I cna hardly believe that tomorrow is the last official day of Christmas break for the kids. I am ready to get back into our routine and schedule that the kids and I thrive in but then a week after being back on the routine Daddy will be off fro a business trip. If only that didn’t throw off our schedule but alas it does. 
Christmas Vacation
The kids are officially on Christmas Vacation today and will be unti January 3rd, 2012. It feels really weird to even say that in 2 weeks we will be in a New Year already. Today we have friends over and we are playing Twister on the Kinect. I think we might decorate some cookies here in a little while. I hope that we have a slow and easy break that we are able to fully enjoy!
Does groveling work?
I have so much love for our current Kindle but it has become a fight as to who can get to it first to read their book first. The worst part is that I actually have to fight my 9year old for the right to use it. I do have an ipad that I can read my Kindle books on but honestly who want to read on something with so much glare. It is useless to use outside so I always go back to just using the Kindle. I have a feeling once the kids are older we will need to have more Kindles since more and more text books are available via e-book formats now and that will save tons of money in college for them and possibly me as well if I go back to finish my degree.
So where am I going with this groveling post well of course I’m hoping to get in the best Buzz Campaign ever! I have been a Buzz agent for 5 years and 4 days and the Kindle 3 campaign by far would be the best one ever for me to be a part of. My husband loves to tech blog about the campaigns I get that he has liked…his favorite being so far the All in One Logitech remote I was part years ago. However I must say at first I might not let him know about this this one because he’ll try to steal this Kindle when he has his own LOL! I could finally call this one mine and it would receive some much needed love. So here’s to hoping that soon enough I can say look at me I not only love Buzz Agent but they love me!!!
If you want to know a bit more about Buzz agent please let me know it’s been a great way to try new products coming out and has given me tons of great conversations when I buzz about it with friends and family! Below I will add a link for you to check it out and sign up…there are no spam e-mails and you only get invites if you want to take them. I do not get anything at all for telling you about it in fact the more people that join the less likely I am to get into campaigns because I have to compete against you but it’s still an awesome thing so I have to share! Once I find the best link to share I will update this post!
Here is an invitation e-mail I’ll share with you:
Welcome!
A friend of yours has sent you an e-card to join BzzAgent – a free word-of-mouth community. There’s no obligation or cost involved if you decide to join.
“Hello. Have I told you about BzzAgent yet? I’m a member, and I thought you might like to be one too (joining is free). I get to try products and services at no cost with samples, coupons and stuff like that. Then I make my voice heard by sharing my honest opinions with others, including some of the largest companies in the world. Want to learn more and sign up to join in the fun?”
As a BzzAgent, you’ll get to:
* Discover and try new products and services (often for free!)
* Spread sincere word of mouth about them
* Have your opinions influence some of the biggest companies and brands around
If you’d like to receive the same benefits, become an Agent today. Don’t worry, BzzAgent respects its members’ privacy and won’t share your personal information or spam you.
http://www.bzzagent.com/Referral.do?id=48d8b1f5af9aac49
We’re a community focused on word of mouth, so what better way to recruit new members than referrals and recommendations from friends?
We hope to see you soon!
BzzAgent
First Day of School
I can hardly believe that the end of summer has gone and we are the first day of school for the 2011-2012 year. I felt so overwhelmed when the kids got out of school last year thinking we were going to have the longest summer ever full of stress. That was not the case at all in fact we had a great summer and it went way too fast. Now this morning I sent my girls off to 1st and 4th grade and left wondering where the time has gone. Logan starts preschool again next week. This is our last year of preschool at Kinderkirk and can not believe that in the last 7 years we have had a child there for 6 of them. This time next year we will be taking Logan to his first day of Kindergarten and I will officially have the house to myself everyday. It’s exciting and scary all at once and I am so glad I have a year before it happens!
Kids birthdays
I don’t know about you but when an invitation comes in the mail for the kids to go to a birthday party I really struggle with what to get the other child. After quite a few years of Maddie and Allie going to parties now and having their own I really find that the more simple the idea the cooler it seems. I think starting next year the new gift idea is going to be something the kids can do with their families that won’t take up more toy chest space. My current idea for Spring, Summer, and Fall birthdays is going to be gardening gifts. This way other parents like me won’t have to sit there and try to figure out where to store all of the craft sets or new toys.
Over the last few years our favorite gift of giving was a craft set that allowed you to color and bedazzle a bag to carry anything you could imagine putting in there. It was a great gift until we got to the point that we had given it to most of the girls that we continued to get invitations to parties for. So now it’s surely time to move on. Another great idea we went with for the girls is when asked what they would like was to ask for jewelry to fill their new jewelry boxes they got for Christmas. That was such an easy and fun thing for them and I did not have to go through crafts and toys for it either. What are your favorite gifts?
Swim lessons behind us
I am so glad that we have been able to put swim lessons quite a ways behind us along with the ear issues we were having with them. I am glad that their ears are doing better and that they can once again handle going swimming but I do not miss the daily lessons we had to go to for 2 straight weeks. Maddie was the worst because she was never happy with her swim goggles and kept pointing out all of the other kids much better sport goggles. I eventually got her to realize that we were not going to put a large amount of money into a new pair if she was not willing to work hard in the pool and try harder than she was. She now agrees and promises to try harder next year. If she does this without complaining we can talk about a new pair of goggles then!
Flower Vases
Last week Allie went to a party for a classmate of hers. The little girl’s mom is one of the best local flower ladies. She doesn’t have this huge outrageous company where she is filling oders of the same thing over and over. Instead she spends her time getting to know her clients and finding the right fit in flowers for what a person wants or likes and works right from her home. She does weddings and other events and really knows her flowers and can come up with the most unique arrangements based on just even a color theme. She is esentially a person who does custom flower delivery without all of the commercialism of a huge company that can be so cold and lacking of the personal vision of someone who takes the time to know you.
She did a really neat thing for her daughter’s party by having the girls all create their own custom flower vase that they used glass markers on and ribbons to make them beautiful. I have not had the chance to see her actual work in person but from the many pictures I have seen and the word of mouth she has gotten so positive around her town I will not hesitate to use her. I know that she is someone that will be at least a small part of my life for many years to come as both her daughter is in Allie’s grade and her son is in the same grade as Maddie. I hope at somepoint I am lucky enough to get to show off her work!
Praises
One of the ways that we find to let our kids to know we are proud of them what what they have done or are handling things in life is to praise them. We are working more and more to give them praise and build them up more than correct them. It is so easy to point out their flaws or wrong doings but a bigger investment into their future to let them know how important they are. Sometimes it is nice to recognize their achievement with a nice gift, but that is not as big to them in the long run as pouring praise into their lives. I hope to continue to work on this so that I pour more into their bucket daily than I am taking from it.
I am also finding the more I stick to Love and Logic principals the happy and more adjusted we all are. I hope maybe my husband can learn more about this in the next few months because it’s an idea that works well into young adult times if used properly in a way that fits your family. Does anyone else us this and have pointers for us?
4 years already
How is it possible that it was already 4 years ago, on what was a rainy morning a lot like today, my little man was born. Sometimes I feel like it was just yesterday and I swear even though he is big for his age I want to keep him my baby. Alas though today we celebrate his 4th birthday while we are camping in Ludington. We will hit his favorite restaurant House of Flavors for lunch and then Brats for dinner. Happy Birthday my little man!
Say who?
I know that I am no longer part of the fashion times not that I really ever was when it was cool even. But I feel like I am getting more and more out of the loop of what is cool for kids. It’s probably for the better because then I will be able to more easily tell them no on buying just based on a brand. Last night though I heard someone talking about steve madden shoes. What the heck are those…honestly I really don’t who that is other than someone who has to do with football I do believe. Man I really am out of the loop and I am sure my husband is laughing at me about this post as he reads it LOL!