Identity protection

If you were following my blog this summer than you know what we went through with someone stealing our debit card number.

Since then I have been extra careful with how I handle my card.

Recently I have been thinking it's time to get some type of identity protection.

I recently came across one that sounds very promising.

Once my husband gets back we will talk more seriously about it.

But for those of you who are looking for the same make sure you check this one out.

http://clicks2offers.go2jump.org/aff_c?offer_id=145&aff_id=6103

Have a great day!

Kids photo contest

Looking to put your child in a cute kid contest?

I just found this one.

http://clicks2offers.go2jump.org/aff_c?offer_id=148&aff_id=6103

Freebie alert: Bounce

Have you gotten your free samples of Bounce products yet?

If not be sure to do it soon.

http://clicks2offers.go2jump.org/aff_c?offer_id=138&aff_id=6103

It's time to do me...

After a lot of thought I know why I haven't been happy in a long time.

My life is defined by being a wife and mother.

But there is so much more to who I am.

Don't get me wrong I love my husband and kids.

But I need to feel like I am doing more.

So last week I decided it is time to go back to work.

I found out writing a resume isn't as easy as I thought.

But I got it done and scoured the Internet for jobs.

And now I have a phone interview today.

And got an email about setting up an interview with a great company later this week.

So that's what has been going on with me.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Have a great day :)



Thursday Blog Hops!

It's been a while since I've done any blog hopping.

Have fun and hopefully we will all find some new blogs we like!



Did you go shopping on Black Friday?

Every year I look forward to Black Friday shopping.

This year another Marine Wife and I went together.

We had an amazing babysitter who stayed with our kids for 11 hours.

First stop was Toys R Us at 9pm

We were there a long time but I got almost everything I wanted.

Then we stopped and got coffee before hitting Old Navy at Midnight.

I found some amazing deals. I saved twice what I spent.

I mean who can pass up nice scarfs for only $1

I bought them for all the neighborhood girls.

Then we hit Target and it was the biggest Target I've ever been in. It was 2 stories and even had an escalator for your cart.

Then we ate at Denny's, went to the Christmas Tree Shop and hit The exchange on base on our way home.

Over all it was exhausting but I had a blast and finished so much shopping.

Best part is I saved more than I spent!!!

A Soldiers Christmas

This weekend the kids and I sat down to write their Christmas lists.

My 9 year old son had a very short list.


I asked him why that is and what he said broke my heart.


He said "there is one thing I REALLY want but I know I won't get it"


When I asked what that is he said "for dad to come home".

Now I knew the holidays would be hard for us this year.

What I didn't know was exactly how hard.

Of all the things that hurt, watching my kids hurt is the worst.

I know it is hard for us and that got me thinking about my husband and the other members of our military who won't be here for Christmas.

I know that many of them won't admit it but I am sure it's even harder for them.

My kids and I have each other but my husband will be all alone.

Another family and I are sending a box of decorations to our guys and hopefully that will lift their moods a little during this hard time.

A lot of people have asked me what they can do for me.

If you are one of the few who want to help please email me at AJellyBean83(at)yahoo(dot)com

I would love it if we could get together a bunch of cards and letters to send to my husbands unit.

Thank you all who have left me so many kind words during this tough time.

This is a song says exactly what my kids are going through right now.

 

**Heelys Review**

My son has been begging for a pair of Heelys and when I got the chance to review a pair I jumped right on it.

We received the Heelys Double threat:

At first I was very skeptic thinking my son would break an arm or something.

He is a bit of a klutz and I being the over protective parent wanted no part of shoes with wheels in them.

When my son open the box and saw his Heelys the look on his face was priceless.

Not only are they "fun" but they are versatile and cute.

I mean seriously look at these awesome style for adult and kids alike!

Heelys are tennis shoes with a removable wheel in the heel.

You use them by shifting your weight to the heel of the shoe.

They come with a special tool for popping the wheels out.

I've found it best to take the wheels out on a regular basis so dirt doesn't get clogged in them.

Interested in learning how to use them? Go here and watch the how to video

My son has so much fun in these shoes I can barely get him out of them.

I think with a little more practice he will be doing tricks in no time!

With Christmas coming up I think Heelys will make a great gift.

Where to buy:

You can buy Heelys at many retailers

or buy online from the Heelys Shop

Don't miss any Heelys news stay up to date on your favorite social site.

Heelys on Facebook

Heelys on Twitter

Heelys Black Friday special!!!
November 25th until November 28th
Buy a pair of Heelys and get the second pair for $25
Or buy a Nano and get a pair of shoes for $25
AND get free shipping on all orders!

As a member of  Business to Blogger I received and pair of Heelys for free in exchange for a review. All opinions in the this review are that of my own and have not been swayed by anyone or anything.

Veterans Day what does it mean to you?

This Friday the 11th is Veterans Day!

Veterans Day is one of those "small" holidays that mean a lot to my family.

Many of you will be out shopping Veterans Day sales.

And many more will be out going along their day the same as they did the day before.

So my question is what does Veterans Day mean to you?

Is it something you discuss with your kids?

This year Veterans Day will hit home a little more than usual.

With this being my husbands 5th deployment (first since we've been married) I will be taking extra time to thank him and all service members past and present.

 I will be out of town but will be making cards with non military kids and teaching them the meaning of Veterans Day.

Because to me Veterans Day is a time to remember those who selflessly sacrifice so the rest of us don't have to.

So I challenge all of you to take the time to thank someone you know who serves or has served our country.

And if you are feeling really helpful please think about donating to the USO.

The USO offers so many wonderful programs for our service members.

Christmas cash event sign ups!

I know during the holidays everyone can use

a little extra cash.

I am currently excepting bloggers for this

                                                wonderful event.

There are very easy on the wallet ways to be a 

part of this Cash event.

$5 for 1 social media site

$10 for 2 sites

$15 for 3 sites

$20 for 4

$5 each for any additional sites.

All money from this event is going to the cash prize.

I am volunteering my time for this event.

This event will run from December 1st through December 10th.

Payment for this event can be sent through paypal

to kriswhite82@gmail.com

then click here to sign up with your sites. 

Sign ups will close on November 25th to ensure we have time

to get the giveaway all ready.

The more blogs that participate the higher the cash payout will be.

This is a great way to increase followers

and the perfect time to join in an event.

This event is being held by Our Crazy Bunch and Confessions of a Marine Wife.

Welcome to the $125 Christmas Toy Giveaway! Winner will receive a LEGO Ultimate Building Set ($24), Barbie Princess Playset ($40), KidKraft Metal Accessories Set ($24) and two Pillow Pets ($40) shipped directly to their home OR they can opt for a $125 Amazon gift card or Paypal cash. Winner will be chosen by random.org.

To enter, simply follow each of us via Google Friend Connect using the Rafflecopter form below! Giveaway starts 10/24 at 12:00 am EST and ends 11/6 at 11:59 pm EST.

Note regarding double entries: We know that many of our readers enter multiple giveaways a day and sometimes lose track of which ones they've entered. If you should happen to enter twice by accident or on separate blogs, this will NOT disqualify you. At the end of the giveaway all double entries are deleted so that each person has only one set of entries. This is to ensure that all entrants have a fair chance at being chosen as the winner.

Don't forget that there are several daily entry opportunities as well, so bookmark this giveaway and come back every day to claim yours!

Good luck!

Monday Blog hops and a Deployment update.

I've been able to communicate with my husband almost every day which is making this a little easier.

The kids are still having a bit of a hard times but that's to be expected.

My son's birthday is coming up in a few days and he is heartbroken that his dad won't be here.

More than that though I think it's even harder on my husband.

I'm making a huge deal out of this party and plan on taking a ton of pictures.

So expect to be over loaded with pictures this weekend!

Now on to the blog hops. Happy Monday and have fun making new bloggy friends

Weekend blog hops!

If you are new to my blog make sure you enter my Freschetta prize pack giveaway

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

A Halloween birthday party!!!

My son's Halloween themed Birthday party next week and I need some major help.

I am wanting to do some fun but easy finger foods and am at a loss for ideas.

It's an early evening party.

So I am hoping some of my bloggy friends can help me out.

What kind of fun finger foods would you have at a kids party?

There will be a wide range of ages.

The food doesn't need to be Halloween themes because everything else will be.

Thank you all ahead of time and I look forward to hearing everyones advice.

Freschetta's proud to support pink **Giveaway**

October is Breast cancer awareness month and Freschetta is doing their part to support this great cause.

But the can't do it without us.

Through October 31st when you buy specially marked Freschetta pizzas and Artisan pizzas you will find a code that you can enter at http://www.proudtosupportpink.com/

For every code that is entered Freschetta will be donating $1 to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer center.

They are trying to reach a goal of $50,000

And if that's not great you will love the fact that they are giving away 50 pink Ipod shuffles every week on the site.

And they will be donating another 50 pink ipod shuffles to four cancer centers in america each week.

You can learn more about this program at:

http://www.proudtosupportpink.com/

http://www.facebook.com/freschettapizza

THE GIVEAWAY:

1 winner will win a prize pack which will include

A coupon for Freschetta pizza

 2 pairs of pink headphones, one for you and one to share

I received the same prize pack as above in exchange for an honest post about the Proud to support pink campaign. All opinions in the review belong to only me.

Please make a fallen Marines last wish come true!!!

Marine SSGT Thomas Dudley was KIA in July of 2011.

He had been in the process of adopting his step daughter Taylor.

To him she was already his daughter and they both wanted to make it legal.

There is a petition to help this family make this fallen Marines last wish come true.

So I am asking for you all to go here and sign it if you believe it is the right thing to do.

And when you are done make sure you stop by his wife's blog and show her some support.

RIP

SSGT Thomas Dudley USMC

Gone but never forgotten

Friday Blog Hops!





My little girl isn't a baby anymore WHAT???

This week I have realized my two year old is no longer a baby.

She has become a very independent little person.

How did this little girl who needed me so much only yesterday grow up in the blink of an eye?

She wakes up every morning and walks down the stairs with her blankie and says "mommy breakfast?"

I should be ecstatic about this but a huge part of me is very sad.

As parents it is bittersweet watching our babies grow up.

The problem is that she is growing so much while my husband is gone.

I try my best to tell him everything she is learning and doing, but these things only happen once and we can't change that.

Rather than continuing to be sad about this I a going to put all my energy into making an amazing scrapbook of all the things she is doing while he is away!

Monday Blog Hops!







 

Thinking about Christmas already!

It's almost that time of the year and I am super excited!!!

I have a major obsession with holidays traditions especially Christmas.

It all starts in the fall with deciding on Christmas cards.

This year I will be getting mine through Tiny Prints.

With so many wonderful shapes and styles to choose from we can all send out the perfect card this year.

Who can resists these beautiful cards?

The circles cards are so cute and have so many options to choose from.

And a pop up card? I never even knew it was possible to get a custom pop up card!

I am still deciding which one will be perfect for my family.

With my husband gone this year I have decided to use a picture from the day he left.

After all he's a part of this family and I want it to be special even if we have to celebrate without him.

So what is your favorite holiday tradition?

Do you send out cards?

I would love to hear what all my readers think about the new Tiny Prints Holiday line.

This is a sponsored post by Tiny Prints and I will be receiving a code for free cards in return for my honest review. All opinions in the post are that of my own.

Thursday Blog Hops!



Great deal I found at CVS

I happened to go in CVS today and found an amazing deal.

There was a display in the middle of the store full of Pamper's swim diapers.

They are regular $12.99 each.

They were on sale for 90% off with your CVS card.

That made them $1.29!!!

I bought two packs but might go back tomorrow and pick up some as gifts.

They also had the large rubbermaid bins on sale for $3 and some change. Not sure of the exact amount.

Have you found any great deals lately?

Please share I love hearing that we are all saving money.

Wednesday blog hops!



Party planning at it's finest

I'm that mom who always goes over board with any party I plan.

My son's birthday is next month and I am going crazy already.

With my husband gone I feel the need to make this party the best yet for my son.

Being as his Birthday is so close to Halloween we always have a Halloween party.

The kids wear costumes and we have a blast.

This year we are planning on doing games which we haven't done in the past.

I am hoping my readers can give me some ideas on fun Halloween games we could play.

My son is turning nine but the ages of kids attending range from one to fifteen.

Please, please, please share your ideas!

Thank you all.

Monday Blog hops!

Welcome to my blog, if you would like me to follow you back please leave a link to your blog!

Happy Monday :)

Sunday Blog hops!

Wow it's been a while since I did any blog hopping.

If you are new here and would like me to follow you back please leave me a link to your blog.

Happy Hopping!!!





Who doesn't love some Pampered Chef?

Today I had a Pampered Chef party (my second one this year).

I have to admit it has become a bit of an obsession of mine.

Not only do the have functional kitchenware but they are a great quality.

I love anything bamboo and their new bamboo collection is absolutely amazing.

Serisously don't these just look amazing!

The medium bamboo bowl

The bamboo tool turn about

The spoons (which I already have)

I can't wait to get all my new stuff in the mail.

Have you ever bought anything from pampered chef?

If you are interested in purchasing from Pampered Chef I am leaving my party open for orders until the 28th and you can order online.

Please contact me for the link.

And if you live in MA I have a great consultant who can help you book your own party.

20 minutes a day

I haven't been blogging lately and that's because things have been hectic.

The hubby is able to call almost everyday but sadly he only gets 20 minutes at most.

He is waiting in line for two hours just to hear our voices for 20 minutes.

Because he has to wait so long I have not let my phone leave my side.

I feel like a crazy person!!!

I've never been so happy to have a smart phone.

I find myself waking up in the middle of the night checking emails on my phone.

I have never sent out so many emails and letters in my life.

But I believe we are starting to get back into a semi normal routine.

I'd also like to give thanks to all the great people who have been there during that tough time.

You know who you are and I appreciate my true friends more than anything.

Deployment update

      I'm sure you have all been wondering how things are going. The hubby is finally in Afghanistan and has been for a few days :( Even though we had four months of him being in Cali it doesn't make this any easier.

     So here are the things I have learned this past week

#1 Do NOT watch the news... it will scared the day lights out of you and you will not get any sleep!

#2 It really is ok to cry ( just don't do it in front of the kids)

#3 Though our family will try to understand they never will so if you need to vent it's best to use  another mil spouse.

#4 He won't be able to call everyday so if you don't hear from him don't freak out. (yeah it's hard to do but worrying gets us nowhere)

#5 Last (but most important) write a lot of letters and emails. Take to many pictures and enjoy the only way we can share things while he is over there.

I hope you are all doing well. We are getting by and are doing our best to get in a routine here now that the summer is over and school has started back up. I never realized how much my hubby helps me until he left.

Wednesday blog hops!

Welcome to my blog.

If you would like me to follow you back please leave me a link to your blog.

While you are here check out my $25 ITunes giftcard giveaway.

Happy hopping

Bittersweet

This weekend I had the chance to fly my husband home for a few days.

As great as it has been he will be leaving soon which makes for many mixed emotions.

Many people think I am crazy for flying him home, but I appreciate any time we can have with him.

He will be leaving Cali for Afghanistan soon and the length of his deployment is still up in the air.

After today I will be back to my normal blogging and have a lot to catch up on.

Everyone have a great day and if your hubby is around be sure to appreciate every moment you get.

$25 ITunes Gift card giveaway ** ENDS 9/3**

I have been absent from my blog lately and wanted to say thank you to all of you whom have stuck around during this crazy time in my life.

So as a way to say thank you I am giving away a $25 ITunes gift card to one lucky winner.

How to enter:

Do the mandatory entry first and all others are optional. Be sure to leave me an email address so I can contact you if you win. The giveaway will end on 9/3.

Mandatory Entry:

Follow my blog via GFC (right side bar)

Extra Entries:

Enter this giveaway into a giveaway linky and leave me a link where to find it (+3)

Follow me on Twitter (+1)

Follow me on Facebook (+1)

Blog about this Giveaway (+5)

This giveaway is sponsored 100% by me and is in no way affiliated with ITunes. The giveaway will end at 11:59 EST on 9/3/2011. The winner will be chosen using random.org and will have 48 hours to respond.

Friday Blog hops!!!



Semper Wife Shop review and **giveaway** ends 8/17

Semper Wifey Shop

I had the opportunity to review the military themed note cards from Semper Wifey's etsy Shop.

I've been following her blog for a while and must say her note cards are as much fun as her blog.

As military spouses we are always looking for a little humor to get us through the tough times and these cards might be just what you have been looking for.

With the "little green army men" as the theme of these card they are perfect for any branch of military.

I am sure those of you who are not military can find a humorous way to use these also.

I received three different cards all of which are blank on the inside so anything can be written in them.

My plans for these cards are for my son to send little notes to daddy during this deployment.

Not only will it be fun for my son I am sure they will put a smile on my hubby's face when he gets them.

Semper Wifey has been gracious enough to offer my readers a 15% discount code plus free shipping good until tomorrow evening.

Use: SEMPER15

And if that is not enough one lucky winner will receive the same set of note cards that I did.

How to Enter:
You must do the Mandatory entry first all other entries are optional.
You must leave you email in at least one entry so I can contact you if you win.

Mandatory Entry:
Visit Semper Wifey's shop and tell me which style of card is your favorite.

Extra Entries:
Follow me via GFC (+2)
Follow me on Facebook (+1)
Follow me on Twitter (+1)
Tweet about this giveaway (+1) can be done daily
Add this giveaway in a linky and leave me the url to it (+3)
Blog about this giveaway (+5)

This giveaway will end on 8/17 at 11:59pm EST. This giveaway was sponsored by the Semper Wifey shop on etsy.


 I received the above named product to review and give my honest opinion.
I was not monetarily compensated for this review and all statement are 100% my own opinion.

Link up Thursday is back!

After a long break Link up Thurday is back!

<br><a href="http://themizenfamily.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" border="0"><img src="http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z374/AJellyBean83/bloghop.jpg" /></a><BR><br>

The rules:


Place the Link up Thursday button somewhere on your blog. In a post or a side bar.

Follow me your host.

Add your blog to the list and have fun hopping.

Potty training = a crazy mommy!!!

Potty training in my house is a disaster.

My two year old is more than ready but way to stubborn.

She wants to wear panties so we have tried that.

She will sit on the potty for what seems like forever but rarely does anything.

Then as soon as she starts running around playing things just start flowing!

I have mopped up so many puddles that I'm about to lose my mind.

Although when she does it she starts crying and saying "yucky".

Anyone got any advice?

I'm willing to try anything at this point.

Sunday Blog Hops!

If this is your first time visiting my blog please leave me a link to your blog if you would like me to follow you back.

Happy Hopping!

 

Long awaited post!

Between Internet issues and my hubby being home for 6 days I have been MIA.

I know you are all wanting to know how we spent our 6 days together.

I can't exactly tell you all that... this is a family friendly blog after all.

The day he came home we had planned for a friend to pick him up from the airport.

Little did he know I was going with her to surprise him.

I was in such a hurry to see him as you can see.

Mean while my son was at home thinking I was out running errands.

I came home and had someone tell him to help me get stuff out of the car.

He walked out acting all mad that he had to help and walked right past his dad at first.

Obviously he realized he was there and got super excited.

Next we went in the house and my little girl couldn't believe daddy was here.

That's enough for tonight look for a future post with plenty more pictures.

Recap 2 months

It's been two months and one day since the hubby left.

 

Today was my birthday, but great friends made it a good day.

 

The only thing that could have made it better would be to have my hubby home.

 

I got to thinking about how fast these past two months have gone by.

 

I have made it through Mother's Day, Memorial Day, My daughter's birthday, our anniversary and now my birthday.

 

In less than a week I will finally be able to hold my husband in my arms again.

 

As great as that is it will be bitter sweet because he will only be home for six days :(

 

I knew this deployment would be hard but I must admit that it has made me realize I am a much stronger person than I ever thought I was.

 

I have learned that no matter how bad of a day I am having then next day is a fresh start.

 

Time goes fast and we need to remember to take it all in and make good memories even during the hard times.

 

Next week while my hubby is home I plan on laughing until I cry, crying until I laugh, staying up late and getting up early.

 

And of course taking way to many pictures.

 

Wasted time is time we can never get back so go out tomorrow and remember to live life to the fullest and be grateful for all the people in your life.

 

 

Kidzikoo review and giveaway!!! (ENDS 7/7)

The Kidzikoo is a new way to insulate you child's cup in style.

This neoprene koozie for kids is just what I've been looking for

The stats:

Keeps drinks cold or warm longer

Machine washable

Fits most 8-12 ounce cups

soaks up that nasty condensation on you child's cup

keeps little hands dry

With 5 fabulous print choices you are sure to find one your child will love.

We received the Kidzikoo in the Lucia Print (owls)

Not only is it cute but it comes in a cute package that anyone would love as a gift.

The Kidzikoo fits on both style of cups we own.

Now that we have the kidzikoo we don't plan on going anywhere without it. I love that the Kidzikoo is a cute and useful product. I no longer worry about taking milk in the car for my little girl. Anything that makes a happy baby makes for a happy mommy!

Buy it:

visit

Kidzikoo

Win in:

One lucky reader will win their own Kidzikoo.

How to enter:

Please leave you email in a least one of your entries.

If a form of entry says it's worth more than 1 entry you must leave that many comments in order to get credit.

Mandatory Entry:

Follow my blog via GFC and tell me what your favorite Kidzikoo print is.

Extra Entries:

Follow me on Twitter (+2)

"Like" me on Facebook (+2)

Like Kidzikoo on Facebook (+1)

Follow Kidzikoo on Twitter (+1)

Blog about this giveaway (+3)

Add this giveaway in a Linky (+2)

This giveaway is open to US residents and will end on July 7th at 11:59 EST. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before another is chosen.

This giveaway is sponsored by Kidzikoo.

I received one Kidzikoo in exchange for my honest opinion and did not receive any other compensation.

All opinions are just that my own personal opinion.