Mom Knows Everything

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This is a picture of my Northern Gold Forsythia, of course with the sky in the background. I actually have two Northern Gold Forsythia, but the other one didn't do too well over the winter and as a result of lots of dead limbs it needs to be cut back. I love this bush because it is so colorful with the bright yellow flowers that it is a beautiful sign of Spring. No more turning on the electric fireplace even if it is nice to use it, because Spring is here!

Being a mom my hands are always full....literally! Taking care of kids, a home, and a husband means I have to multitask constantly. One thing that helps me multitask is my new Jawbone Icon with noise assassin. Who has time, or a third hand, to answer a cell phone when they are driving, taking care of kids, or any of the other endless things moms do? Thanks to the Jawbone ICON I don't have worry about it. When my phone rings I simply reach up and click a little button and viola I'm on the phone.

The Jawbone ICON is very stylish and come in six stylish, jewelry-like designs to fit you and your style. It's also simple to use. Heck even I figured it out in a minute! The best thing about it that I like is the Jawbone ICON is that it comes with a Noise Assassin, which basically means it blocks out all background noise so the person you are talking to can actually hear you. How many times have you been on your phone and the person can't hear you because of kids making noise in the background? To test the Noise Assassin out I actually asked the kids to make noise. I know, they thought I was crazy because I'm usually telling them to be quiet. I was very impressed when the person I was talking to on the phone didn't hear the kids in the background. I think the neighbors heard the kids making noise, but the person I was talking to on the phone didn't.

About the Jawbone Icon With Noise Assassin

How would you like to win this Jawbone ICON With Noise Assassin in The Bombshell design? To win this:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would be with an extra pair of hands.
  
• Twitter about this contest for an extra entry.
• Post about this contest for an extra entry.
• Facebook status about this contest for an 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 and Canada residents only.
• Contest closes midnight AST May 16th with the winner to be contacted 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

Laura tagged me for this fun photo meme. Rules for the photo tag follow the photo and short description.



This is my son and my nephew. Kids love to draw and color and these two are no different. I had some brown packing paper left over from when I received a package. Of course I wasn't going to throw it out because I hate wasting stuff so I decided it was perfect to let the kids drawn on....opposed to the walls that they usually try to draw on.

Now the rules:
1) Go to your photo files, select the 8Th photo folder.
2) Select the 8Th photo in that folder.
3) Post that photo along with the story behind it.
4) Then challenge 8 blogging friends to do the same!

I'm tagging:
Misty
Tina
Tammy
Petula
Jenn
Anna
Janet
Barb

As a mother of a teenager and a preschooler the shows my kids watch are on both ends of the spectrum. It goes from cartoons to reality TV shows. Of course it's the preschooler who watches the cartoons and it's the teenager who watches the reality TV shows. Well, most of the time that is. My teenager still like watching the occasional cartoon. Sure she's like any other 16 year old girl who likes clothes, marc jacobs handbags, and electronics ( her cell phone and laptop). But, when it comes to the cartoons that were her favorite as a child, she still loves them. Recently Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure was on TV and she was glued to the television. She even hushed the little kids when they talked through it. It's nice to see my daughter relive her childhood.

Well if you haven't done it already it's time to clean out your closet and dresser, put away all you Winter clothes and bring out your Spring and Summer ones. I've lost a lot of weight, so much that people ask me all the time what was the best weight loss supplement I used. Since most of my cold weather clothes don't fit me any more I definitely have to go through them to give them away. An easy way to clean out your clothes is by getting 3 large boxes. Label one box "donate", one "store away", and one "keep". This way when you go through your clothes you can just throw them in the appropriate box. It makes things a lot easier then having piles on them on the bedroom floor and when you are done you know exactly which clothes have to be put back in your closet and which ones need to be stored away for the Summer. You also have the ones you want to donate already in a box to give away.

The wonderful people at KMR Communications Inc. has graciously sponsored another giveaway for one of my readers and this time it's for something for the man in your life.

Men are starting to care and take more interest in their appearance. Hey we all want our men to look good and Hey Dude Skincare products can help them do just that.

Hey Dude Skincare is a line of men’s skin care products designed to give today’s man the essential tools he needs to combat the natural effects of aging and external conditions upon his face and body. Made from high quality organic ingredients like hyaluronic acid and essential nutrients, Hey Dude Skin Care products perform the most vital of functions to help a man protect, repair, and maintain his skin - Functions that include moisturizing and cleansing deeply into the cellular level of a man’s facial skin.

You can win Hey Dude Aftershave.

Key Ingredients -

Seaweed Extracts
Purified Water- No longer contains bacteria or minerals
Phenoxyethanol -Natural preservative from grain
Ethylhexlglycerin -Natural preservative from vegetable

Aftershave contains seaweed extracts that combine with the proteins of the outer layer of the skin and the hair, forming protective moisturizing complexes. Efficient hydration enhances the skin’s natural ability to repair itself. Seaweed extracts decrease the irritation caused by shaving and depilation. Aftershave calms and moisturizes, as well as reduces skin redness and razor burn.

Aftershave contains seaweed extracts that combine with the proteins of the outer layer of the skin and the hair, forming protective moisturizing complexes. Efficient hydration enhances the skin’s natural ability to repair itself. Seaweed extracts decrease the irritation caused by shaving and depilation. Aftershave calms and moisturizes, as well as reduces skin redness and razor burn.

BENEFITS: Promotes skin hydration; Group of sea plants of all sizes and shapes with a gelatin-like consistency containing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

4 oz. (120 ml) Fluid
Price $25.00

To win this:

• Leave a comment on this post.
  
• Twitter about this contest for an extra entry.
• Post about this contest for an extra entry.
• Facebook status about this contest for an 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 May 10th 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 NOW CLOSED

Now that Spring is here and the warmer weather is upon us I've noticed a lot of people starting to do work on their homes. We are planning on doing some improvements and repairs on our house in the next few months also. I've been searching around for some good deals on quality home repair and renovation products and I think I found some that just what we have been looking for.

Woodbridge Home Exteriors have a great selection of everything that we need to do the work on our home. The first thing we are looking for are replacement windows. The windows that we want to replace are the ones in our bedroom. All Winter long there was a cold draft coming from them and there is no way we are going to deal with a freezing bedroom another Winter. Since our bedroom have odd sized windows we were worried that we wouldn't be able to find vinyl replacement windows that would fit, but luckily Woodbridge Home Exteriors makes custom vinyl windows for your home so we know they will be guaranteed the fit. They also have Energy Star vinyl replacement windows so not only will they be new windows for our bedroom, but since they are Energy Star windows they will reduce the heat we have to have in our bedroom up to 40%. Now that's saving money!

During the winter months where I live the temperature goes down to the -30's Celsius so we want to change the wood siding on our home to insulated vinyl siding. I love the look of wood siding, but the maintenance of it is a pain. With insulated vinyl siding the maintenance is minimal and because it is insulated it means that it will also lower the costs of heating our home.

Not only will we be improving and fixing our house this Summer, we will be saving money in the long run thanks to the wonderful products at Woodbridge Home Exteriors.

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


This cute little ducky seems to be wagging his tail feathers at me. I guess he didn't like getting his picture taken. I could have spent all day watching them swim around, but unfortunately I had to leave to go pick up a KVM switch. I'm hoping they will be there again so I can take some more pictures of them.

To check out more participants of Looking At The Sky On Friday or to join in on the fun yourself click the badge above.


It's so nice to see a bright blue cloudless sky. I was on my way running chores and picking up a few things when I snapped this picture at the end of my road. You see a lot of trees because I basically live in the forest. I did get all my errands done except for one. I was looking for some pronexin for my daughter, but the drug store didn't have any. They did tell me where I could order some so it's all good. It's nice when people are helpful like that.

Just because you're a mom doesn't mean you have to look like June Cleaver. Of course it doesn't mean you should look like Britney Spears either, but there is a way to look stylish and still be a mom.

There are a three simple rules to follow when trying to look like a stylish mom.

Rule #1 - If you teen aged daughter wears it, then you don't. I'm not saying that you can't wear a similar style, but I'm just saying that ripped torn jeans and a Twilight t-shirt isn't really mom attire.

Rule #2 - If your mother wears it, then you don't. By wearing clothes that are too old for you you simply make yourself look older.

Rule # 3 - Stay away from "Mom Jeans"! They don't look good on anyone, not even moms.

Now that the warmer months are upon us a great way to look stylish and still be cool are dresses. For the summer months I prefer to wear sun dresses opposed short and a t-shirt. Sun dresses are actually cooler then shorts and t-shirts and much more stylish.

The great thing about sun dresses is that they can be worn as casual attire and also dressier attire. For casual attire a simple pair of flip flops can make the outfit casual enough to go to the grocery store and simply by changing the flip flops for a pair of dressy sandals with heels makes the outfit a great choice for an evening out with hubby or friends.

Just because you're a mom doesn't mean you have to dress like your mom. Being a stylish mom isn't as hard as it sounds. My advice for summer fashion is are sun dresses. Whether you like them long or short, you can't go wrong with a sun dress. Stay cool and stylish this summer!

As you know here on Mom Knows Everything I do a lot of product reviews and sometimes contests. I review everything from the best weight loss pills, electronics, kids toys, and cleaning supplies. I currently don't have any products to review this week, but I am expecting some in the mail and two of them will be in conjuncture with contests. So be sure to keep coming back for some informative product reviews and some great contests.

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, family health issues, posting here at Mom Knows Everything will be sporadic for a little while. Hopefully regular posting will resume by the end of the week.

As parents one of the things we have to teach our children is about money and about saving money. The problem with an old fashioned piggy bank like when we were kids is that they are just not interested in them. Kids today are so tech savvy that in order to keep their interest you have to use stuff that will interest them. The Ekomini interactive money box is exactly what you need to do this.

The Ekomini interactive money box is a piggy bank, but it also is much more than that. It connects to your computer or laptop via a USB cable and shows the kids exactly how much money is in the piggy bank.

Not only can your children see exactly how much money they have saved with the the Ekomini interactive money box they can also visit Ekominiville where they can learn all kinds of things about money, such as saving, spending, donating and investing their money.

One of the things I like best about the Ekomini interactive money box is that while saving their money there is a place in Ekominiville where kids can tell what they are saving for. It shows exactly how much they have already saved and how much more they need to save to get it. There is also a place that they can save up marked for donations to their favorite charity, such as an animal shelter. Ekominiville also helps kids learn to budget their money using a savings wheel. There is even adventure games your kids can play in Ekonminiville.

Ekomini interactive money box is a great way to teach your kids about money while still having fun. To find out more information about the Ekomini interactive money box visit http://ekomini.com.

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


Okay this might not be considered a "real" critter, but it is the coolest looking mail box I have ever seen and I had to take a picture of it. I thought it was a fish, but after I showed my husband the picture he said it was a fishing lure. Whatever it is it's pretty cool looking for a mail box.

To check out more participants of Looking At The Sky On Friday or to join in on the fun yourself click the badge above.


The local corner country market reopened last week and the kids were so excited. It closes down for the winter and every time we drive by it they ask when it opens up because they have the best ice cream there. My sister, my son, and my nephew went there the other day for ice cream. That's my sister holding the kids hands. I don't often get a picture of her. She's kinda sensitive about having her pictures taken and since she reads my blog I'm sure I'm going to get yelled at for posting a picture of her, but hey Sharla no one can really see you so there! That's my nephew in the black and red leather Nascar jacket styled coat and my son holding her other hand.

Now that April is half over and Spring is in full swing it's time to start getting outside with the kids. Break out those baby strollers and wagons and take your kids for a walk to the park or playground. Kids, no matter what age, love to dig in the dirt so get them to help you with your gardening. It doesn't really matter what you do outside, just get outside with your kids. Not only have they been cooped up all winter long and would love the fresh air, but exercise from running around and playing outside is great. It also helps to tire them out so they will go to bed easier. Hey, who doesn't want their kids to go to bed easier! So what are you waiting for, go outside and enjoy Spring!

Almost everyone uses digital cameras now. They are so easy to use and come with so many features that they are almost a must have. I love my digital camera and carry it with me almost everywhere.

I was outside this weekend standing by our pond with my camera in my coat pocket when what do you know the dog decided to jump in the pond. Needless to say I go soaked. Luckily my camera was in my pocket so it didn't get too wet, but it did get wet. I thought it was ruined, but thanks to some googling I found out what to do when you digital camera gets wet.

The one thing most sites about the subject said to do was wipe it off as best you can and put it in a bag with some silica gel packs. Rice also works to I guess, but luckily I did have some of the silica packs. I simply took them out of the Advil and Tylenol bottles. I left the camera in the bag with the silica packs for about 24 hours and it dried it all up and now it works again. It was really simple, almost as simple as finding an auto insurance quote.

Getting kids to share can sometimes be a hard thing. My son and his cousin often share very well together, but sometimes they don't. We have a rule at our house, share or it gets put up. It doesn't matter if you are fighting over a toy, a video game, or even something unusual like a pair of diabetic socks, you get one warning to play nice and share once the arguing starts....if not then it gets taken away for the rest of the day. Eventually the kids do learn to share because if they don't then they don't get to play with what they want.

My father-in-law is having an operation today. Our son is only 5 and doesn't really understand what is going on, but our 16 year old daughter does and she's very worried about her grandfather.

At times like this there are a couple of things you can do to help your child. One thing you can do if your child is old enough to understand is sit down and explain exactly what is happening and why the operation is needed. Another thing you can do is to try and help take their mind off of it. You can spend some quality fun time with them or simply get them to do something to occupy their time. This can be something simple like watching a movie or ask them to search Outer banks foreclosures online for you. It really doesn't matter what you get them to do, just as long as it occupies them and takes their mind off of worrying.

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


Our cat had 4 kittens about 3 weeks ago and I have to tell you this little guy is my favorite one. Since we already have a couple of cats we can't keep him.....hubby's rule, not mine. So if you are looking for a deal of the day I have 4 sweet little kittens to give away to a good home in a few weeks.

Kids can say the funniest things at times and what's even funnier is when they don't know what they are saying is funny. My son loves to sit beside me while I'm watching TV and he loves the commercials. Two of them he saw that made me laugh. One was the one where you send in your old gold jewelry and they send you cash and after he watched it he turned to me and said "Do you want gold dollars too Mommy?". The other one was for those credit score online commercials and after he saw it he said "You can play that online and get a high score too Mommy just like you play Farmville on the computer." This kid seriously cracks me up sometimes!

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I live on a peninsula so the quickest way to get anywhere is buy taking a ferry boat. It's not a long ferry ride, but it sure is a pretty one. The kids really enjoy the ferry ride as well. It's basically the only time in the car that they stop playing their electronics gizmos. I'm not knocking hand held video games and mp3 players because they sure keep the kids quite and not fighting in the car, but it is nice sometimes when they take the time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the country side in which we live.

Moving can be an exciting time, but it can also be hectic and frightening, especially to children. Here are some helpful tips and hints to help prepare your children for a move, even if it's across country or just across town.

1. Give your children plenty of warning that you are going to move. The last thing you want to do is spring it on your children that you are moving in a couple of days.

2. Get your kids excited about the move. Tell them about the new house, the neighborhood, and their new room.

3. Get your kids to help you pack whether it be just their room or the whole house.

4. Let your kids help set up their new room just the way they want to. They will be much more comfortable in their new home if they are happy with the way their new room looks.

5. If you are moving a great distance try to make a special trip to the new town and show your children around it. Show them all the fun exciting things they can do in their new town.

These tips will help your children get not only adjusted to the move, but also excited about it. I also recommend you use a moving company. Trying to move yourself with children is a very hectic and stressful. Moving companies not only save you a lot of work and stress, it also allows you to spend more time with your children and help them get used to the idea of a new home. So whether you are looking for New York movers or movers in your home town hiring a moving company is definitely worth it.

Is this a common site at your house, toes? Do your kids always take off their socks? My five year old did constantly. He would say, "They itch", "They bug me", and "I don't like socks!". It wouldn't matter which of the dozen pairs of socks I put on him he would end up taking them off.

I found a couple of great ideas to help get your kids to wear socks. They worked with my son and I thought I would share them with you.

1 - Take them to the store and let them pick out the socks they want to buy. It could be a favorite cartoon character on them and they'll want to wear them.

2 - Try ankle socks. Maybe it's just the fact that they don't like high socks.

3 - Turn the socks inside out. A lot of socks have threads inside them that can bug your feet. By turning them inside out the kids don't feel the threads.

I hope these ideas work for you. They worked for me and now my son doesn't say his socks are itchy. I was seriously thinking about getting him some allergy relief medication just to get him to wear socks, but these little tricks seemed to work.

Like any mom saving money is a daily part of our lives. I find that using coupons is one of the easiest ways to save money. You can always find great coupons in your weekly flyer's, but you can also find some great ones online at coupon websites like www.CouponChief.com.

CouponChief.com invited me to peruse their vast supply of coupons they have available and I was very impressed. Coupon Chief is one of the fastest growing coupon websites. They have over 15,000 stores listed there with over 50,000 coupons you can chose from. Talk about saving some serious money! They carry some great stores that I love to shop at including The Children's Place, Toys-R-Us, and even Wal-Mart.

The website www.CouponChief.com is very user friendly with Featured Stores, Popular Coupons, and Popular Tags listed on the front page. This is definitely a great coupon website that can help save you money.




I was asked to review this website and was compensated for my time. My review and opinions are not influenced by this or any source, they are my honest opinions.

Teenagers can be mean. Now not all teenagers are mean, but I've noticed that there is a lot of mean teens out there. My daughter has gone through, and is still dealing with, mean kids at high school. They have teased her and called her names. I think she does a great job at dealing with them. I've basically told her to just ignore them and if they continue to bully her that she should talk to a teacher about them. Bully is not only wrong, but illegal at school. My sister came to me with this same problem with her 13 year old son. He gets picked on at school. I told her the same thing I told my daughter, that he should ignore them and tell a teacher.

What happens though when bullying occurs at places other then school? My nephew was bullied at a local fast food restaurant by some kids he didn't even know to the point he was crying and the bullies even thought it was funny to take a picture of him crying. What did the employees at the restaurant do? Not a bloody thing! My sister was so mad that she is calling the restaurant up. The restaurant was basically empty, but yet the employees just stood there and let this happen. I know I'm not going to patron that restaurant ever again.

The Easter Bunny certainly made it to my house this year. The kids made a huge haul!

Aurora got 3 shirts, 5 movies, a new DS game, makeup, a stuffy bunny, and lots and lots and lots of chocolate.


Aidan got just a good haul as his sister with 4 movies, a DS game, clothes, lots of toys, and lots and lots of chocolate.

As you can see they have two Easter baskets. The second on is from the egg hunt. They got even more chocolate after they went on the Easter Egg hunt. I know, like they needed more chocolate, but it's only once a year so why not go all out eh!

How was your Easter? Did the Easter Bunny find your house?

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


Aurora - "Hey I was sitting here!"
Princess - "But it's my chair!"
Aurora - "Well I'm human so I'm not moving!"
Princess - "Well I'm not moving either!"

I know what to do when the kids fight over something, but what do you do when it's a kid and a dog fighting over it? I guess they are just going to have to learn how to share.

If you could describe being a mom in one word the word that comes to mind is "busy". We are continually taking care of our kids, our husband, the house, and even sometimes on the rare occasion we actually find a minute or two to take a shower....that's on the rare occasion though.

During holiday seasons we find ourselves even busier then normal. Between kids, the house, hubby, and computer work I still have to get finished getting ready for Easter. Today I have to go get the rest of the Easter "supplies", get groceries, go to the bank, do some computer work, check out insurance quotes on estatecarinsurance.com, and on top of all that I still have to take care of the kids, the house, and hubby. How do I do it all? The same way as every other mom out there....we are SUPER MOMS!