Wednesday Wishes #16

The Seattle Smiths Wishful Wednesday topic this week is all about diet. I wish I had never-ending funds to donate to ______charity.

This is a topic I've actually thought of on many occasions. I would definitely donate to the Susan G. Koman foundation. I strongly feel that cancer is something we can find a cure for, and so many people suffer from cancer or know someone who has/is, that I'd gladly donate to them regularly if I could.

My husband and I have always talked about starting a scholarship fund for students who pay their own way through college - for whatever reason that may be. Of course I don't know the details of how we'd work that out, but if we won the lottery, we'd figure it out.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital would also get donations from our family. When AZ was a week old, she spent a week there because she had MRSA staph infection. Though it cost us a lot of money, even with insurance, the staff there was incredibly friendly and always willing to console me through my ever-flowing tears and emotions, and they answered all of my questions so that I could understand what was going on. Plus, AZ has been to the ER there when she needed an anti-nausea medication because she couldn't even keep water down. AND WC got stitches in their ER. They would get lots of donations.

And because Cincinnati Shriner's Hospitals for Children is where we've been going for almost a year for WC's burns, they'd also get a TON of our donations. We've been going there for so long now, and everyone is always so nice and attentive. And we've not had to pay a penny for WC's care. Shriner's Hospitals for Children is an amazing organization. There's no end date for WC's visits there, as of yet, so in my heart they are quite a deserving hospital to receive donations. Plus, WC gets to pick a gift at the end of each visit. How nice is that!

I also feel that the Ronald McDonald House is a charity worth donating to. My family, on multiple occasions, has had to stay at the Ronald McDonald House when different family members have been in the hospital. That charity would get our donations.

What charities would you donate to?

A Lot of Catchin' Up To Do

I have been unbelievably laaaaazy with my blog over the last few days. I don't know why I'm in a funk, but I'm about to bombard my blog with one GIGANTIC post to try and catch up. Hope you don't mind.

I missed Thankful Thursday, and there are always things to be thankful for. So here's my Thursday post a day late...





Thank you, dear daughter, for getting up at 6:30am. Seriously. You need to sleep in until 8am please.

Thank you, husband. You know what you did.

Thank you, Dish, for sending out our new receiver. Only, the smart card didn't work and I had to figure all of that out over the phone. And I lost everything that had been recorded, including Disney shows we no longer get because we cut our cable back. And why am I missing channels? Not a fan of yours at the moment. Can you tell?

Thank you, self, for the horrible mood you've been in lately. What the hell? I'm not even PMSing - I don't think.

Thank you, weather, for being gorgeous one day and then only in the 40s the next. Love having to explain to my children that it's too cold to play outside when we've been able to enjoy the outside so much lately.

Thank you, kids, for being so much fun to play with. It really is fun when we get to play outside.

Thank you, guy at Home Depot who helped me load hundreds of pounds of sand into my trunk. My kids better know how much I love them. A woman who must keep her house clean AND who buys sand for her children. Those two things do not go together.

Thank you, Mom, for sending the kids the cutest Easter gifts.

Thank you, family, for an amazing Easter weekend. Was that really just last week?

For more Thank Yous, you should go check out Our Imperfect Life and The Daily Dribbles.

And now for today. There is the neatest thing going on. It's the


hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom. You really should go check them out. Join in the party, maybe find some new blogs and people to adore, and quite possibly even win a few prizes along the way.
I'd personally like to win any of the following prizes in no particular order: 15, 23, 31, 32, 37, 39, 49, 52, 55, 61, 70, 71, 73, 74, 87, 88, 100, 107, usc3, usc8, usc15, usc32, usc35, usc36, usc37, usc39, usc40, usc41, usc44. Thank you all for donating such awesome prizes!

Wanna know what I'd like to win? Then go check 'em out! There are AMAZING prizes out there. What a fabulous way to find other blogs to love!

Happy Ultimate Blog Party!

And I can't forget Friday Follow.
sponsored by and hosted by Midday Escapades, One 2 Try, and Hearts Make Families.

To join in this fun, Link up your blog and URL using the MckLinky below. You only need to do this on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops. Them grab the Friday Follow button and put it in your post. Follow those fabulous hostesses mentioned up there, and start finding blogs you want to follow. Please remember to comment on new blogs you find that you are from Friday Follow. And, to be nice, follow your new followers back.







Happy Friday Follow!

Ok. I think that about sums up my post today. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new bloggers! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wednesday Wishes #15

The Seattle Smiths Wishful Wednesday topic this week is all about diet. I wish I had the willpower to stay on one particular diet and it would be...


I can honestly say that I've never been on a diet program, and I probably never will be. I LOVE food, and I won't deny myself a taste of something, so diets don't exist for me. I do, however, wish that I could stick to a workout program.

I definitely have 15-20 extra poundage that I'd like to lose, and I know if I exercised on a regular basis that it would come off. I've done various pilates programs, and I saw results, but those ended when I got pregnant with AZ. I've also tried the P90X workout program, and it kicked my butt - and not in a good way. Those workouts are at least an hour a day, and though I saw results in my arms almost immediately, it was too time consuming for my schedule. I know I sound lazy, but I was driving myself crazy with no down time. And working out is NOT down time.

So, I'm on the hunt for a workout program that works for me in my schedule. I just put some 10-minute workout videos in my instant queue on Netflix, so we'll see how those go. And I'll also be getting the 30 day shred Jillian Michaels DVD soon, too. Gotta love Netflix. What workouts have you done where you've gotten noticeable results?

Do you have any other wishes this week?

Wednesday Wishes #14

The Seattle Smiths topic this week is about Easter. I wish I could re-live one Easter memory from my childhood, and it would be the Easter that... I don't remember a lot about Easter from my childhood, but I do remember when I was really young that we'd go to church as a family. Then we'd come home from church and the Easter Bunny would have magically left our Easter baskets out for us while we were gone. Now I know that my dad just church left early or came to church late. And our baskets would be full of goodies. That's really my only Easter memory as a kid.

Now that I'm a parent, I'd like to start family traditions with my kids, and leave them with wonderful memories of their childhoods. My kids will be surrounded by their favorite cousins, "Oma" and "Pawpaw", two uncles and an aunt this Easter weekend. I'm putting together cute little Easter baskets for them for Easter day. We're going on an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday at my daughter's preschool, which includes some crafts and refreshments. That night we'll have a big dinner with everyone. I'm wishing for it to be a wonderful Easter weekend.

I have a couple other wishes this week, too. I finally found and signed up for some graduate hours, 3 semester hours to be precise. So my first wish is that I get through these hours quickly and pass the classes. Gotta love trying to keep my teaching licence up to date, though I'm not currently teaching. I also wish that the class I want to sign up for my 4th semester hour doesn't get cancelled.

Coupon elves. I wish there was something such as coupon elves that could cut and sort my coupons for me. That sure would be nice.

And I have a giveaway wish! The Bragging Mommy is hosting the cutest giveaway for Pillow Pets! AZ actually got one of these when she was a baby. It's a giraffe, and we LOVE it! I would really love winning the snuggly puppy for my son!

Guessing All The Way is also hosting a giveaway for a Dream Baby Retractable Gate, and I'd love to win this for either our playroom stairs or one of my pregnant sisters!

Do you have any wishes this week?

Wednesday Wishes #13

So, the Wishful Wednesday topic over at The Seattle Smiths is 'I wish I could afford this ______ handbag without putting a dent in my pocketbook!'

Well, before this past Christmas, I would have stated that I'd love a Coach or Louis Vuitton purse. My wonderful sister gave me this Louis Vuitton wallet in 2007 for being in her wedding. Isn't she the best!! I will probably use this wallet FOREVER!
I always thought it'd be nice to have a purse to go along with it. I mean, who doesn't want a matching purse and wallet, right? So, I guess it'd be nice to have a Louis Vuitton bag - one day. I mean, if we ever win the lottery. :)

Well this past Christmas, my husband completely surprised me with this Coach purse! I almost fell over dead. He had always thought and voiced that my obsession with designer bags was pretty silly. He could not fathom spending that much money on a purse. I mean, after all, I have dozens of regular purses in the closet. Why can't I use one of those? He'd NEVER buy a purse like that for me. So when I opened my fabulous present on Christmas morning, my heart skipped a beat a two. I love it!
So, in answer to this week's topic, I'm good. Unless, of course, we win the lottery. Then Louis Vuitton, here I come!

And for my other wishes for this week:
It'd be wonderful if the weather would figure itself out. This hot-cold stuff is driving me crazy! I wish it'd just be nice out already. I'm so ready to go outside and play with my kids on a regular basis.

And I wish it wasn't so difficult for me to find 4 semester hours to complete before May in order for me to keep my teaching licence from expiring. I guess in all honesty, it wouldn't be so hard if I hadn't procrastinated such a long time. It's stressing me out, and I just wish I was done with it already.

Those are my wishes this week. What are yours?

Thankful Thursday #3

Hello Thankful Thursday. Here we go again...




Thank you, oh sweet red wine. You are delicious, and you make my nights so lovely. I missed you dearly.

To my darling daughter, AZ, thank you so much for screaming out my name countless times for over an hour and a half after you went to bed. I gave you two band aids. You don't need another one for your bitten off finger nail. I love you, but Mommy needs more wine. (KIDDING - sort of).

Hello hot hubby. Thank you for being so smart and having the agility of a cat. Thank you for finally getting that mouse out of our house. I feel SO much better now.

Sadie Cat, thank you for playing with your rodents. Someone needs to teach you to ATTACK and KILL. Keep up the good work, kitty.

Thank you, days that keep ticking off the calendar. Only 31 work days left. Then I'll officially be a stay at home mom! Yay!

Thank you son, for reminding me that you are of my blood. I absolutely adore that you eat spicy food and Botan rice with furikakinori in it. My little blond haired boy of Asian descent.

To all the bloggers who host giveaways and put in all that work for others, THANK YOU!

Because of The Coupon Scoop's giveaway, and even though I didn't win it, I was able to get the product. I blogged about wishing to win the giveaway, and the company commented and said they could make my dreams come true if I didn't win. And THEY DID! A huge thank you to Kleen Slate Concepts and The Coupon Scoop. My son and daughter love the dry erase paddles with markers. And I love that they're non-toxic and low odor! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you, Pampers, for your overnight diapers that do not work. WC has never had issues with waking up wet in any of your other diapers until we tried out these. Am I disappointed? Yes. But I will continue to buy your other diapers when I have coupons. I personally think your diapers, with the overnights being an exception, are the best out there for my kids' butts.

Don't forget to check out Our Imperfect Life and The Daily Dribbles who got me started in all these Thank Yous!

Wednesday Wishes #12

At this moment, I wish that my headache would go away. Boo on headaches. I actually think it's from holding the phone with my shoulder and ear yesterday. OK - lesson learned.

I am also wishing and hoping that all the sickness is done and over and out of my house. WC and AZ took turns vomiting and being sick over the weekend. I think they're done. I hope. And at least they weren't sick at the same time.

I have always loved Melissa & Doug products for my kids, and was very excited when I learned that Guessing All The Way is hosting a giveaway for a Melissa & Doug standing easel. I would love to win this giveaway for AZ and WC. They both love to color and paint, so this would be fabulous! We love all our Melissa & Doug puzzles, so I'm sure we'd love this product as well.

Snuggles. I wish my kids would snuggle with me forever. It's going to break my heart one day when they will barely hug me. I love my kids and their snuggles.

And, I recently stumbled upon The Seattle Smiths blog, and I was excited to see that Kelsey has a Wishful Wednesday! So from now on, I will include her link and image and participate in her Wishful Wednesdays. Yay!


Her topic this week: I wish I could win the lottery REAL soon, and I would hope to travel the world and expose my kids to all that I possibly could. I'd hope to pay off our school loans (before we're 40 years old) and possibly get a house with an updated kitchen and bathrooms and a big enough yard so my husband could have the garden of his dreams. And I'd buy all organic food because I could afford it. Oh, and a minivan. That's everyone's dream car, right?

Wednesday Wishes #11

I really wish that AZ would have gotten into the 4 year old 3-day morning class at preschool. So, since she didn't, she'll go to the afternoon classes - unless we get a call for being on the waiting list. I'm making a wish that whatever class she ends up in, that it's the right one for her and our family.

I wish that allergies weren't so bothersome. Ugh! But I wish the weather could stay this nice forever. I'm really enjoying all the walks I'm taking with the kids.

I wish people were nicer to one another. It's amazing how rude and unkind some people can be.

At this very moment, I wish that my son would STOP putting a blanket over his head and walking around. He just ran into the wall (unharmed). And I wish he'd stop spitting. And keep his clothes on. And take longer naps.

Couponing For 4 is hosting a giveaway for a $25 gift card to Kroger. I hope I win this, not only because it'll save us $25, but it'll totally raise my percentage saved on the receipt! :) The last few times I've been grocery shopping, I've saved at least 40%, so I'm rockin' it. And it looks like Coupon Clippin' Mommy, Cincinnati Cents , and The Mommy-Files are also hosting a giveaway for a $25 Kroger gift card. I really want in on these! :)

And while I'm entering giveaways, I couldn't resist the giveaway by Stay@HomeMomWhoKnew. I have entered to win a WanChai Ferry "Perfect Night In" prize pack consisting of a free entree, bowls, chopsticks, bamboo place mats, and fortune cookies. In addition, there's a $25 Target gift card. This sounds like the perfect (and thriftier) alternative to ordering in!

And I wish the kids would stay this snuggly, lovey, ticklish, and giggly forever. I adore when their laughter fills our house.

Wednesday Wishes #10

My 1st wish this week is to be completely healthy and for my family to also be equally healthy!

I wish the next couple of weeks go by really quickly so that I can go see my sister. :)

I also wish to win a giveaway hosted by The Coupon Scoop. She is giving away a two pack of Kleen Slate Concepts, and AZ would enjoy those immensely! And for my nephew, I'd like to win the book Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy since he's so into dragons at the moment, also hosted by The Coupon Scoop.

I also entered a giveaway from She Saved for the cutest pillowcase dresses on the planet! I am hoping to win one for AZ. Aren't they the sweetest little things??

And yay for my wishes that have come true! And they do! :)

Wednesday Wishes #9

I am hoping and wishing this week that I do not have a disaster on my hands when I try to make two pillow covers on the sewing machine. I haven't sewed anything for 16 years. Seriously, I was in the 9th grade home-ec class. I really wish to do a fabulous job! I will post a picture of them no matter how they turn out...Wish me luck!

I entered a giveaway by Our Imperfect Life, who is offering some great goodies all the way from Japan. How awesome would this win be?? There was just not enough room in my suitcase to bring back a lot of things from my trip back in April, so I hope I win this giveaway!

And the giveaway hosted by Freebies 4 Mom is INCREDIBLE! Lucky for me I am already a member of E-bates, and I am soooooooo hoping to win the $100 to Macy's! What a fabulous giveaway, right!?!

Wednesday's Wishes #8

As I sit here this afternoon, working on my Wednesday's Wishes post, both of my poor kids are sick and in bed. AZ and WC both have strep throat, so my biggest wish of all this week is that my kids get healthy and then stay healthy. It's so hard to see my babies not feeling well. A quick wish number two, I really hope I don't get sick while taking care of my little ones. Mommies don't get rest during the week, even if we do get sick. And I also hope hubby doesn't get sick either. GET HEALTHY, STAY HEALTHY.

Now for the "I hope I win this giveaway" wishes:

The-Mommy Files is hosting a giveaway for a DVD called "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Minnie's Bow-tique" and AZ would LOVE this! WC likes Mickey Mouse, too, but AZ is the bigger fan. I hope for her that we win this giveaway!

The cake I made for AZ's 3rd birthday

My Organized Chaos is giving away a Giant Daycare Combo Pack of I.D. Me Labels . With AZ in preschool, these would be VERY useful to have, especially in the winter months. I would I.D. everything, too! Hat, coat, boots, mittens, etc, etc, etc. I hope I win this giveaway!

What are you wishing for?

Wednesday's Wishes #7

Another giveaway wish for me to win - Faithfully Frugal and Free is hosting a giveaway for something called Teething Bling. How cool is it that your baby can chew safely on your jewelry? That would have been nice for me when my kids were in that stage. I'm hoping to win this to give to a friend or family member with a small baby or who is expecting. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I am desperately wishing that the months of February, March, and April FLY BY FOR ME! It's not that I don't want to live in each moment that may happen during those months, it's just that I am so very much looking forward to the month of May. Why? Well, I can't tell you yet. Have I mentioned that I have the BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD?! Without him, I would not be able to do this amazing thing that I'm going to be able to do in May. He must really love me!

I also wish that everyone continues to stay healthy this winter. Winter is almost over, right??

Wednesday's Wishes #6

We all know how addicted to coffee I am, and how much I jut love drinking that stuff. Well what better giveaway to enter than one for a $25 gift card to Starbucks? It's like it's calling out to me! So, I wish to win this giveaway offered by A Day In The Life.

Be Your Best Mom is hosting a giveaway for some great natural products by Three Sisters Herbals. These items would make for a wonderful relaxation gift to either myself, because I deserve it, or to some one else. I hope I win!

Wednesday's Weekly Wishes #5

Over at Coupon Clippin' Mommy, I've entered a giveaway for 100 Postcards from Uprinting. I wish to win these, but they wouldn't be for me. I'd use them as invitations to something special, like JK's baby shower. ;)

Another wish this week is for me to win another giveaway. This one is at Frugal Mom Knows Best. We all know how much WC LOVES him some Thomas the Train. Well this give away is for Thomas and Friends Splish Splash Splosh DVD! How perfect is that?

As always, I wish for more sleep. AZ was up a few times last night. And of course WC was up and ready to go at 6:30 this morning.

Wednesday's Weekly Wishes #4

I wish kids were born sleeping through the night.

I wish to leave the world a better place for my children.

I wish for a mini-van, and a maid, and a good nights sleep, or two.

I wish for everyone to be kind, generous, and thoughtful of others this holiday season and ALWAYS.

I wish for hearts of those far from family to be comforted, mine included. I wish for all stomachs to be satisfied, all bodies to be warm with shelter, and all hearts to be filled with love.

I wish for a White Christmas.

I wish to find the beauty in everything.

I wish to stop and savor every second of every moment with my precious children and husband.

I wish to be the absolute best that I can be for my kids, husband, family, friends, and myself.

I wish for peace, in our hearts, in our lives, in our homes, in our world.

I wish for less tears of sorrow and pain, and more of joy.

I wish everyone felt the love and grace of God in their hearts.

I wish for everyone to have a WONDERFUL Christmas, enjoyed with family and friends, and with everyone happy and in good health.

Wednesday's WEEKLY Wishes #3

I've updated the title, as I may add more wishes to this post as the week progresses.

I wish to get A LOT done this week to get ready for Christmas.
TO DO: wrap gifts, finish shopping, mail out of towners' gifts, write Christmas letter, stuff and mail out Christmas cards, buy stamps for Christmas cards, get groceries for Christmas dinner menu and for Christmas cookies, CLEAN MY FILTHY HOUSE, make Christmas cookies with AZ and WC, and I'm sure much much more.

I've entered a giveaway at The Bragging Mommy for a Harmony Juvenile LiteRider Youth Booster Car Seat. This could be perfect timing as AZ just hit the 30lb mark. You can read more about the booster seat HERE. So, I'm wishing to win this giveaway.

After looking at Nickels-n-Dimes, I've entered another giveaway, sponsored by Sage and Savvy It is for a DVD of The Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout. I'd love to win this giveaway so that I could either lose a few pounds, or give it to an unnamed relative who LOVES the show.

Wednesday's Wishes #2: I keep adding wishes. The title should be THIS WEEKS Wishes!

This week's wish is for a couple of different things. First off, and probably the most important, I wish for uninterrupted SLEEP. For some reason, and I have never had this really happen to me before, I could not fall asleep on Monday night. Is that what insomnia is? I tossed and turned until after 2am. Then of course AZ was up for an hour between 4:30am-5:30am. I finally had JD get up and help her the last time around 6:15am. Why is it that my 3 & 1/2 year old is unable to sleep through the night, while WC, who's almost 2, seems to have no issues with sleep? I think he must have my sleeping genes, and AZ must have her daddy's. And last night AZ wandered into our room no less than 3 times, with me having to get up and take her back to her room every...single...time. So, my biggest desire at the moment, hands down, is sleep - like, bear hibernating for the winter, uninterrupted, deep, fulfilling, restful, sleep.

On to my next wish for the day - I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to have my body back. I know that I can't really complain too much since I haven't done a whole lot to get my pre-baby body back, but it'd be nice to wear all of those clothes that are just hanging in my closet, literally collecting dust. *sigh* After AZ was born, I was able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight without trying too hard. Unfortunately, even though the weight (all 55lbs) was gone, my body was not MY body from before. Then I had WC, and I still have about 10 lbs(from the 50lbs) to lose. Did I mention he's almost 2 years old? I tried doing the P90X program for a while to get back into shape and build some muscle tone, but that lasted all of about 2 weeks. That work out was HARD, and loooooong. So, I'm really hoping to win this contest for the EA SPORTS Active More Workout game for Wii from the blog My Organized Chaos.

I also entered a give away for some books at Coupon Geek that I'd love to win for AZ and WC. They always love new books!

The Mommy-Files is also hosting a giveaway for a Curious George ChristmasCD. We have watched the Curious George Christmas movie that came on PBS already 2-3 times. I would love to add the CD to our collection!

And another giveaway I've entered is from Couponing For 4. I'd love to win a Norpro Nonstick Cake-Sicle Pan. How much fun would AZ and WC have eating cake on a stick?! And now I could have cake on a stick? EVERYTHING TASTES BETTER ON A STICK! Think about it.There's meat on a stick, hotdogs on a stick, lollipops, popsicles, cotton candy, and now cake! This is so much fun!

And saving the best for last - I wish and pray that my Aunt KK has a smooth labor with no complications either tonight or tomorrow. I am THRILLED to be getting a niece/cousin!!

And those are my Wednesday's wishes. Actually, this week's wishes!

Wednesday's Wish #1

Lately I've been tossing around the idea of bringing a bit more structure to my blog. I know you're thinking, structure? You? No way! (Did you note my sarcasm?) Anyway, I think I'm going to start posting some of my wishes on Wednesdays, thus the title "Wednesday's Wish." I'm also considering other weekly posts that will probably have content containing things about being a mom, "Mommy's Monday Madness" and my adventures of money saving, "Thrifty Thursdays - My Latest Money Savings Adventure." If you have any ideas or suggestions for me, please chime in!

So, for my first Wednesday's Wish:
I am hoping for a sunny day this week or weekend so that I have the opportunity to take good pictures of my kids for our Christmas cards. (HUGE shout out to Freebies4Mom for the chance to get 50 free Christmas cards!!)