CRAZED MIND: January 2010

Old El Paso Winner

We have a winner!
And I did not rig this...I promise!
Random number generator picked #9 and that was a comment by

NESSA!
Yeah I admit a fellow blogger, best friend and my neighbor.
So Congrats and I will pass the info on to Old El Paso.

Special thanks to Old El Paso and My Blog Spark for sponsoring this giveaway.
Old El Paso Tackle the Taste Gift Pack:

Two free cans of Old El Paso Green Chiles
Football-shaped ceramic serving platter
Two sets of football-themed plates
Cocktail napkins
Themed table runner

So what do you do at 4 in the morning? Sleep! Wow, that is a novel concept. Me? Sleep? No way. Seems that 4 a.m. is the perfect time to do all kinds of things. You see here is my waking thoughts at that un-godly hour of the morning.

Humm, neighbor is leaving for work. Sorry he has to be there so early. Sorry that his driveway seems to right at my bedroom window. Sorry still that I think he must have to come through my bedroom window to get in his truck. Well, it sounds like it.

Mumbling about the dogs scratching at the door. Quietly under my breath so I don't wake Dear Hubby. Bet Dear Hubby is cursing the dogs under his breath so he don't wake me.

Get up and let dogs in bedroom before they scratch the door down.

Wow, I am up....that is something that sure feels de-ja-vu for me. Think I am here most mornings. Looking at the bed from the doorway. See sleeping hubby, happy dogs and me not in bed.

Go clean up dog mess in kitchen. Clean up cat mess in plants. Clean up cat litter so they will not use plants. Let dogs out now that they are scratching at the door again. I am a maid to my dogs and cats. Let dogs back in.

Did you know you can still wash your hair in the kitchen sink. Glad I left some shampoo and condition here. Wish I had left a toothbrush and toothpaste. Remember I have a "Wisp" in my purse. Yipee! Clean hair and better feeling teeth. Grab brush from purse too.

Make coffee! Curse myself for waiting so long to do that. Hug myself for the heck of it.

Start a load of laundry. Take other laundry out of dryer and fold/hang. Mark that chore off of mental list. Decide to go ahead and sweep and mop floors. Ok.

Realize it is no longer 4 a.m. Boy time flies when your not having fun. Fix myself a cup of coffee. Wonder how FaceBook managed with out me for 6 hours. Know I have 1 hour to myself so I can play online. Be glad that there is some time for just that.

Get on blog and talk to my friends.
So what do y'all do at 4 a.m.?

Double Book GiveAway

What is your favorite childhood book? Mine was Cinderella. College Girls favorite was The Never Ending Story. Well I found out that for many it was The Mouse, The Monster and Me. And that they went out of print. Guess What?
They are back. Ten years later and now you can get your favorite book to share with your own kiddos. Did you know that while this book was out of print copies of it was going for $100 a wack on EBay? Amazing.

Not only did they bring back "The Mouse, The Monster and Me" but also "Liking Myself". It is really amazing that these two books help teach assertiveness at an early age. I love that they can help children learn how to deal with bullies. Oh, that was one I had a horrid time with as a child. But they also can help kiddos learn how to be responsible for their actions, words and feelings.

I love the way these books look inside too! Just like a child has written them. With hand drawn pictures in the margins and thoughts all around. I wish to thank UpLift Press for sending me my two copies. They have them for sale at their site with FREE shipping. Not bad. Also you can pop over to Amazon to get them. Or you can do something even easier than that. Just visit UpLift Press then come back and share with me. Because that is your first entry into winning both of these books. Yeah! We have a giveaway sponsored by UpLift Press. You also have extra entries with the usual comments letting me know if you follow me here or on FB or Twitter. I am giving an extra 5 entries to anyone who can tell me who is the Author and what is their career? I will pick a winner Sunday 1-31-10.

A Mother's Wish

I have many wishes for my College Girl. And I have often thought what would I wish for her the most? That is a hard one. What do you wish for your loved ones?

I Wish her:
Discernment, which she has quite well. Thus she can be polite yet state her view in most situations. CG also is very good at deciding who and when to share her life with.
Love, to fill her life with. True deep never ending love. She has not found it yet, but she is patient and willing to wait for the right one.
Joy, in her choices, in her encounters, in life.

It comes down to the fact I wish her enough. Bob Perks wrote a gift book named "I Wish You Enough". It helps us focus on how we can embrace those moments in our lives. I love the attitude this book brings. Each small chapter starts with a wish that composes part of a poem. My favorite is "I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright." That alone can brighten my day.

So instead of wondering what I wish for my College Girl, I have decided to sit and share this book with her. I do want to say thanks to Thomas Nelson publishing for sharing this book with me. And let me end with another line in the book "I Wish You Enough."

"I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

Super Bowl Birthday GiveAway

I wish to start by saying Happy Birthday to David. This is College Girl and Pincess Emma’s Poppa. He is 55 this year so I guess he has just made it a lil over half way down the football field of life now. Thanks so for being the wonderful Poppa that you are. This is your shining star and Grace would be so proud to see how well you have done as a parent.

We had a birthday party for David aka Poppa recently. And he is such a football fan that we had to go with the whole theme. Doesn’t the table look great. His lady made him the football field birthday cake with matching sideline cupcakes. And thanks so much to Old El Paso and My Blog Spark for this great “Tackle the Taste” gift pack and the Old El Paso Green Chilies, for the great decorations, plates, napkins and that football chip and dip server. In the football crockpot (yeah, it is a crockpot) we have Chilie Cheese dip. That was simple to make too!

Chilie Cheese Dip

Melt in a crockpot 1 package of chopped up Velvetta, 1 can of Old El Paso Green Chiles, 1 can of refried beans and 1 can of chili. Heat, stir and serve.

If you pop over to My Blog Spark you can get a .55 cents off coupon for your own can of Old El Paso Green Chiles. And here is the fun part. They are hosting a giveaway for you too. YEPPERS! You can win the “Tackle the Taste” set of:

2 free cans of Old El Paso Green Chiles, a football shaped ceramic serving platter, 2 sets of football themed plates and cocktail napkins and a themed table runner.

All you have to do is leave a comment about what you think of the upcoming superbowl. I will give extra enteries for following me. And if you leave me a recipe using Old El Paso Green Chiles then I will add 5 extra enteries for you! TA DA! A winner will be picked this Friday (Jan. 30th, 2010)

Movie Night Tonight

We are having movie night tonight and I am looking forward to it. You love those times? Everyone curled up in blankets with pillows all around. Passing the popcorn bowl to each other. Drinks and other snacks (aka movie candy) on all the side tables. This is one of the family times I love the best. Every thing is warm and cozy. And we all become movie critics for one night, yabbering about the good parts and discussing acting talents. With College Girl working on her theater major, movies become a great family discussion time.

Well tonight is a new release for all the family. Just came out today! The Boys are Back is now on DVD. This is a PG-13 family show so should be appropriate for a large group. And I feel that there are not many movies that show life from a dad’s point of view. Well this one is right on the money. It follows a man aka CLIVE OWEN who, in the wake of his wife's tragic death, finds himself in a sudden state of single parenthood raising two boys. The Warr household, father and sons, must each find their own way. This story is about the transforming power of a family crisis and the grace of everyday life and love that gets us all through.

Well tonight we are going to be hanging with The Boys are Back. Watching their family come together as our family does the same thing. Hope you join us!

*Update* Oh how I hate giving away what a movie is about. But I really enjoyed this one. "The Boys are Back" was not sugar coated but not so rough to turn one off. I enjoyed the balance of realism and seeing life in a different light. Clive did a great job and I was so happy to watch the interplay with the boys and dad. Great show to watch and two thumbs up! On the special features there is a beautiful photographic journal. Oh my, what a beautiful country to begin with. But then you see the fun interplay with the actors. And some of the photos are fantastic studies of faces and catching one's character. I also enjoyed seeing the two sons in real life interacting with their star counterparts. Quite interesting how well they were matched up...the energy level of the youngest son playing off of Nicolas McAnulty as they started to goof off and wrestle. Then George MacKay (remember him from Harry Potter) portrayed the quiet older son. When he met his real life counter part you could see how their body language matched right up. Walt Disney Home Studios backed a wonderful film. But we always love seeing their films.

Winter Blahs?

I suffer horrid from the winter blahs. Dark days and drab weather just suck the life out of me. Does it affect you the same way? And I have to take meds for this. Yeah, y’all have heard this before. Did you know I have a terrible time swallowing pills? Have all my life. As a matter of fact I was 24 before I could swallowing a pill. Really.

So what does my doctor, mother, dear hubby, friends and more tell me to do? Take daily vitamins to help boost my system and feel more energy. Me? I think, yeah another pill to swallow. NO WAY! Well I know they are right. It helps me to feel better if I get a dose of those great lil vitamin and minerals. And I can without swallowing any pills. YEHAW!

Ola Loa sent me a great package of effervescent hydrating sports drink mix and super multi mineral mix. Yeah, I can “Drink Your Vitamins”. I just take a lil package (looks like a lil kool-aid package) and dump it in some cold water (4 to 6 oz), mix and drink. And it does not have that yucky mineral taste either. Instead I get mixed berry, lemon lime, mango tangerine and my fav was cran-raspberry. Top it off, I have started feeling better too. You can get your free samples too. Just pop over here for them. The blahs are falling away and I have more energy to chase the kiddos around. So I guess my family and all are right. But I got to do this one on my terms.

Sleep, Beautiful Sleep

Image by dominiqs via Flickr

Sleep, I wanna SLEEP!
Yes, I am back into insomniac stage.
Lil or not enough sleep for me is back here again.
6 hrs on Sunday nite (waking at 4am) was not enough.
Monday nite we took another hour off (woke at 3am).
So I thought I would push it and stay up til 130am Tuesday nite so I would sleep through. Yeah did that, woke at 6 am (again 4 1/2 hrs of sleep).
Wed nite (last nite that is) I woke up at 130 am!!!! 4 hours of sleep was all I got.
I am so tired and want to just sleep for 8 hrs without stop.
Is that too much to ask for?

Jonas Mania

Hello my dear friends. I want to introduce Miss Amy to y'all. She is today's guest blogger and reviewer. I was lucky to be able to review several videos lately. I will tell y'all more about them all soon. But since I am not the target age of a tween I thought maybe I should get an expert to help me out with the I Heart Jonas Brothers. So HERES AMY!

Well let me first tell you that I am 12 and a huge Jonas Brother fan but I am telling you what I honestly think about I Heart Jonas. I love the whole Macy loving the Jonas brothers and fainting when she sees them. However, I did not like the meat on a sword fight at the restaurant, El Meat, and think that it was just corny. I do like the fact that Stella and Joe finally kiss and such even though Joe is one of my favorite. All I thought in my head was "finally" because they have spent so much of their time together that I thought that they should move on to the next step in their relationship. I want to end this review by finally saying......

I Heart Jonas Brothers (Vol 2) on DVD will be released on January 26th. So be ready for your tween to want their own copy.

Sewing a Friendship

Today is the birthday of my friend Patti over at PJ's Prayer Line. Pop over and tell her to have a happy day. And in keeping with that friendship I want to share an amazing accomplishment.

"Sewing a Friendship" by Natalie Tinti showed up in the mail this last week. It is a lovely book for that preteen girl in your life. For many reasons including a good story line, bright illustrations and a quick read. (It seems that the day is so full for the girls I know.) But there is something that makes this book really special.

Natalie Tinti wrote and illustrated this book. Ok, I know many people are talented and can do just that. But are they only 10 years old? Yes! At 10 Natalie has become a published author. WOW!
I really enjoyed how she put this book together. Starting with a cast of characters, listing their likes and talents. I also was able to see her art work right off the bat. I love the use of original art and using scrapbook ideas to set it off. Then I was able to jump into this chapter book to learn her quick valuable lessons in friendship.

Now in this review I was only offered the book. But I would highly recommend it to your preteen girl. At only $12.95 on Amazon it is quite affordable.

Sewing A Friendship by Natalie Tinti was chosen in December of 2009 as a Finalist in Children-Chapter-Book Category by Readers Favorite.

Blast Off!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Allison Maslan, author of "Blast Off!". All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you believe in positive thought? Have you ever used visualization to work toward a goal? Are you a planner? And would you work with a life coach?

Well, I am a planner, plotter, plodder even...working toward each of my goals be they large or small. But I never had the benefit of a life coach. And now I have the opportunity to make a change. I can have my very own life coach right at my finger tips and so can you. It is as simple as having a Blast Off! of your own. If I could learn better ways to make my goals then I should be able to lower my anxiety levels. Lately they have been off the chart.

Allison Maslan wrote her book Blast Off so she could share her methods with everyone else. Now it is not just a one on one session in some office. Instead (and since I am such a reader any way) you can read and learn how to help take those next steps toward your goals. It is as easy as popping over to get your own copy available on Amazon. At only $24.00 and even lower at Amazon (hint hint) you can be on your way soon.

Allison was thrilled with her January 19th launch date. Hitting Amazon, Borders and Barnes & Noble websites and in stores too. Of course she has Blast Off! on her own website too. Make sure you take time to check it out for yourself.

How Sweet It Is

We had a houseful of people here this weekend. Hosting both a birthday party and a football cookout. You know how it goes. People everywhere, helping with everything and kiddos running all around. I loved it. And in return I shared my love with sweet sweet scents.

You know that the bathroom is the most visited room of any home. And mine is just the same. Well this weekend I placed Dessert Essence Organics Vanilla Chai Hand Wash. Oh it smells so good. Several people also shared with me how well it lathered up too!

These new hand soaps clean and moisturize your skin. Organic jojoba oil and shea butter are what add moisture while gentle cleansers remove dirt leaving skin silky smooth. These soaps are also a way to green your kitchen or bathroom. They have 4 amazing flavors; Grapefruit, Coconut, Vanilla Chai and Lavender. Desert Essence mission is to make all of the products so they are 100% vegan, biodegradable, manufactured using wind power, cruelty and wheat/gluten free. And contains no parabens, sodium laurly/laureth sulfates, phthalates, artificial fragrances or colors, silicones, EDTA, glycol or petroleum based ingredients.

Thanks to Dessert Essence for sending me a bottle of Vanilla Chai Hand Wash. The review here is of my own thoughts and those shared by my guest this weekend. And as with the rest of us that review…no money was sent to me for this. Alas! Ha Ha!

Learning to Use my ‘Puter

Well I know that I should be more savey about this thang…but? You see I have used Mac’s for over 10 years. And I do not know a thing about windows. And I am so old that I was not taught this stuff growing up. So lil things still amuse me.

Today’s new lesson. How I can do a blog post from my desk top using Windows Live Writer. This is pretty cool to me. I do not have to open up FireFox. Then go to blogger. And then of course set it all up and publish. Instead just click on the lil widget on my tool bar. (Which is now on the bottom of my screen.) A push of a button or two and I have my photos up and my links in.

Whoot for me! Here is College Girl showing her excitement for dear ol mom!

National Rubber Ducky Day

According to my neighbors calender today is National Rubber Ducky day.
And since my hubby is a massive Rubber Ducky fan we just have to celebrate.

So first we got all cleaned up and dolled up.

Made sure we had our camera to take photos of the day.

Gathered all of our friends to celebrate.

Held a parade for all to see.

And made sure our love light showed.

We even allowed a penguin to join us. (Especially since that is Lynette355's favorite.)

So make sure you show off your Rubber Ducky today too!

Time to Shop

Image by cafemama via Flickr

Milk-got it.
Bread-yep, spare in the freezer.
Eggs-ut oh, nope all out.

Ok, so what else do I need since I have to "run" to the store.
I do not need to spend much but I do not wish to do trips over and over.
Hey, I have those coupons for free cereal.
And also for free dip.

I have to say thanks to General Mills and My Blog Spark for the cereal coupons.
General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.
I can get 4 boxes free (up to $6.00 each). And I am wanting to make my own homemade cereal bars. I have a working idea in my head. Tell me what do you think.
First oil a cookie sheet.
Then mix my fav "kiddie" cereal up like you do rice krispy treats.
Spread a thin layer in the cookie sheet.
Next spread a creamy peanut butter on top.
And then drizzle (lightly melted) Nutella on that.
Let cool in the fidge for just a lil while.
Then slice with sharp knife into breakfast bars.
Wrap in wax paper then store in fridge.
???? Well ????
Think it will work?

Oh and you remember Dean's Dip review and giveaway?
Well, I have two of the free coupons for dip there too.
So will pick up some of that to go as a snack around here.
So guess I need to add to my shopping list.

Need to get:
Eggs
Chips
Marshmallows
Nutella
and what ever else I see on sale or realize I need.

Ok, that will work.
So off to the store.

UPDATE****
Just arrived from the store and am happy to say that I walked away with a bill of $58.00 total. But that I saved $39.45 which is 68% of the bill! Whoot! I am happy that I only spent $58.00 instead of $97.45. That is a decent enough savings for me. I bought my cereal (instead of $15.10 they were free of course) and used the coupons on the cereal boxes to save another $3.00 off of the produce I purchased. Also then received a coupon at check out for $2.00 off of any 5 boxes of General Mills cereal. Well they had a sale going on that special boxes were 5 for $10.00. With the coupon that made the 5 boxes only $8.00 or $1.60 a box. Decent! Long story short on the cereal, I would have spent $25.10 for all 9 boxes but only spent $8.00. And we are stocked up for awhile now.

Retro Tuesday Blog Hop

I just had to join in on the Retro Tuesday Blog Hop with Tracy from The Crazy Suburban Mom. Thanks for setting up a McLinky for this one.

And for my entry I am putting up Perfection Salad.
Why? Because it sounded absolutely awful! Horrid! OMG Yuck!

That recipe is similar to this one:

Perfection Salad

Ingredients
• 1 envelope Knox Sparkling Gelatin.
• 1/2 cup cold water.
• 1/2 cup mild vinegar.
• 1 pint boiling water
• 1 teaspoonful salt
• 1 cup finely shredded cabbage.
• Juice of one lemon.
• 1/2 cup sugar.
• 2 cups celery cut in small pieces.
• 1/4 can sweet red peppers, finely cut.

Directions
Soak the gelatin in cold water five minutes; add vinegar, lemon juice, boiling water, sugar and salt. Strain, and when beginning to set add remaining ingredients. Turn into a mold and chill. Serve on lettuce or endive leaves with mayonnaise dressing, or cut in dice and serve in cases made of red or green peppers, or the mixture may be shaped in molds lined with pimentos. A delicious accompaniment to cold sliced chicken or veal.

Isn't it just gross looking? LOL I do not know what was the fascination with Jell-O and making anything that is not a dessert? But they did. So what 1950'ish food do you remember or have seen that made you go OMG NO! ? ? ?

Family Home Winner

We have a new winner for Shannon Honeybloom's book Making a Family Home. Actually she is not a new winner, Charity is a repeat winner. Great job lady, you have the luck of the Irish with you!

Charity said...: I would love to win this:) Please enter me. Thanks!!

Juice Face--Ewww!

Ewwww! Yeah, poor lil lady Lilly, she keeps breaking out around her mouth. Why? Well due to drinking so much juice. We have tried to cut it in 1/2 with water. Nope, still breaks out. Can't do milk all the time due to her poor tummy. Just can not digest that much. And water is not that interesting all on its on. So what are some healthy alternatives?

Well, I am checking out H2Organics for kids. They come out like juice boxes and are flavored. They will still give lil lady Lilly 100% vitamin C like the juice. And they also have calcium and are organic. But they also have sugar. Well it is half the sugar of juice so that can help out too. So far Strawberry Apple has been the biggest hit. I was hoping more toward Orange Tangerine and there is always Grape Berry.

But if they can take the place of juice for lil lady Lilly and not break her out then that is great! There is also H2Organics for adults too. With enhanced water adding in vitamins but also adding up with calories (100 calories a bottle). And if your in the family way or just had your own lil lady then you can get prenatal and postnatal waters. Cool idea. They are available at all Babies “R” Us and Toys “R” Us stores nationwide, and many Whole Foods Market stores.

I want to thank H2Organics for letting me try out their water. Of course I only had some water sent to me and did not get paid. And my thoughts are just mine. I just wanted to share with you.

Turn of a Phrase

Life skills?
Yeah, I thought of this lil phrase today and wondered just what does it mean.
Life skills?

Are we trained in these skills or do they come natural?
Is there a degree in them?
Can they be measured?
Named?

Life skills....what are your life skills?

Sneaky Sneaky Woman

I thought that I would be child free today, but alas, no! And it is so so so cold here. We can not go outside to play. Not even on the front porch. And cabin fever sets in oh, oh, oh so quick. You know how it goes.

Well since I do not wish to have the kiddos hollering and running around like lil rug rats. Instead we are going to do the "Sneaky Fitness" way of running off steam. And while doing so help these kiddos get a lil exercise too.

Marching Band may be a lil loud but such fun to see the kiddos making music.

You don't need seventy-six trombones to lead a big parade. All you need are some willing band members and some imagination. The music you make may not hit the top of the charts, but the exercise you're sneaking in is solid gold.

What you'll need:

Musical instruments, or make your own with pots and pans
beans in a coffee can
a plastic container with water, or upside-down buckets

Who's playing: Preschoolers
How many: 2 or more
Prime time: Any Day, Weekends, Playdates, Parties

Lead your "band" around the house and/or outside, and up and down stairs, reminding them to march by bringing their knees up high as they go.

Fitness Factor: Cardiovascular Endurance, Coordination, Mood Booster!
Covert Calories: Marching will burn 53 calories in 20 minutes.
Sneaky Supercharge: Have them step side-to-side for one minute, skip for one minute, walk backward for one minute, and jump for one minute as you make your way through the parade route. You'll tack on an extra 72 calories.

And for another way to get in a lil goodness lunch will be served via the "Sneaky Fitness" chef.

Mac 'n' Cheese Pizza

Makes: 8 servings

When you can combine three of your kid's top favorite foods (in this case, pizza, pasta ,and cheese) together with healthy ingredients, you know you have a winning recipe. The pizza sauce is already a healthy food because of its lycopene-laden tomatoes, and it also offers an ideal hiding spot for pureed white and orange vegetables. This is also the one way Missy gets some kids to eat whole-grain pasta because it's blanketed with the melted cheese, so they can't tell it's not their usual white noodles.

- 3/4 cup store-bought pizza sauce
- 1/4 cup White or Orange Puree (See Make-Ahead Recipe #4, p. 260, or #2, p. 258)
- 1 large (about 12-inch) store-bought pizza crust, ideally whole grain (like Boboli® whole grain)
- 1 cup cooked elbow pasta, ideally whole grain
- 1 1/2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

> Preheat oven to 450 degrees and preheat a pizza stone, if using one, or spray a baking sheet with oil.

> In a mixing bowl, combine pizza sauce with White or Orange Puree. Mix well. Spread sauce evenly over pizza crust. Scatter cooked pasta evenly over the sauce, then top with shredded cheese. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden brown.

> Allow to cool a few minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

I wish to thanks Missy Chase Lapine and Larysa Didio for providing me with the "Sneaky Chef". This book is coming in quite handy with all the kiddos that seem to pass through my home. I appreciate the chance to review their book.

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