Just One More Makes 4

Sister's Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:34:00 +0000

Content by Mauricio Benson

When my sister had her baby I had to get the best of the clear internet plans for myself because with me being on the road all the time I needed to be able to answer her emails and get her pictures at the drop of a hat. I love my sister and this is the first time I’ve become an aunt so I want to be part of it once and for all and not miss a thing just because I wasn’t at my desk.

I love my sister so much and I know that it’s only a matter of time before she has a second one so I talked her into setting up a blog which has made my life SO much easier. She just posts pictures online when she can and I get to see what little Jayden is up to – it’s the simplest little strategy but you know, at the end of the day it works for my family and our crazy hectic lifestyle and that’s all that matters!

Fun at Chuck E Cheese's

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:33:00 +0000

CJ and I are not a fan of Chuck E. Cheese's - the food is sub-par and way over priced. However, the kids love it there and my dad enjoys taking them there n occasion. Last night was one of those occasions.

Olivia on some contraption while my dad watches:

Finding a Suitable Bunk Bed

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:25:00 +0000

We are still at three kids, but we are tinkering around with the idea again of having another baby. The big issue right now is money – of course! In addition, this house only has three bedrooms so the boys already share a room. If we had the money right now, we could turn the attic into a bedroom.

Even with an additional bedroom, two kids will still have to share a room and I really think it should be the boys. They are only 14 months apart and have always shared a room. Finding the perfect bunk bed for them is very important.

I looked online, after searching the stores around here and being extremely disappointed, mostly with the prices. When I came across this Kinder Bunk Bed I instantly thought it was perfect for them!

It is a day bed that features a pull out trundle guest bed, ideal for when we have company, without the need for another bed taking up room in the meantime. I also think they will love playing here; it kind of reminds me of a secret fort.

So of course I also saw a bed I think would be great for Olivia. It is this Ohio futon bunk bed.

It is a single top bunk with a double ‘fold-away’ futon beneath and can be easily turned into a single bed with separate sofa. This type of bunk bed is perfect for when a friend sleeps over!
Having lots of children but living in an average home requires thinking outside the box.

Getting a bunk bed that fits my kids’ personalities is my goal I found these beds online at Dreams.co.uk and just seeing what they have available has given me some interesting bunk bed ideas!

Husband Hates the Atlanta

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:25:00 +0000

Guest post written by my buddy Aldo Mays

My husband hates Atlanta. He grew up in a small city and has always loved the feel of a small city better than a big one. He was use to feeling safe everywhere you went and his family didn’t even lock their doors.

It is hard for me to imagine feeling that safe anywhere. I love the city, but I can’t imagine leaving my doors unlocked or being without an Altanta home SECURITY system. My husband feels safer with the alarm, but I can tell he still hasn’t gotten used to living here. It is hard to see him so worried and unhappy.

When we first moved here, I thought he would get used to it and everything would be fine. After years of living here, I am starting to wonder if we should move. I love my husband more than anyone in this world and his happiness is important to me. I am sure I will miss the city and all of my friends, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices. This will probably be my biggest one.

Gift Baskets for Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:34:00 +0000

If you are looking for a something special for baby's first Christmas and just can't decide what to get, consider baby gift baskets as they are always an excellent choice.

There are all sorts of useful items in personalized baby gift baskets and of course, they come all wrapped up in a nice little package. I found this one at Baby Stuff Gifts:

If you "LIKE" Baby Stuff Gifts on Facebook you will receive a coupon code for 10% off!

Not Looking Forward to Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:48:00 +0000

Here comes Winter and I am so not ready for it. Heck, it Already snowed once, over Halloween weekend! Yes, it snowed in Pennsylvania in OCTOBER. I am not only not ready for Winter, I am not prepared either. We seriously do not even have a decent snow shovel.

I really want to get a dependable snowblower for this season. My husband wants to start taking care of my mom's sidewalks and driveway since she has trouble doing it. He has a back condition called degenerative disc disease so shoveling is not a good idea, using a snowblower is much better.

So many people I know are already prepared for Winter because of the snow storm we had in October; they have already gone out and bought salt for the sidewalks, shovels and snowblowers. Not us, we are the best family when it comes to procrastination, lol. I do not even have boots for the kids OR myself. Heck, I do not even have a winter coat yet for myself!

Thankfully, I work from home so I should not have to head out in the bad weather too often this Winter. One thing I hate to do is drive in the snow!

Get 10% Off Personalized Baby Gift Baskets!

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:41:00 +0000

"LIKE" Baby Stuff Gifts on Facebook and receive a coupon code for 10% off personalized baby gift baskets and more!

Baby Stuff Gifts actually has a lot of precious baby gifts to choose from and all can be personalized!

Mom-to-Be

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:54:00 +0000

Guest written by our friend Gladys Fuentes

I am about to become a mother. I am so excited about this new step in life, but I am also terrified. I have never been the most responsible person and this will be the biggest responsibility of my life. I have been trying to prepare myself and my home for all the changes.

First, I decided to cancel all plans I had for after the baby arrives. I need to get my priorities straight and know the baby comes first. Second, I called All Home Security to have a system installed in the house. I want to make sure my baby is always safe. And last, I called my mom. My mom has been the biggest influence on my life and I need to make sure she is going to be here to help me raise my baby. I think she did a pretty good job raising me and while I know she has taught me enough to do this on my own, I need her.

My life is about to completely change, but I can’t wait for it to happen.

My Own Office Space is Needed

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:06:00 +0000

I have been thinking about expanding my business area to include rented office space--to give me an 'official' work space. I love my children dearly, but there are days I cannot get anything done because it is constant noise in my house and there are constant interruptions all day long.

Of course, after figuring in cost to rent the space and the cost for utilities, my brain went right to design. I definitely want a sign with my brand/logo on it so I have been looking for places that specialize in office signs you can customize for businesses. I personally would prefer to have brass lettering when customizing the sign. I think branding is so important when it comes to a business. The more your brand gets noticed, the more it is recognized by the public and that is what brings in clients - if you have a good reputation.

We are in Walt Disney World right now and I am noticing the brands and signs all over here, especially at the resorts. It is definitely interesting to see how unique each is.

Baby Steps

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:12:00 +0000

CJ and I are actually considering tying the knot...we've been living together since Olivia was 19 months old. We have both been married before so neither one of us really wanted to do it again, but...we might!

In March we are going to Disney sans the kids. We just might make that little getaway a honeymoon :D

We are staying at the Polynesian Resort because that is our absolute favorite Disney resort! Even though Bay Lake Tower is our home DVC resort, the Poly just feels like home :D

(photo credit)

For Another Baby Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:43:00 +0000

I of course LOVE these personalized baby gift baskets simply because of the celestial theme! This site never lets me down!

There is one for a boy:

There is one for a girl:

Another baby shower is on the horizon and I already know I am going to be getting one of these!Or both of these :D

A Happy Day Indeed

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Cj’s grandparents live out of state and recently he has been thinking about sending them to live in a senior care facility. His grandparents have lived in the same home since before CJ was born so this has been a hard decision for him. Unfortunately, he has to travel back and forth a lot to help take care of them and the frequency of the trips has increased over the last year.

Today, I found a New Jersey elder care company that offers in-home assistance to elderly people. The company sends qualified employees to the home to help with just about any medical or living need an elderly person might have. These scheduled visits would drastically reduce the amount of traveling CJ must do to help take care of his grandparents.

It isn’t that he doesn’t want to help but we do not live very close and it’s a hardship on our family financially. We have decided to try providing this in-home assistance as a trial to see if it helps. I know CJ wants to do everything he can to avoid sending his grandparents to a senior living facility. I’ll post any updates on costs, insurance assistance and if it actually helps.

Getting Tired of Video Games

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:12:00 +0000

During the Holidays last year, CJ and I decided to purchase an XBox 360 for the kids. We liked the Kinnect option because it would keep the kids active when it was either too hot out or too cold out for the them to play. Well, CJ and I both regret this decision. They sit and play Plants Vs. Zombies. It's not a motion game so they are just sitting on their butts.

I've decided to restrict all access to video games for the time being as I've recently invested in a bunch of educational toys for kids. We are huge Disney buffs so I invested in a lot of toys that teach about animals, such as the Animal Kingdom playset. We have also invested in a lot of toys that challenge the memory. I think it is important that children have fun but I also think it is important that my children also remain challenged and looking at a bunch of pixels on a television just does not seem challenging to me.

In fact, I'd like to take the television and throw it out of the window! We try to limit television watching but unfortunately, just like most parents, Spongebob usually wins out!

I'm Not a Fan of Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:08:00 +0000

Never mind the freezing cold, ridiculous ice and crazy snow patterns on the East coast during the winter months. The real dangers are three children that won't go outside when it is below 60-degrees. It gets really nasty here and we are always left wondering what to do with the children on the days where we can go out.

Playing outside just doesn’t happen and our finished basement…you know, the one designed just for the children ends up becoming “boring” after a while. Eventually, the children look to us for their entertainment.

CJ told me about a place that has indoor activities for kids which sounds perfect for those cold winter days approaching. We like arcade places and things of the such, but they offer little in the way of learning. Finding a place where the kids can learn and have fun means, we can feel our dollars are well spent.

As much as I hate getting into a car on icy roads, when January rolls around, I’ll do anything to get my children out of the house and stimulated even if it is just for a few hours. After all, it’s my sanity and Cj’ that’s at stake here.

Wedding Makeup

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:28:00 +0000

A friend of mine owns a cosmetics store in Newport, RI; Cosmetic Cosmos. This store has the most unbelievable products AND has the excellent reviews to prove it!

"I have been shopping with cosmetic cosmo’s for 4 years – love the makeup especially the mineral makeup – can’t live without it – always stop in when in Newport – Sherry is wonderful – everyone should try it – it makes you look so natural. order comes within 2-3 days – awesome." - Donna

"I love this company, especially the liquid mineral foundation with SPF 15. I found this store on a trip almost 2 yrs ago and have been ordering the product ever since. The service is always fast and there is always a small gift included with my order (nail polish, eye shadow). I love the colors of the mineral eye shadow but they did not stay on for more than a couple of hours. Overall I love the company and plan to continue buying from them!"

If you are a bride to be, they have excellent wedding makeup Newport RI -- not only can you buy products online, you can have your makeup done by a makeup artist on your big day!

Heat Wave?

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:49:00 +0000

Contributed by Milford Woods

I was just watching the news and saw the weather report about the heat waves that are going through the entire country. During the winter months I’m constantly complaining that I can’t wait for the summer but as soon as summer comes I’m wishing it were either fall or winter again. I guess I just have the mentality that the grass is always greener but I find it hard to believe that a lot of people don’t feel the same way, we all to a certain extent always want what we can’t have and the weather is no different.

Maybe I could just find a place in the country where the temperature is always nice, not too hot and not too cold. Thankfully, I found out about shopelectricityRatesTexas.com and now I don’t have to worry about my energy costs constantly going up and down and surprising me every month. I guess I will just suck it up and go hop in the pool and enjoy the sun and the heat while I have it here.

Just When I Thought We Were Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 13:46:00 +0000

Just when I thought we were done having babies and I had to put number four on hold, CJ starts talking about having “just one more.” Knowing that we have struggled to pay our credit cards and remembering the extra hard work just to stop debt collectors from calling makes me a bit apprehensive to move forward with having one more.

CJ has decided to go back into the workforce and do blogging/content writing on the side. We have done very well but as most “work from home” people know, insurance is a big issue and it is just unaffordable if you plan to have a baby. With him back at a nine-to-five job we will easily be in the position to have one more child before I get to the point where I can’t have any more.

However, if he drags his feet (because he really likes working from home) we will likely find ourselves contacting a debt lawyer such as Credit Law to help dig us out of a major hole. I don’t think this will be an issue though because CJ has always done a great job of taking care of his family and would never let anything happen to us.

Value Resorts in Disney

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:59:00 +0000

We are Disney Vacation Club members and so when we go to Walt Disney World we stay in villas--complete with a full kitchen. On our most recent trip this past June, we wanted to stay longer than normal and all the DVC resorts were booked solid on the dates we wanted so we thought, "Heck, let's just pay to stay at a value resort for two days. It shouldn't be too expensive!" WRONG!!! I thought we would need one of those quick loans to pay for the rooms upfront. Yes I said rooms.

Since there were five of us, even though there were two double beds in the room, we were still forced to reserve two rooms. The family suite at the All Star Music resort was over $700 total for 2 nights while two rooms at the All Star Movies resort totaled around $650 for 2 nights, so we booked the two rooms at the All Star Movies resort.

In hindsight, that was NOT cheap in the least. I do not understand how people who stay at these value resorts see the value in them. Okay--maybe a family of 3 or 4 do. For us though, as a family of five, I would rather take $650 for 2 nights and spend them at a deluxe resort, like the Polynesian resort that sleeps five.

Here is a photo of the Polynesian resort. It is a deluxe resort at Walt Disney World. Who would not want to stay here instead?

Putting Family Plans on Hold

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:01:00 +0000

When I created this blog I was definitely in the mindset of having one more child. No luck on getting pregnant. I was bummed but looking back, I think it was a blessing in disguise because as my children get older, they are more expensive! I know, that is such an obvious statement but wow, it is so true.

We found ourselves behind on some bills and I immediately thought applying for one of those guaranteed payday loans would be the best way to go to get things paid current. I never really thought about looking into those types of loans until I found myself in this financial situation.

Needless to say, if we are struggling to pay some bills we should probably prioritize what we spend money on...okay, not probably...we definitely should. I will say that giving up Disney vacations is out of the question. Next on the list, another baby. I really had to think about how badly I wanted another child. It was a tough decision so instead of saying "never" I just decided "on hold" was a better choice.

I have no idea how long this will last. In fact, what do you want to bet now that I have decided to wait for a while I will wind up getting pregnant? That would be just my luck! The Universe loves to mess with me. Oh well, what happens, happens right? All I can do is allow Mother Nature to take the lead...and oh yea, be careful!

The Monster Ghost

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:25:00 +0000

According to Dante, my 5 year old, this is a monster ghost. He was the mayor of a city. He had a work accident - got his feet cut off with electrical wire and died...

Blog Links

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:03:00 +0000

I just finished the task of picking out a few cute personalized baby gifts and I finally settled on the perfect baby shower invitations. In the midst of "Internet surfing" I came across a few really good blogs.

I am going to add a blog list on the sidebar of this blog, so if you add my blog to yours, I'll add yours to mine. Any type of bog is fine, from mommy blogs, to how-to blogs, even controversial blogs are fine.

This way we both get exposure to a wider audience. I have made many wonderful friends doing blog exchanges too, I'd love to get to know more of my readers so if you have a blog, leave a comment.

Empanada Night

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:45:00 +0000

Guest post written by Abigail Hunter

I don’t cook every night for my family, but I try to at least a few times a week. When I do cook I like to make it special too and go with a theme. I don't decorate the dining room or anything like that for family meals, but I try to make the food have a really great presentation. That goes with empanada night.

I think that my kids love empanada night more than anything and I love to look up new empanada fillings for them to keep things interesting. While I was online a few weeks ago looking up new empanada fillings, I actually came across some Clearinternet deals that sounded really great, so I decided to sign our household up for one of them.

Now, I guess traditionally empanadas have meat fillings, but I like to do non-meat fillings too. I found an idea for some cheese and banana ones and fixed them the other night. They were such a big hit! I’m going to have to fix those ones again for my family!

WOW

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:51:00 +0000

It sure has been a while since I updated! The last time I was here was when I posted the video review about the personalized baby gifts I ordered from BabyStuffGifts.com

Nothing new to report. Just been working and trying to keep the peace here at home. I'm hoping once the weather breaks and spring finally decides to show up, there will be more to blog about!

My First Video Review!

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:50:00 +0000

I ordered a few personalized baby gifts from the online store Baby Stuff Gifts. I decided to whip up a video review of my experience:

Relationships Take Work

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:26:00 +0000

CJ and I are doing our best to smooth out the rough spots and keep our life together harmonious. We've talked about relationship coaching in the past and it every now and then the topic comes up again.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking outside help when it comes to balancing a relationship, sometimes an outside opinion/outside advice is exactly what you need! We feel this way--we just need to find time for this as it is important!