Construction

Please excuse the dust, cobwebs, and lack of posting while I make some changes around here. Thanks for your patience. I'll be back to my normal self soon.

Best of 2009

Yeah, yeah I know most bloggers are probably doing these posts, but I just wanted to share some of my favorite things from 2009. Some were review products, most bought by me, some won in contests, and some just favorite brands. In no particular order..........

HOUSEHOLD
1. Scooba by iRobot (think Roomba only it washes your hard floors). Can I just say I love having been able to add this to my cleaning arsenal? We have all hardwoods floors except 2 area rugs. I was vacuuming or sweeping my floors with a broom, and then using my Bissell Steam Mop on them. Still love the steam mop, but I looooooovvvvvveeeeeee the Scooba. Why? Because with my fibromyalgia, I don't have to worry about my back. I fill up the clean water tank with cleaner and water, and push a couple buttons. The Scooba does the rest for me while I can tackle other tasks like laundry and blogging.

2. The Cuisinart Multi Cooker Plus. By far the best kitchen appliance I own so far. Until I received this product, I could not cook a decent batch of rice. Not only did I make good rice with this, but I made great rice. I love that I can also make a small batch of soup or stew in it as well. With a kitchen as small as mine, it's important to maximize my space. Instead of a crockpot and rice cooker, I have them both all in one.

3. Marshall's and TJ Maxx. I love these stores for kitchen gadgets. I love my Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart knives that I bought in these stores. Oxo is a new brand I added to my arsenal this year that I love as well.

4. Clorox Green Works. Loving the laundry soap and stain remover. Our laundry smells great, but it doesn't irritate our allergies. I should've taken before and after pictures, but I sprayed the stain remover ALL over my son's blankie, and OMG the difference is night and day. I never thought that thing would smell good ever again, but it did.

TOYS
1. Leap Frog. Still a favorite brand for my kids. Zach is still loving his Didj, and got a new game for Christmas. Aaron love the Leapster2, and various other Leap Frog toys he received for Christmas this year. My love affair with Leap Frog started when Zach was a baby 7 years ago because all the Vtech toys were way too loud. I also prefer the more subtle colors of the Leap Frog products.

2. Fisher Price Little People. Currently Aaron's favorite group of toys after the Leapster2. Almost all are hand me downs from Zach, but Aaron absolutely loved the Christmas sets I got the boys this year for under the tree. I think he "play(ed) Christmas," every day they were out. As a parent, I suggest maybe one set. I bought 3, and they all play different songs. Aaron would get all 3 going at the same time, and at 7am, the Christmas cacophony wasn't always appreciated.

3. Crayola. We still spend lots of time coloring with various products of theirs. Color wonder markers and books, crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc.

4. Hasbro. Zach is still very much into Star Wars, and the Hasbro site saved my proverbial ass for Christmas this year when he changed his mind form Star Wars Lego sets to the action figures and vehicles.

5. Razor. Zach loves his scooter, and still asks to get it out every day the driveway is clear to ride despite cold winter temperatures.

BEAUTY
1. Cetaphil. (I know it contains petroleum Lora) Cetaphil is great on our eczema. I love that I can get the wash and lotion from the pharmacy at our prescription prices.

2. Say Yes to Carrots. I got a sample of some lip stuff somewhere. It's pink, but not too pink, shimmery, but not too shimmery, and tastes like mint. It's either this or Chapstick for my lipstick.

3. Loreal Double Extend with Lash Boosting Serum. Currently a campaign I'm doing for Bzz Agent, but I love it already. Another plus is it doesn't make my eyes itch like so many eye products do. Since I started the 4 week challenge in 2009, I'm adding it to the list. I saw a difference in my lashes after just one application. There will be a blog post after the 4 week challenge is up.

CLOTHES
1. Old Navy. Love the military discount on teh 1st of every month. I hope they continue this into 2010. I've been able to find great deals for the whole family. Love the 50% off clearance sales, and the fleece lined pants for the boys. Just wish they had the lined jeans for women as well. It gets cold in these parts even if we don't get much snow.

2. Kohl's. Again, I've been able to find great deals for everyone here. One of the few stores I've been able to find slim jeans for my kids with no butts to hold up their pants.

RESTAURANTS
1. Jigsy's Old Forge Pizza. Old Forge pizza right here in the Harrisburg area. What's not to love?

2. TGIFriday's. With Chili's doing away with their kids' night, this has become another of our haunts. Not only do they have kids' night where kids eat free, but we also earn Stripes on the money we do spend towards rewards.

3. Chili's. Even though they did away with kids' night, they do have the best dry rub ribs and chips and salsa in the area. Had to give them props for that.

4. Fudrucker's. New to our list of favorite places. We discovered this over Christmas break. It's so awesome to go to a place and get your burger exactly how you asked for it to be done. They'll be getting their own post soon. Kids' night at the Chambersburg location Monday-Thursday.

The New Year

We rang in 2010 in a fairly uneventful way in our house. I cooked bacon ranch wings and strombolis by request. We played games, and spent family time together.

I've come to the realization lately that I will need new jeans soon. I've always gotten mine at Old Navy because they had a cut that was great for my long waisted hourglass figure. They've since changed the system with which they label their jeans. New cuts and shapes = a lifetime in the changing room for me. Rather than try to navigate the new system, I've decided to put it off just a bit longer and just get off my ass and exercise. I've been at it a week so far. I'm trying to work my way up to the EA Active on the Wii. I tried the 30 day challenge just after I bought it and only made it 5 days. It literally kicked my ass with all the lunges.

I'm interested to see what 2010 brings for myself and my family. I hope 2010 is a good year for you and yours.

Teaching Kids to Give Back

We had a parent conference with my son's teacher, guidance counselor, and principal just before Christmas break. One thing that was mentioned to us was that the school will recognize students who do charitable works outside of school when they have their quarterly awards assembly. That really made me think. We give throughout the year, but I'm not sure my son notices. When I asked my son what charitable things he participates in during the year, all he could come up with is Jump Rope for Heart which his school does in the Spring. I had to remind him that we donate canned goods when the school collects them, we give to his classroom, and I'm almost always one to give to the donations sought at the store checkouts. We also give when a local group is bagging groceries in our commissary, and other various things. But the one thing we need to change is donating time. I think that will help my son to see what we're doing. With two young kids, and a husband who is at the Army's beck and call, I've just never found a way to make donating time work for our family. With our youngest now being 3, I think it's time to make that change. I think we're all to a point where we can all help in some way.

Here are some other ways you and your family can give back:
1. As a family, select a charitable organization you'd like to support. Use online tools like Charity Navigator to find an organization that you trust. Give your children a budget and encourage them to decide how your family will donate to that organization this holiday.

2. Cherish the stories of your family. Have your children talk to their grandparents and write down the stories of their past. Create a book to share with the entire family or record it online through Story Corps.

3. Consider do-it-yourself gifts, like no-sew fleece blankets, that you can make with your children. Donate those blankets to a local homeless shelter. Find other homemade gift ideas at About.com’s Family Crafts page.

4. Work with your children to create a coupon book for your neighbors that might need an extra hand this year. Coupons could include shoveling their sidewalk, watching their children, or providing a meal.

5. Bake cookies or sweets with your children and deliver them to your local nursing home or school-in-need. Get started with this list of holiday recipes.

Devin Hermanson, a charitable giving expert and national director of World Vision’s Gift Catalog, is seeing a return to meaningful giving through the Gift Catalog. Despite the recession, Gift Catalog sales are higher than last year's figures at this time.

"The holiday season can be a stressful time of year. There are gifts to purchase and wrap, cookies to bake, and family and friends to visit, but when we pause to help our neighbors in need, we all experience Christmas in a more meaningful way," says Hermanson.

For each item in World Vision’s Gift Catalog, the giver makes the purchase in the name of a friend, family member or business associate. World Vision then sends special cards to those individuals, describing the gifts and their impact. Last year alone, World Vision’s Gift Catalog raised $25 million and provided assistance to more than 500,000 people worldwide. The Gift Catalog launched in 1996, and while a goat ($75) is still World Vision’s number one seller, there are many affordable items for $35 or less.

Another item I'd like to add to this list is to adopt a soldier. There are a few different sites where you can look up deployed soldiers whose names have been submitted, and sign up to send them letters and/or care packages. You can find many ways to help our troops at America Supports You.

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning with the kids was fairly uneventful. Zach ripped through all his gifts and then promptly took them all to his room so Aaron wouldn't play with them. Not that I blame Zach. He got Star Wars action figures and Legos. With a 3 year old brother, they're not exactly toys you want to share. Aaron took a bit longer. He wanted to play with each present as he opened it, and we had to keep redirecting him to open the rest.

I never did finish decorating the tree because the kids kept playing with the ornaments. I just didn't see the point this year. Maybe next year.

The rest of the day was quiet. Zach mostly played in his room with his new toys. Aaron had the attention span of a gnat flitting from one toy to the next often leaving the previous toy still in the on position. We had lasagna for dinner like we do every year, but I learned that when making the lasagna with ravioli, it's best to get the square kind. I had gotten the circle kind because I like the filling better. Oops.

Hershey Sweet Lights

After pizza last Wednesday, we went up to Hershey to the Sweet Lights display. I have to admit I thought $20 per car was a bit steep, but it was well worth it. The kids also got 3D glasses that Zach said made the lights look like snowflakes. We only got two pairs, and no one would give them up for a minute so I could verify that.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone! May you and your have a great holiday. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then I hope you enjoy the holiday that you do celebrate. For our house, the next two days are filled with plenty of family time. The best part is after all of the prep today, it's pizza night! We always have pizza on Christmas Eve. See you all back here on the 26th.

Wordless Wednesday - Decorating the Christmas Tree

In order to keep Aaron out of the glass ornaments, I let him put the nonbreakable ornaments around the bottom while I put the other ornaments on the tree. He found the kids' Santa aprons and hats, and insisted on wearing one while he decorated.