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.