One of my favourite things. A giveaway.

Boy, oh boy, are you guys in for a real treat today!
Why, you ask?
Because this week I am sharing with you a few of my favourite things.

You're welcome.

There are very few things in this world that get Momma excited.  Very few things that make me excited to spend money.

And very few things that I am willing to share with others.

But this.  This is a company I love.  This is a company I wish I developed myself.  A company that I give alot of my husband's hard earned money to.

Epicure Selections.

I have to admit that when I first heard about Epicure, I thought it was a hair removal product, but when I was told that it was a Canadian company that sells products so cooking is easy...and fun....and tasty, I was hooked.

Life has changed in Mommas kitchen.

Just look at what is in my spice cupboard.

Spices.
Dip mixes.
Rubs. (huh?)
Fruit dip mixes.
Italian seasonings.
Greek seasonings.
Asian seasonings.
BBQ seasonings.
Salad dressings that you make yourself.
Baking ingredients.
There are just too many fantabulous products to list.


Oh.My.Gawwwwwwwwwwwd. You have no idea how excited I was to see the catalogue for the first time.

And the next time.
And the next time after that.

Now when my husband sees it laying around, he feels the need to hide his cash and credit cards.

And then I find it and place my orders secretly.

But anyways.

I could go on and on about how much I love the products and how easy it is to use them, but then I would sound like I am doing some cheesy commercial.

{I soooo would if Epicure contacted me}


But I will restrain myself and let you know what is up for grabs.

A $25 gift from my friend Helena (an Epicure Selections Consultant) to you.  You get to choose any products from this wonderful company that I love so much.  Helena will have them shipped right to you.

She is terrific isn't she?

I think so.

So, this is what you need to do.  Check out the Epicure Selections website and browse.  Leave me a comment here or on my face book page telling me about your favourite products.  You can also tell Helena and myself how much you love us.

Just because.

I will put all of the names in a hat and draw one this weekend.  You can place your {free} $25 order with Helena and even have your products before Christmas.

Sweet.

Only one restriction.  This giveaway is for my Canadian readers only as Epicure does not ship to the USA.  Sorry.

*For those of you who wish to place an order with Helena can reach her here helenaneault@rogers.com

*Disclaimer.  No free products were given to me.  I purchased the many items you see in the pics myself.  I am not being paid.  I am not being given chocolate.  I wrote this post because I love the product.  That's it.  There is no hidden agenda here.  Honest*

Go here for more WW posts.  I am just a tad early this week.

Chloe.

Once in awhile, humans are blessed with the presence of animals. 
Once in awhile, we see that cute little face and just know that he/she is meant to be in our life.
I saw Chloe.
And had to have her.
I was 17.
She was a cute little fluff ball that no one seemed to want.
But when I saw her, it was love at first sight.
And for the next 17 1/2 years, I was blessed to have her.
My kids loved her.
My parents loved her and raised her as their own once I moved in with a man allergic to cats.
Other animals loved her.



Gosh darn I loved her.
That long bushy tail.
The way she meowed...just as if she was having a conversation with you.
The way she nuzzled.
And cuddled.
And purred.  So loud that others could hear her on the telephone.

After almost 18 years of a wonderful, beautiful, loved life, Chloe was wanted in Heaven.
I don't blame them for inviting her.
She was special.

Poo

My kid pooped in a Pull Up.

The biggest poop of her entire 2 1/2 years of life.

Pull Ups do not hold gigantic messy poops.  Just ask my sofa.....and my carpet....and my table....and my feet.

Um, yeah.

Have I mentioned that I throw up easily?

I have been changing bums for almost 9 years.  That doesnt include the years I worked wth children....and seniors.  So, when I think about it, I have been changing bums for almost half of my life.

I.Am.So.Done.

Until the next poop.

*Do you have a small business and are looking to promote your product?  I am doing a week of giveaways/discounts very, very soon.  Email me and we can chit chat

Falling Down.

I am a clumsy person.
If there is something to trip over, step on, break or hit, I will probably be the person to do it.

Yay me.

I consider it to be one of my few talents.

Sometimes I will even think to myself "That would really suck if I fell down these stairs while carrying this breakable vase."

*crash*

Or I will tell myself to hold on to the bowl of water carefully so I don't drop it while carrying it somewhere.

*splash*

Um. Yeah.

I could tell you about that time I was showing my fellow grade 4 friends how well I could flip over the monkey bar things in the playground.....and then fell flat on my face.

Or the time I showed my mom how I could slide down the stairs without bending my knees. And then hit my back and knocked the wind out of myself.

Orrrr.....the time I was getting out of the tub and as my first leg went over the sliding door edge of the tub, I slipped. And ended up black and blue all over my yoohoo.

Ouch.

Then there was that time I almost fainted during my own wedding ceremony and almost had to sit down while the minister was talking about love.

And the time I fell down the stairs while VERY pregnant and had to go right to the hospital for an emergency stress test.

Twice.

Or there was that time not too long ago that I lost my footing and broke my foot.

But all of those stories would just confirm my clumsiness.

So I wont.

Go here to see more workshop posts.

Wishing all of my American blog friends a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

Honesty is a good quality to have. So I will be honest. Don't judge.

Reasons why I loved putting up the Christmas tree before children.
*I could put on my Xmas tunes and have the volume as high or as low as I wanted
*If I chose not to listen to music, I could put on my soap operas instead
*It was quiet
*And peaceful
*And somewhat therapeutic
*I worked at my own pace
*I put the decorations on the tree where I wanted to put them
*And in the order I chose
*There was no yelling...arguing...whining....cursing...breaking ornaments...
*It was my quiet time

Reasons why I love putting up the Christmas tree with three children
*There arent any

{And there are still two more trees to put up.  Hold me.}

Click here to see more Wordful Wednesday posts.

Have You Ever......maybe not. How about we chat about the AMA's???

Soooo, it is Monday and it is time for a Have You Ever post, but quite frankly, I am not in the mood.
I am not in the mood to ask questions about parenthood.
Or to receive answers.

So instead lets talk about the American Music Awards. Just because I thrive on celebrity gossip and it makes me feel all smart and stuff.

I know the names of every Backstreet Boy and New Kids on the Block, and I can sing every single word to most of their songs.

Hold yourselves back.
I know you want to be me.
Heck, who doesn't?

I can remember listening to the New Kids on the Block as a young girl and convincing myself that one day Joey McIntyre or Jordan Knight would come knocking at my door. They would sweep me off of my feet, we would have many children and live happily ever after.

Never happened.

But anyways.....did you see Usher perform?

He sucked.

And Pink is pregnant.  She is in her second trimester and performed.  And she looks like this.

When I was pregnant and in my second trimester, I was fat, full of zits, had ginormous boobs and never smiled.

Just sayin'.

The Black Eyed Peas performed the worst song I have ever heard. Whoever gave them permission to copy "I've had the time of my life" from Dirty Dancing, made a huge mistake.

My girlfriend was there looking as beautiful as ever. If only she would dump her hairy husband.


Who.on.Earth is this mess????


If my boys grow up to find this look attractive, I may just have to lock them in their bedrooms until they come to their senses.

The second most used room in my home

I am a prisoner of my laundry room.
It.Never.Ends

I am thinking of having a pull out bed and television installed so I can spend my entire days in it.

But that would be weird.

Instead I spend my days washing my dirty family member's clothing. I spend my days sorting out socks, underwear, girl clothing and boy clothing.

Fun times.

If we were thinking when we had this house built, we would have had our laundry room designed as a large room where I could sit, relax, read and just take in the smell of fabric softener and listen to the rumble of the machines.  But we weren't thinking, and instead had a very small laundry room built right outside of our bedroom.


There really isn't much we can do to make it look fabulous, so I just keep my "babies" {machines} shiny and let them know how much I appreciate their hard work.
Because washing my kid's clothing is a tough job.

On the counter, I have my old kitchen canisters that now hold loose change, hair bands, and anything else that I may use in the future that was found in the wash.
The counter also holds framed photos, detergent and my basket for lonely socks missing their partner.


The artwork is very simple.  Stick on pictures that I found at Homesense for $10.
I do plan on purchasing a few things from Etsy in the near future.
Just because I love Etsy so much.

Our laundry room also houses our vacuum, broom, household cleaners and a fort for Princess.
Fort=empty bottom cupboards under the sink.
Who says kids need toys?

Oh yeah.  I took a picture of the items I have found in the dryer over the last few days.
Just because.

You're welcome.

Go here to see more

RIP Princess the Bunny

Remember I told you that our family has three bunnies?
Clyde, Princess and Fluffy.
Remember I offered them to anyone who would take them?
Well Heaven wanted one.

So now we only have two bunnies.
And one sad little boy who lost his pet.

(homemade gravestone)
Ok, I admit it.
Im sad too.
I get attached to the little buggers, no matter how hard I try not to.

Go here to see more Wordful Wednesday posts

Snippets

*I am currently experiencing a blog identity crisis. I am unsure where to take this thing.  Bear with me while I figure it all out.

It may take awhile.

Because I am slow.

*William and Kate are getting married. Is anyone else excited about this? I am going to try to convince my hubby to take me to the wedding. I want to be one of the gajillion people standing along the side of the road just so we can say we were there.

Or maybe I will just wake up really early to watch it all on television in our own home.

*Princess has been walking around the house saying "I'm so pretty". Confidence is a good thing to have. I hope it continues as she gets older.

*I need one of these.

Buy it here

*A dog that pisses on the carpet after we just spent $100+ getting it cleaned makes me NOT want a dog


*Trying to get a good picture of 5 children together makes me want to cry.

Notice it is my children not being co operative?????????????????

*My grandfather is in the hospital....again. Because he has pneumonia.....again. Please keep him in your prayers. He just celebrated his 81st birthday last week and I love him muchly.

Thanks.

And Happy Tuesday!

Go see Keely for some laughs!

Have You Ever?

It's that time again my friends. Time to ask others if they have ever done/thought/wanted/had/watched the same stuff as you so you can feel like you are not alone in this big, crazy world.

Because no one wants to feel alone when weird crap happens in their life.

Especially me.

So lets form a Have You Ever Support Group and support one another as we experience "stuff"  that doesn't fit in with the rest of our life.

Please.

Have you ever listened to your child read you a story and wanted to have a temper tantrum because they didn't know how to read the word "hungry"....after 27 times?

...and "out"?
...and "have"?

Have you ever made your children clean their ears with a baby wipe wrapped around their fingers on the way to visit family?

Have you ever given your child gummy bears for dinner because you were sick of the whining?

How about Halloween candy? Oh wait. That was me.

Have you ever eaten Halloween candy for dinner? With a glass of milk? And then convinced yourself that it was OK because you were somehow getting all food groups and had your vitamins beforehand?

Have you ever excitedly went to a casino and realized that you are probably the youngest person there? Youngest as in under the age of 65.

Have you ever realized that you are probably the only person there who doesn't smoke....drink....wear Depends.....and carry a "Frequent User" card?

Have you ever won $20 at the casino and walked out feeling like you just won the lottery?

Have you ever felt intense joy?
Sadness?
Love?
Hate?
Pain?

Have you ever been thankful that time allows you to conquer/appreciate the intense feelings you experience during this wild and crazy ride called Life?

Me too.

Now join in damn it!!!!!

Teenagers

I know I wrote a post yesterday about teenagers and how they have such a hard time and how we should be more understanding and how we should let them know life isn't that bad.

But today I will bitch about them.
Just because.

In my small-ish town we have two high schools very close to each other.

These schools are very close to our large grocery store, donut shop, Walmart....and just about everywhere that adults visit.

I continue to make the huge mistake of entering these establishments during high school lunch break.

Big.Mistake.

HUGE.Mistake.

When I was a kid, we brought our lunch to school or purchased something very unhealthy at the school cafeteria. Nowadays, the little punks roam the town and take over.

Take over=travel in large groups, speak loudly, curse constantly, take up every table or every lineup.

It makes Momma scared.

I am just a 30 something year old Momma of 3 who wears track pants and sneakers to buy groceries.  I am not cool.  I have gray hair and the odd wrinkle.  I do not know how to use an Ipod.  I am out of touch with fashion and "cool kid vocabulary".

I just want to come into the store, get what I need and get out.  But when I have to wait in line with my children for 17 of you to buy a can of pop and bag of chips for lunch, all I ask is that you restrain your bad language and pull your pants up so I don't have to explain teenagers to my kidlets for the rest of the day.

And.....I might just know some of your parents.  Would you still look cool if I let them know that you used the "F" word 22 times in 30 seconds, that you wear striped underwear and the reason you are so hungry at dinner is because you eat crappy food for lunch?

Just sayin'

Acceptance

Hormones.
Friends.
Enemies.
Parents who think they know it all.
Zits.
Boys.
Weight.
Hair.
Clothing.
School.

Being a child....specifically a teenager sucks monkey balls. You could not pay me enough money to experience that phase of my life again.

Honest.

I look at the Teen aged Years as a very long, torturous game of Survivor. You have to endure many tests...learn many lessons....and if you get out of it minimally scarred, you are a survivor.

Most of us make it.

And now that I am a wise older woman and have spent many years learning about Life, I have realized what it is all about.

Acceptance.The only thing we want as teenagers is to be accepted for who we are. Not who we pretend to be. Not who others want us to be. Just as we are.Along the way we change the way we look, dress and act because we think it will get us attention and "make" others like us. Along the way we lose ourselves.
Sad isn't it?

Personally, I think it is a tragedy.

If only the teenagers would just step out of their bubble and listen to others who have experienced the game of Survivor, they would learn that it is OK to look different. It is OK to be smart.  It is OK not to be the smartest kid in the class.  Sexual preferences don't matter. Boys are dumb. Sex can wait. They don't have to drink/smoke/do drugs to be cool.

All that matters is that they don't lose who they are along the way.

Because things do get better.
Alot better.

And they will find others who accept them just the way they are.


This post was very loosely inspired by MamaKat's prompts. Click the button to see more.



oversized, large head-ed, mute characters scare the bejeezus outta me

I am not afraid of many things.
Just snakes.
And rodents.
Bumps in the night.

And theme park oversized, large head-ed, mute characters.

They terrify me. Always have, always will.
I just never fell for the whole gimmick and no one could convince me that these large, mute creatures were real.....and friendly.

To this day, I do not enjoy them and cannot pretend to.
So when there is one around, I make sure I am no where near them, and hide discreetly behind my understanding husband.
Understanding=laughing hysterically at his wimpy wife.

But anyways, I think I have done a fabulous job hiding my fear from my children because just last night we were at the worst place in the world Chuck E Cheese.
We were the only family in the building when out came the oversized rodent himself.
Eek.

As I hid behind my husband, this happened.

Do I let them know that they should be fearful of them or continue to pretend that it is perfectly normal to hug a ginormous costume????

Join in and add your Wordful Wednesday post here