Take a Moment to Make a Difference

Wounded Central Oregon Marine Seeks Support

http://www.ktvz.com/news/25966191/detail.html

I was really touched when I read this story. If we could all take a moment to add this soldier to our Christmas List then he'd get a bunch of cards from all over the place. We are all busy moms so this is just a simple thing that will make all the difference in the world!

Pillow Pets are Killin' Me!

Okay, I’ll admit it, I LIKE A GOOD SALE. But, this year I can’t find these darn Pillow Pets on sale anywhere! They are just about $20 bucks everywhere I turn.

Well, have I got news for you! Let the dreamin’ begin because at this price everyone in the house is gonna get a Pillow Pet for Christmas!

Wanna know how to get one shipped for $15.99? Follow me:

Go to Kohls.com

In the “search” field type: Pillow Pet

There are several to shoose from. Add it to your cart. Go to checkout. After entering your credit card info, BUT before completing the transaction there will be a place to enter PROMO Codes.

Enter these CODES: EXTRA20 (this gets you 20% off your order), then enter: CONTACTFR (this gets you free shipping). You’ll have to pay tax if you have a Kohls in your state.

Ha! Now no more crying, we don’t have to pay full price for those Pillow Pets!
Now, here’s another option for you B&M peeps (those of you who get the thrill of the shop and have to have your little hands on the actual product instead of trusting the cyber world.

Bed Bath and Beyond has Pillow Pets for $19.99 AND there is a $5 off $15 purchase coupon out there. If you have one or have saved one, or can beg one off of somebody the you are in like Flynn! By the way, they do take coupons that have expired.

Muah! Enjoy!

10 minutes to clean

My friend Rae had the greatest post on her blog the other day called, "the 10 minute cleaner". I loved it so much I had to share. The idea is to pick a room in your house that needs to be cleaned and set a timer for 10 minutes, then clean! You will be surprised how much you can clean up when you focus on one room and know you are only giving yourself 10 minutes.

As a working mommy I love this idea! I definitely would rather be playing with my kiddos than cleaning the house. This way I could give myself a time limit. When the 10 minutes is up I'll stop, whether the room is clean or not. Could I really clean up in just 10 minutes? Yesterday I put it to the test.

I started with my super messy kitchen

and even though you are supposed to pick just one room,

I added my family room since it wasn't too bad.
I set the timer for 10 minutes and........

did it!!

I did still have some stuff on top of the fridge, but left it for later.



Then my 3 year old and I did our makeup together.

I think she did pretty good ;)


Thanks Rae for the GREAT Idea!!



} My home is filled with toys, looks like a preschool, has fingerprints on everything. And never is quiet or clean. My hair is usually a mess and I'm always tired, but there is always love and laughter here. In 20 years my kids won't remember my house or my hair, but they will remember the time we spent together and the love we felt. Children only get one childhood. Make it a good one. {


ready? set. go!



~katie

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies - seriously, you'll never know they're vegan.
4 1/2 tsp of Ener-G Egg Replacer (equivalent to 3 eggs)
6 tb of water
1 cp non-dairy butter, softened (we use Earth Balance)
3/4 cp granulated sugar
3/4 cp firmly packed lt or dk brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1-2 cps non-dairy chocolate chips
1 cp nuts (optional)

375 on oven
Whip egg replacer and water in food processor or blender until thick and creamy.
Cream butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl.
Add egg replacer mixture and combine.
Seperate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat flour mixture into wet mixture until it forms dough.
Stir in chips and nuts.
Bake for 8-10 minutes.

The Early Burn

I understand the lack of motivation to workout, especially for a working mommy. I mean really, who has the time?..... YOU DO! I had the hardest time rolling out of bed this morning at 4:15. Is that even considered morning? Isn't that still the middle of the night? Whatever you call it, it was early, and it was difficult. Still, I did it. I got up and I went to the gym. Granted I had a 5:15 am boot camp class to teach which made it a lot easier to make myself get there, but the class was full of working mommies who pushed themselves to get up and get there! Let me tell you though, on days that I don't have a class to teach, I still get up at the crack of dawn (or before) to workout, and here are a few reasons why:

1. Getting your workout in before you have eaten a bunch of "junk" all day means you are burning pure fat calories and not just the sushi you had for lunch.

2. While it's hard to get up and out of bed, I have so much more energy all day.

3. I get in a full workout, shower & my morning coffee all before my hubby and the kids even wake up.

4. When I push myself to just "get up and get it over with", I can't find excuses all day not to workout. It's done!

Even if you can't make it to the gym early, or are just frightened at the thought of stepping foot in a gym, get some home workout DVD's. Get up early and get er' done. Or not. Wait till later when the kids are napping or at school or even for 30 minutes when your hubby gets home from work, or here's an idea, workout WITH your kids!! Have a dance party, or go on a walk or bike ride. My point is there is NOT a lot of time to do things for yourself as a "working mommy", but there IS time. You just need to find it, it's there!!! Whatever your job may be, "mommy" is the most important. It's important to keep a healthy mind and body not only for you, but for the little ones who look up to you.

Here are some DVD's that I would suggest for a good at home workout. All can be found on http://www.amazon.com/ :

Try to make time for at least three 30 min- 1 hour workout sessions a week to start. Try and do 30 minutes of cardio (jogging, running, dancing, jumping jacks, eliptical, step, bike etc.) per workout. As your fitness level increases you should add more workouts per week and more challenging exercises.

A couple tips:

Make healthy choices today. Order your salad dressing on the side. Order fruit instead of fries. Only eat half of your sandwich, save the other half for tomorrow and load up on some fruits and veggies. Drink lots and lots of water. Water helps fill your tummy and make you less hungry. If you feel the need to snack, pop in a piece of gum and go do something to get your mind off of snacking!

Have a wonderful and healthy day!!

katie

Cyber Monday $ Save some Green!

Here are just a couple of CYBER MONDAY DEALS

Baby Legs – 3 Pairs of Leg Warmers for $10 Shipped

Baby Legs has a “Cyber Monday” deal – right now they are offering select sets of 3 pairs of leg warmers for $10 shipped. Shipping is FREE! Baby Legs typically cost $10 each, so this is an awesome savings! This is a great gift for anyone who has a baby or toddler.

http://www.babylegs.com/Category.aspx?CategoryId=702

We love Baby Legs – all of my girls wear them (check out the styles for boys, too!).

Cyber Monday: AVON

FREE Shipping– No Minimum

**Think Stocking stuffers**

*Winter Treats Lip Balms $0.49

*High School Musical Hand Cream $0.99

*Peppermint Mini Bubble Bath $0.99

*Holiday Mini Hand Cream $0.69

*NATURALS Papaya & Kiwi Rejuvenating Body Polish $0.99

*Foot Works Vanilla & Brown Sugar Foot File $0.79

Use coupon code Free2010 at checkout!

For a more complete list of CYBER MONDAY deals go here: http://www.cybermonday.com/shopping/sh___Cyber%20Monday%20Deals%202010_.htm

You can search by Store/Website OR by product type to see who has the lowest price.

Remember to be a SAFE consumer out there and check to make sure sites are SECURE before entering your credit card and personal information.

Happy Monday! Have fun shopping!

Turkey, Deals and S-T-R-E-T-C-H-Y Pants!

What’s the best way to WAKE yourself up from that post-turkey coma? Throw on some S-T-R-E-T-C-H-Y pants, grab your ads and your $ GREEN $ and head out for some Black Friday Shoppin’!

So, all you Black Friday Shoppers, tell us about your LOOT that is more precious than SLEEP! Did you get some good deals?

We were amongst the CRAZY masses who stood in line for the 10pm opening of Toys R Us. It’s a little bit about saving money for us, but it’s ALL about the experience! The anticipation of searching the ads and coming up with a game plan, the jammin’ to Christmas Carols on the way to the store, the rush of adrenaline when you enter the store and begin the mad dash. Then there is the finding of the product before it runs out or better yet, getting the LAST product. Even if you didn’t really want that last ZhuZhu Pet, I’m sure you’ll buy it now because you got the LAST ONE! Ahhh…did I mention I could go for a nap right about now?

As a working mom, I rarely have time to browse the aisles of the stores dreaming about what my child might like for Christmas. What’s more, I rarely have a shopping moment without children with me. This year Black Friday Shopping was a childless luxury and we took advantage of the moment to do almost all of our Holiday Shopping.

So what are you looking for? Anything left on your list after today’s shopping extravaganza?

On that note, here are some ideas to help you save some GREEN this season:

Free Vaseline Intensive Rescue Lotion Sample:

http://see.walmart.com/vaseline-intensive-rescue

Free ORLY Nail Polish (*think stocking stuffer*) at ULTA beauty:

http://www.seventeen.com/cm/seventeen/data/ORLYcouponhires.pdf

Free Handmade Bath Salts from Cl9oud Salon Spa:

http://www.cl9udsalonspa.com/handmade-bath-salt/

Free Krispy Kreme Doughnut:

http://krispykreme.qm4.net/members/ViewMailing.aspx?MailingID=113876&MemberID=7457610

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

Make these yummy pumpkin whoopie pies with your kiddos!!

Ingredients
Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions
For cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line four baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets. (A total of 72 cookies are needed for the recipe.)
Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For cream cheese filling: Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts:

Servings Per Recipe: 36
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 6g
Total Carbs: 18.2g
Dietary Fiber: 0.5g
Protein: 1.5g

Great Family PJ's

Looking for fun and cozy family pajamas? Look no further! Company kids has sleepwear for the whole family, and if you order by 12/28/10 you can use the code FUN10 and get an extra 20% off your entire order. This is a great place to get your child's Christmas PJ's, and they have a variety of sizes and colors!
www.companykids.com

Black Friday

Here are some deals to look out for!

V. Reader

Testers of the new V. Reader had nothing but wonderful things to say about it. It allows children to read stories at their own pace and follow along with a narrator. It can also play games, and has a dictionary! This system allows your child to bookmark pages and download more stories via the family computer. It is priced at $60 and that comes with an additional book which is well worth the money. The only downside is that additional books cost $20 each.

A Quote For Your Day

Sweater; n.: garment worn by child when it's mother is feeling chilly. ~ Ambrose Bierce

New Disney Cruiseline!

The new Disney Wonder has a new home in California. Go aboard the ship in L.A. and experience a cruise Disney style! Each ship is built with Disney magic, and this one is no exception. If you are looking for a great family trip for both adults and kids the Disney Cruise line will not disappoint. Call 1-888-875-3077 or go to www.disneycruise.com/discover for more info.