Happy Memorial Day everyone! I will be spending the day with my family, lots of fun activities planned for today! We have a trip to the Seattle Aquarium planned and I am looking forward to getting some great pictures of the boys. Now that Emilio is nearly two he should have a ton of fun too and I can't wait to see his reactions to the sea life.

I hope that you have a fun day planned as well, and I can't wait to read about what everyone else did. I will back to the usual bloggy schedule starting Tuesday.

Being a busy mom of three boys ages 6 and under my day is filled with diaper changes, school buses, homework and lets not forget the constant cooking and cleaning up that is required to keep this well oiled machine I call life running.

On top of all that my husband works 70-80 hours a week so by the time he gets home from work at 8 o'clock at night after a long day with the boys my wifely duties kick in. Most nights we don't even start dinner until the boys are in bed so we generally eat around 9 or 10, depending upon what I cook and how long it takes. Which then leaves just enough time to eat dinner, watch a little TV and then get to bed and start the cycle all over again.

During my days there is simply not enough time to fit in exercising, eating right and all things that I want to do for myself. Most days I am too exhausted to do anything other than shower or watch TV while my littlest one is napping. In addition to being a mommy and wife, I do the grocery shopping, meal planning, pay all the bills and balance our budget, take care of all the various weekly appointments that my children have and more. Oh yeah, and did I mention that I work part time on the weekends too? On average I get about five hours of sleep which is not near enough.

A couple of weeks ago I was watching The View and Ellen Pompeo was on. She was there promoting Grey's Anatomy of course but also a new campaign that she is a spokeswoman for. The campaign is called Choose You and it is promoted by the American Cancer Society. Here is a clip of Ellen Pompeo explaining the Choose You Campaign.



The Choose You campaign was launched in an effort to help women make their health a priority in their lives. If women are better able to commit to themselves by prioritizing their health and engaging in a healthy lifestyle they will become role models for their children, family and friends.

Findings from the American Cancer Society’s 2010 Choose You Survey - (Taken from the press release)

In March 2010, the American Cancer Society conducted a national online survey of approximately 2,000 U.S. females ages 25-64 to examine women’s health behaviors and needs. According to the survey, women want better health, but fall short of achieving it. The survey found that 95 percent of women feel the need to improve their health, yet approximately three out of five women put others’ health before their own. When it comes to women’s specific health behaviors, the survey reveals some eye-opening findings:

· 90 percent say they fall short of eating a healthy diet

· 85 percent don’t get the minimum daily exercise of 30 minutes a day, five days a week recommended by the U.S. government

· 76 percent don’t always protect their skin from the sun



When asked to pick one day to focus on themselves and their health each year, the majority of women (65 percent) chose their birthday. By empowering women with the tools and resources to take care of themselves and help prevent cancer, the Choose You movement is another way the American Cancer Society -- the official sponsor of birthdays -- is helping to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.


The Choose You Commitment

As part of the Choose You movement, women are encouraged to sign a Choose You Commitment, an online pledge to reach a specific, individual health goal. At ChooseYou.com, women can choose from five different health categories: Eat Right; Get Active; Get Recommended Health Screenings; Protect Your Skin; and Quit Smoking. Participants give a minimum five dollar pledge once they sign a Choose You Commitment to incentivize them to stay on track. They can also ask friends and family to support them. Scientific research suggests that women who have a “stake in the game”, as well as social support from friends and family are more likely to be successful at accomplishing personal health goals. Choose You participants and visitors to ChooseYou.com will have access to online support and tools such as a calorie calculator, virtual dietitian, nutrition and activity quiz, smoking cost calculator, prevention and early detection videos, and a desktop helper with daily health tips.

Out of the four pledge choices mine was clear. I have all ready starting caring for and protecting my skin plus I usually do make the time for regular health screenings and I quit smoking several years ago. I went to ChooseYou.com and made my pledge to get active. Of course I want to eat healthier but for me I know that when I am more physically active that I tend to make healthier food choices. Its like my brain clicks and they just go hand in hand. It is a huge challenge for me to fit this into my day and has been on my personal "To Do List" forever. I really do want to make this change and reap the rewards of a healthy body. I also want my kids to see my efforts and hopefully they will learn from my mistakes and take care of their bodies much better than I do mine.

In addition to Ellen Pompeo as the celebrity ambassador the Choose You campaign has two national presenting sponsors, Sprite Zero and Walgreens. In addition Neutrogena is a national program sponsor. All of these great companies are proud to partner up with The American Cancer Society and be a part of the Choose You movement by encouraging women to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to get regular health checks in an effort to prevent cancer.


You Can Win a Choose You "Get Healthy" Gift Bag!


For sharing information about the Choose You campaign I was given a "Get Healthy" gift bag. As you can see its filled with lots of great goodies! The "Get Healthy" gift bag includes:

* Karin’s Garden - Turquoise Leather Petite Flower with Crystals Pin/Clip Duo (ARV $58)
* $10 Walgreen's Gift Card
* Neutrogena Age Shield + Repair SPF 55 Sunblock (ARV $10.99)
* Choose You Ladies Tee (ARV $8.99)
* Choose You Stainless Water Bottle (ARV $5.99)
* Choose You Enamel Flower Lapel Pin (ARV $2.99)
* Choose You & Sprite Zero ball point pens
* 3 Sprite Zero $1.00 off coupons


One lucky Pretty Pink Momma reader will win a "Get Healthy" gift bag - Total ARV of $100!


How to Enter: Giveaway is now closed. Visit ChooseYou.com and comment back on this post telling me which healthy habit that you are most in need of adopting into your lifestyle (i.e. Eat right, get fit, stop smoking, protect your skin, get regular health checks). Giveaway open to US residents only.






Get Extra Entries! Remember to leave a comment for each extra entry

- Get TWO Extra entries for sharing in a comment how you maintain a healthy lifestyle, two comments

- Get TWO Extra entries for sharing healthy lifestyle tips - two comments per tip

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- Get THREE Extra entries if you Follow PrettyPinkMomma and acschooseyou on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Leave the tweet url in one of your three comments. Please copy and paste this into your tweet:

#Win a "Get Healthy" Gift Bag (ARV $100) from @acschooseyou! #Giveaway ends 6/23 http://is.gd/codXV #giftcard #cancer http://is.gd/cz0l5

- Get TWO extra entries per day for tweeting daily - leave the tweet url in your comment for each extra tweet

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- Get TWO Extra entries by adding Pretty Pink Momma to any social bookmarking site - just be sure to let me know which one in your comment. Add two comments for each site. The bottom of each post is now fully equipped with several different sharing options for your convenience!


Good Luck to all that enter! This giveaway is open until Wednesday June 23rd. Two winners will be chosen using the Truly Random Number Generator widget located in the footer. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.







*I share my 100% honest thoughts and opinions in all posts. For this post I was only compensated with a "Get Healthy" Gift Box for the sole purpose of sharing information regarding the Choose You Movement. Please refer to my disclosure policy or email me if you have any questions.*

Before I announce the winner I wanted to let you know about a new fun contest going on at ATGStores.com. Their Backyard Giveaway Contest is their largest contest thus far, and they are excited to announce that we have prize packs for first, second and third place totaling over $7,500. How awesome is that? I know that my backyard could surely use a little TLC!

ATGStores.com has partnered with some of their best manufacturers to provide prizes for the giveaway, with items including: a barbeque, bistro set and outdoor lighting just to name a few! A full description of their prize packs can be found on their contest page.


All you need to do to enter the contest is:

• Fill out the form on the contest page. You can also upload a picture or include a link to a video to really show them why your backyard needs some sprucing up!

• Become a fan of ATG Stores on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ATGStores

Their fans will be voting on the backyard that needs a makeover- so come back on June 8th to vote on a winner!



And Now For What You've Been Waiting For.....


The ATG giveaway was so much fun and I know that so many of your worked really hard at tweeting and spreading the word about this great giveaway. The time has finally come to choose a winner. There was a total of 1126 entries - wow!

Drum roll please..............





Thanks so much to all that entered and don't worry if you didn't win this time - there will be more great ATGStores.com giveaways to enter in the future so be sure to check back often!

As some of you may remember awhile back I posted about my thinning hair and scalp issues. I had some biopsies done that didn't really tell me a whole lot about my problem other than I didn't have cancer or lupus. Which is a good thing but didn't help me figure out why in the hell I have this unexplained hair loss.

I always knew that I was destined for baldness. My mother has thin hair and my grandmother by the time she died had extremely thin whisps of hair. I just figured that it wouldn't happen to me until I was a senior citizen. I have always had really thin hair but in recent years, and months especially, it has gone crazy. What once was my thin but full looking head of hair has now withered away. It has been a slow and gradual fall out. One day I looked in the mirror and thought to myself, what the hell happened here?

I am now extremely self conscious about my hair, especially in the front. In certain lighting it looks like my scalp is shining through the hairs that I have left to cover it, just highlighting my most embarrassing issue. I finally have had enough of it and I am determined to find a way to grow my hair back in. If its at all possible.

Yesterday I visited the dermatologist and she did two more biopsies. She told me that these two biopsies will most certainly give me the definitive answers that I am looking for. The problem is, I may not be ready to hear the answer.

There are two possibilities, some type of infection that they can treat and once treated the hair will most likely grow back or a special kind of scarring hair loss. Scarring hair loss would be the worst possible outcome because as you know, hair does not grow out of scars. If this turns out to be the case I know that I will be devastated. I never imagined myself as the type to need a wig or anything like that but you can bet that I totally would start investing if I lost all my hair. All my days spent watching the Wendy Williams Show are about to pay off big time.

As for today I am taking a break. My head is hurting way too much from the biopsies. Its a constant throbbing on the back of my head that refuses to stop. I am hoping that it will feel better soon. I am too afraid to even comb my hair for fear of snagging my wounds.

I should be getting the biopsy results back in about a week or so. Keeping my fingers crossed that what I have is a treatable scalp disease instead of a permanent hair loss situation. Either way I will have an answer soon and that in itself will bring some relief to my situation.

Thanks to all my friends that are supporting me through this. Your well wishes make me feel so much better, and I am so appreciative for that.

I was having my normal morning meeting with Tammy from Tammy's Two Cents last week, as we always do after our kids jump on the school bus, when we saw a mommy duck and her little ducklings waddling down our street. They were running from one storm pond to the next. It was so cute to see them cross the street and watch the cars stop for this happy little family. Of course, I had to grab my camera! I have to say, it kinda made my day!

I have to say that I am the worst at keeping up on the dishes. Its not that I hate doing the dishes cause really its not a horrible job. What makes it horrible for me, is the fact that it is a never-ending task. I swear the sink isn't empty longer than hour before the dirty dishes start piling right back up and I'm right back where I started. Ughh! The worst part is that if don't do the dishes right away they get crusty stuck on food that makes your job even harder. I can honestly say that at least once a week, if not more, we eat out just because I don't want to add to the dirty dish pile up in the sink. And yes, I do realize that this is a prime example of just how lazy I really am.

Believe me when I say that I am all for any product that can cut my dishwashing time in half. Which is why I was super excited when I was asked to review the Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs. I have been a loyal consumer of the Cascade brand my whole life. Literally. The only brand I ever remember my mom using when I was growing up was Cascade. It just kind of stuck with me all of these years and seeing that I was always satisfied with Cascade's cleaning power I have seen no need to branch out and try other products.



In my early years of using Cascade it was the powder, in recent years I have switched to the gel because I like the convenience of the gel versus the powder. For some reason I have always hesitated to make the switch to the ActionPacs. My mom did and she loves them, that's all she uses now. So when I heard that Cascade had come out with Cascade Complete ActionPacs that eliminated the need to pre-wash your dishes my interest was definitely peaked. I couldn't wait to see if they really worked as well as they claimed!




As part of the review I was asked to take the 24 Hour Challenge. The challenge entailed baking so I was sent a beautiful Corning Ware baking dish to complete the task at hand. My mission was to bake a Blueberry Cobbler, eat it all up, let the baking dish sit out for 24 hours and then throw it in the dishwasher without rinsing it first. Then I had to throw a Cascade Complete ActionPac in the dishwasher and wait for the results.

See the results for yourself!




Amazing right? Needless to say, I'm sold!



Buy It!

Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs have been available in retailers nationwide since May 2nd. Visit Cascadeclean.com and print off a coupon for 50 cents off any one Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionsPacs.


Win It! Uh, well sort of....




Cascade is so excited about the Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs that they want to give one lucky Pretty Pink Momma reader a $25 Walmart gift card to help you get started on purchasing them and take the 24 Hour Challenge yourself!


How to Enter: Giveaway now closed. Comment on this post and tell me who does the dishes in your house and what brand of dishwashing detergent you normally use. Giveaway open to US and Canada.



Thanks to all that entered! This giveaway closed Tuesday June 15th. One winner was chosen using the Truly Random Number Generator widget located in the footer. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.












*Legal Disclaimer - This product review was based on using complimentary Cascade product provided by My Blog Spark and P&G. Bloggers also received a Walmart Gift Card to share with their readers.P&G does not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blogsite.*

As you know, I pride myself on sharing chic finds for moms, babies and kids but who would have thought that I would be able to tell you about an awesome place to shop online that caters specifically to all three at once? You can imagine how excited I was when I learned about Zulily.

Zulily is a new online store that offers daily deals on hot finds and trendy must haves at up to 70% off of retail prices. Every day they post new sales with new brands to choose from. The sales are usually limited to stock on hand - so if you want the deal you gotta jump on it. Also, just as in regular retail stores each sale has a specific end date. Obviously I had to check them out for myself to see what all the buzz was about. Were the deals that good? What kind of brands are we talking here?

Here's the scoop! Yes, the sales offered are awesome! Zulily showcases up and coming children's boutique brands as well as the brands we have grown to love. Tommy Bahama, Melissa and Doug, KidKraft, Bumkins and Steve Madden are just a handful of the popular brands offered at any given time. To be honest I was expecting a ton of women's and girl's sales and not a whole lot for boys because typically that is what I find. I was thrilled to find out that there are tons of cute stuff for boys of all ages every week. As a mother of three boys that completely got me addicted to this site - hook, line and sinker!














*I share my 100% honest thoughts and opinions in all posts. For product reviews I am only compensated in product for the sole purpose of writing an honest review. Please refer to my disclosure policy or email me if you have any questions.*

One of my favorite stores in the planet is Target. I could seriously get lost shopping there. Not lost in the store I can't find my way around lost, but lost in a world of cool, fun things that I dream of having the cash to buy all at once lost. I could spend about ten minutes or more on each aisle. I mean come on! Kids clothes, make up, greeting cards, snacks, toys, home decor, cleaning supplies - you name it, Target's got it.

Spring is quickly surpassing us and we will soon be moving into summer. Some of you, myself included, still have some spring cleaning to get done before the season ends. At Target they have a huge stock of all the cleaning supplies that you could need to get your house in shape for summer. If you are still in need of cleaning supplies I wanted to let you know about an awesome promotion that is going on at Target right now where portions of your Proctor and Gamble cleaning supply purchases will go towards St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.




About St. Jude (taken from the press release)

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. In 2010, St. Jude was ranked the most trusted charity in the nation in a public survey conducted by Harris Interactive, a highly respected international polling and research firm. For more information, go to www.stjude.org.

About Proctor and Gamble (taken from the press release)

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Actonel®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 135,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. In these countries and beyond, P&G is committed to improving lives for children in need through its global cause, Live, Learn and Thrive. Every day P&G Live, Learn and Thrive™ is helping children get off to a healthy start, receive access to education, and build skills for life. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G, its brands, and Live, Learn and Thrive.

The promotion started on May 10th and runs until June 13th. Simply by purchasing specially marked "red" Proctor and Gamble cleaning products from Target you can help St. Jude in their fight to find cures and save children battling deadly diseases.

Target will donate fifty cents for every specially-marked “red” Swiffer® Wet Jet® and Swiffer Sweeper® Starter Kits as well as twenty-five cents for every specially-marked “red” Bounce®, Downy®, and Tide® from May 10 through June 13 at Target stores for a total of up to $250,000.

In addition to the donation to St. Jude, Proctor and Gamble is providing St. Jude patients and their families with these same P&G cleaning products to use throughout their stay at Target House and other St. Jude residential facilities in Memphis.

I hate cleaning, but I can't think of a better reason to get off my lazy, procrastinating butt and go out and buy some of the specially marked "red" P&G products to get myself in the "spring into summer" cleaning mood!



For review I was given some "spring into summer" cleaning supplies that are available at Target. In other spring cleaning posts I have raved over the Swiffer duster but I also love the Swiffer Sweeper! I was so happy to receive a "red" Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit including wet and dry Swiffer cloths to get started with. One thing I love about the Swiffer Sweeper is the fact that the handle can be made for any size from short to tall. My boys loved taking turns running the sweeper around the kitchen floor and I loved putting them to work! Other "spring into summer" cleaning supplies included samples of Bounce, Tide Plus Febreze Freshness Sport and Tide Stain Release.


Win It!

Two lucky Pretty Pink Momma readers will win the same "spring into summer" cleaning supplies that I received for review! Each kit includes a "red" full size Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit (ARV $16) and samples of Bounce, Tide Plus Febreze Freshness Sport and Tide Stain Release.


How to Enter: Giveaway is now closed. Comment on this post telling me what you still need to clean in your house to get it ready for summer. Giveaway open to US only.




Get Extra Entries! Remember to leave a comment for each extra entry


- Get THREE Extra entries for entering any other Pretty Pink Momma giveaway. Leave three comments for each giveaway you enter. - Check back often for new giveaways to gain extra entries

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- Get SIX Extra entries if you Subscribe Via Email to Pretty Pink Momma posts, leave six comments - you must activate your email subscription for these entries to count.

- Get THREE Extra entries if you Follow PrettyPinkMomma on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Leave the tweet url in one of your three comments. Please copy and paste this into your tweet:

#Springcleaning supplies #giveaway! #win a full size "red" Swiffer Duster Starter kit & samples of P&G products! Ends 6/4 http://is.gd/cmIXh

- Get TWO extra entries per day for tweeting daily - leave the tweet url in your comment for each extra tweet

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- Get TWO Extra entries by adding Pretty Pink Momma to any social bookmarking site - just be sure to let me know which one in your comment. Add two comments for each site. The bottom of each post is now fully equipped with several different sharing options for your convenience!


Thanks to all that entered! This giveaway ended on Friday June 4th. Two winners were chosen using the Truly Random Number Generator widget located in the footer.














*I share my 100% honest thoughts and opinions in all posts. For product reviews I am only compensated in product for the sole purpose of writing an honest review. Please refer to my disclosure policy or email me if you have any questions.*

Aloha Fridays are brought to you by Kailani from An Island Life. Over there in Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So Kailani thought that on Fridays she would take it easy on posting, too. So, for Aloha Friday, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Answer my question and put one of your own up on your blog. Link up and check out other blogs that participate at An Island Life.


How often do you change your blog design?


I will be changing my design again this weekend. It will still look basically the same with a whole new theme. I am really excited for the change. This is my third or fourth revision. I think that once the change is made though that I will be sticking with the new design for a very long time. I'm one of those that if I feel its right I just don't ever change. You should see the furniture in my house - I have never rearranged it, ever!

Learning to read is one of the most exciting times in a child's life. Finally they feel like they are clued in on this great mystery that is everywhere around them. I remember that special moment when I finally figured it out for myself, I was so excited, like I had just become a member of a special club. I was just as excited when I saw my oldest son have the same moment, one day it all just clicked. It was amazing, and I was so proud.

Being the mom of all boys, it has become apparent that what drives my boys the most is video games. They love them. My husband is always offering up the super fun games to them that he likes to play too, so its tough for me when I introduce the educational games. Its tough for my game choices to compete with Dad's. Luckily for me there are some great educational games out there now that are just as fun as the action adventure games that they love so much.

One of my favorites are the My Virtual Tutor Reading games. When I was offered to review not only one of the games but two, I was thrilled. My oldest boys are close in age but far enough apart that their reading skills are on different levels. Benji, my five year old, is just starting to recognize letters and words so he was given the My Virtual Tutor: Reading Pre-K to Kindergarten level game. Oscar, my 6.5 year old who is in first grade, was given the My Virtual Tutor: Reading Kindergarten to 1st Grade game. They were both thrilled to try their new reading games. Below is some video footage of each of them actually playing their games for the first time. You can tell that both boys had a lot of fun.


















About My Virtual Tutor Reading

My Virtual Tutor starts off the game play with reading fun interactive story to your child. When finished with the story your child can then play in explore mode, which assesses your child's comprehension of what they just read through a series of fun questions. Once Explore mode is complete the I Can Read mode is now unlocked. In the I Can Read Mode your child can read the story, play fun word-based minigames and even record and listen to him/herself reading aloud. That part was really fun for both of my boys. They loved hearing their voices repeated back to them, this feature really helped to keep them engaged in the game. Once the I Can Read mode is complete your child can play with the paint mode and let their creative side shine while being read the story by the virtual tutor. When the book is complete it will unlock yet another book for the child to read and play.


Key Features (taken from Amazon.com)

Enhanced Learning – Reading as a fun activity
My Virtual Tutor: Reading has fun as a top priority. By experiencing early reading through wonderful, hand-drawn animations and characters, along with fun mini-games, your child will not only learn to read; they’ll learn that reading is fun!

Successful
The game is based on the National Education Association standards for teaching literacy, and derived from a system developed by researchers at the University of Colorado. Delivered on the Nintendo DS, learning to read is made fun and portable.

Easy to Play
Nintendo DS uses the touchscreen exclusively; no need for long, wordy menus to begin and play! Your child can interact with the words and pictures in the game, and they can even paint a picture of the story while the virtual tutor reads. With the portability of a Nintendo DS, your child can learn to read anywhere, anytime!

Adaptive learning
My Virtual Tutor: Reading teaches your child new skills as they master previous ones. The activities are paced to correlate with their learning. As your child performs better and faster, the game will dish out extra challenges to keep them excited and engaged.

Self-Correcting Practices
To help develop fluency, your child can read the books out-load using the Nintendo DS microphone. After your child reads, the tutor will play back the recording and compare it to what she reads for self-correcting practice.

A Fun Reward System
Animated and interactive quizzes are introduced to test your child's retention of the skills and concepts they learned while playing the game. As your child learns to read by mastering skills and concepts, fun prizes are awarded. Your child will be eager to accumulate as many prizes as possible.

Parent Mode
By tracking your child’s progress, the tutor shows you where your child excels, and where more practice is needed.
Up to 3 Users per Game


Needless to say I will definitely be implementing use of the My Virtual Tutor games for both boys during the Summer months. I remember just how hard it was to get back into the swing of things in the Fall after the long break. I want both of them to feel ready and prepared when it comes to reading, listening and learning. One of my favorite game features for Oscar is the tracing of the letters because he needs a ton of help when it comes to handwriting. For Benji I like the phonics aspect because he has been in speech therapy for the last couple of years to help him learn how to pronounce certain words and sounds. Having a game that he enjoys give will be fun way to help improve his speech. Being able to hear himself back when he speaks may help him realize how different he sounds from the tutor.


Buy It!





Just-in-time for summer, you can now save $5.00 when you purchase the My Virtual Tutor Reading Titles on Amazon.com!

To redeem your $5.00 off promotional code, log onto http://www.amazon.com/s/?search-alias=videogames&hidden-keywords=B002BZ11DM|B002BZ11DC|B002BZ11F0 and simply enter the claim code MYVTUTOR during checkout. This offer expires at 11:59 p.m. PST on May 31, 2010.











*I share my 100% honest thoughts and opinions in all posts. For this product review I was only compensated in product for the sole purpose of writing an honest review. Please refer to my disclosure policy or email me if you have any questions.*

These are my Mother's Day Gifts that my oldest sons made me at school. Obviously I love anything that they make for me. I thought that they both did a great job!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dove Ice Cream. All opinions are 100% mine.

Being a busy SAHM to three kids ages 6 and under and a wife to a man that works 70 hours a week its true that I rarely have a moment to myself. I am always cooking food for, cleaning up after or helping one of the boys in the house - hubs included. I am definitely counting down the days to when all three of my boys will be in school all day and I can have an actual set amount of hours to do what I want to do for a change. Seeing as my youngest is only 22 months, I have a long way to go.

For now all I get are mini escapes. They come and go so quickly and vary from one day to the next. Being a mom of a toddler its all about the nap time. I live for his nap time. Since I have a first grader, a preschooler and a toddler, when the toddler goes down for a nap is key. I try my best to get him to nap while my older boys are both at school. This is ideal but it happens only a few times a week. Plus, he only naps for about an hour before he wakes up and then I spend the next hour lying down with him on the couch trying to coax him back to sleep while I catch up on my shows that have the DVR overflowing.

The first hour that he is down for a nap isn't all rainbows and sunshine either. I spend this time taking a shower. It is nice to shower but I consider it a necessity not a luxury. I mean, I have to fit in the day somewhere and on the days where the nap doesn't happen when I like I unfortunately have to skip it. I know, gross. But its either skip a shower or worry that the boys are going to tear each other and the house to pieces while I'm getting clean. I choose to wait until the nap thing plays in my favor just to be on the safe side.

After my shower I'm down to about 20 to 30 minutes before my little guy first wakes up. This is my me time. My mini escape for the day. I spend it watching Maury Povich paternity tests or reruns of the Ghost Whisperer or even the news. I usually pair it with a relaxing glass of ice cold Cherry Coke and a snack. If I have any yummy desserts in the house or candy this is the time that indulge myself. As I'm sure most moms know, you can't have sweets around your kids unless you plan to share. My kids pick up on me eating sweets pretty quick and will be quick to call out "No fair!" if I don't share. Seeing as I don't want to give them sweets all the time if want some and don't want them to have any my "me time" is the only time that it can happen. When they aren't around.

I live for this small break in my day. Its a pick me up that is soooo needed in my life. Without it I may go insane. So, let's just say I'm not looking forward to Summer too much other than the sleeping in part. No breaks, not one.






When it comes to your "Me Time", what do you do? How much time do you have? According to Dove Ice Cream they surveyed 400 moms and found that 70% of them partake in a daily "Me Time" moment.

Which is why Dove Ice Cream has launched a new contest in honor of their Dove Ice Cream Miniatures called the “My Mini Moment” contest.

Entering the contest is simple by visiting DoveIceCream.com/myminimoment by June 7, 2010. Submit a photo and tell Dove in a short essay what your favorite mini moment of escape is and you could win one of three mini grand prizes. They winner can choose from a Napa Valley mini getaway, a mini home makeover or a one full year of spa services. I personally would go for the home makeover, my house is a disaster area and could use some serious love and attention. Which one would you pick?



I personally haven't had the chance to try the Dove Ice Cream Miniatures but they sound super delicious! I love Dove Ice Cream Bars so I can only imagine that these are just as heavenly tasting as their larger counterparts. Each miniature is only 70 calories and there are three different flavors to choose from including a Cafe Collection that includes Java Chip and Cappuccino flavors.

I would love to hear what you do in your moments of escape for your "Me Time". Do you think that you will enter the "My Mini Moment" contest? I know that I am! I could totally use any one of those grand prizes, I definitely need more time for me!

On April 1st, Benji turned 5! Officially a becoming a big boy was a huge deal, for him and for us. We planned a party for him at Charlie Safari's, a local family fun center. They have an arcade, a gigantic monster jungle gym - like five times the size of the McDonalds one, three different bounce houses, mini golf, lazer tag - you name it, they've got it! It was a huge deal not only because he was turning five but it was his first party that he was able to invite friends he made at school. He wanted to show his friends a good time too.

Even though Charlie Safari's is jungle themed I wanted Benji to pick out his own theme. Each year I let the boys pick out the theme of their parties so I know which decorated cake to buy as well as which matching party supplies and goody bags. This year Benji chose the Disney Cars theme. I was happy because I knew that finding supplies and a cake would be pretty simple seeing as it is one theme that is wildly popular.



Thankfully I was invited just a few weeks before the party date to participate in a blog tour for Birthday Party Express through Mom Bloggers Club. I was able to choose $75 worth of party goods for Benji's birthday party. Obviously I was super excited!!

These are the items that I chose:

• 10 Disney Cars Party Favor Boxes @ $4.99 each - Item# 157901
• 1 Disney's World of Cars Mylar Balloon @ $2.49 - Item# 158127, Product ID# 36956
• 1 Disney Cars Removable Wall Decorations @ $14.99 - Item# 171537, Product ID# 58056
• 7 Checkered Flags 2 pack @ $1.20 each - Item# 173904

I have known about Birthday Party Express forever but for some reason I always forget about them when it comes time shop for the party. I usually end up going to my local party store and end up frustrated because they don't ever seem to have what I'm looking for. Birthday Party Express has tons and tons of themes to choose from that are not readily available at my local party supply store. I was super excited to find out that they even have a Mario Brothers theme because I know that Oscar will love that for his party in a few months. This time I won't forget!!

Once I placed my order my items arrived within the week - super fast! I couldn't wait to check the stuff out. I adored those boxes for goodies and was interested to see everything that was included. I knew that one of the items in the favor boxes was not available and would be subsituted for a racing game. Which I thought was cooler than the original item but I wanted to see for myself.

This is what was included in the goody boxes that I received:


As you can see, the trophy looks different than the original picture from the site. This trophy looks a little cooler but I found that it falls apart pretty easily. The trophy part comes off of the base with a tug. Personally, that didn't bother me because I think that most goody bag items aren't made to last. I know that when my kids get this stuff I pray for it to break just so I can get rid of it and they will be okay with it!

The only thing that I was upset about with this set was the mini electronic game. I thought that this was a cool addition to the goodies but as it turned out I wasn't able to include any of them in the boxes. Unfortunately majority of them didn't work. The batteries that were included in the pack for them were old and corroded. I didn't have the time or the funds to go out and purchase a gajillion little special batteries before the party so that these things could work. Which is why I decided to keep them out of the goody boxes. I was pretty disappointed with that aspect but overall I loved the boxes and I had more than enough stuff that I was adding to the boxes that would make up for the loss. Besides, the kids that were receiving them had no idea that it was even missing. I decided to hang on to the electronic games for the next party that I have. Knowing ahead of time that I need to get the batteries for them it will be easy to add them in.




To add to the Disney Cars theme and take away from the Jungle theme going on in the room all ready I ordered some Disney Cars Removable Wall Decorations. Both my husband and I loved these! I added them to one of the walls in the party room to add to the celebratory decor. The best part is that they were easily removed and Benji is so excited that they get to go up on the walls in his room. All though I think his dad is even more excited than he is!




All in all, I was really pleased with what I received from Birthday Party Express. I think that they have an extensive selection of themes, party favors and decor. I will definitely be purchasing from them in the future. With three kids I throw birthday parties every few months so it's always nice to have some place to look and get ideas for parties. Go check 'em out!














*Thanks to Mom Bloggers Club for including me in the Birthday Party Express blog tour. I share my 100% honest thoughts and opinions in all posts. For this product review I was only compensated in product for the sole purpose of writing an honest review. Please refer to my disclosure policy or email me if you have any questions.*