Mome reads Mommy, My daughter's way to spell it when she was younger... It stuck. My son calls me Mome... just like it looks. I now sign all my notes to them "Love, Mome". It's our inside secret and makes them smile. I always want them to smile.

Monday, December 19, 2011

It Takes a Village... To Make Reindeer Cookies.

Last night I was attempting to come up with some Reindeer cookies for Puddin Pop's class.  I had a plan in my head but the end result was less than expected.  I decided to get some help from my Facebook friends and posted this...



I asked (begged) to be told they looked like Reindeer.  The general consensus was... Bears.  Fozzy Bear to be exact.  I can't say they were totally wrong.  I also got tips and links and all sorts of helpful suggestions...

 I took all that info.  Swished it around in my brain.  Tried cutting the pretzels...FAIL.  I wasn't about to go buy new, larger pretzels either.  I was convinced the supplies I had would do the trick.  I re positioned the face (put more space between eyes and nose) and moved the Antlers to the top so they'd look less like ears and came up with this...


 It's gonna have to do.

Thanks to everyone who helped come up with this.  Had a blast collaborating.  Let's do it again.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Who's Your Cable Company?





I've been participating in a "test drive" for Verizon FiOS over the last six months and will NEVER go back to my local cable company as long as FiOS is available.


First off.  I've always been a fan of Verizon as a company.  I've used their cell service since it became available and have never received anything other than exceptional customer service any time I reached out.  I feel they are one of the few companies that insure customer satisfaction at all levels.  If an issue needs to be escalated to a higher level the response time is quick and the issue is ALWAYS resolved.  That's been MY experience.


With my old WiFi service, I would get bumped off the network several times a day.  The company told me it was nothing on their end and said "we can't even see any interruption is service."  


I haven't had that issue even once in the past 6 months.  Maybe it wasn't me after all.


FiOS offers an "In-home Agent".  I'm not a fan of calling companies to resolve issues and the "In-home Agent" has been a favorable alternative that I have used more than once.


One night, after getting the kids to bed and settling on the couch to catch up on some DVR'd programs, I hastily picked up the remote and instead of hitting the power button pushed something else.  What?  I have no idea.  All I could get on the screen was a blue screen.  Nothing I did brought back any picture.  I tried everything I could think of for about 10 minutes and then thought to try the "In-home Agent" that had been installed on my laptop.


I logged in, found the proper problem in the "Television" tab and began to answer a series of questions that it prompted.  Without ever touching anything other than the keys on my laptop, the modem was shut down, the TV was turned off, They were both turned back on and the picture was restored.  No lie.  That's service.  Why would I ever settle for less?


Verizon has also added a My FiOS App.  This app allows you to to everything from your phone.  If you forget to set your DVR and are away... no problem.


You can watch OnDemand movies or the 25 streaming channels from your phone.


You can even use your phone as a home remote.  Since I have issues with remotes to begin with, and have only had my android phone for two weeks, I'm a little scared of this app right now, but it will definitely be in my future.


You can even control compatible appliances like cameras, locks and thermostats while away from home.  A little scary and VERY Cool.  When the kids are old enough to stay home alone they'll have no chance of getting into trouble.  Mom will be watching.


I encourage you to check for FiOS availability in your area.  You will NOT be disappointed.  










I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Verizon FiOS and received a free trial of the products and services necessary to facilitate my review.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Will You Look For Me?

I overheard the kids talking at bedtime.

It melted my heart to hear them.

This is what I heard...

Handsome: On the second day of school, do you ever see kids walking to the white buildings while you're on the playground?

Puddin Pop: Yes.

Handsome: Do you ever see a kid that looks like me?

PP: Yes.

H: Well it is me.  That's where we go for "gifted".

PP: Oh.


H: So will you look for me on the second day of the week?

PP: I'll look for you everyday, 'cuz I don't know what day that is.

Monday, December 5, 2011

The Tooth Fairy Dilemma



Handsome lost another tooth.  He's 8 so we've been through this a bunch.  As we were putting his tooth in a box to put under his pillow he says, "Mom, promise me you won't do the Tooth Fairy's job."  Not wanting to make a promise I couldn't keep I responded with "What makes you think I would do the Tooth Fairy's job?"  He says, "I'm not sure but if you don't do it and I don't get anything then I will know that the Tooth Fairy isn't real."

CRAP.

The issue here is Puddin Pop (or so I thought).  At 5, she has her first wiggly tooth and I would hate for her ideals to be crushed by her brother finding out the truth.  I debated on what to do.

My choices were...

A) Do the Tooth Fairy's job.  I never promised not to, although I'm not sure the conversation would be perceived that way.

B) Don't do the hob but give Handsome the $1 in the morning and promise to keep the money coming for each tooth as long as he didn't spoil it for his sister.

At bed time he realized that the tooth was downstairs.  He ran to get it and tucked it under his pillow.  He was holding the box in his hand under the pillow because "He wanted to make sure he didn't push it to the floor so the TF could find it." (this happens ALL. THE TIME.)  Out of nowhere Puddin Pop says...

"You know it's just Mom that takes the teeth and gives you money."


What?


He says, "Well then where does the Fairy dust come from?"  I sprinkle glitter dust on the pillow and leave a trail across the bed.

She says, "Duh.  Mom has a secret stash of glitter."

Handsome: "I'm not so sure."
PP: "You mean to tell me you believe in fairies?"
Handsome: "Yeah.  So what?"
PP: "Well I don't.  I think it's Mom."
Me: "It's time to stop talking and go to sleep."

The tooth Fairy came, minus the Fairy dust, and no one mentioned another word about it.

How is it the 8 year old wants to believe and the 5 year old refuses to?

She's more and more like me every day.

Friday, November 18, 2011

$200 Cash Up For Grabs. Who Wants It?

Mommy’s Moments



I'm participating with all the cool kids to give one lucky winner a $200 Cash prize just in time for Holiday shopping.  We all can use a little extra money and it feels good to work with others to make someone else's life just a little easier.

Follow the directions below and you could have that extra cash in your Paypal account Very Soon!

Contest Ends December 2nd, 2011.

*One lucky 2nd Prize Winner will receive $25 CASH.





Thursday, November 17, 2011

Pinot Noir For Turkey Day. It's Been Decided.

It seems like as soon as November hits I start craving Turkey.  By the time Thanksgiving rolls around we've usually had 2 other Scrumptious Turkey dinners.

Last week I found some really pretty Turkey legs at the grocery store and thought I would try them out in the crock pot.




I loaded up the crock pot with a small bag of cut carrots, a medium white onion, and then spotted the apple and thought I'd slice and throw that it too.  It added a wonderful sweetness.



I topped the fruit and veggies with three Turkey Legs seasoned with poultry seasoning, pepper, and granulated garlic.  Covered and ignored for 6 hours.

When I was removing the meat from the bone, my son informed me that he didn't like turkey. What?  You tell me now?  I asked to him to please give it a try.  He told me he had tried it last Thanksgiving and still didn't like it.  I explained that I had made it differently and again asked him to just try it.  We also had mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce to go with it.  He hesitantly took a small bite, loaded up his plate and asked me to make it the exact same way for Thanksgiving! Score!

I was also trying to pick a wine for Thanksgiving dinner and paired this with a Llai Llai Pinot Noir.



This light wine will blend in with the many foods of the holiday and allow guests to enjoy the flavors of both their drink and dinner. This Pinot Noir is hand-harvested, creating a deep, brilliant red color with a ripe and intense red fruit aroma. Llai Llai Pinot Noir has the perfect balance of alcohol and acidity creating a certain elegance and sweet earthy notes, perfect for harmonizing multiple flavors. The very ripe and soft tannins allow for a long, rich, and smooth finish which is necessary to preserving the moistness of the turkey. Recently named the Best Value Chilean Pinot Noir by World Value Wine. SRP $12.99

This wine was well worth the price.  With Cherry, green pepper, oak and earthy notes it complimented the Turkey and was delicious alone.  It is dark garnet in color which made it's light body unexpected. This Pinot will hold it's own against wines double the price.  It will also definitely make my Top 10 of 2010.

Cheers!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Never a Dull Moment...

Came home from work today and realized the new kitten must have been quite busy today.  Incense sticks that were on top of the entertainment center were all over the living room floor.  Shadow (kitten) is meowing up a storm so I fill her food bowl and hear a rustling noise coming from the den.  Thinking it must be the biggest rodent thus far I set off to find it.  When I do find it, I don't rush to get it out, I rush to get my camera.  We all do that, right?

It wasn't a rodent.

It was this.  (Pardon the blurry photo, it wasn't to keen on sitting still long enough to get it's picture taken.)



No idea how it got in or how long it's been tormenting the kitten but...

I open the sliding glass door, in the hopes it will fly out, letting the dog in.  The dog immediately goes to eat all the kitten's food so I scramble to put the food up.  When I get back to the den I realize that the bird and the inside only cat are no where to be seen.  I put eyes on the cat and decide trying to handle two animals is better than 3.  I put the dog back outside and close the door.  Bird is now clinging to the front door screen but as I approach to open it, flies off.  I prop open the front door, again make sure I'm watching Shadow, and work on getting the bird towards the door.  It goes from living room to dining room to kitchen and then makes a clean flight out the door... with kitten close behind.  I catch kitten mid-air as she's lunging off the porch, bring her back inside and officially declare Winethirty.

Cheers!

Nothing to say Wednesday~ Say What?


Monday, November 14, 2011

Who's Cuter? Puppies vs. Babies

This post brought to you by Puppies vs. Babies. All opinions are 100% mine.
Photobucket

It's not right to compare children.  They each are unique and beautiful in their own way.  So let's compare babies to Puppies.  Both are so freakin' adorable that I love them all.  If there was a contest, who would win?
Puppies vs. Babies online contest is a contest Animal planet put together to once and for all find out who America thinks wins top prize for cuteness.
We all spend way too much time on Facebook, and the Internet in genera,l and are constantly "sharing" cute photos we come across.  Mostly babies with funny sayings or adorable animals snuggling or saying a few words of their own.    Now. We. Can. Vote.  Who's cuter? .
We're down to 8 finalists.  4 Puppies and 4 Babies.  They are set up in brackets so you pick one over the other.  I cast my votes.  Funny.  The puppies I picked were leading in their bracket.  The babies I picked were clear underdogs... which you can only find out by voting and then seeing the results after.  Try It!
My favorite puppy picture that I copied from the Internet is this one...

I want that puppy.  I've never seen anything so cute.  Not even a baby.  But.  This cutie is not a contender so, you'll have to vote for another.
Submissions are closed but you can still weigh in on who wins the $5,000 prize.  Go check out Animal Planet's Puppies vs. Babies Contest and cast your vote.  If nothing else, it'll put a smile on your face.

PvB-CuteDar-Green-300x250-Backup.jpg
Visit Sponsor's Site

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Slumber Party!

Tonight I get the privilege of hosting the Tribal Blogs Slumber Party.

Everyone is welcome!

All you have to do is show up here at 7pm EST.

Bring your favorite drink and some munchies and be ready to giggle like a school girl.


Thursday, November 3, 2011

I Misbehaved at Lunch so I have Extra Homework

Puddin' Pop got in the car today an told me she had a "blue" day.  Blue is one step out of the "green" tree and is the disciplinary system they use at school.  Green= best behavior, Blue= Just less than, then there are Yellow = off day, and Red = Bad day... and those are baskets at the bottom of the tree.  When I asked what happened she told me that she didn't follow the rules in the lunch room and therefore had extra homework.

I was a little skeptical since Kindergartners had their homework packets sent home on Monday (to be returned Friday).  I asked what extra homework she was given and she replied, "It's in my folder."

I was certain she was mistaken.  This wasn't her first "blue" day and no extra homework was sent home in the past.

I. Was. Wrong.




Yep.

Sentences.

3X

I had to chuckle.

First of all, She hasn't even started writing sentences in class.  They are still working on individual letters and numbers.  Kindergarten.

Second.  I remember this tactic all to well and it brings me joy to see it hasn't been forgotten.

Will it help her remember to behave at lunch?

Jury is still out!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Pumpkin Patch~ Wordless Wednesday

The Pumpkin Patch



Finding the Perfect Pumpkin






Hayride Back

Hay Maze

Cooling Down with a Cold Beverage

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Collapse Blast on Facebook. So Many Lives

If you play games on Facebook than you are familiar with the "life every 5 minutes" or so.  The developers reward you with lives incrementally to keep you coming back.  You can also "gift" lives, coins or power-up to your friends to remind them to keep coming back.  There is usually a one-per-day-per-friend limit.

Recently I started playing Collapse Blast and have been surprised to see that the developers have not yet realized (or maybe they have) that the "send free lives" option is limitless.  I accrue a life every 6 minutes which would normally have me logging in a couple times a day to try and beat my friends scores but...



As you can see, my friends have been so generous that I have received 721 extra lives.  Unfortunately this makes the game less interesting for me.  I've also found that when I return the favor, at least one person reciprocates immediately and receiving lives while playing slows the game play and messes with my rhythm.  I make sure to send lives after I play to avoid this.

Have you notices errors in game play on Facebook?  Please share so we can all share in the rewards before the developers become aware of them.
We've been kinda busy around here.

School, homework, Boy Scouts, Daisy Scouts, Pumpkin Picking, Halloween Costume Picking, A couple jobs for Mommy (outside of blogging) .  Back to School Events and colds.  Flu for Mommy that knocked me down for 4 days beyond the mandatory mommy tasks.

We'll be back with regular posting soon.

Hopefully.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Small Business Opportunity? Think Dove! (Giveaway)


Winner!!!!!
I like dove chocolate discoveries on FB

Congrats.  You're going to LOVE it!












That, my friends. is the Dove Chocolate Discoveries Starter Kit.  Everything you need to be successful in your own business as a Chocolatier.  Being backed by Dove is the added bonus.

Every day more and more women are venturing into business for themselves.  Whether it's for financial freedom, the ability to work their own schedules, to be able to be home when the kids are home or just to get back out of the house business are popping up everywhere for women (and men) to make money by selling tried and true products.  Candles, cookware, adult "toys", jewelry and makeup are just a few of the items that come to mind when thinking of in-home parties.  I get invited to at least 3 of these every year.  The difference with Dove Chocolate Discoveries is that it's doubtful you'd hear about "having too much", or "not needing nay." This is the business that continues to create profit and build repeat customers. It's Chocolate.


If you are looking into starting a business of you're own.  This should definitely be on the list of ones to consider.


You can also find out more information on the Dove Chocolate Discoveries Facebook page.


Dove's Mission Statement


Did You Know?




In honor of Women's Small Business Month, Dove would like to give one lucky ready their very own Starter Kit.  It includes all the chocolate and printed materials you need to host your first 4-6 Chocolate Tasting Parties. 

How To Win It


Mandatory (must complete both to be eligible)
*Like Dove Chocolate Discoveries on Facebook (leave a comment here)
*Leave a comment on this post telling why you would like this Dove Starter kit and what you would do with it.


Extra Entries (leave a comment for each action)
*Follow Wine at Five? through GFN (right side bar)
*Follow Wine at Five? through Networked blogs (right side bar)
*Follow Me (MoreFunMom) on Twitter


Contest Ends 11:59pm Sunday, October 16th.


Here's a sneak peak of just some of the things you will receive.










I'm looking forward to sharing Chocolate Martini's with friends this weekend.  Who's in?




I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of DOVE Chocolate Discoveries and received a Starter Kit to facilitate my review.







Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Extreme Punishments. Are you Guilty?




I've recently had several online (and off) discussions on The Middle.  It's a popular show with a quirky family that most of us can relate to.  My 5 year old loves the show and was very excited to see the Season 2 DVD arrive.  She told her brother, "That's a show Mom and I watch.  It has a boy who whispers to himself *(whispering) whispers to himself."


We were watching last night and there's an episode where Axl (oldest teenage boy) gets in trouble for leaving his socks lying around the house.  Something my kids do All. The. Time.  The father has had enough and punishes him by not allowing him to play in his Basketball Team's Final Game.  Extreme?  Yep.  Real?  Sure is.

I find myself often getting fed up and spouting off some extreme punishment.  I'm usually always apologizing for over-reacting and downgrading the "sentence".  Now I'm learning to withhold information so as to not make it available for punishment.  For instance, this weekend I plan to take the kids to North Carolina to see their uncle and cousin.  I haven't told them because a) I want to surprise them and b) then it becomes a tool to modify their behavior.  I'm trying to get better at consistency.  I don't want to have to use the weekend against them for bad behavior so I'm not telling them until we're leaving.  No chance of the weekend getting cancelled that way.

Have you ever over disciplined your kid/s?  Did you retract or follow through?


I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Middle Season Two on DVD.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Me Time

Do you ever take time for yourself?

I rarely do.

I mean, I take time, I just never think of "my time" as an opportunity to do something FOR myself.

Today I changed that.

One of the rare mornings that I dropped the kids off and went directly to the salon (read: Super Cuts) and got my hair cut.

It's been over a year.

The dry ends were killing me and forcing me to curl them to hide the damage.

Too much work.

Now I have a sassy shorter cut and will be scrunchi free... for at least 2 weeks.

When's the last time you treated yourself?

Are you better at it than I am?

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Cover-Ups. You know you did it

I always admired siblings who got along.  My brothers and I get along just fine, now, but that wasn't the case when we were young.  My older brother and I fought every chance we got and it only got worse as we got older.  The only time we got along was when we were teaming up to "cover our tracks." Every once in a while we would take it too far and have to cover our tracks.  Getting caught fighting was actually worse than the fighting.  Or in the rare cases that we were getting along, we were usually doing something forbidden and then would ban together to cover it up.

I remember one time we were playing hide and seek in the basement... in the dark.  We weren't supposed to play with the lights off because mom feared someone would get hurt.  No surprise that someone was me.  I ran right into the corner of the piano and it split my eye open.  Crap.  Shortly after I had to go up and set the table for dinner.  I did it with my head down hoping no one would notice.  My grandmother was over.  She noticed.  I told her what happened and explained that we weren't supposed to be playing in the dark.  She covered for me.  That was close.






Have you ever been in a situation similar to Brick and Sue's? See how the Hecks brilliantly true-to-life kids cover up their accident on The Second Season of The Middle on DVD, currently available for pre-order  and hitting shelves on 9/27/11!


Holes in walls were regular occurrences in our house too.  When you try to keep someone out of your room and then just step out of the way to let them "fall" in, make sure you have a door stopper thingy on the wall.  There's nothing like a hole in the wall to bring kids together for the common cause of "butt whooping avoidance."  I think this is how posters came to be.

Did you ever try to "cover up"?   How did it work out?


I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Middle Season Two on DVD.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: AGAIN?


Front Yard.  Dead Center. Huge Web.

FiOS Magic




I've been extremely happy with my Verizon FiOS service the past couple months.  Still trying to figure out all the features and have had a couple snafus along the way...but... FiOS does Magic.  Seriously.

First.  We've had some issues with the permanant line getting hooked up.  A temporary line was hung around the yard and several weeks later, after all the important markings were complete, the permanent line was buried.  The very next day it was to be connected but was accidentally cut and a second temporary line had to be dropped.

Then.....

A friend was cutting the grass, that *may have* been a couple feet tall, and accidentally cut the Fiberoptic cable.  Totally NOT his fault.  There were several cables laying throughout the yard.  I called Verizon a couple days later (it was Labor Day weekend so I waited until Tuesday) and they set an appointment for Thursday.  An hour and a half went by before my phone rang.  It was a tech from Verizon, he was in the area and would be right over.  They had given me a 48 hour window for the line to be fixed (new line put in) and the problem was fixed in under two.  Awesome.

Once the line was fixed I realized that my phone still didn't work.  I was pretty sure that it was my crappy phone.  It hadn't worked right since I had purchased it.  It may have been dropped right out of the box so... I worked with it.

It took me three days to find the time to purchase a new phone.  Not so much an emergency with a cell phone. I hooked the new phone up and Voila... NOTHING.  Hmmm.  NOT the phone.

I logged on to the Verizon sight and looked for help.  They had a complete walk through for what to do when you "Have no dial tone."  Step 1.  Check the outlet.  I made sure other things that were plugged in to the same outlet were working.  "Did this solve your problem?"  NO.  Step 2.  Check the main power source.  I located the box in the garage, unplugged it, removed the back-up battery, waited 2 minutes and reconnected the battery and plugged the box back in.  "Did this solve your problem?"  No.  At this point my computer froze... maybe.  It wouldn't take me to the next step.  It wouldn't do anything.  I became impatient and logged off.  I figured I'd come back to it later.

10 minutes later (no lie)...

A white OneVision ( a sub-company of Verizon) truck pulled up in front of my house.  I watched a man get out and walk to the side of my house... then to the other side... then get back in his truck and leave.  Suspicious.  Could it be?  Could my online trouble shooting have signaled help?  I curiously walked to my new phone and took it off the cradle.  I pushed the "talk" button and... had a dial tone.  


I'm really not sure what happened, but know better than to question when things work out in my favor.

This, my friends, is what I refer to as...

FiOS MAGIC!!


Want to experience the magic for yourself?  (click to check availability in your area)

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Verizon FiOS and received a free trial of the products and services necessary to facilitate my review.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Zhu Zhu Baby Winner!!!!!


And the Winner is.....
drumroll Please...




"Rorie is my fave!!"


Congrats to Rikki!  

Mom Select will be mailing your Zhu Zhu Baby to your house!!

Homemade Playdoh

Puddin Pop's teacher sent out a request for playdoh for the classroom.
We were happy to help.
Puddin Pop picked the colors and helped with the measuring.
We used this recipe last year for Preschool and it really stays soft much longer that the store bought stuff.
It is also made from ingredients around the house.

1 cup Flour
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Salt
1 Tbsp Oil
2 tsp Cream of Tartar
Food Coloring

Mix all ingredients together before putting over heat (I add the food coloring to water and then add in the rest).  Also make sure not to use hot water as it will make the flour clump.
Cook on Medium until a ball is formed stirring continuously. (about 5 minutes)
Remove from heat, let cool for 2 minutes.  Knead for 2 minutes then store in a plastic container. 
 Lasts up to 3 months when kept in container when not in use.