Christmas Card GIVEAWAY!!!!

I love all giveaways, but this one I am super duper stoked about.  My children and my husband? Not so much, because again it involves the much anticipated by me, dreaded by them Christmas photo.

{don't believe how much fun it is around here, check these out}

What does my Christmas photo have to do with a giveaway for you?  Ah-ha! It's only a $50 gift certificate for YOUR Christmas cards from THE BEST online card place ever.  And I do mean EVER

{Drumroll please.....}

Tiny Prints! 

Don't let the name fool you, there is nothing tiny about these cards, they are wonderfulness in an evnvelope.  And here's the thing, this isn't just some random review and giveaway, I am a Tiny Prints fiend, I start stalking their site in May looking at Christmas cards.  Contemplating if sending out July 4th and Halloween cards in between Christmas' would be a bit much. 

{Though, Tiny Prints if your listening, how awesome would a back to school line be?  Might I just say, parents of young kids starting school can be suckered into buying anything and are just so damn excited that the kiddos are out of the house and on the bus they really do want to send cards to anyone.  Not to mention when you live away from family it be cute to send pics to 'em in a cute card layout.}

I found Tiny Prints when I was looking for dash-3's baby announcements, I had hand made the other two but I was honest this time round and it just wasn't happening, of all the places I looked, and I looked for months, Tiny Prints were stylish and modern and priced AMAZING.  And might I add I got the cutest return address labels to match?

 I had planned on sending out a pic of all three boys and then right before we went to take the pictures, dash-2 got a HUGE black eye, and well, between that and being unable to keep their tongues in their mouths, fingers out of their noses, and whatever else I just gave up and went with a nice solo pic of the new boyo and the announcement below.

Oh and of course, those are just pics from the site, no way would my baby be sleeping that peacefully

I was nervous the first time I ordered cards online, would the quality be good enough, would they look all pixalated, would the card stock and envelopes be cheap.  The usual questions.  Not so, everything was top notch.  

So much so that I ordered again for Christmas that year.  

And when my sister in law was looking for wedding invites, not only did I mention Tiny Prints, but my mother was all over it.  Even big mama is on board with these guys.

And now its time for Christmas again.  {insert giddy excitement!}

I am loving the ornament card and what makes it even more gorgeous {besides the models family, my pic will include three boys fighting} is that this card was designed by Jennifer Garner for the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation. Not only will this card spread your families cheer but it will help a fantastic cause.

Isn't that alone enough to make you check out Tiny Prints?

And look at the card above {again obviously not flyboy and I snuggline close} isn't that gorgeous?  Just goes to show you that their line is hardly all cute kid stuff

They have a ton of cards, holiday, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, party invites, thank yous {not to mention moving cards, baby announcements, the whole wedding shebang.  Oh and lets not forget, not all the cards are photo cards, they have a fantastic line of modern and stylish cards that don't need your face splashed on them.  Simply put they have..... EVERYTHING.

To enter a $50 worth of Christmas cards:

-leave a comment! That's it.  Now if you feel chatty, feel free to say whether or not you do a picture card and if you do a picture card is it just the kiddos or is it all of you.

For extra entries: please leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry

-tweet about this giveaway! {please @mrs_flyboy so I can see it} - 2 entries {can tweet every day for 2 additional entries}

-follow tiny prints on twitter @tinyprints  - 2 entries

- post a link to the giveaway on facebook - 2 entries

-blog about the giveaway - 2 entries

ENTER ENTER ENTER!!

The giveaway will be open until Weds December 1st at 6pm and I will draw it promptly and let the winner know so they can start designing.

Thanks to Tiny prints for sponsoring the giveaway and for my Christmas cards! {Take that and stuff it FCC compliance my butt}

Scentsy warmer giveaway!

Apparently I live under a rock.

It would seem that everyone else knows about the joy that is Scentsy except for me.  Well no longer is that the case thanks to Cheilsea over at The Brownings, she's a Scentsy consultant and has so kindly offered to give away a plug in warmer for your choice!

I browsed thru her online catalog and was quite impressed, they have something for ANYONE and they would be an great gift, think teacher, who has to smell 21 smelly kids all day... or a mom friend, who lives in a world of explosive poos.... or a bus driver who makes sure your son isn't acting like a jerk off on the bus {I heart my bus driver can you tell!}.  There really is one for anyone.

And just so you know... if you buy $40 or more before Nov 15th  head over to her FB page enter to win a free full size holiday warmer, this contest is open until Nov 15!

To enter:
Leave a comment about which scent you would like to try, or if you've used Scentsy before, which scent you love.

For extra entries: (and leave a comment PER entry)

-"Like" Sweetly Scentsational on facebook - 3 entries
-Follow her blog - 2 entry
-Tweet about it! {don't forget to include a link to the giveaway and @mrs_flyboy so I get it}- 2 entries

The wickedest Christmas cards around and a GIVEAWAY!

 Disclaimer: If you don't find curse words, especially the f-bomb funny, you should probably just hit the old X in the right hand corner right about now. However, if you have a wicked sense of humor, proceed and trust me, you'll appreciate it.

Few things excite me more than Christmas cards.  Seriously. 

In fact, if my husband and the delivery box with my Christmas cards were both on the front porch: the hubs home from a trip and the cards, fresh from UPS truck, I'm not sure which ones I would run to first.  Actually, lets be honest flyboy, we both know.

But you'd get a great big hug and a big ol smooch as soon as I opened up the cards.

That's my excitement level. 

I send out nice photo cards of us and usually a funny little pic of the kids under the tree {last year dash-2 was making moose antlers, the year prior dash1 was strangling dash2 with his hug}.  Every year getting a nice family shot is harder and harder, it be so much easier just to get a shot of the boyos. 


The box comes I sit on the couch addressing my cards, bitching to flyboy that I'm not sending any to any family members who don't send ones back, he then blankly stares at me, because he's still scared from having to take the family picture with the auto button.  When he finally comes to he askes why we go thru this every year.

Because it's Christmas dammit! The birth of our Savior.  Get with the program.

{That and if I don't send a card of us with our adorable blond hair blue eyed kids my frienemy will think I've ballooned to 300lbs, because, well, shes that kinda bitch.}

 But search no more... I've found the perfect cards..... over at OMGSeriously at Etsy.  {Cause we all know Etsy rocks.}

There's a whole set of them.... and some of them are simply wicked.  And well, coming from me that's a good thing.

I know some people despise curse words.  Me, not so much.  I love me a good f-bomb.  Time and place obviously, but I'm sorry, this card just made me laugh so damn hard I almost wet myself.

And please don't leave me any comments about how some curse words take away from the true meaning of Christmas.  Its satire people. It's funny.  And the true meaning of Christmas is shown in the fact that I get thru the damn holidays without killing a single member of my family.

But back to the cards...Put this in a box of cookies and send it to the ol frienemy.  Flyboy's going to have to hide these cards or ones getting sent.

Put it in a little Christmas card with a witty message, some cookies, an ornament, there ya go, a Christmas care package that says I love ya with a bite.

My kinda package.

Oh and you should know besides my love of cursing I'm also a paper snob and these cards were top quality.  A very nice weight to them and the envelopes which is important when wishing someone a Merry Motherfucking Christmas.

And you can win a pack! giving is the Christmas spirit isnt it? How nice is that of Tiffany Ard, the talented lady who makes em? She also has the cutest line art and nursery decor for the nerdy baby, I wish I had known about this when dash1 was itty bitty.

Oh and no cursing there.

Here's what you have to do to win a pack:

- Leave a comment letting me know who this card would be perfect for.

For extra entries, 

-"like" them on facebook  - 2 entries

-follow them on twitter @OMG_Seriously - 1 entry

-tweet about this giveaway {@mrs_flyboy so I know you sent it} 1 entry {you can tweet daily for entries!}

-blog about it with a link back here to the giveaway - 4 entries

This giveaway will run until Nov 12 at 8pm! Good luck!

Many thanks to OMGSeriously over at Etsy for the pack of cards she sent for me to review, check out her stuff people and support an Etsy artisan!

How lovely

How fabulous are these?!  Perfect for a little treat for someone special.

{or a lunchbox note which we all know I'm partial too}

If you just love these as much as I do and want a chance to win these, or something like these {actually $25 worth of something like these} then stop by my giveaway and enter!

And don't forget to check out Bunco Betty's over at Etsy.

Giveaway time! From a kick ass etsy store

This awesome giveaway comes to you thanks to a very lovely lady on Etsy over at Bunco Betty's  and my very own dash 1.  And just because I can't stand the excitement I'll tell you how great this giveaway is!  

Someone is getting a $25 spending spree!

And here's how it came to be.....
 

dash 1- "Mom I found my note today."

me. "Oh did you like it?"

dash 1- "Mom you wrote it on my paper towel."  

He let the word paper towel just linger.  And then I got the look.  The look that said, really mom? REALLY?

Yes son, really.  Come on! I pack you a lovely lunch.  I pick you up at school, I make sure you have everything you need, smock on art day, library book on library day {ok so I messed up on that one one week}, I make sure your wearing comfy clothes on pe days. COME ON!

I simply can't make you a cute little note everyday. I thought I could but I'm no super mom.  And yes right now that falls into super mom category.

So I goggled lunch notes and found nothing.  Well I did find templates to make my own but come on people, I wanted more than a cheat sheet, I wanted someone to take the test for me!

And then I found Bunco Betty's on Etsy.  {cue angels singing}

SCORE! 

Her stuff is AH-MAZ-ING! I don't even know where to start.  She makes the most adorable paper crafts.  Quite frankly paper crafts doesn't do it justice, hop over and look for yourselves please.  

Gift tags, note cards, mini notes, party packages, everything is simply amazing. 

I ordered three packs of "gift tags" that I've been using as lunch box notes, the mummy, bats, and spider tags show here.

But there are so many to choose from it's tough! Christmas and Valentine's Day tags {and I'm hoping some St. Patricks Day ones will pop up} will be ordered to use in his lunchbox once Halloween is over.

Photos courtesy of Bunco Betty's

Here's a few things I want you guys to know. Price and quality.  For what you are paying, $3.50 for 6 tags it is a bargain to end all bargain.  I'm a bit of a paper snob, and these make me happy.  Nice, thick card stock with every detail accounted for.  

18 tags and not one oops on them.

Which is good because apparently they are the hit of the lunchroom and the kids are quite jealous according to dash-1.

The ribbons have proven to be quite useful too. I use it to tie his note to different things in his lunch, mainly I tie it around his banana or his bag o apples and hint that should they not get eaten the notes might take a hiatus.  Fruit eaten.

I loved these so much I emailed her the next day to see if she would be willing to do a giveaway. And if you can't tell I'm excited that she said yes!

Head over to her store and check her out please, and if you have a little one in school think about the gift tag idea.  They will love it! You might even get an extra hug or two.

If you don't have any kids or your kids are at the "too cool" stage, Christmas is slowly gaining steam on us and her Christmas selection is enough to make you wistle a yule tide tune.

So the giveaway.


You wanna win 25 dollars to BUY ANYTHING IN THE STORE?  Of course you do.

Here's what you need to do: 

first, leave a separate comment for EACH entry!
-for 1 entry leave a comment
additional entries
-for {1} entry visit the store and tell me what's something you'd like to get with your money
-for {1} entries  tweet about this giveaway { @mrs_flyboy} YOU CAN TWEET DAILY FOR MORE CHANCES! Remember to leave a comment everytime!
-for {2} entries put something up on your facebook page about the giveaway, with links to the giveaway and Bunco Betty's
-for {3} entries blog about this giveaway with a link to Bunco Betty's and back here to the actual giveaway

And that's that.  The giveaway is open until Sunday October 10! Good luck!

Many thanks to Bunco Betty's for kindly and graciously sponsoring this giveaway, all opinions here are mine and mine alone and I wasn't compensated in any way for this review, go suck on that Federal Trade Commission.

the book giveaway winner is......

I used random.org to generate random winners, really I do, I just can't for the life of me figure out how to show the image here.  Really.   I'm thinking it's got to be some sort of user error on my part but basic directions are no longer cutting it, I need someone to web-ex in and show me how but I don't think their customer support does that.

Any ways, the winners were #14 and #21.  Just so you don't have to go back and count, that would be Kamas and Elise and The Roaming Southerner.  I just need you ladies to email me your addresses so I can forward them on. 

Congrats and I hope you guys really enjoy the book.  Of course my real wish would be that everyone has peaceful doctors visits but face it, with kids, that just ain't gonna happen.  Ever. Your last prenatal appointment was your last peaceful appointment.

I'm hoping to have an actual post up here sometime soon.  The past few days have been busy with the little one getting more teeth and the older two getting ready for Kindergarten and nursery school.  Kindergarten orientation was today and the first day is the end of the week for both.

{insert the sound of angels singing here}

But I promise... an actual post to come.  No really.  I promise.  But in the meantime anyone have any ideas on what to post about?  First day pics to come OF COURSE!

don't forget to enter!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway here for a fantastically useful copy of 1001 Healthy Baby Answers - Pediatricians Answers to All the Questions You Didn't Know to Ask . 

I'm guessing Or Because Your Two Other Children Were Wrestling on the Hospital Floor didn't fit on the cover. 

All joking aside, there are going to be 2 lucky winners and this is a must for any parent and would make a great baby shower or new baby gift. {I'm all about winning something you can give away to someone else and save some money, can you tell?}

Go! Now! Enter! Entries are low and there are TWO lucky winners!

The baby book you MUST have - GIVEAWAY!

I'm really excited about this review and giveaway for 1001 Healthy Baby Answers - Pediatricians Answers to All the Questions You Didn't Know to Ask, by Gary Morchower, MD  First I love me a giveaway, but also, this is a really great book.

How great? I already have a ton of pages bookmarked.

I couldn't have asked for it at a better time.  Dash-1 was going in for his stomach surgery and dash-3 was having a bunch of testing done for his uti.  And for both very important doctors appointments I found myself getting home from the doctors and having a crap ton of questions.

I know I know your thinking, "how could she have questions, she has three kids and is supermom!?"  Ok so maybe not the super mom part but someone could be....

Wanna know why I have questions?  Cause I drag three kids ages 5 1/2, 3 1/2, and almost 1 to the doctors.  It's impossible to focus.... or hear.

Case in point, I thought the doctor said uti's in male infants is normal.  No no she apparently said abnormal and I only figured that out from reading the book.  See why it came in the nick of time?

This book breaks down all sorts of things from UTIs, to hernias, to baby acne, reflux, rashes, all sorts of fun things you have to look forward to when the doctor hands you your little bundle.  But so far I've used it for all three of my kids so it really does go beyond babies.

And the best part? It's broken down in very easy to understand terms.  Cause I love me easy to understand medical stuff.

Which is another plus of the book.  There is one doctor in the peds clinic on post who I can not for the life of me understand.  He talks in some form of weird medical language and even when I ask questions we just seem to be talking in two different languages.  I'm going to take this book with me next time I luck out and get him for an appointment.

The questions I had about the testing that dash-3 was going to be having done and dash-1's surgery were super clear to me. They were the exact questions I was kicking myself for not asking.  If you must know I had planned on asking them until I realized that dash-2 was eating the food that he was dropping on the floor.  And no, they didn't have a section about eating food off a hospital floor but I'm guessing what they would say about that.

I really don't like baby books.  I find them confusing and all in all totally the opposite of helpful but this one really is great.  How great? This book is a MUST have for any parent and would be a great gift for new parents.

Really, its that good and its that important. 

AND TWO READERS will win a copy!!!

How fab-u-lous is that?  And if you don't have kids this is a great gift for a friend who is expecting or for someone who has kids.


So to enter.....

leave a comment - I'm curious does anyone else forget to ask the doctor questions? Surely its not just me if someone wrote a book.

for another entry- tweet about this giveaway! You can tweet daily for daily extra entries! {don't forget to @mrs_flyboy} If possible mention the title of the book and include a link to the giveaway!

for another entry- blog about it!

And please leave a SEPARATE comment for EACH entry

This giveaway will be open until Saturday August 28th. Good luck!

KIDStrong Giveaway

My children have inherited a trait of mine, besides blue eyes and the desire to backtalk.... the need for constant hydration.

I drink more then a... well... whatever animal is known for drinking a lot. I'm too lazy to google to find out. But I'm betting there is one.

And now I have given birth to little versions of me.

I know as a mom I should say, "oh they don't drink juice I would never serve that, they only drink water", but guess what? They drink juice. In fact they drink a lot of juice and not as much water. So sue me. {its watered down juice does that help my case?}

KIDStrong Products emailed me to see if I would be interested in reviewing on of their kids drinks and I jumped on the chance. Who better to test it then my little {insert thirsty animal from above here}?

In the interest of full disclosure I should tell you that dash-1 wouldn't touch the stuff. Why you ask? Because he had never had it before. He's less of a picky eater and more of a familiar eater so honestly I didn't expect him to try it. It took him 4 months to try a new juice box, and I didn't think I had 4 mths to do this review.

Dash-2 was all over them. Especially the grape.

He loved that they looked like a real big kid drink I put in a straw for him and he sucked the grape down.

And I waited for a really good time to test it out, it was 103 degrees, actually it was a heat wave that had temps over 100 for four days in a row. Unheard of up here.

My kids were soaking wet after five minutes of play outside so I knew that he needed something a little extra then just water.

I checked out the info they sent me and after reading what they had to say I was interested in testing them out.

• All-natural
• No artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners
• Preservative-free
• Low in sugar
• Low glycemic index complex carbohydrate blend
• Optimal electrolyte profile
• Power-packed with 22 vitamins, minerals, and nutrients
• Scientifically formulated for kids’ hydration and energy

There are some that poo poo anything besides water for kids. I poo poo them. Giving my kids healthy alternatives is hardly akin to giving them a cold frosty soda. {Although I do love cold soda my kids are touching one for years}

These drinks would be perfect after sweating buckets at the park. And when I think about all the sugary drinks filled with food coloring that the little one's on dash-1 teeball team drank in the dugout my stomach turns.

They met my main criteria for drinks, no food coloring {nasty chemicals that can really affect behavior}, low in sugar {sugar shouldn't be an enemy, moderation is key}, and some good stuff!

Oh and it passed the taste test!

And lucky lucky someone! KIDStrong is giving someone, some lucky someone, 2 CASES! Perfect for the end of summer and sports in the fall!

To enter:
-leave a comment about who would be consuming these drinks {its ok to say you or to win them for someone else's kids}

for extra entries {and leave a comment PER entry!}
-tweet a link to this post
-blog about this giveaway

The giveaway will be open till Tuesday

Blue Star Giveaway from Blue BirdCrafting!

It's time for a giveaway!

And this one is, in my opinion, a kick ass one, perfect for anyone with a family member in the military.

{I'm just realizing that I say that all my giveaways are kick ass, but this one, this one REALLY is}

It's a beautiful blue star service banner!
If you aren't familiar with a service banner, you can read up here.

I keep mine hanging in the entry hallway at all times. Some people keep them up only during deployments, I'm in the school of thought of keeping it up 24/7 since he serves 24/7, so they aren't just for deployments!

Many thanks to my mother's brand new Etsy store Blue Bird Crafting

The one you can win {along with the ones on my mom's etsy site} are unframed, shipping a framed one is just too expensive over 30 bucks.

It seems a little silly to sell you a frame and charge close to 35 bucks for shipping, when you can go to Target or Walmart {or elsewhere} and pick up a frame for a fraction of what we would charge.

There are smaller ones on her site that fit perfectly in an 8x10 frame (without the mat) and this large one fits in an 11x14 {again without the mat}.

By the way speaking of her store she's not just a service star factory.

She's got some really cute stuff, all of it made with great quality materials so you know you're getting a quality product {those of you who have received some of her items as past giveaways can attest to that!}

I love her bags. Call it what you want, a tote... a purse... shoot a diaper bag. It's a catch all! I use mine for everyday stuff and the best part about it? Not only does it fit everything, but its machine washable. Just the other day a very cute someone put a juice box in there without my knowledge, I'm sure you can figure out how that ended. No problem, just got home dumped everything out and tossed it in the washer. PERFECT!

And in my purse, I always have one or two of these bags crammed full of who knows what. Diapers, wipes, medicine, papers, toys, snacks. Anything and everything. They fit a TON of stuff.

A few months ago she was playing around with scraps from dash3's baby quilt and she made him some adorable burp cloths, him and I tried them out, put them thru the ringer and they passed the test. Now you can find them over there as well.

They are totally unique burp cloths, almost like little quilts for your shoulder!

Fun fabrics on one side and super soft flannel on the other. But they are SUPER absorbent and come thru the regular wash just fine. These would be an adorable little baby gift, get a set tie a cute little ribbon around it along with a couple other feeding items and there ya go.

But back to the giveaway!
To enter: {and each entry needs a separate comment}

-Leave a comment let me know if the service star is for you, or if you're giving it to someone {they make excellent gifts for instance, your hard to buy for MIL who's very proud of her son who's serving} AND who you're hanging for.

-For a second entry, stop by and visit ma' s store, let me know what you like!

-For a third entry blog about this on your blog. I'd really like to get the word out there to as many military moms and military wives as possible.

-For a fourth entry put a tweet out there that I'm having is having an awesome military giveaway and to check out ma's etsy store! {I'm on twitter mrs_flyboy}

The giveaway will be open until Tuesday June 22 at 6pm. good luck!

Fly a flag - and another giveaway!

Dash 1 asked me an interesting question last year. He asked why we fly a flag on our front porch. I explained what the American flag means, how his father serves, proudly, under that flag, how many others have fought and sacrificed so much for all that the flag stands for...for freedom.

He took my answer to heart, looking very seriously while I talked, he then asked, so then what country the bear flag stand for.

The bear flag?

"You know those bear flags that you see on houses with the flowers on them", he said.

I realized that he meant those seasonal type of novelty flags and well unless there is a new country out there who's flag is a bear wearing a straw hat holding a sunflower I'm pretty sure its just for decoration.

Then came another great question, "well why doesn't everyone fly an American flag like ours?"

And for that I didn't have an answer. Why doesn't everyone fly a flag?

We live on a long country road and I think I can count on one hand the number of American flags I see. This disturbs me. I see a Puerto Rican flag, a Yankees flag, a Confederate flag, and a couple of those damn bear flags, which I understand, many find adorable, but not so many American flags.

I remember back to right after 9-11 the American Flag was everywhere.... and now.... not so much.

Even if you have disagreements with the politics or what have you, you have to admit, we live in a pretty damn amazing country. Why not show pride in your country and fly the flag out of respect for those who serve to keep us free, for those who have sacrificed?

Inquiring minds want to know.... do you all fly a flag?

Well, do I have a solution for one of you.

A GIVEAWAY! And to me it seems rather fitting that it falls over Memorial Day weekend.

A free flag!

CVS Flags {check them out here} is offering to one of you lucky gals {or guys... do any guys read my blog?} your choice of either an American Flag or a military flag in the standard 3x 5 size.

Hop over to their site and look around. They have tons of beautiful flags {I'm thinking about getting flyboy a Gasden flag for father's day, nothing says happy dad's day like a Don't Tread On Me Flag right?} no doubt if you're looking for a flag, they will have it.

And if you already have an American flag and a military flag, enter anyways and give the flag to someone else so that there is one more Flag flying out there.

So to enter here are the rules:
{don't forget to leave a separate comment for each entry}

first entry- let me know which flag you think you would like {and whether or not you have a flag if you want to answer that question}
second entry- tweet about the giveaway
third entry- blog about giveaway
fourth entry- follow the ol' blogoro of mine

This giveaway will be open till Tuesday June 1 until 6pm so spread the word and lets get some flags a flyin!

And the winner is....

Sepsi!

Or according to True Random number generator, comment #2. Trust me I randomly selected the drawing, I just cant seem to figure out how to get the image of the drawing to post.

I cook better then I do computer stuff.

Thanks to everyone for posting some great recipes. I've found several that I'm excited to try out and I'm slowly making it thru the hop to check out every recipe and I hope you're doing the same. Not only have I found great recipe but some awesome new blogs {and the people behind the blogs}.

So congrats sepsi, now I just need your info to mail off your stuff!

questions and the giveaway winner.

In honor of my 628 post I thought, what the heck, why not do a question and answer.

{oh ps. if your here for the bloghop feel free to read and ask a question but the bloghop post is here!}

Actually it had less to do with the 628th post and more to do with the fact that I'm having some blog block. And there are a lot of new followers so maybe some of you guys want to come out, say hi, and ask a question.

That and I just read the New Girl on Post's answers and was inspired to do this again.

So ask away. Ask about the military {I can't guarantee to know the answer}.

Ask about flyboy's fetishes {I kid, he doesn't have any, well besides watching me clean but trust me, that has to do strictly with cleaning and nothing else} or any questions your dying to know about my stud that I'm allowed to answer. Again, remember, I like being married.

Feel free to ask about whatever your wondering. Favorite food, favorite book, disciplining the dash boys, whatever.

Oh and I might even talk flyboy into answering a question or two. I had done that before and then we were sidetracked and derailed for a bit with the miscarriage and whatnot. But I've been dying to try it again.

So.... ask away!

oh and Julie the Army Wife you won the lollipops! You were lucky number 15! Please email me your info and I'll get them out to you right quick.

the dash 3, vday swap, and giveaway update

Dash-3 came thru his surgery like a champ. Of course that would mean that a champ sleeps, drools, and sucks on his pacy in his mama's arms.

{Just chilling before surgery. The head cover was mine for when I took him back to the OR. He didn't have enough hair to warrant wearing anything. And even waiting for surgery, I love me a photo op.}

Everything went well, thank you guys again for all the prayers and good thoughts. Now he has two wicked cool scars on his abdomen to show off to the ladies in high school. After all, as his daddy has been telling him, chicks dig scars.

Given his size, I'm kinda surprised at how big the scars are, but he doesn't seem too bothered, well as long as he's being held and loved, and not in his car seat. He hates his car seat right now, in fact he screamed the entire hour and a half home after surgery. Delightful.

In another note or two I will do the giveaway drawing in the next day or two, I didn't expect to have my youngin in my arms quite this much or for these reasons when I planned it out and now I'm just running a little behind, a little out of the routine, and a little low on sleep. {Is it wrong to be jealous that flyboy is out of town and sleeping in peace and quiet right now?}

Also I have sent out emails to all the swap participants so hopefully if you wanted to participate then you got one. If not or if your having problems getting a hold of your partner, let me know.

Some of folks didn't have emails or anyway to get a hold of them, I left messages on a couple of blogs but well, I can only do so much. And {sigh} yet again I didn't partner myself up, so if I've left you out let me know I'll trade with you!

I think that's all.....

Lollipops and cow poop and a GIVEAWAY!

I never thought I would be that mom.

And by that mom I mean the mom that doesn't want her kid eating food coloring crap. {or rather a lot of it, I'm down with some here or there, its life people.} Here's why I find it amusing that I'm now that mom....

I'm pretty sure my kids have eaten cow poop.

Yup I'd put money on it. {And in case your wondering we live on a farm, not on base.}

My kids have probably, in their three years of living here, eaten cow poop but I try my darnedest to avoid food coloring. That may seem odd but hey, cow poop is all natural, that's more then I can say about food coloring.

Dash-1 has severe food allergies and like most kids with severe food allergies he's also a tad food sensitive. Give him too much food coloring and the kid runs around like a crazy man. I. Mean. Crazy.

Especially delightful when grocery shopping at the commissary on payday, while running the retiree gauntlet.

But I didn't want to be that mom. Now this "that mom" is the mom who makes her kid eat weird crunchy health food crap that makes all the other kids at snack time wrinkle their noses and dread the day that he brings in cupcakes for the class. No. No I did not want to be that mom.

{No offense if you are that mom, nothing personal, but my kids don't want to eat your cupcake and well, quite frankly neither do I.}

So what do I feed them?

Well they do eat stuff with food coloring I just have to take into account how much and what time of year it is {seasonal allergies can flare food sensitivities, see you all are learning something from this} but I have been trying lately to swap alternative foods in and yucky ones out.

So I wanted to share a good food find with you all, especially you ABW if your reading this, these are Organic lollipops by Yummy Earth. I know I know organic lollipops, my kids love the organic gummy bears too, I used to scoff at organic foods {"those pesticides will make them stronger!"} but these are worth it.

They have NO FOOD COLORING, they are GLUTEN FREE, made in PEANUT FREE and TREE NUT facilities, no corn syrups and are USDA certified organic.

Any they taste like candy. Real candy, not wheat germ.

Impressive no?

I was hoping I could send a sweet email to the yummy earth people and get a giveaway but, sigh, no go {but they did say thanks for the kind words} BUT my sweet mother sent up a box of yummies for the boys and guess what's in it for one lucky reader?

One of the dash brothers who will fit in the box! No I'm kidding.

I'd have to buy a bigger box and postage would be a bitch.

Anywho I'm giving away 2 bags of 15 lollipops! {30 total for you slow ones}

I know I know its not a sony reader or a dash brother but come on, those of you with kids, or if your a teacher, or shoot if you just like candy, will love these things. Really, my kids can't get enough of them.

So if you want some yummies
- leave a comment {for one entry}
- follow {for another}
- blog about it {for one more}
- twit it {for yet another}

The giveaway will be open for a week till Tuesday January 26!

And again... don't forget about the Valentine's Day swap sign up!

Giveaway winner!

And the winner of the bags is......... ALLISON! How neat now well be twins, we both have baby boys and I have that same bag as well.

Of course I have two other boys, live in a far colder state, am a Marine wife not an Army wife, hmmm maybe twins isn't quite the word but still your one step closer to being like me. And its ok if that scares you. It would scare me too. If I wasn't already me. And yes, in case anyone is still reading this post is really going no where.

And it's a good thing you specified not wanting the pumpkins so there is no confusion over whether I should send them to you.

Please send me your info, hopefully I can get them out in the mail tomorrow. Of course on that note, hopefully I'll lose ten pounds over night. One can dream.

But getting to the post office seems a hell of a lot more likely.

Fall Giveaway!

It's fall around here, there is no denying it. Although as lovely as it is who would want to deny it?

Well maybe a little since after fall comes winter which brings a crap ton of snow. Snow which must be shoveled. Yuck.

Anyways I was going to post this giveaway in September but hey, who would have thought that having a baby when you already have two crazy kids would make life a little hectic? So I'm just now getting to it.

But it fits with fall so no harm no foul.

Courtesy of my talented mama (because we all know I do not sew and she is a sew/quilt goddess) is a beautiful corduroy bag. Two actually.

The larger bag is yay big by yay big, you didn't think I was really going to have measurements did you? I have quite a few and I use them as purses or diaper bags so its big enough to carry things around without being too big.

Does that help clear things up? And the other fits nicely inside of it.

To enter just leave a comment!

To be entered again blog about this giveaway on your blog.

If you enter more then once can you leave separate comments.... it helps an already

overwhelmed mind.

The giveaway will be up till noon on Friday October 16th. Goodluck!

oh and the pumpkin is not included. Can you imagine what it would cost to mail one of those?

Another giveaway!!

I am losing all concept of what day it is. In fact the days are starting to run together, but that happens when your hanging out with a super cutie at 1 am (and 3 am and 5 am, etc, etc). I didn't realize until I turned on the news today that its September 11th.

Now the day is called Patriot day and in honor of our patriots I'm doing another star giveaway.

I have another beautifully stitched, quilted, and framed service star. Again for those of you who aren't familiar with the DoD service star you can get some info here.

I would type it all out in a lovely story for you but if I'm late picking up my little one from his first day of pre-k he'll be in therapy for years.

Anyways, this star is beautiful and of course, handmade by my momma because well, I might be wordy but sewing talented I am not. And I know my limitations.

It's in a beautiful five pointed blue star surrounded by the traditional red border in a very lovely 15 x21 inch frame. And don't worry, shipping is on me. Or rather on flyboy. But he's cool about this blogging giveaway stuff. I'm so lucky to have him.

Back to the giveaway. As always rules are simple, because well I can't handle complicated right now.

To enter just leave a comment.

For a second entry blog about this on your blog. I'd really like to get the word out there to as many military moms and military wives as possible.

For a third entry put a tweet out there that the mrs. is having an awesome military giveaway!

And like last time leave a comment per entry that made it so much easier.

The giveaway will be open until Friday September 18th at noon. good luck!

Alpha Bravo Charlie - Giveaway!

Giveaway time! This month I wanted to host a couple of different giveaways to drag out the celebration of my birthday at the end of the month. Around these here parts September shall be known as the month of the mrs.

I figure if I give away free stuff I can be a tad on the obnoxious side about my birthday.

Ya know, bribe you all to just smile and nod.

But seriously, I have some good stuff in store... or at least I think its good stuff, because the point of this month is to giveaway stuff that I really like.

The first is a great kids book, perfect for military kiddos. I wish I could take credit for this great find but I can't I must give credit where credit is due. My sister saw this at her school's book fair and new right away my boys would love it. And love it they do. So much in fact that I ordered a copy to giveaway!Try to see past the Air Force jets on the cover, this book includes all the branches, even a Coast Guard boat or ship or whatever they call those things. The book is a pretty clear cut, you know, C for Charlie and c-130, D for Delta and a Navy Destroyer, E for Echo and paratroopers egressing from said c-130, you get the point.

A quick read, but lots of fun to flip thru with the kiddos. My boys love to read it at night. So much so we brought it home from grandma's with us after our last visit.

Even if you don't have kids you should still enter, this is one of those great hardback books to put on the shelf for the time that you do have little military brats, or give it away as a gift. I'm not above regifting people.

But don't worry, not all my giveaways are kid related.

As always the rules to enter are simple
- for one entry just leave a comment
- for another entry follow this blog
- for yet another entry mention this giveaway on your blog
- and for yet another entry tweet about my wonderful giveaway on twitter

and if you could, leave separate comments for each entry. It's just easier on my feeble mind.

This giveaway will be open till Tuesday, September 8 at noon! Good luck!

Giveaway winner!

Congrats to Loquita who won a copy of the Sounds of Silence Baby Settling System and CD! For all of those who know loquita thru the blog world, don't worry, you didn't miss an announcement of any sort. She IS NOT expecting she entered for her sister, who is due in December. I just didn't want to start any bloggy rumors or anything.

I think your sister and your brother in law will enjoy it and what a novel concept, to figure out the whole sleep thing on your FIRST kid rather then waiting till your THIRD!

My birthday is in September so I have a fun giveaway in mind to celebrate the month of the mrs. Stay tuned its a giveaway for everyone not just those with ankle biters.