~♥Out With The Old...In With The New♥~

Glitter Graphics

A New Year's Prayer

by Kay Hoffman

Another year is dawning

With the chance to start anew.

May I be kinder, wiser, Lord,

In all I say and do.

Not so caught up in selfish gain

That I would fail to see

The things in life that mean the most

Cost not a fancy fee.

The warm, kind word that I can give,

The outstretched hand to help,

The prayers I pray for those in need--

More precious these than wealth.

I know not what may lie ahead

Of laughter or of tears;

I only need to know each day

That You are walking near.

I'm thankful for this brand new year

As now I humbly pray, 
 

My hand secure in Yours, dear Lord,

Each step along the way.

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All the best to you and yours
in 2010!

♥ Kim

Playing in the Snow

It snowed down here from Christmas Eve until the 27th and then it rested until soemtime late last night and it has been snowing off and on today. What does this mean?  It means a chance to play in the snow. The other day the kids went outside as it was slightly warmer than it has been and made small snowmen and some forts. Today, they are currently making a fort that the plan to turn into an

~♥Friendship Tea♥~

I made this Friendship Tea mix to give as gifts.  It was pretty inexpensive.  I put the mix into pint jars, used paper doilies to cover the lids, put a rubber band to hold it in place, and used ribbon to cover the rubber band.  I made tags that I printed on cardstock.

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Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups instant dry tea mix
• 2 cups orange tang
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup lemonade mix
• 2 tsps cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup cinnamon heart candies

Mix together in a large bowl and ladle into glass jars.

For the tags: Stir 2 heaping teaspoons into a mug of steaming hot water.

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Thanks for stopping by!  I always appreciate your visits and your sweet comments :)

♥ Kim

Secret Sibling Santa Shopping

We decided to add a new tradition to our family this year, we would have the kids draw names and do a sort of Secret Santa thing, which has now been dubbed as the "Secret Sibling Santa." For those that have never heard of Secret Santa here is the basic idea. Toss everyone's name in a hat and draw, if they draw their own name they toss it back in and draw again. Now the secret part is not telling

FedEx Blog Tour

MomCentral asked me to get the word out about FedEx and while I don't use them that often I do get packages from them all the time. I have noticed most of my packages from PR companies are from FedEx, which tells me they trust them and that says a lot.  See, when I do giveaways most of them go to the winner through the actual company, it is rare that I have to do it but when I do yes I use FedEx.

Opening Gifts and Family Traditions

As many of you know the kids have already began opening up their presents, it is a family tradition in this house to begin on December 21st with the turn of the season. This year wasn't different like I thought it would be due to the economy, instead we planned around it and made sure we saved for it and of course ya'll know I had the hubby hit up Black Friday sales and I bought things on Amazon

ShredSled Review

We were sent the Shred Sled to review through LPR, the kids and I couldn't wait to not only see what this looks like but also to try to ride it. First, in my own opinions it is two things, one being a skateboard and the other a sled. Now we haven't got to try the "sled" part since we haven't had enough snow but trust me the kids on this block are anxiously waiting for it to try it out. These

~♥Christmas Cookies♥~

We got a lot of this...

so I did some of this!

If you l♥ve chocolate and peppermint, this cookie gives you the best of both!  These cookies are called "Peppermint Frosted Chocolate Yummies"...I found the recipe in the December 2008 issue of Country Home magazine (I really miss that magazine).  They were created by Amy Struck, of Michigammo, MI.

~♥~♥~♥~

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

2 1-oz squares unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled

(I used choco bake instead - saves on the melting and cooling)

1 cup all-purpose flour

granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

2-3 T milk

red food coloring

crushed peppermint candies

1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

2 tsp. shortening

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat ½ cup butter for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in egg and melted unsweetened chocolate. Beat in flour until combined.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Grease the bottom of a glass and coat with granulated sugar; flatten cookies with sugar-coated glass. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 minutes or until set. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.

In a medium mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat ¼ cup butter for 30 seconds. Beat in powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and enough milk to make a spreading consistency. If desired, tint pink with food coloring. Spread frosting over each cookie leaving a ¼ inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with candies, if desired.

In a small saucepan heat and stir semisweet pieces and shortening over low heat until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate over tops of cookies. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Thanks for stopping by!

♥ Kim

V.Smile Cyber Pocket Winner

The winner of the V.Smile Cyber Pocket Learning System was picked through the Random.org generator, which makes picking a winner so much easier. I was very impressed with the outcome of the entries and I've picked up on a lot of new games for my kids. I hope you have too. Now just because everyone can't be a winner I wanted to inform you of a great deal Vtech currently has on their games.... but

Secret Santa Alive in Kansas City

Just the other day I was voicing my disappointment in no "Secret Santa" sightings in Kansas City. Why should this make me sad? When we first moved to Missouri it was both fun, exciting, scary, etc. But when I opened the paper out here for the first time there were stories about this wonderful man that no one knew that was giving away cash. He'd just walk up to people and hand them money, this is

The Ultimate Meatball Blog Tour!

I recently told the husband that I wanted to cook more and actually eat at home. We are the type of family that eats out all the time, which of course means spending hundreds of $$$ a week, this all adds up and I'd rather save. So when MomCentral asked me if I'd like to take part in the "Ultimate Meatball Blog Tour" I said I'd love to do it. Course I picked doing it after Thanksgiving as I think

Monty T-Rex Review

I've always seen those tiny little dinosaurs that roar, also known as Dino Roars, and the little birds that peck inside the toy area of Wal-mart but I've never actually bought one. I was asked to review the "Playskool Kota and Pals Monty T-Rex" and I was happy to say yes. This is definitely a toy that is sure to be seen under many Christmas Trees this year, he makes the perfect gift for those

~*My New Apron*~

Found this sweet apron at Marshall's a couple of weeks ago...it's the same apron that Aunt Ruthie from Sugarpie Farmhouse has.  I was so fortunate to get it for $6.99!

♥ Kim

The VCR is Cool!

Earlier today the hubby and I went out shopping for a few more Christmas Gifts and while we were I decided to stop at some Dollar General stores looking for the Mr.Potato head (spuds) as I had heard they are $2.50 and there is a coupon to make them .50. I didn't use my coupon this time but still got it. We also stopped off at the thrift stores beside both stores we went to and decided to buy a

Midwest Dairy Winner

The winnerof the Midwest Dairy Giveaway is......#11.MoGrill:MMMM Pumpkin Pancakes sound great. Thanks for the chance.mogrill@comcast.netCongrats!! Expect an email very soon.

Mixing Up Days

Don't you hate waking up and finding out you thought the day was Friday and it was really Thursday? That's what happened to me this morning, well for most of the day that is. It just always makes the rest of the day and next go by so much slower.One good piece of news, hubby found out he'd be getting a tad bit more money. Course he told me that he still had to buy Christmas Gifts for the wee ones

V.Smile Cyber Pocket Review & Giveaway

Vtech wrote me and asked if I'd like to try out the V.Smile Cyber Pocket, I of course said yes I have four kids that love these types of games. First, have you or your kids I guess I should ask ever played the VMotion? If yes and you actually have some of the games for it they'll fit with the Vtech - V.Smile Cyber Pocket, which basically kills two birds with one stone. No longer will you have to

Snow Day!!

Last night I watched and waited at 1 am to see if it would snow. Believe it or not I didn't wait to actually see if it would I had to do my homework which took until midnight as only one person could help me and then it took forever, by the time it was done I couldn't sleep so we chatted abnout the upcoming holidays. Oh we will begin opening presents on Winter Solstice, but only one a night and

One Gets Better, Another Gets Sick

I swear my house has been plagued with that horrible virus and won't leave until every one of us get sick. So far it hit me, which I kind of still have, thankfully only in the lungs now no more fever or sweats. The hubby got it but only 24 hours, BabyGirl had it for 2 weeks, Little A got it for 2 weeks and now BalletGirl has it. She's upset at the moment as I won't be allowing her to go to school

Build-A-Bear Winner!!

The Winner of the Build A Bear (Frosty The Snowman) is........Maxfate: She would love The Mrs.Clause Velvet Bear.Congratulations, your little girl is going to love this bear. My son continues to take the hat on and off just to hear the magical noise. :)

Jiffy Lube Winner

The Jiffy Lube Winner is....I live in Ohio and all I have to say is that it is more than likely your car will skid on ice. One time my car spinned around in a circle when I was trying to get out of a parking lot!I am so thankful that I did not hit anything or anybody.honeybeez80@yahoo.com

Homemom3's Giveaways

Ends December 5, so hurry with those entries:Babylune's IKEA soft Toy giveaway - IKEA Soft Stuffed animal (BARNSLIG KROKODIL and the GOSIG BULLDOG) There will be 2 winners, one will get the dog and the other gets the crocodile.Homemom3's Build a Bear Giveaway - you can win a Frosty the Snowman. He's cute too.Homemom3's Jiffy Lube gift card giveawayDairy Giveaway - Dairy Makes Sense apron, a

Midwest Dairy Giveaway

I love the Midwest Diary Council, they are always giving something nice away here on Homemom3. This week they are giving away a nice little package, which I'll discuss further down. I'm sure you've heard how important it is to have dairy in your diet, but Dairy Makes Sense makes adding it to the family food a little bit more fun.Rebecca Murphy lives at Schwinn Farms in Kansas and is here to talk

When Expecting a Call, Expect Everything Else will Interrupt

What happens when you are expecting a call? Oh, just about anything you could imagine. Earlier today I knew a call was coming in from Daphne Brogden of www.CoolMom.com, but somehow not only did the time slip away from me but everyone decided to email, knock or be as loud as humanly possibly while I was on the phone.First, I didn't answer the phone as I didn't recognize the number. I quickly typed

What is Up with Zhu Zhu Pets?

I have yet to hear my girls shout they want Zhu Zhu pets, but I keep seeing them everywhere. I went to Wal-mart a few days before Black Friday and saw an entire rack empty and on it said, "Zhu Zhu pet toys: One per customer" and asked the hubby who had no clue what they were. Later I found out these were a HOT item with little girls and even tween girls.SoccerBoy informed me that girls in middle

Tips to Get Kids to Sleep on time During Holiday Season

Twittermoms is having another contest, I love these contests they help us think of blog topics. Today's is: What are your five tips & tricks for getting your kids to bed on time and getting them to stay in bed?For those that don't know Twittermoms is a great social site that has a ton of moms chitchatting and helping one another in a forum like setting. Stop on by and visit. For those that want

Wordless Wednesday: Money

This is the one thing everyone seems out of right after the holiday rush is over. Do you agree? Happy WW!IMG: Sxc.hu

Littlest Pet Shop Adoption Center Review

First, I want to say I have a 6-year-old girl that is absolutely in love with all things Littlest Pet shop so this will forever be on the list....at least for a few more years. But I also want to state that I have fast discovered that her 2-year-old brother loves these little things as well, especially the little buildings/homes.We were sent the "Littlest Pet Shop Pet Adoption Center Playset,"

I will No Longer Shop Wal-Mart!

As ya'll know I didn't get to do much "Black Friday" shopping on my own as I can't deal with the crowds and apparently it was much worse than I thought. But I can still take advantage of the offers that don't all expire on that same day. I still did some shopping on Black Saturday I guess I'll call it because Toys R Us had their Black Friday deals for Friday and Saturday out here. I knew my

~*I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas*~

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving...there really is so much to be thankful for!

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There is nothing prettier than freshly fallen snow...thought you'd enjoy seeing some pictures from last year!

♥ Kim

Black Friday Shopping Failure

Well, this morning we woke at 4 am, got the hubby up at 4:30am and we were off. We had all intentions to do Black Friday shopping, course by the time we got to Wal-Mart he had to find a spot so he dropped me off up front. I went immediately for the toy section, now what I did not know was they would move all the toys that were in the sale ad to the food section. So I searched and search, by the

Black Friday Plan of Attack

Am I going shopping on Black Friday? Of course I am, I have four kids and know when you need to shop for bargains. This is the best and worst time of year to shop, best because of the deals, worst because of the rude behavior that will surely be displayed.Twittermoms asked the readers: "What is your form of attack on Black Friday?" So here it is:1. Buy a paper today, which is Thanksgiving in

No School

Kids had no school today, so what did that mean? It meant no one slept in, not even mommy. Oooh, and here I thought I'd get to sleep. However, SoccerBoy did decide to make HUGE pancakes for me and his siblings to eat. They were good and fluffy, I think he's turning into a fine chef but I won't tell him that just yet.The kids quickly cleaned the house so we could do some arts and crafts, after

Have you heard of Automated Man?

Okay first I'm not trying to say there is an automatic man out there that'll do everything for you that you could possibly think of. Get your mind out of the gutters, you know they won't scrub every dish for ya. hehe. A friend of mine introduced me to a new site, "The Automated Man" that I think I'd really use once the kids get a bit older. But I know I have a few friends out there that could

Wordless Wednesday: Boy & his Puppy

Little A got this is in the mail from IKEA, you can win one if you head over to Babylune and enter the IKEA Soft Toy Giveaway. Ends Dec 5, 2009. HURRY!! Happy Wordless Wednesday!

~*Happy Thanksgiving*~

http://www.glitter-graphics.com/

♥ Kim

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Dear blogging friends...I am so sorry for my lack of posts...I've had some issues with my camera card and haven't replaced it yet...I hope to have something to show you soon!

http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/

5 Holidays Activities To Do with Your Kids

Oh I love the holidays, especially the ones in fall and yes I do mean from Halloween on. It seems like such a magical time of year. Doesn't it? Twittermoms and Nickelodeon want to know what are some of your 5 activities you do for the Holidays with your kids. The contest, for those that want to take part is part of the Dora Christmas Carol Contest. Got any special traditions?1. Get a form of

The YoBaby Winner is...

I used the random.org to pick my number and the winner is.......#9.....When my son was six months old, the entrie car of people had to sing"Bingo" nonstop on a four-hour car ride. Every time we stopped, he cried!#posted by JulieMoe : 7:11 PM Congratulations Julie, I'll be emailing you in just a moment please watch for homemom3@gmail.com

Build-a-Bear: Frosty the Snowman Giveaway

I have always loved watching the old classic Christmas Cartoon, "Frosty the Snowman." You know where the kids are all building a snowman and find that black hat and placed it on top of the snowman and he came to life shouting, "Happy Birthday!" Remember it? I have that movie now and every year (currently every day) my kids watch it, some even cry during parts because I have a few that are really

Weekend Round-up

Went Out DrinkingOkay first, the hubby and I went out Friday night to a local bar and I must say we rather enjoyed ourselves. It's a quiet little place that doesn't hold very many people and most of those that go seem to be the older crowd so you don't get a bunch of loud people. The music they had there was country, which fits me perfectly. I had two beers and a white russian, but I noticed a

Jiffy Lube Gift Card Giveaway

How many of you know what it is like to have something go wrong during a road trip or even just driving to the store when the weather has changed and become all snowy? I remember the first time moving out to North Carolina we went to visit family and of course we moved during Christmas time which meant hitting all types of snowy weather. We learned how NOT to put chains on a tire and there were

Bringing the Holidays Home

Okay, it's officially winter and I don't care if anyone wants to argue it with me. We had our first sighting of snow, yes it actually snowed Sunday Night and blanketed the grounded, ever so lightly with snow on Monday morning. Even SoccerBoy went to Facebook and hoped/wished that they could have a snow day, course I was really hoping for NO SNOW DAY as I've been sick and trying to get caught up.

3 Things I could Not Be Without While Sick

Well I've been sick now for what 3 1/2 weeks, so what are the three things that I could not live without during this time? Simple answer: H2O, pillow and blanket. But lets get a little more specific than that.Nestle Water to be exact and no I don't mean I mix Nestle chocolate or anything in it. There is just something about this bottled water though. I've been drinking water nonstop since I got

3-in-1 YoBaby Giveaway

My son absolutely loves YoBaby, actually since that first time we reviewed a YoBaby he got hooked on them and now anytime we go down the yogurt aisle of Walmart we have to pick him up a few. So when I was asked to try the 3-in-1, well not me but Little A, so of course I said yes. Now at first Walmart didn't carry the 3-in-1 so I had to wait until they had it in stock, finally they did so I took

Loading up on Vitamins

Well, I'm still sick and now we are going to try loading me up on vitamins and seeing if that does the trick. I'm guessing by now I should've been better even if it was that swine flu crap that I keep hearing about. Either way, this stuff sucks and makes it hard to breathe so we are going to try yet another method.I tell you one thing, the moment I'm better I don't want to hear a single sniffle

Bring Home a Mr.Potatohead For Christmas

This month Little A was sent two Mr.Potato Head's to review, one was the Mr Potato Head - Fryer Fighter and the other was the Mr. Potato Head Pirate Spud - Captain Potato Chips. I'll just say that Mr.Potato Head is definitely a toy that is still loved in this house and always will be. The Mr.Potato Head Captain had a bit of a hard time as there is a boot for the leg and it tends to be difficult

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween 09

This year I basically slept through Halloween, but the kids didn't. Here's a sneak peek at them: (little A is a hippo)Cute Hippo right? Well the hippo got the witches hat and boy was she trying to get it back. Below is a pic of all four kids, that's Soccerboy slouching down and pushing the stroller. I was upstairs watching them all from my bedroom. Happy WW and Halloween!!

Still Sick with an Update

Well I am still sick, doc continues to give me tests and still states before they come back they'll be negative because basically I took too long to come in. Thankfully I have a box of movies that a PR lady sent my way a little while ago, which I'll be reviewing in the next few days. I do have a bit of good news to pass on. Apparently while I have been sick I got on the Honor Roll for my As in

Clean Oven- Check

I just cleaned my oven!!!!!  


It was way overdue.  It had been a year (I think), but it looked like I had never done it before.  GROSS!!!  


Oh, did I mention that I cleaned it CHEMICAL FREE!!!!  That's right, no harsh chemicals here. 


Oven cleaners are one of the most toxic products people use. They contain lye and ammonia, which eat the skin, and the fumes linger and affect the respiratory system. 


Then there is the residue that is intensified the next time you turn your oven on.  


Instead, I used Shaklee's all natural Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste.  (I love this stuff, I use it in my shower, bath and sinks too!)

Here are some before pictures.....

 

Embarrassing!!! I know, that's why I cleaned it.  First, I ran the self cleaner and that helped.  After 4 hours and 20 minutes it looked like this...(I was bummed because I wanted it to be done after that)

 

Then, I waited for it to cool down, Ok, it was like a day! LOL!  I scrubbed and scrubbed with my trusty scour off and now it looks like this.....

 

YEAH!!!! I brand new looking stove without the harsh dangers of oven cleaner.

I also want to let you know that you can put your range hood vent in the dishwasher.  Here are some pictures of that...

BEFORE

AFTER

I hope that this helps you! 

How often do you clean your oven?

 

Bonnie :)

Please visit my online Shaklee site.

Sick and not Getting Better

In case you hadn't noticed i've been a bit absent for a while, i was and still am sick. At first it started off with what i thought was a tummy thing this last two days, the third day i was tossing my cookies with a fever as the kids would call it. from then on i've had a figh fever from anywhere 100-104. i didn't go in right away and apparently you really should withink 48 hours after your FIRST

Kiss Halloween Nails: Decorate Your Nails this Halloween

Ya'll know how much I LOVE Halloween so it should be no surprise to you that when I was asked to review some Kiss Limited Edition Halloween Nails I jumped at the chance. They sent me three sets of nails to try out. Here's what I got:- Kiss Limited Edition Halloween Nails: Spider webs in black and white with a silver spider- Kiss Limited Edition Halloweenn Nails: Blood red nails with beautiful

Monday Begins Again

Well just to update everyone, I'm still on my quest at a better, thinner, healthier and a happier me. I've actually lost at least 6 lbs since I have began, I have found it easier to drink water which at one time I absolutely hated and when I get hungry during the day to just grab a salad. I think it'll be easy to lose that first 20 pounds, but after that it sounds a bit harder. Over the weekend I

3 Holiday Gift Ideas

This is for the 60 days until Christmas Countdown. Hope some of these will help you out. Toddler:My first recommendation is going to be the Playskool Busy Ball-Tivity Center from Playskool. Why? This was one of my son's favorite toys last year and he was about 18 months old. Even today he plays with this. He loves to watch the balls go round and round, and he has now learned that if he takes off

60 Days Until Christmas....

Are you ready? With only 60 days until Christmas I bet some of you are starting to really begin to feel the pressure of getting that perfect toy or even just any toy these days. For the next 60 days I plan on bringing you 3 toys per day to help you prepare, due to the fact I have four kids and one (at least) in each age range. Baby-Tween-Teen. Plus I'll even update the Top 10 toy lists from

Winners of Child Safety Kit/book

The winners for the Safety Guide for Parents and 4 winners (1 will be included in the grand prize) were all selected by the Random.org generator: 4, 10, 5, 9, 13The winners are:- IdentaKey Medical Records Storage would be very valuable to have.# posted by ydsddd (GRAND PRIZE, meaning you'll get the book and child safety kit)- I like the wean machine, for making your own baby food.# posted by

Anger Envelops Her

I wrote this post yesterday and wasn't going to post it but I think I need to do it, just so I can later look back and remember. There are only some points in my life that I actually get on my blog and just rant about my feelings and this is going to be one of them once again. Do you remember earlier this year where I told everyone that life really likes to throw wrenches at you? Well I've

Confession Time: When I Strip for Ya'll

It is time that I be completely honest with all my readers and this post is truely doing just that, in a way I'm about to strip completely naked right here for you. No, I'm not going to show you a bunch of naked photos, for all those sicks that found this post through google you can now leave. Many moms have found themselves where I am today, many moms have done the very thing I am doing and now

SoccerBoy's Mouse Mobile

SoccerBoy is taking IT (Industrial technology) or wood shop like we probably called it as kids. Well it seems they created CO2 cars and he really loved it, he made his in the shape/color of a mouse. I found it really cute. What do you think?The car didn't beat the rest of them but he said he had fun making it. He's upset that 7th graders only get to have a quarter of the class and must wait to

Child Safety Book Giveaway

Kay over at My Precious Kid wanted to help everyone out and give one lucky "The Life of a Home Mom" reader a chance to win a "Child Safety Book." This book will include the following topics:ChildproofingThe safe cribSafe baby sleepingSafe infant productsProduct RecallsCar seat safetyChoking HazardsPoison HazardsWater hazardsWindow HazardsDefinitely good topics to know about, I know some thinking

The Balloon is Down

The balloon is now down, the man running to it apparently stopped it and they are currently popping it to get the helium out. So far it seems like they can't find the door to the balloon. By the way the balloon looked more like a UFO. The sad news, there is no boy in the balloon. They are believing that he may have fallen out between the time it took off and landed.

6 Year Old Floats Away in Air Balloon

Just a little while ago CNN broke news channels around the United States, sorry not sure if it went around the world. Truth be told I only know as I got a quick call to go to cnn.com and check it out. At first I laughed, a 6 year old in a hot air balloon. But then I thought, wait it's a 6 year old, by himself in an air balloon. What if he falls? CNN reports: Officials are trying to rescue a 6-

~*Chalkboard Love*~

My chalkboard (the frame was a yardsale find...50 cents) is one of my favorite things in my kitchen!

And, the Chalk Ink markers recommended by Aunt Ruthie of Sugarpie Farmhouse are my favorite things to use on it...no more regular chalk for me!

Disney Living Yahoo Video: Mickey Mouse at KC Union Station

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The Disney Living video where Mickey Mouse came to KC Union Station. I didn't have the code before to put it on here but they were kind enough to send it. So click it and watch the kids and Mickey Mouse as they dance, sing, play with trains, color, etc. You already saw the

Wordless Wednesday: Kids and Mickey Mouse

The pictures below will not take you to the youtube page. But I wanted to show their special moments. The Kids (BalletGirl, BabyGirl and Little A) made it on the Disney video when Mickey Mouse came to KC Union Station. It doesn't let me load it as a video so here is the Disney Living Video. Happy WW! Don't forget to look at WordlessWednesday and 5Minutesformom.

Healthy Halloween Treats from Disney FamilyFun

Kids on candy overload? Here are six fun – yet healthy – recipes for parties or after-school snacks from Disney FamilyFun magazine. Black Bean Cat Crudite´sNo bones about it, this kitty skeleton makes a healthy centerpiece for Halloween parties or school gatherings. Just arrange assorted fresh vegetables and a bowl of your favorite black bean dip in the shape of a spooky cat.Edible Eyeballs- Set

Little A's New Jacket

Little A hasn't needed a jacket until recently, he had all types of warm clothes but a jacket he was lacking. That is until today, yep, it got way too cold out here and we were determined to find one. So far we hadn't been able to find a single one that looked warm enough. Walmart had one that was a 4-piece and included hat and gloves for only $25. The jacket is really warm and he loves it so

Baby Einstein: Animail World DVD

You know I just love the Baby Einstein products, one reason, as many of you know is I have a child at that perfect age. The other reason I love Baby Einstein is because they are all about educating young minds. Baby Einstein just came out with the World Animal Adventure DVD, a review is below written by BalletGirl, well by me but she told me what to write.This is about these two monkeys that go

Five Ways to Make Family Travel More Affordable This Fall

This is a guest post by: Barbara Messing, VP Travel-Ticker.comBeing a mom who works in the travel industry, I’m always getting questions from other parents about how they can plan a getaway with the kids that won’t break the bank. These questions range from “Where should I go to get the best value?” to “How can we save money on holiday travel?” to “What is a great family-friendly destination?”…

Our Morning with Mickey Mouse

The girls, Little A, daddy and I all went down to Kansas City Union Station to see Mickey Mouse yesterday morning. Let me say one thing, it is always wise to bring a jacket with you in the morning if going to Kansas City. Thankfully I made all of us bring jackets, however it was still cold. Brrr. The place is huge, I never knew really how big it was until I stood in front of it. Look at that

Mickey Mouse is Coming to KC

Mickey Mouse will be arriving at Kansas City Union Station on Saturday, October 10, 2009. He and a few friends, including a few Marines for Toys for Tots will be briefly stopping in town around 10 am until noon. This is a free event for those that want to attend, however they do ask that you bring an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots.Here is the info:Mickey Mouse will pay a visit to Kansas City’s

U-Play Mat Review

I was recently asked to review the U-Play Mat and I will admit at first I wondered if my 2-year-old would get any use out of it besides as a runway. Instead once the package came and I pulled it out and started placing the cards in their slots I thought about whether or not Little A would be able to match up the pictures. I called him over and he quickly caught on, I mean really quickly too, so

~*Fall Is Here*~

Hi blogging friends, I've done a little bit of fall decorating around my home that I wanted to share. 

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Here is my dining room table.

Deacon's bench with a real goose decoy.

The fireplace mantle.

The top of my computer hutch.

Old dresser in the living room.

Old school chalkboard...when I got it, it was painted this vibrant yellow on the one side.  I was going to paint over it, but decided it looked fine to me!

Pumpkin on a scale along with some of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks.

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I really enjoy your visits and appreciate all of your comments.

♥ Kim

Wordless Wednesday: Found Them

Guess what we found? I'll give you one clue, no longer will you spot BabyGirl like this:But instead you'll find her like this: Did you guess? Yep, we found the glasses, apparently she has a side part inside her dresser that we never knew about and it was inside there, behind the drawers and just under the dresser but not under it. Phew. Happy WW!

Why Did I post a Disclosure?

Okay some of you are probably wondering why I just posted a Disclosure as a post. The reason for this is because of the FTC report that came out yesterday, I'm just covering my butt if you know what I mean. For those that don't know here is the part that seems to be freaking everyone out:FTC Changes Affect Testimonial Advertisements, Bloggers, Celebrity Endorsements:Under the revised Guides,

Disclosure

Written by Elizabeth (Eliza) FerreeThis is my personal blog where I write about anything and everything under the term "mom." As many know, I am a stay (work) at home mother of four children and wife. So basically anything that comes across my life is part of "Homemom" and I can and will blog it. If you have any questions in regards to my blog and would like to contact me the email is homemom3 (

Winner of the Wendy's GC

Yes, I'm a day late and very sorry. But here is the winner of the contest. First, this contest had over 100 entries which I haven't seen lately on this blog so looks like some of ya'll are really hungry. Sorry I don't have more than one to pass out, but the winner was......#131 which is Sarah ZI was in the Orchestra!ThanksSarahbelievedreamcourage (at) gmail.com# posted by Sarah ZWow, the

Carma Turns Bad to Good

Oh, don't tell me carma doesn't come around and wishing out to the Universe doesn't pay off. First, this week had been a very bad week. The school called earlier this week asking if my oldest daughter, age 9, was doing okay. Confused since I'd put her on the bus that very morning I asked if she threw up and if I needed to pick her up. Instead I got more confusion as they claimed she'd never been

Wendy’s High School Heisman Blog Tour & Giveaway

How many of you love Wendy's? I know I just love those frosties they make and of course the mushroom hamburgers, the kids love the chicken sandwiches. Well Wendy's wants to help the kids out once again and this time they are giving them a reward. Check out the following information:With college admissions growing more and more selective, the Wendy's High SchoolHeisman program presents a great

A Trip to the Carnival

Thursday and Friday it was time to go out and have some fun with the family. So what did we do? Well the town has a carnival in town for "Oktoberfest" and we hit it up. Thursday was just a night for the rides before the GRAND OPENING on Friday, we figured this would be the best time to hit it up with very few people.As you can see we decided to walk up there for two reasons. 1. to get the kids

~*There's No Place I'd Rather Be*~

H ♥ M E

Don't you just l♥ve this old chalkboard?

♥ Kim

Our trip to Ringling Bros Circus

Okay, here are the results of the Ringling Bros Circus. First, when we got there it almost looked as if we were at the wrong place because we got there early. They had the elephants outside eating hay and playing with a tire. We watched for a bit as the two youngest screamed with laughter (Little A) and talk about how they are her favorite animal and she would love to bring it home with us (

Wordless Wednesday: Family at Circus

Okay this shot was taken by SoccerBoy. Here is me (mom), the girls and Little A standing with one of the Ringling Bros Circus performers. You can see the excitement in their faces, of course the elephant on stage caught Little A's attention.Happy WW!

A Spider Greets Me

I've been thinking about Fall and Halloween all week now. The one thing that I always associate with Halloween is spiders. Right? My food friend, Michelle, has even been showing me her photos of spiders which are great. (in fact I'll be doing a giveaway in the next few weeks for one of her photos)Well imagine my horror/surprise this morning as I open the front door to find THIS hairy monster

GE Sweepstakes Contest

Don't forget to click on the little "GE Strong as Steel" Sweepstakes ad on the side of the page. You can enter this once a day for your chance to win:-GE Tall Tub Built-in Dishwasher-GE Spacemaker Over-the-Range Microwave Oven-GE® 25.0 Cu. Ft. ENERGY GE Side-By-Side Refridgerator with Dispenser-GE® 30” Free-Standing Electric Range-GE® 30” Free-Standing Gas Range with Warming DrawerI will not

Ringling Bros Circus Came to Town

Here's a few pictures of just a few things we saw this past Thursday when the hubby and I took the kids to the Ringling Bros Circus in Kansas City, thanks to MomCentral. The kids had a blast and so did we. Honestly I thought it would take a lot longer to get there due to traffic, even tweetered that as we were hitting traffic. It ended up going fast after about ten minutes, when we got to the big

The Wizard of Oz's 70th Anniversary in Theaters

I just got word that those in the right cities will be able to watch "The Wizard of Oz" 70th anniversary in theaters. Read the info below:NCM Fathom, Warner Home Video and Turner Classic Movies present The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Hi-Def Event in over 440 movie theaters on Wednesday,September 23rd at 7:00 p.m. Audiences will be treated to the full feature, plusa deeper look into this

Atkins Product Blog Tour

We recently got to try out the new Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix and pasta. This is definitely and easy way to bring healthy food into your family diet. These days it seems that family are going for the easy way out, the quick drive thru run or call and order a pizza. Sports seem to make this quick and easy meals just that more convienent as no one wants to stay up late for mom/dad to make dinner

Wordless Wednesday: Picture Day

It was picture day yesterday and Little A felt left out after I took this picture of the girls. So once at home he stood up on a chair and proudly showed me his school outfit. Happy WW! Leave a comment so I can return the favor.

Thank You VerizonWireless

Yesterday was a halfway okay day, it started getting bad when I didn't have any soda/sugar in the house and developed a bad headache. But it got worse when the hubby came home and showed me we had an extra $300 on our phone bill. Knowing very well we couldn't pay it and that if we coudln't we'd lose the phone and since my internet is connected that too. I went into panicked mode and we

MSN's MomsHomeRoom and 'Little Bites'

Wow! These are so small, not like your average mini-wheats. MomCentral recently sent me a box of the new Kellogg's breakfast cereal Frosted Mini-Wheats "Little Bites", the difference is these are half the size and honey nut flavored. I'm sure there are other flavors but I like the lightly touched honey flavor.But in combination with the new cereal MSN has created a website for moms to chat about

Sonic Limeade for Learning Winners

The two winners were done different today, the first one was picked by my son. I asked between 1 and 150 pick a number. He immediately replied, "that's easy 77, the year of your birth." Sooooooo, the winner is...Loved my 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Gale. LOVE Diet Coke with Lime and want everyone to vote for MY project:I would give to my project!!! Check it out!! It's called: We Love Reading Groups!

Barbie and the Three Musketeers Mini Doll Review

I thought it would be best if I placed the review for the Barbie and the Three Musketeers Mini Musketeers Doll apart from the movie review. Hope you check out the movie and then come back to let me know what you thought.BabyGirl is 6 years old and in the all things imagination and Barbie Stage, which I love. It is amazing the things she remembers, right after watching the movie she went and took

Barbie and the Three Musketeers Movie Review

I was recently sent the new "Barbie and the Three Musketeers" movie and doll to review. First, I want to explain that Sophie (the PR Gal) and I chatted about my own daughter recently being upset that there were no Barbie or Princesses that had glasses. Sophie sent us a Barbie Bag that on it has Barbie wearing Sunglasses. It tickled BabyGirl so much, she continues to carry that very big bag with

My Sonic Trip

Okay this is a bit late but so much has been going on. Thursday I did get offline and take Little A up to Sonic Drive In with me to use our $25 Sonic Gift Card to buy something for "Limeades for Learning." I ordered a breakfast burrito and a large rootbeer, he ordered the grilled cheese sandwich with a Strawberry limeade. He wasn't too impressed with his limeade so I did buy him a chocolate

~* My New Treasures *~

Hello blogging friends! I have some goodies to share with you...while visiting a local resale shop to make a donation of things my family no longer needed I found this antique wash stand. At first I wasn't going to get it...what would my dear hubby say...did we really have the room for it...I honestly didn't know what to do so I decided to give my name and number to the sweet lady there. Low and behold I received a call and was offered it at a lower price! Of course, I couldn't pass it up!

I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to do with the finish...should I paint over it...should I strip the paint off? I'm still contemplating what to do.

I love the curved front on it! I know that I am definitely changing the hardware.
I also found this nice picture frame that I'm going to make into a chalkboard for my porch.

And last, but not least, I got this old window from my church. They were replacing all of the windows with new ones. When an announcement was made asking if anyone would want one, I knew I wanted one for sure! I've gone to this church since I was a year old and I wanted a part of history. I'm painting the frame because it's in bad shape, then I'll hang it in the dining room. Thank you so much for stopping by!

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Thank you all for your sweet birthday wishes! You all are so kind. On another note, Lil Mama has still not returned and it has been three weeks...I'm still holding out hope that she'll return one day.

♥ Kim

Sonic Drive In and Fundraisers

Kids were so excited yesterday when they came home from school. SoccerBoy had won some type of ipod-like radio. I'm calling it that because it was small like an ipod but only picked up radio stations, unfortuneately it doesn't seem to work inside the house. I'm going to try it out later today when I go for a walk. The two oldest also received those state score tests that they do in school each

Wordless Wednesday: The Face Says it All

We got a shipment to review yesterday, which I think BabyGirl really likes. What do you think? Happy WW! Leave a comment so I can visit.

Feeling Better and Updating

Yes I know my titles have died out but I've been sick for a few weeks and it seems that it is finally dropping the veil. I can finally stay awake longer than a couple of hours which feels great, but with the new storm coming in I can only wonder if I'll be back in bed very shortly. So yes, I've been a bit out of it but rest assured I'm getting better and coming back to blogland. Miss me?What's

Limeades for Learning: Sonic's Giveaway

Ya'll know how much I just LOVE my Sonic's and thankfully there are a few in my area. But for today I'll stick with something for everyone. Did you know they are currently doing a "Limeade for Learning" for the month September, SONIC will donate more than half a million dollars to fund classroom materials and experiences needed to inspire learning. I don't know about you but to me this sounds

Lunchables Review

Ya'll saw my post on our Lunchables Party, now for me to tell you all about the Lunchables themselves. First, buying a lunchable is one of the quick things a mom can do that is rushing. This comes with the meal and drink. Now not all lunchables come with a drink, however the new combo meals do...which I love. (this is late due to everyone being sick, still hoping to get caught up with everything)

First Breastfeeding Doll, Now a Pole Dancing Doll?

A pole dancing doll? I'm serious, that was the google trend, someone thought it would cute to make a doll that dances around a pole. I couldn't even picture and occasion you'd give this doll to a child. I mean she's a pole dancer. I guess sure if she plans on growing up to become a pole dancer/stripper that's the perfect graduation gift but I haven't heard very many girls say that's what they

Life in the Sick Lane

Oh three of us have came down with the colds from....ummm, well let me just say it SUCKS. The kids have started school and we all know that means bringing home the germs and sure enough by Friday BabyGirl had come come with some sniffles. But since daddy was taking them to the big Football Game on Saturday she pretended to be just fine. The game was the KC Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks, course KC

Ringling Brothers Circus Winner is....

The winner of the Ringling Brothers Circus is....... Tweeted!!http://twitter.com/mom2anutball/status/3658057989# posted bymom2anutball : 9:54 PMI love the Tigers! So pretty! Thanks for thechance, and the info. I had no clue it was coming!hawkgirl_16{at}hotmail{dot}com Congrats to Mom2aNutball, I have four nutballs myself so I think these tickets will come in handy for you. Send me an email with

Lunchables Party

Okay I'm a bit behind in posting a few things so I'm going to play a little catch-up here tonight. First up, we recently had a LUNCHABLES Party thanks to a website called, "HouseParty.com" that supplied almost everything. By this I mean I got the guests, the blankets and the space but they sent me the coupons for the FREE lunchables, $1 off coupons for each of the guests to buy their own,

~* I Am Still Here *~

I thought I'd drop in and say "Hello" to let all of you know that I haven't flown the coop! This chick just hasn't had much to post about. I'm hoping that come September, I'll have some fall decorating to share.

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During my absence I celebrated my 43rd birthday...wait...I'm not 43....I'm 44...what am I talking about...LOL....also discovered my first gray hair!

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Thank you all for the comments you continue to leave on my blog...I really appreciate each and every one of them. On a sad note, Lil Mama, one of our sweet kittens that I wrote about on my previous post has disappeared...I am just heartsick...it's been almost two weeks and we haven't seen her at all. I'm praying that she'll come home safe and sound!

♥ Kim

Wordless Wednesday: Lunchables Party

We were one of the lucky ones that got picked in HouseParty to host a Lunchables party, here's just one pic of the event. As you can see Little A likes his lunchable. More pics and a review will be coming but had to start you off with something for WW. Leave a comment if you'd like me to visit!

Book Review: Daniel X: Watch the Skies

MomCentral recently asked if my son, SoccerBoy and I would like to review: Daniel X: Watch the Skies. Of course I just had to say yes, I mean he got hooked after he read Dangerous Days of Daniel X back in August of last year. My son anxiously awaited fot the new book to arrive, which was kind of funny since he had been eyeing it for a few weeks while it was hitting the store shelves.Here's his

Weekend With No Kids

On Friday the hubby called me from work and asked how I felt about going up to his moms. Now not that I'd care, but I had some MAJOR homework to do and it just wasn't sinking in. I knew I'd have to be hitting the books all weekend, "Probably not this weekend I have a ton of studying. You and the kids can go." He responded with, "Would you be okay with me taking the kids up there?" I was a bit

Ringling Bros. Circus Ticket Giveaway (4pk)

Oh I just love the circus, I remember going as a child a few times. My favorite part of the circus was watching the acrobats and eating the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth cotton candy. What's your favorite circus snack? As for the animals? My favorite for the circus would have to be the elephant, just like my youngest daughter, BabyGirl. So she is going to flip out when I actually tell her I got

Wordless Wednesday: Sad Face and Painting

Believe it or not this is how Little A spent most of yesterday. Yesterday was the first day without any of his siblings home. That's right, they are all in school now and he was not letting me go or out of his sight. I guess he thought I'd leave too, in the picture you can see his little hand is cupped against my shirt. He's actually watching Wubbzy here. In the following picture he finally

All Kids at School

Wow, I can't believe I'm finally typing this. Okay the truth is I still have one more at home but the feeling is so strange to me. Bright and early in the morning SoccerBoy leaves for school, two hours later his sisters get on the bus. I still have one more at home with me but it is a big change.This morning was BalletGirl's first day of 4th grade and since she didn't go on her siblings first day

School's Out....

Okay, not really, but apparently they didn't think the kids had enough of a summer vacation and gave them one more day. See, two started last week, BabyGirl and SoccerBoy for their transition into Jr.High and K-garten. Today I guess is a teacher break (so soon? I didn't think the kids would be that hard to deal with just yet), the teachers say it is to get all the papers done for the school year.

BabyGirl Goes to Kindergarten

Today was the first day of school for BabyGirl, she entered Kindergarten and there was just no stopping her. Yep, no matter how much I begged her to stay my little girl. She insisted that she had to go and could not be late and that I could kiss her one more time before we left the house. To which of course I did, I worried about all those things moms worry about when they are about to put their

Wordless Wednesday: Sizzix

What else were we suppose to day on the last week before school was out? Since Sizzix sent us this beautiful display we just had to have fun with all the crafts. You can see some of the crafts done, but I'll be reviewing this in a bit and let me just say we LOVE out Big Shot from Sizzix. Happy WW!

Epic Summer Tour

Have you been on an Epic Summer trip? This summer we ended up staying at the house, but in the past we've been known to travel around visiting all types of beautiful scenary and educational spots. Last month Momcentral told me all about a site called, "Epic Summer." Epic Summer is located in the beautiful Colorado and they want to help plan your next summer vacation, you can choose their 4 or 7

Ruby Tuesday: The Red Bowl

Betcha didn't know a red bowl could look so good did ya? Well, after reading a post over at Mom Is Teaching about making a Jiffy Muffin cake I just had to have muffins. Okay, it wasn't just me that wanted muffins, the kids did too and as you can see Little A decided he was the baker. This (for those that don't know) was the chocolate chip muffin mix by Jiffy. (jiffy is a blue and white box in the

BabyGirl Went Birthday Shopping

I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but for birthdays now we've decided to try the following. One gift is given to the birthday child on their birthday, cake and ice cream. Yes, small and simple but that isn't all. A few days later, since each one has happened to be on the weekday, we take them Birthday Shopping. Each child is given a set amount to spend on ONLY them, they are NOT allowed to buy

Bugsby's Great Adventure Contest

This morning I was notified that Bugsby by Vtech was having a contest where kids actually got to write an "Adventure with Bugsby" entry. As many of you know BabyGirl turned 6 this past week and will be starting Kindergarten in less than two weeks so this was the perfect thing for her. She got to pick out the characters, objects and any text she thought they'd have. Hurry over and enter the "

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Birthday BabyGirl

BabyGirl will be entering Kindergarten this year and on August 2nd our little pixie turned 6. Happy birthday once again BabyGirl. I just love looking at pics of when she was first born to her 6th birthday. That girl has so much emotion! Happy WW ya'll, don't forget to leave a comment so I can visit ya.

A Breastfeeding Doll for Kids

Oh my goodness, I couldn't believe the trend hitting the internet today so I looked it up and sure enough there is an actual "Breastfeeding Doll" for kids. Yes, now your daughter can breastfeed a baby doll just like mommy. While I may have breastfed my four kids, I'm not okay with my daughter pretending to breastfeed a doll. Am I wrong here?A Spanish toymaker by the name of Berjuan has created

Earn Money with Gather.com

I know with the economy in the bad area that it is in many of us are looking for extra ways to find some spending cash. Especially since there is no more spare money between those couch cushions anymore. Am I right? Well besides all those little emails I always hear about or those surveys, I've found another way and it is called Gather. So join me now in learning a bit more through the Gather

Bird Comes Smashing in....

Hmmm, what to blog about today. Well, early this morning a bird flew up and smacked right into my glass door and dropped down. I felt horrible, but I guess you can say Windex really does make it shine through. Okay that wasn't really funny, the bird actually got hurt and didn't seem to be able to fly. It kept hopping up like it was trying but would fall back down. By the way my glass door is on a

Make Life a Little Better Blog Tour

Summertime is all about making those beautiful memories you'll share with your loved ones for the rest of your life. So why not also start them small? I have four kids and I've learned that it is the smallest of things that really count with them. They don't care that they had the most birthday gifts, best school books, etc. It is the time you spent with them, the picnics you shared, swings you

Starbucks and Boob shirts

Since it takes me a whole day before getting back to Starbucks, it means I don’t always get to write about newer things on my mind. Such as the following:The girls are currently cleaning their room, SoccerBoy has just finished mowing the grass and Little A is sitting in front of the TV watching a “So Smart! Video” which we’ll review in a day or two, right now I’ll just say he LOVES Iggy on it.

The Life of a Home Mom: Blog Hop '09

Alright ya'll, as you already know I am not going to be at BlogHer, no matter how hard I click my red shoes together. But I am going to jump in and join all those wonderful blog ladies that are doing the Blog Hop 09. What does this mean? Oh I simply introduce myself and the family.Howdy ya'll, how ya doing? Let me Welcome you to The Life of a Home Mom! I'm so happy you can make it and hope that

Killing Time & Getting a Break

Okay I'm still waiting but I hear I should have that little device on Monday. So ya'll wish me tons of luck. Honestly it hasn't been all that bad, I've discovered that I won't die with my internet off for a few days but I will come very batty. I mean you take out the TV, four kids that don't always want to play with mommy and only movies you've already watched a bazillion times and tell me what

Hello blogging friends! Thank you all so much for the sweet comments that were left on my last post. I hope my formula works for those of you who are giving it a try. Honestly, this is the best year I've had for hanging baskets. I thought I'd show you a picture of the other hanging baskets. I am still amazed at how much they've grown.

I also thought I'd share the view we have from our porch...this is it on a nice day. I love this view so much and really enjoy how it changes through the seasons.

As you can see, the view isn't that good on a rainy day.

This is Lil Mama...one of the kittens. She is one of the sweetest little gals ever! They all spend a lot of time enjoying the comfy furniture on the porch.This is Bubba, the only boy in the bunch. He didn't appreciate having his picture taken...lol.

Thank you so much for stopping by...I hope you all are enjoying your summer!

Please stop by again...I enjoy the company.

♥ Kim