All I Want For Christmas...

...is the Step2 LifeStyle Deluxe Kitchen. Ok, so I really want it for Zoe. Jarod and I had already decided to get her a kitchen playset for Christmas. I have been comparing them in the stores and online. With our budget the way it is we had decided on a $45 dollar one from Wal-Mart. I figured this would be fine for a 2 year old. Later on if she out grew it, we would invest in a better one.

Well, that plan will hopefully change thanks to MommyMandy. She is giving away the Step2 LifeStyle Deluxe Kitchen on her blog. So of course I am going to enter!! I would be insane not too! If I win, then we will have more money in our budget for play food and accessories.

If you would like a chance to win as well, then here is the link to her giveaway!!

8 Weeks Until Christmas...

WOW!! That is a scary thought! Hopefully with a little planning it won't also be an extremely stressful thought as well. So far I have made a list of all the people I need gifts for. I also wrote down any ideas I have or have been given for each person. My goal is to budget for and then go ahead and buy a few gifts each week. That way I am not having to come up with the money all at the end. That is when my stress really kicks in. I am doing very well with this. In fact I already have 2 people checked off my list. I have also been checking the ads every Sunday and buying all my gifts on sale. I guess it also helps that Jarod and I will not be getting each other anything this year since we are going to Alabama in November and Las Vegas in January. Hopefully by the week of Christmas my shopping will have long been done and all I will have to worry about is getting Jarod to wrap all the gifts, since I don't wrap!!

I LOVE Swagbucks!

Who likes to get free stuff? I am going to go out on a limb and say everyone. Ok, now how many of you do internet searches? Once again I am going to say most everyone. How would you like those searches to add up to free stuff? Well if you said yes then Swagbucks is for you!! I joined about two months ago and I already redeemed my points for an Amazon gift card. In fact I already have enough points to get two more if I wanted to. It is totally free and extremely easy to get going. I even have my mom signed up and using it! To join you can do one of three things, click on the header at the top of this post, click the sign up button on the widget at the very bottom of this blog, or just click here. Any of those methods will take you where you need to go. You even get 3 Swagbucks to get you started. So hurry on over to sign up and start earning free stuff today!!

H1N1 And The President

So did you hear the EXCITING news? The President got his yearly flu shot today! Well yipee...LOL! I really couldn't believe that they were covering that on the news. Then what the news anchor said next caught my attention and got me to thinking. The anchor said that he did NOT get the H1N1 shot today. It was explained that he was going to wait in line like everyone else. What a bunch of bull!!!

What I really got from it is that he doesn't trust the H1N1 vaccine either. After all many doctors have been on all sorts of news programs touting how harmless and beneficial the vaccine is because many Americans (myself and my family included) don't trust the vaccine. They rushed the manufacturing of it and rushing it went sooooo well in 1976. The CDC has a great article about it here and I found another article about it here. Did you know that in June the Government passed a law that grants immunity to the pharmaceutical companies that produce the H1N1 vaccine. That means if you do have an "adverse" reaction you cannot sue them over it. Kinda fishy to me.

Now back to the President. It would seem to me that if the government REALLY wants to assure the American people, wouldn't they use their golden boy as a symbol of trust and faith in the vaccine? Seems pretty straight forward to me. In my humble opinion, I believe he is waiting to see what side affects the vaccine has. So we must be his own little field of guinea pigs.

Ok, I am now getting down off my soapbox. I will leave you with this, I am not telling anyone that they should or should not get the vaccine, but I hope you will do your research before blindly following along!

Wordless Wednesday-Strike A Pose

For more Wordless Wednesday head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Harry Connick Jr.'s New CD "Your Songs"--Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review Harry Connick Jr.'s new Cd "Your Songs." I was VERY excited about this because I am a HUGE Harry Connick Jr. fan. His music always seems to put a smile on my face. This CD was no exception. I was smiling within moments of putting it in my player. Zoe even liked it. I like the fact that I am able to play his music with her in the car and not be afraid of her picking up "bad" words. Since I am a huge Beatles fan as well, it is no surprise that my favorite song on the CD is "And I Love Her". "Smile" is a very close second. This CD is so good that I see myself enjoying it with candles and a nice long bubble bath!

Harry's new CD is filled with classic songs remade in his New Orleans Big Band/Jazz style. He definitely took on some big names as well. Here is a list of the songs along with the original artists:

Album Tracklisting (Originally performed by):

All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
(They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
Besame Mucho
The Way You Look Tonight
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
Your Song (Elton John)
Some Enchanted Evening
And I Love You So (Don McLean)
Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)

Great songs, huh?!? If you find yourself humming some of these songs after reading the titles, I would suggest buying this CD. If you are craving some Harry Connick Jr. face-time then I would suggest checking out his upcoming TV appearances. I have seen him on several shows in the past, and he always makes me laugh. Here is the list of those appearances:

Harry’s Upcoming TV Appearances:

9/25 – Oprah “Live Friday”
9/28 – Today Show
9/29 – The View
9/30 – Imus in the Morning
9/30 – Letterman
10/1 – Today Show
Week of 10/5 – Rachael Ray

For even more Harry you can checkout his Facebook page or a Behind the Scene look at the making of his album.

This post is courtesy of

Free Kenny Loggins Downloads

A few weeks ago I was approached to preview Kenny Loggins' new children's CD, "All Join In." After listening to the CD my first impression was that this isn't a children's CD. I would actually call it a family CD because my husband and I enjoyed it right along with our 20 month old daughter. I am constantly finding myself singing "First There Is a Mountain" at odd moments. It is just so catchy!! And for all you Toy Story fans, there is a rendition of You've Got a Friend In Me."

Would you like to download 4 of the songs off his new album for free? Well all you have to do is go to this site. Then you just listen to the 4 songs on the player, answer a few questions and then download the songs! Enjoy!!

This post courtesy of

Goodbye Gallbladder...

Dear Gallbladder,

I am really tired of the back pain and burning under my rib cage that you have been causing the last 3 months. I am really angry about having to spend over 3 hours in the emergency room last week. It also didn't help that it was one in the morning!! Thanks to you I got to find out the hard way that I am allergic to Dilaudid.

Due to all these issues I have decided that our relationship can no longer continue. That is why on Monday September 28th I am going in to have you surgically removed. I hope there are no hard feelings so that we can make this break-up go as smoothly as possible.

Sincerely,
Amanda