Their Characteristics Unify Us as a Family

While watching the movie The Odd Life of Timothy Green (which I loved by the way), I started thinking about all the different characteristics and qualities we have as a family and what’s displayed in my children and how much I love them. You know, when you become a parent you look at your child and think you have the most precious gift in the world; because well you do. As they grow older that love for them deepens and you carry those feeling to their school, your place of work and everywhere you go. You say, or at least in my case, “my children are so smart. They are smarter than the average child.” “My son is hilarious, adorable, handsome……” “My daughter lights up a room with her smile” To me, no child comes close to my child. Everyone thinks their child is special or uniquely better than every other child, I’m not saying my child is better than yours except that I am (because we all do it)

When I think about my own children and their unique qualities, I was actually surprised at how different each one of them are and how uniquely they display different characteristics of my husband and I the good ones and the bad ones

My son

BW Miles close up

no attention to detail like me
loves to eat like me
social, outgoing, and loud. You can’t *not* notice him… we’re not sure where this came from
smart like his dad
musical like me
naturally funny like his dad
stubborn I want to say like his dad but perhaps both of us
negotiator like me

My daughter

IMG_9338

quiet and shy like me and her dad
notices everything like her dad
smart like me
not an athlete like her dad
honest to a fault like her dad
beautiful like me
smile to die for like me
beautiful singing voice like me
goofy as all get out like me

And with all of these characteristics they bring complete joy and magic to my life. My daughter’s most magical moment for me was that she was born with her amazing smile, I adore her smile. They say children don’t smile until they are a few months old, she was smiling from the first second. My son’s magical moment happens every time someone walks up to me and says, my child loves Miles. He wins people over and his amazing ability give me great joy. For our family the absolute most special magic and joy they brought into my life was how they influence my husband to be the father I always knew he could be.

IMG_9657

Of course they drive me crazy and I make mistakes yelling at them. I’m not perfect, they’re not perfect, parenting is not perfect, but we’re a family and love each other and support each other and learn from each other no matter what.

I saw the movie The Life of Timothy Green at an early screening thanks to Disney

Family Facebook Videos Of Picky Eaters Boost Kid Essentials Giveaway

I’m a Boost Kid Essentials Brand Ambassador and we’re going to be spending the next two months talking about kids and nutrition and three different families struggling to get their kids to eat right. Meet the Brunelle Family. Van is underweight and his mother worries about him as all the other kids look twice his age so she works really hard to get him to eat more and makes sure he’s getting the right amount of nutrition.

How can you get nutrition into your active kids?

I often wonder if my kids are getting enough veggies in them. So far, I’ve been pretty lucky with how picky they are, but as a mom that worries I still wonder about the veggie intake. Lately though as Zoe is getting older she’s starting to get picker and it’s harder to get her to even try something she thinks she’s not going to like and protein is what she avoids the most. So in our house we’ve really pushed the fact that you have to try it. We still can’t make her eat it after she’s tried it. I’ve seen so many parents have even more trouble with their children than I do. I can only offer the advice of giving them lots of options and to not give up. Also it’s good to use things like Boost Kid Essentials to make sure they are getting all the vitamins and nutrients that they need. And you can always get creative with it. Try the Boost Kid Essentials Chocolate Caramel Banana Cooler Recipe.

My other advice is to not let yourself feel helpless, doctors almost always have really good advice too. I’ve recently visited my doctor and talked to her about Zoe. The peace of mind and ideas she gave me really helped me relax a lot.

Visit Boost® Kid Essentials to sign up for special offers

Do you have any ideas or need help with your children? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section asking or giving advice. Also visit Boost on Facebook and watch the video about the Brunelle Family.

On Wednesday, June 20, 2012. I’ll be participating in a live chat on the Boost Kid Essentials Facebook Page talking about my struggles with a picky eater and I would love for you to join me!

Enter to Win:

25 VIP Boost Kid Essentials Free Product Coupons

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me about struggles in your family with picky eaters

Extra Entries:

use the rafflecopter and leave a way for us to verify it

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends May 28th. Please see the giveaway rules.

Did You Know I Find Chocolate Chip Cookies Impossible? #behindthebrand

Did you know that I love to cook. You probably knew that since I blog about food all the time. You might also have noticed that I love to bake. I just love creating new sweets and special desserts, but did you know that I find chocolate chip cookies impossible. I do, seriously I do.

I’ve tried using butter, they usually come out too crispy. I’ve tried using margarine; they come out too cake like. I’ve tried using butter Crisco and they almost come out right but still just not quite what they are supposed to be. I followed the recipe to the letter and no matter what I do I just can’t make a chocolate chip cookie come out right.

Did you know I can’t even get box cookies or refrigerator cookie dough to come out correctly. By the time the timer goes off there is always something wrong with my simple chocolate chip cookies. This leaves me with only one option. My husband is in charge of making the chocolate chip cookies in this house.

Now GoDaddy has a few unexpected facts about them that you may not know. For one, I use GoDaddy.com for my domains and renewals. I’ve been using them for more years than I have been blogging. Here is something else..

Did you know Go Daddy actively employs and promotes corporate women? The chief human resources officer, VP of PR and VP of marketing are all women, as are several high-ranking individuals in the legal department.

And I was only supposed to share one stat with you but you all should know how much I appreciate a company that gives back. I love doing charity work and today was a big donation day for us. We donated about $600 in products today to a local charity.

Did you know Go Daddy gives back in a big way? That’s right! In 2011, Go Daddy donated more than $5 million to 56 charities both at home and around the world. From the Arizona Humane Society to Hope for Haiti, you can learn more about the diverse array of charitable organizations Go Daddy supports at www.GoDaddyCares.com.

There’s a lot you don’t know about Go Daddy! Including all the tools they have for bloggers! Check out www.godaddy.com to learn more!

ENTER TO WIN:

Join the conversation for your chance to win 3 year Unlimited 4GH Hosting from Go Daddy!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Go Daddy. The opinions and text are all mine.

Getting A Random Monthly Supply of Wine is Fun! The California Wine Club

A few years ago I realized that I enjoy to drink wine. I’m not sure when the change was or what caused the change, I just realized that wine is actually relaxing and now that I’m drinking it at the correct temperature it tastes just as good at home as it does in restaurants. In fact, I’ve had some very good wine from California Wine Company.

imageFor the past few months, I’ve been receiving a monthly shipment of two different bottles of wine as part of their California Wine Premier Club membership. In April I was gone so much I didn’t have a chance to drink very much of my wine, but this month I’ve been home and it was my birthday and it was mother’s day so I indulged. On my birthday I had friends over and we drank two bottles of wine, one white and one red. It was such a true treat for me.

Plus, I have to admit that I get a huge kick out of a monthly shipment. I love opening the box and checking out the two new varieties I received. I would never have the opportunity to try so many different kinds of wine. Every month it’s a new variety. I have been keeping notes and plan to write about a few of my favorites very soon, but I just had to share with you how much I love getting wine every month and tell you that you should consider getting a membership too. You have to be 21, because you have to sign for wine deliveries. And you have to choose your membership type. You can be a member for free, but if you want to sign up for wine deliveries than you need to decide if you want Premier Club like me or they have three other memberships you can try. Signature Series, International Selections, and Aged Cabernet Series.

 

Current Deal:

Albertina Wine Cellars 2008 "Red Splendor" Estate Grown, Zmarzly Family Vineyards

Silver Medal, SF Chronicle Wine Competition (Jan. 2012)

Retails: 22.00 currently for 15.00

Bronze Medal, 2012 Mendocino County Wine Competition

Retails: 25.00 currently for 20.00

Deep, dark beautiful violet color. Fruit-forward with soft tannins. Clusters of small grapes created intense flavors and color in the glass. Final blend is Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

I have received free samples from CA Wine Club.

More Popsicle Fun With Popsicle’s Yosicle Torpedo Yogurt

I’m a Yosicle Popsicle Ambassador this summer and we had another fun sunny day out with the neighborhood and different friends this time. So we got out a box of different popsicles to try to see how they would fair with the kids. With no doubt they were a hit again the kids were crazy about them.

image

You see on this particular day it was hot enough for swim suits. That’s very rare here in the state of Washington in the month of April, it was last month when we took these photos. Now it’s May and we’re hoping for lots of warm days and lots of swim suit outing, but only time will tell. For now, on that day it was perfect.

I know I gave you a little information on what Popsicle has created, but let’s dig into that a little deeper. Popsicle® is introducing two delicious new combinations, including a candy partnership and an unexpected twist – Yosicle™ – that combines a Popsicle® pop and yogurt! It’s a creamy variation on a popsicle. The one we tried on this day was the Torpedo. The Yosicle™ Torpedo!™  variety features three flavors in each low-fat pop: Purple Berry, Watermelon and Vanilla. Each Yosicle variety contains 10% yogurt.

image

As I was saying about the pure enjoyment, my little ham in the middle she’s doing A LOT of loving it. Plus I think the Torpedo matches her swimsuit.

image

We had one very lucky little boy who enjoyed his first every popsicle, and it happened to be the yosicle. I tried this flavor, I liked the Berry portion and the vanilla portion but have to admit that the watermelon portion was well the only word I can come up with is odd. It wasn’t bad it was just odd.

image

And as Miles would say, it’s good to the last lick

image

Like Popsicle on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Popsicle and follow @Popsicle on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Popsicle for trivia, jokes, product news and a chance to win Popsicle® product coupons.

As a Yo! Mom blog ambassador, I have received product on behalf of Popsicle. All opinions are my 100% mine.

Happy Birthday To Me

I share everything else with the world so I figured I would share that today is my birthday!

image

And I like to shoot my kids with water guns.

Are You Missing Resolve All-Stains?

I am a brand ambassador and I am being compensated for my participation. I received free product samples in order to do this stain torture test. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own and are not influenced in any way.

What is this picture missing?

 

clip_image002

This picture is missing a bottle of Resolve All-Stains. My mother in law sent me this photo to thank us for the shelf we gave her. You can see it on top of the washing machine and dryer. When she sent us the photo over Facebook she mentioned that it’s missing a bottle of Resolve All-Stains, and yes it is. We gave her the shelf because it didn’t quite fit on top of mine. It would have hung over the edge a little bit and I’m a tad ok I’m a lot OCD when it comes to edges and lines being perfectly aligned. The house can be a mess but lines have to be straight. Yep, I’m weird like that. I’m telling you this because I’m also that way when it comes to stains on clothing. Things have to match and things have to be clean. I can not send my kids or husband out of the house with a stain on it, it’s like they are walking out of the house with a sign that says, “my wife or my mom doesn’t care about my clothes”. I do care and I want people to know I care so that’s why I use Resolve All-Stains. I know Resolve will get the stains out.

I want to make sure you have Resolve on your shelf too. So I’m really happy to host another giveaway with Resolve All-Stains. Not only do you have a chance to win 3 bottles here on my blog, you also have a chance to win on the Facebook page. For more information go to the Resolve Facebook page and to enter the Stain Gambler contest. There you have chances to win a few different prizes and you only have a few days left to enter so act fast.

 

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winners, Kelly W. and Cynthia R.

Please see the giveaway rules.

I’m a resolve brand ambassador

Making Life Simpler My Resolve All-Stains Commercial

I am a brand ambassador and I am being compensated for my participation. I received free product samples in order to do this stain torture test. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own and are not influenced in any way.

image

I’m not sure if you know this about me but I’m really interested in doing more TV appearances and in doing a commercial for a major brand. When Resolve asked me to create my very own commercial as part of the Resolve Ambassador program I was super excited to give it a try. I recruited the help of my husband, because I was having trouble holding the camera, remembering what I was going to say while trying to smile. It was just too much to do alone. He was happy to help. Let me describe the scene…

 

Picture this:

You’re a mom
Laundry is everywhere
On the couch
On the floor
In the laundry baskets
In need of being folded
In need of being put away

IT NEVER ENDS

Here is my Resolve All-Stain commercial tell me what you think.

What I love about Resolve All-Stains is that it makes one thing in my life easier, getting stains out of these clothes that need to be washed. Fore more information go to the Resolve Facebook page and to enter the Stain Gambler contest.

So, was that just like your life? What do you like about my commercial and what do you think about Resolve All-Stains?

 

 

I’m a resolve brand ambassador.

Kids are #SoGoodSoSweet

Out of all the stories I could have chosen I chose a simple story A story about my kids and how they often are able to pull imagination out of the sky for a day full of fun. My husband and I both love listening to them play together and have creative fun. They come up and do things I can’t remember ever doing. I mean seeing life through the eyes of a child really brings true joy to our lives.

IMG_0731

My full story about my kids using their imagination one day can be found on the post: My Two Travelers Imagination Taking Flight #sogoodsosweet. They constantly surprise us. This trip game that they play, I posted about it on Facebook one day. It was so funny the comments I got. I randomly posted that the kids were off to South America leaving me with the laundry to do all alone. My readers and friends actually thought I was brave enough to send my kids to South America without going with them. LOL, I’m not that brave and I’m way too attached to them to let them go without me. I don’t even like taking them to school because I miss them so much. I know I travel a lot but all I do is think of them. They are my joy! Really They are!

 

Don’t Forget:

Win one of five great prizes, such as chef services, house cleaning, Flip Video UltraHDcamera and more from KFC! Vote for my sweet unexpected moment below! You can vote once per day, check out mine and other sweet moments at www.sogoodsosweet.com!

Celebrate the little things! For a limited time, get a free Double Chocolate Chip Cake with the purchase of a 10-piece meal or larger at KFC.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KFC. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules

Miles Modeling Microsoft Mice

Tongue twister or not it’s true, my son was a model for Microsoft Hardware and he modeled laptops and mice. As any four year old is unpredictable from one moment to the next, my son is no exception. When we arrived that the shoot the stylist asked me what I expected and I said, with him, I have no idea.

He started out a little scared and not sure of what he was doing. He was asked to go sit with another little girl and pretend she was his sister and he said, no she’s not. He wouldn’t sit with her so they told him to go take his first break. He was working or rather not working for even five minutes and he got to take a break.

 

 

 

Kristina (Windows Champion Handler) who loves Miles was able to get him distracted and he decided he would pretend the little girl was his sister after all. It helped that she was really sweet and tickled him to get him to smile a little. They took a few shots and then he got another break. Inside the house of the stylist there was food of all kinds which also helped Miles and his mood. He loves to eat.

 

image

This photo shoot took place at the stylist’s house and at a park really close to her house. She made all the preparations, she purchased clothes for all the kids at a second hand store and they all looked like they stepped out of a fashion magazine. I didn’t get Miles’ size to her in enough time so he wore his own clothes but he still looked amazing. She worked on getting the clothes looking just right and the hair had to be perfect. Crazy thing was, she wanted the hair to also look natural and for them to still look like kids. So Miles’ hair in those photos, that’s his natural hair, she didn’t do anything to his hair except run her fingers through it.

image

Once we got to the park, Miles started hamming it up. He really got into it and wanted to be in every picture. When he wasn’t taking pictures he was digging in the bag of food that Kristina brought for him. At the very end he even gave his sister directions for a perfect photo.

So seeing these adorable children with Mice and computers, does it make you want to go out and get a new mouse or laptop to match your new outfit?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a Windows Champion and this opportunity was presented to me as a behind the scenes of a modeling shoot. Miles was paid.