Barely Domestic Mama

Under the weather...again

2010-06-23T18:00:00.001-04:00

I know, I know. I have the lamest immune system ever. I caught whatever bug my son caught right before our camping trip.

Maybe it is because we are planning a big move and have to be out of our home by July 1st? I can't imagine I would be stressed over that when my house isn't packed away and my hubby has spent the last two days in Baltimore for work which means I get even less stuff done without having his help to wrangle Little Monkey.

I am hoping to be back blog hopping and happily updating tomorrow, but I make no guarantees. I just left my house for the first time since Sunday to pick up McDonalds for dinner.

***Don't forget my Little Tikes Spray & Rescue Fire Truck Giveaway ends Wednesday, June 23 at midnight. Get your entries in while you still can.***

The Hike that almost killed me...

2010-06-17T09:18:00.006-04:00

Okay, so that may have been a slight exaggeration, but really at the time I thought I was dying. I couldn't stop shaking, sweating, or panting. What does that tell me? I am severely out of shape. According to the description of the Maryland Heights trail, there are some strenuous uphill sections. They are not lying.

I now realize that I spend far too much time at home and not enough time getting some form of exercise or outdoor time. I am not an outdoorsy girl, but I actually enjoyed the hike after I made it down the hike which I was sure I just wouldn't make it to the end. 5 miles across rocks and dirt uphill and down hill is exhausting!

My hips and shins were killing me the first two days after this hike. I've since recovered and don't look like a little old lady trying to walk anymore.

Here are some pictures from our adventure:

Our outdoorsy friends from church have convinced us to go camping this weekend. Yes, I said camping. In a tent. Me. Although it isn't the complete roughing it weekend because we will have showers available to us and some other amenities. It still isn't sleeping at home in my comfy bed with my air-conditioned cooled house. Our husbands are supposed to be planning the meals and someone threw out the idea of fishing and eating what the guys catch. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. But I'm up for the adventure these days! Why not?! I know Little Monkey is going to have a blast because his girlfriend who is 3 going on 4 will be there. They entertain each other well.

I need to keep more outdoorsy people around me. Maybe I'll start losing some more weight!

Wordless Wednesday - While visiting the In-laws...

2010-06-16T09:03:00.004-04:00

Found this in a Farm & Home store. Oh the giggles it gave me!

Sesame Street Silent Auction

2010-06-15T22:00:00.002-04:00

Just For Me...And You has joined forces with Kolcraft and an organization they have partnered up with, K.I.D.S (Kids in Distressed Situations), on a Sesame Street Silent Auction. There will be several great products featured and auctioned off. Please take a look and place some bids to help this amazing charity!!

The Silent Auction will begin Monday, June 14th. Please copy/paste the Sesame Street Silent Auction event button on your blog to help spread the word. 100% of proceeds will go to the K.I.D.S organization.

Here are the auction items as they go up:

Silent Auction #1: Sesame Street Elmo Activity Walker

Silent Auction #2: Sesame Street Recline N' Dine High Chair

Silent Auction #3: Sesame Street Tender Vibes Bouncer

Bids will close on June 21 at midnight.

Here is a little more information about K.I.D.S:
Kolcraft has partnered with K.I.D.S. (Kids In Distressed Situations); an organization that brings hope and self-esteem to children in need and their families by providing needed products such as crib mattresses, bassinets, strollers and more.

Since 1985 K.I.D.S. has reached out to more than 64 million children in need by distributing more than a half billion dollars worth of new merchandise. These children are in dire situations because they are victims of domestic abuse, natural disasters, homelessness, serious illness, or their parents are incarcerated. K.I.D.S. also serves military families who are suffering financial hardship while a loved one is deployed.

I want to win an iPad! I bet you do, too!

2010-06-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

When MyPunchbowl graduates to 20,000 fans on Facebook, they're going to celebrate by giving away the perfect graduation gift — an iPad! If MyPuncbowl does not reach 20,000 Facebook fans by June 30, 2010, they will not give away an iPad. Instead, they will give away one (1) $50.00 Amazon.com gift card to a winner drawn at random.

All you need to do is go to MyPunchbowl's Facebook page to "Like" them, submit an entry form, then spread the word. Here's the direct link to the contest page: http://www.facebook.com/Punchbowl?v=app_28134323652. The contest ends June 30.

I already use mypunchbowl. Yeah! And, of course, I would love the opportunity to win an iPad...or even the back up prize of a $50 gift card on Amazon.com!

This summer MyPunchbowl is unveiling their Digital Invitation Studio—a beautiful collection of customizable digital invitations, envelopes, postage, and decorative embellishments for events and celebrations! Here's a special sneak peek: http://www.mypunchbowl.com/digital-invitations

Little Tikes Spray & Rescue Fire Truck Giveaway

2010-06-10T07:55:00.001-04:00

Little Tikes is celebrating their 40th anniversary in business!

Little Monkey needed a little help with his Spray & Rescue Fire Truck since he was going uphill.

It is as much fun for a 3 year old as it is for a 10 year old (my brother-in-law) who was hot and waiting to get sprayed with water.

Little Tikes Spray and Rescue Fire Truck is so adorable! There is assembly required. And I will admit that the hubby put this together, but it is only because one of us had to distract our toddler while one of us put his truck together. It only took the hubby one attempt to put everything together - and no there were no extra pieces left over.

We let our little guy ride his Spray and Rescue Fire Truck around the house, but we are sure to empty out the water tank so that our house isn't soggy. Little Monkey enjoys his truck with or without the water fun.

Not only can your little ones water your garden, but my little guy and his uncle enjoyed just soaking each other while we were outside on a sunny day. I like this truck because right now my little guy is still struggling with pedals and manually scoots his bike while he sits on it. So this one he enjoys because he feels in control of it. And Little Tikes is the maker of his other favorite toy the Cozy Coupe. We don't own this toy, but you can be sure that the places we have been that there has been one we can't get him out.

Features:

Pressurized water tank and hose really squirts water.
Water tank is easily removed for easy filling and holds up to 2 gallons of water.
Ages 1 1/2 to 5 years.

Buy it: Little Tikes Spray & Rescue Fire Truck for $69.99

or win it...

One Barely Domestic Mama reader will win a Spray & Rescue Fire Truck.

How to Enter (required): Go to Little Tikes, let me know what is one of your favorite Little Tikes toy. (If your email is not visible through your public profile, make sure to leave it in your comment.)

Extra entries (make sure to make separate comments for each):
• Follow my blog OR subscribe via email (be sure to confirm the subscription before leaving your comment). - 1 entry
• Grab my button and put it on your blog. - 1 entry
• Follow me AND Little Tikes on Twitter.

• Tweet this giveaway with the message "@BarelyDomestic is giving away a @LittleTikes Spray & Rescue Fire Truck http://bit.ly/cyQCVx" - 1 entry
• "Like" Barely Domestic Mama on Facebook. - 1 entry

• "Like" Little Tikes on Facebook. - 1 entry

Sorry, but this giveaway is only open to US Residents only. Contest ends on Wed., June 23, 2010 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. Winner will be chosen using the Random.org number generator. Winner will be notified via email and announced on Thurs., June 24, 2010. If the prize is not claimed in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: Little Tikes sent me a Spray and Rescue Truck for my consideration of a product review. My opinion is 100% my own. Your experience with this product may not be the same as mine. I am pretty sure your toddler will enjoy it as much as mine does!

Free Family Film Festival

2010-06-09T15:30:00.002-04:00

Need something free to do while the kids are out of school on summer break?! The Free Family Film Festival is an option!

Regal has proudly offered this free summer fun since 1991!

Selected G or PG movies start at 10:00am every Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. Tickets and seating are first-come, first-served and are limited to theatre capacity.

Little Monkey and I ventured out to our first trip to the movies together today. We I had planned on seeing Planet 51...apparently everyone else had the same idea today. Since we were a little late getting out to the movies (thanks to a certain little person hacking so bad in the middle of the night to the point of almost vomiting - it was a rough night), our other option was to watch the other kid's movie that wasn't as full. It was Rugrats: The Movie. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. More importantly Little Monkey LOVED it! The only thing that scared him was sitting back in his chair (it was one of those folded theater seats) because I am pretty sure he thought it would fold up and eat him. We will definitely be going back to the movies next week!

Check out the listings to find a participating theater: Regal Movies Free Family Film Festival

Wordless Wednesday - Parade Watching

2010-06-09T07:00:00.002-04:00

Gladiators are fashionable

2010-06-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

T.J.Maxx comes through again!!!

Roxy Gladiator sandals for $16.99 compared to $34.99!!!

I am trying to improve my fashion skills since they have fallen by the wayside for the last 3 years.

Friday is National Donut Day

2010-06-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

National Donut Day is on Friday, 6/4/10. To celebrate Dunkin' Donuts is giving you a FREE donut when you buy your favorite coffee, tea, latte or Coolatta. Stop by your local Dunkin’, purchase any beverage and enjoy your favorite donut. You can RSVP on Facebook so that you don't forget.

I know where Little Monkey and I will be on Friday! You know I ❤ Dunkin' Donuts. And, in case, you missed why you can read my past post Lazy Morning with Dunkin' Donuts.

Wordless Wednesday - Getting His Bowling On!

2010-06-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Please pay no mind to my hubby's clothing. This is what happens when I don't help him. :)

I'm alive!

2010-06-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

Hooray! I'm all better!!! That was a pretty rough cold.

And here's what I get to do now that I feel better...

Photo by Valerie Morrison

Don't you wish you were me?!

Other than trying to get over that horrible cold, our Memorial Day holiday weekend was fun. We made a last minute trip to visit the in-laws. We had lots of fun. Little Monkey had lots of fun with his 10 year old uncle! It was kinda nice to have an older child to keep Little Monkey busy during the days to the point that he would pass out hard at night. We just made it back home today, so I'm off to get a good night's sleep and continue cleaning tomorrow.

Sorry I'm not home right now...

2010-05-27T06:00:00.002-04:00

Photo by soopahgrover

Does this explain how I am feeling? I don't know when exactly this cold crept up. I knew I felt weird on Sunday, but then felt fine Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday I woke up and was instantly hit with all the symptoms of a head cold. Great. If you guys don't hear from me again until next week, I hope you all have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend! Now I am going to go park myself on the couch under a blanket and hope that Little Monkey doesn't notice.

Walmart Gift Card Winner courtesy of P&G's Cascade 24 Hour Challenge

2010-05-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

Who is the winner of the $25.00 Walmart Gift Card???

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2010-05-27 02:29:19 UTC

And the winner is...

48 - Stephanie said...

I'm a blog follower :)

thegrants(at)live(dot)com

MAY 24, 2010 10:19 PM

Congrats to Stephanie!

Thanks to everyone that entered the Cascade 24 Hour Challenge giveaway!

Wordless Wednesday - First Beach Trip 2008

2010-05-26T12:16:00.004-04:00

My Fab Finds at T.J. Maxx!!!!

2010-05-25T18:00:00.020-04:00

Clearly there is an evil force out to get me...

You see I broke 3 pairs of sunglasses in this last week all within days of each other! What are the odds of that?! No I did not sit on any of them which I will admit to having done so in the past.

The fact that my last pair of sunglasses broke today so I couldn't use them while running errands coupled with the loss of all of my back up sunglasses forced me to go in search of new sunglasses. The bright summer sun is kicking in these days and it feels like I am being tortured to drive without sunglasses.

Normally I would go to Burlington Coat Factory for sunglasses, but today I felt like giving T.J.Maxx a try.

And look what I found!!!!

Please excuse the semi-lackluster picture (from my iPhone), my digital camera accessories have wandered off and the battery is useless without a charger. Note to self: Never EVER buy a camera that requires lithium battery packs.

Franco Sarto Carlisle Satchel Black MSRP $79.99 at T.J. Maxx $34.99

Franco Sarto Sunglasses MSRP $36.45 at T.J. Maxx $9.99

Oscar de la Renta - Who knows?! According to all my searches this model does not exist, but they are still fabulous at $9.99

The look on my hubby's face when he saw I went shopping = Priceless

Did I really need a brand new black purse? Yes and no. I have a really beautiful black leather purse with a gold chain that I won from a giveaway. I love it, but it is just too fancy for regular errand running. I have a gently used teal Lovcat tote that was handed down to me from my aunt that is in great condition, but I wanted to another color bag to be able to switch from time to time.

I'm starting to feel like a Maxxinista!

Oh and don't worry I bought the hubby crew socks that he had been asking for and I bought Little Monkey an Activity Book that uses dry erase markers.

What happened to The Mama...

2010-05-24T18:00:00.024-04:00

The other Mama...

The one that attempted to pull herself together before having a child and even with child in the womb.

I made this at abcya.com (Wordle was down, so this was the best I could do)

Any other moms out there feeling as lost as I do? I am currently reading Momover: The New Mom's Guide to Getting It Back Together. I think when your child has reached the age of 3, I don't think you are considered a new mom anymore. But, hey, why can't this information be applicable to a mother who is still fairly new to the game who needs help getting it back together.

I am trying. Really. I had my hair cut and colored! That was a big step. Not that I wanted to hide all my grays. Wait, before you think I am that old. I've had grays since I was 18 years old. I'm not sure if it is a Puerto Rican thing, but I do know the men and women on my mom's side seem to gray early in life. I don't mind the grays so much when they gently danced in my hair. The grays turned on me and began to sabotage me slowly by graying in the front the most. Not good. Bye bye grays for now. I put on moisturizer, foundation, a little blush, and lip gloss. If I've got time a little eye shadow is fun! A step up from my moisturizer and gloss routine. And this from a self-proclaimed Sephora Lover! I love, love, love makeup but I just felt too stressed to put any effort into myself.

Also I am trying to pay attention to more beauty and fashion information because I am pretty much clueless these days.

I attended a T.J. Maxx/Marshalls Twitter Party and Wednesday night I will be attending Makeover Momma's Makeover Madness Twitter Party.

I am still a work in progress, but I am starting to feel better about myself from the inside, so I want the outside to match as well.

Cascade's 24 Hour Challenge - CLOSED

2010-05-19T22:13:00.006-04:00

When I was contacted by My Blog Spark to take Cascade's 24 Hour Challenge, I jumped at the opportunity. I've been wanting to try the new Cascade All-in-1 ActionPacs already but I just wasn't sure about it yet. Before we tried the All-in-1 ActionPacs, we were using the regular Cascade with Dawn ActionPacs and I rinsed the dishes beforehand.

Cascade's All-in-1 ActionPacs combines the best of powder and gel in one powerful pac.

The 24 Hour Challenge asked that we make a Blueberry Cobbler. Once we were done eating up that delicious Blueberry Cobbler we were to set out the plate for 24 hours before putting it in the dishwasher. Oh and did I mention they said No Rinsing?! It was hard. So hard that I had the hubby load the dishwasher without rinsing the dish for me. Here were my results:

Before After

I was really expecting to have to rewash this dish. I was more than pleased with the results. I will definitely be switching over to Cascade All-in-1 Actionpacs! I may have tried this experiment with a Blueberry Cobbler on more than one occasion. That Blueberry Cobbler was delicious!

One Barely Domestic Mama reader will win a $25.00 gift card to Walmart.

How to Enter (required): What meal leaves the most mess on your cookware? This step must be done first before the extra entries. (If your email is not visible through your public profile, make sure to leave it in your comment.)

Extra entries (make sure to make separate comments for each):
• Follow my blog OR subscribe via email (be sure to confirm the subscription before leaving your comment). - 1 entry
• Grab my button and put it on your blog. - 1 entry
• Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about this contest. "@BarelyDomestic is giving away a $25 Gift Card to Walmart at http://bit.ly/9Fx1dI" - 1 entry
• Become a fan of Barely Domestic Mama on Facebook. - 1 entry

Sorry, but this giveaway is only open to US Residents only. Contest ends on Tues., May 25, 2010 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. Winner will be chosen using the Random.org number generator. Winner will be notified via email and announced on Wed., May 26, 2009. If the prize is not claimed in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: P&G and My Blog Spark gave me a complimentary Cascade ActionPac Kit and a $25 Walmart gift card to giveaway to one of my readers. My opinion is 100% my own. Your experience with this product may not be the same.

Wordless Wednesday - How Little Monkey Rolls

2010-05-19T10:57:00.000-04:00

Kiss Your Old Bras Goodbye with a Playtex Bra Makeover

2010-05-18T16:32:00.006-04:00

A bra makeover?! Oh how this mama could use one! Pregnancy did a number on my body and I've yet to return back to my original self. I've been agonizing over going to a bra fitter and getting fitted. Not those Victoria's Secret bra fitters...they never get it quite right for me. But as you may remember...I live in West Virginia. Not the hippest place for fashion, so for me to go to these so called "bra whisperers" I would have to go to NY, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, or LA. I just don't think I can convince the hubby to gather up the money for a trip to get fitted for a bra, plus then having to pay for these fabulous bras. I will be putting in my entry to win a bra makeover as soon as this post goes up!

Seven out of ten women are wearing the wrong size bra.

Playtex recently launched www.PlaytexBraMakeover.com, a site where women can go to apply for a bra makeover or nominate a friend. If chosen, the winner will be flown to New York to receive a Bra Makeover with style expert Alison Deyette. Deyette is a fashion and trend lifestyle expert who has been featured on Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker and TLC's Ten Years Younger, as well as in print publications including Good Housekeeping, The Washington Post, and O Magazine. Apply for your chance to win a Playtex Bra Makeover today. The last day to apply is Friday, May 21st, 2010.

The 10 winners selected for a Bra Makeover will also star in their very own webisode wherein a makeover candidate will receive a fitting with Deyette and walk away with the perfect Playtex products. A new webisode will premier on www.PlaytexBraMakeover.com every two weeks.

By posting this information, I am entered into a contest to win a free bra from Playtex. I did not receive any compensation for this post and thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Pardon the quiet while I clean up around here...

2010-05-17T12:25:00.004-04:00

Photo by Melanie Burger

I am in the process of changing some things up on my blog...which it turns out I may have underestimated the amount of work that was going to go into this. Help me Oprah Winfrey! (If you've seen Talledega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby then you should get it.) I have been on this computer for far too long. No, I am not switching over to Wordpress (not yet anyways) and the layout will still be mostly the same with just some tweaks.

I happen to notice something while I've been cleaning up my blog. There have been quite a few bloggers that I had their button on my blog (some of them started around the same time I started blogging or just a few months before) that just disappeared or appears they burned out and have taken an extended vacation. I'll be honest. I was almost there at the point where I was ready to throw in the towel on this blog, but then I went to Bloggy Boot Camp and Tiffany said something along the lines of we don't have to jump at every opportunity that is offered to us. I needed to hear that. I have had some really fabulous opportunities and then some less than fabulous opportunities come up. Here I thought I had to say yes to everything. Nope. Not this gal. I still love products to review and giveaway and even the occasional press release has information that I would share with my readers, so I won't stop that, but I will be sure to keep a balance in my life to make sure that I don't get that burned out feeling again. I have a family and a life...well, at least a family...the getting a life thing I am still working on.

A Twitter party with T. J. Maxx, Marshall's, and Fashion Me Fabulous

2010-05-12T20:31:00.003-04:00

Strange that I opened up an email to invite me to a Twitter party regarding T. J. Maxx. I wonder....was someone following me today on my adventure to T. J. Maxx with my three year old. It was quite an adventure. I lost Little Monkey a few times in clothing racks, he begged me to wear dancing shoes by Carlos Santana (which is what he refers to any stiletto shoes - they were pretty but Daddy would not be happy to find his son wearing high heels) and he attempted to become an employee by running behind the registers and offering to help. Lovely.

I can use all the fashion help possible. Did I mention I am a Stay at Home mom of a three year old? I kinda fell out of the fashion loop. I am trying to reclaim my inner fashionista. Last night I got the fabulous hair...now just need the clothes and accessories to go with it.

So what is this Twitter Party about you ask. It is to share experiences and opinions about spring fashion and shopping off price.

Who? Follow @fashionfabulous and answer the questions to have a chance to win spring’s hottest fashions and store gift cards!

What? Spring’s hottest trends hand selected to be given away throughout the party! $50 store gift cards that are good at both Marshalls & T.J.Maxx! Twitter Party details: http://www.fashionmefabulous.com/2010/05/win-tj-maxxmarshalls-gift-cards-and.html

Where? On Twitter using the hashtag #MarshallsTJMaxx

When? Thursday May 13th from 8pm EST – 10pm EST

I'll be there. I can use all the tips I can get! :)

Today is National Mom's Nite Out

2010-05-06T12:32:00.002-04:00

I know I am in need of a Mom's Nite Out! Woo hoo! This mom is so excited to get out and mingle with other moms!

Find out if there's a celebration near you: Local Events

Online events: Use the Twitter Hashtag: #MomsNiteOut in the search box and you can find more information about online parties.

Will you be celebrating?!

Wordless Wednesday - Why Grandpa's House Rocks

2010-05-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

Happy May!!!

2010-05-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there readers. I can't believe it is May already! This year is flying by quickly already.

April has been a bit hectic. At the last minute, Little Monkey and I got the opportunity to go back home to my parents' house for Easter and stayed for Little Monkey's 3rd birthday celebration with friends and family. I'm not sure where the rest of April went. Sad, I know, but it is kind of a foggy mess between potty training and attending an open house for preschool.

I will admit recently thanks to Facebook, I had become addicted to those Zynga games...yes, I know those useless games. I'll even go further and admit that I had a farm, mafia, sorority house, fish, and a restaurant. On April 29th, I took my life back from Zynga. I will no longer allow myself to feel pressured into playing because everyone else is or guilty that I didn't send gifts back. No more! I explained to my loved ones that I love them, but I will no longer be playing anymore games on Facebook. I feel a lot better about not feeling like a slave to those games.