Family Musings

Blogging has brought many fun things into my life. Including the opportunity to receive free toys for my daughter, in exchange for my review. This week, Charlotte and I played with a Sesame Street K'NEX building set. We received a box featuring Elmo's World and his piano building set. The Sesame Street K'NEX series is the first aimed at the 2-5 year old crowd. Though Charlotte is a little bit younger than that, I didn't find any of the pieces too small for her mouth or hands. As a matter of fact, the pieces fit comfortably together, to the point that Charlotte could put them together and take them apart with out much trouble. She wasn't able to build the piano set, or the Elmo duck, fish, or dog following the directions that came with it, but she did have fun pretending to play Elmo's piano. Music is one of our new signs and it was a good chance to practice it with her. It was also fun to see that Charlotte liked to try and wear Elmo's blue hat. Hat is a si...

I mentioned recently that I am participating in the local Making Strides for the Cure walk. I am very excited that I have raised more than half of the goal that I set. My current goal is $250. Would you please consider making a donation to help me reach that goal? Below is a message from the American Cancer Society about the walk and the work is supports. This year, hundreds of thousands of people will hear the words "You have breast cancer," and there's a good chance that some of them will be people we know and love. I have chosen to fight back against this disease and help make a difference by participating in the American Cancer Society, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, and I hope you will join me by making a donation in support of my effort. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a noncompetitive walk that takes place in 120 communities across the country. From Arizona to Maine and Washington to Florida, Making Strides walkers unite to honor breast cance...

I was browsing the Frogpond recently, and decided to pass on a few of the links I enjoyed discovering. Why not waste a few minutes of your life by clicking on over? I mean hey, you are already reading blogs... what s a few more minutes? :) Visit Who Is There for You? - If you are having a bad day, this might restore your faith in humanity. If you just want to win cold, hard cash, then the 1st thing you'll be interested in at this site is a chance to win $100, or $25,000. After that, you might want to read the stories of regular people who have been helped by extraordinary people. Typeracer - I have always prided myself on my typing skills. I've been on a computer since I was in the 4th grade, thanks to a geeky Radio Shack dad. Why not waste a few minutes and see how you stack up? Visit Project Brain Child - Are you an American Express card member? If so, why not cast your vote in the Members Project. The project I've linked to is trying to raise fund to address childhoo...

Woogi! Woogi! Woogi! Doesn't that sound funny? I thought so and so did my daughter when I kept repeating it to her. Of course, it doesn't take much to make a toddler giggle. Woogi is the name of a "social networking" site for elementary aged and younger kids. I suppose it is similar to WebKinz, but Woogi has some features that make it stand out as definitely different, including a parental interaction feature that allows parents to influence the rewards their child receives in Woogi World. Since my daughter is too little to appreciate Woogi World (except for how silly the name sounds), I asked the daughter of a friend of mine to take a look around and give me her opinion. Lindsey is 10 years old and in the 5th grade. Here is the review she wrote for Woogi World: Woogi World is my new favorite website in the whole world! It's cute, fun and you even make new friends through it! It's awesome!!!!! First, you select a cute Woogi. Then, you choose a name for it. ...

Charlotte and I spent Saturday hanging out with an old college friend of mine and her two young kids. Tammie and I have been friends since 1996 and I don't think she looks a day older than the day I met her! Her kids are too cute for words... and I have the pictures to prove it! Here is Asa on his first monorail ride. Clearly, he is looking forward to a great day! Eden got in on the excitement while we were riding the monorail too. Even with all of the fun to be had, both of the girls still needed their midday naps. Charlotte hung out in her carrier... while Eden laid back in the stroller. After lunch, we finally found a ride that all 5 of us could enjoy! The carousel. Asa had read a brochure on things to do with the under-5 set and couldn't wait to get on the Dumbo ride (and Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride). And some way, some how, his precious smile convinced me to get on the Teacups. I always regret that decision! As I went to wrap up this post, I realized that I had only ta...

I have an adult giveaway today... that is, one for the parents to enjoy, not just the kids. And actually, you don't even have to be a parent for this one, just someone who likes to try new foods. Pillsbury Savorings Flaky Pastry Bites feature warm, flaky pastry dough wrapped around tasty fillings and come in three varieties; cheese and spinach, buffalo style chicken and mozzarella and pepperoni. They are easy to prepare (just 20 minutes in the oven) and are the perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine. The buffalo style chicken one is sure to be my favorite. I love anything buffalo. When my husband has to order at a restaurant for me, he knows he can't go wrong if he gets me a dish with buffalo in the name. I bet the kids would like the pepperoni one the best, and the cheese and spinach ones would make nice appetizers for a wine party. There will be 2 big winners this week and they will receive a Savoring the Moment gift bag which includes: a coupon to try Pillsbury Savorings...

I found myself floating through Chapter 2 last week without experiencing much conviction. If DeMoss titles the book "Lies Women Believe," then I must believe these lies, right? Well, maybe. Or maybe not. I know that over the last couple of years, God has been working in me to show me more about his character. He has used articles like this one to help me understand his sovereignty over everything that happens, the good and the evil. My prayer right now though, is that God will show me if I am being prideful in saying I don't believe these lies. I also wonder, if I were faced with a major catastrophe, would my faith hold up like Joy's ? (click over to find a link to Joy's awesome testimony!) Lie # 1 - God is not really good. If he were, he would... [fill in the blank]. God is either good or he isn't. We can't have it both ways. He is good in the bad times and in the good times. If you didn't click on the link I mentioned earlier, then go read it now . T...