Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Helps Us Get Ready For A New School Year

My son begins full day Kindergarten in 11 days and I am beyond nervous about it. Beside things being different than originally told at orientation (saving for another post), it is just such a long day 8:50 - 3:20. My poor baby's life is about to change and he has no idea.

As a helicopter, hands on, referee mom, I learned that letting my child handle situations on their own (as much as it might break my heart), that I am doing them a disservice to step in.

The Simple Women's Daybook - Aug 31, 2009

For today…August 31, 2009
Outside my window…it is gray and dark. Where is the sun? School starts in 2 days and I want to do outdoor things with the kids.

I am hearing…My kids argue and fight over a blanket.

I am remembering…How much I love them and how they are just loud. There is really nothing going on but all that noise makes me want to scream. It sounds worse than what is happening. We are in the same room so I can see them. Thankfully I know that the bloody screaming is just for effect.

I am thankful for…My husband, my friends and my family. My girlfriend came back from Florida and My niece from California and they both got me stones for my jewelry making. Got to love it when people think of you just because.

Around the house…I have laundry and more laundry

I am reading…Light up Your Child's Mind by Renzulli, Reis, and Thompson

I am hoping…To take the kids to the zoo tomorrow. I took them last year before school and hope to make this our yearly tradition. Pray the weather holds up.

From the learning rooms…sometimes we have to let our children make mistakes. Letting go is the hardest part about my child starting Kindergarten.

From the kitchen…I make some fantastic, semi-homemade pizza.
One of my favorite things…Having a meaningful conversation with my husband when we both feel we were heard. Watching True Blood and sitting on the edge of my seat. Ummm..can I get a witness???

A few plans for the rest of the week…Getting both kids and myself acclimated to a school schedule and finally making time for myself with the 15 hours of alone time a week I am going to get this year.

A picture to share…I love when my two get along. It warms my heart to see them working together to achieve a goal. I also love when she asks him for help or vice versa.

Self Portrait Sunday on Monday

I really used to look forward to posting my Self Portrait Sunday but after over 2 months of it and no hangers on, wasn't as fanatical about getting my post up. I guess I just lost steam.

Until, Lorie from The Shewbridges of Celebration, Fl started playing along. She brought new life into my very lonely meme. Thanks Lorie.

I got to speak to Lorie the other day on the phone and she is as nice as she comes across in her posts and her smiling pictures. Isn't it weird how women who have never actually spoken can talk about almost anything? I love the wonderful qualities of female relationships. Men have no idea the uniqueness that surrounds women. We are open hearted and let others in. We care deeply about people we have never met or sometimes have never even talked to.

Thanks to Lorie, I am putting up a picture of me and one of my bestest friends. She is caring, friendly, funny, crazy, sensitive, warm, loving, and silly. Please meet my friend Clarissa. She is always excited for me when something good happens and always listens when I need an ear. I have a lot of female friends who fall into the same category but there is something with Clarissa and I that is more than just friendship. We are like family and that is a rare find.

This is one of my favorite friend photos. I have a lot of photos with my girlfriends but they are all so staged. I think it shows how close and silly we are.


Let's discuss the reason I started Self Portrait Sunday. You look through your photo albums or computer folders and see very few photos of yourself. Maybe it is because, like me, you are usually behind the camera. Or maybe, it's because you never feel you look good in photos so you tell everyone, "don't take any of me."

Join me, putting up your self portrait shots every Sunday. There is only one rule. Link back to me so I can come visit you. I would really love seeing some participants so come and play.

Mellow Yellow Monday

Headed out to the park early in the morning for some alone time with the kids. We have the park to ourselves if we go before 10:00 a.m. I guess there are a bunch of late sleepers in my area.

Zhu Zhu Pets Rocked The House

Thanks to Mom Select, I had an opportunity to review a new toy called Zhu Zhu Pets.
Zhu Zhu Pets are fun, interactive hamsters that talk, move and even navigate their way around their own habitat. There are dozens of add-on sets so your child can create a custom world for their new friend. We're sure you'll be as amazed as we were at the sheer cuteness of Zhu Zhu Pets! 

My kids and I had never heard of them, however some of my friends where talking about the commercials and were excited when I signed up for this campaign.

Within a day of getting the pets, I made phone calls and invited 9 kids over for the very next day. I had no idea how easy it would be to get that many kids in a few hours notice but if you say toys, they will come. Oh and add pizza and mom's are ready to make the trip. I love my friends.

What did everyone think about these easy to take care of, hamsters?

Lets ask Katie, age 9


Rookie, age 5.5 says


Handsome, my son age 6 was a bit distracted but talked about how we got him in the mail.


After the kids played we had pizza on the deck. While the kids stayed on the deck playing on the bikes, I headed inside to see a bunch of moms playing.


The day before the guests came, my kids were allowed to pick their pets. They choose the same color even though we had several to choose from. I hot glued a little bow from my craft box to each and decided that I would let everyone at the party open theirs and pick a bow. This way while the pets ran around the habitrail, everyone would know whose was whose. You could write on the bottom but then you would have to remove them from the habitrail to check. Good idea huh?

My daughter Goddess was in love from the moment she opened her box and walked around all day saying, "Handsome, we have a pet now." Cuuuteee.


In a Nutshell: The Zhu Zhu Pets Rocked! They are the best pet ever. Cute, lovable, easy to take care of, no smelly cage, or tons of pink babies. No squeaky wheel in the middle of the night and no reason to buy food. Love it! They are quite smart! They run around the habitrail making noises when they enter certain areas. Each pet is equipped with something that interacts with the tracks of the habitrail. They turn, scamper, react to their environment and make sweet sounds.

The only problem I had with the entire habitrail set up is that it took me, 1.5 hours to put together. That could be because I had two kids, using and taking pieces as I tried to put them together. The other negative factor that the moms and I had, was that the garage top comes off every time a kid touched it and that this piece in particular
needs another pole at the highest part of the slide because if it isn't locked 100% into place the hamster has a hard time getting up to the top. We also wish that once he gets to the bottom of the loopy slide, he headed back into the habitrail instead of nowhere. We had to search for a few runaway hamsters who headed down the slide only to run under a table like a real hamster would.

At the party a few moms went to the website to find out where the hamsters are being sold and found out that they were currently sold out. I spoke to a mom today who was heading to Walmart to see if she could find some Zhu Zhu Pet pieces. Every mom at the party wants to build on the habitrail and felt that this would make a great Christmas gift. I am thinking of eventually donating my habitat to my daughter's preschool. This is a great idea for a classroom pet. We hope to get some more hamsters, a carrying case and some clothes. Some of the older girls 9-11 were talking about starting a Zhu Zhu pet collection and their moms were on board to help them.

It is my belief that the makers of Zhu Zhu pets have a great toy on their hands and hopefully will continue to grow the line as more and more consumers become aware of it.

Mails Here - The Life of A Review Blogger

Can you even imagine?

All this stuff came in between Tuesday and Today. Thankfully I am pretty organized because it all needs to be reviewed, discussed and written up.

Wish me luck.

Color Carnival - Colorful Tubes

On a gray, rainy day, head over to Color Carnival for a pick me up.
While at the beach this week I noticed this stack my kids had set up while they played in the sand. I had to catch this for Color Carnival.

Saving Ben, A Father's Story of Autism

I have removed my Amateur Book Review title in response to two awesome commenter's. Thank you ladies!

The beginning of the month I received a book called Saving Ben, A Father's Story of Autism by Dan E. Burns.

Right after I post, I will email Dan to thank him for having UNT send the book to me.

Ben, was born in August 1987 and is now 21 years old as of this book release.

Saving Ben was mostly written from entries of a diary his father, Dan Burns kept while trying to understand, then work through the eventual limitations and teachings of his son.

As a mother whose son has been in various services from age 2, it was a harrowing reminder as to just how lucky I was to have a child born into a world, who believes in early detection and intervention.

Dan has spent the past 21 year making sure that Ben is the best Ben he can be. As a "work in progress" Ben has made tremendous strides thanks in part to his father's never ending research, teachings and love.

What I appreciated most about this book beside the fact that I will always wonder how Ben and Dan are doing, is that Dan is brutally real in this book. Writing about his own short comings, set backs and failures is very brave. What parent doesn't lose their cool, or want to just run from it all? Dan is an amazing father. He is the kind of father we would all want for our children. I am of the belief that there is a reason for everything. Ben and Dan are the perfect of combination of love, respect, faith and perseverance.

Read Saving Ben, and find out how one father's love saved his son from the strait jacket of autism. With limited support and a ton of road blocks, Dan and a team of therapists that he hired, a strict diet regimen and more, Ben is living a full life.

Kudos to Dan Burns for loving as deeply as he does.

Back To School Supplies

I have been looking for a computer lately. My son is 6 and is very interested in doing things on the computer because the library has one and his preschool had one. The only problem is my laptop is old in the world of computers and it is "my baby". If he does something to my laptop, I would be crushed. Our desktop died about a year ago and we need something for him to use. I need something reasonably priced, fast, big enough to store everything he wants to play with and has all the bells and whistles needed for a tech savvy family. 

ABC Wednesday - F

This week my submission for ABC Wednesday brings you Funny Faces!

Goddess Has Something To Say About Heaven

Today while driving, Goddess had another one of her profound moments. They happen so often that I stopped counting.

This one went something like this....

"if those motorcycle guys don't wear helmets they could fall off they bike and hurt their noggins. Then they would go to heaven with God. I think God and angels are above the clouds in a space ship, traveling in outer space."

I don't know about you guys but I saw knowing with Nicholas Cage and Ummm....

Scooby Fan Reward

If you are or have a Scooby Doo fan at home I have something to tell you aboutEver hear of Zoinks Points? Neither did I, up until a few days ago.

Below are just some of the items that contain coding to get you Zoinks Points. If you are going to buy the item anyway, why not get a reward? My daughter loves Scooby and we have purchased books, DVD's and most recently the Mystery Fan, beside Scooby macaroni and cheese that would brought in quite a few ZoinksPoints.

. Beside getting free stuff by putting in your codes. You will find Scooby products that you had no idea existed. I found two things that my daughter would flip for. I am putting them on her Christmas list this year.

Christmas In August

Today was Christmas at Maria's House.

Back in the beginning of July I was offered the opportunity to review a new toy coming out in August.

Today, a huge box arrived on my doorstep and my kids freaked when I told them that I was for them and their friends.

More on this at a later time because along with the review post and a giveaway I will also be throwing a party with the toy to add to the review.

Upon opening all these yellow boxes my daughter was beside herself and totally in love with her new toy! I can't wait to show you guys the video.

The next box that arrived was from Warner Brothers and was chock full of Scooby Doo stuff. If you don't remember, here is the post, but my 4 year old daughter is the hugest Scooby Doo fan. Every movie she watches is Scooby, her dolls are all named for characters associated with Scooby and she takes her Scooby everywhere. So this box was like icing on her already Christmas cake. This box is like a box from Heaven as far as she is concerned.

More on these products, sponsors and reviews later.

Come on look at the happiness on that face! Cuuuuteee!

Amateur Book Review - A Change In Altitude

I received this book from Hachette Book Group and love the cover. My girlfriends who came over for coffee and love looking through my pile of books also were drawn to the cover. But a cover is just a cover, would the book satisfy?

A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve.

In a Nutshell: This was a great book, not a good book. Patrick and Margaret are very different as are most relationships. The parallels are interesting Patrick is a doctor and humanitarian and Margaret is a photographer yet it is Margaret who ends up being the humanitarian throughout the book while Patrick is a workaholic. There is one scene that actually stopped by heart which is probably what the author was going for. The description above talks about a horrific accident that occurs on the expedition. That scene was so nerve racking that I had to read it two times because I felt as if I was seeing it and had to remind myself that this was a character in a book not a friend of mine who parishes. Anita Shreve is a fabulous author and has brought us the literature classics "Out of Africa" and "The Pilot's Wife" which were made into movies. Is there a movie in the works for this one. Only time will tell but I suggest Rachel McAdams and Ryan Phillippe as the main characters.

Mellow Yellow Monday & Ruby Tuesday, Perfect Together

My kids couldn't get out of this seat quick enough. I couldn't get them to both look at me in the 2 minutes it took me to take at least 25 photos this being the closest to them looking at me. Damn kids!

Blue Monday

Today is Blue Monday and there but beauty today. It is amazing outside and I am trying to keep myself focused on the task which is making sure my kids enjoy their last days of freedom before school starts.

We are heading down to the lake today to dip a toe or hopefully more. It rained like crazy this weekend, so it is hard to say what we will find when we get down there.

Amateur Book Review - Halfway to Each Other by Susan Pohlman

This is a true story about Susan and her 6'5" husband Jim who were on the brink of separation. Susan has felt empty, lonely and disillusioned for years. Just as she is about to break the news to her husband on the last day of a business trip in Italy, he says that he thinks
it would be amazing to live there.

Two months later their, house is sold, their belongings are in storage and they are heading to Italy.

They lease an apartment, find the kids a school, learn to speak Italian, make friends immediately and find out that sometimes less is more.

Susan and her husband notice the changes in the children quickly. With no TV, radio, cell phones, computers and friends, the start looking for each other to talk, play cards and play together. Susan and her husband, spend their days, cooking, shopping, playing and riding a Vespa around Italy.

Susan's new friend's show them that just being, singing with abandon, dancing, sharing a glass of wine and spending time together are what matters. She starts to look at what really matters, Tim, and her two children. She finds out that living the unexpected life in Italy was like "finding the fountain of youth."

I highly recommend this book. Most marriages suffer after years. We feel unfulfilled, unloved, unmotivated, uninspired and we blame the person we are with. Susan took the opportunity to realize that she was blaming her husband Tim for this "lost part of her soul." We all feel lost at times; Husbands, wives, kids all of us. It isn't the fault of the person we are with, it is how we process what is around us or how we let our surroundings affect us.

Susan says that at the end of our lives we will be asked to answer two questions. Did we live fully? Did I love well? Can we all answer this positively? Probably not. This is something we should all aspire to.

I had to laugh over some of the arguments Susan and Tim have. He makes a joke, she tries to joke back but he takes it as a personal attack and vice versa. It is my relationship with my husband exactly. "Little moments that create canyons between us." Susan puts into words what most of us will never be able to do.

Thank goodness Susan and Tim took this year off to re-evaluate and find their way back to each other. In the long run, family is what matters.

At the end of this book, I had to ask myself, could my husband and I survive no television, no jobs, kids at school, no phone, no friends? I highly doubt it!

In A Nutshell: You will not regret buying this book. It is a fantastic book and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to read it. Amazon is temporarily out of stock. However, you can order it and will be notified when it comes in.

Sunday Stealing - Jodi's Meme

INSTRUCTIONS: Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Post as "Jodi's Meme: My Life According to (BAND/ARTIST NAME)" The great thing is that if you have already done this meme, you can do it again with a different artist! Please do!

-Are you a male or female? I am a female.

-Describe yourself - Short

-How do you feel right now? Tired and lonely.

-If you could go anywhere, where would you go? At the moment, I would go back in time about 15 years to when my husband and I were still very much in love.

-Your favorite form of transportation - Something that gets me where I need to go.

-Describe Your Morning Routine - Hear kids awake. Say good morning and give each a kiss. Go to the bathroom. Make coffee. Do you really need more???

-Your best friend is - far away

-What's the weather like - rainy and sunny, off and on.

-Pet Peeve? Lateness and people who don't say what they mean and mean what they say.

-If your life was a TV show, what would it be called - Keep on Trying

-Your relationship - In a constant state of fluctuation

-Your Fear - Something happening to my children. Everything else I could get through.

-What is the best advice you have to give? Do what you love and don't let anyone have the power of your emotions.

-If you could change your name, you would change it to - This question is always amazing to me. Do a ton of people walk around wishing they could change their name? Why? I like my name and I would never change it. There are more important things in the world.

-What do you say when you are frustrated? Damn it, Bafongool and madonn',

-Thought for the day - It can always be worse

-How you would like to die - When I am old and in a painless way.

-Your soul's present condition - It is menza menza

-Your motto - Live and Let Live

Amateur Book Review - The Palace of Strange Girls

In A Nutshell: For me, it took a while for me to get into the story. I was waiting for The Palace of Strange Girls to finally show itself. The family dynamics were very typical of the time. It was fun to read about the cost of items in the 50's.

I was interested in Helen the older daughter and how she handled herself trying to come out from under her mother's thumb and loved the relationship of the two daughters, Helen and Beth. Helen helping her sister fill in parts of her I-Spy book was sweet. What matters to Beth is getting an acceptance letter from Chief I-Spy.

I appreciated the vision of all the deck chairs and the crowded beaches. Reminds me of photos my grandparents have of Coney Island Beach. Barely room to walk and everyone is smiling.

Zucchini Three Ways

This week I found 8 zucchini's at A&P for $1.94. You know the ones that they lump together because they are going bad.

I love zucchini and usually I just make zucchini bread or zucchini pancakes. This times I decided to change it up a bit.

This dish was just cut zucchini, with cooking spray in the pan, salt, pepper and grated cheese. Yummy!

This was one that one of early boyfriend's mother's used to make. You cut the zucchini long wise, put sauce and cheese over and put it in the oven for about 35 minutes until the zucchini is tender.
Then I diced up chicken and zucchini, put some EVOO in the pan, the chicken until is was still a little pink in the middle, add the zucchini, some seasoning, whatever you like. I put salt, pepper, pepper flakes, oregano, parsley, and Mrs. Dash® Fiesta Lime Seasoning Blend. It was awesome!

Self Portrait Sunday #9 - Revisit

This is a revisit because I haven't posted a self portrait since July 11th. Not because I didn't want to it was because I my beloved point and shoot took its final picture. Those cameras are not made to take 3000 pictures a month and eventually my LCD just burned out.

I do have a lovely camera but it is hard to do a self portrait with it. When you set the self timer and run to stand in, you have to be exactly in the same spot or the camera adjusts hence, a blurred picture.

For my birthday, my husband got me another point and shoot and my daughter and I took some fun one today.

Let's discuss the reason I started Self Portrait Sunday. You look through your photo albums or computer folders and see very few photos of yourself. Maybe it is because, like me, you are usually behind the camera. Or maybe, it's because you never feel you look good in photos so you tell everyone, "don't take any of me."

Join me, putting up your self portrait shots every Sunday. There is only one rule. Link back to me so I can come visit you. I would really love seeing some participants so come and play.

Excuse the weekend, rainy, no make up face and grey roots. Oh, and notice the stack of book waiting for me to review or read on the night stand.

Making A Sandwich Could Help Feed America!

I just made a sandwich on Facebook and it was fun! You can make one too and be entered to win a 250 grocery store gift certificate.

When I was a kid, my parents were on the charity lunch at school. I was allowed to get a hot lunch every day in the cafeteria. However, I loved bologna on wonder bread with Hellman's Mayonnaise. BTW..it had to be Hellman's and this is still the case. I will only eat Hellman's Mayo!'' My best friend always had bologna and I always had a hot lunch. We swapped almost every day. My parents would have been devastated to know this. They had to fill out a ton of paperwork to get me free hot lunch and here I was swapping for bologna.

My virtual sandwich is white bread, 3 times bologna and mayo! It is called the Maria's Classic Tried and True!

Things In My House Thursday

Check out things in other folks homes at Things In My House Thursday. I actually love this meme and have only played two times.

Here is my son with the mega size calculator we found at Target for $2.50. Hopefully we never lose this one.

Street Angel Giveaway - #2

Dear Readers,

I believe I failed to mention that there would be a giveaway every week for the first month of Street Angel's unveiling.

This week, I am giving away an ankle bracelet entitled Love and A Question! If you haven't entered the earring giveaway from last week. Here it is.

When I found these beads I thought of winter and the frost that is left on the leaves on a crispy morning.

Thursday Thunks-Stupid Questions That You Love To Answer

Here are my Thursday Thunks for this week. Enjoy!

1. Your thoughts on hunting? I would agree with it if they evened the playing field by giving the animals guns too!!
2. Swine Flu vaccine... will you get it? No! Mostly because I believe that eventually we are all going to die from something and also because I wouldn't want some study to come out 10 years from now that everyone who got the Swine Flu vaccination now has respiratory problems or some other disorder.

3. What is one job/profession that you think there are just too many of? There are too many assholes and schmucks (I love that word)! Every job has at least one but only if you are lucky. Most companies are overrun with them. I think if they want to help the economy they should really put a freeze on this particular position.

4. I want to go on a diet, what advice will you offer me? Stop eating! Follow the pyramid we all learned about in school. Burn more calories than you take in. It's not rocket science, said the girl who needs to loose 12 pounds.

5. You are going out on a date with someone for the very first time. When you get into their car, you see a box of condoms on the floor. What do you do? Whip out my own box and compare notes. At least we are on the same wave length. Sounds like true love.

6. Name something in your bathroom that shouldn't be there. My Blackberry. I was checking my email while errr....brushing my teeth. Yeah that's it.

7. What was your Kindergarten teacher like? Ms. Howell. She was awesome. A pretty strawberry blonde haired chick that was very sweet.

8. What kind of oil do you use when you cook? Olive Baby! It's what Grandma used and I still love it.

9. If someone takes an unflattering picture of you and posts it online, do you beg them to take it down or do you laugh at yourself with everyone else? I would laugh and would constantly check for comments after leaving my own. In fact here is one of me now. My husband took this for my birthday. As you can see the kids are ready to blow as I am still singing the word H-A-P-P-Y in the Birthday song. Yikes! End of the day photos on a hot, summery day are never good!

10. What brand of dishwashing soap do you use? The kind that cleans the dishes and is on sale.

Look What I Found Thursday - #17

I would like to share with you "pearls of the Internet" on my radar for the week.

My son is starting Kindergarten in just 14 short days. It will be a huge adjustment for me more than him I'm sure. I have been with my children 24/7 since birth. I can count on my 1 hand how often I have left them with someone beside my husband and on two hands the amount of times I have left them with him longer than 1 hour.

Getting us both ready for Kindergarten is going to take some time but I found a really great list over at Cedar Valley Publishing by Stacy Kannenberg entitled
Homework for Parents & 7 Things Kindergarteners Need to Know. 

Wordless Wednesday - Pool Aftermath

Ruby Tuesday - Brings More Shameless Advertising

This weeks Ruby Tuesday is a set of earrings and a bracelet I created last night! How red are these beads???! I love them!

These and more are available over at Street Angel my Etsy shop.

The Simple Women's Daybook - Aug 17, 2008

This is one of my favorite meme's.

Outside my window... Sunny and HOT! Took the kids to the lake and we had it to ourselves. A mother and her teenage daughter showed up and some friends of the life guard but we had the water to ourselves.
I am thinking... That I am a wee bit depressed that my husband has to restart his night job! I loved having him here at night to put the kids to bed and it was nice knowing that he was here and safe rather than on the road in the early hours of the morning.

I am thankful for... My husband, kids and the breathe I breath.

From the learning rooms...Letting go of your kids as they get ready to start full time Kindergarten is going to be tremendously hard.

From the kitchen... Made my husband a quick pizza at lunch. Didn't have many supplies but he said he loved it and that is all that matters.

I am wearing... Grey shorts and a blue tank top.

I am creating... Jewelry, jewelry and more jewelry. I am loving it and made my 8th sale on etsy today. It feels good to know that someone will wear something I made.

I am going...Get the kids in bed at 8:30 and sit down with a good book!

I am reading... Light Up Your Child's Mind

I am hoping... That my kids go to bed easy with Daddy gone after being around the past 2 months.

I am hearing... My son playing Wii, and my daughter watching the Backyardigans.

Around the house... Loads of laundry and clothes to put away. Uggghhhh..

One of my favorite things...Sitting on the couch with my husband watching and discussing True Blood.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Hopefully getting together with some friends. I didn't see get to see my friends last week and I am feeling it.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...here is a sea plane or in this case a lake plane. It was amazing and I couldn't take enough pictures of it.

PlasmaCar Review

Thanks to Tasha from Catch The Drift with Mama Snow, and Classy Closet I was given the opportunity to review PlasmaCar.



From the moment we opened it and put it together which only took my husband about 5 minutes, my daughter was off and riding.

There is no batteries needed for this little sweetie. PlasmaCar runs on kid power which in this economy is a great thing. Batteries are just too expensive.

I have tried to use it myself and was unable to but the kids can get it moving in right away.

We took it with us to the school playground, a friend's driveway, my kitchen floor and my deck and the kids could ride it on all surfaces.

You have to appreciate a toy that is durable, holds up to 220 pounds, is quiet and saves us on batteries. Love that!

I bothers me when I hear my daughter say, this doll, bear, truck doesn't do anything. When I was a kid, the toys required something from me in order to work. Now that all the toys are electronic kids are spoiled and expect the bells and whistles. Plasma car, is like a visit to my childhood. It works on kid power and there is nothing wrong with that!

I believe this would be a great therapy workout for Occupational Therapists to use with their students. You have to use your hands and your core muscles need to be engaged to get moving. I am going to suggest this to my son's occupational therapist.

Camera Critters on Sunday

I know this should have been up on Saturday, but I have been off the computer for a few days. Oddly enough, the most complaints I get about my blog is that there are too many updates. I find this hysterical. I didn't even know it was possible to have too many updates. I usually drop off a blog when it isn't updated enough. But that is just me.

Oh, well...I digress....

So, for my Camera Critters this week, I bring you this sweet little bunny. He was drinking water out of an old water basin at one of the local farms and I fell in love with his sweet little face.

Join Moms Rising On The Front Line Of Women's Issues - My Breastfeeding Work Problem

Maybe you have or maybe you haven't heard of a group called Moms Rising. I have been a member for quite sometime and I am always amazed with the situations concerning women Moms Rising Supports. They are on the front line of all issues concerning women.

Two that caught my heart and attention are the following:

• Breastfeeding Promotion Act
• The Marriott Hotel blaming a woman for being raped

The breastfeeding promotion act is near and dear to my heart because as a nursing mom, I was forced out of my job due to the fact that I was pumping two times a day and taking lunch. I gave 110% to my last job. Coming in early, working through lunch, no breaks, staying until the wee hours and never being compensated for it. When my boss came back after maternity leave she insisted that she was going to pump for her breastfeeding son and refused to stop this time (for the first she stopped due to work and always regretted it). I made it a point to be sure no one would bother her when she was pumping by rushing her out or into meetings. Eventually she started missing her pump time because she couldn't get away from a meeting or a phone call. She gave up after the third week but I insisted that she I would not be stopping.

My maternity leave was only 2 months after she came back to work. When as my leave was coming to an end, I called the office and made sure that they would be able to do as they promised which was give me a place to pump. They assured me that everything would be fine and that they were standing behind me 100%. I got back and everyone worked around my pump schedule the first two days without a problem. I would pump at 10:30 then go to lunch (to feed my son in daycare close to my job), then pump again at 3:30.

There was a conference room upstairs and I was told it was the "Lactation Room" and that I was to kick out anyone who was in there, meeting or not!. Sounded good to me because I was going to nurse my son! My manager called me in asking to see pictures, telling me how much they missed me and gave me my review which was stellar and so encouraging, along with a bonus check. Everything was amazing! I had my son, was working a job I loved and they appreciated me.

On the third day, they called me in the conference room asking me how long I was going to be. Ummm...as soon as I'm done I thought. But I closed up shop! Walked across the hall to clean my pump supplies in a public rest room which was disgusting!

A few times I couldn't get the conference room to leave which meant that eventually I had to pump in a public stall and rush through it. Not easy for a new mommy! The whole thing was humiliating and degrading. To stand there with my pump bag waiting for people to leave so I could pump was upsetting.

On the fourth day they came over to my desk with work at 4:48 that would have taken me an hour. When I told them that they knew I had to pick up "the baby" they gave me faces but moved out to the way when I left my cube.

This went on for 5 weeks. Them asking for work to be done just as I was leaving to pump, feed him or leave for the night to pick him up. I spent most of the time crying through my pumping and my ride to my son's preschool. As soon as I saw my baby boy and held him, I knew that it wasn't me that was the problem it was the job and I refused to let them get to me. Until the next day when it started again.

On my 2 month back to work I was given a written warning. The manager called me into her cube and handed me an envelope and said, "I guess you saw this coming?" Ummm...nope never saw it coming. I had just returned back to work and received a beautiful review on my work so this floored me. When I asked why she said, that I wasn't giving 100% to my position. I was shocked. I was coming in at 9:00, doing my job, taking two breaks to pump, taking lunch to feed my son and leaving at 5:00. I just started crying. What? She said, "Maria, I know if you want this to work you will make it work." I started telling her how shocked I was and that this was disgusting. I brought up the fact that this was because I was now working 9-5 instead of 8 until whenever, that I wasn't skipping my lunch and taking breaks which was what everyone else did. I told her that I was shocked that the smokers who go on breaks 5-8 times a day have more rights that I did. She told me that it was immature to bring up other people. I cried the whole meeting as I tried to explain that I wasn't asking for this forever, that I was asking for this while I was nursing my son! She again stated that if I wanted this to work, I would make it work!

I spent the rest of the day crying.

When I got home I explained to my husband what happened and he said, "you know what you have to do, you have to resign. They are expecting 110% and now that you are giving 100 that is not enough for them. You gave them too much for the past 5 years." I knew he was right and that Monday I quit!

I knew I had a discrimination case on my hands and there are still hard feelings on my side but if not for them I would have missed out on my son's early months of life.

There are many women in the same position and a rest room is not the proper place to pump for your baby.

Moms Rising has asked me to forward this to all my friends, which means you guys!

Table Manners by Mia King - Amateur Book Review

This is the second book I reviewed by Mia King, the first one being Sweet Life which I can't find my review llink for. Grrrrr...

Mia King's writing is sweet, you can tell she is just a very sweet person by the characters she comes up with. She weaves reader friendly stories, and her characters are all very likable even when they are the "villian" or in this case, the evil sister/sister-in-law to be.

What I also love about Mia's book is how much she loves food, especially the sweet stuff. Sweet Life and Table Manners are chock full of yummies to make your stomach growl in the wee hours of the morning, when I usually do my best reading. At the end of her books you will find the recipes for the food the characters eat or cook, which will make you want to get up from the couch and start cracking some eggs to whip up something delectable.

In Table Manners Deidre is a our main character and someone we can all identify with. If she isn't you, then you have a Deidre in your circle of friends. She cares about everyone and wants to take care of the world. She doesn't know how to say no and takes on her friend's commitment ceremony, while trying to come up with a whole new line of special desserts by "Sweet Deidre" in a week. Arrrghhh.

My Kids Can Bring Me To Tears

Today Goddess made me cry!

Not in a bad way just in a oh my heart breaks because you are too adorable way.

We were lying in my bed watching General Hospital when she said, "mommy when I get bigger I will go out by myself?"

I told her "yes of course, when you are bigger, you will go out alone."

She said, "Mommy, will you miss me when I am bigger?"

I told her "oh honey, I will miss you like crazy." We hugged and I turned to look at the TV.

She said, "Don't worry mommy, I will come back." The she kissed my nose. We looked at the TV again then she sat up grabbed my face and said, "Mommy I will miss you so much when I get bigger."

That is when the tears started. It made me think about the future and how she will eventually grow up and not want to lie and cuddle with me.

It made me sad to think that one day she will go out on her own and I will miss her terribly.

It also made me think that one day she will miss me when I am gone.

Hug your children and hold them tight. It just goes so fast.

Thursday Thunks

1. Hypothetical question- you are in a building with famous works of art, old manuscripts of famous novels, and original sheet music from famous composers. The building is on fire and looks to be completely destroyed. Do you grab any of the famous works before fleeing, and if so what? I would grab whatever is closest to me. My life is more important than any of that stuff. If I can carry it safely out it can come, if not...oh well.

2. In August 1969, the Manson family went on a 2 night killing spree. Do you think 40 years later they have paid for their crimes? Killing anyone is disgusting. No one has the right to take a life. Have they paid? I don't know!

3. Power Outage! What's the longest you have been without power? 7 days! During Hurricane Floyd. We should have stayed at a hotel but were too stupid I guess. We heat up water on the BBQ to wash.

4. Just bought a new tazer gun. Will you let it be tested it on you to see if it works, and how it feels to be tazered? Oh hell no but if you want me to tazer you....

5. A neighbor's mail was delivered to you. In it is a magazine not wrapped in plastic. Is it ok for you to flip through it before giving it to the neighbor? Do you tell them you looked through it? No. I wouldn't look through it. I wouldn't feel right and would hate to have that happen to me.

6. If I went through your purse/wallet right now, what all would I find in there? Some business cards for my jewelry shop http://streetangel.etsy.com

7. Have you been living under a rock? No, but I have been under blanket or two.

8. Tell us something crazy you did this week. I have done nothing crazy, just ask my husband.

Happy Birthday To Me and A Giveaway For You!

Dear Readers,

Today is my 43rd birthday. Really not a big deal. Once I had kids, my birthday didn't seem to matter as much. I remember asking my grandmother or mother-in-law the "what do you want for your birthday/Christmas?" question, and they would say "nothing, you don't have to get me anything." I never understood it and felt like they were lying to me not wanting me to spend any money on them. Now that I am older, I totally get it. There is nothing that I want. I wouldn't want my husband to spend any money on me at this time. He got me a really expensive camera this past Christmas and I would rather take any money he would put on a gift onto a credit card balance to prepare for the holiday.

For my 40th birthday I threw a party for my girlfriends and this year I am throwing a giveaway for one of my readers.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I opened a shop on Etsy called Street Angel for my newest passion, jewelry. I love it and find it very therapeutic.

After hosting various Etsy artists I have decided to become one myself. There are so many talented people on Etsy and I hope you guys find something in my shop that makes you happy.

With every Etsy artist I hosted I did this interview, so without further ado....

Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Well, I am a mom of two who spent the past 6 years dedicating myself 24/7 to raising my sweet babies. Now that they are playing on their own, I decided it was time to start taking back some me time. This came in the form of sitting down on Sundays for a few hours and trying to create something that was wearable. But, I am getting ahead of myself. I like to write, take photos, talk to my friends, play with my kids, and network with some amazing people online.

How did you get started?
I have hosted some great Etsy artists on my blog and have always tried to be creative. One day I took apart and earring that I had lost the mate to and made a necklace. Then I took apart a necklace and made three pairs of earrings. It was fun, therapeutic and really exciting to create something from what would have in the past been put in the garbage.

Link to Earrings

Where do you get your inspiration?
In the beginning, it just happened. I simply took components, put them together and hoped it looked good. As I move along I have noticed a shift, I love playing with colors and base everything on a feeling which is exactly how I do my photography. Feelings are a create source of creativity and as an emotional person I have plenty of them.

What do you love most about what you do?
I love seeing the product at the end and hearing my daughter say, "that's beautiful". I also love wearing something I created and having someone in the outside world ask, "where did you get that?" Now I just pass them my card after saying, "Oh thank you, I made this."

In 10 years I want....to be happy, healthy and still creating things I love. Hopefully as a family business. My children, especially my daughter loves making jewelry and naming them for me.

Now, for the giveaway..Street Angel, that's me, is giving away either a pair of Gia or Gila Earrings.

Blue Monday - The Beach Blanket

This picture was taken last summer but I have not used it in a meme yet. I think this is perfect for Blue Monday and it makes me long for some quiet time.

Monochrome Weekly - Captured

This is my Goddess 3 years ago. She is 16 months old and so tiny! I love this picture. Her face, the rope, the shadows. So cute!

Weekly Winners - 1st Timer

So, I found another photo meme! This time it was over at Sarcastic Mom. For this meme, you simply choose one of your favorite photos of the week and post it. Easy enough this week but not always.

Obviously, I love these photo memes. You get a chance to see other folks worlds and showcase some of your own.

Here is Goddess on Friday. We were hanging out at my girlfriends and she was teaching the kids about gardening (more on that later).

I snapped this one quickly and loved it. It was a pass by with the camera but it captured her beautifully. I usually put my name on all my photos so I stuck it in my Flickr than played with it in Picnik. I love the softness but I also love the original so I am including both.

Today's Flowers - 1st Timer

I found Today's Flowers over at Carletta's Captures. These are one of my favorite flowers. I have no idea what they are called but growing up my parents had green thumbs. We had baskets and baskets of them lining our porch.

Color Carnival - First Timer

He is Handsome! By Goddess

Just looking at some older pictures with Goddess on my lap when she saw this one she said, "yes, he is handsome!"

So glad I nicknamed him Handsome!

Skin Care

I have been moisturizing since I was 12 years old.

My "Grandma Gagliano" taught me to use Oil of Olay to take care of my skin and never forget the neck. It's funny because I don't recall ever seeing her put it on but I give her total credit for the young looking skin I now have.

Whenever someone says, "you're going to be 43?" I always tell them how I've been moisturizing since I was 12. Is it the moisturizer or is it the fact that I don't take the sun, smoke or drink? Who knows but the fact is that moisturizing is important to your skin. Some of us treat our washables better than we treat the skin on our body. I feel like Sally Field, "I have one body!" It's true, we have to take care of this body because it was given to us. We take time to read a book, watch TV, flip through a magazine, talk on the phone with our friends, vacuum, clean, cook, whatever, how long does it take to care for your skin? It doesn't have to cost hundreds of dollars either.

SIRJJ Organics gave me the opportunity to try one of their creams. The one they sent me was the Rehydration Cream. It is wonderful! The scent is very subtle and you can tell there is no weird chemicals in it. All natural which is exactly what we SHOULD be putting on our face. I also love the slogan on the jar "Never to Young or Old to Age Gracefully." I have already started teaching my 4 year old daughter about taking care of her skin and both my kids know how bad sun exposure is for your skin. That comes from working for a Dermatologist for 5 years. They don't step outside the house without sunscreen and remind me often.

It's My Baby!

I snapped this picture 2 years ago and it still makes me laugh. I adore her and her cheeky smile. Miss Poser!!!