Wood Toy Boxes!!! LOVE IT!!

We looked forever for a toybox for Emily, we never found one that we liked, I mean really liked, that was a reasonable price. Now with two kids, the toys have grown and I am searching again. Thanks to Sheblogs.org, I found a family owned business, Wood Creations, Inc. that produces handcrafted wooden toy boxes, blanket and hope chests! Thier retail site is www.woodtoybox.com and they have amazing hand crafted wooden toyboxes that are personalized by lazer engraving, and can have beautiful wooden boarders. They look nice, are heavy and durable - heirloom quality toy boxes! They also have a selection of "Hand Painted" and manufactured toyboxes that are great and affordable too! And I am also loving the Levels of Discovery Collection - I could see my girls rocking their babies with these products! These collections are not just toyboxes,but also have chairs and some have tables that match! So if you are looking for a toybox or maybe to make a play room or re-do a child's bedroom this holiday season, check out www.woodtoybox.com, Bob and Julie Beck have been kind enough to provide us with a promotion code to save you an extra 15% off your purchases at www.woodtoybox.com, coupon code is valid through December 31, 2009! The coupon code is "toybox4u"Oh, did I mention that the toyboxes SHIP FREE?!?!?!


SheBlogs is having a contest where you have the chance to win 1 of 3 toy boxes, to enter blog about www.woodtoyboxes.com and mention the personalized, laser engraving. For more information read the post here.

Thankful Thursday ... "Trials"

My brethren, count it ll joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 NKJV



This week's Thankful Thursday topic is trials.

I have been through many trials in my life. I was not always thankful at the time. Trials are part of God's way of molding us. It was not until I learned that last part that I was able to be thankful for trials.
One of the biggest reasons that I am thankful for trials in my life is pointed out in the verse at the begining of this post (James 1:2-4) an outcome of trials is patience. I know I could use a bit more patience some days - I'm not asking for more trials though, lol! The only perfect and complete thing about me, that is lacking nothing, is Jesus. I know that me, myself, need to be molded, refined to be more like Him and less like me; and if going through trials is the way that is to be accomplished - so be it.
I am thankful that my God counts me valuable, worthy enough to refine! Praise the Lord!
I am thankful that I am able to help some people go through their tough times because the Lord has taken me through it already. And I am also thankful that God has allowed others to experience similar trials to those I am facing and will face, so that they may help me through it! God is good!
I am thankful that I will never face any trial, no matter how small, big, life changing that it might be, alone. Christ is with me, He will never leave me nor forsake me. Praise the Lord!



I would appreciate any comments you'd care to give! If you have a Thankful Thursday post, please leave a link and I will come check it out. Have a great day, and God bless you!

Chocolate: A Love Story - Cook Book Review

Chocolate is something that most of us enjoy! I certainly do. In Chocolate: A Love Story, Max Brenner takes chocolate beyond anything I have ever imagined! There are recipies that feature choclate everywhere from morning variations (Bohemian French toast chocolate sandwiches), Choclate Therapy (Intimate scones), Choclate Cream Cake Options, Pies, Concentrated Chocolate, and more...much, much more!

Chocolate: A Love Story is a vibrant new cookbook that includes 65 original recipes narrated in the quirky, captivating voice of Max Brenner, the restaurant's visionary founder and "bald man." Bold original illustrations inspired by Art Deco poster graphics, full-color photographs, easy-to-follow, delicious recipes, and a serving of Max's unique vision for spreading "chocolate culture" around the world make this book a must for every chocolate lover.

We have not yet actually tried any of the recipies yet, but are planning to make Wannabe French Hot Chocolate in the next few nights and will be sure to take a picture and let you all know how it comes out!
You can read more about Max Brenner here and you can buy the book on Amazon here.

Thank you to the Hachette Book Group for sending me this book to review. The opionions expressed are mine.

GoGo Trouser Socks - Review

My feet are always cold, and often get numb. My circulation to my hands and feet is not the best, it seems like no matter how warm it may be outside, my hands and feet are cold. When I heard that GOGO made socks, tights, and pantyhose that are specifically designed to increase circulation, I was excited - sure it helped that they are also made to prevent varicose and spider veins!!

Some info from the GoGo site:

The synergy of GOGO, with high-end microfiber yarns and Lycra not only give you natural energy, it makes you feel fabulous! The product fits scientifically to aid in the prevention of varicose and spider veins. The addition of Lycra yarns provide a slimming effect and increase the durability of GOGO, so it lasts longer.

WEAR GOGO:

Flying - The natural science of GOGO will just help out to keep that nasty swelling down and as a bonus, you'll be able to slip your shoes back on when the plane lands.

Sitting - If you sit for extended periods of time you will be more alert if you keep your blood moving and not sitting idly in veins. You'll feel better too!

Standing - On your feet all day? We do not want you to encourage those nasty varicose and spider veins. We do want you to feel like you could still go out and dance all night.

Running - This is a great workout. You're running, GOGO is working with your body to give you more energy. Pure running bliss.

At the Gym - It goes without saying - when you are working out, GOGO is working with you! You can actually feel the soft yarns massaging your legs as you go!

On a Date - Read above and repeat. I highly recommend the thigh-high stockings.

My experience with GoGo was great! (Well my second experience was, I tried to put the socks on while my foot was still very swollen and sore - not a good idea!) I was sent a pair of Cocoa ribbed trouser socks and a pair of Navy diamond trouser socks to try. I love them. They are comfortable, kept my feet warm, and I didn't get the tingling in my feet at all while I was wearing them. Like with any pantyhose and most knee- and thigh-high socks, they were a little tight at the top, but not uncomfortable. These socks actually remind me of the thermal socks that I have for skiing. GoGo socks are well made, after being washed (hand-wash only) several times, they are still in like-new condition.
I wear them often because of keeping my feet warm and from going numb, they are slim and are comfortable weather I am wearing slippers, tennis shoes, or pumps! I would recommend these socks to anyone who may have trouble with legs/feet feeling tired, going numb, varicose or spider veins, or anyone who just likes nice socks! They also have a maternity line - you have got to love a company that caters to ALL women! And did I mention that they are made in the USA - another bonus!

I was provided with 2 pairs of GoGo trouser socks to write this review, but the opinions are my own.

Wordless Wednesday - Breakfast at our house

This is a common occurance at our table - Emily likes to help Natalie, and Natalie likes Emily to feed her. Most of the time when Natalie wont eat something, if Emily gives it to her (bites) she will eat it!


That was tiring, now we need a sip of milk!



If you have a Wordless Wednesday post, please leave a link so I can check it out...I haven't quite got the McLinky figured out yet! :)

Not too shabby - all things considered!

A few hours after Emily cut her hair, I took a picture on my phone and sent it to Zack. I was not sure what his reaction would be, and I wasn't really sure that I wanted to know. When he called, he said "I guess we are gonna have to shave her head." My thoughts - "UH...NO!" We talked about the possibilities that may be, but I will not have a daughter with a shaved head, if there is another choice. Emily cut it pretty bad, there was at least one chuck that is about 1/4 of an inch long. (Click link if you haven't seen her handiwork!) The lady at Great Clips, was wonderful with her, and did a pretty good job all things considered...






So, we are definately not going to put her hair in some beautiful curls, or a bun with strands curled on the side for the Disney on Ice Princess Classics this weekend, but we will survive!!!
What do you think? Just remember, it will grow back!

I want to CRY!

I was doing the dishes, something that has to be done. It didn't take me a crazy amount of time, just long enough to do the dishes. Usually Natalie (1 year old) will be playing with some toys relatively close to me so that I can see her and she can see me, and Emily watches Dora while playing with toys in the living room. Why should today be any different??? Really, why? For the life of me, I cannot come up with a good reason why this would happen...




Yes, that is right, my little Princess Emily (almost 3 years old) butchered her hair. Her beautiful hair, reduced to...well, you saw the pictures.
I heard Natalie cry and I went to see what was going on. Natalie had my eye liner (my favorite color - bronze) and was coloring herself and the book shelf that I had brought in from the garage. After taking it away from her and picking her up, I wondered how she got into my bathroom - child locks on the doors. Well I looked at my bedroom and the door was ajar, I opened it and SCREAMED. Emily was sitting on my floor with scisors and hair all around her, and she went for another chunck of hair as I was reaching for the scissors. *tear* Maybe it is because she watched her daddy get a hansome haircut yesterday...

Praise the Lord that she didn't get hold of Natalie.

So, have your little ones ever cut their own hair? Or did you as a child?

Little Music Lovers ***Review & Giveaway***

What do Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and lullabies have in common? They are the themes of Little Music Lovers Cd's.
My children LOVE music! They dance and sing and have a great time with music, and are actually getting "smarter" while they listen to Little Music Lovers!
Dr. Diane Bales, a University of Georgia professor says:

"Music seems to prime our brain for certain kinds of thinking. The classical music pathways in our brain are similar to the pathways we use for spatial reasoning - the ability to understand the relationships between objects, such as the pieces in a puzzle. When we listen to classical music, the spatial pathways are 'turned on' and ready to be used."

Classical music is unique in this effect because of the complexity of it, so listening to country or rock music is not going to have the same effect, it will however help build other music-related pathways in the brain and have positive effects on mood.


Here are some ideas on how you can nurture your child's love of music from the time they are born:
*Play music for your baby
*Sing to your baby
*Sing with your child

Our experience with the sampler CD that we were sent was nice. We had the music playing in the background while we did the stuff we do - play, make and eat snack, play, read, lunch... I noticed that Natalie (1 YO) seemed to be more aware of the music playing than Emily (2 YO). Natalie would track down the source of the music and would stare at it for a minute and then start to do her little baby dance! Emily didn't really seem to notice it, until I turned it off, then she asked where her music was. For me, the classical music was calming, yet stimulating - like while I was making lunch I was surrounded by beautiful music rather than silence. I can't say we are smarter because of it, but it definitely lifted our moods!

The nice people at Little Music Lovers want to offer one of my readers a CD of their own. (US addresses ONLY, please) Go check out the Little Music Lovers website and look over the Cd's available in the smart music series, and come back and tell me which one you would want to win. From the Little Music Lovers website, you can also purchase these Cd's from iTunes and Amazon, and they are available at Barnes and Nobel and Borders.

****Win One of the Little Music Lovers Cd's****

Mandatory Entry:
Go to the Little Music Lovers website and come back and tell me which of the four Cd's you would want to win

Extra Entries: (Mandatory Entry must be completed first for any of the extra entries to count)
~Tell me a way that you nurture your child/grandchild/niece/nephew's love of music
~Follow my blog publicly through Google Friend Connect
~Follow my blog via Facebook Networked Blogs
~Subscribe to email updates & activate your subscription (top right sidebar)
~Follow me on twitter and tweet this giveaway (can be done daily, leave a new comment with link to tweet) You can use this tweet, or make your own: Win a little music lovers cd for your child, or someone on your Christmas list! http://bit.ly/4vpXGb @tinymansmom
~Blog about this giveaway and link it back here (6 extra entries)

Good luck to all who enter! Contest will close Friday, November 13 at 12 NOON, PST. Winner will be chosen by random.org's random integer generator. Please make sure to either leave an email address or have one visible in your blogger profile. I will contact the winner by email and they will have 48 hours to respond, or another winner will be chosen. US addresses only, please. I was provided with a sampler CD to write this review, and the opinions are mine and were not influenced by the sponsor.

A Trick or Treating Question

In Nevada, the kids are trick-or-treating tonight because October 31 is Nevada Day and it has it's own set of festivities... Anyways I am thinking about going to the grocery store and getting a bunch of fruit. Here is the question I need you to answer: Do you think my house will get egged if I hand out fruit and Halloween tracts as oppossed to candy? Seriously, kids like fruit - it is sweet and healthy, and the tract is part of my Halloween giving every year. So what do you think - fruit or candy?

Thankful Thursday

I have so many things to be thankful for, but there are times that I lose sight of the reasons I should be thankful and focus instead on things that are bringing me down. Today I am going to take the time to stay focused on the tings for which I am thankful.

Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise:

Be thankful unto Him and bless His name.

Psalm 100:4 KJV

~Top 5 Reasons I am Thankful Today~

1. I am thankful that I have come to know the Lord, and to know His love for me. It makes me thankful that I am worth so much to Him!

2. I am very thankful for my family. I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my children! Emily and Natalie are precious blessings that can always make me smile - I love them all even when they make me want to cry! No matter what, I will always be thankful for my family!

3. I am thankful that I know that whatever comes my way, I can get through AND I wont have to get through it alone!

4. I am thankful that we are able to make due with one pay check so that I can stay at home with our children. Even though it is not always easy, it is worth it!

5. I am thankful for some of the smaller things in life too - COFFEE and sunshine!

Every Thursday I am going to make a Thankful Thursday Post, if you would like to join me, click on the button to go to Grace Alone and get the button. If you have a Thankful Thursday post, please leave me a link so that I can come check it out! Thanks