Still slacking...

You probably all think I've forgotten about my blog, but I've been so busy! We went to Florida again to hit the beach with some friends and visit with my family and I didn't stay too close to the computer while we were gone. Now we're back and trying to get back into the swing of things but it's a busy week. So I'll post some pics from the trip soon and more info to come.....

Slacker

It's been another busy week here for us and I've been slacking on my blogging duties. We are headed out of town on Friday, back to FL to visit family and hit the beach, so have been busy getting ready for that, as well as getting Olive's birthday stuff done. Will try to be better...but not today ;)

Book Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

No doubt by now you've heard of the "vampire books" that are taking the world by storm. (And if you haven't, what bubble are you living in?) Well, my book club chose this as our last book. Since I'm not typically into this sort of thing, I vowed that I'd boycott it and not read this selection. But as the month went on, everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) was raving about how good it is. REALLY??? It's not my thing, I would say. It wasn't mine either, but you won't believe how incredible this is, they would reply. As usual, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to read it. I was worried that I'd be freaked out and scared by it (after all, it is about vampires and I'm a self professed wimp) but it's not that way at all. When I found out that it was labeled as "young adult", somehow that made it more OK in my eyes. I also heard that there are lots of websites out there, like Twilight Moms, where others are obsessed. The movie is also coming out in November, so I thought maybe I should give it a try.

I wasn't sorry I made that choice. While I may not be quite as cuckoo about it as some of the others, I will admit that it's a great book and the more I think about it, the better it is in my mind. This is the first one of a series of 4 books and I'm currently mid-way through Book #2 (New Moon). I'm not sure if I'll post about the other books in the series - I don't want to give anything away - but this first book was good. Enough to get me hooked.

The premise of the story is about a high school girl who moves to Forks, Washington to live with her dad and meets and falls in love with a vampire. It's more of a love story than anything else but eventually there is some action that keeps it interesting beyond just the love stuff. A quick read, large print, and a chance to delve into something new. Check it out. I'd give it 4.5 stars.

And the winner is....

The winner of our wipes is "Never Dull With Kids".


Congrats!!! I'll be getting the wipes out to you shortly.

Thanks to all who entered. Check out the blogs of all the entries (shown below). Free advertising for everyone who enters my giveaways.

And thanks again to The Silken Thread for donating the wipes.





Pixie Bows - blog of two friends across the country who have a fabulous line of hair accessories

Baby Lamken - My adventures as a first-time mom - name says it all!

Never Dull with Kids - life with 2 youngsters keeps things interesting!

Learning with Children - blog of a special ed teacher and mom mastering both titles

FREEBIE!!!! GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Get your entries in now for our giveaway for the wipes!!! Name will be drawn on Friday. To see what you could win for FREE, click here. We are giving these away - no strings attached. Let's be honest...who couldn't use some free wipes? Don't have a baby? No problem. Use them on messy sticky kid hands and faces. Don't have kids? No problem. Stash them in your car for a quick wipe up after eating the french fries you swore you wouldn't eat (and those fries don't count because no one else knows you ate them).


This giveaway is courtesy of The Silken Thread. Check them out - they've got some really really cute stuff.

FREEBIE!!!!! GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!

I'm doing my first giveaway on this blog.

It's for Noodle & Boo Cleansing Cloths - Noodle & Boo's Ultimate Cleansing Cloths are made in England of pure spunlace. These thick, extra-soft cloths are soaked in a mild, no-rinse, fragrance-free solution consisting of gentle moisturizers that tenderly soothe and hydrate sensitive skin, leaving it clean and supple. Noodle & Boo's Ultimate Cleansing Cloths are safe for baby's face, body and bottom. This is a 72 count package.

All you need to do to enter is give me your name, a way to contact you, and what you think you would most likely use these wipes for (diaper changes, sticky hands, etc.)

The contest ends this Friday, September 12th so enter now!

Olive went to school today!!!

Today was the big day.

Olive graced the halls of her nursery school with her smiling face and had so much fun at school. I didn't know what to do with myself. What would I do with 3 full hours ALL ALONE??? So I finished getting some things for her birthday party and then came home and assembled goody bags, then went to the bagel shop and sipped lemonade and read my book. It was wonderful. And the best part is that the teachers said she had a great time and was well-behaved. PHEW!

Happy Monday!

Book Review: Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner


The latest novel by Jennifer Weiner, this story centers around Candace Shapiro (Cannie) from her earlier novel Good in Bed. It takes place 13 years later and is a follow-up to what happens in Cannie's life. I am a huge fan of Jennifer Weiner and while I liked this book, I didn't think it was anything nearly as good as her other books. It wasn't a bad read, but wasn't a great one either. I felt like there was a lot of build-up and nothing really happened for a long time, but then things happened that I wasn't expecting. I also felt like it ended a bit too abruptly. Overall, a decent read, I'd give it 3 stars.


In other (totally unrelated news), Olive is now fever-free (I think) but cranky and not sleeping. Dennis has also caught it and he is full of fever and yuckiness. So we're hunkering down for the weekend with the pouring rain outside. Hope we'll all be 100% by Monday for Olive to start school and Dennis to go back to work. Happy weekend - hope everyone is fever-free at your house!

Update

An update on things here...

Last night Olive's temp went back up to 102. Then, while I was at back to school night at her school, she threw up. Ugh... I took her to the doc this morning and they said what they usually do - it's just a bug. But she has taken a great nap this afternoon (and I even did too - I feel SO much better) so hopefully that will help.

Thanks for the well wishes! This much needed sleep that I got has drastically improved my mood and outlook. It's amazing how sleep can make such a big difference.

'til tomorrow....

Life's Little Ups and Downs

Life is full of ups and downs.

This is not news, everyone knows that's how it happens. But it seems like lately, all I'm hearing are the downs. I've had two friends who've had family members pass away this week, lots of really sick kids, two friends who found the perfect jobs that didn't work out, and various other sad or disappointing things. I guess all this time I've been at home lately with a sick kid has perhaps made me a little down too. I'm also having some mixed emotions about a lot of things, one of them being Olive starting school.

Today Olive is feeling a bit better and we went to her school for an open house where the kids could meet each other and play there to get comfortable and familiar. She had a blast and enjoyed all the kids and activities. She didn't want to leave. While I was so excited to see her having so much fun and know that she'll be fine there, I was really sad and wrought with anxiety. This will be the first time she's really been away from me a lot and definitely the first time away from me in a group setting. We did do a babysitting swap for awhile and she would spend 3 hrs a week with another mom and her kids, but this is 6 hours a week and will be in a big group. I know she'll love it but it's sort of sad for me to have her go (even though I am very excited about all the things I will be able to get done with alone time). I know this sounds silly but I am sad that I won't be there to see all the fun things she does and experiences. I know, I know... I'm a bit too much of a first time mom sometimes - I need to let go a little bit. This is a natural part of the process. She will have to go to school eventually. But I think it's this attachment and fear that has prevented me from going back to work full-time. Every time I start thinking about how great it would be, I panic and become overcome with guilt because I don't want to be away from her for that long. She is an independent (and yes, sometimes difficult) kid but I love her more than anything in the world and am more attached than I ever thought I could be. So I'm excited for her to go to school but now that it's almost here, I'm really anxious too.

Anyway... didn't mean for this to turn into an emotional soul-bearing...just sharing a chapter out of my life. Now to wipe the tears and think about how fun it will be to go to Starbucks ALONE and drink a coffee, read a book, get in and out of the car in under 5 minutes... aaaah.... I feel better already ;)

Sick kid

It's less than a week from the start of school and Olive is sick.

I thought this wouldn't happen until she actually started but she has a very high fever and a little bit of congestion to go with it. Poor thing. She says she feels good and is pretty much herself, but it's so scary to see a little one with a high temperature and not be able to fix it. Sure, Motrin and cold compresses etc. help but it's still there, and there's nothing you can do.

Needless to say, I'm exhausted myself, so I'm off to try to nap too while she is. More later when I have more time.