Wordless Wednesday - 03/31/10

Taken 03/17/10

"Let Me In!"

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I've become quite the domestic goddess! lol

I've been trying to get some really healthy but delicious recipes and I came along this one.  I made myself and my kids (yesterday morning) Strawberry Shortcakes for breakfast. :)  This was less than 200 calories and perfect for a breakfast for me.  Very delicious!!  I wish I could have had more than just one! (But that's how I got into the weight problem I have now!) I definitely have to get that recipe posted up.

I didn't post yesterday because of our HUGE dillemma... My 2 year old decided it would be fun to stuff baby wipes down the toilet.  Oh, she didn't just stuff some...she stuffed about 10 and THEN flushed.  I hear her go, "Uh oh Mama" and ran into the kitchen where I was cleaning up.  I walk into the bathroom and see the toilet completely overflowing. (Great mom I am, eh?)  We eventually got the water shut off and my mom used the shop vac we had to get the water up, but we still had the problem of getting the stupid clog OUT of the toilet.  I think we tried everything.  

Needless to say, I had to get to Lowes at about 8pm where the guy (who can't speak english) tells me to unbolt the toilet, move it and remove the clog out of the main pipe... Yes, hold on. Let me, a woman, unbolt the toilet.  With no help from Lowes, I went to Home Depot.  The employee there was very helpful.  He sold me a plumbers auger and said that would definitely get out the baby wipes.

Now, we had no toilet for almost 10 hours because we couldn't remove the stupid clog.  The bathroom downstairs got flooded as well because the water went through the stupid vent down to there.  (Thank God my mom just lives there and no one was downstairs!)  I got home with the auger and thankfully, that removed the baby wipes within 15 minutes.  What an ordeal... Definitely the terrible 2's. 

Today was a lot easier.  lol  No bathroom problems, no major dillemmas.  I did have a $50 Macy's gift card I was given for my birthday and today was a good sale.  So I went to Macy's to see what I could spend. :)  I got two shirts and one Mac lip gloss for the $50 and am pretty happy with what I got.  The only problem is, Macy's is so expensive.  I really had a hard time only spending the $50.  (Not to mention leaving the mall only going there... I'm a shop-a-holic...lol)  

I also got some great products to test and giveaway within the next few weeks.  We have another conair giveaway, princess and the frog giveaway, Soda Stream giveaway, Wowwee toy giveaway, A gift card giveaway and a few baby item giveaways!  Wow...!!  I'm grateful to all the companies who sent products to test. Keep posted or join our mailing list or Facebok fan page to keep updated on when those are posted!! 

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Post-It Note Tuesday

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Low Calorie Pizza Bake - Nutrisystem Friendly

1/3 cup Bisquick Heart Smart

2 Tbsp Egg beaters

1 Tbsp Water

1/8 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 cup Diced Green Pepper

1/4 cup Chopped Onion

1/2 cup cut up Cooked Chicken Breast

1/2 cup Canned Diced Tomatoes

1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/4 cup Shredded Reduced Fat Mozz cheese

(Optional: Oregano and Basil)

- Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray the pan. (preferably a medium sized loaf pan)  Stir in bisquick mix, egg beaters, water and garlic powder.  Spread it in the bottom of the pan.

 - Sautee pepper and onion in a pan stirring until the onion is slightly brown.  Stir in chicken, tomatoes and the rest of the seasoning.  Keep in pan until hot.  Pour over the batter in the pan and sprinkle with mozz cheese.

- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.  Loosen from the side of the pan while still hot!!

Makes 2 servings.  1 serving = 180 calories, 50 cals from fat.

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Monday Mingle - 03/29/10

My freaking PhotoBooth on my Mac cut off the ending of my video.  It was only about a minute left, but it frustrated me. :( Basically, my entire house needs organization. LOL  Enjoy!!

 

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Get To Know Me Sunday

Get To Know Me Sunday by Mannland5

1. Why did you start blogging? I started blogging in 1999 because it was the thing to do online.  I was a member of so many 'teen' message boards and everyone was blogging and using their own domains.  My first domain was cybergrrl.net and my mom registered and purchased it for me.  I've been blogging ever since.  Except with a short haitus when I was in college from 2003-2004.  Though my blogs have really changed meaning over the years.  While I used to blog because it was cool, now I blog because I feel that if any of my mistakes or tips change someone's life...it was a huge accomplishment for me.

2. Who is the one blog friend that you would want to meet most in "real life"? Actually, I don't have any blog friends.  I really would love to make some! If anyone wants to get to know me on a personal level, feel free to e-mail me!

3. Why are you always concerned with losing that "extra 10 pounds" when chances are your husband/boyfriend/friends tell you that you look just fine the way you are? #1.  I know that I need to lose weight.  I know that if I don't lose the weight, I wont be healthy for my kids.  My worst fear was getting closer...only within 50lbs away.  I knew I had to change my life, even though people told me I looked beautiful.  I am on that road to changing my life now. :)

4. What's the one thing you wish guys could understand about you? Whenever I meet a guy who might like me, I try to be myself without mentioning my kids at first.  Unfortunately, whenever you bring up that you have kids, that man bolts for the nearest door.  It discourages me because I don't know how I am ever supposed to find anyone... I feel like no one wants someone with kids.  No matter how good of a person they are or how great their heart is... I wish guys could understand that I am a good person with a loving heart.  I have a great personality and I deserve to be happy... I wish that someone somewhere will understand that someday.

5. Tattoos. How many do you have and how many are visible when you wear your "everyday" clothes? I don't have any, but I would love to have one someday! :)

6. What was the best year of your life and why? 2004.  I was with my ex- fiance, I was independent and living away at college.  I had independence, freedom and for the first time, I felt like I fit in somewhere.  My ex fiance made me feel like I was something special (at that time) and I felt invincible.  It was a great year and one that I will never forget.  As much as it hurts when I think about my ex-fiance and as much anger as it brings me, it was still the best year of my life.

7. Name three things you would do if you were a man for one day. I have no idea! lol

8.What's your alcoholic drink of choice that usually raises a few eyebrows? Nothing, really.  I don't drink too often, but when I go out somewhere it's either a beer, long island iced tea, a tropical-ish drink or a margarita. :)

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Sometimes I feel like it's never enough...

I love my mom, I really do.  Even though as I was growing up as a teenager my mom and I had terrible arguments that neither of us won.  I may have, on many occasions, said those three words that come out of EVERY teenager's mouth at least once in their lives, "I hate you."  Of course, she never took it seriously, but it's part of a teenage battle with your mom, right?  

I owe my life to my mom.  She adopted me when I was a month old and I owe everything to her for giving me a better life.  Even so, sometimes I get so frustrated with her.  I feel like whatever I do is never enough.  I try so hard and feel it goes unrewarded.  Sometimes I long to hear, "You did good" or "Thank you, Kristin..." from her... It happens occasionally, but it's not something I hear often.

My mom has known that since my kids were born I have been battling on/off depression.  Sometimes it causes me to be completely overwhelmed and sometimes I have great days where it never bothers me.  Yes, I have seeked help from a counselor, but felt it was useless to my situation.  My mom knows all of this, and yet she still knows what buttons to press to drive me absolutely insane.  I know that she does sometimes do it purpously, even though she really isn't a bad person.

For the past week I have been trying to take cleaning and organizing little by little.  I have been accomplishing a lot, but because the kids need me, I can't do it all at once.  I also get very overwhelmed and frustrated when I am trying to clean something and it starts to look worse than look like I am accomplishing everything.  Yesterday, when Olivia was at her dad's, however, I really accomplished a lot.  I put my mind to cleaning and organizing the living room and it acually looked great.  I promised myself I would clean their room today and organize their clothes.

This morning comes and I have terrible cramps.  I couldn't even move when I woke up this morning.  I took a Midol and tried to start organizing the kids' room.  I did tackle the closet and I organized a lot of the clothes into garage sale and save for next year boxes too.  However, the floor is still a mess because I had to put boxes of other things temporarily in the middle of the room.  My mom sees this and starts to get mad at me.  Even after I explained to her that my cramps were so bad I could barely stand, and I asked her to help me watch the kids while I lay down for an hour, she starts yelling at me and telling me that cramps are no excuse to be lazy.  She doesn't understand the severity of my cramps.

As a teenager I used to have to miss two days of school each month because of my cramps.  They were so terrible I'd nearly throw up, get terrible headaches and not be able to move with the cramps.  It was like that until I had Alayna.

After Alayna was born, I had no cramps or problems at all.  The doctors reasoning is that my uterus was tipped and that's the reason I was having so much pain.  Because something was abnormal.  After she was born, it corrected itself and the cramps were gone.  I actually had no problems, no nausea, just some headaches and my PMS anger! lol 

When Olivia was born and my cycle started again, the cramps got even worse than when I was in high school.  My doctor said that after every pregnancy cycles are a lot different.  It could be because the second pregnancy tipped my uterus again or it could be another reason.  The pain isn't as bad as it was right after Olivia was born, but it's still very painful.  I still can hardly more or walk for the first two days because of the severe pain.  My mom knows this and uses it against me when she gets frustrated.  Those two days are the only days I ever ask her for help.  She just doesn't seem to appreciate all I do for her.  I buy her groceries, I keep my place clean, I ask her for help only when I need it, and when she does babysit, I am forever grateful and do give her something for it.  

Sometimes I feel like Im worth more than the way she treats me, and I wish she understood better.

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Get To Know Me Saturday

(Even though I'm posting this on Sunday morning!) I like to post things like this every so often so new and current followers can see more of the person behind the blog. :)

Saturday 9 

1. Outside of your romantic life, do you currently have a best friend? I don't even have a romantic life right now! LOL Yes, I do have a best friend.  Actually, I have 3.  Lauren has been my longest best friend and she is more like a sister to me.  I believe she may know me better than I know myself. :)  She is also my hero... I love her to death and always will.

2. Regarding your future, what is the best thing you could hope for? The best thing I can hope for, is that I will someday find someone who loves me and my children.  I do want to get married and I know it will happen.  It's just a matter of finding that person who is great for me and great for my children.

3. Have you ever helped out a friend with basic needs, like rent or food? If yes. what did you do? I have lent money to friends before for food and for things they may not have been able to afford when we were together.  Mostly in NYC when they needed a few bucks.  I'm a very giving person and if a friend really needs something and I have it, I will always help out!

4. If they re-instituted the draft (for both genders and your were of age) would you go, or would find some way out of it? I would not. No.  It frightens me and gives me serious anxiety just thinking about it!

5. Tell us one thing you wish you hadn't let yourself do.  There are a lot of things I wish I hadn't let myself do.  I have learned that there is no use in regretting anything of the past.  If you regret things that happened, and you dwell on them, it will really encase your mind and you'll waste plenty of valuable time.  Just look forward and learn from the past.

6. Tell us about the last time you bragged.  I don't even remember the last time I bragged... I don't do it often.

7. What area are you wisest in? Art, music, photography and blogging. :)

8. Tell us about something that happened that at the time made you "full of yourself". I'm not sure I have ever been full of myself.  I don't believe that I have ever been that confident in myself. For me, confidence comes very rarely.  When it does come, I feel completely great, but would never feel like I was "full of myself"!!

9. Has there ever been a time that you wanted to try something in the bedroom, but were afraid to ask?  I don't believe so!

 That's My Answer

Do you like staples?  The store or the item?  I'm guessing you DONT mean the store since it's not capitalized! LOL  Although, I do love both.  I love the store and the staples in the stapler.

Do you decorate your home for Easter?  Somewhat.  Occasionally we may have pastel colored lights outside or bunnies on the windows.  Inside we have *some* bunny decor...

How much of your actual everyday life do you blog about?  99% of it.  I leave out some details, but mostly I blog everything.  (I also try to curb my language in blogs!)

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Today was supposed to be a cleaning day.  Olivia had gone to her dad's this morning so it was just me, Alayna and mom.  We had such great plans to clean and rearrange the girl's room, the living room, organize all the toys and put in boxes the toys that we think would be best to sell at a garage sale... That was until I saw there were garage sales. lol  

I absolutely LOVE garage sale season because you really find some great stuff that you can either put aside or use.  (That's where I had gotten a lot of the Christmas presents I gave this past year!)  So, I took a ride to Staten Island to go to a few sales!  I found one that was very worthwhile and two that looked just like a bunch of junk.  

I ended up snagging 15 shirts that are great for summer, a beautiful antique jewelry chest for my room and a Hamilton Beach indoor/outdoor tabletop grill for just $8.  (My mom was so excited when I brought that home! LOL)  I really can't wait until there are more great garage sales so my mom and I can have our garage sale saturdays together. :)  

Now I'm home, Alayna is completely hyper, my mom is completely punchy and exhausted, I think we're all gonna take a little nap and then clean. lol  And to think...this was supposed to be a cleaning day...LOL

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Five Question Friday

Don't forget the Friday Follow Giveaway we're running! Winner will be drawn on Sunday at NOON!

1. Did you pass your driver's test on the first try?  No way!  I actually felt very confident going to the DMV on the day of my test.  I really did think I was going to pass!  Unfortunately, where I took the test, the "stop signs" were so short that I could barely see some of them over the hood of the car. (And I was driving a Chrystler Plymouth...not a big car at all!)  It happened that I did EVERYTHING ELSE PERFECTLY, my parallel parking, my K-Turning, everything... But I had rolled a little past a faux short stop sign when I didn't see it until it was too late.  That's why I failed my test.  My mom and I did complain, however.  I remember hearing that you had to have 3 errors in order to fail and I only had one... But they said that was a huge error because it could kill someone in an intersection.  Justified... It still made me cry for days when I was 16! lol  I did pass the second time.  I think it was because my uncle (who is a RC priest) drove me in his blacks with his collar. LOL I think it put the fear of God in the tester.

2. What is your most embarrassing moment? Oh my God. Being myself, I have quite a few.  Most include being in elementary school and being embarrassed by bullies who either put a "kick me" sign on my back, (I'm serious...you DON'T only see that in movies...) or bullies who tied my shoe to the chair, (this really happened too) or just being verbally abused by bullies in the cafeteria -- so much so that I ended up skipping lunch for the rest of the year (in high school) and sat in the library. Even if I was hungry.  My entire school life until college was a huge embarrassment. 

3. What TV show would you like to be on- Oprah, Biggest Loser, or What Not to Wear? I would love to be on What Not to Wear! LOL  I don't know why.  I just would love to see what they would say about my wardrobe and style.  If I were a celebrity, I'd want to be on Oprah.  Hell, if you're on Oprah, you've made it big!  Or maybe I'd want to be on her show being surprised by Hanson... (Hey, yes, I'm a Hanson fan, don't make fun of me!)  

4. Would you ever get plastic surgery and what kind? Yes.  I would get lipo and a tummy tuck.  Actually, I know for a fact that I'm going to need lipo and a tummy tuck after I lose all of the weight I want to lose.  I've had two kids... I doubt my skin has ANY elasticity. LOL  I'd also want a breast augmentation. 

5. What are your favorite jeans to wear?  I actually don't own them anymore, sadly.  I had gotten them from Delias in 2000  They were flares that had butterflies and glitter on one leg.  The back also had butterflies on them. I remember them SO vividly because I wore those things into the ground.  I wore those things for 4 years because they were my favorite jeans.  I actually had one small coffee stain on the thigh because I could never get it out, but wore those things anyway.  You can't find them anymore and I have no idea what happened to them.  My mom probably threw them out because the bottoms were so frayed from dragging on the ground! 

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Apparently, preschool is just daycare.

IMPORTANT NOTE 7:06pm EST 03/26/10 - We are going to be uploading a new template momentarily... I apologize if the site looks odd for a few minutes.  I'm actually holding my breath and praying I don't lose all of my sidebar data...if I do, I'll lose my mind. Layout change successful!

For Friday Followers, don't forget about our FRIDAY FOLLOWERS giveaway! Click here!

My daughter was born on October 5th, 2005.  She is a very smart little girl who can already count to 50, can write and spell her name and shocks me with all of the useless facts that she knows and retains. She can even count to 10 in Spanish and retains the spanish and sign language words that the Goodnight Show on Sprout teaches her.

At age 3, she was so bored at home and asked me to go to school, that I enrolled her in Gymboree Pre-School skills where she did learn a lot.  However, she got bored halfway through the year and even her teacher told me that she had to be in a more challenging school.

Unfortunately for us, the New Jersey State cut off date for Pre-School is October 1st; she misses it by just 4 days.  After getting her tested, finding out that she is on a 1st grader's level and fighting with/sending the results of those tests to the local board of education, we found out that there was absolutely no way she could have gotten into pre-school for the 2009/2010 school year. 

We tried to send her to Tutor Time, which is a preschool-esque class, but it ended up that wasn't challenging enough for her.  Her teacher there told me that she was too advanced and was getting bored very easily with the work they were doing.  Instead of wasting the $400 a month, I ended up taking her out of there and keeping her home for the rest of this year.  We got workbooks and did work by ourselves, I taught her a little more so she wouldn't be totally bored and she was learning more, but wanted to go to school so badly with her friends.

Now, we hear that New Jersey govorner, Chris Christie, is looking to cut state wide pre-school programs because he considers them "babysitting".  His exact quote was; “the government should babysit children?  It’s simply wrong.” He doesn't see the programs essential to children as a precursor to kindergarten.  Gorvorner Christie sees them as unnecessary and a waste of money, even though New Jersey public schools are among the best in the nation.  I talk to mom's around town who have kids in pre-school and they tell me that the pre-school program is amazing.  The kids actually learn a lot more than I did when I was in pre-school... Early childhood education has come a LONG way since the 80's.  

Govorner Christie is also wanting to make full day kindergarten classes into half day to cut government spending.  That is completely wrong to our children.  Just imagine the less they'll learn with just half day classes?  What will they accomplish in one year?  It will be so much less than what other children not in New Jersey would learn.  What good is that?!  

This is very frustrating to me since the fact that my daughter will be almost 6 years old before she even goes into school.  It's a disgrace since she is so smart and wants to go to school so badly so she can learn more than she already knows.  Not only my daughter, but if this goes through, it will effect about 9,500 children all throughout the many districts effected.  It's just plain wrong.

(if the below petition widget doesn't work, you can sign the petition to save NJ education programs by clicking HERE!)

Start a Petition »

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Welcome, Friday Follow!! (Giveaway for new followers!)

Hey to all of the new and prospective followers and readers!  I am very excited that it is time for another Friday Follow!  Friday Follow is great in that I have met so many great bloggers and have seen so many great blogs that I wouldn't have found otherwise.  I have a lot of fun on Fridays. ;)

BEFORE I START - New followers (and commenters today) will have the opportunity to win a great prize!! We're going to be doing our first Friday Follow Giveaway.  The winner of the giveaway will receive the new L'Oreal Color Riche lipstick in any color of their choosing. :)  So anyone who follows us today, leave a comment and you'll be automatically entered!  CURRENT FOLLOWERS ARE ELIGIBLE TOO!!  Just leave us a comment! 

My name is Kristin, as you've probably read on my sidebar!  I'm a single mom of two little girls who are my life! Besides being a mom, which is my primary job, I am a freelance artist as well. I attended art school majoring in 2D Fine Arts and minoring in Photography.  I absolutely love any forms of art and self expression rather it being fine art, digital art, webdesign, writing and so on!  

I'm going to insert the Friday 5 questions so you can get a better view of who I am. :)


Questions courtesy of That's My Answer


Ice Cream or Chocolate cake?  I know everyone says that chocolate is a girl's best friend, but honestly I love ice cream cake.  I'm not one to really have a sweet tooth, but when I do dive into a cake, it better be Carvel ice cream cake!! Everything about it is just DELISH!


Questions courtesy of Friday5.org


How many hours’ sleep do you need in order to be at your best, and what’s the minimum you can get on a regular basis and still be functional?  When I was in high school, I used to be able to go an entire day on only 2-3 hours sleep.  Those were great days!  Now, however, is completely different.  I need about 8 hours to really be at my best.  I can function on 4 or 5, but I'm cranky and just not pleasant to be around. lol

What’s your favorite sleeping position? I usually sleep on my left side.  I really just sleep how I am comfortable at that time.

What was the cause of your most recent difficulty sleeping? Probably just pure insomnia.  Actually, sometimes I get so hooked on reading blogs, I don't even realize how late it's getting!

Questions courtesy of The Friday Five

What job would you never want to have to do? I would never want to be a garbage man.  Of course, they make great money... but I just couldn't stand doing that job, personally.

How many kids do you have and what are their ages? If you don't have kids, do you think you want any down the road? If so, how many? I have two girls, Alayna who is 4.5 and Olivia who is 2.  I want two more kids.  Preferably one girl and one boy. :)  Maybe twins!

Do you have a "blankie" or a favorite stuffed animal? What is it/what does it look like? I have a favorite stuffed rabbit that I was actually going to write about this weekend!  My stuffed rabbit's name is Bunny Bunny.  I got her for my first Easter in 1985.  One of my great aunt's got it for me.  Since then, I've been so emotionally attached to her.  She used to go everywhere with me. (Including college and in the hospital when I had my kids)

What is your favorite flower?   I actually don't have one.  I think they're all beautful!  
 

I'll leave you with my Monday Mingle questions, which I just recorded yesterday! LOL.  If you want to know more about me, in my sidebar you can find a link!  Good luck on the giveaway!

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SAVINGS: My second Target haul!!

Staten Island is 5 minutes over the bridge from me, but Target in Staten Island is approximately 25 minutes away.  Unfortunately, I have to take the expressway to get there, so I don't do it often.  I used to go to the Target closer to me until yesterday's escapade.  I ended up going on the expressway to the other Target today and had a MUCH more pleasant experience.  I was not harrassed or degraded because of my coupon usage.  The young cashier actually was very kind and asked me how I save so much with coupons.  A lot nicer than yesterday!  I've found that people in Staten Island are always much more friendly.

(Two different views of my exceptional haul today! I was very proud.)

Clever Kids Fruit Snacks ($1.88)

- $1.50 off 1 Vocal Point coupon = $0.38

(2) Connect 4 Games ($14.00)

- $4.00 off Connect 4 coupon

- $3.00 off Hasboro Game coupon = FREE

(10) Sobe LifeWater ($10.00)

- (4) BOGO Sobe Coupons

- (4) 0.50 off Sobe Coupons  = FREE

(6) Physicians Formula Mineral Makeup ($18)

- (6) $4 off one full size product

- (1) BOGO Physicians Formula = FREE ($10 overage)

Tide To Go Mini ($0.75)

- $0.75 off one Tide To Go = FREE 

(2) Dial Nutriskin Hand Soap  ($2.50)

- (2) $1 off one Nutriskin = $0.50 

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar ($0.99) 

- $1 off one heinz vinegar = FREE 

Tomato Seeds In A Bag ($1.00)

OOP: $2.99

Also got a $5 gift card for the Sobe offer. :)

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Review: L'Oreal Ever Pure Hair Products

I am absolutely in love.

I don't even know how many different types of shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, frizz gel and leave in creme I have tried over the past five years.  Countless numbers! It's actually asinine depressing how many I have tried!  I've spent hundreds of dollars on products, hoping my frizzy and curly natural hair would tame down as to be managable.  That has never happened.  

At this point, I'd try absolutely ANYTHING!!

I had the chance to try L'Oreal EverPure recently and have been using it for a week.  Today is the first time I didn't blow it out and let it dry naturally... I have to say that I do see such a difference. It's a huge difference from what I had previously and I really couldn't believe what I saw when I looked in the mirror.  

The sulfate free formula is amazing.  It doesn't dry out your hair and doesn't fade the color.  In fact, I've found that it really cleanses your hair of toxins so your color will be boosted and really shine!!  I've noticed that my hair has been lighter since using this.  I never realized what regular shampoo and conditioner was doing to my hair with the harsh chemicals that dried out my hair instead of moisturizing it and faded my color to a dull lifeless color.   

My regimine has been: Shampoo, Conditioner, Moisturizing Masque (brushing that through good), Leave in conditioner and Frizz Gel. :)  All of those products combined have helped my hair and made a great difference in JUST A WEEK!!  This stuff is absolutely amazing.  I can't believe it.

I will definitely be using this regimine for as long as I possibly can.  This stuff is (literally) a miracle worker!!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated at all for this post.  I simply had coupons for the free L'Oreal Ever Pure products and tried them out.  Review was absolutely optional, but since I loved this product, I jumped to the opportunity to review this and shout my praises!

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SAVINGS: My Target trip!

Despite my Target frustration (as seen in my post below) I had a great day with my coupons and getting a great deal.  Above in the photo is all I got and I actually got it all for free.  This is what I got and the coupons I used:

10 Sobe Lifewaters ($10)

- (4) BOGO Sobe Coupons

- (4) $0.50 off 1 Sobe 

= $5

4 Campbells Condensed Soup ($3)

- (2) $1 off 2 Soups

= $1

3 Physicians Formula Mineral Powder ($9)

- (3) $4 off one full size

- (1) BOGO from their site

= FREE!! ($6 Overage)

1 Connect Four ($7)

- $4 off one Connect Four

- $3 off any Hasboro Game

= FREE!!

1 Vitamin Water ($1.19)

- FREE Vitamin Water Coupon

= FREE!! 

Spent OOP = $4.66 

*OOP stands for out of pocket.

I also got a $5 gift card back for the Sobe offer, I believe, so I actually spent nothing. :)  I love when I do great at the store and feel so good about myself for saving so much! We go through Vitamin Water and Sobe so often that it's just a great deal! :) 

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An open letter to Target Stores...

Dear Target,

I shop used to shop there all of the time, probably more than I should.  Your store is was my guilty pleasure.  The fact that our local store is become a Super Target with the fresh meat and fruit is a very great idea for our area since it will give other local supermarkets a run for their money!  However, I do have a complaint big complaint.  

Your employees of the Jersey City, NJ store definitely need to learn the coupon policy as well as becoming a little more knowledgeable about coupons themselves. (Especially the one casier, a few months ago, that didn't even know you could get coupons for Target...Really, now? And she's employed there?) Three different incidents within the past 2 months have really frustrated me.  Especially since my coupons and I shop shopped there all of the time. (We don't go anywhere without each other.) I have had many great experiences at Target but unfortunately, the three extremely bad experiences I have had have probably ruined it for me.

The first experience I had in late January, the cashier refused to use any of my coupons because she was almost off her shift and scanning the coupons would cut into when she left. (Oh, I'm 100% serious about this.  I wish I was kidding! I can't believe how selfish people can be.)  I complained to the manager on duty and was told, "Well, I don't blame her. She has been here since 9 a.m."  Although, she also did say that while she understood, she should have taken my coupons anyway rather than my going to customer service to get the money back.

Second experience, I was purchasing Kashi Cereal, Kashi Snack Bars and Juicy Juice.  I had target coupons as well as manufacturer coupons and was told by the cashier that they couldn't use two coupons on one item.  I explained to them that you can use one target coupon and one manufacturer coupon without a problem on an item, but the cashier was still very rude and told me I didn't know what I was talking about.  (Which I found very insulting.)  She eventually pushed my coupons through once I threatened to get a manager to come assist.  Though she was mumbling under her breath about how I'm "cheating" Target.

Then today...Oh today...the other two experiences could have been forgotten if it wasn't for today.  I wasted an hour and a half of my day standing at the cashier's counter arguing with the cashier and manager as well as holding up customers who did not deserve to be aggravated.  

First, I wanted to notify Target itself (since my local store didn't give a damn) that the Physicians Formula mineral powder makeup that is on sale for $3 is NOT ringing up as $3 at the counter.  It is coming up regular price.  This is where I encountered my FIRST issue. 

I had notified the cashier, upon scanning the items, that they were $3.  I had taken a picture of the sale sign when I found they weren't pricing right on the self scanner, so I showed the photo to the cashier.  He told me he couldn't accept the picture as proof because he had to hear it from a manager.  Ok, understandable.  I waited patiently for someone to find out.  I got this very nice male manager who told the cashier that they were, in fact, $3.  He fixed the price until a female manager came over and said, (AND I QUOTE) "There is no damn way in hell that the makeup is $3.  That's expensive make up and must be an advertising mistake!"  - Professional language, btw! -  She then proceeded to FORBID the cashier from using the sale price for me.  I kept arguing and was called a bitch by the female manager because of the fact that I wouldn't "give up".  To make a very long (and 35 minute) story short, eventually the male manager came over to tell the cashier to just give it to me for $3 already since the line was getting held up. 

Next, I was chastised grately by the cashier for wanting to use my coupons when I took the coupons out of my purse. (How dare I use a coupon!)  He told me that I was essentially "stealing" from Target because I'm getting all of my items for practically nothing.  I explained to the cashier that it was not stealing since I was paying some money and giving him the coupons.  I also told him that Target will be reimbursed for the value of the coupons.  He then went on to make another excuse and said that if he scanned all of my coupons he would be fired.  Again, I know that is a huge lie.  I told him that I have worked in retail and have never heard anyone get fired because of scanning too many coupons. He then started to have an attitude with me and told me that it wasn't fair since I would end up paying a lot less than what I bought.  This entire argument took ALMOST AN HOUR.  It was a long drawn out argument that involved the two managers and my cashier.  The male manager was the ONLY one who showed some normalcy and kindness.  The female manager called me a bitch, yet again.  She also told me that customers who disrespect their "uppers" were not welcome in the store.  After that comment, I told her that I would no longer be shopping at that Target store because of the attitude and disrespect shown to their customers.

I am not going to stand there and take blatant disrespect, cussing and degridation from ANYONE who thinks they're better than me.  What ever happened to "The customer is always right?"  I guess that is no longer correct in some stores.

Honestly, I love Target and would love to continue shopping there, but those three experiences (especially the last) really ruined me.  I am very upset and very angry that ANYONE can treat another person that way. 

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I want my good kids back!

My 2 year old has definitely hit the terrible 2's and my 4 year old still isn't out of them.  I have no idea what happened to my two little angels and if anyone finds them, bring them back!!

Since they woke up they have been terrorizing each other and the house.  I think I have cleaned up the living room, my room and their room 5 times each.  Every time they ate, food was everywhere.  I made the mistake, for lunch, for letting my 4 year old eat noodles and butter in the living room on her table.  She wanted to watch "her shows".  I get in there and find them ALL over the floor.  Apparently, as she said, her and her imaginary friend had a food fight.  Olivia sat nicely in the kitchen and ate.  

That's the last time I'm letting Alayna eat in the living room.  I don't care how much she begs or cries.

I found my kids fighting over a Barbie in the living room after that.  They were throwing toys at each other.  I took that Barbie away and no one got it.  I'm not afraid to confiscate things when my kids aren't doing what they should be doing.  I know that my mom made the mistake of threatening and never following through...that's why I never learned my lesson and always kept pushing the limits of my mom. 

I heard this quote once and I believe it's true - "If your kids hate you, you're doing something right."  My kids hate my guts right now, and they're very bothered that I'm not letting it bother me. lol

Tomorrow I will have to apologize to my neighbors for my kids' screaming match tonight at dinner.  It wasn't just a screaming match, it was a bloodcurdling screaming match.  Why?  They felt like it.  Olivia started screaming and thought it was hilarious, so Alayna followed.  I'm sure they heard my kids screaming on top of their lungs and I'm surprised no one complained yet.  At least their food stayed on their plates and they finally stopped the screaming when I threatened more toys disappearing.

Hopefully, I'll have my good kids back by tomorrow.  I can only pray.

I really wanted to post the Monday Mingle tonight, since I didn't get to post it last night.  I doubt that will happen.  Maybe I can get it up by tomorrow. LOL  

Don't forget about the BARBIE giveaway that's ending tomorrow.  (Link on the right sidebar)

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I was a pumpkin bread virgin...

I'm doing a lot of cooking lately!  That's because I'm usually so out of the box, pop it in the microwave, voila! dinner... LOL  I've wanted to make Pumpkin bread since fall, but I never had the nerve or willpower.  I'm on a diet starting today, so all I could do was taste a small piece once it was done, but I made it for my family. (Who are eating healthy as well, but not limiting calories.)  Alayna helped me with cracking the eggs.  She's excellent at that!  I really held my breath once I mixed all the ingredients and put it into the oven... I was so afraid that I'd put it on too long and burn it.  I also wasn't sure how much oil to put in the bread itself because of the fact that... I need measuring spoons. LOL  I did a "food network" trick and "eyeballed" it.  Apparently my secret measuring trick worked!  The house smelled so delicious of pumpkin bread, even though it's Spring. (Hey, I love the smell of pumpkin.  I put pumpkin candles on all year long!)  It looked so great once it was done!

I'll have to post the recipe for the pumpkin bread later.  I am so exhausted and typing out a recipe is just exhausting. LOL  Look for that coming up!  

I'm not sure what happened to my good children.  They were here yesterday and now they've turned into little devils.  At dinner tonight, Olivia threw a spoonful of potatoes at her sister across the table.  She then spilled the iced tea ALL over the floor deliberately.  Now the two of them are trying to fight over one Barbie (when we have millions) in the living room.  They won't go to sleep AT ALL.  This is going to be a late night. I can tell.

Who does everyone want to win on Dancing With The Stars?  I LOVE Neicy Nash.  I've always loved her from Clean House.  :)  She's gorgeous, extremely proud of her curves and bigger build, and has the best self confidence I have ever seen.  She carries herself beautifully and I really hope she gets far in the competition! :) 

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Does a day go by when I don't have to pay a bill?

I'm starting to wonder!  It doesn't help that because of (almost) having to move, we have been so disorganized and our bills really haven't been paid until the due date or until the grace period... We'll get back into the swing of things once we get everything organized again.  It just feels like every day I'm paying a bill.  (Even though it's more like weekly.)  

I wake up this morning to find DirecTV disconnected. I know, I know, it's pretty bad that my kids have a nervous breakdown when Sprout, Disney and Nickelodeon aren't available to watch, but the weather has been terrible.  They have been watching a lot of TV.  Thank God that's resolved and paid now, but I just got so frustrated and felt so irresponsible when that happened. 

Verizon finally sent me my phone replacement, I got it this morning.  It works a lot better than my old phone and I can finally access the internet, however I had a tiff with the Fed Ex man. 

First of all, our doorbell doesn't work.  It was disconnected a long time ago when there was a short in the wiring.  We now leave notes on the door for Fed Ex, UPS etc... To tell them they have permission to leave the package in the front door.  We ALWAYS sign our name to the notice that we leave. 

At around 10 AM I hear banging on my front door.  I don't mean knocking, I mean banging on the damn door.  I knew it was Fed Ex because I saw the truck outside, but I was washing dishes and getting food on for dinner.  6 minutes later this guy is stilll BANGING on the door.  At this point, Olivia wakes up and is petrified from the banging on the door.  I go downstairs and find the most rude Fed Ex man I have ever encountered.

The first thing he says is, "I hate people who pretend they aren't home when we come to the door."  Um, ok...very professional.  At this point I'm looking at him clueless.  He then asks me my name, I tell him and he asks me, "Are you old enough to accept this package?"  First of all, It's from Verizon.  It's my freaking cell phone.  I tell him that I'm 25 and ask for my package because I had to go.  Then he starts telling me that I look like I'm 14 years old and he can't give me the package... He asks if my "mommy" is home.  I want to choke the guy.  I told him off with some not nice words and asked him for my package because my kids were upstairs and I was cooking.  Then he starts running me down for being a teen mother.  I AM 25 FREAKING YEARS OLD. GIVE ME MY PACKAGE!!  OMG.  I wanted to smack him.  

He gives me my package and has me sign and tells me, "I was just about to take it back to Fed Ex when you didn't answer."  I told him that we have the sign on the door and he said he couldn't leave it because I didn't sign my name to it.  Um...I did.  It's right on the bottom.  He then tells me maybe my "mommy" can teach me how to properly write a note for Fed Ex on the door.  Now that i had my package, I politely told him that I would be contacting Fed Ex about him and closed the door on him. And I did call Fed Ex right when I got upstairs.  They were able to find out who delivered the package to my house and said they will take care of it.  I hope they do.  If he ever comes to my house again, I will complain.  

I hate people who think they have authority over other people.  Nothing gives him the right to talk to me like that.  If he's having a bad day, don't take it out on me.  My God.

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Recipe: Peanut Butter Filled Bon-Bons (Quick and easy!)

Since we are starting to eat healthy tomorrow and changing everyone's eating habits in the house, I decided to use the last of the chocolate chips and peanut butter I had in the house and make peanut butter filled bon-bons.  This recipe is very quick and easy, it takes about 45 minutes to make and to be ready to eat!

Makes approx 20-30 bon-bons depending on how big you make them.

 

Ingredients:

• Powdered Sugar
•  Peanut butter
•  5 tbsp Stick Unsalted Butter
•  Baking chocolate disks

 

1. Microwave 5 tbsp softened unsalted butter in a microwave safe bowl.  

 

2. Add in the 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar and 2 cups of softened peanut butter and mix well.  Make sure there are no bits of powdered sugar left in the mix. 

 

 

 

NOTE: The consistency of this will be a little softer than dough, but should not be runny and unpliable.  Sometimes it does get unpliable and that is either because you may have used a little too much butter or the butter was melted and not softened when you microwave it.  If that happens, add a little more powdered sugar and mix.

3. When the peanut butter mixture is of desired consistency, spoon the mixture and make a 1 inch ball.  Place on wax paper on a plate.  Do this until the mixture is used up.

 

 

4.  Refrigerate this mixture for approximately 15-20 minutes.  

5.  After 15-20 minutes, microwave 1 bag of baking chocolate disks for approximately 45 seconds.  After 45 seconds, stir... If chocolate isn't melted, microwave at 10 second incriments, stirring after each time until chocolate is melted.

 

 

6.  Take peanut butter mixture out of the refrigerator and dip into chocolate.  You can use a fork or a thin fondue stick to dip.  Let excess chocolate drip off before placing ball onto the wax paper.

 

 

7.  Once all the mixture is covered in chocolate, put back in refrigerator for approximately 10-15 minutes.  (Until chocolate is hardened)

This is one of the easiest recipes I have made and my kids go crazy over the recipe. :)  It's delicious!! (But pretty rich!)  Enjoy!!

 

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Spring is finally here!

And it actually feels like it.  I really hope the weather doesn't revert back to the terrible cold weather that we had previously. :)  I love my kids dearly, but my kids being in the house ALL of the time starts to drive us all nuts.  I'm sure anyone with kids would agree!  Fresh air is good for them and actually makes them tired so they will go to bed on time.  Maybe I won't have two little insomniacs anymore.

Yesterday was a beautiful day.  The temperature was around 73 all day and actually got up to 75 at one point.  I had gone to NYC yesterday with a friend of mine to celebrate my birthday.  Unfortunately, the day didn't exactly turn out the way we wanted it to when her phone fell in the toilet of a coffee shop near where we parked.  We're both crackberry addicts, so I found her a Verizon store so she could get her phone replaced.  Two hours wasted in the Verizon store, where in they gave her a new phone for a $50 deductable, but took way too long to get everything going.  We wasted half our day there.  Although, while we waited for the phone to be set, we did walk across the street to Bryant Park to just hang out, sit in the sunny warm weather and just wait somewhere other than the dreary Verizon store!

I absolutely love Dave and Busters, so we had gone there to eat.  Unfortunately, we had no time after eating very unhealthy food to play anything, but we did get a great deal on food and the card refills. :)  I also had this really interesting drink.  I think it was called a Dave Wave?  I don't remember what was in it.  (It was alcoholic, though. lol)

Today, Alayna and Olivia had their friend's birthday party to go to at Chuck E Cheese.  They love the games and the food there, but they don't like Chuck E himself.  Actually, all the kids cowered and started to cry when Chuck E came out.  I'm sure the hostesses are used to that reaction, but it's still a little humorous. :)  They had fun regardless!

T

The kids had a great time and the weather was great today!  Unfortunately, when we all got home the kids fell asleep. (And just woke up, joy!)  So they couldn't go outside when their friends rang the bell.  I hope the weather continues to stay warm!

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