Monday Miscellany - Injuries, Life and Back to School!

ONE.

I strained my Achilles tendon.  For the longest time I've had a lingering pain there but today it flamed up so badly.  My ankle is swollen and my ankle feels tight as well as extreme pain when I step on it.  I did some research and it says that it can just start to flare up from an injury up to 3 weeks ago.  I'm thinking I injured it when I fell over the curb and scraped up my knee two weeks ago.  The pain probably just started to get worse for some reason.  I haven't tripped or fell recently except for that.  It must be it.  I'm trying to rest as much as possible because it is my right leg and I do need to drive to get around since I am the only one who drives around here... I just hope it gets better soon.  Bad part: My mom just threw out our crutches last week. lol

TWO.

My daughter starts school very soon!  She's going to be in pre school and we're still waiting to get her uniforms.  I can't believe that public school needs uniforms.  Life was so much easier when I was in public school.  We didn't need uniforms and we could wear whatever we wanted. lol  The good thing is, we have all of her school supplies and her backpack already all done.  The uniform is the only thing we're waiting for till last minute because of money... I wish they would allow us to let them wear their own clothes.  If I wanted to spend tons of money and wanted her to wear a uniform, I'd send her to private school not public. *sigh*  Does any of your kids go to public school and wear a uniform?

THREE. 

I'm getting so tired of being alone and wanting to find someone to date and be with long term.  Sometimes I get like this but I feel like I'm getting older and I feel like maybe some of my depression is coming from the fact that besides my kids and my mom (whom I love, don't get me wrong) I'm lonely.  It's just hard to find someone when you have to be so selective and so picky because of my girls.  I have to find someone who likes me and my kids.  Eventually I will... I just needed to vent. :)

FOUR.

The heat is back! Today it was 101 degrees.  I thought the heat was over because we had a few 60/70 degree days.  I was getting excited that fall was starting to begin, but now they're saying we're going to have a bad Indian Summer...  I'm not liking the sound of that AT ALL.  I wish it was just cool so I don't have to worry about having no air conditioning in my car.  

 

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Getting To Know You by MannLand5... Sun 08/29/2010

1. If you accidently knick a car in a parking lot..Do you leave a note or do you get the heck out of there?  

I've actually never done this, but if I ever accidentally tapped or slightly hit a car in a parking lot and I saw that it didn't leave any mark, I would just get the heck out of there.  IMO, there is no need to leave a note unless their is damage and the person is nowhere to be found.  I have, however, accidentally opened my door too wide and it hit into the car next to me.  In that case, I don't say anything because I see people do it all the time.  I don't think there is etiquette for that!  Usually, it's because the dumbass next to you pulled in the spot too far to one side. :D

2. Love your body or plastic surgery?


If I had the money (or won the lottery) I would get lipo, tummy tuck, breast augmentation and implants.  Yes, I know... I am fairly happy with myself but those things are the only things I struggle with!!  (I don't have the money and probably won't ever win the lottery, so my body is safe!)

3. What about your favorite blog(s) continues to drive you back?


Content, design, the friendliness of the blogger.  Basically, if I like a blog the design should catch my eye and the content should be well written as well as diverse.  Sure I love to read about adorable kids doing adorable things, who doesn't? Hell, I post about my kids A LOT on my blog, but I feel that a good blog has a mix of personal and editorial content. :)

4. What percent of your blog is BS just to make your life seem more interesting than it really is?


Absolutely none of it.  Well, maybe the part about me being super woman, super mom and wearing my underwear on the outside of my tights... Yes folks, I am 100% human and am NOT infallible... *gasp!*

5. If you had to give up one type of meat for the rest of your life, what would it be?


Pork...hands down. 

6. How often to you eat out?


Once a week.  My friend and I, usually on Tuesday nights, go out to eat somewhere cheap.  We don't like to spend too much money on food.  I actually love to go out to eat.  When I eat home it's the same old stuff that we always have. lol I like diversity.

7. Skinny jeans or boot cut jeans?


Skinny cut.  They make my legs look longer.

8. If you caught your spouse cheating would you forgive, divorce, or plan your kill?


Plan my kill.  Ha!!  There is NO excuse for cheating.  I've forgiven a cheater before (my ex fiance) and it's really not worth it.  You just live in fear that they will do that again and that is absolutely NO way to live.  Especially if you love someone.  You need to trust them.

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COUPON!! Chilis, free chips and queso!!

Alayna and I are having a girl's day since Olivia is at her dad's house, but I HAD to bring you guys this great coupon!  We plan on using it tomorrow! :)  All you have to do is sign up for Chili's mailing list in which they send you AWESOME coupons and promotions. (We got a BOGO the other day in our e-mail from Chilis!) You'll get FREE CHIPS AND QUESO as soon as you sign up!  You'll be able to print off a coupon... AWESOME!!  CLICK HERE FOR THE COUPON!

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You'd be surprised to know...

THAT I USED TO BE SHY - (and still am around new people.)  I used to be terribly shy.  Hiding behind my mother shy, curling up into a proverbial ball whenever I had to talk to almost everyone.  Freezing up whenever I had to speak publicly or even out in class.

I USED TO LEAD A VERY HEALTHY LIFESTYLE - True!  Before I went away to college, I went on the Atkins diet and lost 80 pounds.  Even after I went to college and went off the diet, I went to the gym 5 days a week and ate healthy and vegetarian options at college.

I AM DEATHLY ALLERGIC TO BEE STINGS AND MOSQUITOS -  When I get stung by a bee I swell up and start to not be able to breathe.  As a child, it happened twice.  My allergist never gave me an eppi pen because she said that contact with bees doesn't happen to often.  Yeah. well, I'd rather be safe than sorry!  With mosquitos, I swell up in the area of the bite and it's alway too painful and red to the touch.  Alayna inherited my bee and mosquito allergies.

ALAYNA WAS AN 8LB 7OZ PREEMIE -  That's right.  I said preemie.  She was born at nearly 35 weeks because of my pre eclampsia and low fluid level.  Yes, my dates were 100% correct too.  She stayed in the hospital for over a month in the NICU because of feeding problems and digestive issues.  She was the biggest preemie there.  Her isolette neighbor was a 1lb 30 week preemie named Sophia.

IN 5TH GRADE I HAD A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN - It stemmed from verbal abuse (on me and another adopted student) from a teacher.  The breakdown was so bad.  I was put into counseling and my mom took me out of the school I was in. Unfortunately, my classmate didn't speak out about his verbal abuse until a year later.  No action was taken until then.  She was then suspended.

MY NATURAL HAIR COLOR IS ALMOST BLACK -  People actually find this shocking.  They tell me that I look natural as a blonde.  I think if I read between the lines, they're really saying I act like a blonde!! :D

I CAN SING - All my life I wanted to be a singer.  People tell me I have a great voice.  I had taken voice lessons for years and performed solos in High School many times.  Since kindergarten I have been in choirs and singing groups.  I just choose not to sing publicly anymore for many personal reasons.  A friend and I, in HS, had a singing group called necessity.  We performed at a few NJ schools.

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Life goes on even after a tough relationship...

Many people ask me about Alayna's dad.  I usually tell them that it's a complicated situation and it really is.  It's probably one of the most complicated stories and one of the hardest stories for me to even bring up.  Whenever I do, it breaks my heart and makes me wonder what I could have done differently to change the outcome.  I know things can't change, I know the past is the past, but I have never completely gotten over the entire situation.  Healing a heart takes time.  Trusting again takes even longer.  

In 2004 I met my biological family.  To make a long story short, my sisters and I along with my brother went bowling one night.  My brother brought along a friend.

Off to college I went that August in Philadelphia.  I got a call one night from my sister.  She told me that the friend and I had met while bowling with them liked me and wanted to ask me out.  Honestly, I had been shocked.  I thought this guy was very attractive that night when I was bowling and never thought he would like me.  I never thought anyone would like me!

I started talking to him and when our Art History class went on a field trip to New York, my friend Erin and I met him and my brother in New York City.  Of course, we did the stupidest thing we could possibly do at that point and told our teacher that since it was a Friday and since I lived 20 minutes from NYC, I would just go home for the weekend with Erin and we'd take the train back on Sunday.  She agreed.

We ended up spending time with my ex and my brother that weekend.  I really got to know him and he got to know me.  It turned out that we really liked each other and wanted to keep on getting to know each other better.  They ended up driving us back to Philadelphia.

So it started -- My ex would come to Philadelphia every weekend and spend it in Philadelphia or he would drive me back to New York and would spend time at my house.  I am grateful for this because I got to know my brother better as well.  Because they were best friends, my brother would come with my ex constantly.  I do owe getting to know my brother better because of my ex... That's the only credit I will give to him. (But I digress...)

He and I had formally met on September 4th, and by October 27th he told me he loved me.  Honestly, I did feel the same.  We both agreed it was love at first sight, and I believe it was.  Even to this day I believe it was.  

I was so much in love with him and had the most wonderful relationship.  I was so happy.  At that point, he was my everything and everything I wanted in a man.  We were inseparable and did absolutely everything together.  He won my friends over, my mom over, my family over. Everyone loved him.  Mr. Charmer.

By December, he informally proposed to me.  Naturally, I accepted.  He claimed he would buy me a ring when he made enough money to pay it off.  However, we had gone to look at rings many times.

My family loved him and his loved mine.  His younger sister and I got along very well and became best friends.  My sister called him my husband and called me his wife.  Everyone saw the relationship we had and the love we had for each other.   My mom even let him sleep at our house when I was home for the weekends and for most of Winter Break.  He had become my life.  It was everything I could have ever asked for.

I got pregnant with Alayna in February of 2005.  At first things weren't going so well at that point.  When I told him, he wrote me a check and told me I had to go have an abortion.  Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am 100% against abortion.  I would never do it and I told him that I wasn't going to do it.  It took him a few days, but he eventually warmed up to the idea and told me that he was very sorry for suggesting it.  He claimed he was just in shock and scared.  Things started going better again and he and I started to look for an apartment. We started making plans for the baby.

He acted like he cared and had me fooled.  He had everyone fooled.

After I found out I was pregnant, the school gave me the option of finishing the year or taking a family leave.  I figured since I was an art major, was around paint and charcoal fumes, it would be better to take a leave.  I also chose that so I wouldn't be apart from my ex.  We had a plan that I would go back to school when the baby was old enough.  That was decided when my school said they would hold my full scholarship for 5 years.  I believed every word.  I was hooked.

Fast forward -- I'm 6 months pregnant.  My pregnancy with Alayna wasn't easy.  I had bad morning sickness, migraines, I miscarried a twin, I had gestational diabetes, pre eclampsia and in many cases, I was on and off bedrest because of my blood pressure.  His caring slipped farther and farther away.  Like caring for me actually was too much of a chore.

One day, my birth mom called telling me my ex was cheating  on me.  She saw him on numerous occasions with another woman.  That tore my heart out. It hurt than worse than any physical injury.  The love of my life was a liar and a cheat.

When I confronted him, he turned defensive denying everything and ordered me to limit contact with my family and friends.  He said they were brain washing & controlling me.  He turned very verbally abusive and even more so than he had been before.

The truth was HE was brainwashing me for as long as we were dating.  I was just too blind to see and my best friend is the one who hit the nail on the head early on with telling me she had a bad feeling.  I should have believed her.  She knows me better than anyone else and I should have trusted her and what she said to me.  Instead, she and I argued. 

Because of his abuse, I made the hardest decision to let him go.  To try to get on by myself.  It is the first parental decision I ever made and did for my daughter. 

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Social Spark combines social networking AND paid blogging!

I feel terrible for not blogging lately!  Tomorrow I am going to start up again.  We've had a crazy week here.  

Olivia had to go to the pediatrician last week and the pediatrician wants her to see a speech therapist because of the way she talks.  There probably is no hearing problem there because she can hear perfectly fine.  The only problem is that she can't speak clearly.  There may be a problem with the way she hears words, but that will be determined when we go see the speech therapist.  I hope there is no long term problem.

My uncle also needs eye surgery.  So I've been busy with a lot lately.  

However I wanted to bring you this great website I've found.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Social Spark has become one of the most popular paid blogging sites that there is and probably one of the easiest! 

Signing up for SocialSpark is very easy.  All you do is visit their site, click on signing up as a blogger, fill in the required information and all that's left is verifying your blog!  Before you know it, you'll be able to accept offers for paid posts.  This is great for making some extra money! (The amount will depend on your page rank, stats and how many offers you get!)

I have to say, I've seen many different pay for posting sites and Social Spark has the most interesting and legit opportunities.  They have different opps for major companies and major travel sites.  All of their opps are things that your readers WILL want to read about.  That's a complete change from most other sites that want you to post bogus offers that don't actually lead anywhere!

Not only is Social Spark paid opps, but you can also make some great friends and contacts.  Social Spark combines the great power of social networking with paid blogging.  Users are able to comment on opps and "friend" other users.  I think this is one of the most powerful features because we all see how great social networking is in this day and age!!  

I definitely suggest checking out Social Spark and start making money of your own today! :)  

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Who wouldn't like a free hotel stay?? Hampton Hotel "Chain Of Friends" Sweepstakes!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who would like to have an entire hotel to themselves for two nights?  That's right, Hampton Hotels is giving you the opportunity to have an entire hotel (100 rooms) for two (2) whole nights!  Do you have a wedding coming up?  A family vacation?  I'm sure this would give you even more of a reason to plan something!  The grand prize winner will also win $5,000 for taxes that weekend or anything else that would be necessary!  100 daily weekend stays are also being given out for you and three of your friends.

If had the opportunity to win this I wouldn't even have 100 people to invite since I don't know that many.  My guests would have to invite people of their own and so on! (That's why they call it Chain of Friends!)  Even so, I would take a nice two night vacation with the people that I care about and the people that they care about.  It would be such a nice getaway and such a fun time with the entire hotel to ourselves!  We can dream, can't we??

Hampton Hotels have great locations all over the US and are beautiful, very clean and very accommodating to everyone!  I have actually stayed at Hampton hotels before and never had any complaints.  They're one of the only hotels I can say that I stayed in more than once and every single time I did, we had an amazing stay.  Hampton hotels are those that I would stay in over and over again if I had the chance to. 

What are you waiting for?  Take a chance and enter now! (Oh, and if you win...you know how to reach me for the invite!) Enter the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes!

No purchase is necessary to enter, and you must enter by September 4th, 2010. Limit one daily prize per household. Prizes will be awarded a “Be My Guest Certificates” that don’t expire until December 31st, 2011.

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30 Day Blog Challenge: DAY TWELVE - Something you are OCD about

There are a few things I am OCD about.  It's pretty funny because it's so annoying to me I go crazy. 

1. When I was in school and the teacher would erase the board, do you remember how sometimes they leave little chalk marks when they don't erase it completely?  That would drive me incredibly nuts.  I actually wouldn't be able to concentrate because the teacher forgot to erase a tiny piece of a word that she wrote.  It actually drove me crazy to the point of having to ask him/her if she could erase it completely.  I'm not kidding!!  It was pretty bad! lol

2.  I have to have things in even amounts.  M&Ms, chicken nuggets, fries, I'M NOT KIDDING!  lol  If I have 3 M&Ms, I will go crazy.  I eat them in twos too so I still have an even amount.  

3.  When I'm a passenger in a car, I have to count the number of cars going past me or the number of dotted lines in the middle of the street.  I don't know why, but I have to count them.  I learned to completely distract myself so I don't have to do that anymore and since I'm mostly driving now, I don't do it very frequently anymore.

OCD is very annoying and does disrupt your life or concentration.  As much as people say it isn't a disorder, it really is.  It really cut my concentration when I was in school and annoyed me even when I had to count the cars/lines because I didn't want to do it.  My brain kept tricking me that I had to, though.  It sucks!!  I never was on medication for OCD because my mom never believed that it was actually a disorder that needed to be medicated, but it drove me nuts.  

My 2 year old is OCD that she has to wash her hands every 5 minutes.  I'm serious, every 5 minutes like clockwork she's in the bathroom washing her hands again!  My 4 year old has to have things in order.  If she's playing with her figurines they have to be in a straight line.  If you move one of them out of line she freaks out.  If she's drawing, her crayons need to be in a straight line and the paper needs to be in a stack where none are sticking out.  She organizes everything neatly, which drives ME crazy! LOL  I wish that OCD would continue to her cleaning her room when it's a mess, but she doesn't have the patience for that.

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Monday Miscellany and a long awaited HELLO!!

1. VACATION

My vacation that I took this past week was the best.  We had a great time!  I had planned to keep blogging even though the vacation, but it was so relaxing and we were busy practically the whole time, by the time I got back in I just fell asleep.  By the time I had to go home, I didn't want to go back to the reality of it all!  We're taking another trip in February and I absolutely cannot wait for that.  I'm sad that I had to miss BlogHer because of the vacation, but it all worked out for the best in the end!  

2. I love this card!

I've been using Green Dot for a LONG time.  My credit isn't the best because of student loans and credit card debt that EVERYONE has, but even so you still want to pay bills quickly or maybe buy something online.  (As I do too!)  This is where Green Dot comes in!  All you have to do is click on the banner above to get some more information about the card.  Apply for the card with the instant guaranteed approval and you can refill the card at any retailer such as Walmart, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Stop & Shop and so much else!  I even refilled my card while I was on vacation because I had to pay a bill quickly.  It was easy!  Green Dot also helps build your credit history with bill payments and keeping your balance!  You can also get FREE direct deposit!  This card is just awesome.  I have the Green Dot Premier because I love the great benefits!  This is definitely something to look into! Check it out! 

3. Need details of where you are?

I used this when I was away we had to find out where the hell we were half the time since we were on the road a lot.  When we wanted to find what was around our area, I remembered I had this app downloaded on my iPhone.  It's called Poynt.  It helped us out with finding the cheapest gas prices, nearby restaurants that had the food we wanted to eat, attractions and so much more that we could do.  It was VERY useful with helping us not get lost.  It's a FREE APP for Blackberry, iPhone and Android phones.  Since it helped us so much on our trip, I thought I'd tell you guys about it too!!  It's worth the download! The download is free!

4. School is coming!

I can't believe that my daughter starts school soon.  That's just crazy to think about!  She's very excited and I'm excited that I don't have to run around last minute looking for her stuff.  I got it early when Staples and Stop & Shop had their sales! LOL  I just can't believe my little girl is starting pre school!!  We tried her uniform on again today and she looks so grown up.  I can hardly stand it!  Is anyone else anxiously awaiting school for their kids? I could definitely use the few hours I get to do stuff around the house!

5. Phone Dilemma!

FINALLY I can upgrade my Verizon phone.  I currently have a Blackberry Storm and was thinking of upgrading to the Blackberry Storm II when I could.  Now, I see all of these awesome Droid phones and I hear of a new slide Blackberry coming out, I don't know what to do!!  Droid or Blackberry...  The only reason I wanna keep my BB is because of BBM, even though I don't use it too much.  It's so confusing!!! LOL

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30 Day Blog Challenge: DAY TEN - A Photo Taken Over 10 Years Ago Of You

Taken in 1999 at my 8th grade graduation.  Oh yeah, I was a chubby and awkward kid, but I was so happy to graduate 8th grade because I hated school!  Go ahead, make fun of chubby 12 year old Krissy.

I was one? two here?  My mom took these pictures of me to send to my birth mom.  I found out years later that my birth mom did get the pictures but they had a home fire and lost the baby pictures my mom sent them.  

I must have been a junior in High School here because I was still thin. LMAO!!  My friend and I were going to a Britney Spears concert here. :)  I haven't spoken to my friend Nicole in years!  Maybe I should look her up on Facebook.

This was taken back when I had my first domain when I was 14. :)  I was so pretty back then, what happened since!! :D

I don't remember how old I was here, but I must have been in elementary school!  Me and my Shih-Tzu, Cupcake.  (I miss that dog!)  I had an NSYNC shirt on here.  I was such a dork.  And you wonder why I got made fun of!

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30 Day Blog Challenge: DAY NINE - A Photo You Took

I took this picture when a friend and I decided to take a walk through Central Park.  It was such a beautiful day, warm but not too warm with all the trees and nature.  It was very calm and peaceful despite all of the people.  I just love Central Park because of so many things.  Independent musicians playing their instruments throughout the park, ice cream and hot dog vendors selling their delicious food and the scent of the food while you pass the carts.  

There are some photos that I take that I absolutely love and this was one of them.  It just looks so calm and peaceful with the water in the front and the famous Bow Bridge int he distance.  The sun bouncing off the water and shadowing the trees and foreground is just such a good contrast...  I love this photo! It's a great memory of a fun (but tiring!) day!

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30 Day Blog Challenge: DAY EIGHT - A picture that makes you angry/sad

This picture makes me both angry and sad for many reasons.  This was my mine and my ex fiance's first Christmas together.  He is also Alayna's dad.  It makes me angry and sad because for too long I dealt with his emotional and verbal abuse.  I dealt with his lies and his bullshit.  I let him make me feel like shit by being walked all over, but yet I loved him.  He was my first real love and someone I loved with all of my heart.  He was the person I was supposed to spend my life with and raise my daughter with.  He ruined all of that when he left me 6 months pregnant for someone else.

My oldest always asks about her dad and all I can do is show her pictures.  The asshole refuses to see her, even though I would open my life to him at this point if he ever did want to see her or be in her life.  I would not protest at all because she deserves to know who her dad is...but it will never happen.  Even though a DNA test proved he was the father, he denies her.  Constantly.  He says he doesn't have a daughter.  He makes my daughter feel like crap without even being in her life because she feels like her daddy doesn't care about her since he doesn't see her.  I wish he could see the pain he is causing her and understand the 2 years of pain he caused me when I had to get over the person I was supposed to spend my entire life with.

Things happen for a reason and I know it is better that we didn't get married, but it's still very upsetting to me to even look at these pictures.  It hurts.  

I need to post a lengthy post about her dad and what happened some day.  Just to get it off my chest.

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30 Day Blog Challenge: DAY SEVEN - A picture that makes me happy

I have so many pictures that make me happy because they all mean something special to me.  Though, I'll pick a few out of my many stored photos on my computer!  This is such a hard thing for me to do!

This is one of my favorite pictures because this is myself and my best friend.  Lauren (brunette) has been my best friend for 10 years and she means the world to me.  She is more like my sister than a friend and knows me better than I know myself.  This picture shows who we truly are when we're together...we're insane.  :)  We have so much fun and act like little kids even though we're not.  I don't get to see her too often since she lives an hour away, but when we do get together it's like we never left!  

This picture is a favorite of mine because it's myself and my siblings in 2004.  I was adopted and finding my siblings was one of the happiest days of my life. (Since I grew up an only child.)  For me, the fact that I even had the chance to find these wonderful people is really a blessing and something that doesn't happen to too many adoptees.  Some search forever.  

This was the first "team" my daughter was ever a part of and honestly, it was the first time she was socialized.  Taking my daughter to Little Gym was the best decision I had ever made.  (Even though the first time she went she was kicking and screaming to not be apart from me. )  My daughter now loves gymnastics and wants to continue it for as long as she can.  She is passionate about it and I love that!  This is such a happy picture because it was such an accomplishment for her.

My girls LOVE Imagination Movers and my daughter was so excited when Mover Dave was right next to her.  I snapped this picture because she was so excited that she was so close to someone she idolized. :)  It's a happy picture!

This is a happy picture because Tim Young is a Broadway actor that I think is just quite awesome. (And hot)  I was happy when I was able to get this picture taken! 

This was taken a few days after my oldest (Alayna) was born.  She was in the NICU for two months and I was there for her every single day.  It's a happy picture because I loved being a mom. (Not because she was in the NICU lol)

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Home Depot Garden Club! Great advice & savings!!

I just recently found out about the Home Depot Garden Club and I think it is a great thing to further save money and get some great tips!  I've seen some great coupons including BOGO for products that you would actually need for your home and garden!!  I love to bring you guys things that can save you money.  I hope you can check it out! 

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30 Day Blog Challenge: DAY SIX - 20 Of My Favorite Things

You want to know my 20 favorite things?  Well, it's really hard to choose since I love so much! (I'm easy!) Though I can painstakingly pick 20 out of the millions of things going through my mind right now!! 

1. My kids -  I am grateful for my kids every day of my life.  Even though I was nowhere near ready for motherhood when my oldest was born, instinct kicked in and it became the most challenging thing I had ever faced.  Now, you may not thing challenging is a good thing, but being a mother kind of challenging is amazing.  Everyday is a new adventure and though I face many obstacles, it's just great how I can overcome them with creative thinking.  The mommy mindset is an amazing thing that you acquire when you become a parent. :)

2. My Macbook - Once you go Mac you never go back. :)  It's true! I remember when I first got my iMac G4 back in 2003.  I was petrified of it.  I didn't know how to use it, I thought it was very different from my PC and therefore I freaked out.  (I'm not good with change!)  It took me all of a day to get used to it and realize how much better than a PC it actually is.  Macs are amazing. 

3. My Blackberry Storm - Though I'm not too fond of Verizon, I love my Blackberry Storm.  I have had it since it came out and I just love the ease of use, the suretype keyboard and the whole interface.  I've always loved Blackberry for numerous reasons, but I really think it's a great phone despite it's popular name. :)  I can't wait to upgrade to the BB Storm 2 when my upgrade date comes around!  It's supposed to be even better.  Anyone else a Crackberry Addict?

4.  My iPhone 3Gs - I know, I know, why do I need two phones?  Well, my iPhone I use as a business phone for my jewelry business as well as blogging and my media/PR contacts.  I think the ease of use for business is just spectacular on this phone and I also love all the apps.  Games for the kids? There's an app for that! ;)  I just had to say that.  This phone is great for many uses and cuts down my need to bring my iPod with me everywhere!  I was very iffy about the iPhone when the first one came out, but despite my hesitations I did get the first iPhone and I've been addicted ever since.  One day I'll upgrade to the iPhone 4 too.  :)

5. My car - I am just so grateful for this one.  My car is my new baby.  Since I drove around for so long in a car that needed a lot of TLC that I couldn't give, my new car (that I have had for 3 weeks) is just a blessing.  I'm so glad that I was able to trade my old car in and find a great deal on this new car.  I'm giving this car all the love it can get right now so it will last me longer. :) 

6. My friends - (no pic for this one because I don't have a pic of them all!)  I love my friends because they're the people who keep me positive.  They are there for me when things go wrong, they never let me down, they listen to my complaints and always have great advice for me... My friends are so important to me and I don't know how I can thank them.  They deserve so much more than I give them and I love them each so dearly. 

7. New York City - This is a very broad thing, but I absolutely adore New York City.  I'm there so often and I'm blessed to live so close that I can get there whenever I need to or want to.  There is so much NYC has to offer like Broadway shows, shopping, all the tourist attractions you'd ever want to see, concerts, great restaurants... I love it because it's so full of life.  When you're in NYC there is no way you can ever feel sad or down.  The upbeat nature of the city will naturally keep you happy and I love that.  

8. Juniors Cheesecake/Food - OH YEAH!!  Blueberry is the best you can ever taste.  If you find yourself wherever there is a Juniors (I always go to the one on 44th and b'way...in Shubert Alley) definitely get a piece of their Blueberry Cheesecake!  If you're going there for food besides cheesecake, get a cobb salad with bleu cheese dressing OR a yummy bacon cheeseburger no onions with fries and onion rings.  THE BEST!!

9. My room - Come on, who doesn't love their own room?  To me, my room is an escape from everything crazy.  While most people think the colors are loud, I find them calming and relaxing.  I have everything I need in here and could probably stay here for months at a time if I had to! LOL  My bed is so comfy having a pillow top and my favorite (expensive) foam pillows. (Yeah, $40 per pillow.  Don't hate!! I have bad allergies/athsma and these are hypoallergenic.)  I love this place!

10. MAKEUP!  Yeah, I love makeup and I'm not afraid to say it.  I have a large collection of makeup (even more than shown in this picture) and I do use it frequently!  When I'm bored and have nothing to do, I do experiment with makeup.  If I had the patience, I'd become a makeup artist, but I don't. Ha!  Makeup stores draw me in like a magnet... I can spend hours in those places.

11. Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pizza - Oh yes, I have to be specific.  I LOVE STUFFED CRUST PIZZA!  I don't know what it is about pizza hut, but it's just amazing.  It's an occasional treat since I'm on a diet, but oh how i crave it often!

12. Target - Seriously one of my favorite places to shop because of their prices and sales.  It's like a freaking one stop shop for everything that you need!  Target is so great. :) (Oh, and ours has a Starbucks AND Pizza Hut inside of it!)

13. Starbucks - Who doesn't love the taste of Starbucks coffee?  People say it's too expensive, but I would pay the money for a good cup of fresh Starbucks coffee or one of their iced drinks on a warm summer day!  I really love the taste.  Some can't tell a difference, but most can.  Starbucks is crisp, clean, very flavorful and doesn't leave a bitter aftertaste.  I love Starbucks!

14. Shopping - I'm such a girl.  I love shopping and can stay at the mall all day if I had the time to and had nothing to do.  Just aimlessly walking around window shopping or going on a shopping spree, it's all the same to me.  Of course, I try to avoid malls because I am seriously a shopping addict.  Once I get started, sometimes there is no stopping me until I feel that financial guilt... It's bad!! But I love it.

15. Music -  I seriously couldn't live without music.  Honestly, I need music on to clean, to think, to write, and even used to need music to do my homework.  To me, it's calming and fights the anxiety I get when I do certain things.  I love music.

16. Coach - Yes, I am a Coach addict.  Though rightfully so!  The purses I have purchased from Coach stand up tot he test of time.  I have had one for almost 5 years now and that purse is as strong as the day I got it while others have broken down within a year.  Even though Coach is pricey, the quality is worth it.

17. Anything that is pink!  Again, I'm such a girl.  The color pink makes me smile and happy.  It is my favorite color everrrr!!  Actually, when I was in college I did dye my hair pink.  As much as I never want to tell anyone that because it is embarrassing.  Though -- I was in art school so colored hair was absolutely no problem amongst everyone there!

18. Victoria Secret - Love their bras, panties, perfume and lotions.  They actually are great!  Expensive, but definitely worth the price.  Their products actually last while Target and Walmart bras I have had broke fairly quickly.  Love this store!

19. Sunglasses -  I don't know why, but I am obsessed with sunglasses!  I must have more than 35 pairs that I actually use.  They're all different kinds.  Some are brand name like Coach and Juicy and some are just cheap dollar store sunglasses that I thought looked cool.  I kind of feel like I have a different pair to coordinate with every outfit. 

20. Blogging -  Finally, blogging makes me happy.  Why?  It's an outlet for me to say what I want to say and be very honest.  It's a place for me to brag about my kids to people who actually care, to share new products, share my thoughts and so much more  I have met some great people through blogging and wouldn't change that for the world.  It's one of my most favorite past times.

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ATTENTION: LIFE OF AN ARTSY MOM BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT!!

IT'S GETTING CLOSER to when our kids are going to be starting back to school again!  In fact, my 4 year old is starting school this year and it feels very bittersweet to know my little baby is finally growing up and starting school.  I think the majority of us have kids in school, and maybe Life of an Artsy Mom can make things a little easier for you!  How??

BACK TO SCHOOL BLOG EVENT!

What will be going on during the event?

We will have a Linky where everyone participating can link up and share what they're going to post for the event.  Life of an Artsy Mom has many companies that are currently sponsoring giveaways that are great for parents and kids during Back To School!!  We will also be posting some tips, tricks, product reviews, great lunch recipes, coupons, after school recipes and so much more!!  We want to make Back To School easy and fun for everyone!! 

Are you looking for contributors?

We are currently looking for the following:

GUEST BLOGGERS - We need guest bloggers for back to school tips, recipes or your favorite products to make back to school fun and easy.  If you're interested in being a guest blogger, please e-mail us HERE.

GIVEAWAY SPONSORS - We are also looking for some more sponsors for giveaways.  Whether you're a big name company or a smaller Etsy Shop, if you have things that can be great for Back To School, please let us know.  We're looking for items for school time, play time after school, lunch time and snack time.  E-mail us HERE.

SPONSOR FOR THE EVENT ITSELF - We're looking for one main sponsor for the event itself.  E-Mail for more information. HERE.

IF ANYONE WANTS TO DONATE A GIFT CARD OR ITEM/SERVICE FOR GIVEAWAY, PLEASE E-MAIL US AND LET US KNOW.

What will the other blogs have to post?

The blogs that link up hopefully will be promoting the event to their readers as well as posting their own tips, tricks and more! :)  I'm very excited about this event because of what we have currently lined up and I hope you can participate as well!

<a href="http://three-seventeen.blogspot.com/2010/08/attention-life-of-artsy-mom-back-to.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zk88WyCcW1M1891HDOrsXeTqzhgd7HAVM3c23v9uKm_V4088KuPeNLSx957wDSr5xtuMefgNGWVvczmiQUJJZjahBlgDAZ-N1OFc5BHOzxlOjlHpJIQrhDb1MJw9DuBOeT627cHi4a8/s320/lifeofartsymom.png"></a>

Go ahead, take the banner and put it in your sidebar!  :)  Blog about the event, whatever you'd like!  Just let's get the word out about this great event!! 

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