The envelope please....

And the winner of the LeapFrog LEAPSTER 2 is ...

(drum roll)

ZACHSGRAN!

She was hoping to win this for her grandson and she DID!

Congratulations!

It's almost RESOLUTION time!

So, what will yours be?

Every year since I was 3, I think, I have resolved to get healthy and lose weight. If you have read my blog long enough you have been privy to all of my overzealous plans to get fit.

Well, this year, I MEAN IT! LOL!

I am not a hefty person but I am at a weight that I am uncomfortable being. I need to suck it in a little too much and that can make you lightheaded if you have to do it for too long. It's that weight that makes you feel like parts that shouldn't be are sticking out. When your boobs pop out for your bra when you bend down to pick something up. And with those gosh darned short crotch jeans, your whole backside waves to everyone if you have to bend even a little bit.

It's like a choreographed dance when you are out to impress and you are trying to look skinny when you're really not. Let's face it, no one knows how flabby you are unless you are naked and, I hope, not that many people see you naked.

The dance starts with the PULL AND TUCK. I do this one often...You grab onto the belt loops of your jeans as you stand and hoist them to your throat while trying to tuck in that extra roll as you pull.

Then there's the SUCK IN AND SMOOTH OUT. This step is typically performed in a mirror. You check yourself out, turn sideways, suck it in and readjust underwear, pantyhose and bra until the creases, ridges and rolls have been eradicated. Only attempt this in the Ladies Room, it is not an attractive part of the dance.

And of course we have the SIT TALL AND HOLD IT to round out the evening out. This step gives me gut-wrenching indigestion...but at least I looked thin when I am writhing in pain (before I cut myself out of my pantyhose). While eating, we hear our mother's voice telling us to "sit up straight and stop slouching!" So, we do. And naturally when you do this, your midsection is elongated. You would think this would allow MORE room for food, but somehow the sucking in of the gut makes for tremendous amounts of stabbing pain.

So, in light of this discussion, I WILL ONCE MORE BE RESOLVING TO GET IN SHAPE. I guess if I dust off that Wii Fit my kids got me for Mother's Day and plug my ears when it yells at me for not "stepping on" in about 7 months, maybe I could do this.

Anyone else? Wanna start a revolution? Let me know, maybe we can make a contest out of it!

**Oh, geez, the kids are out of the house...Dr. Phil is coming on....WHERE ARE THOSE FREAKING CHRISTMAS COOKIES??!! What? It's not January 1st yet! I need to get rid of all of the bad food, right? And it would be wasteful to throw it away! My neighbors and friends spent a lot of time on these!**

Christmas Day (LeapFrog Leapster 2) GIVEAWAY!

Well, here I am....sneaking into my studio/office while my kids play with their new gadgets to post about my new favorite toy! The NEW Leapster 2! I can't wait for nap time so I can peel my son's grubby little fingers off of it to see what all it does! The buttons are big, the stylus fits in a little hole the back, the screen is clear and there IS A VOLUME! You can turn it down! And...and...and...a headphone jack if Mom wants complete silence! Check it out! How cute is this?

There is a CD and power cord that you can plug right into your PC or laptop for computer play. Also, you can download games STRAIGHT FROM the LeapFrog website. And right now you can save and amazing 25% on games and accessories!

And, yes, I know what you frugal moms are asking..."But will the old LEAPSTER games fit in the new Leapster?" YES!!! Cha-Ching!

I am talking HOURS and HOURS of learning fun! I listened to my pre-schooler identifying letters while my husband cheered him on as he defeated Darth Vader while learning pre-reading skills! SO COOL!

And the best part of this?

LeapFrog has decided to GIVE ONE AWAY right here on my blog!

Tell your kiddo that Santa dropped this gift in a big snow drift at the North Pole and that's why it arrived late. There is no better deal than a FREE toy (especially a $50+ one) AFTER Christmas!

Leave a comment and on Wednesday I will choose a winner using Random.org to choose a winner.

Peace.

Merry Christmas!

The envelope, please! (and a contest!)

Hi all!

I have run a few contests these past couple weeks and wanted to let you know who our winners are!

The MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL BOOK goes to IrishMama!

and

The CURIOUS GEORGE: A VERY MONKEY CHRISTMAS goes to Bobbi-Jo from The High Family (go check out her photo - you'll see why she won! Too cute!)

There is a LEAP FROG LEAPSTER 2 contest coming up by the end of thise week!!!

Come back to check! That would make one AWESOME Christmas gift and it will be FREE!!!

Happy Shopping.

Peace.

Every kid needs a CYBER POCKET!

...and every mom needs her kid to have it! VTech is the leader in age-appropriate learning toys and the creator of the Electronic Learning Product category. Since 1976, VTech has been developing high-quality, innovative, educational products and learning toys that enrich children’s development. From infant to toddler to grade school, kids learn through fun, smart and active play.

Toys with a purpose that encourage learning and keep kids engaged are at the top of my list this year.

The V.Smile Cyber Pocket Learning System is one of these toys! Small enough to be portable but yet large enough for little hands this (I hate to even call it this because it's so much more) toy is one awesome find!

Children ages 4-7 can play games that enrich language, teach not only problem solving but math, spelling, vocabulary, logic, music and more.

I love that the screen is LCD and very clear. You know sometimes those small screens are pixel-y and remind me of the PONG game from way back when. Not this screen! It's sharp and colorful. I would like for it to be a little larger. I worry about the kiddos with less than perfect vision and think this small screen may frustrate them to the point of putting it down.

The stylus is attached with the short string and has a clip to hold it in place when not in use which is BRILLIANT! I wish my big kids had this option for their Nintendo DSs...they may not go to college b/c of all the money I have spent replacing lost styluses.

The buttons on the Cyber Pocket are colorful and small finger-sized but not to small that they hit more than one at a time. The finger activated joystick-style control buttons will increase hand-eye coordination which is a pre-reading skill. Kids with good hand-eye have been known to be better readers.

The writing pad is cool, too.

The mom friendly features are just as exciting!

• a head phone jack so you are not humming a learning game tune all day.
• a slide off cover to the battery compartment...NO SCREWDRIVER NEEDED!
• not-too-hard-to-remove-from-the-box packaging which can make for mumbled bad words on Christmas morning!
• ENTERTAINMENT that parallels no other system for this age group!

I can't wait for my son to open his VTech Cyber Pocket Learning System Christmas morning, but I think I will make it the last gift, so he can sit back and play right away!

MENTAL NOTE: Open box and put batteries in first! This packaging allows for simple cutting off fused edges and then placing protective clear cover back on and sliding it back into the box! LOVE IT!

The angels are singing to this one! Go out and get one of the best kids won't bother me while I am grocery shopping toys on the shelves this year!

More reviews on the way soon.

Peace.

Score your own MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL BOOK

When I spoke with Annie Fox on the phone a couple months ago, we clicked! Both being so passionate about kids, we talked and talked and the ideas flowed and flowed! It was like a geyser of "save the world starting with the kids" conversation!

So, a week later when BOOK 2: Real Friends vs. the Other Kind arrived in the mail, my oldest son happened to be dealing with the stress of a tryout for the Christmas concert soloist. He wasn't concerned with not getting the part, he was concerned that some of the other boys in the class would make fun of him for WANTING the part.

He explained the scenario when the teacher asked, "Who would like to try out?"

"Mom, I heard her ask the question and before I even had a chance to think about it, my arm shot up! It was automatic. I didn't even realize I was raising it until she called my name."

"That's great, bud!"

"But when the teacher called my name, "J" and "M" both said, 'Yeah, you SHOULD do it!'"

"And....what's wrong with that?"

"I think they were making fun of me. I think they want me to try out so they can make fun of me."

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know."

So...I pulled out Annie's book, handed it to him (he LOVES graphic novels) and said, "I will be back in a little bit, you can tell me what you think when I get back."

The books are filled with honest comments from kids in that "tween" bracket. But on-going through those comments is a scenario that reads like a comic book, a scenario about Real Friends and how to deal with those who aren't. Annie's website is split into three parts: For Teens, For Parents, For Educators. BRILLIANT!

Now, you see WHY I handed him this book!

Needless to say, he tried out for the solo and was shocked when those two boys patted him on the back and said, "Great job!" The fear he had of them wanting to make fun of him was created out of his insecurity of BEING who he really is. I truly think, had I not had Annie's book to use as a guide, he may not have listened as clearly to another one of Mom's "when I was a kid" stories.

Annie's characters are REAL and RIGHT NOW!

You can win your own copy of this book to give to your favorite TWEEN for Christmas! Simply leave a comment (and a tween scenario if you like) and RANDOM.ORG will choose the winner.

Peace.

Where did November go?

Is it just me or did someone do the "rip the table cloth out from under the dishes" trick with the calendar? I feel like I just erased October from my dry erase calendar and added all of our November to-dos. Yesterday I had dejavu as I erased November to fill in December! Is it because I will be 40 this year? Is this what they mean when they say the older you get, the faster time goes? I had no idea it would be THIS sudden? I was just going along, minding my own business in October...November hit and B L A M! It's DECEMBER! I did the math... I am technically 39 1/2 as of this month! I am wondering if that "1/2" has done something to the universe, at least MY universe, to click my life into overdrive! I can't do my life at super speed! HELP!

Peace.