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Product Review Vs. Promotion

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Feb 27, 2010

Taking a time out day.

The sun was out and the snow was melting quickly, and thank God for that!!  I was so happy to see the weather this morning, even though it was cold.  More snow was the last thing I wanted and was still something that was possibly on the forecast.  I decided to just have a pretty lazy and laid back day with my kids.

We printed and cut coupons, watched TV, played in my room, ate luch and the girls played dress up for hours.  I had gotten Alayna a My Size Barbie Fairy for Christmas and she and Olivia wear the clothes from that barbie constantly. (Hence as in the pictures!)  They add some Tinkerbelle wings and a princess crown from Alayna's birthday party and voila! They're princesses.  It's just so adorable to watch them "flutter" around the living room and into their Rosepetal Cottage. :)  There are days when just sitting around the house with the girls is all I want to do. :) 
I did have to go out for some short moments today.  Of course, I had to get the Saturday paper.  (Coupons!)  I am disappointed to say that the paper wasn't so great.  Just one Smart Source insert. Oh well.  I'll still get one Sunday paper tomorrow.  Maybe it won't be as much of a disappointment as today's was. (The Sunday paper is usually better, actually.)  I also had to go out and pay Verizon... What a story.

I've honestly had it with Verizon and I think that when this contract is up in June, that's it for me.  They called me today and told me that I owed them an ungodly amount of money and if I didn't pay it, my service would get disconnected TOMORROW.  Apparently, they claim they haven't received the older device from my mom's warranty replacement.  I told them I have the FedEx receipt saying I did send it back and when I track it online, it says that it arrived with Verizon.  They told me to fax them or scan them a copy of the receipt and they can open an investigation, HOWEVER -- they still need me to pay said ungodly amount so my service won't get terminated.  WHAT?!  They promised to refund my money when the investigation was complete. (Usually a week or so.)  Someone at Verizon must have not entered in that my package was received.  They did assure me that it was COMMON.  Are you serious? What a way to run a multi million dollar business.  

I leave you with a beautiful picture I took at the park today. :)

02/28/10 - Coupon Deals


Save some money with these great printable coupons & offers!! Check them out!  I'm going to be writing a blog within the next few days about how to maxamize your savings at the grocery store.  There are so many tips and tricks that I have learned over the past year and a half about matching coupons with sales, stacking coupons and getting your money's worth.  I have gotten it down to a science.  The other day I went to the store and spent $32.77 on $98.10 worth of groceries.  Keep posted for that!  If you want to be notified when that blog is posted, either subscribe to our feed, fan us on Facebook, follow us on twitter or join our mailing list (on the left side).  I will send out a notification when that's posted!

♥ Save $1 on 1 Almond Breeze Milk - Coupon
♥ Save $1 on 2 Boxes of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest - Coupon
♥ Save $0.55 on Pepperidge Farm Bread - Coupon
♥ Save $0.55 on Pepperidge Farm Apple Turnovers - Coupon
♥ Save $0.75 on Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers - Coupon
♥ Save $1.00 on Pepperidge Farm Cheese Crisps - Coupon
♥ Save $15 on Aveeno Active Vitality - Coupon
♥ Save $.50 on ANY Green Giant Frozen Veggies - Coupon
♥ Save $1.00 on Cuties Mandarin Oranges - Coupon
Save $1.50 off of Kashi Heart to Heart - Coupon
Save $1.00 on Heinz 57 sauce - Coupon
Save $2.00 on Fiber One - Coupon
♥ Save $1.00 on 5 Kraft Mac and Cheese - Coupon


I will post more if I find any new ones tonight. :)  As always, check out Coupons.com, SmartSource.com and RedPlum.com!
  

Feb 26, 2010

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear: Red Carpet (Review)

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear: Red Carpet

A few months ago a friend of mine wore a beautiful sparkly nail polish.  Now, if you know me, you know I absolutely LOVE sparkly things and I also LOVE nail polish.  This nail polish that she had on was the most sparkly thing I have ever seen as well as catching the light so nicely.  I asked her what it was, and she told me it was Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear.  When I got home that day, I went to CVS and got my first bottle of Xtreme Wear.  It was the same pink sparkle color that she had worn.  Since then, I have gotten a few more bottles of it because I absolutely love the Xtreme wear colors!!

I have been looking for a change from the normal girly colors.  I've worn pinks, purples, magentas, etc... so much that I wanted to get something darker.  Then I found Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear  Red Carpet.  I grabbed it off the shelf, thankfully it was on sale, and went home to try it on.  I absolutely LOVE it.  The color is a dark red with tons of red glimmer.  It's completely different from the other flat red nail polish I have seen and is just so striking.  Since I have put it on, my mom complimented on it and my kids asked me to paint their nails in the color. (I did, and they love it too!)  This nail polish is now my absolute favorite; and I also have 10 OTHER Xtreme Wear colors.  So saying it's my favorite, is saying a lot.  Unfortunately, you can't see how beautiful the color is unless you actually saw it in person. 

I highly suggest this nail polish if you can find it at a store near you.  It's just such a great striking color that really catches attention!



...and here we go again.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT OUR CONAIR CERAMIC HAIR STRAIGHTENER GIVEAWAY!!

It started snowing again around 11pm last night.  Just lightly, but before we knew it, by 1 am when I looked out the window, we had nearly 5 inches already.  I can't believe it.  Yesterday we got about 5 or 6 inches and today we're supposed to get a FOOT of snow by the time it ends at 6 pm. This is just terrible. 

 

It looks a lot worse (in real life) than that picture taken out of my back window. lol It's just so terribly windy,cold and the snow just won't stop coming down.  I can't wait for spring and I'll even welcome summer! (Even though the heat isn't my favorite.)  I had to cancel two of my job interviews today because of the fact that I can't even get around.  They never plow our street because it is a dead end private street -- who cares about them!!  Maybe by Sunday I'll actually be able to get out.

My diet is going well.  I'm 4.9 lbs down, but I consider myself 5 lbs down. :)  Still haven't been drinking enough water, but I'm going to try to start today.  I feel like I will get to my goal and I feel like I can do it if I just concentrate.  Yesterday was a hard night for me.  My mom made homemade Macaroni and Cheese.  My girls were shoving it in my face, "Mommy try this!!".  I had a small taste, but I just concentrated on my own dinner and kept telling myself that Macaroni and Cheese will still be there when I lose the weight.  It's something I can look forward to when I finally DO lose it all. :)  After breakfast, which I haven't had yet, I'm going to do one of the Turbo Jam tapes.  I haven't been exercising and I know that I need to.  Before I go eat breakfast, I want to leave you with a picture of Olivia snuggling in my bed last night.


We also now have a FACEBOOK for our blog.  If you fan our facebook, we would really appreciate it!  Saturday we are going to post a giveaway ONLY for our Facebook fans.  So go check it out and fan us, it only takes a second!  

The Trendy Treehouse Friday Follow

Feb 25, 2010

I am so over snow!!


Before I start my entry, I want to participate in Time Out For Theta Mom Thursday. :)  I think it is a great idea for moms to take an hour or more for themselves once a month.  We go crazy enough with our hectic schedules, kids schedules, etc... We should take a breather and do something for ourselves.

Mine was a few weeks ago.  I went out with my friends to New York City.  We saw In The Heights, went out to eat lunch, walked around the city, we tried for a second show's lottery and just had a great time.  I was out for a total of 7 hours and it was a much needed break.  I loved it!  Now on to your regularly scheduled blog!

Honestly, [snow] I'm over it. LOL  I can't take it anymore.  It has been snowing since about 5 or 6 this morning.  It started out as light, small flakes, but now they're heavy large flakes.  It's insane out there and I am so sick of the snow!  

My mom decided, this morning, that she wanted to make some chicken wings, mac and cheese, lasagna, etc...So I was sent out to the grocery store at about 9 am in this horrid weather to get some groceries.  SERIOUSLY!?  It should be child abuse to send someone out in this weather! lol  Needless to say, I was petrified driving all the way there and driving all the way back.  The road conditions are terrible.  They're slick, icy from all the rain for the past two days, and just unplowed with soft slick snow.  Of course, our town really hates to plow roads, apparently. Only the one main highway and two main roads are plowed.  The rest are just salted - IF THAT!  At least I got there and back safely, got what I needed, and we're great until the storm is over.  Unfortunately, they said it's going to be a double header storm.  We're going to be getting hit with another TOMORROW.  I can't take it!! lol  At least there is still a lot of cleaning I have to get done.  That will be my project until the snow is over.  I hope it's done by Sunday, I do have plans.

Amongst all of this, I have had to cancel a few job interviews.  Tomorrow I have one that I really want to go to, however it's in Edison, NJ and the snow is probably not going to stop by 10 am.  I pray they will let me reschedule because of the weather.  Though, I'm not calling until later.  I don't want to cancel if the roads are going to be decent.  I really need a job and hope that I do end up getting one of the few jobs I am interviewing for.  I would love an actual corporate job, which these interviews are for.  They're for positions that actually have a chance for growth and advancement.  I want something real and not something retail. :)  Wish me luck!
My diet is going well.  I'm on Day 3, I'm down 3.1lbs and am very happy.  I know I can lose more weight if I drank more water.  Losing water weight & bloat is VERY important when you're losing weight.  I just haven't had any desire for water.  The closest I get is Crystal Light. (And that's still calories.) I have to just get into the groove of drinking water either way.  I also want to exercise.  I'm still paying for a gym subscription, but I can't get out to the gym until the weather gets better.  I do have the Turbo Jam collection and hopefully maybe I can use that while I'm waiting to go to the gym. :)  Now I'm kicking myself for selling my elliptical! Follow my weight loss journal.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT OUR CONAIR CERAMIC HAIR STRAIGHTENER GIVEAWAY!!

We also now have a FACEBOOK for our blog.  If you fan our facebook, we would really appreciate it!  Saturday we are going to post a giveaway ONLY for our Facebook fans.  So go check it out and fan us, it only takes a second!  

Great new addition to my diet!

As of today, I am 3lbs down.  That makes me extremely happy because I know for a fact that those 3lbs are gone FOREVER!  Once I lose this weight, it is NEVER coming back on.  Ever.  I will never risk my health and well being again for food.  I've been very satisfied with eating the 3 full meals a day and 2 snacks (as Nutrisystem states.) and the Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice meals that I chose were just delicious.  I can't wait to try the rest of what I got! (Obviously, I'm still not over the fact that I freaking LOVE food!) I still get that midnight hunger, which sucks.  I try not to eat at midnight because I know it's not good to eat after 7-9pm, but sometimes I have to cave and pop a few grapes.  

While grocery shopping, I found this great new snack.  They're Special K Fruit Crisps and they come in strawberry and blueberry flavor.  I had seen a commercial for them, but put them to the back of my mind until I saw them in the store.  I picked both flavors up and hoped for the best. LOL.  I'm not into the granola bar ones, but these looked pretty good. I tried them tonight and they are DELICIOUS!  They taste like they're full of calories and fat. lol  They're crunchy but still slightly soft as well.  There isn't too much filling inside, but even so it's very tastful.  I haven't taested the Blueberry yet, only the Strawberry, but I expect it to be just as tasty. :)  I really think you guys should try them, even if you're not on a diet!  They're a great guilt free snack!  Another reason to purchase them, is because Special K website has a $1.00 off printable coupon for them!  CLICK HERE FOR THE COUPON!

So again, we wait for the snow.  Approximately 2 feet are expected by Saturday.  We're not sure when it is supposed to start, weather reports are so conflicting.  I guess we are to wait for a set time, or just wake up to a winter wonderland. lol So we wait....

Don't forget about our CONAIR CERAMIC FLAT IRON GIVEAWAY!! Click here!!

Feb 24, 2010

- CLOSED - CONAIR MINI PRO GIVEAWAY: Retails $24.99

This giveaway is closed for now, thank you for entering! We have some great giveaways for you to join, however! Winner will be announced SOON!

Conair Mini Pro Straightener
  • Ceramic-coated plates glide across hair, easily leaving hair silky smooth
  • Ceramic technology provides increased even-heat distribution and eliminates damaging hot spots
  • Flat Iron
  • Ideal for Straightening
  • Made of Ceramic
  • Professional Performance
  • Hot When in Use
  • Display Features Power Indicator Light
  • Includes Storage Pouch
.5 inch ceramic straightener is made for small spaces and travel.  I absolutely LOVE mine.  Since I have very thick hair, I still use my large straightener for the primary work, but use the mini pro to touch up the fly aways and pieces that I didn't get primarily.  I also use this to curl my hair and the curls come out beautiful, little and perfectly loose.  I absolutely love this thing!  It comes with a patterned carrying case that you can just throw inside your purse or bag for travel.  

It heats up in 30 seconds...YES!! It's true!!  Has high heat settings and straightens even the thickest hair.  My hair is living proof!  The ceramic plates make your hair shiny and healthy looking.  I can't get enough of my Mini Pro. :)

Want to win your own?

We have one Conair Mini Pro to give away to one of our readers!! Follow the simple rules below!
  • Comment here and tell us something interesting about your hair.  Is it curly? Thick? Straight? What's your favorite hair style? Come up with something interesting! (mandatory)
  • Add my button to your blog (1 entry)
  • Join my feed (1 entry)
  • Follow our blog [on sidebar] (1 entry)
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry - you can do this once per day)  @kickitykickball Want to win a Conair Mini Pro Ceramic Hair Straightener? Check out http://bit.ly/9KI3Lq to win! Ends 3/3/10!
  • Post about this on your blog (2 entries) 

Please post a separate comment for the entries, it will be easier to count them.   Winners will be e-mailed and announced.  Please add an e-mail address in one of your entries so I will be able to contact you!  Will be announced March 3, 2010!






Feb 23, 2010

Video Blog #1!

Last night I installed my Microsoft LifeCam that I purchased two years ago.  I tried to vlog with it and OMG - the quality was TERRIBLE! Even changing the settings on the program itself!  The synch was off, the lighting was dark, I had to move a table lamp next to me to get it to work!  That said, today I tried my Macbook cam.  I set the macbook a little higher than my line of vision and it was so much better.  I recorded a vlog with that, and hopefully it's a lot better!  Don't mind my hair.  It wasn't poofy before I went out in the downpour.  EDIT: The video still seems a bit dark, but YouTube says it's still processing. Maybe it will get better afterwards!


Feb 22, 2010

Rollin' in Toys R Us

It has been so shitty out lately, the kids have been in the house while it's been cold, snowy, windy and just bitter cold.  Today was around 50 degrees and sunny, so we decided to get out of the house.  I had to run to Lowes anyway to get some organizational tools, so I took mom and the kids with me.  We had a pretty good day!  I got some stuff that I needed at Lowes and almost everything was on sale.  That was a great thing! :) Afterward, of course, we had to go to Toys R Us.  I had three gift cards that I got from Toys R Us on Facebook, so I wanted to use those...I also had a $5 rewards coupon from my TRU rewards card.  The kids have been good and Alayna is pretty much potty trained, so I decided to get them something special.  

Of course, the girls had to stop in the bike & car aisle and try out some cars.  They loved them.  Alayna has always asked me for a Power Wheels Barbie Mustang since the first day she saw one at Toys R Us, and I tried so hard to save up the $300 for one.  However, by the time I did, they didn't sell them anymore.  I've tried to find one second hand on Craigslist and at garage sales, but no luck with that either.  Alayna and Olivia now both want the Escalade.  Which is adorable, but we don't have room for it.  Especially if we move.  They had so much fun going through the cars. :) (More pictures here.  Go look at them all, they're ADORABLE!)
 
We ended up getting these cool Play Doh sets.  One is a kitchen and one is a bbq set.  Adorable!  The girls were playing with them for about 3 hours tonight. (Very quietly.  It's a blessing!)  Alayna made the picture shown to the left.  It's a steak, green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy! lol  Impressive and adorable!  She was in love with the set. (There are also pictures of the girls playing with the sets in that Flikr collection.) The price was right too. $15.00 for the Play Doh kitchen set and $11.99 for the BBQ set -- BUT -- This week is buy one get one 50% off.  In that case, I got the second for a little over $5!  With my gift cards and coupons, I didn't end up spending that much.  

I want to make a vlog tonight about the curl-ease towel, however I don't think it's worth the $15 I paid for it.  I'm going to write a proper review including a vlog in a little bit.  I actually may publish it tomorrow.  Depending on what happens around here!

New giveaway will be posted TOMORROW!!! (And it's a good one!)

WINNER OF THE APPLE GROVE PALS GIVEAWAY!!

The winner of the Apple Grove Pals giveaway is....

Kathleen of Fireflies and Family!!


Kathleen said...
The little ones in my life love anything Little People, and I love how they let their imaginations soar.

Kathleen, I will send you an e-mail and if I don't hear back in 48 hours, I will have to pick another winner.  I hope you and little ones enjoy the Apple Grove Pals!!  

Another giveaway will be posted tomorrow!!

Feb 20, 2010

I'm a sucker for advertising.

I can definitely safely say that I am completely a sucker for advertising.  Seriously, make something look interesting, slap a clever logo on it with great packaging...I'll probably buy it or want to buy it.  That is exactly what happened today at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  I went there for a replacement pillow (for that story see the "death of a pillow" story.) and also wanted a new electronic tart warmer, jewelry organizer, desktop mirror, plastic stand up drawers and some other stuff for my room's organization.  Back to my story -- I am drawn to a clearance section like a moth to a flame.  That is exactly where I ended up!  I followed what seemed to be a big glowing red and yellow "Clearance" sign. (Ok, it wasn't really glowing.)  Four aisles full...I was in heaven!  I slowly walked up and down the clearance aisles throwing a few interesting things in my cart (a root beer making kit, thought it would be interesting for my kids.  A discount tart warmer, some candles and tarts, salt and pepper shakers, etc...)  until I came upon this pink packaging that just drew me in.  Curl-Ease: The Towel For Girls with Curls it was called.  I started reading the packaging and read that it was supposed to de-frizz your hair and keep it's natural curl shape.  That's exactly what I need since my curly hair turns into an afro unless I flat iron it.  The packaging was interesting, the tag line was catchy and the product description really screamed: LEGIT!! LOL  So I decided to pay the $14.99 and see if it would be.  Actually, I have yet to try it so I can't give you a proper review, but I wanted to say that I will try it tonight and update everyone immediately. lol :) You can visit it's official site if you're interested and like clever advertising too. :D



-  What is your least favorite part of the morning? When I have to wake up.  :)  lol  I'm serious.  Once I actually get up I'm fine, but when I have to get up I'm a complete and total bitch. (Sometimes)

-  Is there generally any day of the week that you usually sleep later than normal? If so, which day, and how often actually do you get to sleep in late?  Any day that I'm not busy I get to sleep in.  My kids both sleep pretty late...to 12-1pm.  I'm lucky in that aspect!  I usually sleep in until 10 and have 2 hours to get things done before they wake up. It works out pretty well!

-  When the alarm clock first goes off, do you immediately get up, or do you take advantage of the snooze button?  I really put the snooze button to use.  Maybe about 5 times until I wake up. LOL That's why I always set the alarm for an hour-half hour before I actually have to be up. 

-  Do you sleep with the television on or off?  Off, usually.  Unless I fall asleep when I'm watching something.


-  What's the part of your morning you least look forward to everyday?  I don't look forward to anything about mornings!

Feb 19, 2010

Friday Fun & Potty Training

Don't forget about our Little Tikes Giveaway! We only have four entries, which doesn't make it much of a competition.  Come on guys, don't you want a free play set for your kids? ;)

As per yesterday's blog about my lovely PayPal dilemma, they fixed it.  I called this morning and killed them with sweetness.  I explained to them that I don't understand why they keep freezing my account.  They reviewed the drivers license copy, social security copy, address verification copy, etc... And told me that they don't know why that $100 flagged my account and froze it.  I had told them (nicely) that if they continued to do so, I would be forced to withdraw all of my PayPal funds and close out my account.  They were very apologetic.  They also told me that they don't have any business information on file for me.  I had to fax over my LLC papers as well as giving them a description of my company.  They asked me if I had a supplier or if I drop shipped... Um, I am an artist.  I make my own jewelry.  The lady was very interested about that and asked me questions on how I managed that with two kids.  At this point, I was so tired, frustrated and in no mood to explain my tricks of the trade, but to continue to be sweet, I explained to her how I do it. lol  That phone call EXHAUSTED me!  At least I got my money freed up, thank God.  

I'm so proud of my little princess!  She is almost 4.5 years old and we've been going through the potty training woes for a year and a half now.  She would start to be interested in going to the potty, then she'd take it back and refuse to do it.  We have had so many arguments about potty training and her crying because she refused to do it...It was starting to stress me out.  I honestly thought I would have to find diapers for her until she was in college at this point!! lol  I got the idea from another blog (I'm so sorry, I don't remember the link.  If the person who posted this idea about her son reads this, please comment and let me know it was you.  I'd love to link you!) and told Alayna that if she started wearing underpants during the day, and if she got rid of her pull ups, I would get her brand new underpants and underjams to wear at night.  I also told her that we would have a Potty Party with a cake and some small presents.  Well, Alayna is definitely one for a party.  She LOVES parties.  She agreed.  She gave her Pull Ups to her sister and got out some underpants and for over 24 hours she has USED THE POTTY!! No accidents at all!!  This morning she woke up, took the one Pull Ups off that I gave her for the night, and she got out underpants and put them on!  She is so excited that she has on Hannah Montana underpants and tells everyone that calls us or anyone that we see.  I told her that if all goes well, Wednesday when our Uncle comes home, we will have a Potty Party!! :)  She's excited and so happy...Needless to say, so am I!!  At least I know Olivia won't be that hard to train.  She already wants to use the potty since she sees her big sister going.  Such a relief! 

Time to clean... The kids are distracted watching Olivia the Pig, so I'm sure I'll have an hour to clean. 


The Trendy Treehouse  Friday Follow

Thursday Questions & a rant.

Don't forget about our Little Tikes Giveaway! We only have one entry, which doesn't make it much of a competition.  Come on guys, don't you want a free play set for your kids?


3x Thursday

1. Name one person (it can be anyone) who used to be in your life before, but now isn’t (due to death), and why you miss that person. My dad died when I was 3 years old and I really do miss him at times.  Granted, I don't remember him at all.  I was 3... I just remember what I saw in home videos that we watched religiously.  My mom was determined to never let me forget him, so we watched home movies almost weekly. :) I really do wish that I had the chance to know him.  I'd want to know what he would be like when I got older,  I'd want to know if he is proud of me, I'd want my kids to know him.  I know we can't change the past, but we can wonder about what could have been.

2. People come and go from our lives all of the time. Is there one person you particularly miss the most? If so, why? If not, are you just a loner? I miss a lot of people who have been in my life.  I miss friends that have come and gone and I do sometimes miss relationships I have been in.  Particularly, there isn't anyone I miss the most.  If a friend has left my life for a particular reason, that was meant to be and they probably weren't a real friend anyway.  My real friends are those that have stayed with me throughout anything and who are by my side today.

3. There are some people in our lives that we can re-reach out to and reconnect with. Is there anyone you’d like for that to happen with? Who? Why? There are a few.  Mostly because I feel like I can explain a lot to those people.  There were some friends I had lost when I just became depressed and withdrew.  As I said before, they weren't really real friends if they left because of that reason.  I have a handful of friends who have stayed with me.  They're the people who are really my friends.  However, I would like to explain a lot to those who have left.

What a day this was!  We're completely moving things around so I had to run out to Radio Shack this morning to get a coaxle cable extender for the satellite.  The living room looks great!  If you go further to the dining room, my room, the girls room and the kitchen, not so much.  We're trying to make the house more livable...If we even stay here.  We have no idea what our moving arrangements (or lack there of?) are at this point.  We're being prepared for every scenario.  

My uncle and I moved a large wardrobe/dresser combo from my room.  It was broken, the drawers were cracked and falling out the bottom. It was really useless and just a receptacle for junk to be thrown in the remaining drawers/cabinets.  It wasn't worth keeping that bulky piece of junk in my room!  Taking that cabinet down the stairs and outside was the most hilarious thing I think I have experienced with my family in a while.  We had no idea how to get it down the stairs.  We were going to actually try to fix it until 2 legs broke while we were moving it.  After that, we just ended up trying to slide the damn thing down the stairs.  We got it down, but the remaining 2 legs broke. LOL  We had a lot of laughs.

We did move a new dresser into my room.  Actually, it was the dresser I painted for Alayna's room before we moved the first time.  I had upcycled a dresser that a family friend had given to us when they were moving.  I painted the drawers different colors and painted a fairy mural on the side cabinet.  It's actually a beautiful piece.  I'll have to take a picture of it.  I'll probably re-paint it to match my room.  It fits perfectly and looks great. :)  There wasn't as much room as the piece of junk wardrobe had, but it will do.  

I do have a complaint about PayPal.  I have had my business account for 3 years.  I've had various amounts debited into the account for my business and also for some jobs I had that paid through PayPal.  They know that too!  Today, when trying to use it and finding it was declined, I got on my account and saw the LIMITED IT.  They limited it due to "suspicious activity".  What?!  This morning I had transferred $102.10 into my business account (from my personal account) because a family member had purchased a custom necklace from me.  I do have two debit cards for both accounts, but I'm trying to get current on some bills and wanted it all in one account for now.  I don't see how transferring $102.10 would trigger any "suspicious activity".  I've done it before!  So,  I had to go through scanning my SS card, drivers license, proof of address, explaining the transfer ETC... I have to call them tomorrow to figure out what the hell happened and get my account back working.  It is so frustrating.  It seems like there is always some problem with PayPal. Unfortunately, it's the only means of payment for my business at this point, so I'm stuck.  I just hope they can work this out tomorrow since I have scanned them all they're asking for! The frustration!

Feb 17, 2010

Wordless Wednesday


Little "glamour girl" Olivia Nichole with her nails painted. :)  She loves to get her nails painted.  Hence how we got nail polish on our floor most recently!  She and her sister tried to paint their own nails.  My little princess!!

When your kids are normally very loud and rowdy and it gets extremely quiet for about 10 minutes, don't assume they're taking one of those rare naps.  That's what I did.  I was busy washing dishes and trying to get the nail polish off our nice wooden table and thought nothing of my normally loud children being very quiet.  It was about 10 am and I figured maybe they both either fell asleep on the couch or were busy watching Imagination Movers. I was terribly wrong!  A few minutes later when I walked past my room I saw my $30 latex foam pillow COMPLETELY SHREDDED TO PIECES ALL OVER THE FLOOR. (See photo for the poor pillow's condition.)  Needless to say, I was fuming. The kids each got time outs and afterwards Alayna, who did not admit to doing anything, painstakingly picked up each piece of latex foam and put it in a garbage bag. (Note: Alayna swore on her life that she did not rip the pillow up, her sister did it.  That would have worked if she hadn't had latex foam pieces all in her hair.  Caught her red handed! Or foam headed...) Unfortunately, I definitely do need the latex foam pillows because they are the only ones that don't cause me to wake up in the middle of the night due to an allergy induced asthma attack.  I took a ride to Bed Bath and Beyond (the only place that sells them) only to find out that I had left my $5 coupon at home and was not going to spend $30 on a pillow that I can spend $25 for.  - Yes I'm cheap -  

(Wow, wordless wednesday turned into a huge post!)  Remember about our Little Tikes Apple Grove Pals giveaway!!  Check it out here.  It runs until February 22nd, 2010.  Who doesn't love free toys? :)

All mommy bloggers make money?

I heard the funniest thing yesterday.  Let me start from the beginning.  I posted on a message board filled with moms some great links to giveaways on various blogs.  I really thought that they would enjoy the possibility to win some great products.  After all, it was a couponing/budgeting message board anyway!  I wrote up a nice post explaining how mommies give away some great stuff and work hard on their blogs.  

I get a response a few minutes later saying that mommy blogs are not allowed to be posted on the message board because ALL MOMMIES BLOG FOR A PROFIT.  I got a PM a few minutes later saying that mommies should not get paid for blogging because it is not a real job.  -- EXCUSE ME??

First and foremost, all mommies do not get paid to blog.  Hell, I make absolutely no money from my blog.  If I get ANY compensation for anything, it is either in the form of coupons or just comped merchandise.  I get NO monetary compensation for my blog.  So right off, all mommies do not get paid.  Secondly, I do strongly believe that blogging is not just a hobby but can be a form of financial support. People put a lot of work into their blogs.  They spend a lot of time on their blogs and I think mommies deserve compensation for what they do.  They work hard enough.

I'm just finding it a huge misconseption that all mommy bloggers get paid to blog.  I also find it rude that people think it is not a real job.  Writers get paid to write, editors get paid to edit, photographers get paid to take pictures...why can't mommy bloggers get paid to do all of the above?  That just set me off last night when I read that.  

Don't forget about out our Apple Grove Pals (Little Tikes) giveaway!  Ends soon!!

Feb 15, 2010

GIVEAWAY: APPLE GROVE PALS. (BREAKING NEWS FRIEND'S SET!)

Apple Grove Pals, "Breaking News" Friend's Pack GIVEAWAY!

Apple Grove is a place where innocence and imagination translate into fun. The characters, playsets and storybooks teach friendship, curiosity, courage and other important life lessons. This provides a starting point for kids to discover new places and safely explore a world where they can wear many hats.


  • Includes 3 adorable pals and three hats.
  • Every hat is inter-changeable with other pals and hats.
  • This pack comes with a storybook, "Breaking News", telling of the adventures played and life lessons learned by the Apple Grove Pals™.
Apple Grove Pals are targeted from ages 14 months - 24 months, however my 4 year old loved these as well when we got them.  The both of them played for hours with these appropriately sized figures and loved to mix and match the hats that came along with them!  Apple Grove reminds me a lot of Little People, but are larger for smaller hands.   We liked them so much, we definitely want to try out the other Apple Grove Pals sets!


Want to win it?


You can win the set shown above, Apple Grove Pals: "Breaking News" Friend's Pack... This giveaway runs from February 15th, 2010 until February 22, 2010.   Want to know how to win?

Ways To Enter

  • Comment here and let us know what toy or playset your kids absolutely love.
  • Add my button to your blog (1 entry)
  • Join my feed (1 entry)
  • Follow our blog [on sidebar] (1 entry)
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry - you can do this once per day)  @kickitykickball ArtsyMom GIVEAWAY! AppleGrove Pals! Ends 02/22. Great pals for little hands, get them free @ http://tinyurl.com/ygq2trx
  • Post about this on your blog (2 entries) 

Please post a separate comment for the entries, it will be easier to count them.   Winners will be e-mailed and announced.  Please add an e-mail address in one of your entries so I will be able to contact you!  Will be announced February 22th, 2010


Good luck!!



Feb 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

I know the valentines day greeting is a little late, but better late than never! :)  I was pretty busy today.  I ended up going out with one of my friends because we would have felt like total morons if we had stayed home. LOL  We have no significant others, so it was a great pairing.  I had spent the rest of the day with my mom and kids. :)  When I got home from my day with my friend, I came home to this lovely surprise!



My kids made me Valentines cupcakes, goodie bags filled with homemade cookies and foam flowers in a vase. :)  I was so surprised when I came in!  They also made me posters for when I came home.  
I also did something completely different today and put on fake eyelashes.  I've never done it before, and I've had a few of them sitting here in a bag that I got on sale.  I decided to try.  I think they came out great!!  I could use some more practice, in my opinion, but they're so easy to put on, easy to wear, look natural and they're easy to take off! (Surprisingly!)  I really feel like I can use them more often, now that I know how to put them on.  :)  






What is your favorite sport? The only sport I really like is figure skating.  I did that from the age of 3 all the way up to the age of 16.  Then, I broke my ankle and never got back into it.  I actually broke my ankle at a figure skating exhibition.  My mom loves to tell that story. LOL

Would you ever drastically change your hair color? What about drastically change the style? I have done that.  In college, I dyed my hair pink.  Magenta, really.  I changed the style in 2003... I cut it extremely short.  I did that out of total stupidity.

What is your favorite kind of cheese? American Yellow and Brie

I also did the Sunday Stealing questions, but it's too long.  Click here to read. :)

WINNER OF L'OREAL LASH BOOST GIVEAWAY....


SHEL from Auntie Thesis!

Shel, if you can e-mail me at NYCstarshine@ymail.com within 48 hours! Let me know the address so you can receive the lash  boost combo pack. :)

I am going to be posting a new giveaway later tonight or tomorrow morning, so keep a look out!!  Thanks for entering, guys!  I know we can do better than 24 entries for our next giveaway! :)

Feb 13, 2010

Learn more about me: Saturday!

Mommy Goggles is giving away a Logitech Webcam.  Go check it out.  :) I'm sure everyone can use a new webcam to keep in touch with family and friends. :)

Saturday 9

1. Are you a morning person? Not at all!! I've never been a morning person.  I would much rather sleep until 2pm and be a happy camper than wake up at 8 and be a complete cranky BITCH!! (Which happens more often than not!)

2. Tell us of a news story that truly shocked you.
I don't have time to watch the news.  Honestly.  I'm too busy running after my kids. lol

3. What was your very first job?
I worked at Stop & Shop as a cashier for my very first job.  I hated it. lol  I survived there for about a year, then I gave up and decided to look for something else. 

4. What characteristics do you despise?
I despise people who judge others before they get to know them.  Don't judge a book by it's cover... That's my motto and it's something I also learned by living.  Sometimes people who seem great on the outside really aren't what they seem, and vice versa.

5. To where would you retire?
Florida...isn't that where everyone else goes? lol

6. Are you named after anyone?
I believe I'm named after my birthmom for my first name, and the adoption agency lady who placed me for my middle name.

7. How do you release anger?
Draw, write, paint, drive...  I have a lot of outlets. :)

8. Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Sometimes.  Although I don't think it comes across as sarcasm. lol

9. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? 
There are a lot of things about myself that I hate!  It would take me hours to go over everything.


How will you celebrate Valentines Day? Since I don't have a S.O., I'm going out with one of my friends to hang out and completely forget that it's Valentines Day.

Let's say you had a party and you need to clean up, but it's late and you want to go to bed. When do you clean up? I would clean up when I wake up.  LOL 

What are your plans for this Saturday?  Absolutely nothing.  I was supposed to have plans, but they got changed.  So, I'm just hanging out with my kids. :)

Feb 10, 2010

Stop the snow!!

After everyone shovelled the first few inches, it came down with a fury.  We were getting about 3 inches an hour for a while...  We all estimate that we had about 17 or 18 inches.  It seemed as if when everyone actually got the sidewalk shovelled, it would just go back to getting covered with more snow again.  Meanwhile, I'm wondering how long I'm going to have to keep the kids in the house.  They're going insane.  I must have cleaned the living room about 15 times tonight.  I'm praying the weather is much more tame tomorrow so I can get them out for an hour or two.  Cabin fever is making them nuts!!! LOL  

We ordered pizza for lunch.  The guy from Dominos actually delivered!!  I had no idea how he got up our block because we must have had about 6 inches of unplowed snow.  Needless to say, I gave him a $7 tip, just because of the fact that he had to get here in that shitty weather.  The pizza, however, was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted! I actually ordered a Habanaro Chicken sandwich, which was AMAZING.  It was the best combination of sweet with the pinapple and spicy with the jalapeno peppers.  If you have the chance to taste it, definitely do!!  

The snow is starting to die down, and that makes me very happy because I may have plans for tomorrow and can't wait to actually get out of the house and get the kids out of the house!  I'll leave you with a picture of Alayna's snow creation... Don't ask me what it is! :D

Wordless Wednesday - White Out!!

Click on the picture for full view. :)

The snow is getting more and more as time passes by!  I took more snow pictures and they're here.  It's really starting to get less pretty out and more frustrating.  Just looking out the window, I'm reminded that I'm pretty much prisoner in the house until the snow dies down!  (Which they're saying is MIDNIGHT!!) Don't get me wrong, I love being home and love just being lazy with my kids, but on the other hand, what if we need something?!  I'm such a paranoid person.  They still expect approx 12-18 inches of snow if not more.  We just have to wait and see what the outcome is.  

Olivia is being a little lazy girl and still sleeping at 1:30 pm, but Alayna is wide awake and watching the snow. :)  My mom brought her some snow in a cup so she could play on the table; it's way too windy and freezing to go out in the snow right now.  I'd rather wait to take them out when the snow isn't blowing as much as it is.  
 
Lazy Bones Olivia still sleeping


 
Alayna and her snow!

We have a good day planned either way!  We're going to make cookies and homemade Macaroni and Cheese. :) My little Laynie cook is going to help make it!! 

Winter Wonderland!!

I woke up this morning and went to check the view from the window. We have SNOW!!! I would say we have a good 4 inches already, and this is at approx 6:45 am! So, I guess we are getting that lovely blizzard that they were talking about. I sort of love snow, but what I don't love is hearing my mom. Say, "I told you so!"

Pictures will come as soon as I wake up fully and get us all outside!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Loving my new layout. :)

There is a lot I want to fix a little more with the layout, but overall I am really liking this!  It just feels a lot more organized than my previous layout.  The only downside about all of this, was the fact that when I changed my layout I did something stupid and deleted ALL of my sidebar widgets.  I feel that the way my sidebar widgets look now, and are organized, really makes the entire thing look so much better.  I feel like it's easier on the eyes. 

The snow is coming and has started already.  It started around 7:30 PM in and around the city.  It's insane.  It wasn't supposed to start until after midnight, but it came in early.  I guess it really is going to be as bad as they say it is!!  As long as Thursday/Friday/Saturday is ok for driving!  I have big plans all three days. :)  I will definitely take pictures of how much snow we have in the morning.  I'll do it as soon as I wake up, in fact!
I have one complaint:  I went to Kohls today to see if I could get a shirt that I had passed up the last time.  However, I didn't go to the one in Staten Island that I went to when I saw it.  The shirt turned out to be on clearance at the store I went to, but it was $10 more expensive!  In Staten Island it was $5.50 and in Jersey City, it was $15.50!  I can't believe that the clearance prices vary so much from store to store!  Definitely not going back to Newport Centre again to go to Kohls!  That frustrated me!

Excitement is growing for moving... Honestly!  I've started putting down what I want to do with my room and the girls room.  I want to paint my walls a light pink, more mature than the dark pink is now.  I'm going to keep my bed, I believe, but I need a new wardrobe/dresser for my room.  The one I have is falling apart terribly!  I can't wait to get rid of it! lol :)  My TV, I'm going to have to get another wall mount.  I doubt I can unscrew this one and take it with me.  The room I'm moving into is slightly larger...not by much!  

Feb 9, 2010

TMI Tuesday questions. :D


1. LUST: Besides your current Significant Other who do you lust for or have you lusted for?  I have a crush on one actor at the moment.  His name is Tim Young and I think he is gorgeous and very talented. :)  That is my one main crush, at the moment.

2. GLUTTONY: What food brings out your inner glutton?
Pizza...fo'sho!!  Especially pizza hut stuffed crust pizza!!

3. GREED: What are you greedy for?
I don't know if I'm greedy, but whenever I feel down I feel like I have to go shopping and get things for myself.  Such as clothes, shoes, makeup, books, etc...  I'm finding that's a pretty common addiction around women...

4. SLOTH: What is your plan for an ideal day of sloth? 
From what I remember in school, that pretty much means needing some effort to help get going and get on with your day.  That's pretty much my everyday.  I never have the effort to actually get up on my own. lol 

5. WRATH: Describe a time that you let out a can of whoop ass on someone. 
I'm too sweet and have too much of a conscience to go and do that. lol  Although,  I have screamed at my ex fiance just because he hurt me so badly...  It was just a screaming match. 

6. ENVY: Who or what do you envy? Why?
I envy people who are beautiful with perfect hair and bodies.  That's basically all I envy.  I don't envy people who are rich, because they're hardly ever happy.  But I do envy beautiful people.

7. PRIDE: Have you ever had to swallow your pride? What are you proud of?  I've had to swallow my pride a lot lately.  I'm proud of the fact that I have become such a stronger person throughout all of the challenges my family and I have had to face lately.

-- I have a lot of errands to do before it starts to snow... I have pictures to post later. :D