*warning: graphic pictures. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'm not kidding!*

I found an awesome recipe for baked zucchini chips on pinterest. They looked and sounded divine.

I didn't have any zucchini, but had some potatoes and sweet potatoes, so I carried the recipe over. I sliced up a sweet potato and two regular potatoes, baked them up, and even put up this yummy picture on instagram. They shrank up a lot, so I got the slicer out to do one more sweet potato.

This is where things go from good to bad in about 0.05 seconds. I was slicing, slicing, and then screaming. And cussing. A LOT. I called my mom (I was home alone with E...mom lives inTexas, not a big help, but that's what you do, right? Call your mom?). Then called some neighbors with no luck. Then walked over to a neighbors...not home. Then texted a neighbor and his wife called back. She came over "it's not that bad!" And, then I took off my make-shift tourniquet (btw, the triage nurse said never ever do this..whoops). "Oh, that's bad." Then, Mr. Serious got home with the older two. I quickly gave feeding directions (please take a bottle sweetheart), and the neighbor and I were off.

And, then, I got one of these.

Why? I went from cutting potatoes to cutting my thumb. I cut off the tip with a mandolin slicer. And, not just a little bit (here's one more warning for nasty, gross, bloody pictures!). I went to triage and they wrapped me up and sent me back to the waiting room.

Then, back to a room where the NP (nurse practitioner, who I might have called mean) unwrapped it, looked at it and agreed with me that there wasn't anything to stitch together (honestly, I was hoping they could...I knew it would heal faster!) Then, quickly recovered it because it was still bleeding! (shocking side note: I didn't get any blood on anything except the burp rag I used!) Then, he put a shot in my hand at the base of my thumb to numb it. Yeah, that hurt!

Then I had to wait for this cellulose thing to stop the bleeding. And, that didn't work. And, then he (the NP) tried another one. And, that still wasn't completely successful. So, then, he brought out these silver nitrate sticks to cauterize it. Oh, yeah that hurt! And, looks like this (I warned you!)

And, success...that stopped the bleeding. So, it was wrapped up, Mr. Serious (aka rock-star husband and dad) packed up all three girls and came and picked me up.

And, you know you are a spouse of a blogger when your husband tells you they saved the chunk of your thumb from the cutting board. I'll save you that picture (pretty sure I might puke if I see it!).

Oddly enough, the face recognition on the iPhone camera isn't set out for thumbs. I tried (and, you'll probably thank me), but this is day 2. Not much better, but thankfully, not bleeding!

And, now, I'm thinking that Pinterest really is dangerous and that maybe I should go back to boycotting.

Or, maybe I should a) find the handle for my mandolin slicer or b) throw the stupid thing away!

I should also add, I immediately put an ice pack on it to hopefully help with the pain and swelling. But, I was so distracted, I didn't realize it was on some of my skin without a barrier, so now I have frost bite/freezer burn on my thumb. Yeah, it feels good, too.

You really don't realize how important your thumb is until you can't use it. Yeah, pretty much for everything.

 
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It's getting close to blogger conference time. And summer. And, handing out a business card with your contact info is way easier than trying to find something to write it all down on. I still haven't ordered new cards for my blog design! Which is almost two years old (hmmm...time for a change).

UPrinting wants to help you out by giving you 250 Business Cards.

Prize Information:

• 250 Die-cut Business Cards for one (1) winner 
• 2×3.5″ Rounded Corners, 2×2″ Rounded Corners, 1.75×3.5″ Rounded Corners, 2×3.5″ Leaf, 2×3.5 Rounded one corner, 2×3.5″ Half-Circle Side, 2×3.5″ Oval, or 2.5″ Circle 
• 14pt Cardstock Gloss / Matte / High Gloss (UV), or 13pt Cardstock Uncoated 
• 6 Business days print turnaround time 
• Free US shipping only Giveaway 

Restrictions:

1. This giveaway is open to US residents only, 18 years old and above. 
2. No prize substitutions allowed. 
3. Winners are allowed to win once over a six-month period. 
4. Only email addresses used for the giveaway will be eligible to claim the prize.

You should assume that I will receive free print products in exchange for the post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions. Interested to hold a giveaway like this? Please sign up here.

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It's always important to us that our children have well rounded meals. Sometimes, they aren't cooked by me, though. During soccer season, it was a rush to get everything cooked and the girls fed in time. We are thankful for Kidfresh meals.  They are all natural, are a good source of protein, and have no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.  They also have vegetables hidden in them!  Oh, and whole wheat pasta!

And, they've expanded their markets beyond Kroger and Publix and now include Harris Teeter.

This time, I did the sampling (with trying to eat dairy free, I welcomed the change). The Spaghetti Loops Bolognese were very tasty. And, very filling, even considering this was a child's serving. (And, yes, my kids did steal some of mine and quite enjoyed it!)

Much better and fresher tasting than some canned brands for sure!

**Please make sure these are available at a store near you!

*Samples provided to facilitate the review.  All thoughts are my own.

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My last pair of glasses was way too old. Like two prescriptions old. And, when you are as blind as me, that makes a big difference. But, I'm cheap, so I just used them at night and tried not to be bothered.

The last pair I paid for cost me over $200. Yeah, not cheap. But with EyeBuyDirect.com they offer a wide range of high quality affordable cheap eyeglasses.

They do this by selling eyeglasses online. EyeBuyDirect is able to cut the costs considerably and offer prescription eyeglasses starting as low as $6.95 including basic Rx lenses. Unfortunately, because of my strong Rx, I wasn't able to take advantage of the basic lenses (it wasn't even an option), but my lens upgrade was only $11. Not too bad. And, while this wasn't the thinnest lens option, they don't seem too thick, either. And, I can see!

I decided to go with something a little different with the Dauphin frames.

My mom says I'm a different person with them on, but I like that the part that sits on my nose isn't adjustable!

One lucky Really, Are You Serious? reader will win a $30 Gift Voucher (Exclusion of designer eyewear and sunglasses.) Open to USA and Canada.

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With three kiddos, I think I have an idea of what I need in my baby bag. Sure, we are cloth diapering this time, so it changes things a bit. But, here's what's in there:

• peri-bottle: for wetting the 
• cloth wipes (about 7 of them)
• 2 diapers
• wet bag for dirty diapers
• burp rag
• extra outfit
• mini first aid kit
• breast pads
• cell phone
• wallet
• nursing cover/blanket (sometimes)
• changing pad

These fun and bring pink lining baby changing bags come with a wet bag and very plush changing pad. However, my bag seemed a little full and the pad took up a lot of space, so I used a thinner one that I have. I also used a different wet bag as I didn't feel this one would hold two wet diapers in it.

Despite using stylish diaper bags for each of my girls, like this Poppins bag, they still seem almost too full. But, I can't think of anything I could take out and feel okay out and around (most of the time, the nursing cover stays in the car and not the bag).

After using this bag, I did realize that I prefer a bag that is wider more than tall (as it's hard to get everything easily in view). I also prefer the pockets to take up space outside of the bag, instead of inside. I fell when I put something inside the pockets, it does't leave as much room on the inside, at least on this bag which is quite thin (front to back).

This bag looks like it's cloth, but it's actually more of a soft waterproof fabric so I can wipe messes off if need be. I also like the bright pink lining on the inside and the fun tree of life outside.

What do you have to have in your diaper bag?

*I received this bag for the purposes of the review. All thoughts are my own.

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This is the last week of school for my girls. They've been at the same school for over 5 and 3 years and it's definitely bittersweet. We're going to love the savings, but it's nice that they are in an environment where they are having fun and learning and I can get some work done.

Summer's going to be a little different. Working at home with three kids seems close to impossible. Especially when two of them can get into trouble quickly, if they feel like it. (They look like trouble, don't they?) I could start a list, but let's just say we've got marker in places we shouldn't, a ceiling fan has been broken and their little sister has gone for some turbulent swing rides).

When I'm needed a day to get things done without helpers, I'm sure I'll be calling on a sitter to come and watch the girls, especially since we don't have family close. Or, on the rare chance that Mr. Serious and I want to get out for a date night (remind me what that is again?) With our current run of sitters, we plan on taking our searching elsewhere and what to check out SittersUlove.com.

SittersULove.com, launched in February 2012, is a great online resource that allows families to connect with both babysitters and nannies by searching in their area (metro Atlanta and Athens) as well as by other qualities. In fact, you can actually search for a caregiver for free by typing in your zip code. This will allow you to see a preview of the caregiver's profile.

Here's what really sets them apart from other site, all of the sitters and nannies have to successfully complete a criminal background check before they can even be listed on their site. Every single one of them. And, of course you can communicate with the caregivers and do interviews, etc, before selecting them to provide care for your children.

They offer three membership packages for parents: 1 month- $25, 3 months- $55 and 1 yr- $95. You can follow them on twitter and keep up with them on facebook.

SittersUlove.com would like to provide one metro Atlanta/Athens area family a ONE MONTH membership giveaway, which provides you with one month of unlimited access to caregiver profiles which includes:

• background checks 
• references 
• schedules/availability 
• ability to communicate with caregivers by using their internal messaging system

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My sweet E is a great nursing baby. She latched right on after she was born and hasn't looked back.

I can't find pictures of my older two nursing, so I'm changing that right now.

I’m linking up here.  Go and visit their Wordful and Wordless Wednesdays.

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It’s time again for Mommy and Me Monday. Pop out from behind that camera and capture yourself in action with your kids.  Check out the inaugural Mommy and Me Monday for more information.

I don't win things very often, but Friday, I got an email that we won some Imagination Movers tickets. We did some schedule rearranging, and nap missing and made our way over to the Cobb Energy Centre (which is a great venue...nobody bombarded us to buy $15 cotton candy or a $10 balloon...in fact, we didn't even see anything to purchase.)

We were getting ready to get our "jam" on so daddy got a picture of his girls. 

The concert was really good. They actually covered some popular songs (and cleaned them up, like Blink 182 and Coldplay) and kept it good for parents and kids. The kids were dancing all over the place and interacting with the Movers who actually came into the audience all the time.

My sweet E along with the rest of us had quite a day (with a kindergarten "graduation" ceremony in the morning), she slept during the entire concert (most of which I had my hands over her little ears). She's my little snuggle bug.

Sunday we went to an indoor play center (thanks Karen for the picture) and learned about a new reader app. E was actually out of her wrap and hanging out. She was giving sweet smiles until the camera came out.

Next Monday is Memorial Day, so I hope you spend the long weekend with your families and make sure to get a picture of you with your kiddos. 

<center><a href="http://www.reallyareyouserious.com"><img alt="Mommy and Me Monday at Really, Are You Serious?" src="http://www.reallyareyouserious.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Mommy-and-Me-Monday-Button-125.png"></a></center> <center>Hosted by <a href="http://www.reallyareyouserious.com" target="_blank">Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?</a></center>

**There really is only one requirement here, a picture of you and your baby or babies; your children, your “baby” (ie significant other) or even your fur babies.  If your picture doesn’t feature you (meaning you must be in the picture), I will have to delete your link.  It’s not fair to the others that follow the rules.**

I try to make sure and visit all of you and leave some comment love.  Please spread the love!  And, I never mind the comments, either:)

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If you follow me on instagram (@SeriousKrystyn), I know you've seen these, but well, you all don't, so here you go. I'm not being original. Many of my blog friend do a phone dump and put it into a collage.

I'm sure most of them do it way more efficiently than I did, but alas, here's the last week's worth.

Smiles from a happy baby with a squinty eye just like daddy ~ Sisters watching tv waiting for their baby sister to finish eating so they can go to school ~ Cuddles with mommy ~ Kisses from mommy ~ View from the kitchen: swinging sisters while Big is reading Bible stories to the Middle ~ Middle wanted a kiwi; she got one, a cutting board and a plastic knife and started getting it ready ~ Mother's Day present: puzzle ~ Tea party remnants in the bathroom ~ Kindle reading while rocking the babe ~ Sweet, soft, delicate little hands ~ Happy smiles for three months ~ More snuggles with mommy (I can't get enough) ~ Calm, cool and collected after breakfast ~ Heading out to get the bigs from school

Whew! Well, what can I say, we snuggle a lot. I've got one more week of the girls in school and I know those snuggles are going to be few and far between. Maybe I can convince them to all snuggle with me?

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Our grocery budget is $80/week. Crazy right? 5 people (well, 4 and one that only gets breastmilk)....and we keep within our budget because we use cash (we do purchase our ground beef and chicken separately). We do this by shopping at ALDI.

I have to admit, when a friend told me she shopped there, I was shocked. I thought that ALDI was a store where they sold "seconds" items. I couldn't be further from the truth. With the exception of one or two things we've purchased, everything is awesome. ALDI exclusive brands are manufactured by many of the nation’s leading food producers, and in the ALDI test kitchen, ALDI ensures that products meet or exceed the quality and taste of the national name brands. And, if you do have a problem, all ALDI food products are backed by a Double Guarantee: If for any reason a customer is not 100 percent satisfied with any ALDI food product, ALDI will gladly replace the product and refund the purchase price. 

Along with a couple other media, I went and had a tour with the ALDI people of one of the newest ALDI locations in Atlanta. I was so surprised at how much they think of everything.

• Ergonomic chairs for cashiers
• UPC codes all over packages so the cashiers don't have struggle with scanning
• A great starting pay and benefits
• Concern about costs at every corner (from flooring to HVAC to shelving and more).

Just an example of the savings while I was there. Avocados were $0.59. They were over $1.00 at another local store. Take a look at the chocolate pricing. Most of it imported and over half the price of other stores.

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