TimeBuddy Winner

Winner of the TimeBuddy choosen by random.org is Comment #2

Melissa said...

I learned that you can set your own times for different activities.

Winner has been notified and has 48 hours to respond.

Driving Pet Peeves

This has been bothering me a lot lately, ok every since I moved to the city and had to commute to work. I really do not commute for, it typically only takes me about 20 minutes of driving time. I am also very lucky because daycare is less then a mile from our apartment. I find that most days by the time I get to woke I have yelled at more then one car and am angry at how stupidly people drive.

Here are some of my pet peeves while driving. Feel free to chime in!

• Directional use - Man put those lovely blinky lights on the cars for a reason, not just for looks people. USE THEM! It will al least tell me you are planning on cutting me off.
• Speaking of cutting me off.... Just because there is a car length between me and the car in front of me does not mean you belong there! I have left that space their for safety reason, something you do not know or care about!
• If by some miracle you use your direction in order to get in my lane and I am nice enough to let you in, which I usually am, how hard is it to raise you hand up for a split second just to say thanks???????? It is not your given right to cut in front of me.
• You know there is more then one exit on highways? Oh you didn't? Is that why you slammed on the breaks and reversed in the breakdown lane because you were too busy on the cell phone to notice your exit? Or perhaps you simply cut everyone off in order to get from the left hand lane to the right hand lane before you missed the exit? and then because you were just too slow, or of course you will blame it on the other drivers you have to cut over the solid white lines and dart onto the exit. 
• It is simple..... Go to the next exit and turn around!!! Go back and take your exit!!! I know it may take a few more minutes but it is better then being dead!
• If you decide that you need to be in front of me for some unknown reason please do not slow down when you get there. The right lane is for slow traffice and the left lane is for fast moving traffic. Maybe you need to learn your rights and lefts again??
• If it is raining or even worse snowing (because we live in the South and people are afraid of that cold white stuff) just drive carefully. Now this does not mean drive 15 down the highway with a 60 mph speed limit. Just choose a nice speed and stay consistant. DO NOT slam on your breaks. DO NOT cut people off so they have to slam on their breaks. DO NOT speed up and slow down and speed up and slow down. ALL not safe. If you really cannot drive in it, STAY HOME!

Sorry for the crazy rant, I just needed to get that off my chest.

On other notes, Poor Little J has been under the weather for the last few days. Monday she was sent home from school with a fever and she had been throwing up. She stayed home yesterday but had such trouble sleeping last night. Up every few hours and screaming in her sleep. I feel so bad because I just do not know what is wrong. She has not had the fever since late Monday night. I am not sure if she just needs sleep or if there is something else wrong. Looks like a trip to the DR. I have to say we have been lucky because she is 8 months and this is the first sickness, impressive I think for a baby in daycare.

Yum Yum Dishes - Review

A Very Familiar Story

Yum Yum Dishes™ are the creation of Mom and restaurant owner, Tracy Adler. During maternity leave following the birth of her daughter, Rachel, Tracy developed "a strong relationship" with her pantry door. With each visit to the pantry, she found herself saying "I can eat this - I'm breastfeeding," or "I need a few extra calories!" Though she would pop open a jar of peanuts, or a bag of chips for what she intended to be a quick nibble, Tracy inevitably carried the goodies back to the couch and before she knew it, would consume half the bag! What bothered her more than the calories was the fact that she wasn't even consciously aware of how much she was eating. (See anything that is familiar? I sure do)

Tracy's son Elliot was just 3 years old when his baby sister Rachel was born. When Tracy recognized her uncontrolled snacking, she realized that Elliot was also snacking all day long. She regretted having encouraged such negative eating habits in her son, especially in the face of a rising prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States.

Tracy came across some odd-sized little bowls at her restaurant that she took home and used as treat dishes. These little dishes could hold a handful of peanuts or 6 cheese puffs; 7 strawberries or 5 vanilla wafers. No matter what the snack, it was almost impossible to overeat…unless of course she kept refilling the bowl! But, since refills were a conscious act, Tracy found she could better recognize just how much she and her family were snacking.

I know that after the birth of Big J and now Little J (8 months later) I am still struggling to lose weight. I am so ready for it to be gone so I can wear something other then the same couple pairs of pants and few shirts that I am able to fit in to. The Yum Yum Dishes are a wonderful idea and I ask myself why did I not think of them? Ok seriously I received the yellow bowl and it was so cute. So not only is it a great portion size but it is cute enough to keep out. I also love that the Inside of the bowl says Yum Yum Time is Over.

(This is the dish I received, which now resides at work)

Which is sometimes a reminder that I need to stop and breath and see if I am full or still hungry. I am sure many of you understand when you lead a busy life, with kids or not there are many times that you consume food without really tasting it. This dish is a reminder to me that I need to not only eat smaller portions but take the time to enjoy my food, especially my limited snacks!

Like perhaps this!

Yum - Can I have one now?

Did I mention they are microwave and dishwasher safe? A mom's dream!

Want a set of dishes for yourself?

Find them Here
Set of 4 Yum Yum Dishes ($22.00) 4 colors, Red, Green, Blue and Yellow.


I received one Yum Yum dish for review purposes. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Preschool is Cool: Counting with Elmo DVD Review

Little J has just discovered Sesame Street and Elmo. Yes I know she is only 8 months, but Mommy needs a shower in the morning! Thankfully Big J is willing to watch it every now and then. So when I was offered the chance to review Preschool is Cool: Counting with Elmo I thought it would be a great addition to our DVD collection and the girls would love it.

Warner Home Video (WHV) and Sesame Workshop released the second DVD from Sesame Street’s new education series Preschool is Cool, Counting with Elmo finds Professor Grover as a preschool teacher and Elmo as his helper for today’s counting lesson. When silly Professor Grover (who better to add to Elmo for fun?) starts to have a little bit of trouble remembering what each number is, he needs Elmo and the class to give him a helping hand. Featuring counting themed stories like “Counting Booth” and “Abby’s Sparkle Speckle Freckles”, kids will have fun learning with Grover and Elmo and all their Sesame Street Fans.

I really loved “Abby’s Sparkle Speckle Freckles” probably because I have freckles but it was cute how they had to count her freckles but first they had to find the ones that were hiding and one almost got eaten by Cookie Monster!

Counting with Elmo supports early math skills such as number recognition, counting, and enumeration – all of which help lay the foundation for math readiness and future math learning. Kids see their favorite Sesame Street friends practice skip counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s, which helps children understand the a purpose of counting is to determine the total number of things in an overall set.
I love the fact that it comes from Sesame Street which is the longest-running program in children’s television, so you know that it is good. Plus I grew up with Sesame Street so it is great to share it with Big J & Little J. Of course it also helps that my FAVORITE character is features…..

It also helps that both girls really loved the movie and I think we will be watching it many more times. That is ok with me because it is teaching them in a fun way.

About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with the landmark Sesame Street. The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 140 countries, and other acclaimed shows to help bridge the literacy gap including The Electric Company and Pinky Dinky Doo. Lean more at http://www.sesameworkshop.org/


Purchase the Video
Counting with Elmo can be purchased at Amazon.com
Also look for the first movie in the series ABCs with Elmo

We received a copy of the Preschool is Cool: Counting with Elmo DVD for review purposes. All opinions our 100% honest and ours

Random Cuteness

Big J being a Cat

Little J rolling around