Here I am....I'm here

Whew...Ok....sorry this next post has taken so long. I have been here and there, made this and that and still didn't feel I could bring any content that you all haven't seen already. So, until I do have something new to bring to the table I will just pour my little mommy heart out and hope I can at least reach someone who can relate...or someone who needs to know she is not the only one!

So, today was the 100th day at my girls' school!! This year I wanted to do something really cool....hip...cause I'm a cool mom, you know. I thought of emojis...or maybe some Falcons to celebrate our Dirty Birds' victory from Sunday, (SUPER BOWL HERE WE COME...and yes I know that was just the other day, but these projects are mostly always completed the night before at my dining room table. I told you before I work best under pressure) but I could not find anything that was sold in larger quantities (100), so I opted for the simple pompoms. The shirts were cute. Festive. Can't complain. Mission Accomplished!

But I tell you, with book reports, homework, AR quizzes, IXL, and counting a hundred marshmallows for my daughter to share with her class, I sometimes wonder how the heck we moms do it all. And this is not a complaint, but seriously, children these days seem to have a lot going on. And lets not even mention playdates!!! Oh my goodness....the playdates! Its like we are personal assistants to these little people. Cook, clean after, drive around, make appointments...and now I have added resolving friend issues with other mommies to my resume.

I have realized that if I stay on top of things in the home while they are at school, which I know is a no brainer for most moms, things run pretty smoothly once my girls are home and the kitchen table is covered with papers and laptops. I also have discovered that watching Clean Up With Me videos on youtube is a huge help. Who knew! I am still trying to find ways to make things run better for my household. I truly believe the first step is that quiet time with you and God. Starting that day giving thanks, acknowledging you need Him and going from there. Seek first the Kingdom of God....it truly helps me.  

Well Moms....time for me to run some baths. Until next time

xxoo

Hello Again

How many years has it been? Too many for anyone to take this seriously--even myself. My girls are now 6 and 7 years old, full of much spunk and personality. I love it...I thank God for it. They are my little friends. Any of you ever dream of something, then actually get it started just to become uncommitted? Well, thats me. I have to stop doing that. I'm sure the world has created a name for that, lazy maybe, I don't know. Whatever my label, I aim to do better.

Ok, so I was reading to my daughters one of our new favorite book series, and the book had various questions to determine what type of diary keeper one would be. After completing the quizzes for the book, my eldest tells me that she came to the conclusion that she should start a blog (which is in the works for both my girls by the way), so I shared with them that mommy had a blog. They were so surprised...but, let me tell you, when I pulled up this site and showed them some of my work, they made me feel so good about myself. I mean, really....they were so impressed with what I sometimes thought of as a useless hobby that I started in vain. To God be the glory for the things He leads us to hear.

I honestly felt inspired more than ever. Becoming a mom has been something that I truly feel contributed to the development of my maturity, creativity, dedication, and more...I should use that to do all that I can. Even in school, I never applied myself on my own. I am a motivator of deadlines and past dues. Can anyone relate? Put some time crunches under me and I will get it done. But now with my own children, I push for excellence and initiative. Thats in me. Thats what I am capable of through Him who provides it all. I should use it in ALL ways. So, hello again, I'm Mommy Stiletto....welcome to my blog!

Guest Post

Remembering…  The Holocaust

By Q

The Holocaust is a very important episode in the series of world history that effected millions and millions of people. It is an event that should be recognized and never forgotten. Help celebrate those affected by the Holocaust on

Holocaust Remembrance Day

April 8th

A National Holiday since 1959

Here are some facts to remember…

• The Holocaust began in 1933 when Adolf Hitler came into power in Germany.  

• 11 million people died in the Holocaust; 6 million were Jews.

• About 1.6 million Jewish children (infants-teens) lived in Germany at the start of WWII and were affected by the Holocaust. Many children were forced to hide with their families, or hide in faraway places, leaving behind their families and identities. Only 11% of these children survived.

• Many Jewish neighborhoods and Jewish owned businesses were destroyed.

• The Jews were forced to live in brutal and unhealthy conditions in what was called the “Ghettos”, created by the Nazis in 1940. There were several of them throughout Europe; the Amsterdam Ghetto, the Lodz Ghetto, and the Minsk Ghetto. The largest was the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland, only about 2.5 square miles overcrowded with nearly 400,000 people.

• For the Nazis to easily target the Jews, they were forced to wear a yellow Star of David on their clothing.
• Many men, woman and children were forced into concentration and death camps where they were tortured, performed hard, physical labor and were killed. Many Jews were executed by firearms or tricked into gas chambers where they were killed in the masses.  

• Some Jewish people were able to escape and tried to help spread the true stories of the Holocaust once they reached other countries.

• The Holocaust lasted for several years, ending in 1945 when the Nazis were defeated by allied powers.

In remembrance of the Holocaust...

Watch:

The Pianist, 2002

Schindler’s List, 1993

The Wall, 1982

The Diary of Anne Frank, 1959

Reunion in France, 1942

    

Read:

The Diary of Anne Frank

Sarah’s Key

A History of the Holocaust

Woman in the Holocaust

Night

Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story

Visit:

The United States Holocaust Museum, Washington, DC

Anne Frank’s House, Amsterdam, Netherlands

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

       http://www.ushmm.org/

Sources:

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-holocaust

http://holocaustcenterpgh.org/page.aspx?id=148359

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer

I had the pleasure of receiving products complimentary from Influenster to test out...and being the experimenter that I am, I was eager to see what the Sugar 'n Spice VoxBox was all about. I am taking my time with the products and carefully decided which I could write about first. I wanted to be certain of my thoughts about each sample. The new Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer was my first pick. I have been using it all week. I am already a Vaseline Moisturizer fan and for a woman on the go I needed something to use on the days I have to jet off and take on the world in a hurry. At first glance, I thought this would be like spray on sunscreen as far as fumes but not at all. There are no harsh smells or cloudy mists from this spray bottle. It comes out nice and clean with a continuous spray, has no sticky residue and smells great. It does not take much time to spray, quickly rub in and go.  Perfect for those who may be running low on time and need to moisturize and dress promptly because it absorbs pretty fast. I actually love it and can pretty much say I am sold on the product. This products runs for $7.99 for a 6.5 oz. can. And ladies....for those who have husbands who are moisturizing challenged, this is a great help. 

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

Diabetes in the New Year? No Thanks!

Guest Post by: Carolyn

The beginning of this past November was marked by one of my younger cousin's Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis. She is now among the many kids that are diagnosed with this disease, which is heartbreaking to me. Here in America, the number of children being diagnosed with Diabetes is growing exponentially, which is very startling indeed.

After meeting with my cousin’s doctors, it became clear that our family really need to shift our focus on getting her healthy so she could beat this disease. What was scariest to hear for me was what could happen to her down the road if things didn’t change; according to information from Syracuse’s St. Joseph’s Hospital Cardiac Center, if left untreated, diabetes can lead to other complications such as blindness, heart disease, neurological problems, and even amputation. We knew we needed to get my cousin better, and to also work with my other cousins to get them on track towards healthier lifestyles too. We started during the holiday season, and this New Year has only renewed our motivation to keep going as a family. 

Healthy Diet

One of the best defenses against the development of Type 2 Diabetes is a healthy diet. Unfortunately, most of the foods (particularly around the holidays) that we indulge in don't quite fit that description. It would be unrealistic to stop eating them altogether. What we can do, however, is limit the portion sizes of those foods. It may be a bit more difficult to do for stubborn adults in the family, but it can be done! However, if you have young cousins or children as I do, this should be easy as pie. Simply portion out each serving of food for them, and make sure to put a variety of food groups on their plates! 

One of the best ways we have gotten the kids on board with eating healthier foods is to get them involved with the meal planning and preparation process. It doesn't matter what recipe we make. They are usually so proud of their creation that they are willing to try just about any recipe. What helped us when we were first starting the process was to look online for ideas for meals. Allrecipes.com has some great ideas, and we still use many of them!  

Healthy Activities

After the “new-ness” of the New Year has passed, it can be easy for people to lose sight of their resolutions and turn back into couch potatoes. However, it's important that we show kids how to keep themselves moving all throughout the year, regardless of the time of the year or the weather! 

If it’s warm outside, take the kids out for a family walk in the park or nature hike in some nearby woods or nature preserve. Swimming is another great exercise for all kinds of people. Furthermore, getting a big groups of kids and families together can create a perfect opportunity to create an obstacle course or just play large games of soccer, kickball, capture-the-flag, etc.! 

If it’s a bit chilly outside there are still things to do inside to get the kids moving. Have a “race” to see who can clean their rooms, sweep the floor, dust the living area, etc. the fastest.  You can also rent videos or look online for fitness videos that your family can do together – my cousins have really grown to like doing Yoga and Pilates with me – and when we feel like mixing it up a little we either break out the Zumba videos or start a funny dance competition with the Dance Dance Revolution video game! 

November was National Diabetes Awareness month. However, we must remember that diabetes can strike at any time. A diabetes diagnosis can be scary. However, it's a disease that can be avoided or managed through diet and exercise. It is also a disease that is easier to avoid or manage with the support of friends and family.  

Carolyn is a 20-something year old with a passion for life, fitness and overall well-being. She is an avid cycler, golfer and has been known to bust some serious moves on the dance floor. Check out Carolyn’s blog at http://fullonfit.blogspot.com/! 

Nick@Nite, You're In Time-Out

For years I have enjoyed most of Nick at Nite's evening line ups, such as; I Dream of Jeannie, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Growing Pains and Happy Days, just to name a few. I love those shows that bring back childhood memories. And anyone can see these are family shows that for the most part the entire family can watch. I remember being thrilled about any new line up of old shows that would rerun at Nick@Nite. A little secret about myself is I HATE HORROR films and often times during October and sadly also in December there are a million horror films that are released and their previews are all over the place and I could always count on sweet little innocent Nick@Nite to not air any of them. Another thing about the Nick@Nite line ups were that they were pretty squeaky clean. Nothing that needed *bleeps* or super editing to cut out major vulgarity. 

Many mommies out there can say that when the children are home watching television, the channel pretty much stays on either Nickelodeon or Disney. On one fine evening, while my girls were asleep, I was downstairs in my kitchen making school lunches for the next day and my television was still on. I can not recall the cartoon that was on at the time but once it was over NickMom or Moms Nite Out came on which was a stand up comedy show where people came and said all kinds of parenting type jokes (which were not that funny if you ask me) BUT GET THIS.....they used the B-word and A-hole AND without any bleeping! 

Call me a square but I am truly disappointed! I mean does Nick have to jump on the dirty bandwagon with everyone else??? They were already pushing it with Teen Nick....now this!!! I mean really...was that necessary?? I understand as a mother that sometimes you need that moment to let your hair down, but trust me...we can find that time in other places instead of on our children's television station. I mean Nickeloden/Nick@Nite has been so innocent....and if some of you have children that need that TV on to help fall asleep or if your sweetie pie is up late not feeling well you subconsciously felt safe with your TV on the NICK station....WELL NOT ANYMORE.....profanity is not a good look!! So NICK@NITE you are in TIME-OUT!!! Guess they couldn't compete with ADULTSWIM and CartoonNetwork anymore. 

NAUGHTY NAUGHTY!!!

Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Follow-Up

Man.....those cupcakes were so good!!! I mean really good. I think I may have enjoyed the cupcakes more than my children. As mentioned, I started with the Cotton Candy flavor and I have ABSOLUTELY no regrets. Just the smell of the icing alone was enough to satisfy a sweet tooth......ahhhhhhh.....but moving on. The small packet PACKED a HUGE ball of flavor (and FYI do not taste the flavoring powder....not good....learn from my mistakes). And the color was just beautiful....however I would not say that the consistency of the icing is the best.

Isn't the color pretty?

I allowed my cupcakes to cool completely and then popped the icing in the refrigerator for a few just to possibly solidify it some. Once the icing was removed it was still a mixture of gooey and a bit runny. I was still able to work with the gooey blue icing and thought that if I left the remaining icing in the refrigerator until needed that it would hold better but that was not the case at all. Days later the icing was still soft and eventually would begin to droop off of the cupcakes. Now remember I have only tried ONE flavor of the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations so I can not say that all flavors will result the same. And since the flavor and color was so wonderful I will definitely try other flavors as well as the cotton candy flavor again. But I would not recommend that anyone try this particular flavor for any warm/hot outdoor events.

OVERALL I give the Cotton Candy Frosting Creation by Duncan Hines an A-

xxoo