that accepts the expired coupons.

They ask that the coupons be divided into months that they expire so they will know which ones they need to give out first and give divide them into Food and Non Food categories. I think this is a great way to help the families of our troops. I hated throwing away coupons that had expired and now we don't have to.

Another note they can only accept manufacture coupons, no Internet or in store coupons.

Free Family Film Festival

I have been looking for some fun things for Brookster and I to do this summer and I have come across a Free Family Movie. Regal cinemas is offering a free G and PG movie at their theaters on Tuesday's and Wednesday's at 10:00 am. The movie is free. Please follow this link to find a theater near you and a list of movies that they will be showing at your theater. All you have to do is put in your State and the list will come up. I hope you enjoy a good movie this summer.

Brookster can cook!!!!!

Today we had a first in our house. Brookster cooked Brownies. Now, Brookster has cooked some before but today she read the instructions on the box and did it all herself. All I did was put the Brownies in the oven and get them out. She was so proud of herself. Here she is reading the box. She read it out loud. I asked why she was reading it out loud and she stated that she needed to hear the instructions because she was used to me reading them to her.


She was so serious when she was was stirring. She could not wait to let her Mimi taste them. I do not like chocolate. I know everyone thinks that is crazy but I have never liked it. I have tired to like it but it just does not taste good to me. Brookster however could live on chocolate alone.

Brookster did so good she even cleaned up her own mess, which I thought was very good. Since she did so good today, she gets to pick out a meal this weekend and cook the meal for us. She has chosen mini taco's. She is going to look at the recipe, look at what ingredients she needs, check to see if we have it. If we don't have something she is going to put it on the list. She is so excited that she is going to cook the meal from beginning to end. I will let you know how the meal turns out this weekend. Here is how the brownies turned out.

I think it is very important to have her cook for many reasons. One of course,so she knows how to cook for a family that she is going to have one day. Another reason is the confidence that it gives her. You could just on her face how proud she was that she made the brownies with very very little help from me. Another is the time that we get to spend together. I knew that I was missing out on things working the hours that I was working but really did not know just how much I was missing until I stopped. I am enjoying my time with her so much. She has two weeks of school left and I am so excited about summer this year. I get to see everything first hand instead of having to hear it from Brookster and Mimi. Got to go plan all the fun summer things now.

Speak Now For Kids

Health care reform in this country is inevitable. It has been alluded to by government for decades, and the current administration is moving quickly to bring about change.






Speak Now For Kids in Health Reform is a national campaign sponsored by the National Association of Children’s Hospitals (N.A.C.H.). N.A.C.H. is joined by national partners and supporting organizations from around the country who all care deeply about how children will be treated in health reform. Speak Now for Kids in Health Reform urges parents, family members, health care providers and other advocates to tell Congress why children matter in health reform – through stories, photos and videos. Be a champion for children and Speak Now.



The Speak Now for Kids Campaign provides you with an opportunity to lend your voice to the health care reform debate on behalf of children through multiple social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. Help spread the word about Speak Now for Kids and ensure that Congress hears from your friends, family and social networks from around the country who agree that children need a voice in health reform. We’ve provided you with all the tools you need – web buttons, sample tweets, a downloadable flyer and ready-to-print stickers. You can quickly become a champion for children’s health by following the Speak Now Advocate’s Guide.



The Facts:

• 8.8 Million childre in the U.S. do not have health insurance


• Insured children are more likely to receive preventativ care, and to be sick less often


• Many adult chronic conditions have their origins in childhood


• Even with insurance, children currently receive only 41% of preventive care
  
  

What can w do as moms and bloggers? Join me in spreading the word.

Visit Speak Now For Kids:

1. 
   Learn about the campaign.


2. Speak to Congress about the importance of children's health care.


3. Share the message through your own blog, Facebook, Twitter and e-mail.

To learn more about the campaign and tweet with a representative from the National Association of Children’s Hospitals, join us this Wednesday, May 6th, from 9 to 10 p.m. eastern time on Twitter for a #SpeakNowforKids SiteWarming.



If you plan on joining me in taking action by posting about ths on your blog, please follow this link
to join the other mom blogger with Mr. Linky. Please do not miss this opportunity to speak up for the healthcare needs of our children, especially now that they are not old enough to speak for themselves.