Growing Up So Fast

Captain Scam Buster

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:18:00 +0000

Guest Post written by Cor

Watch out used car scammers, Captain Scam Buster is coming to getcha! Tehehe, I know, I know, it's kind of corny, but honestly, I found it to be pretty reassuring that Trusted Car Dealers UK has a whole section of its site dedicated to myth busting and educating buyers against potential scams.

The group, which is owned and run by the dealers who advertise on it (something like 1300 trusted dealers) has come up with its own hokey cartoon character to represent its goal to put an end to the bamboozling of innocent car shoppers. They even offer a guide to buying a used car that exposes common scams as completely free download. I am firm believer that knowledge is power, and the best weapon a buyer can have is to know the warning signs, and be informed about what smart shopping should look like.

One thing I have dealt with for as long as I have been driving (perhaps because I am woman) is car dealers who are looking for any sign of weakness, any hint that you might not really know what you are looking at, (assuming you are not dealing with a reputable dealership) and they will be all over it before you even have a chance to blink. I knew about certain scams, like the turning back of the speedometer, or even the selling of cars that were actually stolen, but I was pretty shocked an appalled when I started reading about shoppers who were set up to be mugged and robbed (sometimes even beaten) when going to meet supposed “sellers” with cash in hand to buy a car.

I knew that buying a used car came with financial risks, but I had no idea that it might come with physical risks! Everyone looking to buy a car new or used (especially used), should arm themselves with the knowledge and power to protect themselves and get the best deal possible!

Free Crinkle Bear!

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:20:00 +0000

These Pastel Crinkle Bears are adorable! Want one for FREE?

Baby Stuff Gifts, a reputable online retailer for personalized baby gifts, is giving away a crinkle bear with ANY purchase!

A Mommy's Work is Never Done

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:26:00 +0000

One frog pillow pet from Dante and one monkey from Wyatt. I got these wounded guys in weeks ago and today I finally remembered I needed to fix them.

I know one day I will wish I had stuffed toys to fix and busy work to keep me "busy" - these kids are growing up so fast :(

Mom's Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 03:33:00 +0000

This guest post from Werner Rogers

Mom has been trying to get me to go to get.wildblue.com to look into internet for the lake house but she doesn’t seem to understand that I don’t want it there! I really love that I can go up there and that I don’t have cell service and I can really just zone out and be off the gridfor a few days at a time.

I really get where she’s coming from – what about when she needs to email me or when I’ve got work to do – I get it. But that doesn’t mean what she wants is best for me and hey, it’s my house so I can do with it whatever I want to do!

I think it’s more important for me to have the privacy and the seclusion than it is to be connected to work so I can catch up. I really enjoy my time up there where no one can reach me and I think I’m going to keep it that way for a little while longer.

Going On Our DisneyMoon

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:04:00 +0000

CJ and I leave for Disney on Monday, sans the kids - for our "DisneyMoon". Jealous? Feel free to come to Disney with us and take a break from reality! We are staying at the Beach Club Villas:

Snow in October Brings Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:42:00 +0000

On Halloween weekend here in Pennsylvania we had snow, and lots of it. All of a sudden I noticed women are popping up pregnant! Guess I'll be buying a few personalized baby gifts in the near future, LOL.

I got married that weekend but alas, Mother Nature was so unkind on that weekend and here was no way for me to wind up like the several women I know ;)

Boobjuice Boutique

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:18:00 +0000

I have a little Zazzle store set up--actually I set it up almost 2 years ago and really didn't do much with it. Here is a screenshot of the latest products I created. (click on the image to see it clearer)

I breastfed all 3 of my babies and I remember all the taboo surrounding it, even with my family! I created Boobjuice Boutique with a tad of humor but in all seriousness it's definitely for proud breastfeeding babies and mamas ;)

Problem Child

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:14:00 +0000

Guest post of the week by Brittany Booker

Our oldest daughter has been a real problem lately. She is only 16, and started dating a 25-year-old man. I don’t know where or how she met him, but I was in shock. My husband and I obviously opposed this coupling, and forbade her from seeing him. I don’t know what else we could have done. I couldn’t just sit back and watch my baby’s childhood get stolen. After we forbade her from seeing this creep, things got worse. She started sneaking around with him, and our house has been vandalized a couple of times after big fights with her.

We feel like we have no other option but to look into home security augusta and get an alarm system. I don’t want our daughter to end up in jail, but I have a hunch that she is involved in all of this. We have decided we aren’t going to give her the code to the alarm, and she’ll have to go through us as she comes and goes. I know it sounds extreme, but we feel like we have to do everything possible to save our daughter.

Speaking of Growing Up So Fast

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:08:00 +0000

I came across these old photos of my three children. I cannot believe Olivia is now almost 9, Dante is 6, and Wyatt is 5 already.

Going to see a classic New York play, RENT

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Guest post written by Jessica Griffith

There are all kinds of things that my daughter and I had on our list to do while we were in New York over Labor Day. There were so many great ideas but there is only so much that you can do in a New York minute! But I had to put my foot down and say that we had to make going and seeing a play a top priority becuase it's such a great place to go and see a play! She agreed and left all of the research for it up to me.

While I was online looking up soem stuff about seeing some plays, I ran across some stuff on miracle ear. I've thought about getting hearing aids some and after I read about that I got a hearing test and got fitted with a pair of them.

I was really glad that I went and got them before my trip because I think they definitely helped me enjoy the play a whole lot more. Our seats were near the back but I think that almost any seat in the house when it comes to stuff like that is really great.

Perfect Gift for Baby and Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:16:00 +0000

This personalized baby gift basket is the perfect gift idea for baby's first Christmas.

This beautifully embroidered collection of baby essentials is made of luxuriously soft 100% cotton and features Jingles™. This plush bear captures the spirit of the season with a big red bow and jingle bell.

For this and more personalized holiday baby gifts, shop BabyStuffGifts.com

Some Things Never Change

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:48:00 +0000

Wyatt, my youngest, just turned 5 yesterday :( Babies really do grow up so fast. Here he is as an infant, sleeping on me:

Here he is a few weeks ago, sleeping on me:

I hope he always loves and trusts me this much.

Getting a Bad Deal on a Car

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 09:54:00 +0000

Once upon a tie I had a wonderful friend, who lived in California, and had bought a "Certified Pre-Owned" used car. (This is a car that has been sold by the franchised dealer for that make and model and the automobile manufacturer includes a written warranty for the buyer) and well, this particular car seems to have turned out to be a lemon. Of course she is devastated because she spent a great deal of money on this car and no has spent even more money on car repairs.

The first thing I asked her was if she was familiar with the Lemon Laws in California. I really feel strongly that she has a case against the dealership that sold her this car. I advised she look into finding the best Lemon Law attorneys in California to help her make heads or tails of her unfortunate situation - there are decent California Lemon law lawyers who can help.

I told her she could be entitled to restitution under the California state lemon law because it offers the option of having the company buyback the vehicle or she could get a new car or truck.There are California Lemon Law attorneys who are excellent at redeeming restitution for their clients.

I also told her she needs to stop taking the car in for repairs--repairs she shouldn't have to be making already.

Room Re-Do

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:43:00 +0000

We have been thinking about redoing our daughter's room. Right now, she has carpet in there and I think I would like to rip that out and have the hardwood floor exposed. Then we can sand it and finish it - I think that will look nice.

Then I saw a few rooms in a home and garden type magazine that had wool rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. I really liked the look of the rooms - so much that I mentioned this to CJ - told him I would like to consider a wool rug for Livi's room.

He is not sold yet on the idea so I have some research to do on this - regarding not only the look but also the longevity and upkeep. There are so many things I want to do with her room. Maybe we should just completely Gut it and start over! Although that would be a bit pricey - her room has not been touched in years and this house used to be my grandparents so you can just imagine how badly the rooms need to be re-done.

Adult Bunk Beds are Comfortable and Practical Beds for Grown-Ups

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:41:00 +0000

The quality of beds has come a long way in recent years. One category of bed that has really improved in quality and comfort is adult bunks beds. As children, most of us loved having a bunk because it was a novelty to have one of these beds. Itís not just kids however who opt for bunk beds nowadays. Many grown-ups prefer sleeping in adult bunk beds for practical and comfort reasons.

Most bunk beds for adults are large enough to hold two or three people. They're perfect if you have a shortage of space in your home. They're also the ideal solution if you have a number of guests staying in your home. These beds make a change from the traditional beds most of us are accustomed to.
Adult bunk beds are designed to a high quality. The range of bunk beds for adults continues to grow. Most modern beds are made from wood or metal. Wooden bunk beds are bulkier and heavier, while metal beds take up the minimum amount of space and are easier to keep tidy.

The most popular types include the following:
* Twin over twin bunk bed
* Twin over full bunk bed
* Twin over futon bunk bed
* Staircase twin over full bunk bed
* Twin over loft bunk bed

Bunk beds have come a long way from the basic, uncomfortable beds of the past. They're practical, comfortable and take up a minimum amount of space. If youíre thinking about getting a new bed, it's worth your while finding out more about adult bunk beds.

Trick or Treating!

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:02:00 +0000

My Littles are not so little anymore :( Had a fun evening trick or treating tonight! Happy Halloween everyone!

Making the best candy cupcakes ever!

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:29:00 +0000

Guest post written by Kendra Cartman

One of the things that I try to do every year after Halloween is use up all of that extra Halloween candy to make some really good baked goods. It never fails that my husband thinks that we don't have enough candy at our home for our trick or treaters even though I've bought plenty. Then on his way home from work on Halloween evening, he'll stop at the grocery store along with everyone else to pick up those last few bags of candy. I tell him not to do that every year. But he still does. At least all that extra candy is really good for making some delicious baked goods after Halloween is over and done with!

I started doing that years ago when I got sick of seeing all this candy laying around the house for too long. Now each year I use my wireless internet Winston Salem to look up all kinds of great recipes for it. Now I'm certain that my husband goes and buys the extra candy just because he knows that I'll be forced to use it.

But I'm okay with this routine too. It really gives me the chance to experiment with candy as ingredients, like when I used some snickers chunks in cupcakes!

Personalized Music and Books for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:44:00 +0000

My children are ages 8, 6 and soon to be 5 - they LOVE music and they enjoy reading as well. I found a site that sells personalized music and books for kids and let me tell ya, these are GREAT!

My kids get such a kick out of hearing their names sung in a song, or seeing their names in a book. In fact, my youngest loves it so much, all he wants to do is read! This is a big deal for me because he is the one who always seemed to be disinterested in books, no matter what the story was about. Now, he loves reading! I am definitely going to order a few personalized books for him for his birthday, which happens to be next month!

Carrying Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:42:00 +0000

One of my good friend's is pregnant and she is June in the beginning of June. She is kind of a 'crunchy' parent, as in, she home schools (well, cyber school to be exact) and prefers organic foods to processed. With this in mind, I think one item she may love (as a gift from me) is a baby pouch so she can wear her baby.

I actually tried several different types of baby wraps when my children were babies but I could never get the hang of it. I think she will be able to figure it out, if not, there are lots of places she can go to ask for help - like websites, forums, social media sites, etc. This way she will be able to better decide which pouch or wrap is best suited for her and her new baby.

I am really happy for her and her husband. They already have two awesome children, a boy and a girl. Can't wait to find out the gender of this new wee one! Having three kids is fun; I should know, I have 2 boys and 1 girl!

Bunkbed For the Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:27:00 +0000

Wyatt and Dante were still in toddler beds - up until this past week! At ages 6 and almost 5, I thought it was time to get them 'big boy' beds but we just did not have the money to do so. My mom and grandma found an awesome deal for a bunkbed in a flyer from the newspaper and offered to buy it for the boys. The bunkbed even came with two mattresses a dresser with 6 drawers, and a nightstand! Here is Dante, loving the fact that he gets 'top bunk'!

Now that they have real beds, I can see I will need a bed skirt because already they are shoving toys under the bottom bunk! I know, 'boys will be boys' but sheesh, it is insane how messy they really are! I think a nice bed skirt will look good and will also keep the mess under the bed hidden.

Eventually the boys' room will be redone - the wallpaper needs to come off and the walls and ceiling, as well as windowsills the window frames, need to be painted. New carpet too - once they are older though.

An Alternative to Video Games

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:08:00 +0000

I say, "Use your imagination!" to my kids on a regular basis. With the amount of television shows popping up tat are geared towards kids and the new video games that are now available, it is no wonder my kids have no idea how to really use their imagination.

Last winter my kids watched way too much TV and played too many video games. We do have interactive video games and that made me feel a little better, at lest they were getting some exercise, but again, no imagination whatsoever! This winter I need to make sure I have games, toys, and puzzles that are fun for kids as well as challenging.

While it is important to have all sorts of educational and fun activities on hand for my kids, it is even more important for me (and for CJ) to be more involved with the kids when they are playing. I would love to play Barbie dolls with Olivia, or do a puzzle with Dante and Wyatt. I work so much I find it difficult to fit that in to my schedule. Well, not any more! I really need to prioritize things in my life and this is at the top of my list.

Save on Personalized Baby Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:09:00 +0000

Huge selection of personalized baby gifts here!

15% Off All Personalized Holiday Gifts and Toys

...now thru October 16!

Need a personalized Halloween gift for a LittleTrick or Treater...Shop Baby Stuff® Gifts.

We're adding new gifts for the holidays,

so please check back often!

Enter coupon code Halloween2011 during check out and receive 15% Off! Offer ends Sunday at Midnight.

*Shop Today

A Nice Lab Coat Site

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:01:00 +0000

I worked in the medical field as a medical assistant for several years. The attire choices were pretty limited back then and even though we got to wear scrubs of our choosing, we still had to wear frumpy lab coats! I really had wished I could find a lab coat that fit my body type.

Today, if you landed a job in the medical field, no matter as a medical assistant or a veterinary tech, the choices available when it comes to medical scrubs and uniforms is plentiful. In fact, many are very stylish and flattering to wear.

I found a bunch here: http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/ -- an excellent site for the type of lab coats and scrubs you will love to wear to do your job in the medical field.

Aulani or other Hawaii real estate?

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Now that Aulani is open in Hawaii, I’m getting the urge to by a bit of Hawaii real estate in the form of more Disney Vacation Club points. Cj thinks that the points are too high but he likes the idea of owning property in Hawaii. He keeps trying to get me to look at other time-shares or vacation clubs in the area.

My thought is this. If we are going to buy-in somewhere, we should just add to our current vacation club points and buy at Aulani. This way, if we choose, we can use our points in Disney.

We are still way up in the air on this. In-fact, we leave tomorrow for our next Disney trip so I guess that gives me time to convince Cj that we should just build on our current Disney points instead of investing in a club outside of Disney. After all, we will still be in Hawaii! Who cares who we are paying when we are there? Have you seen Aulani? Wow! It’s a gorgeous resort. The only thing it lacks is the Magic Kingdom.

Adorable Personalized Baby Plate

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:21:00 +0000

Baby Stuff Gifts always has such great monogrammed baby gifts and this custom made plate is no exception.

I love this idea--the letter of baby's first name in the middle of the plate. There is a certain little girl I would love to get this plate for!