Wordless Wednesday - Turkey Leg

Proud of His Stutter

Nate has about 5 videos he has been wanting to make about stuttering, but after another comment today from someone who said that Nate would probably be happy/ier if he didn't  stutter -- he handed me the Flip and said "Mom, we need to make a video and clear this up!"

So, here it is --



I'd like to add that I am so very proud of him and his attitude towards his stutter.  I know that many people still won't understand, but his attitude is about accepting himself just as he is -- stutter and all.  That doesn't mean that he doesn't struggle, or work hard to be more fluent, but he likes who he is and who he is happens to stutter.

If you want more information about stuttering, I suggest you visit www.westutter.org and the www.stutteringfoundation.org.  You can also visit YouTube and check out some of Nate's other videos about stuttering.

Tell Me Thursday - Sight

Colin's teacher sent an email a couple weeks ago letting me know that he insisted on laying his head down on his desk while doing his work, and it turned out that it was because he was struggling to see.  It had been almost a year since his last eye exam, and I knew that it was due -- but her email prompted an immediate visit.

Turns out, his vision had changed.  A LOT!  Poor kid needed almost an entire degree change in each lens.  This picture is of his new glasses -- and the most important thing is that he can now see clearly!

Zeiss Lenses has some great educational information available about vision care, eye appointments and the ever-important lenses when vision correction is necessary.   They recommend an eye exam every 2 years once kids are in school, but obviously if there appears to be a vision change, then more often.  I remember one year when Colin needed 3 different prescriptions within the same year!

I also appreciated the information about vision after the age of 40.  I've worn progressive lenses for a few years now, and while I sort of understood the need for reading glasses, the article provided me with the facts.  After a certain age, the crystalline lens over your eye loses flexibility, which makes it harder to focus on close objects.

I've worn glasses or contacts since I was 5 or 6 years old. Vision isn't something I take for granted, and I am grateful for the improvements in vision correction!  

*Disclosure: I was provided the information about Zeiss Lenses Educational Tools from Zeiss and MomSelect.  In consideration of sharing this information, I received a gift card and a lens cleaning kit.  No additional compensation was provided.*

Wordless Wednesday - Sight

Big G Star Wars Themed Cereal (Giveaway!)

A couple weeks ago, I took all 3 kids to see Beauty and the Beast 3-D.  The boys were good sports about going along with their sister, but when the trailer for Star Wars Episode 1 -- Phantom Menace in 3-D came on before the movie, they were SUPER-excited.

The movie comes out tomorrow (February 10, 2012) in the theaters, and the boys can't wait to check out the movie with their favorite uncle. (Who has promised not to gripe about the merits of Episodes 1 - 3 vs. Episodes 4-6 and instead just enjoy the boys' excitement.)


You can imagine the excitement, then, when I opened a box earlier this week that held 2 boxes of cereal that were specially themed for the latest release.  Each box contains a character pen (you can see Lydia enjoying a bowl of Cookie Crisp and holding her Queen Amidala pen.)

Participating Big G cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (12.8 oz.), Lucky Charms®(11.5 oz.), Reese’s® Puffs (13 oz.), Cheerios® (14 oz.), and Cookie Crisp® (11.25 oz.  There are 8 different pens to collect, including: Anakin Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi, Queen Amidala, Yoda, R2D2, C3PO, Jar Jar Binks and Darth Maul.

I have a prize pack to give away to one of my readers.  It will include 2 boxes of Big G cereal, 4 collectable Star Wars pens, a sticker sheet, and 2 magnets.  Each box of cereal has a pen as well, so you will receive 6 pens!

Entries for my giveaway are completed on my giveaway form. Take a look at the required questions below, then CLICK HERE to pop over to the giveaway form. Fill in all the information and I will use random.org to choose which entry will win the giveaway. Comments left below will not be included in the giveaway.

NAME OF GIVEAWAY: Star Wars 3-D
MANDATORY QUESTION: Who is your favorite Star Wars character?

The giveaway will end February 18, 2012. Good Luck!

**Thanks for reading!  The giveaway has ended & winner has been notified!**

“Disclosure: Prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.”

Tell Me Thursday - Talker

This past Saturday, there was a local NSA Kids Meeting at ASU.  Nate and I were looking forward to it, and decided to stop for breakfast on our way.  I can't believe how much he's grown -- he ate that huge plate of food and then immediately ate snacks when we got to the meeting.  A growth spurt is definintely in the works!

The meeting was another great meeting!  I love how they start with everyone together and then break out into groups of parents, kids and teens.  The parents group talked about IEPs last week, while the kids talked about relaxation strategies to employ while stuttering (or preparing to speak) and the teens talked about teasing. 

After the meeting, we were talking with one of the leaders, who happened to be in the kids' group with Nate.  She thanked him for being so willing to talk and keep the conversation going.  She said she knew she could count on him to contribute, even when everyone else was quiet. 

That's the truth!  He has rarely let his stutter keep him from talking.  When I snapped this picture, he was telling me about Ford Mustangs.  He has an amazing wealth of knowledge about those cars!  I love how eager he is to learn, and how eager he is to share what he has learned.

Pillsbury Cookie Giveaway

Have I mentioned that my parents live next door?  A few years ago, they were able to purchase the house next to ours, but weren't able to move to Arizona until they both retired.  That finally happened last spring, and over the summer they transplanted themselves from the midwest to the southwest.

It's been great having them so close, and the kids especially have enjoyed having their grandparents across the yard.  One of the things that my mom has always loved to do is cook and bake, so she's enjoying the opportunity to do so with the kids.  Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape cookies are a favorite treat for the kids to bake with Grandma, so I was excited when I saw this opportunity to share a fun gift package centered around these cookies.  In fact, when I took the coupon over to my mom's, I found that she already had a couple packages in her refrigerator waiting to bake with the kids!
The cookies have fun designs to go along with holidays, and are found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.  They take only 8 - 10 minutes to bake, and you can choose how many to bake from the package if you don't want to bake it all at once.

Pillsbury and BlogSpark have provided a $1.10 coupon off your next purchase of Ready to Bake! cookies!  Just click here to download and print your coupon.

I received the gift pack shown above (well, a coupon for the cookies, not the box of cookies!) and I have another to give away to one of my readers.  It includes a VIP coupon for a FREE package of cookies, an oven mitt, a Pillsbury cookie jar and a spatula.  Lydia opened the cookie jar immediately and was disappointed that it didn't hold cookies yet when I took it out of the box.

Entries for my giveaway are completed on my giveaway form. Take a look at the required questions below, then CLICK HERE to pop over to the giveaway form. Fill in all the information and I will use random.org to choose which entry will win the giveaway. Comments left below will not be included in the giveaway.

NAME OF GIVEAWAY: Pillsbury Cookies
MANDATORY QUESTION: What's your favorite cookie?


**Thanks for reading!  The giveaway has ended & winner has been notified!**

The giveaway will end February 14, 2012. Good Luck!

“Disclosure: The VIP coupon, prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.”

Wordless Wednesday - Talk

Date Night (Giveaway!)

Before the holidays, my parents asked what Bo & I would like for Christmas.  I told them I would love for them to commit to watching the kids once a month so Bo & I could go out.  My mom replied that they would always be willing (and that's the truth!), but I replied that I would really like something concrete, so we would actually go out on a "date" and not just ask them to watch the kids when we needed to do something necessary.

They went above and beyond with my simple request.  For Christmas, they gave us a calendar that had dates filled out in each month for us to go out.  My mom chose one day, and even an alternate date in case the first day didn't work out.  Then, they gave us gift cards and cash to fund our date nights!  My sister gave us gift cards to the movies, which included loyalty cups ($1 refills all year!) and loyalty t-shirts (free popcorn when we wear them to the show.)  When we first started dating, we went to the movies ALL THE TIME.  Since kids, we usually go to kid movies and watch adult movies at home on dvd.

Last month, it was awesome to go out to a delicious dinner at Stuart Anderson's (thanks to gift cards) and then go see Contraband (again, thanks to gift cards).  

I think we have an awesome partnership marriage, but with the stress of jobs, business travel, 3 kids and a house -- we tend to focus on everything but us.  This wonderful gift has forced us to focus on ourselves as a couple more regularly.


I was inspired to write this post after a PR pitch I received from K*Y and their limited edition K-Y Yours and Mine Date Night Pack that includes a voucher for $10 off movies for 2 from MovieFone.  With the bonus of movie discounts, it helps you spend a fun night on the town and continue that focus on each other when you're back home again.

They were generous enough to offer another K-Y Yours and Mine Date Night Pack to one of my readers in anticipation of Valentine's Day.

CLICK HERE to open my giveaway form. Fill in all the information and I will use random.org to choose which entry will win the giveaway. Comments left below will not be included in the giveaway.

NAME OF GIVEAWAY: Date Night
MANDATORY QUESTION: Where do you like to go on date night?


**Thanks for reading!  The giveaway has ended & winner has been notified!**

The giveaway will end February 14, 2012. Good Luck!

*Disclosure: I received a Date Night Pack, and one was provided for giveaway from K-Y.  No additional compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.*

World Book Night - April 23, 2012

I was just notified that I was chosen to be one of the book givers for World Book Night on April 23, 2012.  Along with others across the country, 1 million books will be given away for FREE!  How cool is that??

When I applied, I chose from a few juvenile books to give away, as I feel it's important to get kids reading for enjoyment!  I don't know which book I will be handing out that day, but I am excited to hand them out -- no matter what book it is.

World Book Night has extended the deadline for people who want to apply to be book givers.  Head over to their website and submit your application this weekend.  The deadline is now February 6, 2012.  At their website, you can also learn more about the organization and check out the books that will be given away.

I think this will be a ton of fun!  Why don't you consider joining the fun?

St. Brigid's Feast Day

Picture from: http://www.catholictradition.org/Children/st-brigid.htm

St Brigid, Mary of Ireland
Ask for us all today
The courage to do God's bidding
Whatever the world may say.

The grace to be strong and valiant
The grace to be firm and true
The grace to be faithful always
to God, His Mother and you.
 
Today is St. Brigid of Ireland's Feast Day.  Some years, I'm really good about celebrating feast days, some years I am completely lax.  I'm trying to do better this year, and since St. Brigid has always been a favorite of mine, I'm glad I remembered today was her day!

I'm thinking of making some Irish Soda Bread to celebrate her day.  It's a delicious treat, and I almost always have all the makings in the house.  First, though, I need to get through a long dentist's appointment, so we'll see if I make it today or tomorrow.