10 things i want to do in 2012

The 10 things I want to do in 2012 . these are not resolutions ;) just things I would love to do. I will cross them out when I do them!

1. Start a Zumba class
2. Start paddle boarding or surfing.
3. Coupon more (not extreme either) just trying to save money since pookie is going to school.
4. Get A mommy and me class for Pozzy.
5. Take a trip to the mountains.
6. Go see my parents (that's one of my top things in the spring to do )
7. Do more creative things with the girls.
8. Get the girls swimming lessons.
9. Read more
10. Blog more

I'm pretty sure i can get these done :)

Good bye 2011

Good bye 2011 -

It was a crazy year!! We moved in little as 6 weeks from NJ. My husband got a great promotion at work , we now live near the ocean and love it here. The bad thing about it is the market on the house in NJ we still can't sell it so short sale or the buy out from the company. I just can't wait to get that off my plate!!!

I gained a lot of friends this year , lost some but most importantly gained a few great friends that will be in my life for a long time.

My kids have adjusted to our move better then I thought. Being so busy in NJ with our moms group I was worried moving to a smaller town. But things are going just fine and she starts school on Tuesday , i'm very excited to see how she grows up .

I never make resolution because i always break them but me and my husband are going to both have a goal to work out. I'm going to start Zumba classes. I would love to lose 15 lbs by march . My hubby would like to lose 30lbs by August. I know we can do this!! Eating healthier and working out will do so much. I am going to surf or paddle board something that requires me to get over my fear of the ocean (well mostly jelly fish and sharks) .

Other then that I feel like the first month of the new year will be getting tubes for pozzy and closing on our NJ house so we have no ties to it!!!

I hope everyone has had a nice holiday no matter what you celebrate and have a happy new year. I would love to start back up to blogging :)

Hope 2012 is a great year for you!

Please help..

Do you want to do something for a good cause?

Have you had two pregnancies without Hyperemsis? Do you even know what that is?! HG or (Hyperemesis Gravidarum)

Can you imagine having a PICC line or over 100's of IV's going in and out of you when you were pregnant? It is to help save a mama's and babies life. Please just take 10 minutes out of your time to help, it just requires a few forms to fill out , a phone interview! Thank you!!

Please if you can help, please let me know! Please leave me your email address and I will pass your information on . All you have to do is have two pregnancies without HG. I know i have friends that have had two kids without HG. Please help us reach our goal !! It doesn't cost you a thing , except spit in a cup ;) and i know you all produce that!!

HOLIDAYS FULL OF HOPE for HER!

Please help us work to find better treatments by spreading the word about a new campaign for the Hyperemesis and Education Research Foundation (HER) – Hope for HER. HER is currently engaged in active research in cooperation with UCLA and USC that will have a positive impact on the lives of women who suffer from HG. The USC/UCLA research team is close to their goal of 2000 participants for their DNA study. Currently they are in need of both research participants and monetary donations to continue this vital research.

If you or anyone you know has or had HG please direct them to www.helpher.org where you can find a plethora of information on HG and much needed support for those enduring the nightmare that is HG and its aftermath.

HER helped save my life when I was pregnant. Please if you know ANYONE that has suffered from this please direct them to HER .. Also if you have never had it , please leave me your email address and I will pass your information along!!

Can't believe it's been almost 2 years.

I can't believe my little girl is going to be 2 years old!? It's crazy how time goes by. She has had stomach (GI) issues since she was born, but has been the happiest , little girl I know. Everywhere we go she wants to hug people, she goes up to random strangers in the park and lets them pick her up (weird ) ..lol but if i leave the room forget it she's lost her mind..lol.

Anyways we are doing Barynard themed , having a small little party since we are new to the area and don't know too many but I will have a few Hg sisters with me (which makes me happy ) and also a few new friends around here. We are taking the girls to disney as a gift :) i can't wait to see their faces. Pozzy is obsessed with tangled and castles oh and mickey mouse. I will keep you updated.

9 months of Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) were worth it, Every needle stick, PICC (lines) , almost Feeding tubes and a whole list of prescriptions to keep us both alive. I promise one of these days when I have time i will write about HG.

Montessori education

Our 3 year old had the perfect preschool picked out for her in NJ . When we moved here there was 2 schools.. one was a little far away from us and the other has a waiting list of 10 people. We have now looked into montessori schools for her. Our 3 year old is a very imaginative girl, loves to do math , knows how to spell and starting to read already. I would love to homeschool, but I just don't have the time with another little one running around here.

So we have fallin in love with the montessori schools. They can be a bit pricey but I think it is the best fit for her. If anyone has any information on any montessori schools could you please give me your feedback, i would love to hear.

facebook

I started a facebook page! thought since I have had over 1,000 readers it's time to start a facebook page, I know it's a little easier then blogs. Thank you very much.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mom-pinion/238735286186755

totsy

http://www.totsy.com/join/mel0402

If you like sales you will love this site if you haven't already! Your first order you get free shipping :)

Co-sleeping.

How many parents have co slept that loved it?! ME! ME! ME! I am a mom that said I would never have a child sleep with me. I'm wrong. I love it! My pookie she is 3 and still co slept with us, at one point we tried to break it because of all the crap we were giving for doing it. I still didn't care, because I honestly think every kid is different and need different care. Our parenting skills are what we think is best for our child and co sleeping just worked so good with Pookie. I also read that whatever you can do to get sleep you do whatever you need too for a good night's sleep. This is how we had to get sleep with Pookie.

Well we just moved into a house, she loves sleeping in her bed.. Her own decision not ours! We didn't force her too and i know she was ready but a part of me is feeling sad. Pozzy is not my cuddle bug (well she is starting to be a little more) she is just not a co sleeper and frankly she is a restless sleeper I would not like to sleep with her.

Pookie has been doing at least 6 hours in her bed by herself. She does come in our bed around 5 am which I don't mind because she snuggles until at least 9 am. It's just hard because a part of me is missing her next to me, snuggling with me. Not missing sleeping on the edge.

Hubby is happy to have a bed with me alone again and I know it's important for a relationship but we have always had a strong relationship. And he is the one that started co sleeping back up when I had HG (which i will write another blog on it) .

My whole point is , if co sleeping is what works for you, don't let other's tell you how to parent. Kids grow up way to fast, soon you will be bitching about them not wanting to hug you in public, not being seen with you.

So I cherish ever hug, snuggle and kiss I get now!!!

How do moms value time.?

How do you Value your time?

I'm in a moms group .. I run a moms group. I have two simple rules. you must come to 1 meet up a month (even if it's a moms night out) . Also if you RSVP YES and do NO show , that is just plan rude. I know we are all moms, I know our kids get sick. I know we are exhausted at the end of the day. There are plently of days where I just don't want to get out of my PJ's but I do it for my kids. And also do it for my sanity.

Would you stand up your friend after she had babysitting in place... her night all rearranged. So your on your way to the movies.. and your friend calls and just say.. you know what I'm not coming 10 mintues before the movie starts.. because i'm not feeling it , i had a bad day. Now I get it we all have bad days. We all use our kids an excuse to get out of things and there have been studies about it. I guess i'm a planner and I want to know what's going on .

I don't want to stress anyone out.. I have two simple rules.. 1 . please RSVP to things you want to do or know you can do for sure! 2. At least come up to one of the events.. we have moms nights out , morning, afternoon playdates.. meet and greet for the hubby's. I just value my time like my mom taught me. Now i don't want you to eat breath my club. but treat it like a Friendship.

You would NEVER call your friend or just "no" show if you were meeting a friend. And then they call you , oh i forgot to write it down .. or i was just too lazy.

Also do you know how much goes into a playdate at the house. Esp when I have snacks.. crafts.. trying to make it fun for the kids and parents as well. You have to clean it, to make sure.

How do you feel about people just dropping out left and right with lame excuses (and i'm not judging you on these ) i just need to know what's going on so i can help you feel a little more included. like i said a SAHM is very hard.. you could have two kids that aren't on the same schedules. You might work full or part time. so please let me your time you can. i'm trying to make this STRESSFREE . I also want active member to just be freinds with. Me and my family know NOBOdy around here, so we are trying to make good friendship and i want those friends to meet people ..

I also want to make people feel like you can come and go as you please if it's at a park or something that isn't going to require Reservations or a playdate that need volunteers to bring stuff I don't care if you come or not .. but for those types of playdates i except you to be there. You made a commitment so you should stick to it.. and believe me I know.. sometimes my kids sleep into 10:30-11. But I will rearrange my night and day for it , if it's only doing a few times a month.

I just want to feel I take this like it's a business.. if you make an apt. with me and do a No show.. my business could get hurt buy that. It also inconceivable other people's time.

What i'm getting at , is how much is your time worth? Do you not care if people just cancel last minute because they don't feel coming. Now this was my problem in NJ everyone said I have to be more harsh and now that i am I am getting nasty emails .

I know i can't keep everyone happy it's bound to happen but boy .. i have 19 people and met 5 of them.. not that much.. I want to get them to come to things and be active. .

but in my first question.. when RSVPing do you hold to it.. or un RSVP (at the last minut) with a lame excuse and use your excuse as your kids) And i'm saying RSVPing to a dinner or bday party's , party's etc. because planning things like that take a lot of time planning. And if you have never done it before it is a lot of work! So just think about that the next time your going to back out last minute.

Please

Just let my dad have some peace and good things happen this week. He is my hero and it's hard to see him down . I can't even be there to hold his hand right now. but he knows he is in my heart!

I really am giving all my friends props for praying, voodooing, meditation and whatever else you do and have been doing to help my father they have never met.

I just want him to get out of the hospital this time and wants us to come up and visit!

I love you daddy!

Lost connections.. but there's always one or two

Have you ever had that forever friend, the friend that you grew up with or maybe met half way through childhood?! The one that was your BFF , did everything together. I had two, One moved when I was 15 broke my heart, him and I were close. Believe it or not it was craigslist I put an ad up on lost and found or missing connections... (no this is not a love story) but we were like brother and sisters , always grew up with each other, went on vacations, his mom babysat me, went to church with them. I really did write and ad because he was always on my mind. someone wrote back to me and said are you looking for such and such because I work with him. I was in shock. I did NOT think people even looked at those.. this was just when "myspace" was getting cool and everything else had to pay to get information. I know you would prob think why would a girl be looking for a guy , this has to be a love story , but i promise you it's not. I was engaged and happy as ever I just always wondered what happened to my other brother. We were just like brother and sisters. He has an amazing wife now and child, he is doing well. They have met our one daughter but not the youngest. Now we have moved. It's amazing how moving can really make your connections weaker. we were also teenagers, I think as you get older you know how important it is to keep onto good friendships.

My second was A.. she was my first BFF!! we did EVERYTHING together, we played teachers, went to our first concerts together. We spent all day at school and then on the phone with each other. My day was never complete if I didn't get to see A. In highschool we lost part , her life became a story and so did mine ( I will not say what happened in a public places) but we lost ways. At first we still talked but as time went on more "important' people became before me and she lost touch. I then herd from her a few years after i graduated highschool. She had a daughter, but after that i didn't hear back. I have been trying to search and search for her. She will always be my first true BFF!! Late night's like tonight where i can't sleep i would just google for her. facebook, her sister, family members, nothing.. everything i had to pay.. I did get a phone number but it was always busy.

About 2 months ago she called my parents. my parents phone number hasn't changed in 30 years so she had it memorized. My mom gave it to me and i found my first best friend! we talked for about 2 hours like we didn't even miss 10 years!! yes 10 years we went without talking. Both have changed over the years. She might not approve of things that have happened in my life , or not understand and I don't expect her too. But she will always be my BFF even if she doesn't know it. Nobody can ever take that spot from her. I feel like friends come and go for a reason and the one's that you find or come back to you (hold on to them forever) .

I always wished that i never lost touched with my best friends. I mean it all worked out in the end as I have some pretty amazing people in my life because i was searching for friends. and I did find some good ones. They are just like my family! But I just wanted A to know she's my girl. When my girls get to have best friends I'm going to tell them to hold on tight to your friendship!!

I'll be back

I'm having a hard time with things, my father is ill and isn't doing too well. Things just aren't lining up like we had thought when we moved down here. I do have a lot of positive things going on and I need to focus on that and stop worrying about what I can't fix. I'm a fixer?! I like keeping people happy. I am happy to say I have found some pretty awesome friends so far down here and also finding out who my true friends "were" and are after going through these hard times. Sometimes the people that smile and make people happy all the time are hurting inside and not everything is okay.

That being said, please give positive thoughts for my father , pray whatever you do. I have a few post i would love to get too when I find time mentally to start blogging. I love blogging and it does help me out a lot but at night my mind is racing and my blog would make no sense .

Thank you those who have been there the past few weeks to listen to me.

Swag bucks.

Halloween time.

I love Halloween, i think besides Christmas it's my favorite time of the year. I like it because of the fall feeling (except now I don't know if I will get that coldness) . I love decorating for it. I can't decorate this year (well we will do pumpkins) but can't really put things on the windows , decorate door because we are in between moves and frankly it's a pain to put it all up and then have to take it down the week of Halloween. I love carving pumpkins too (hubby hates it) , I love making pumpkin seeds, Apple cider , all the fun candy.

I love seeing all the neat costumes the kids dress up , and I can't wait until the kids can make their own decision on what they want to be. Well pookie is getting old enough but still young she keeps changing her mind 100 times. First she want's to be a horse, then a zebra, then a princess.. wait can I combine these things ;) And since none of the stores really have those around (besides the princess) so we are looking online. I better get ordering now so it makes it in time.

Pozzy well she is just too young yet to decide so she's being a cow (her favorite animal) . I can't wait until I see them all dressed up and ready to trick or treat. I think we will only do 5-10 houses, they are really too little for all that candy.

I hope everyone has a fun Halloween!

falling more in love..

I think i'm falling more and more in love with Wilmington. Today we really went downtown and walked around, it is so historic. It reminds me a lot of Baltimore inner harbor and some of the little villages around the city, the brick roads, cute shops. If we didn't have the girls, I def. could see me and hubby living in down town. I love the cute restaurants, bars. I def. want to go shop around there, seems like cute little shops and things for the kids to do when older. Also it has so much charm. People are so friendly, I still have YET to get used to people smiling. I also am in a rush, have to learn how to slow it down.

I really didn't think it was so easy to fall in love with it down here, but now I can see way.

I'm so excited to start exploring now that we found a house ((YAY for that) a big weight was let off our shoulders for being accepted. It maybe wasn't the perfect location for now but I think the area is going to boom and be a great choice and it's in a great neighborhood. Now we can relax and actually enjoy the town, I feel like our weekends will be very busy!

I'm still missing a lot of things up north like picking apples and pumpkins in the fall air, and I really miss my friends a lot . But i'm happy to report i'm doing pretty good in my moms group it's very small but I love it. The moms seem so nice. http://www.meetup.com/ModMoms/

I'm also a member of http://www.wilmingtonmommies.com/ very informational and making friends is so easy since it's so big. Everyone really is so welcoming and friendly , I can see us making a life here.

Just this.

Stressed out by the house in NJ and rentals here, I'm too busy worried about the "what if's". I then take time to reflex on this quote.

Things I would love to do by Dec.

There are a lot of things I want to do by End of December, let's see how many I can do :) It's a challenge! ( I'm only doing 10 things for now :)

1. Find a new house
2. Find a preschool for skye
3. Find an activity for me and Rozzy to do together while skye is in school.
4. Swim lessons for the girls.
5. Do more crafty/activity's with them a week.
6. Go to the mountains to see the leaves change colors.
7. Go to Baltimore to hold my best friends baby girl Sophia!
8. Go visit my parents in NY
9. Spend more time doing spiritual things, meditation.. etc.
10. Find surfing lessons (okay this one might have to wait until spring time)

got 1 thing done since this blog all the reds are the stuff i did!

surfing.

I always have loved the beach ever since I was little even growing up as a country girl, but we always went to the ocean every year. Either NJ , VA or somewhere in between. I was very lucky growing up to go to so many places.

Today at the beach , I just imagined myself surfing, felt comfortable.. now feeling like that and doing it is two different things :) I think i would enjoy it, would give me "mommy" time. Okay so a 30 something girl can learn to surf right?! Please tell me I can learn..lol . I just want to try it.

I just have so much peace at the water, it's so relaxing!

Blogs

Do you have blogs? I love reading crafty blogs, just everyday living a family life, cooking ones, anything you got :) please let me know so I can add them to my favorite sites!

Lost the "one" house

We lost the one house that we really liked. I knew I should have just put my application in that day and be done with it, but didn't want to just "jump" into the house, because we are new to the area, we are trying to explore the area and get to know which one we fit into. We didn't at first know if we would like the area out there, we kept going back to the house every night finding ourselves falling in love with the area.

The most annoying part is we called today for the keys to set up an apt. and they didn't even tell us. My husband has had the most annoying/stressful day at work (starting at a call for an emergency at 5:00am) and had to leave early so we could go see this house. I also re-arranged my daughters nap time so she could be up at 3 so we could be there by 3:45 to get the keys, we get their and they handed back our check for our application and said that house has been taken. I wish they would have just told us they were running someone's app and they would let us know. Instead, we interrupted our busy day and life to basically get burned.

I know , people keep saying well that means a better house is out there for you, but there is really limited rental and it keeps going down and down the more days we are here because a lot of people are renting because of the economy. I do however like this other house we saw yesterday, it's big , roomy but the area isn't where I wanted it to be. It could grow on me, but I don't want to have to keep moving plus wherever we move into we are signing a 2 years lease so we can get a stable home, and don't have to keep moving the kids. Renting is really harder then I thought it was going to be. If we could afford to buy a house right now we would, I know I said i wouldn't buy again but there's so many more options out there, just right now it's not a chance with our house on the market in NJ and all the money we are losing.

The perfect house is out there, and maybe that one wasn't meant to be but it sure felt like it.

preschool and home

I'm having a hard time finding a good preschool for pookie. I am having a hard time finding one that will allow her to start this year, one that isn't full, one that isn't religion based.

We are looking at homes, one just feels like home, don't know if its the newer feeling and the paint that makes it more like us or what it is, it just lacks a fenced in yard and it is a 100.00 over our price range.

Selling our house in NJ is not going anywhere!

well that's about all I have to update now!

things I hate about apt. living.

we haven't lived in an apt. in over 4 years. (well i lied in between moves we have lived in temp living) but they have been nicer apartments then this. Also we've found a house to own in those two months. I know it's only been 2 weeks but ah, I miss having a single family house.

• I miss my washer and dryer.(the apt. sized washer dryer NEVER works, the dryer takes days to dry, takes me 5 hours to do one little load)

• I miss my own bed (seeing is temp living includes everything furniture)

• I also miss my own pots, and pans, they include a lot but not everything! so annoying when trying to cook. I guess that's why they give us money to eat, but i like to save that money if at all possible.

• I miss if my kids wont sleep at night letting them cry a little. (here we share walls, I always feel like someones going to think i'm hurting my kids)

• I hate walking the dog! I forgot how convenient it is to have a yard. Now we will take neil for walks at night with us, but taking him out with two kids is a pain, always have to do it around naps, or when hubby get's home.

• I can hear everyone around me! Feel like I have voices in my head (well maybe I do..hehe)

I'm anxiously awaiting to get into a house, its just finding that perfect house for us to live in for a few years. I don't feel like doing 1 year leases, we will be down here at least 3 years, if not more. so i would love to find something to rent for 2 years! Beach living or inland living is harder decision then I thought. Well keep updates on us finding a rental house. Speaking of houses, our house in NJ is just not selling, we have dropped prices, etc. it's not moving! This market stinks and makes this mama cry. Knowing we are going to lose so much money is enough to make anyone stress.

Finding a house.

We haven't had to rent for 4 years! So renting is new for us, house hunting for rentals is I think more stressful then buying a house. We decided that we are going to rent because this past year we have had a lot of things go wrong like sewage backed up so that was 3,000 to fix, just other things that goes with owning a house! Plus we are losing about 30k on our house in NJ and we just wont have that down payment on a house.

Buying a house is stressful but you have a lot more options. I really thought when we moved here, we would be a beach loving want to live ON the beach but as I look at the houses, I don't think it's just good for 2 little girls , no yard , a lot of steps since most are up one floor because of hurricanes. I want to live inland but not too far from the beach , maybe 20 minutes (10 min. would be idea) but then again everything else is 25 minutes away. I kinda want a happy median but that isn't happening.

Also i am finding everything is in "wilmington" okay wilmington has about 20 zip codes! It's weird not to have towns. Like in Baltimore there was Baltimore, then white marsh , essex, etc etc.

We did find a house today.. we love it, i am in total love with it, it's about $100 over our price range but only 10 miles away from a beach (not the beach i'm in love with , but it will do) only 10 minutes from shopping , about 20 minutes from the riverwalk . I would love to be closer to downtown but eh, what are you going to do. There is no fenced in yard, which is killing me because it has a screened in porch and I would love to be able to sit outside in that and watch the kids play without having to worry that they were going to run out front. I don't know if we should just go for it, or just wait. If we wait we might miss out on a beautiful house! we looked at another one, it was nice, needed work done but still was "doable" for $300.00 less , the whole reason why we moved down here was to save money. I kinda want to be in a house i want to live in for a few years.. i'm really sick of moving, and a years lease is not that long. I want to sign a 2 years lease. so i'm hoping they will take about 100 off if we sing a 2 years lease.

I guess looking online before we moved here I didn't realize how big "wilmington" area is! Anyways, I'm sick of already living in an apartment, it really is nice for being free and I kinda want to take advantage of that since we are losing so much on our house in NJ.

I am feeling at "home"

At first I was feeling really mixed on moving from NJ there was a lot I wanted to move away from, but yet i felt settled there! But here, I can't explain it. I drive better (not as in a hurry) , I am finding friends, true friends I believe they will be. The girls are a real headache as they haven't seen their daddy in 2 weeks, but other then that they LOVE LOVE LOVE the beach.

Today I have started my moms group , and we had our first playgroup, 2 other moms showed up that RSVPed the people that acutally RSVPed really did come!! Shock to me, because most back out. Pookie had fun making a new friend about her age, they played and had fun, even asked if they could hang out after ( i thought it was cute) Pookie is usually shy , so it was nice that she was talking about her friend C afterwards.

Then I joined an "online forums" moms group that was really nice, they had Moms night out (MNO) I think they had 24 moms come! Was a little overwhelming but very fun, drinks, shots , it was fun! The moms were so friendly, you could def. tell who was "clicky" but that is to be expected in a big online group but you would think they would just be clicky and not be as friendly but they made me feel really welcome! Plus I love these southerns accents :) so cute!

I just really feel at home here. I really wanted to move back to Baltimore in a few years, but now I am thinking No. I think this is where my kids will grow up. I really have fallen in love with it in just a week, that has NEVER happened (besides Baltimore) in all the 15 moves I've done.

I really think this was a great move, despite hubby being away for 2 weeks , the one week I had to pack all alone with the kids and then moving here with my friend M, to help as he left for NJ the next day. I even feel really comfortable driving here, which is odd for me. I don't like changes, I hate changes in fact and NJ driving well that is just F'ed up ..lol No left turns! One thing I will miss is I never had to pump my gas (which I hated at first, but it grew on me) .

Thank you Wilmington, for being so welcoming! Oh and that's another thing, people are Friendly here ... I'm just not used to this whole we are friendly to people we don't know.

I'm hoping you are enjoying my updates on how things are going!

On a side note I really do miss the great friends I made up there, today Pookie was asking for her friend Landyn and lauren :( Also asked if mommy was seeing her friend Sandy..lol was cute!

Finally Moved

We finally moved! Ah , stressful it really was. We are in Corporate housing, its "free" so its "okay". Going house hunting soon, so YAY for that! It's very different living then NJ. People are "friendly" , I know weird concept for people to say hi to you just when your out , or cashiers actually talk to you. People are NOT in a hurry here, I have to learn patients down here. I'm so used to the hustle bustle living.

It is really beautiful down here, I always wanted to live near the beach. I still kinda feel like i'm dreaming or on a vacation, like I don't "live" here. Maybe it's because i'm not used to going to the beach and the water is actually warm! I really can feel my family growing down here. I also am not used to not a lot of indoor kids places. I guess I need to look for outdoor stuff to do.

I started my moms group down here, so far in 2 days I have 7 members, so that is exciting. I don't really want a big moms group, something small and quiet is what I want now. Maybe get about 20 good members and that will be good enough for me !

Kids, are missing "home" , my daughter wants to go back to her house, which is kinda sad. When we left the house, she said "I love my house " I don't want to leave :( , make a mama's heart break! I told her we would look for a new house that she would love just as much. They do seem to being able to going to the beach everyday and only having a 20 min drive if that. We are really beach bums, so this lifestyle just suits us!

So now take the ride with me as I discovery all the new places around Wilmington, NC!

cowgirl birthday party!

So my daughter is in love with Jessie from toy story. So I started to google cowgirl stuff.

First I started off with a cute dress and the ideas just started to go from there.

The front has a cute cow print around the waste!

Then I came across these favors.

The cookies were a hit! I got them from

http://www.bakerella.com/mix-things-up/

I did not get to do the pink M&M's (they were expensive) and plus there were a lot of boys , so I did regular M&M's (way cheaper too) . Also the pecans I only did in a few.

Here are some helpful hits when doing the Jars. The smooth jars I got at Walmart. 12 for only 7.99 , at craft stores they wanted 1.99 per jar. I also couldn't find the paper puncher that they used , plus they were really expensive. So i just got scissors for 1.99 that did the job (took a little longer ) I also did the tags tied around it. I thought it looked cuter. You can use any fabric for the lid. I did cow print for Jessies chaps.

Another helpful hit is you have to PACK down the stuff to fit it all in . The first two before we figured out how to pack the ingredient we didn't do peacans on top (plus i figured there might be some allergic to nuts) so i did some with extra choc. chip or M&M's on top. Another thing that they call for is 3/4 m&m's I did 1/2 cup and same with choc. chips. I did about 15 jars. I did only 1 per family, figured not every kid needs a dozen cookies (it actually worked out good) It did take me awhile to do them. Another thing is it asked for 1 1/2 cup of flour.. We used 2 bags of flour (just an FYI) and that was for 15 jars. Pecans we used two bags. M&M's we used 2 party bags. We also used a paper funnel , to get all the ingredients in, it worked out wonderful.

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooking oats
3/4 cup m&ms - I did 1/2 cup
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (also I did 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed - when you put it in the jar , take a spoon and pack it done!
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans ( i did about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup)

Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Add

1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together. You may even need to use your hands to get everything incorporated.

Then roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. I got about 26-28 cookies out of these.

It does make 20-28 cookies so I figured one per family was enough.

In the gift bags I did barrel of monkeys and a few toy story things crayons , color pages (that I got free off disney) and then a few stickers of toy story!

I had bandanna napkins to match :) and did red and black and white! there was so many cute things I could have done. Oriental trading has amazing stuff that's where we got the cowgirl hats and napkins, didn't even realize they had plates or I would have done them as well!

I wish I had more time to do everything I wanted to do! Would love to have had pony rides! but there are a lot of party favors to do and a lot of games you can do (the kids were a little young to do games) or I would have did the sandbox and then them find gold. If you google stuff you can find a lot of stuff!

I hope you enjoyed her birthday party! she had a lot of fun and the kids loved the hats they got to take. I also heard that some families made their cookies today and they loved them!

Cape May Zoo

So we went to Cape May Zoo this weekend. It's one of the things I wanted to do before we left. Can I just tell you how much this mama loved it?! We took our daughter their for her 3rd birthday! It was amazing. It was a Sunday and Labor day weekend, so I think it was a little bit crowded but totally worth it! Did I mention its FREE?! Philly zoo get's busy even during the day during the weekday. It was only about 1 hour and 20 min away not bad for a day trip.

It was big enough but small enough, they had a carousel, train , and a FREE playground. It was definitively worth the drive. Tons of shaded trees, the animals were all taken care of we saw so much security around, a lot of zoo keepers feeding the animals. A lot of different ones. My daughters favorite is the Zebra. It's her "thing" this month I guess. She wanted a zebra for her birthday so she got to go see them, since we can't have one as a pet..lol .

We walked around, I loved how it was up high , like a boardwalk through the safari part. It was neat to over look the animals. The zebras came up to the fence which was neat! I was surprised how big it really was. With a 3 year old and 21 month old , it was just big enough to keep them entertained but too long because they can only sit for so long in a stroller and not get bored. We fed the goats, which was fun. The train ride I must say is a little bit bumpy! Not sure I would do that again! But the carousel was awesome! Loved the music and it was well taken care of.

After we ate at the cafe (which was about 6.00-7.50) a value meal which wasn't too bad and it was decent food. We went to the playground afterwards. The kids really enjoyed that part! They do have a lot of picnic area's so bring a lunch. we just had lunch before we left or we would have brought ours!

I highly recommend a day trip here, or if your down in wildwood for a weekend go to the zoo!

I hope you enjoy it!

Animal Kingdom Zoo bordentown, NJ

So we went to the little local zoo today. My review, isn't one of my best. I mean was it worth 10.00 adult/8.00 children 3+ , popcorn mix was 4.00 (thought could have been 1.00) . I def. found that it was overpriced. For that price I want to see more then just "monkeys" . Maybe we missed something because there was a little mud on the one side. But chickens are everywhere, we did see two rats. I heard it smells, it did NOT smell when we went (well smelled like animals ) but nothing to what they said. I mean everyone has their own experience on things.

the coolest part was the giraffes they were so cute! The camel was cute, the kids were scared of the chicken trying to attack us..lol but all in all it was a very cute park. They have picnic tables to eat your lunch at (as far as I know they dont sell any food) so if you took a lunch it would be nice. I would say go when its been DRY for a few days. I saw they do birthday parties too. It was only a 20 minute drive and wasn't too expensive (wasn't worth it , IMOP) but it was better then going all the way to philly to do the zoo that I don't care for too much.

I just wanted to try this little "local" zoo out to see what it was about. It was a little bit better then the Popcorn zoo , but I do like the popcorn zoo.

http://animalkingdomnj.net/

http://www.ahscares.org (popcorn zoo) if you ever wanted to try it! (CHEAPER)

I also would wear sneakers (even in summertime) gravely and could be muddy.

I would give a 3 stars out of 5 - I'm so excited to try out the cape may zoo :)

Also they have puppies there (i wouldn't recommend buying from ) IMO they prop are puppy mill dogs! Get a pure breed through people you trust or go to a shelter and adopt!

Accumulating things

Have you ever wondered how much "stuff'' you have. After cleaning out our house for our move, I feel like a hoarder (okay i'm FAR from that) but I never really spend money on myself for clothes, only really the last year I have been "updating " my clothes because my other ones were 10+ years old. I think I deserve some new things. So i cleaned out my closet and dresser draws and gave away 2 big leaf bags full of clothes, among my daughters clothes! I feel that I don't need to hold onto these things any more, and sure I could sell them. They are in excellent condition (some with tags) but why not do a good dead and send to good will! Or give them to a church or another organization that can use them. I gave winter coats (we really wont need 2 sizes 2 small coats). I feel so happy that I did it!! And *gasp* I have room in my dresses now. (I think my husband is secretly happy) . He is a little OCD about things.

Anyways, even if it wasn't the clothes that have accumulated over the years, its the things we hold onto!?! We have one of those bagsters from home depot that are amazing . Fill it up and waste management comes and it doesn't look as tacky outside your house!

Once we get down to NC I will be starting going through boxes we haven't even unpacked since our move from texas, now some of the stuff i have been looking for but most of it is going to be "junk". I want to start of fresh with this move by getting rid of stuff and recycling what we can.

Really if you have old clothes your hanging onto "for no purpose" get rid of them, sell them if you want, goodwill them, give to a church there is always someone in need of these things! Esp. baby clothes.

We survived Irene

Well as we are moving to NC I guess we have to get used to Hurricanes. We had the first Hurricane since I've been in NJ . We survived, in Texas we had them so I knew what to expect so I wasn't freaking out. I hope all my readers made it! Also remember don't go out unless its safe to go out.

I'm here

I'm so sorry to all the people that are following me! I'm just been so busy packing and getting things in order I'm ready to move and close this chapter, I will miss a few people but for the most part I'm ready to see where the next chapter in our lives take us. I promise I'm going to do be doing a few more reviews for places in NJ , NYC and Philly but then I will be onto see my journey to Wilmington.

So far no moms group so I am going to start up my own (again) and see where it go. Will be getting the logo done soon and things for that started. I'm excited to meet some new people and from what I heard Wilmington is beautiful!

Getting the house ready

Getting the house ready to put on the market is so much work! So funny how much money you put into the house to get it ready to sell. I'm glad it's tax deductible but boy is it a lot! I am pretty sure we are going to lose money on the house but I just want it to sell. Realtor comes tomorrow to look at it and talk about things that we have to do.

Funny

The funny things in life just make me laugh. Like the whole "NJ" people are assholes, and prob true they are. But after tonight I feel that have made about 10 good friends. Moving and trying to find a moms group is becoming impossible!! I'm trying to get a hold of someone and nobody has gotten back to me. it's frustrating that they can't take out 3 minutes of their day to just tell me yes or no and why i can't join. I thought the south were supposed to be nicer. Well anyways, I'm prob going to start something down there! I just hope those girls are just like my girls! I will miss them dearly after tonight's going away party.

Coupons

Walgreens free collage

PRINTONE at checkout.

http://photo.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=AFF1?ban=b2_h_photo

Gymboree Deal

http://www.groupon.com/pages/affiliate-gymboree?utm_medium=afl&utm_campaign=1495814&utm_source=rvs

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu7298486

I didn't find any in "south "jersey but there are some in philadelphia and I'm sure you could call the local one around south jersey to see if they have a deal or would give you it.

Moms Groups.

Did you ever think , would I have "playdates' or join a "mom's group"?

In fact, I wonder what my mom did with me and why she wasn't in a moms group. I guess growing up in the same town, with the same friends, made that a little bit better. In fact I don't think my parents even had "playdates" .

I came to NJ not knowing a soul besides my husband side of the family. I remember coming here with a 6 month old. I have heard about "moms" club and decided to join the local chapter. I remember being pregnant not being able to do too much but wrote to them, they weren't that friendly and didn't seem like I would "click" with them. I got involved too much into my pregnancy since I was on bed rest and hospital visit so I took a break at finding people locally. It wasn't until Pozzy was about 6 months I really started to look into local moms group. Finding one was a lot harder then I thought it was. Most I went to meet I didn't "click" with or couldn't attend their meetings or they didn't fit with my schedule. So there I was 6 months later making my own.

I remember in December of 2010 I was sitting there making up a moms group on http://www.meetup.com/. (if you ever need a local moms group I would look there first!) . I didn't know what I was doing, I just had an idea of what I thought a moms group would be. Nothing to "clicky" a lot of different personalities, SAHM and working moms , I just wanted to find people I would click with and most importantly friends for my kids!

So there I was, joined and started Chic moms! I will never forget my first meet up and I surely wont forget my last playdate with chic moms! I'm closing it and they are now going to make up their own name and group (which I will tell you when I know ) . My members grew from 1-45 then up , I then moved it over to facebook where I had about 20 active members. I will have to say this is more then I ever imagined. I thought it would be a playdate here and there, it was a lot of work. I didn't think that starting a moms group would be so much work, but it is! It's being an organizer and finding things to do , hosting playdates, getting members to stay involved, keeping member to pay you for the year, making sure people showed up for things. I think the first 6 months I spent about 10-15 hours trying to make sure everything was perfect. It was a lot more work then I ever thought, but in the long run I have great people in my lives forever.

I never thought leaving NJ would be this hard. But I have accomplished so much , from not knowing anyone to creating an amazing moms group that I will never forget. You girls were one of my first friends in NJ and very close to my heart and my daughter's have some pretty amazing friend here and people that care about them , more then I ever imagined.

I'm so glad that I started the group and hope you guys will continue it and continue to grow. I will really miss you girls more then you will ever know!!! And I really want to Thank each and everyone one of you for all the support from the beginning to the end.

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Wilmington , NC here we come

I really wish I had someone to come with me and just knew the area. If anyone that is reading this blog please help me, I'm looking for preschools , indoor activities. among other things. I want a great moms group , which I will prob end up making my own if I can't find any. Anywhere you can guide me too I would appreciate it.

This is a stressful move ! this mom's stressing out! What mother's don't?! I'm just hoping my readers will continue to enjoy the journey I take. Maybe as I go through states I can get more fans and readers!

sandy you need to move with me to help me started...lol

MOM2MOMNJ

This is my favorite site of South Jersey!

As you all know, we moved here about 2 1/2 years ago. For the first year I was out of commission due to pregnancy and then getting adjusted to raising two kids under 2. I knew a few places around here but not much. One night I started to google things to do around Marlton. I happen to stumble on MOM2MOMNJ. I started to look at her page, she had a lot to do around here, had a calendar which I love!!! Most of it started off with free things in the area, and as she has gotten more fans the calendar grows with things to do everyday of the week! It's how I found out most of the indoor places, outdoor places that we go too. I would have never known about 90% of the places or things around here if it wasn't for her website.

She has a facebook page, which I became a fan right away. Back then there was only 300 people I remember her trying to get to 500 fans, now I can't believe she's almost up to 3000 fans! I have watched her business grow and grow. The page started to just grow the moms started to ask questions, It's where I found the preschool I was going to send my daughter to. It has helped me out with places for birthday parties. Moms are asking each other and sharing such good deals each days. It helps a lot of people find doctors, give feedback on places they went to or things they did. Every mom is to help one another!

I remember her first playdate that she ever held, it was great! It was a bigger crowd then she ever realized. She had a moms night out and raised over 3,000 for the Susan B Komen. How amazing is this mom?! She took her "idea" and started a business. I have basically watched her from the start and now I see where she's going . Yes, shes a mom of a busy 2 1/2 year old. I don't know how she has time for it all plus she has time for her friends and family! She really is an amazing woman. I have gotten the pleasure to know this mom over the year and am proud to call her my friend! I'm def. going to miss hanging out with her and watching her son grow but I will have facebook to watch her business grow and watch her get to 3000 fans! If your new to the area, or a new mom in south NJ please like her page!! Also if you ever need your business promoted , she's your woman!! She will get you business I promise.

I never realized how handy her page came into until now that I am starting to move. I wish there was something like her page so I could find a new preschool for my daughter, or a pediatrician. Instead I have to google and just go by that, instead of another moms point of view.

I wish you nothing but the best Sandy and I know you will be too 4000 fans before you know it! I can't wait watch you grow over the years and see where it goes too! (Thanks to facebook ! )

I will miss my favorite Local webpage ever!

http://www.mom2momnj.com/Mom2MomNJ/Mom2MomNJ.html

http://www.facebook.com/Mom2MomNJ - Go join her facebook page!!

Kid Junction

Kid junction was one of our first indoor things to go to around the area. It kinda took us used to all the stuff you can do around here. We love it here. So much for the kids to do.

There's slides, a little toddler/baby room, a market, stage, pizza place, post office , a little tiny gym and vets office. There are .25-50 cent little rides and skeet ball so all and all its a great place for kids ages 6 months-8years I would say. So much pretend play. I wish the rides were in their own separate room , because I feel as tho they want to play on those ..lol

The staff is very friendly. The bathrooms are clean, the place is really clean, I have watched them clean it, pick up things, wash toys etc. Only thing is you can NOT bring your own lunch so you have to buy your own lunch and after paying to get in, it can get costly. So we usually go in the mornings, and stay until about 12:30. They do have a little cafe , I have never had the food so I can't say how it is.

I wish they offered a little cheaper membership or we would've done the membership. It can get pretty expensive to keep going. Just look for deals on groupon, etc :)

http://www.kidjunction.com/mount_laurel/Main.aspx?Page=directions

Please check their website for hours , they should have new fall time hours coming.

Wow what a twist.

Well there's going to be a twist on this blog , as I wasn't prepared for my husband to get a job promotion in NC . But don't worry to all my local NJ folks, I will be adding A LOT more reviews, as I have been to so many places, like Kid junction , bounce U, Pump it up, and many more. Plus there are a few things I want to do before we leave here.

Well now you can take a ride on the journey with me to NC and see how I do picking out a new pre-school for my daughter, things I find in NC to do, I'm wondering if I am going to make a new moms group or just join an existing one? So now you will get to experience a move with two girls , a pug and a cat ! It might get a little bumpy but I think everything will be okay.

Little sports

Little sports, our membership will expire the end of this month, but we sure did use it! It's located in Maple Shade.

I didn't know where it was or what to expect. It reminds me of a gym (school gym) just with a lot of balls, little things to push, hula hoops basketball nets, then they have nets set up in the back for bowling, horseshoes, hockey and baseball . They also have rubber horses to ride. They even have a soft play area in the back! And a gated non crawlers area! I love OPEN PLAY! My moms group this used to be our hot spots on Mondays , we would get about 10-14 moms to go! Was so fun the kids just ran around had fun. The owner is super friendly, she comes out and does activities with the kids. My kids love the circle time.

They offer classes too but i never took them, so I can't say anything about those.

But I do know is its very clean , friendly staff, they let you eat in the back room , so we take our lunches and eat there. I don't know what max hold is in there but we had over 20 people in there once and there was still a lot of room. The girls love it here! IT's nice they can run and get their energy out !

$9.95 per child walking through kindergarten

$4.95 for crawlers

FREE – babies not yet crawling

FREE – adults

Also take socks please!!! No food or drinks in the gym either. Enjoy!!

http://www.littlesport.net/

Sesame place- Review.

Who doesn't love Elmo?! Well we do! So we hit Sesame place again this year. Last year was our first year there, we didn't really know what to expect. I have learned a lot since then! One thing if your local DO NOT GO ON A WEEKEND!!!! If you can avoid it , please try. We went our first year on a weekend, I will never go again. Thankfully only a 45 min ride I will ask hubby to take a vacation day and we will go! If you have triple AAA you can get discounts also alot of local places has coupons, rite aids, wawa's etc, just have to look for them. And if your local do the 2 day pass!

Second thing I learned was we didn't know it was a mostly water park. So be prepared for it, bring change of clothes, swimsuits, towels , sunscreen! I really wasn't expecting it. This year we were so prepared for it.

We got there around 11am, got great parking. My friends that went she needed a wheelchair (which you can rent btw and motor scooters) I think the wheelchair was $15.00 and scooter was $50.00. Lockers are $20.00 but you get 5.00 back. (we did get a locker) most say you don't need a locker but we had bottles, ect. so we just got one. I could see if you had a membership that would get costly.

They have a lot for all ages to do in our group we ranged from a 19 month, 2 1/2 year old, 4 year old and 9 year old and they all had fun! We did the dry rides first . And then went to do all the wet stuff. We stopped for a few and watched the parade. My daughter went on the roller coaster her first real one :) was exciting. We even went down the tube ride climbing up was a little scary for me with heights. I can say shes not scared of looking down, I was..lol.

I have now been there three times and our favorite place for the parade is get in the middle or end, but NOTE you get there early to get a good spot. This last time we got beginning it was okay for us because it was so hot out so we were okay with it ended fast but at the end they take kids from the sidewalks and interact with them. It was cool. but on a weekend get there super early!!! I almost never went back to sesame street, my first time there was HORRIBLE. But since then i did research and now I know.

Pack a lunch, they let you come in and out of the park and they have picnic tables.

Def. pack your lunch! Foods expensive. We did get the elmo cup to get $1.00 refills on soda it was 6.50. So I didn't think it was that bad. And you have a collectors cup.

We haven't made it over to the dry rides yet, just a few , didn't do them all because we were all getting tired because it was 104 degree day!!! Water, sun was enough for the kiddo's and adults.

the characters walk around and you can take your pictures with them. they have cute shops. We always get a hat , its kinda tradition. (not every time we go) just each year. If we were too stay around this area sesame place would be fun for memberships. I'm all about memberships if you can save money in the longer run.

I think the best times are mornings, and later in the evenings. Also in the Evenings if you live close enough would be worth it! I think they do twilight hour too, which would be fun. They also do events through the year. We haven't been to any of them yet. My kids had a blast THIS year now that I did my research and thanks to Mom2MomNJ facebook site where people gave advice. We had such a pleasant time this year and I'm excited to go back again!!

http://www.sesameplace.com/sesame2/

Also if you buy a membership now you get the rest of 2011 :) GREAT DEAL that will pay for itself in 2 visits.

More mom blogs

I Love advertising for other blogs as long as you advertise for me :) i will get a picture soon so I can have a blog button. But if you do have a blog button and want it on my page let me know! Or your moms website on my page. I would love to. I love reading Moms/crafty/DIY/new adventures, everyday things. Just let me know if you want to add yours to mine!

Mommy and Me playdate at Moorestown Mall

This was one of my very first "playdates" I ever went too. When we moved here, we happened to be in the mall and I looked it up, it looked fun. I went and we have been going ever since for 2 years now. It is in front of macy's, get there early if you want a good spot. I of course am always running late or right on time so I always stand in the back.

They give away free things. And you get a free give if your a new member. I always seem to forget my membership card they gave me. They learn, they play music and they do a craft . I love the crafts at the end they always do something to go with the theme, like tomorrow is dinosaurs, I'm excited to see what they do for that and also what my girls learn from it! They give everyone a free little prize at the end. You also get a ticket in the beginning and can win a cool prize at the end!

You can just show up as well and its about an hour!

They also hand out coupons! Who doesn't like a good savings?!

For free?! YES! This is a free event so why not go?! It's fun for all ages.

Just mom and me playdates are always held the second Thursday of every month at 11 am.

Sprayground at dorbrook

About 4 weeks ago we went to Sprayground in Dorbrook. I have to say it was a drive for me. Esp, when my kids hate traveling. I went with a few of the moms from my mom's group. It took me about an hour and 20 minutes I would say to get up there.

It was a lot bigger then what I expected and for free?! That is always a good thing, us moms love free places! Lots of picnic tables inside (just get there early) for one. They have umbrella's covering them so they do go fast. Which was nice because my youngest napped in her stroller under the shade while we played. It was gated in and they have someone in the front. It's not gated in 100% so there's a pretty big entrance. We brought buckets (recommended by another mom that went already). So bring buckets (write your name on them. I also brought plastic cups that I didn't care if they got left behind. It was very clean (making people eat outside of the park has a lot to do with it also).

The one thing they do have a rule of is you can NOT EAT inside the actually spray park, so if you get a picnic table in there , you can't eat at it. They are pretty strict about the food thing. You can bring your own food, just have to eat it outside the gate. It was fine for us anyways because it gave the kids a break from the sun and water. We packed a lunch and went and sat under a tree. They have bathrooms, a park next to it. If I would have stayed longer we would have went to the park after we played in the water, but 4 hours in the water wore us out.

We also went on a Monday, it was pretty busy in the morning. Around 1 it cleared out a little. I really don't know if I would go on a weekend by myself with two kids anyways. Might be pretty busy.

Things I would bring is lots of sunscreen, a lunch, extra clothes, towels, buckets and lot's of drinking water!

I would recommend this place to anyone that either lives in the area or want's to take the drive up there. Even if my kids hate car rides they did enjoy it and it was worth going!

I heard there was another one closer to here so we will go to that one and see. It would be nice if there was one around our area!

http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?ID=2503

(please note we did bring all these toys) they didn't provide any.

Fullerton Memorial Park

We just went to a new park (well they just redid it ) In Moorestown, NJ.

Fullerton Memorial Park

It was really cute! Not super big, but not small. Baby swings, a lot of picnic tables and under trees too, the picnic tables were even in the "toddler" lot which was nice. I thought there was a lot more shade then most parks that I go too, like Laurel acres, Marlton sports complex, freedom park. Had everything your kids need, baby swings, benches, and its not made out of real wood so no splinters! It was gated in but not ALL the way around , the entrance wasn't. So kids could easily sneak out if they wanted to. We will be going back again since its only 10 minutes away from home. I would say this park is for any kids 6 months - 10 years old. Also if you have little ones, I'm sure mornings are the time to go as the older kids wouldn't be there. You know how the older ones can sometimes forget to look out for the little toddlers.

The one thing this park lacks is a baby changing station and a parking lot. Maybe they aren't done upgrading it or maybe I just missed the changing station but I'm pretty sure it didn't. But it wasn't busy so you could park on the street a few feet from the park.

I only had my cell phone on me so I tried to get a picture.

More reviews

I'm working on more reviews to add, they just take up a little time, due to two little active girls :) But this week I plan on doing sesame place, little sports, some local parks also an awesome website that I love!

Lot's of reviews from a Mom that keeps busy with her two little munchkins!

Swag bucks!

This review isn't a review on a location but on a website.



I was really skeptical of swagbucks at first. A few friends started it and then I just checked it out. I was afraid it was fake. It's really not fake and its true. You can win prizes by collecting points. Now do you make millions off of it?! NO, but a $5.00 amazon gift card here and there or whatever else you want, they have different gift cards, prizes for points. You search on their tool bar and you win points. I get about 20 points a day sometimes more!

Getting a lot of points, referrals, get lots of referrals, they give you up to 1000 of their search bucks you get their bucks too up to 1000 anyways. I got a lot just by that way, they also have blogs that you can read and they give you hints to find swagbucks , they might only be 5 or 10 bucks but it all adds up! I have made over 90.00 of amazon gift cards. It adds up around Christmas time, that's what I save mine up for or birthdays. I have been slacking but going to get back into it daily and do it, I find you get about 3 searches a day where you win (and thats a good day) for your birthday you get 50 swag bucks. Also join their facebook page they give away 100 swag bucks sometimes for comments etc!

There are also daily deals you can win bucks for , like if you sign up for netflix etc you can get so many bucks. Also coupons, if you print and use them you can get swag bucks for those ( i haven't done this I need to start) . Also if you shop from different sites you can get swag bucks. There are TONS of ways to getting racked up on swagbucks. Surveys etc. Swagbucks tv you can watch and sometimes you get points from there. Like I said it depends on how serious you take it but who doesn't like free gift? Esp. gift cards. Please note it takes about 14 days for you to get the code for the amazon. Since I have only gotten amazon gift cards I can only review about those.

Some things you can earn , amazon card, target gift card, starbucks and the list goes on ! If you download the tool bar and its antivirus free you can earn better that way! Good luck and happy swag bucking!

Jelly Bean Jungle

Jelly Bean Jungle is one of our local spots that we hang out at on a nice hot day or rainy day.

Jelly Bean is a great place for kids 0-5. They even offer parent's night out on Friday nights where you can drop your kids off for a few hours while you go out and have a "date" night or maybe you need a little break and want your kids to run off some energy. We have not done this yet, but may use it. I'm not sure if your child has to be potty trained for this or not, but will ask the next time we go.

The prices are about average for an indoor place.

$9.00 + tax per child ages 1 - 5 years

$4.25 + tax per child ages under 1 year

Infants and non-crawlers are FREE with paying sibling

Each paying child may have two (2) adults attend with them FREE of charge.

There will be a $3 per person fee for each additional adult. CASH, CHECKS MASTERCARD and VISA ARE ACCEPTED FOR PAYMENT

We usually find deals on groupons, living social etc. 5 for $25.00 visits. I really should have bought a membership to here, maybe in a month we will when some of our other memberships run out.

I would say that you really wouldn't get much use out of it if your child isn't crawling or sitting up . In my opinion this place is great for kids 1-5. My girls enjoy it, they have a "theater" area where you can play music, dance and see yourself on TV.. they really like dancing on the stage! They even have play costumes your kids can play dress up.

They have a carousel that you can push, the girls love riding it! *note it's not too easy to push and you can get dizzy after awhile..lol*

The ball pit area is really fun! Pookie always jumps off the side into the ball pit and they have a blast! They have a little ball pit for the younger kids that aren't as rough and its not as deep. They have tunnels, slides , push toys for kids, a wooden train set.

The place is always clean, the staff is really nice. It is not really big so you can keep an eye on your kids at all time. They have a little table area that we bring our lunch if we go around that time. They also have menus of restaurants that you can order from and go pick up. They do NOT allow any peanut products , which is great for kids with peanut allergy.. so if you plan on packing a lunch please do not pack anything with peanut oil or products.

Another thing I like is they don't let ages over 5 years old, so you don't have to worry about the big kids rough housing or running over the little ones. You must wear socks, so pack socks if in summer time!!!

I also found out they do a club house , that is like preschool from 2 1/2-4. You can go on their website to find out more, I looked at the prices and they are not that bad. Clubhouse Classes are a great first experience away from Mom, preparation for pre-school and an excellent way for your child to make friends and learn in a relaxed atmosphere. The program is managed and prepared by a NJ certified teacher and is a complete educational unit with two teachers supervising the children at all times. I might look into it for Pozzy in the spring time when shes 2 1/2. I don't know if you have to be potty trained for the 2 1/2 year program. But I think its a cute idea if your trying to transition to preschool or just need to get a few days to get things done.

They also do birthday parties. I have not been to one there yet, nor have had one so I can't review that part.

I find the best times to go are around 11am-2pm and Friday nights. On Friday nights we usually have family night a bunch of us get together, and then go in together and get a Pizza from the local pizza shop. we go around 5pm and stay until 8pm. The kids have a blast and the parents can just enjoy each other's company. They are open from Monday-Saturday please check the website for hours.

We really enjoy it here, and we hope you do too!!!

http://www.jellybean-jungle.com/index.html