Mom Knows Everything

Congratulations to Nessa for being the winner of my Gone In Sixty Seconds contest.

Click on the Heads Or Tails meme graphic above to find more Heads Or Tails posts or to join in on the fun.

This week's theme/prompt is - HEADS Rate


How would I rate our Christmas? Great! The kids made out like bandits! They got everything on their wish list and hubby and I made out pretty good too. Actually the whole family got a wonderful Christmas surprise, my niece and her husband announced that they are expecting another baby. Baby announcements are wonderful, but baby announcements at Christmas are an even more wonderful. Congratulations Sarah and Jon!

I hope you all got everything on your wish list and had a great Christmas.

Here are some of my son's yellow Christmas presents, transformers, trucks and playdoh.

It was the night before Christmas, when all thru the abode
only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode.
The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds,
while visions of Nintendo and Barbie, flipped through their heads.
The dad was snoring in front of the TV.
with a half-constructed bicycle on his knee.
So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,
which made her sigh, "Now what's the matter?"
With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,
she descended the stairs, and saw the old man.
He was covered with ashes and soot, which fell with a shrug.
"Oh great," muttered mom, "Now I have to clean the rug."
"Ho-ho-ho!" cried Santa, "I'm glad you're awake.
Your gift was especially difficult to make."
"Thanks Santa, but all I want is some time alone."
"Exactly!" he chuckled, "I've made you a clone."
"A clone?" she asked, "What good is that?
Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit-chat."
The mother's twin. Same hair, same eyes,
Same double chin.
"She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess.
You'll relax, take it easy, watch The Young & The Restless."
"Fantastic!" the mom cheered. "My dream come true!
I'll shop, I'll read, I'll sleep the whole night through!"
From the room above, the youngest began to fret.
"Mommy?!" I'm scared...and I am wet."
The clone replied, "I'm coming sweetheart."
"Hey," the mom smiled, "She knows her part."
The clone changed the small one, and hummed a tune,
as she bundled the child, in a blanket cocoon.
"You are the best mommy ever. I really love you."
The clone smiled and sighed, "I love you too."
The mom frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal.
That's my child's love, she's trying to steal."
Smiling wisely Santa said, "To me it is clear,
only one loving mother is needed here."
The mom kissed her child and tucked her into bed.
"Thank you, Santa, for clearing my head.
I sometimes forget, it won't be very long,
when they are too old for my cradle song."
The clock on the mantle began to chime.
Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."
With the cone by his side Santa said, "Goodnight.
Merry Christmas, Mom, you'll be alright."

~Author Unknown

It looks like we are going to have a white Christmas again this year. We're expecting another 25 cm of snow today and tonight. I know for all I complain about snow and the cold weather I would much rather have a white Christmas and worry about shoveling the driveway then have rain and worry about my rain barrels. Since hubby is officially on his Christmas break from work today and I have all my Christmas shopping done neither of us have to venture out into the snow until Boxing Day so I'll definitely be singing "Let It Snow".

If you are looking for a last minute gift to buy for a child then I have a great suggestion, The Snowman's Song: A Christmas Story. We recently got this book and my 4 year old son and my 6 year old niece loved it so much that they asked me to read it over and over again.

About the book -

The Snowman's Song: A Christmas Story was written by teacher, educational editor and author of six children,'s books, Marilee Joy Mayfield and Illustrated by artist Tracy La Rue Hohn. In 2008 the book received the prestigious Mom's Choice Gold Award for Holiday books!


"Longed-for dreams sometimes come true...

A forlorn little snowman hopes, prays and

yearns with all his heart for a beautiful

melodic voice so he can rejoice by singing

Christmas carols just like human children do.

There is little hope that he will ever have

a voice, because the snow world is quiet

and snowpeople communicate by sensing

thoughts and feelings that travel as ice

droplets in the swirling cold winter air.

But when a cheery red cardinal awakens his

mind and a kind young girl renews his hope,

a Christmas miracle happens and the

little snowman realizes his longed-for

dream in a powerful, joyful, unexpected way."



Review -

Not only did the kids loved reading this book, but I also thought it was so sweet! This is a hardcover book so it will definitely last a long time. It comes with an audio CD of the author reading the story with a light sweet background music. I honestly could listen to it over and over again! The Snowman's Song: A Christmas Story also have sweet colorful pictures to go along with each written page. This is definitely a classic that we will continue to read for years to come.

You can purchase The Snowman's Song: A Christmas Story online at www.snowmanssong.com, Amazon and at bookstores nationwide.



The products in this review were given to me free of charge for testing and review. My review and opinions are not influenced by this or any other source, they are my honest opinion of the product.

Click on the Heads Or Tails meme graphic above to find more Heads Or Tails posts or to join in on the fun.

This week's theme/prompt is - TAILS Show 'N Tell

I'm going to show you my favorite Christmas photograph of my kids.


Every year we get Christmas photographs taken of our children and this year was no exception. We got a couple of different poses done, but this one is my favorite. I think they look so cute in the Santa hats. I could sit and look at this picture for hours instead of doing what I should be doing like looking for term life insurance quotes online.

There is a great contest over at www.mommy.girlgetstrong.com! They are giving away this great flip video camcorder. Head on over and enter to win! It's an amazing prize that I'm sure you all would want to win. Good luck!

As a mother of a teen aged daughter I worry about her. Being a teenager now is so much more complicated and stressful compared to when I was a teenager. I recently got a copy of 'The Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence by Carrie Sliver-Stock, a book that can help teen aged girls deal with the stress of being a teenager these days and can help parents understand and help them as well.

About -
Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence is an honest approach for teenage girls and their parents, looking at the scary issues they face and the secrets they keep with advice on overcoming low self-esteem. Many teen girls contributed to the book that is chock-full of tips. Topics include:

• Feel beautiful without going on a crash diet

• Navigate the ups and downs of dating

• Make and keep good friends

• Deal with school (the social scene and the grades)

• Phone and Internet safety and social media

Review -
The first thing about this book that I really liked is that there are quotes from teen aged girls. These are questions and issues that they face. This helps to make the reader feel that they are not alone in their problems. There are great tips and solutions after each one to help them deal with these issues. There are so many useful information in this book that I encourage all parents of teen aged girls to get this book, read it themselves and then give it to their daughter. Being a teenager is difficult and this book can help you and your daughter get through this difficult period in their lives and make good choices.

Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence is written by Carrie Silver-Stock, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., founder of Girls with Dreams. It is available to buy online from Amazon, Borders, and Barnes & Noble and you can also check your local bookstore.



The products in this review were given to me free of charge for testing and review. My review and opinions are not influenced by this or any other source, they are my honest opinion of the product.

Camera Critters is a weekend meme, about what else but critters, created my very own BBFF, Misty.


My dog Princess seems to can't wait for Santa to come. She even has her own special stocking with her name on it. Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

There is one thing moms know about and that is grocery shopping. When it comes to grocery shopping we want a store that has a good selection, a pleasant atmosphere, friendly helpful employees, and great prices. Save A Lot has all that! Save A Lot is a national grocery store chain that has nearly 1,200 stores nationwide.

One thing that I that I really like about Save A Lot is the coupons that are available on their website that you can print off. Simply by clicking the Printable Coupons link on their website you can chose from a wide variety of great coupons to print to take with you on your grocery shopping trip. Coupons are a great way to save money and the people at Save A Lot want to help you do just that. They are even offering a $5 off coupon on your purchase of $20 or more. With the help of Save A Lot you can even serve your family holiday meal for less then $15.

Shank Portion Ham 9 lb average $8.91 total	0.99 lb
Fresh Jumbo Sweet Potatoes	2 lbs / 0.78
Fresh Express Garden Salad Mix 12 oz bag	0.99
All Varieties Portmann’s Salad Dressing 16 oz bottle	1.29
Wylwood Canned Vegetables 49¢ each, 14.5 - 15.25 oz can, Corn, Peas or Green Beans	2 / 0.98
Assorted Varieties Libby's Pineapple 20 oz can	0.99
So-Cheezy Shells & Cheddar 12 oz box	1.39
Grissom's Brown 'N Serve Rolls 12 count	0.99
Mrs. Smith's® Apple or Cherry Pie 27 oz pkg	2.99
Total	$19.31
	-$5 Coupon
Total $14.31
Plus tax where applicable

Be sure to check out their Store Locator to find a Save A Lot store near you.

The wonderful people at Save A Lot have given me a $15 gift card to giveaway to one of my readers.

To win simply...

• Leave a comment on this post.
  
• Twitter about this contest for an extra entry.
• Post about this contest for an extra entry.
• Subscribe to my feed for an extra entry.
• If you don't have a blog/website just leave your name and email address in the comment section.
• Contest open to US residents only.
• Contest closes midnight AST January 2nd with the winner to be announced the following day.

*Be sure to let me know in the comment section if you Tweet, subscribe or post about this contest for the extra entries.


The products in this review/giveaway were given to me free of charge for testing/review/giveaway. My review and opinions are not influenced by this or any source, they are my honest opinion of the product

With the holidays being here most people tend to put on weight, but I am happy to tell you that with the aid of SENSA I've lost 4 more pounds! This is the end of my second month with SENSA and my goal was to lose 10 pounds in 3 months. Last month I lost 4 pounds and combined with the 4 pounds I lost this months that is a total of 8 pounds I've lost in the past 2 months! I am definitely within my 10 pounds weight loss goal.

The best thing about using SENSA is that I still can eat the amazing holiday goodies. I simply sprinkle my SENSA on it. SENSA does not have any flavor so the taste of the Christmas cookies are still the same. I still get to eat my Christmas sweets and lose weight. Sounds too good to be true, but it's not. SENSA is definitely the best and easiest weight-loss system I have ever tried.

SENSA is having a great special on right now. They are offering a 30 Day SENSA Trial Kit for free. SENSA has offered my readers a special bonus, if you click this link you will get 60 day supply instead and receive a $25 discount card to www.glow.com, an online makeup store that has an amazing selection of products. All you have to do is pay a shipping and handling fee of $4.95. You have 30 days to try the product free of charge. If you like it, then do nothing, and you will then be billed for 60 day supply. If you do not like it, they can return it within the trial period and not pay anything but shipping. Also if you enter the code RXL1 you can get 15% off your order price!

I will keep you updated on how I'm doing and if you would like to read how I did on the last time I was on SENSA click here.


The products in this review were given to me free of charge for testing and review. My review and opinions are not influenced by this or any source, they are my honest opinion of the product.

With the cold and flu season upon us we moms know that means runny noses. When it comes to kids and runny noses they grab anything to wipe their noses and usually it's the sleeve of their shirt. I know it' gross that they do that, but it's what kids do. Sure we encourage them to use a tissue, but a lot of the time a tissue is not on hand or they are too busy playing to get up and get one. What to do about this, well the people at Sniffle Buddies have come up with an ingenious idea to stop those sniffles from being on the sleeve of their shirts and help the environment at the same time.

About Sniffle Buddies -

The growing up years include so many chances for our little ones to learn, love, cry, laugh, play, and unfortunately - catch sniffles.

It would be ideal for our sniffly loves to use an eco-friendly handkerchief or to use just one tissue at a time to tend their noses, but the reality is that sniffles usually end up on their sleeve or arm depending on what they're wearing.

One spring round of colds brought us to the enlightening discovery that if we put a wristband on our children they would use that to wipe their noses instead of their bare arm or hand.

One idea lead to another. We incorporated some environmentally-friendly ORGANIC BAMBOO/ ORGANIC COTTON fabric that is cashmere-like soft, more absorbent than cotton, and is said to be naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal according to testing by JTIA and CTITC*. The fabric covers elastic bands that are secured by velcro closures. *see bamboo info on Product tab.

They're sturdy and easily removable by parents. The combination is skin friendly, washable, reusable, and handy enough that our kids were eager to use them instead of their skin or clothing...or your clothing!

Until the day that our little ones can be more resourceful with an eco-friendly handkerchief or more effective and efficient with a tissue, we hope our washable, reusable SNIFFLE BUDDIES® can help catch their sniffles and lighten the load of our landfills one tissue at a time.

Our Sniffle Buddies® certainly won't cure the common cold, but we sure hope they slow the spread of colds & flu by catching some of the germs that would otherwise have ended up on their clothes or hands.

Review -
I think Sniffle Buddies are a must have for any parent with small children. You no longer have to worry about your child wiping his nose on his shirt sleeve. Simply put the Sniffle Buddy on them and don't worry about it. At the end of the day simply throw it in the wash. Not only are Sniffle Buddies great for kids, but adults can also use them for times that they are jogging, biking, etc, when they don't have time to stop and find a tissue. They are a great help during the cold and flu season and also for allergies.

You can find out more information about Sniffle Buddies at www.snifflebuddies.com.


The products in this review were given to me free of charge for testing and review. My review and opinions are not influenced by this or any source, they are my honest opinion of the product.

The wonderful people at KMR Communications Inc. has graciously sponsored another giveaway for one of my readers. Gone In Sixty Seconds is an instant wrinkle eraser product by AminoGenesis.

About -
Give us 15 seconds and we will give you 15 years! Gone In 60 Seconds is a powerful formula that activates on contact to visibly erase fine lines and deep wrinkles – in just seconds! So, why put yourself through the expense and hazards of botulinium injections for short term results? A scientific blend of oxygenating peptides, micro-collagen and firming proteins tightens, firms and reduces puffiness all day long. It’s like having a temporary face-lift in a bottle!

FEATURES -

• InstaFirm Protein: An exclusive protein technology that instantly starts to firm skin and plump up wrinkles, creating younger looking skin – within seconds
• OxyPeptide: Naturally derived peptide that is clinically proven to increases skin respiration and oxygenation by as much as 754%
• GABA: Naturally produced in the body to relax muscles, eliminating the need or desire for painful injections
• Micro-Collagen: Delivers a boost of collagen to the help firm the skin
• Patented Delivery System: Advanced patented technology time releases key ingredients all day long

BENEFITS -

• Visibly Firms: Fine Lines and Deep Wrinkles – In Just Seconds!
• Rebuilds: Skin Firmness
• Use Under Make-Up
• No Albumin, No Whitening Effect
• Natural Formulation Does NOT Contain Propylene Glycol, Parabens, Synthetic Colorants, Nor Synthetic Fragrances
• Dermatologist Approved

All products by AminoGenesis cruelty free (no animal testing) and do not contain animal by-products.

We moms spend so much time taking care of others that we often forget to take care of ourselves. With the help of Gone In Sixty Seconds you can make yourself look better and therefore feel better.

To win Gone In Sixty Seconds simply...

• Leave a comment on this post.
  
• Twitter about this contest for an extra entry.
• Post about this contest for an extra entry.
• Subscribe to my feed for an extra entry.
• If you don't have a blog/website just leave your name and email address in the comment section.
• Contest open to Canada and US residents only.
• Contest closes midnight AST December 29th with the winner to be announced the following day.

*Be sure to let me know in the comment section if you Tweet, subscribe or post about this contest for the extra entries.


The products in this review/giveaway were given to me free of charge for testing/review/giveaway. My review and opinions are not influenced by this or any source, they are my honest opinion of the product.

CONTEST CLOSED

Congratulations to SingleMomKnits for being the winner of the Pulse Yoga I DVD contest.

Click on the Heads Or Tails meme graphic above to find more Heads Or Tails posts or to join in on the fun.

This week's theme/prompt is - HEADS Gone Fishin'

My family is very big on fishing, even so much that we have a fishing bear Christmas tree ornament on our tree.

The best thing about snow is how pretty it looks especially at night with the outdoor Christmas lights on.

Camera Critters is a weekend meme, about what else but critters, created my very own BBFF, Misty.


I love these two pictures of our dog Princess. They were taken a few weeks ago when we went for a walk on a nice day. Needless to say that with all the snow and cold weather we have now we won't be going to too many long walks.

"There is snow in those yonder clouds!" is something my father used to say. My kids love all the snow we have had recently, but me...I'm not to thrilled about driving in the snow and hubby sure don't like shoveling it.

After you spent all that money on Christmas presents you have to fork out more money for wrapping paper. Well, actually you don't have to! There are lots of ways you can save money on your Christmas wrapping. One way is to use simple brown paper and stamp it with Christmas patterns. You can use recycled bags that you kept from previous Christmases. You also can use material instead of wrapping paper if you have some scrap material around. Cartoon sections from newspapers also work great and are colorful. If none of these options appeal to you and you really want to use Christmas wrapping paper make sure after Christmas you stock up on some while it's on clearance for the next Christmas.

Everyone has a favorite Christmas ornament and I have a new one. My sister bought me this cute Tim Horton's miniature coffee cup ornament. Isn't it adorable! I'm addicted to Tim Horton's coffee so she thought this ornament would be fitting for my tree.

Speaking of Christmas it sure looks Christmasy out with all the snow we have and now we are expecting another storm to hit tonight. My electricity was out 3 times this past week because of storms and I've about had it because of it. I'm seriously thinking about moving someplace that doesn't have snow if this keeps up. I hear Vancouver doesn't get snow expect in the mountains. Hmmm....cross country moving may be an option then.

Click on the Heads Or Tails meme graphic above to find more Heads Or Tails posts or to join in on the fun.

This week's theme/prompt is - HEADS *OR* TAILS - One or Won.

I chose HEADS One.

I don't just have one Christmas tree in my house, I have five.


I have a living room Christmas tree, Aidan has a Christmas tree, Aurora has a Christmas tree, there is a Christmas tree in the kitchen and there is a Christmas tree in the bathroom. I guess I'm a little Christmas tree crazy.

This is a plane that they have hanging from the ceiling just outside the library. It's about half size scale so it actually is quite large.

Camera Critters is a weekend meme, about what else but critters, created my very own BBFF, Misty.




Princess is such an active dog that we take her for walks whenever possible. I'm telling you that as long as I walk her, which actually means run after her, I'm never going to need an exercise regime or look for the best weight loss supplement. Man that dog can sure make you tired!

This may not be the most interesting sky picture, but I still like it. I like the contrast of the dark church, the light sky and the Christmas tree.

I've talked here before what wonderful success I have had with SENSA . SENSA now has a book out not only explaining their weight-loss program in such wonderful detail, but it's fulled with lots of other useful information.

The SENSA WEIGHT-LOSS PROGRAM The Accidental Discovery That's Transforming the Way People Lose Weight is by Alan Hirsch, MD, FACP, the creator of the SENSA Weight-Loss Program. The book includes recipes, exercise plan, and an instructional DVD. Dr.Hirsch explains how and why SENSA works.

What I like best about this book is that it is very informative and answers all your questions about SENSA and how to use it. This book also encourages exercise, which I think is an important part of not only losing weight, but also being healthy.

You can purchase The SENSA WEIGHT-LOSS PROGRAM The Accidental Discovery That's Transforming the Way People Lose Weight online from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other online book shops.

SENSA is having a great special on right now. They are offering a 30 Day SENSA Trial Kit for free. SENSA has offered my readers a special bonus, if you click this link you will get 60 day supply instead and receive a $25 discount card to www.glow.com, an online makeup store that has an amazing selection of products. All you have to do is pay a shipping and handling fee of $4.95. You have 30 days to try the product free of charge. If you like it, then do nothing, and you will then be billed for 60 day supply. If you do not like it, they can return it within the trial period and not pay anything but shipping.

We all know that Christmas is the most expensive time of the year. A great way to save a little money is by making homemade Christmas presents. If you know how to knit then hats, scarves and mittens are something that would be great for a present. Crocheting a small blanket is also a great idea. The same with sewing. If you can sew then you can make place mats. If you are not crafty then how about making a tin of sweets for a gift. You can also make an inexpensive gift basket with candles and stuff from the dollar store. One thing that you can do that will not cost you anything is making homemade gift certificates. They can be for babysitting children, doing chores, running errands, etc. With a little bit of ingenuity Christmas doesn't have to be as expensive and the more money you save on Christmas shopping the more weight loss pills you can buy after eating all those Christmas sweets.

I have both a dog and a cat. My dog, Princess, is white and my cat, Dedara, is dark gray. Do you know what that means? It means that whatever is light colored in the house the cats hair shows up on it and whatever is dark in the house the dogs hair shows up on it. I can't win for losing here. Well, that is until I got a FURminator. The FURminator is a deshedding tool that not only is easy to use, it also is very effective. It has and easy to grip handle and a fur release button so that you don't have to dig the fur out of the teeth of the tool like many other brands.


About FURminator -

• Convenient, easy to use push button releases fur
• Guaranteed to reduce shedding better than any brush, comb or rake
• Works great on all shedding, long and short-haired dogs and cats
• Brings out the pet’s natural oils, promoting healthier skin and a shiny topcoat
• Reduces the amount of airborne elements that cause allergic reactions in many people
• Helps to eliminate hairballs in cats

We used the FURminator on Princess who just loved it!


We also used it on our cat who didn't mind it either.


The FURminator is a great way to reduce the shedding of your pets. Let's face it, no one wants to have pet fur over their house. It's hard to clean and it's a constant battle trying to keep ahead of it. With the FURminator I noticed a lot less fur around my house which makes me very happy because it's less vacuuming for me.


The products in this review were given to me free of charge for testing and review. My review and opinions are not influenced by this or any source, they are my honest opinion of the product.