Family

Its Been 2 Years Baby

January 18, 2010 by Jennifer 11 Comments

January 2008

December 2009

Together 8 years… Married for 2 Years! Happy Anniversary to the love of my life Scott :).

It all started here on the blog and then a year later I blogged about how could we honestly make it through that first year? Now, here we are January 2010 and I have to say the 2nd year of marriage ROCKED. We had the best year.

Random Thoughts of 2 Years of Marriage

We are much cuter since we are carrying around less pounds now 😉

We still had our tiffs, but we didn’t let it stop us from still showing our love for each other 😉

He is really my best friend!

We can so tell when we are pushing each other’s buttons, and will give each other that smirk 😉

He has made me into a huge coffee drinker 😉

He will have coffee waiting for me in the mornings!

He is such a great hands on daddy that loves taking the girls to Chick-Fil-A 😉

He is so humorous and sometimes he can be over the top but I still love him 😉

He hates talking on the phone!

He loves Fox News 😉

He hates when I let the gas get to right on empty 😉

He loves to do laundry (haha or maybe he just wants clean clothes to wear!)

He is my biggest fan with my work 😉

He builds my self-esteem up so much since I don’t think I’m all that 😉

He loves God and shares his faith openly!

He loves to sneak up behind me and give me the biggest hug (heart melts)

He loves to drive (thank goodness since I love to travel)

He loves to surprise me with my special foods!

He LOVES my cooking 😉

But Most Important: He LOVES me and our girls!

Happy Anniversary Scott. What, Where and How will our 3rd year of marriage will bring us? I for one, cannot wait to find out.

I love you Honey Bunny (he so hates me calling him that). Here’s to an awesome year :::cheers:::

Ocean Isle Inn Great Winter Vacation

January 16, 2010 by Jennifer 4 Comments

What do you do when you have been experiencing a month of snow, ice and zero temperatures? You pack up and head to the sun and the beach! We are down here for the Mom Bloggers 2010 Ocean Isle Inn weekend. It has been amazing and a welcome break from all the snow and ice. The indoor pool and hot tub is just what the dr ordered to cure the winter blues. The girls are having an absolute blast of getting the chance to swim in January.

Ocean Isle Inn earned the Gold Star of Excellence Award from the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association. I can assure that the hospitality is so great. Lee and his staff really know how to treat their guests. Always asking if there is anything they can do for you, helping with directions to area restaurants and offering suggestions for family activities to do in the area.

Over the next couple days, I am going to be showcasing some of the restaurants and activities we were able to do while we were here in the middle of winter. This has been such a great time and if you would like the opportunity to join in the fun, make sure you friend Ocean Isle Inn on Facebook Fan Page. They are giving away an awesome spa package giveaway.

Full Disclosure: Ocean Isle Inn has given me a paid stay for this weekend, but it does not reflect my thoughts at all. My feelings and recommendations come from my heart as always!

Cottonelle Debate

January 14, 2010 by Jennifer 9 Comments

Are you team under or team over?

I am proud:

Cottonelle is getting to the bottom of a great debate raging across America. Cottonelle wants to know: how do you roll? Over or under? Vote for your preferred way to roll at CottonelleRollPoll.com.

Leave me a comment below and join in the debate to say if your family is Team Under or Team Over!

By leaving a comment on your post they will be entered to win 1 of 10 Cottonelle gift baskets randomly chosen on January 29, 2010 from all entries.

Full Disclosure: I am entering a contest for a month’s worth of Cottonelle toilet paper as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.

Oh No Another Snow Day What To Do

January 11, 2010 by Jennifer 7 Comments

Snow Day, Snow Day, Snow Day and yet another Snow Day! Some parents may cringe at the thought of a snow day, but I actually look forward to snow days. Yes, snow days can involve getting out and throwing snow balls at each other’s head or finding the biggest hill to sled down or if the wind chills are sub below zero, they can involve creative ideas inside.

Make sure to shop seasonal sales at your local stores such as Wal-Mart or Target. I found gingerbread man kits 75% off and it is never a wrong time to make Gingerbread Men ;).

Also, Valentine’s Day is coming up so a perfect time to get out the art supplies kit and make homemade Valentine’s Day cards that will mean so much more to your kid’s friends!

Let the kids be creative and have indoor parties. My girls brought out the strobe light AKA flash light, turned out all the lights in the hall and we had a dance party. Each girl got a parent and we danced our little hearts out to Party in the USA! We acted goofy, we laughed hard, and we danced to our heart’s content. The girls were enjoying it so much.

A couple hours later, we got an invite to a Halloween Party. Please check yes or no. Of course, we checked yes and showed up with our best costume on.

Decorations filled the halls and scary oops I mean silly ghost stories were told by the girls. Can you believe that the pickle ran across the road? WOOOO… I know I was scared too ;).

Take time out of the day and have chill time. My girls love to read books so take a time-out session on the couch and cuddle up to a good book. If your child is too young, they can draw during this time and make their own picture book.

Chore time. Make it a game. Who can get their chores done the fastest? Who can sing the loudest while doing their chores? Who can make the bed up the neatest? Who can fold the most wash clothes? Girls love it!

Have an indoor picnic in your living room complete with a homemade tent that involves draping blankets from couch to couch. Bring out the peanut butter and jelly to see who can make the sloppiest sandwich or who can make the neatest sandwich.

ABC and 123 time. Create activities throughout the house such as count the door knobs, windows, or closests. Find letters in a magazine that spells each family members name and create a collage on construction paper.

These are just some of the few activities we had fun with over the last couple of weeks of snow days. It really can be fun and not stressful. Keep it changing and entertaining and don’t forget to give the kids some downtime to recoup from each activity so they will not have melt downs.

Happy Snow Day!

Music To My Ears

January 11, 2010 by Jennifer 2 Comments

Our family is a big music loving family. We always have some sort of music and even have music going during the night for the girls and I on low. I was very sad when they took music and arts out of the classrooms this year at my daughters’ school. I think school should be more than just sitting at a desk all day as children learn also through arts. Studies show that kids who are exposed to music from an early age do better in school. Unfortunately, most U.S. schools just like our’s have cut back or even eliminated their arts & music programs due to shrinking budgets.

Kidz Bop realizes this as well. My girls love to listen to modern day music but sometimes the lyrics are not always what I want them to hear, so I love how Kidz Bop breaks it down and creates musical CDS for children of all ages. They also want children to appreciate music as they are growing up and have provided tips on how to introduce kids to music.

KIDZ BOP’s Tips for Introducing Kids to Music.

Sing Along!
Sing to AND with your child from an early age. Whether it’s “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” or a hit song by your favorite top 40 artist—kids love to sing along and share their favorite music with you! You don’t have to be a great singer—just
get into the moment and create happy, shared memories.

Sing to Learn!
Music is a powerful teaching tool. Kids can learn the alphabet, numbers, vocabulary and rhyming—keys to building early literacy skills—through singing or listening to music. After you’ve shared a song together, talk to your child about the words. What do you think this song is about?…What does that word mean?…What words do you hear that rhyme?…How do you think the singer is feeling?…Why?

Turn Off and Tune In!
Turn off the TV and turn on the radio or iPod. Cultivate your child’s musical taste by exposing him or her to all different genres of music, including pop, rock, hip hop, classical and country. Music is a kid-friendly vehicle for introducing tolerance for other cultures, styles and tastes. Play Along! Numerous household items can be turned into musical instruments to help develop your child’s inner rock star. Make drums out of pots & pans and empty boxes, musical shakers and maracas out of coffee cans or water bottles filled with dried beans (make sure they are securely
closed) and horns out of paper towel tubes…the possibilities are only limited by your imagination! Educational experts consider imaginary play to be a fun and valuable tool for developing your child’s reasoning and
comprehension skills.

FREE Musical Instruments:
Musical instruments are expensive. When your child shows interest in picking up the clarinet or violin, don’t despair! Check out websites like Craigslist or local swap and barter clubs to find cheap second hand (or better yet, FREE) instruments.

Just Dance!
Music is good for the body and soul. Redent reports find that almost 1 in 3 kids (ages 2-19) in the US are overweight or obese. Dance is not only great exercise, it helps teach rhythm and coordination. So channel your inner “Dancing Queen” and “Twist and Shout” with your kids.

Visit to make music & videos online with your kids at Kidz Bop LLC.

Disclaimer: No cash was given to make this post. I just feel like music should be a part of children’s lives and wanted to share these tips with you all 🙂

Family

Footer