The Ultimate in Partying

I have to spread the word about the Ultimate in Parties put on by Susan and Janice of 5 Minutes for Mom.  I have taken part every year since I started my blog but they have been at this for seven years and they are good at what they do.  If you've ever wanted to meet some great bloggers through a link up, this is THE place to start.  Every year I find a handful of people I really connect with and become friends.

Take a load off and chat.  I'm Amy and I'd like to welcome you into my little spot on the interwebs.  It's not much but it's what's been keeping me sane for the last three years.  I started blogging in 2010 after getting an itch doing it for my job at the time.  I don't consider myself a writer but it sure does help to get things down in writing sometimes. I've had a journal all my life so I suppose this is a pseudo social extension of that. I love bacon, music and the obvious, coffee. I would consider myself a tough love parent even though they secretly both have me wrapped around their fingers. (Just don't tell them that!) I'm the most funny when I'm actually trying to be serious, not sure what that says about me but people laugh the hardest when the last thing I wanted was to make them laugh.

While I could go on and on about me, I don't want to keep you from the rest of the party with my cake and coffee so I will just give you a quick run down on what goes on around here...

Things I Blog About

• Family life
• Parenting
• Coffee
• Travel
• The Real Story

10 Quick Things

1.  My kids are 11 and 8 (going on 18) - he's happy to stay his age, she'd rather be out buying shoes or cruising around town.

2. We are going on 5 years in this house, I continue to call it the new house and there are still light switches we aren't sure what they do.

3. I have a cat I named Dweezil in 1997, he still romps around like a madman in heat almost every single night.

4. I moved back from out of state to live with the love of my life only 3 months after meeting him - we are going on 12 years of mostly blissful marriage and I wouldn't have it any other way and couldn't imagine it with anyone else.

5. People have always thought my younger sister is the older one.

6. I'm good at keeping secrets, it's mainly because I usually forget what people tell me but it keeps them coming back.

7. My mom had me a day before her 21st birthday, the only day she's ever thrown up a shamrock shake.

8. My son was born on my grandmother's 81st birthday - every year they talk and he tells her he can't believe she's 81 years older than him like she's getting so big.

9. Let me tell you about the time I went skydiving.

10. I have the attention span of a squirrel on coffee. I have trouble watching full length movies because it's too much of a commitment to sit there for an hour much less three.

Find out more on my About Me page if you feel the need but for some really entertaining people I know and love, please check out my Featured Guest page. 
Now please tell me a little something about you - like what made you click my page and how you're digging the party this year.  Enjoy yourself and if you need a pick me up later, I've got the coffee ready!


 

Calling Out the Bully Label

My son recently got in trouble for sticking up for a friend at school who was being made fun of by another kid in the library.
Not like trouble trouble, just in that he had to apologize for his behavior. 
Basically for his words.
This kid was mocking his friend and he called this kid a jerk.

"You know, you're being a jerk." 

I have been instilling in both of my kids that they can't stand by when someone is being bullied - say something, tell someone, don't just stand there and watch.

Now in real life, calling someone a jerk pales in comparison to the stabbiness that is sometimes reality to everyone at one time or another over something as simple as driving to work. Apparently in 5th grade, name calling is a very big deal because this kid turned around and told the library teacher that my kid used the word.

"David called me a jerk."

To which the teacher responded by telling my son to apologize to this kid with no investigation as to what was going on. I realize that 5th grade is about which situations to diffuse and which to investigate so I get that this did not constitute questions, it was about what an acceptable solution was for the teacher. I have also reinforced respect for adults and authority so he didn't argue or try to tell the story, he just followed the command given to him. End of story. He did what he was told - but it was apparent he wasn't happy about it at the end of the day. He was doing the right thing. He just went about it like a 5th grader would. He fought fire with fire.

As the teacher, and being that these kids are 11, something in me would want to ask this kid if they were in fact being a jerk. Maybe if he had used the word bully it would have been a different situation.  The big conclusion my son came to was basically standing on the sidelines instead of saying anything is better because at least then you won't be getting yourself in trouble.

In re-evaluating this situation, we determined it was his words that backfired. We talked about whether or not the person you are sticking up for is worth getting in trouble for, if this person would have done the same for him and if the problem would get better or worse if anything was said. We talked about the uncomfort factor and the power of words. We are big on practicing situations and so we substituted his calling this kid a name with something I'm personally becoming an expert at.  Here are some example responses we came up with instead of name calling:

"That was so nice of you."
"Saying that must have made you feel better."
"Was that really necessary?"
"I'd like to make chocolate out of you, you're so sweet."

Now I while know sarcasm and name calling may come from the same family, sarcasm is harder to tell on someone for so why not go there? Labeling didn't work so well. What if that bully label is thrown completely to the wayside and has no meaning? Why not instead toss out something to distract them and maybe make them think about how they are projecting themselves as a person?  He won't be doing nothing about it, he will be throwing them off instead of sitting there and watching. Instead of fighting fire with fire, smother them with kindness. Better to be pro-active than reactive. Kindness is better than name calling even if it's dripping in sarcasm, right? 

Going Old School

So my best blogging bud who I'm still dying to meet and hopefully will this year, The Robot Mommy has tagged me in the newest pass it around post about going old school.  I think she knew I needed a reason to post something since I have been under my own rock for a few months now and really have no excuse.

Annnnd we're off!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago? 

Wow - 2003 I was still a new mom, had a 1 year old son. Still renting in our first house and my cousin was living with us.  We've come a long way since then!

2. What 5 things are on your to-do list?

• Write
• Drink Coffee
• Nip my PITA and skin issues in the bud with the quickness
• Flood my blogging dry spell
• Get some sun

3. What are 5 snacks you enjoy?

I'm not really much of a snacker, not that you could tell by my waistline...

• Coffee (it's a snack, right?)
• Cheese and crackers
• Bacon
• Anything cheesy
• Avocado

4. Name some things you would do if you were a millionaire:

First pay off the house and make my bathroom bigger. Open my own coffee house where if you're a regular, you bring your own mug and take a different one home each time, take a barge cruise in France, show my daughter Paris, go back to Ireland, take my parents to pay them back for all the crap I did when I still lived with them in high school and my early 20s.

5. Name some places you have lived:

• Dolton/South Holland, IL
• Mason City, IA
• Lansing, IL
• Lowell, IN

6. Name some bad habits you have:

• Procrastinating
• Over-thinking things
• Getting sucked into the internets
• Picking my nose (just seeing if you were paying attention)

7. Name some jobs you have had:

Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, Pharmacy technician, Coffee Beanery Barista/Supervisor, Preschool teacher, Counselor/Supervisor at an In-Home facility for abused children, Drug Counselor - Intake, Office Supervisor for a European Travel Consultant where I took my trips to France, Germany and Ireland.  Currently working Retail Services for impulse items in grocery stores, Girl Scout Co-Leader and blogger part time, taxi driver, referee, alarm clock, multi-tasker, accountant, chef of the future, maid of the minions, laundry queen extraordinaire, household CEO and coffee drinker the rest of the time.  I would like to go pro on the last one!

8. Name those you are tagging for #OSBlog:

Just Jennifer

Sarcasm Goddess

Laughing Abi

All three of whom hold me accountable, support me no matter what and try to light a fire under my ass from time to time. I thank each of you for being great friends! Thanks also to TRM for getting this rusty ball rolling again!

So tell me, what (if anything) do we share in common?

My Memories Suite Review and Giveaway

I was recently given the chance to use and review some incredible scrapbooking software from My Memories Suite which so far I have only scratched the surface of all the possibilities. I had only used online photo editing before and this - is so much easier!  I didn't have enough time to get as creative as this program will allow but I will tell you what I love about it so far.

With each page created, you can crop or resize the picture right in the frame on the page which made it easier to see exactly what the page will look like.  I am a casual scrapbooker in that I have quite a few kits and stamps that are in a closet gathering dust at the moment because digging out pictures, pages and templates is time consuming.  This scrapbook software puts everything in one place for you without having to open the closet again, saving time and a mess to clean up when you're done.  Double bonus if you ask me.

Here is the first template I used:



The free templates included in the program are all user friendly and for someone like me who has a hard time coming up with my own templates, they all worked perfectly and gave me ideas for making originals.  







It also uses all the fonts you have available on your computer in the software. All pictures in the templates can be adjusted to size if need be and there is so much flexibility to create your own template for things such as facebook covers, printable crafts, banners, headers and so much more! 

Check out some other creations I came up with using their great templates - I'm a digital scrapbooking believer, soon to be expert.  (Yeah maybe not expert, I will leave that to the actual experts)

 

I may need help picking out a Christmas card this year!

As you can see, it's easy to do (if I can do it...) I think all of these took a little over an hour or so to put together and no clean up. If you are a scrapbooker looking for an easier way, this is it!

A special offer is being given to you today - My Memories Suite is offering one lucky reader a copy of their digital software for FREE!  If that's not enough, or you can't wait a week for the giveaway to end, I also have a special code that will get you 10% off your order.  (See the banner below the giveaway for details.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My code is: STMMMS48009

Note: I was given a free copy of software to review and giveaway.  All opinions are my own and no compensation was obtained.

Girls Crochet Headbands Review and #Giveaway

A highlight of my daughter's week was getting a big package addressed just to her that contained some fabulous items from Girls Crochet Headbands.  GCH offers so many fabulous items aside from the handmade headbands including gorgeous bows and flower clips, bloomers, hats, legwarmers and tutus among the other accessories.  Think ruffle butts and all the girly fun only at a great price! I almost didn't believe my eyes when I first perused the site being that I would be paying twice as much in the store for most items. I was nostalgic with my daughter's excitement knowing what was in store and impressed the quality of the products that were sent. 

The hair accessories are all interchangeable in that each bow or flower has a clip that can be connected to a loop on any headband it might match. They can also be warn individually in a child's hair which comes in handy for those oopsy haircuts that we are currently growing out. These headbands and accessories came packaged cute and complete for an easy gift for that special little girl in your life..

When I was contacted, I admitted that my eight year old daughter is not easy on hair things by any means, being somewhat of a tomboy at heart, it's not easy to do much with her hair on a regular basis just because she's not into it (yet, she's 8 so I know it's coming). If I'm lucky enough to get something in her hair in the morning, it is outa there by lunchtime or lost by the time she gets off the bus. 

The excitement when she took the package out of the mailbox matched that of Ralphie's Dad and his frageeilay award, the anticipation conversation went pretty similar. As soon as the package was opened, the fashion show began and my little tomboy became the girly girl I knew was in there. Here are some of the items that were featured in the fashion show:

White and Hot Pink Zebra Loopsy Loo Hair Bow
Double Knot Christmas Bow

Zebra Cotton Legwarmers with Ruffle
Tutus for Girls

Silver 1.5" Crochet Headband 
Ivory U-Shaped Headband
Blue Zoe Flower Hair Clip (not pictured)

She spent a good while taking various flowers and bows and putting them on different headbands each time running to the mirror to see how she looked.  She has been wearing a headband or a clip by itself every day since. It's been almost a week; nothing has been lost and is more often still in her hair at the end of the day.  She is also planning to design an outfit that includes the legwarmers and the tutu so she can wear it to school.

I love that they are offering you a chance to win $30 worth of these Girls Crochet Headbands for that little girl on your list this year. The best part?  In case you enter and don't win or if your patience won't let you wait until the giveaway is over, I also have a code for you that's good until Dec 13th - It's coffee20 (case sensitive) and good for 20% off your entire order!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Girls Crochet Headbands can be found online here:

Website: http://girlscrochetheadbands.com

Facebook: facebook.com/girlscrochetheadbands

Twitter: twitter.com/gcheadbands

Pinterest: pinterest.com/gcheadbands

*I was graciously sent an array of items from Girls Crochet Headbands for review offering a giveaway to my readers.  The opinions stated are my own and those of an actual daughter who is bringing home her hair accessories most times still in her hair. This giveaway ends 11/20/12 at 12:01 EST.  Winner will be contacted by email.

Hand Stamped Twitter Handle Necklace #Giveaway

There are many things that give me joy in my week - this week one of them came in the mail from Lauren Nicole Gifts that completely brightened my day! Denise who owns the company named after her niece, specializes in personalized jewelry and handmade monogrammed gifts for every age and occasion. She recently launched a line of social media tag necklaces. Here is a sneak peek at her sterling silver twitter handle necklace.  

This is what I call winning! Who wouldn't love to sport their very own twitter handle on one of these hand stamped beauties?  Each piece is customized to your specifics and can be stamped either in ALL CAPS AWESOME like mine pictured below or lower case letters.  Mine came accompanied by a pearl but there is also an array of gemstones including all birthstones to personalize it even more, some of which which can also be personally stamped or dated.

The necklace is delivered in its own cute little gift box complete with instructions of care and jewelry cleaning cloth to shine up the sterling silver when needed. It would make a great gift for those like my daughter who have a not so common name and are definitely heirloom quality. I couldn't wait to wear mine when it came and have worn it every day since. The chain is very sturdy despite its delicate appearance; the pendant is thicker than I expected making it habitual to play with while it's around my neck which by the way is a great way to show it off!

There are various other styles of jewelry to choose from including rings, bracelets and earrings but I gotta say I love the necklaces the most. Here are just a few of my favorites - it was hard to narrow it down to these...

1. Sterling Silver Heart of Gold Name Charm Necklace
2. Hand Stamped Mini HOPE Necklace
3. Footprint and Handprint Double Sided Necklace
4. "I Love you to the Moon and back" Pendant Necklace

The best part? They are hand stamped right here in the USA in my home state of Indiana to be exact.  Extra added bonus? There's something in it for you because a $75 gift certificate for your very own hand stamped necklace of your choice is being generously offered to one lucky reader! Enter to win below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck to all who enter!

You can find Denise on Facebook at Lauren Nicole Gifts 
and on Twitter at @LaurenNicoleLLC


*I was offered a personalized necklace to review and at the same time give you a chance to win one. Opinions are my own and this is my first rafflecopter giveaway so I hope it goes without a hitch. Please be gentle and enter often! This contest will end at 12am EST on 11/13/12

The Big Debate

While usually, you can find me talking about coffee and family - which are never topics for debate in my case, they just come with the package - I'm branching outside my comfort box here today to talk to you about the Big Debate. No, I'm not talking about the presidential debates - you can sigh relief here - we are discussing more serious issues than middle class taxes, immigration and gas prices, this is about the future of our country and our children people!

I'm speaking today on the topic I debate about the most over at 

The Sarcasm Goddess!

Leave my insides out of it!

Come visit me over there and see who really won the debate!