Every year, just like most of you, I make a New Years resolution. Sometimes it works out and sometimes I give up before I’ve even started. This year I’ve contemplated A LOT about what I really want to accomplish this year. I have had a lot of drama in my life lately. 2011 was not a good year to say the least. I kept taking in the positive though and moving forward. I actually accomplished my goals these last few years and this year I want it to be the same, except my main goal is very different, and maybe some might think a tad bit selfish.

This year, as a New Years resolution I want to put me first just a little more. I give a lot to others and I don’t take much. In fact some people might find it crazy to know that I haven’t had my hair cut at a salon in more than 21 years. I’ve never had a manicure or a pedicure. I’ve never been to a spa. Up until last year I was literally wearing the same pair of Nike’s that my mom had bought me for Christmas over 10 years ago! They were still in great shape believe it or not and it took A LOT of effort on my part to lift my fingers to the keyboard and order a new pair of sneakers. I hate spending money on myself. Hate it.

In the past year I took up smoking again, and quit again, for GOOD even though the odds were against me. I didn’t gain 1 single pound the entire year. I managed to keep this blog somewhat together and build an amazing following of women on Facebook. I ditched the negative friends who weren’t headed in the right place and I reconnected with an old friend who is, and together we forgave our problems of the past. I fixed up my house to make it a little more of my own, and I worked worked worked in my spare time on giveaways and reviews just for that little bit extra that might help my own family and any other needy families…… but… I stopped my personal posts.. I forgot about me.. my feelings, my needs.. I didn’t even post Xmas pictures of my kids!! on my own blog… I kept it all inside, I internalized it.

Now, it’s time to work on ME. Just a little bit at a time. This year will be great. I’m going to give birth to a baby girl, my last baby.. my last chance to live in that miraculous moment that every woman should get to experience. I’m going to get myself together, and I’m going to continue to rid myself of any negative in my life. I’m going to continue to move forward and strive for all that I want for myself and my children. I’m going to be happy with the little things. I am going to be me again. The real me. Why? Because when you feel good about yourself inside and out and acknowledge all that you can accomplish in life, you give your own self strength to continue on your journey, whatever journey that may be. It’s great when other people lift you up and help you along, but it’s even greater when you can accept yourself and all that you are worth. When you truly love yourself and are true to yourself. I want that!

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Disclosure: This is a monetarily compensated post from Trop50. All resolutions & opinions are my own.

Little girl.  She was confirmed by Amnio just last month.   Yes, I’ve been hiding this for quite some time. I surprised even myself. I’m already 19 weeks.

Because Aidan, my 16 month old son was born with the cord around his neck, a true knot (which only happens in 1% of pregnancies), merconium…. and especially because I’m now past the age of 35 I decided to get Amnio and wait until the results to announce my pregnancy,  Everything looks good so far and all the tests came back fine.

So I can’t believe it…  I just can’t believe I’ll have a baby girl!  I am the only blood girl on my Dad’s side of the family in the past 50 years or so.. no joke. Ironically my sister-in-law is due with a baby girl in May so that poo poo’s my Dad’s saying of “It’s a boys club only”.

Overall guys.. I just can’t believe I have a baby girl on the way after spending the past almost 4 yrs with 2 little boys!! I’m so freaked out!

So now you know why I’ve been so quiet these past few months on my blog. I suffered from horrible morning sickness (better known as ALL DAY sickness) up until just a few weeks ago.  Hope you’ll forgive me.

Have I told you yet that I’m a secret foodie? Of course I did. Well tonight I’m going to share one of my favorite recipes with you. Rosa Marina Soup. It’s a delicious tomato basil soup that can be cooked like a soup or a pasta dish to make it easier for small kids to eat. (Let’s just be truthful, pasta = less messy than soup!) It’s also very cheap to make.

Just recently I was contacted by a representative of Red Gold Tomatoes and asked if I’d like to try some of their new products & participate in a small contest they have going on. They will be inviting bloggers to the Taste of the NFL. a fund-raising, food and wine tasting event  the weekend of the Super Bowl. The bloggers will also be invited to the Red Gold Tomatoes headquarters to learn all about growing and cooking exceptional tomatoes.

So what makes me so interested in this? Well, it’s not the NFL to be truthful.  I’m hoping to learn quickly since I have 2 sons though! It’s more the fact that some of Red Gold tomatoes are actually grown in Michigan (the great state where I live) and Taste of the NFL raises money for food banks across the country, including Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan.  I love giving back in any way I can and I love buying local.

Now I’d like to set something straight before I go any further. I’m all about fresh food and supporting local farms. In the summertime we get almost all of our fruit & veggies at a local stand, but in the winter I rely on canned tomatoes, like Red Gold. It’s fast, convenient, and because they’re packed at their peak they’re just as delicious as fresh.

So, let’s get down to this delicious recipe. Shall we?

Rosa Marina Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Butter Or Margarine
1 Sm Onion; Finely Chopped
1 Rib Celery; Finely Chopped 
2 Cloves of Garlic; Minced (I use organic pureed squeeze garlic)
1 Can Red Gold Tomatoes with Basil in Puree (28 Oz)
1 C Uncooked Orzo (Rosa Marina)
1 Tsp Salt (more or less to taste)

1 Tsp Pepper

2 C Warm Milk

Makes approximately 6-8 servings. (full bowls!)

We start out with Orzo pasta. If you’re not familiar with it you can find it in the imported food area of your local grocery store, not the pasta sauce aisle.

• Measure out a cup
• Cook orzo according to package directions. Approximately 10 minutes. Drain.

_{ORZO PASTA}

Our second most important ingredient is a 28oz can of Red Gold ‘Culinary Classics’ Tomatoes with Basil in Puree. They are ONLY located at Meijer stores.  If you can’t find these (because they’re only in select markets)  you can substitute a small can of Red Gold Tomato Puree and a small can of Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes & then add in your own basil (to taste).

• Empty your can into a pot and add 1 tsp of salt. ( I cook low sodium so you may like more).
• In another small pan melt your 2 tsp of butter or margarine. Add in your celery, onions, and garlic. Cook approximately 5 minutes, until the onions are somewhat translucent.
• When done add all (including that melted butter) to your pot of tomato puree.

_{Red Gold Tomatoes with Basil in Puree – Look at the gorgeous color.}

• Warm up 2 cups of milk in the microwave for approximately 1.30 minutes, add it to your Tomatoes with Basil in Puree.
• Add in your cooked Orzo pasta.
• Let pot simmer and reduce (it will thicken the longer you cook it) on low (don’t boil it) while you finish the rest of dinner. Approximately 1/2 hour.

_{Rosa Marina Soup minus Orzo – Nice and creamy just like a classic tomato soup}

I serve my Rosa Marina soup with Italian bread grilled cheese with provolone & an antipasto salad.

As you can see by the picture my soup is more like a pasta on this occasion. The kids like it that way as it’s much easier to eat for a 3 and 1 yr old! If you want yours to be more like soup (the traditional way) only add 1/2 cup or less of orzo!! It expands more than you think it would.

• Eat and Enjoy

_{Provolone Grilled Cheese, Rosa Marina “soup” and Antipasto salad}

Yummm

Keep reading or click “read more” to enter to win Red Gold products of your own.

Prize: 2 cans of 28oz Red Gold new‘Culinary Classics’ tomato products. (Products may vary), fridge magnet, small cutting board, measuring spoon, coupon.

I am using Rafflecopter to run this giveaway. If you have ANY questions or comments leave a comment in the blog section and I will email you back (only I can see your email).

2 step process for entering to win!! Leave a blog comment (Telling me what your favorite tomato based food is) & then fill out the Rafflecopter form!

Please wait for the form to load!

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received the above products in order to facilitate this review. No monetary exchange took place. My experience and opinions are my own and yours may vary. Prize fulfillment will be handled by representatives for Red Gold.

Thanks to Plum Organics for sponsoring my post about tips for baby feeding magic. What if you let baby choose what’s for dinner? Check out their cute “Quest for Yum!” video and see what happens!

With 2 kids under my belt I like to think I’m an old pro at getting babies to eat. Now toddlers on the other hand, oh man, don’t get me started. The thing is, babies and toddlers alike go through stages where their tastes change. They may be happily eating spinach and peas one day & refuse to even look in your direction at the brief mention of them the next. So I’m going to give you a few tips that I’ve learned along the way that has made feeding time at our house a lot easier.

• Take It Slow – Don’t be in a rush to feed your baby solids for the first time. A lot of mothers will take to heart the old wives tale that putting cereal in babies bottle will make them sleep longer. Wait until at least 5 or 6 months and start out with a spoon! Babies have something called a tongue thrust reflex. It protects them against choking. Their tongue automatically pushes food out instead of down the throat. By around age 6 months this disappears. And here’s a little tip, all that rice cereal in babies bottle could give them a lot more belly aches. (Rice cereal is known to constipate. Babies can better digest it after 5 or 6 months when their intestines have matured.)

• Write Down What Baby Eats – There’s a very good reason for this and my youngest son is the proof. I assumed because my first son didn’t have allergies that my second wouldn’t either. WRONG. It took around 3 separate incidents of my baby getting violently ill before I figured out he was allergic to bananas amongst other things. I had mixed bananas with rice cereal, with oats, with toast. I literally had to take each thing away and deduce what it was that was harming him. Keep a list of what baby eats. Do 1 food at a time. Sweet potatoes 4 days in a row, carrots 4 days in a row, and on and on. Once you have 2 foods that you’ve tried you can combine the 2.  I know it may seem tedious but I wouldn’t wish what we went through on another Baby & Mother, ever. It’s better to be safe than sorry & if anything happens you’ll have a list of what baby ate that day to present to the Doctors.

• Let Baby Get Messy – Its Fun – It can be hard to give in and let baby go at it when you’re trying to get them ready for daycare or school, the babysitter, or even bed. You’re in a rush & sometimes it’s just easier to feed them yourselves. But where’s the fun in that? really? Baby has to learn how to use utensils. Both of my boys were using utensils before the age of 1 because I took a chance on letting things get dirty. I guarantee you, put a spoon in front of a hungry baby & let them watch you use your spoon, they’ll be feeding themselves in no-time. If things get too messy just thicken up their foods a bit with cereal. Things won’t splatter quite as easily!

• Try, Try, Again – And if baby doesn’t like it, try again! I’m serious. You may have to present something 10 times before baby goes for it. Don’t push it on them, if they don’t like it, let it go. In a day or two try again! Babies tastes are constantly changing. Those peas they hated yesterday they may love tomorrow.

• Be Sneaky – Once you’ve relaxed and mastered having fun feeding your baby the time will come when they start getting picky. Not all kids, but most will. There’s a big debate on whether to hide veggies in kids foods or not and after dealing with my oldest son, who loved everything and then out of the blue loved nothing I’m all for sneaking in veggies. Lately I’ve been really adventurous and made my own mini muffins for the baby & my toddler. I found a simple recipe for zucchini bread, removed most of the sugar, substituted half the oil with applesauce and a bit of apple juice & upped the amount of veggies to about 3 cups instead of the 2 it called for. I made them into mini muffins and the kids LOVE them. They beg for them! They have no idea they’re eating veggies!! This is your kids health we’re talking about.. sometimes you just have to get sneaky.

• Practice What You Preach – Kids learn by example. Plain and simple. Once your babies are a little older they’ll be watching everything you do.  If they see you eating broccoli once a week for a month they’re going to want to try it sooner or later. Believe me they will. Put it on your plate and eat it with them. Show them what it is to make healthy choices. If you’re not a great eater yourself now is the time to experiment. Find something new and healthy the whole family can enjoy together. Practice what you preach and eventually your kids will come out of that picky stage and you’ll have a healthy eater on your hands who when they get a bit older just might thank you for setting such a great example.

I hope you’ll put these tips to good use. Most of all, just remember that babies grow up  quickly! Savor the moments and have fun with it all while you can! And don’t be afraid to get messy!! It makes for great memories.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. To learn more about Plum Organics, visit their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PlumOrganics.

If there’s one thing I’m familiar with, it’s a squirmy baby. When my now 3 year old was born, he was a big boy, 10lbs. I swear he came out kicking. Only 2 weeks later he was rolling over. By 5 months he was sitting up like a pro, and by 6 he had mastered crawling. The boy has never sat still.

Before he started crawling I was at least able to change his diapers without a problem but once he learned to get around his own, forget about it. He squirmed, kicked, rolled, and slithered his way all over the floor or bed. Where did my sweet little newborn go I wondered. Diaper changing time became an absolute chore. His head turned this way and that, his hands grabbed at the diaper, and of course there were many near misses when he’d kick his leg or try to sit up while I was attempting to change his diaper faster than the speed of light.

There are a few tips and tricks I learned along the way to keep my little wiggle worm distracted.

• Give them whatever they’re grabbing for! (not if it’s dangerous of course) but if it’s a remote. Let them have it, it will keep them still and quiet for at least 30 seconds.
• If they have an older brother or sister, have them distract them. Have them play peekaboo with them.
• If they take a bottle & are in need of one, give them one.
• Musical toys are great distractions
• Sing a song together.

There are a ton of other little things you can do to make things go as quick as possible. One of my best tricks is to have everything ready to go. I have the new diaper unfolded and open. I have the diaper cream next to me & I have 3 or 4 wipes out of the box and ready to use.

Most kids go through this stage and the best thing you can do is to have patience. It will pass believe it or not. My oldest son’s stage lasted from about 6 months to a year and then he calmed down a bit. And of course not all kids are wiggle worms. My youngest is very calm and laid back.. but chances are you’re probably going to come across a squirmer at some point.

Need more than advice? Huggies have just introduced their new Little Movers Slip-On Diapers which make it easy to handle the wiggliest of little wonders. Just catch, slip on, and release! It’s that easy.

We already use little movers so I can’t wait to try these out! How about you? Do you have a little wiggle worm? What do you do to help diaper changing go by as quickly as possible?

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Huggies blogging program, for a gift card worth $35. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

My Best Friend - Bailey

 

After 13 yrs my poor boy was going senile. It was getting progressively worse over time. On top of this he seemed to be losing his hearing. I could be 2 ft from him when we were outside and he couldn’t hear me calling him. Although he loved going outside he recently started barking not 2 minutes after being out. He also started almost going insane when it would rain. It used to be he was scared of thunderstorms but then it got worse and even if he heard it raining he would have an accident on the floor. One night when it was storming heavily he actually barged into our house (he slept on my enclosed porch) and he walked into my bedroom where the kids and I were sleeping and he pee’d right next to my son’s bed.

Bailey Visiting Lake Superior

There was also the fact that for some reason my 3 yr old started being deathly afraid of the dog. I think he may have nipped at him or growled because my son used to love spending time around the dog. Just last week I was on the porch cleaning and my baby walked out there and my 3 yr old screamed at the top of his lungs and started pulling the baby in the house saying “No he going to bite my baby!” and I mean screaming, bloody murder. I thought for sure someone was going to call the police. I have never seen my 3 yr old act so scared.

Then just the other night it had rained again and Bailey went wild out on the porch. He could always come inside the house if he wanted by pushing the door open but when I woke up in the morning I found his hair in clumps all over the porch and he was in the corner, behind a ladder, hiding. The floor was wet and he was laying in it.

Hanging Out In The Yard

It was this behavior that led me to take him to the vet a few months ago. They checked him out and said his health was fine, although he had lost 20lbs in the past 2 years. (He used to be sorta chubby). The Dr. talked to me about him being senile and gave me some options for medication. Yeah apparently they have something similar to Alzheimer’s medication for dogs! You buy it at the human pharmacy too. It was at that visit I couldn’t go through with having him put down. I brought him home and I tried these past few months to change some things and make his life a little easier, unfortunately it didn’t work.. time only made it worse.

Soo… here I am now. I’m feeling so lost without my buddy Bailey. He was my best friend for so long. Before I was married, before I had kids.. he was there with me, always my friend, always waiting for me. I used to cry when I had to leave him with friends when I’d leave the country. Everyone used to tell me to get rid of him and I watched a lot of my friends/family go through numerous animals.. but I kept Bailey by my side. I made a commitment to love him the rest of his life. Heck, he even drove all the way to California with me one time. Sat in the front seat awake and looked out the window the whole time! He literally went everywhere with me.. and everywhere he went people told me how beautiful he was.

He had the most awesome eyes, one blue, one light brown.. and he was very smart. He knew how to crawl, give high-fives, help us pick up sticks from the yard.. but most of all he was a great cuddler. He was like a big stuffed animal.

Bailey Giving Me A High-Five

I’m just so sad these past few days. I wake up and look out on the porch and he’s not there. I think I hear him barking or whining but it’s not him. My son keeps asking me if he’s coming home and telling me he misses his doggy. I just feel so empty inside. Maybe if we had a fenced in yard, or a bigger house, or a different place for him to sleep… I keep thinking about all the ways I could have prevented what happened but I know in my heart that none of those things would have changed anything. He was old and nothing fixes old age. I never thought this would hit me so hard. I really miss my friend…

I’ll never forget you Bailey and all the love you gave me. You were my first “baby”. You were there when no one else was. You were such a sweet boy. You will never be replaced. I hope your life with me was a happy one. Until we meet again baby. I love you.

Me & Bailey during happier times

Socialmoms have teamed up with the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau and are asking bloggers to share their top 10 reasons why they would want to visit Virginia Beach.

As someone who has traveled extensively Virginia is actually one of the places I don’t think I’ve ever seen, but after researching it it’s definitely been added to the list of cool places to visit.

Here are my top 10 reasons.

The Ocean – It’s been so long since I put my feet in the ocean! I’ve flown over the Atlantic a dozen times in the past 10 years but I haven’t actually dipped my toes in it in more than 20 years. Although we have the Great Lakes here and sometimes you can mistake them for an ocean, they are no replacement for the Atlantic. The waves, the sand, the sounds… aaah.

The Boardwalk – I have never been on a boardwalk! I’ve seen it on tv, in movies. I’ve read about it in books but I’ve never actually experienced a real boardwalk. What better place than in Virginia where it’s been newly renovated and there are 28 miles of beaches.

The Norwegian Lady Statue -  First, read a little about the Norwegian Lady Statue: After the wreck of the Norwegian bark "Dictator" on March 28, 1891, its wooden figurehead, which washed ashore in the ship’s wreckage, stood at the oceanfront as a memorial for sixty years. The city of Moss, Norway commissioned a nine-foot bronze replica of the original figurehead and presented the gift to Virginia Beach in 1962 to commemorate the tragic loss. An exact duplicate was erected in Moss to unite the two sister cities.

My husband is from a small town only a few miles from Moss, Norway. I’d love to see the surprise on his face when he seen the same exact statue from back home!

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center -  It has over 800,000 gallons of aquariums along with live animal habitats, more than 300 hands-on exhibits, a nature trail, an aviary, two animal touch pools and a 3D IMAX theater. We have NOTHING like this around here in Michigan. We had an old aquarium in Detroit on an island called Belle Isle but sadly it was closed down. I love marine animals and I know my kids would be thrilled to see something like this.

D. Ralph Hostetter Museum of Natural History – Once again we don’t have many museums here in Michigan. There are a couple small ones near me that I love to visit as often as I can because it’s super education for my oldest son.  Of course we have the Henry Ford which is like THE museum of museums. I’ve been to them all several times over. Whenever I’m in a new city I always take in the local museums if I get a chance. For someone who once strived to be an Archaeologist, I can never learn enough about history.

Lighthouses – Once again, living in Michigan, I’m a lover of lighthouses. I never tire of visiting them and getting to experience new ones. With the ocean and beaches come lighthouses and new opportunities to perfect my photography skills.

I Need A Vacation To Somewhere Warm -  Have I mentioned that we had about 67 inches of snow where I live this past winter? Yeah.. it snowed in April! I need a vacation to somewhere warm and sunny. Do I need to explain this further? lol.

Virginia Has Caves – Have you ever been in a cave? Ooh if you haven’t it’s something you must experience. It’s wonderful. I’ve been in caves and caverns from here to Tennessee. I’ve sat in glass bottom boats and viewed blind fish swimming beneath me. I love caves and every chance I get to visit them I do. You’re able to see history in the making. It’s certainly something you don’t forget.

Dolphins Tours – Who doesn’t love dolphins? We don’t have them anywhere near where I live. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen a real live dolphin. Well in Virginia you can go on a boat tour or even kayak while watching pods of dolphins swim in the ocean.

Sitting on The Beach At Sunset – Come on, who doesn’t want to do this in their lifetime? No explanation necessary.

More About Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach entices visitors to “Live the Life” year-round! Located in the southeastern corner of the state, Virginia Beach is four hours southeast of D.C. by car and within a day’s drive or less from two-thirds of the U.S. population. For visitor information, call 1-800-VA-BEACH (800/822-3224) or visit www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com for online trip planning. For media information and digital images, click on www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com/pressroom. Please
follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vabeachcvb and on Facebook.

 

Well now that you’ve heard all about why I want to go to Virginia, why not tell me what you dream of doing this summer! I’d love to hear all about it.

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach Tourism blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Wow. Time has gone by so quickly. I can’t believe it. I have such mixed emotions. This might be my last baby and he’s trying to grow up just as fast as his brother. The race was on as soon as he was born.  I didn’t think Aidan would make it in time to match his brother Vincent who walked at 9 months but he did!  Funny thing is I just checked back in my blog and it turns out they both walked exactly 6 days before they turned 10 months. What a coincidence.

This is sort of special for me because I actually missed my oldest son’s first steps. I was summoned to jury duty for 2 long weeks and of course it happened then. Grandma caught it on camera thankfully.

The only difference about both of my sons is that Vincent received a VTech Learning walker for Christmas. We put it together and away he went. A month later he was walking.  Aidan did it the old fashioned way. He started practicing standing from a sitting position. Sheer willpower it looked like sometimes. Can you stand straight up from sitting? LOL I sure as heck can’t. He did practice with the Learning walker maybe 5 days tops but big brother runs around so much these days he was always in the way! 

Sooo proof that it doesn’t matter if you have the latest toys. If the baby wants to walk they will!

Well, enough talk! Here’s my baby doing his thing

and if you want a laugh here’s my oldest son Vincent at the exact same age. You can tell he learned how to walk with the walker. He holds his hands out like he’s still holding on to it! lol

http://youtu.be/yxG7u6EnyNI

Several times now, well, 3 to be exact. My 3 year old has contracted the flu after going to the grocery store with me. Twice after riding in the “car” cart that is available. I won’t name stores but we all know where the car cart is available. That is the store I usually frequent. And I ALWAYS wipe down the carts. UNLESS there are no wipes available, which has happened several times! I think that is rather annoying and the least they could do is make sure wipes are available at all times considering it’s highly unlikely they wash the carts. Actually I’m pretty sure they just wait for mother nature to rain down and do the work for them.

Aside from that store there is a bigger chain that is open 24 hours that I go to once in a while. Less so since I had my second child. They have no car carts and it’s hard to shop with 2 kids in a cart, but once in a while we go there. Three months or so ago, when it was still cold and flu season, was one of those times.

I remember it like it was yesterday! It was around 10pm at night and my 3 yr old was with me.  It was my only opportunity to go while my husband was home with the baby. When we got there all the aisles were blocked by the stock guys doing their job. We walked straight down one of the aisles towards the butter and yogurt area. As we’re quietly approaching I see a greasy haired, overweight, very dirty looking man around 55 years of age bent over the butter. He coughed. No attempt was made to cover his mouth. He coughed RIGHT ON THE FOOD. He then sneezes & wipes his nose with his hands. He then proceeds to finish stocking the food. I walked up to him with a bewildered look on my face and said something I don’t quite remember but it was like “uh, bless you. Are you sick?.” He turned around, gave me a nasty look and didn’t say a word!! I walked away pissed off. And no I didn’t buy yogurt or butter. If my kid wasn’t there I might have went off on him. I’m pretty sure I swore under my breath a little.

So, a month or two goes by and I’m there again. I try to buy the kids yogurt and I find that it’s expired! Gee thanks. The messed up thing was that I had already bought expired yogurt from this store unknowingly when my oldest son was still a baby, so nowadays I always check first. So this had been the 2nd time that happened.

I was there today so that I could buy some sparklers and things for the 4th since they have that kind of stuff there. I get over to the yogurt area and go to buy some Yo baby yogurt because I had a coupon I won for free yogurt. I look at the expiration date and by God it expired 3 days ago. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PLACE. I mean I guess it’s good it hadn’t expired a month earlier like the first yogurt I bought. pfft.

So, I’m standing there fuming to myself and who do I see? The greasy haired stock guy! There he is. He walks out of the doors right next to his obvious “area” which consists of the butter & yogurt and he goes straight to the food sample lady and asks her if the food she’s making is ready yet. Ooooh you bastard. You dirty bastard! He was just as greasy as the first time I seen him. And I don’t mean the kind of greasy you get from working all day in an auto shop. I mean the, “I only like to take baths once a month” kind of greasy. It totally reminded me of a joke by George Carlin, who once said that the only time he washed his hands after using the bathroom was when he shit on them. I remember my husband laughing at it and me threatening that if he didn’t wash his hands after using the bathroom like that, I’d kick his ass.

After I finished checking out I nicely talked to the manager about the stock guy. I don’t ever complain or try to get people fired but this involves OUR kids health. I’m hoping she will do something about it. I told her he needs to be away from the sight of the public and the food! She told me it sounds like he needs some hygiene lessons. I don’t want him to lose his job but I sure hope he gets those lessons.

What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve encountered at the store? Do you bring your own wipes to wash the cart? Do you use a cart cover? Would you have done the same in my position or am I just turning into a mean old lady?

I want to hear your stories!!

It doesn’t matter if you have one child, or ten, we all know that once you become a mom it seems like there’s never enough time. I’ve been struggling myself with trying to get back on track now that I have 2 little ones.

There are always things you can do to help make the most of your time and I’m going to share 10 of my tips with you now (while my kids are napping!)

• Invest In A Crockpot – Crockpots are your best friend.  Throw your dinner in the crockpot the night before or even before you head out the door to work. When dinner time comes all you have to do is set the table and you’re ready to go. There are tons of sites online devoted to recipes specifically for the crockpot.

• Freeze Leftovers – So you’re considering the above suggestion, well double those recipes you find and freeze the leftovers. You’ll have a ready-made meal on a day when you’re short of time or just don’t feel like cooking.

• Keep A Grocery List On The Fridge – Take an hour or so to type up a list of all the things you regularly buy at the store, print it out and put it on your fridge each week. This way when someone uses the last of something they can quickly check it off the list and when you get ready to go to the store you’ll already be partially prepared.

• Clean As You Go – Moving out on my own at a very early age I discovered that most people make really big messes! and they don’t clean them up right away either. When I make dinner, if I’m not using a crockpot of course and I have things cooking on the stove, I’m busy at the sink washing the cutting board, wiping off the counter, putting the dishes away. When I drain spaghetti noodles in the strainer and put them back in a pot, I’m back at the sink immediately washing the strainer. If you clean as you go you’ll stay more organized and you won’t get overwhelmed with the feeling that you don’t have enough time. It can be hard to learn how to do this but as a Mom it’s something you need to do. Best of all you’ll be teaching your kids good habits as well!

• Put Bills On The Budget Plan – If your electrical and gas services have it available, put your bills on the budget plan. Each month your bill will be the same amount. You’ll never be shocked. Even in the summertime when you’ve used your air conditioning or fans for hours on end, you’ll still pay the same that you paid in the winter.  This will help you budget and manage your money easier and you’ll have less to worry about.. less to worry about means more time!

• Go Green – Receive Electronic Bills – Sign up to stop receiving your bills on paper each month. All that paper? It just drives you insane and takes up room on your desk, table, kitchen counter.. wherever it happens to land. We’re always online these days anyway. Get email alerts when bills are due. If you need a paper bill you’re always able to download them.

• Stop Writing Checks – You’re probably not able to completely stop writing checks because unfortunately there are still some companies living in the dark ages but when it comes to bills you are able to sign up for automatic payments each month. A lot of people get scared to do this because they’re afraid they won’t have enough money when  bill time rolls around but what I’ve found is, on the auto pay plans I am less apt to run up my bills. Ie: cellphone.  Once your bills are coming out automatically you just have to keep track of your bank statement. You never have to remember to pay another bill on time! I had a real problem with that after I had both my babies and it really saved me.

• Buy Birthday and Holiday Cards Ahead of Time – This may sound cheesy to some people but if you have a big family or a lot of cards you need to send, whenever you see a sale on cards or even a store closing, stock up on them!! Pick one up for every holiday, every person you can think of that you know you’re going to send a card to.  You can still take the time to pick out all the ones that are meaningful. When that holiday or birthday comes around and you’ve been rushing all over and totally forgot, all you have to do is grab that box of cards and find the appropriate one. No running to the store and making yourself crazy with stress. 

• Go Shopping Online For The Kids – Need new school or even summer clothes? Shop online and save yourself time. It used to be fun to me to shop in the stores but now that I have 2 kids you won’t find me standing around the store for hours on end, for obvious reasons! Old Navy is one of the stores I love to shop at online. They’re always having sales, on kid’s clothes especially. I wait until I see a sale that I know is good and I stock up on things like shorts, t-shirts and sleepers for the boys. Things I know they will outgrow within months. I make sure there is free shipping as well. Then within 2 or 3 days my package arrives and I don’t have to worry about finding time to clothes shop.

• Grocery Shop In The Mornings – We have several stores here that are open 24/7 and I used to love shopping at night around 10pm, then I found that things weren’t as fresh, the deli wasn’t open and the stock boys were always in my way. With 2 kids it’s also pretty hard to shop at night. If I shop first thing in the morning, like 7am you wouldn’t believe the difference in the kids attitudes. No meltdowns. I know a lot of moms don’t get to be choosey as to when they shop but even if you shop early on Saturday morning, it’s still better than going in the afternoon or dinnertime and you’ll get out of the store much quicker!

If you commit to little changes like this you’ll find that over time you’ll be less stressed out and have more time for yourself and for your kids.

This post is inspired by SocialMoms and Starbucks, who are celebrating the launch of the Starbucks for Android app. You can find more information about their time saving apps here: http://www.starbucks.com/coffeehouse/mobile-apps

 Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.