4BabyAndMom

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Betty Crocker has nothing on me!

Nothing happens in my life until one week- then EVERYTHING happens, including guests from out of state, a county competition that we won and are now going to state with, another case of lice, and two of my kids birthdays. Insanity. These times are pure insanity.

Anyway, in the days after the Odyssey of the Mind competition, we decided to do a fund raiser- this week. This was officially decided and approved YESTERDAY. The bake sale is on Thursday. Only the teacher, another mom and I are going to be running it which means that tonight I need to try to make my famous cupcakes to see if I can get them to individually wrap without them getting all smushy. If not, I will only be making chocolate chip cookies (with double chocolate chips), and rice krispie treats. The teacher is going to make brownies, and maybe something else, and then be responsible for everything else- change, table, etc.

I was hoping to come up with something more creative, but I'm pretty tapped. Any suggestions or ideas for more baked goods would be great.

You all have been super patient waiting for our winners to be announced for our recent giveaways.. well, I have great news!! Keep on the lookout for winner information to be added to the giveaway posts as well as on the winner list all day today.

Have a happy Monday!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Count Everyone- Census 2010

From the Global Influence Network:

Every child loves a good game of hide and seek. There are the fun butterflies they get in their tummies when they're waiting to be discovered and the pride they feel when they're able to count to ten and then yelling, "Ready or not, here I come!"

But children who are hidden from the U.S. Census counts (taken only once every 10 years) are not a laughing matter. So, ready or not, here comes 2010 Census ... and you have an important role to play!

Many parents may not realize the importance of accurately reporting the number of children in their family, including newborns. The truth is that the undercount of children means that we do not get a true picture of our nation and our communities do not get their rightful share of public funds.

Why Children Count Too

Children have been undercounted in every census since the first one in 1790. Local communities rely on census information in planning for schools, child care, health and other critical services. Babies need to be counted today, so they can benefit tomorrow from community services.

Census counts are used, in whole or in part, for more than 140 programs that distribute more than $400 billion of federal funds to states and localities, including such child-focused programs as:

* Special Education Grants to states ($10.8 billion)
* Head Start ($6.9 billion)
* State Children's Health Insurance Program ($5.9 billion)
* Foster Care Title IV-E ($4.7 billion)
* Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ($2.9 billion)

Unlike adults, who may bear some responsibility for making sure they are counted in the Census, children are dependent on others to make sure they are included. Yet in 1980, 1990, and 2000, Census Bureau data show children, particularly young children, are one of the groups most likely to be missed in the Census. In fact, in the 2000 Census, there was a net undercount of more than 1 million children under age 10.

Global Influence is working with 2010 Census to help spread this important message for the next week to all of the parents who read our blogs. We need your help to make sure that every child is reported so they can receive the services they will need in the future.

When playing hide and seek your children have the opportunity to be found after ten seconds.

The Census only comes around every ten years. So when you receive your Census form in mid-March, make sure your child (no matter how old) is counted!

Where does the time go??

My Facebook status update said it all:

*I* cannot believe that 7 years ago, I was in labor for the first (& only!) time. Cyndy made some yummy dinner, LI had a blizzard,& Brian slept through most of the contractions. The hospital sent me home once,& I refused to let them send me the 2nd time. 2 days overdue + 23.5 hours of labor+ 1 state of emergency+ 3 hours of pushing + one shift change mid delivery= The doctor that delivered me delivering my son.. all 10lbs 5oz, 22.5 inches of him.

For some reason this year, it seems totally unreal. Abbigaile just turned 4 and that didn't feel as crazy as this birthday does. I know that experienced parents say, "Enjoy it, the time seems to fly", but it almost feels like I lost 7 years.. I have memories of that time, but it genuinely feels like a month or two ago that I had Alex. Really. It's insane, the weird space/time thing that moms step into the moment they hold their first born the very first time.

The moral of this post.. hug your children today. If you don't have kids, call your mom or dad and tell them that you still love them. Happy Friday!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Weigh in Wednesday- Blog the Weight Away

Well, honestly, I hope you all had a better week than I had. I've been in a funk all week. I'm just burnt.. and frazzled. Stressed out the wazoo, and well, the kids and hubby just aren't helping the situation right now. They all seem to be pushing my buttons over and over, despite the fact that I've asked them to stop.

In fact, right now my kids (or at least my son) is still wide awake, while brushing their teeth they decided spewing water out of their mouths at each other was a GREAT idea, and somehow in the meantime they pulled both of the mirrored sliders off of the medicine cabinet. I went to use the bathroom, and stepped on one of them. Needless to say, it broke under my weight. Their food from dinner happens to be all over my couch, the two bags of miscellaneous stuff I threw away don't seem to have made a dent in the house, and Friday is my son's birthday- which he'll be punished for because of his horrible behavior at school earlier this week. I gave him incentive to earn two non-punishment days by putting the silverware away and filling the laundry baskets in their room- but just the dishwasher got finished. I need a vacation. You would think that that thought alone would make me run to the gym faster than anything else.. (after all they do have child care).. but unfortunately, I only went to the gym once this week. Once. That's it. I ate horrible foods, and barely thought about it while doing it. After a couple of greasy fast food meals I felt kind of sick, so I guess my body is telling me that the best thing is to stay away from it.

The good news is that I went grocery shopping the other day. I bought more fruit than I normally get, and I bought some V8 Splash, or Fusion, or something. I hate veggies, but know that I need more of them in my system. I figure that this might be a better way to get some of those healthy vitamins and minerals into my diet.

I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things, and maybe releasing some endorphins to help pull me out of this slump. I'm sure I've gained weight this week, as I feel Dear Aunt Flo creeping slowly into town, plus all of the other stress I've gone through this week. I'm not asking for you all to feel bad for me, but any encouragement or advice that you might have for times where YOU get into a funk would be greatly appreciated.

Monday, March 1, 2010

On THE VIEW this week:

This week The View will host some exciting guests that are sure to generate conversation and controversy. Here's the lineup:

• Tuesday, Mar 2: Robert Pattinson makes his first-ever appearance on the show with his “Remember Me” co-star, Emilie de Ravin. Mitt Romney, the 70th Governor of Massachusetts also makes his first-ever appearance.

• Wednesday, Mar 3: This show will feature the best of “View Tube,” including backstage antics and celebrity exit interviews. Lisa Kudrow of “Who Do You Think You Are” will be joining the hosts as well.

• Thursday, Mar 4: Celebrity guest co-host Valerie Bertinelli, former Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin from Broadway’s “The Miracle Worker,” Mia Wasikowska from Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland,” and a musical performance from Broadway’s “Fela” will be featured on this jam-packed episode.

• Friday, Mar 5: The View’s “Road to the Oscars” episode welcomes former Oscar nominee Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes and “Fashion Friday” celebrates “The History of Oscar Fashions” with a two-part look back at some of the most memorable – and perhaps forgettable – Oscar hits and misses, with host and celebrity stylist Robert Verdi. Hosts of “At the Movies” Michael Phillips and Tony Scott will also be on set to unveil their 2010 Oscar predictions.

Tomorrow, I'm DVRing Robert Pattinson's appearance, because I've got an appointment in the morning, and well, he's just adorable. Besides, I can't wait to see what the ladies on THE VIEW pry out of him!

I love Oscar time, especially on The View. I love the memorable moments, and the predictions, and of course the clash of style and tastes from the panel. Will you be watching this week? What are you looking forward to??

“I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.”

Rainbow Brite is Back and Better than Ever!

She's got a new look, but she's back! The loveable character I grew up with, Rainbow Brite is back for young girls of this generation.

At www.RainbowBrite.com you'll find an assortment of games, coloring pages and activities to keep your child entertained for hours!

Not only that, before you know it the new, revamped Rainbow Brite dolls will be on shelves at Target and Toys R Us locations everywhere!

Whether your favorite character was Rainbow, Moonglow, or Tickled Pink, you can choose which girl, and which delightful pony to purchase.

Thanks to Mom Select, our family had the opportunity to get a sneak peek before the general public. My daughter has quickly fallen in love with Rainbow Brite, and the sprites, and her fabulous friends.

At only four years old, Abbie loves to play the "star game", where Twinkle (the white sprite) runs back and forth catching falling stars. She has a blast watching the short cartoons, and also loves to create her own coloring pages by adding stars, and hearts, and flowers all over the place! Then she colors each section ever so carefully- every time she prints a new coloring page, it's different from the time before. I love the fact that she can be so creative, and that it's with a classic character that I grew up with.

Want it?
Visit your local Target now to find Rainbow Brite dolls for a special girl in your life. Keep on the lookout for Rainbow Brite and Friends at Toys R Us locations soon!

WIN IT!
Our friends at Mom Select have sent us an abundance of Rainbow Brite computer CDs. We've shared with our friends and other moms at playgroup, and now we want to share it with you.

Here's How:
Answer any of these questions: What qualities do you remember most about Rainbow Brite? Did you grow up on Rainbow Brite? What were some of your other favorite cartoon characters from when you were young? Why do you want to win this prize?

Extra Entries:

Early Bird Fiesta Button holders get 2 extra entries into this giveaway.
Grab our button now and place it on your website, please include link to website.
Become a FAN of 4BabyAndMom on Facebook, and leave a comment on our wall
Follow 4BabyAndMom on Twitter and tell your followers about this giveaway! You may re-tweet this: Enter to WIN a Rainbow Brite CD-ROM from @4BabyAndMom & MomSelect! Ends 3/10
Comment on any other post that is NOT a giveaway
Enter any of our other current giveaways (1 per each giveaway)

This giveaway is open to residents of the US. The giveaway will end at 11:59pm EST on March 10, 2010. The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on this post and our WINNERS PAGE. Any unclaimed prizes will be redrawn accordingly and at the discretion of 4BabyAndMom. The product above was sent to me at no cost, for the intentions of a product review only from Mom Select. No monetary compensation has been received for this review or post. All opinions expressed above are 100% mine, and your opinions may differ.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Odyssey of the Mind- We're going to the State Competition!!

Ten years ago, if you ever told me I would be an overly zealous mom in the bleachers, cheering my brainiac of a son (and his team) on during an Odyssey of the Mind competition, I'd have told you that you had one too many screws loose!

This year was the first year that any of us had ever heard of Odyssey, never mind actually participate in it. The club meetings were after school, and Alex seemed to love it. It gave him something to get all of his creative energy out, creating solutions to mind boggling situations, creating devices to complete a task at hand, and working alongside his peers as a team. The last factor was a huge factor for me, especially with the rough year he had last year. His Odyssey teammates seem to understand him better, and accept him for who he is- quirks and all. Alex fits in well with the group of kids he works with, and absolutely adores his coach.

So today was the day the children were preparing for.. County Competition. They did their "spontaneous" competition (kind of like word association), and then we split up for lunch between the two designated time slots. When we returned, (with Alexzander decked out in his suit, blue tee, and blue plaid boat shoes portraying his character, "Mr. Party", the principal at the 'school' in their skit), we realized just how much our son truly fit in, and how much they accepted him, no matter what.

Their class was absolutely adorable, and the judges LOVED it- and at 2:00, they said it was the best (in that category) they've seen all day! Alex was awarded a pin and a ribbon, and will get a certificate at school. The entire team was thrilled when they announced that our team was chosen to go to the State Competition in April. I'm not sure what the "official" rules are for posting videos, but because we're going to be using the same skit, I'm going to hold off on posting it here .In April, I'll be sure to post the video for you all to enjoy!