Baby Play Date-Gracen and Ivan!

Wordless Wednesday!

What does this phrase mean to you? "A closed mouth will NEVER get fed"

Double Rainbow. Wow! Very Cool!

FEELING LIKE THE WORST MOM ON THE PLANET NEWS...

So in FEELING LIKE THE WORST MOM ON THE PLANET NEWS...The school bus arrived 10 minutes EARLY today. All of the kids in our neighborhood (ages 5-8) WALKED halfway home after school. Excuse me while I go and die from mommy guilt. *ripping up the application for Mother of the Year Award*

HAHHAHAAHHAHA and I love how the UNFOLDED laundry is just chilling in the background.  I am DONE DONE DONE.  Good Night.

Flashback Fridays!

It's the WEEKEND!

Have FUN!!!!

Impromptu photo shoot

Stay tuned for more photos by Crystal Belle Photography.

Wordless Wednesday

He didn't want it

Daily Update: DJ jad a nice first day of school. I was proud of the lunch I sent him with. He didn't like it. He said he only ate the pretzels and drank the juice. Lunch: pretzel sticks, fruit slices, turkey/cheese sandwich Thumbs down in his book! My new idea was to ask him what he wants for lunch and he said nothing. Well excuse me! Lunch is important. You can't survive on air. Help! What are some lunch ideas you can share with me?

Gracen and the Dinner protest!

Mac & cheese w/ mixed veggies! She threw the hot dog slices on the floor in protest! I guess she's a vegetarian now! 4 more days! 4 more days!

I want daddy!

Ok, so apparently he gives DJ a late night snack after hours. Since he's out of town this week, DJ woke me up to make him a snack! I said I never heard of this late night snack business and he said because you're always sleeping so daddy makes it for me! Wow! Thanks DJ. I feel so special. 4 more days to go! 4 more days to go!

In the mix

The boys are having a Wii competion. Check out G in the mix. You can't tell her she's not playing. Too Funny!!!

Ugh!

I thought it was a good idea to organize the bookshelf in the playroom! NOT!!!!

Baby girl

She has been carrying around this doll all day! Too cute!

Easy to give, hard to receive.

Asking for help is the hardest thing for me! I am the first one to offer my help to the world but the last to ever ask for help!
Have you ever experienced this?

Have you ever had the flu? How long did it last? What are your remedies for getting rid of the flu?

Ebeanstalk Toy Review-Connecta Straws (Ages 6 and up)

We were sent the Connecta Straws to review from the Ebeanstalk website. This toy is intended for ages 6 and up.After working through the projects with my son, I think he will be ready to use this product once he's around 8 years old because of the complexity of the toy which contained over 200 pieces.
This will make a great stocking stuffer when he gets a little older and when he's able to read and follow directions without assistance from us.
Be sure to never allow children under the age of 6 around this toy. There are very small pieces that can be swallowed if a child isn't properly supervised when this toy is in a play area.

Our baby girl thought it was a fun free for all time once all of the pieces made it to the middle of the floor.

YIKES!
Overall, I think the toy is very helpful with teaching kids how to use their flexible thinking caps to create different shapes and art pieces with the materials provided.

From the website: Connecta Straws help kids develop their creativity while teaching a variety of skills required for math, physics, geometry, and more. A wide variety of interesting models and designs may be constructed by connecting straws. Each set contains over 200 pieces of flexible plastic straws, connectors, wheels and building rings. It′s hard to find good gifts for 6 year olds, but this toy is one of the greatest!

I really enjoy working with Ebeanstalk because their website has an extensive breakdown of the specific toys you're looking for in all age categories. It takes the guesswork out of choosing the right toy for your child or gifts for other children.

Thank You again Ebeanstalk for another fantastic opportunity to review your products. We are looking forward to working with your company in the near future.

Disclosure:
Ebeanstalk is a toy website that does their best to provide you with the best toys out there. They like to stay informed about the best learning toys and toys by age by having people like me and you tell them about their favorites! We were provided the Connecta Straws for the sole purpose of reviewing and posting our thoughts on the products. We were not financially compensated for this post.

Likes when someone posts an item they need & it's an item I have & no longer need! #freecyclerocks!

Family Skating party at Landmark Fun Center $3/child. Parents skate FREE! Tonight. 5:45-8pm.

Rosie O'Donnell will make a surprise return to Drop Dead Diva tonight on Lifetime (9pm ET/PT).

WWYD? Move or Leave?

Move her back to the sleep mat OR leave her alone?

Family Day Luau

Today was Family Day on base for the Marine families! Check out Gracen. Catching a cool breeze! DJ was having a blast on the water slide! Thank You to all of the Organizer's for a job well done. The Marine Wives Hula Dancers did an outstanding job on their performances.

Flashback Fridays!

This photo was taken in 1998. I remember this day because it was our first official week moving to California. We have great memories of the three of us living in that crazy hotel room for a month waiting for our house to be ready! We love the military life. There's never a dull moment! I just realized we were wearing the same shirts. I wonder if people thought we were corny back then! I know our daughter did! Hahhaha!!! Awwww :). We miss you Poochie!!!! Enjoy California! We miss living there!!!!

The Red Dot Boutique never disappoints!

DJ passed the Kindergarten assessment today. He will officially start school in 2 weeks. YES!!!

DJ's Craft from church. Very Cool!!

The Crew!

DJ and his friends had a lot of fun playing together today.

Crayola Color Wonder Summer Travel Imagination pack review/giveaway

Summertime is in full effect and this means we need extra entertainment for the little ones. I got the pleasure of receiving the Crayola Color Wonder "Summer Travel Imagination" pack to review. The prize pack included a Color Wonder Lap Desk, Color Wonder Finger Paint & Paper, Color Wonder Markers and Paper, Color Wonder Stow & Go Studio and Color Wonder Story Stamper.  This is just in time for all the day trips we take together as a family as well as the super hot days we spend at home. The great part is that Color Wonder products leave no mess in the mini van or on the carpet. This gets my seal of approval any day!! 

Crayola provided you with the products, information, and giveaway through

* Crayola Color Wonder Lap Desk provides a large, hard-top surface for kids to create on the go. The sturdy desk has a built-in handle and a soft detachable pillow that can be used as a storage unit for Color Wonder markers and paper. The Lap Desk is equipped with 12 re-stickable pieces of Color Wonder paper to keep kids´ drawings in place and 5 Color Wonder mess-free mini markers in red, orange, yellow, green and blue.

* Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaints & Paper make the once impossible possible - fingerpainting in the car! The set includes clear, fast-drying gels that feel just like traditional fingerpaint. The set comes with 5 mess-free colors (red, yellow, green, blue and orange) in a hand-shaped storage container, a built-in finger cleaning sponge and 12 extra-wide sheets of Color Wonder paper. When kids are finished painting, they simply snap the fingerprint lids closed and paint stays fresh and ready to use again!

* Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Paper includes 5 Color Wonder markers and a 24-page Color Wonder drawing pad where your kids can create anything they want while you´re on the road!

* Crayola Color Wonder Stow & Go Studio provides a solid, compact drawing surface with stay-put clips that can secure a single piece of paper or an entire Color Wonder activity book. Kids will enjoy creating with mess-free Color Wonder markers that make colors magically appear on special paper and reveal special hidden surprises.

* Crayola Color Wonder Story Stampers includes 5 Color Wonder markers in red, blue, green, purple and orange, a Color Wonder stamp pad, 6 sea creature stamps, and an 18-page coloring pad with undersea background settings. Each setting is unique, so every page will inspire a different fish tale just waiting to be told! Kids´ imaginations will take them beneath the sea as they stamp color sea creatures using the colorless Color Wonder stamp pad to create innovative stories and scenarios then can then color in. It's like high tide for your imagination!
You can download a $1.00 coupon here.
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How would you like to win your very own Crayola Color Wonder Summer Travel pack? Well you are in luck, I have one prize pack to give away to one lucky reader. Here's how to enter: *Mandatory- Please leave a comment (include your email) telling me what you would do with the prize pack if you win.

Want extra entries?
~you can "like" Crayola on Facebook
~you can Tweet this giveaway (once daily) Example: Win a Crayola Color Wonder prize pack @tanyetta and #mbspark
~Grab my button and leave me your link.
Good luck! Contest ends on Monday, August 23 USA Residents Only.
Disclosure: Crayola provided me with the products, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark.

Pinch Me!

I was given this perfect opportunity to attend a very fancy conference!   My husband was happy for my chance to get away because he knows about my passion for the conference and he's holding down the forte!

The first person I called after telling my household about this fantastic opportunity was my Mother In Law.  She was so excited and said that blessings will chase after you because of your good heart.

She truly believes in me and it feels so good to know that my family will always support all of my dreams and endeavors.

Well, people I need to pack and get ready for my trip.  Hope you're having a great weekend!

I wanted to post one of my favorite photos of DJ and his friend Mackenna.  This one always brings a smile to my face!

Enjoy.

Military Family & Friends Potluck Event!

We had a great turnout for today's Potluck. 30 adults and 28 kids! Woo Hoo!!!! Reminder: The Military Family and Friends Pot Luck Dinner will be held the last Saturday of every month at Corry Station Pensacola Chapel Fellowship Hall. Time: 5-7pm. Please bring your family and friends and a dish to share. Free. This is not a religious event. Hope to see you there. For more information, contact Tanyetta or Laura.

Who needs toys?

When you can take and shake your moms kotex supply!!!!