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

"Ooooh.....NEW!"

Hi there!! Today I stopped at my local grocery store for dinner and stumbled across one of my favorite words besides "SALE" and "FREE"......"NEW." I'm a sucker for new items and I'm almost always willing to give them a try. During my stroll down the baking isle I saw these tiny little packets with delicious flavors like Orange Cream, Mint Chocolate and Caramel just to name a few. It was Duncan Hines new Frosting Creations. 

I immediately started grabbing one of every flavor when my husband's face appeared in my mind. At .99 each, I decided I better play it safe and try just one for now. So I opted for Cotton Candy. After selecting my flavor I then grabbed a tub of the Frosting Creations Frosting Starters and a plain white cake mix, then headed to check out! Stay tuned to see what my family and I have to say about these new "creations" by Duncan Hines!! Meantime, check out the Duncan Hines website to see all the available flavors and cute recipe ideas.

xxoo

Bonding Birds Boutique

Hello readers! Want some of the most beautiful fashion accessories at the BEST price? Check out www.bondingbirds.bigcartel.com

Here you can find very beautiful and unique pieces for affordable prices and to top that off, you can order as little or as much as you want from their site for a flat shipping rate of only $2.00!!!! 

My beautiful earrings from my Date Night post here are from Bonding Birds!

Enjoy!!

xxoo

Maybelline DREAM NUDE Airfoam: Review

So, as I mentioned in the previous post, I was going to try the new Maybelline NEWYORK DREAM NUDE Airfoam. The product comes in an array of shades and also has SPF 16 Sunscreen which is great. I selected shade 350 Caramel for my skin tone which turned out to be right on point. The instructions on the can suggest that you practice using the dispenser before the first application which is a MUST!! The product does come out pretty fast so you want to definitely master dispensing it first and while not wearing anything special when you do. 

For a non-foundation wearer, I must say I feel pretty comfortable with it on. My face does not feel any different but the look, well thats another thing. I can see a difference, and I like it a lot. It looks natural and still allows some of my facial characteristics to show through like beauty marks and my small amount of freckles; I am sure with concealer that may be possible to cover up if that were your choice before using this air-infused foundation. I think this is perfect for the woman who wants to just enhance her natural look. 

I think my skin overall looks more even toned and refreshed. Shine was not an issues after application, which was more than easy in just circular motions across a small area of the face at a time. Another plus is that the product does not settle in the creases under your eyes, forehead and smile lines. I would definitely recommend this as the perfect "enhancer" for anyone, but especially for those who do not typically wear foundation. 

Clean Face

Shake, shake, shake

Dispense Carefully 

A little goes a long way

Apply in circular motions

Apply all over

Goes on well under the eyes

Nice smooth finish

Completely applied

Finished Look

Maybelline DREAM NUDE Airfoam

So...a little birdie...whom I love dearly, told me about this new product from Maybelline (hi Mom!!). I personally do not wear foundation at all, not that I am against it....but I have always been afraid of getting so use to it that I would hate the way I would look without it...and also because the challenge of finding that perfect color seemed way too impossible. So, back to this birdie....she told me about this new product and how wonderful it looked on the skin. It was described as light and airy and left the skin with a nice subtle glow. I said "why not" and went to the store to face my fears! I will be trying this new product and sharing my thoughts tomorrow, so until then!!!

xxoo

Date Night Outfit

One thing I absolutely love is going out on dates with my babe. My husband and I use to try to have a date night once a week, typically on a Monday, which made moving into Monday from the weekend a little easier with something to look forward to. Nowadays we take a date night whenever we get a chance to and this past Friday was the night! We went into the city to Spoon, one of our most favorite Thai restaurants. With a delectable spring time cocktail menu, Spoon had my husband and I trying to sip on one of each.....BUT we are responsible so I settled for the Cherry Blossom martini and my baby love had the Black Mint Tea cocktail. Both were great! Its funny cause my husband and I order the SAME exact thing every time we visit Spoon and we leave just as satisfied as we were the first time going there.

After our dinner we headed over to see a comedy show where I'm sure I burned every single calorie I consumed during dinner with all the laughter. The comedians were extremely funny. I was able to snap a few shots of what I wore before leaving the house...which was right before the sun began to set. I decided to throw a little outfit together that was perfect for date night in the city; something a bit spring like but also helpful with the chill that was in the evening air. 

Blazers are one of my favorite closet pieces...they can help change the total look of an outfit. This one I am wearing was given to me for Christmas from my boo and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! Thanks boo....I will be waiting for more colors (hint hint).

What Mommy's wearing

Navy blazer~ Charlotte Russe, Coral Pants~Rich&Skinny Jeans, Nude pumps~Guess, T-Shirt~Rue 21, Earrings~Bonding Birds

Mommy's Sangrias

The weather here in Georgia has been more than nice these last few days. Even with slight overcast it has been warm with the best breeze ever. This type of weather makes me so anxious and excited for Spring. Since it has been so nice out my family and I have taken full advantage of it by spending more time outdoors and cooking on the grill. And what goes better with warm weather and grilled food than a nice glass of Sangria?!? Below is a great Sangria recipe with a guaranteed kick! I love it. Its not too sweet and has a really great flavor and the fruit is an added treat!

Enjoy

Xxoo

Mommy's Sangria


1 bottle of your favorite Sangria
1 1/2 cup of Dark Rum
1 cup of Peach Schnapps
1 can of sliced peaches with juice
1 can of fruit cocktail with juice
1 cup of sprite


In a large pitcher add both cans of fruit with the juice followed by the bottle of Sangria wine. Then add the remaining liquid ingredients and stir well. 


**Serve chilled or on ice

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to you all. In celebration of Valentine's, I have been posting a few selections from Song of Songs which are such poetic expressions of love between a man and his wife. He loves and compliments her and she does the same for him. Of course love is shared in so many ways...love for your children, your siblings, parents and friends, and that love should be expressed throughout the year, not just on today. So tomorrow I hope everyone takes the time to express love for someone.

13And now abide faith, hope, love these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1Cor. 13:13 NIV

Here are a few treats I made for my family for Valentine's Day

I honestly did not want to post these because of my extremely amateur cake decorating, but my 22 month old said "Mommy that is puurrdy" and that was ALL the approval I needed!! 

Xxoo

Cute As A Button Interview

I had the pleasure of asking a few questions to some very talented and creative ladies. Owners of Cute As A Button, a unique and adorable accessories line, Whitney Kennedy and Chanelle Wiggins are on the move making their mark in the fashion arena of accessories! Lets see what these two have to say!

Q. What inspired you to create Cute As A Button and how did the two of you come together for this venture?

A. We were always looking for a craft that displayed our creativity and passion for fashion from our out of the box perspective. Also we love to accessorize and we kept finding that sometimes our accessories were just not giving us that signature look that we were trying to accomplish. So one day we were both getting ready for an event and found that we were adding little trinkets onto our already made accessories. And we were like "If we have to do all of this; we can just make our own stuff from scratch." So then we just did it!

Q. How did you come up with the company's name?


A. We wanted a name that literally described how the individual will feel when they have our product on. We wanted it to be almost like a "flavor you could taste with your eyes."

Q. Where do you see Cute As A Button five years from now?

A. Five years from now we see Cute As A Button as a corporate chain with hundreds of locations nation wide and then of course heading overseas. More than likely Japan will be first, because they are very FASHION FORWARD. And also we have plans to add a couture dog collection, by high demand. Who knew that so many owners wanted their precious pups to sport the same look as them?


Q. How would one accessorize with these fashionable buttons?

A. Well the possibilities for accessorizing with our buttons are LITERALLY endless. They can spruce up pretty much ANY tangible item. For example, headbands, purses, book bags, hoodies, blazers, gloves, UGG boots..you name it.

Q. What material do you use to design these cute buttons?


A. Any and everything a customer could possibly dream of or want, and the infrastructure is our little secret...but we can say that we are a green company and we use RECYCLED materials.

Q. Will Cute As A Button expand to other fashion accessories?


A. Absolutely

Q. What do you admire most about your business partner?


Whitney's Response: What I admire most about Chanelle is her adaptability and her sportsmanship. Because no matter what obstacle we have faced together, she always rises to the challenge and plugs in to get the job done. She has no problem communicating with me and she just understands me.

Chanelle's Response: What I admire most about Whitney is her creativity. It is a blessing to work with Whitney because she truly is an angel. Her compromising spirit is what allows this partnetship to work. Whitney is a very positive person and she allows me to also be creative and expressive in my own way. Whitney is very loyal; I know that together we rise and together we fall, which makes me want to work even harder and be loyal to her as well.

Q. How can one go about purchasing the buttons?

A. To purchase our LOVELY buttons, we can be contacted via email and phone at: cuteasabutton@gmail.com or 706-402-1433 and 757-746-7714. And in a couple weeks they can be ordered straight from our website...it is currently under construction.

Well there you have it. Check out some of the Cute As A Button merchandise that I received!! 

Xxoo