Nobody Likes To Be Sick!

But our house has been full of it this week.

If you read my tweets you have already heard some of the {gross} details of our week...but I figured being sick is so much fun that I might as well share our misery with everyone who reads my blog too:)

The fun started Tuesday at the park. After walking a few laps around the track, I let Eli play on the climbing structure and slide with Grant for awhile. Eli managed to climb all the way to the top of the slide and then vomit EVERYWHERE!

I was in shock for a minute, trying to figure out if maybe he had eaten a leaf and gagged! Nope, he was sick. I had to take him to the car, strip him down to his diaper, and then climb my big behind to the top of the slide and clean up the mess! It was not fun....luckily I had half a tub of baby wipes in my car:)

So, we come home...and he throws up a few more times on Tuesday but then seems fine on Wednesday. But by Wednesday night, everybody was joining in on the vomiting fun! Henry, Grant, and Eli were each up at different times throughout the night...and poor Jason had to take blankets out in the freezing cold to clean them off.

Now, I have spent all day Thursday...and will spend most of today too...sitting around the house with sick kiddos, hoping that by some miracle I don't get this lovely virus that they seem so eager to share!

This is what the boys have been up too:

And this is all they have been drinking:

Hopefully, the sickness will be gone soon. In the meantime, we will

sleep on the couch
watch movies all day

and drink lots of Gatorade!

*******************

In non-vomit related news, I have been trying to throw together a last minute vacation. The boys are out of school for three days in a few weeks, and I really want to take them to see SNOW! I am leaning towards somewhere in the Smoky Mountains...maybe around Asheville, North Carolina. If anybody has any great places to visit or tips for that area, please share!

I Heart My New Camera Strap

I have been one lucky girl when it comes to giveaways lately.

I have won gift cards, goodies, and now an {oh so cute} camera strap.

I won this SUPER cute strap as part of I ♥ Faces' birthday celebration! The giveaway was sponsored by the generous people at My Funky Camera...you should click on their name and go check out their website! It is full of great stuff for your camera...neckstraps, wriststraps, and even some SUPER cute notebooks!

I recieved my camera strap in the mail a few days ago....only about 4 days after I sent an email to the people at My Funky Camera letting them know which one I had fallen in love with:) It was a really hard decision, because they have so many cute choices...but I really love the mix of blues, pink, and red in the one I chose! I am sersiously thinking about ordering a matching wrist strap because it is just that cute:)

Do you have a cute strap for your camera? If you don't, I would recommend you check out My Funky Camera!

Wordless Wednesday: Healthy Snack

New Toy and New Crafts

I finally convinced myself that I had plenty of thing to make to justify buying a Cricut. So I saved up some Christmas money and a few giftcards that I had won, and I bought it! I've only had it out of the box for about two weeks, and I've only cut out a few things....but I LOVE it!

I can see this being SUPER helpful with all kinds of school projects, birthday parties, and crafts. I can't wait to start using it more...and if anyone has any great ideas or blogs to share let me know.

So far this has been one of my creations:

It is a simple frame from Target.

I used solid color paper for the background and cut out the B on some cute scrapbook paper.

I hot glued the ribbon to the back and tied a bow. Pretty easy to do and SUPER cute!

I also made these:

I am planning on mounting them on a bigger board to hang in my hallway. I also made these so that I can change the pictures up for different times of the year. I am thinking "HOP" for Easter,"USA" for the 4th of July, "BOO for Halloween, and "Joy" for Christmas!

I am having a blast playing around with my new Cricut. Is it sad that I am looking forward to the boys' next school project, so I can use it some more?!?

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. ********************************

I did NOT go shopping at local resale shop this weekend. I did NOT take advantage of their going out of business sale and buy a bunch great stuff{okay some of it might possibly be junk}. I did NOT come home with these:

and this:

I do NOT already have two other school desks upstairs...making my total number of desk 3! I do NOT have big plans to paint and decoupage the desks {now I have one for each kiddo} and put them in the boys' playroom. I have NOT been planning to fix up the other two for at least two years:) Hopefully, third times the charm!


I have NOT been really tired and lazy lately. That does NOT mean that I chose to nap this weekend instead of cleaning house. My kitchen counter top is NOT so cluttered with stuff right now that I would be embarrassed to share a picture of it:) I am NOT planning on spending the rest of the morning cleaning up the huge mess that managed to accumulate over the weekend!

FREE 4 All Fridays!

It's the fourth Friday of the month.

That means it's my turn to host FREE 4 All Fridays!

Because everybody likes free stuff, right!?!

So...what am I giving away?

How about a {SUPER cute} personalized insulated cup to help keep you and your coffee {or cocoa} warm through the rest of the winter!

Here is a pic of mine:

And you can have one too....with your own initial on it:)

To enter:

Leave a comment telling what initial you would want on your cup.

For another entry, follow my blog and leave a comment telling me you do.

For a third entry, post the SUPER cute FREE 4 All Friday button on your blog and leave a comment telling me that you did. Here's the code:

<center><a href="http://dingdingdorn.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="FREE4AllFridays!" src="http://i626.photobucket.com/albums/tt350/kellibwilson/Free4All.jpg" /></a></center>

I will use random.org to pick a winner on Sunday. Good luck.

{And don't forget to stop by Mimi's place and tell her "HI" too!}

Stuck

I have been in a craft slump lately.

Even with a new crafty toy {which I will post about next week}, I am still feeling SUPER uncrafty lately. I have few things floating around in my head, but no real plan to get them going! I think I just need a little inspiration and a lot of motivation!

I want to sew and paint and make fun crafts...but I just can't gather my craftiness together enough to actually DO anything!

I took this picture a few weeks ago when we were in downtown Mobile.

I really liked the starburst on the side of the building. I love how something so small can make something as big as this building seem special. I wish I could find that thing in my life...the small starburst that sets me apart and makes me special.

I have been looking at this picture the past week or so, trying to be inspired by it. It has helped a little, but I need to find some bigger crafty inspiration out there. Any suggestions?!?

Where do you find inspiration for the things you love to do?

Wordless Wednesday: Bowling Fun

Pork and Beans

Well, really stuffed pig and lentils....but that is not quite as catchy as Pork and Beans!

Our house has been full of 'whoops' and 'uh-oh's' lately.

Last week, Eli spilled {prune} juice all over his most favorite Christmas present...his piggy! Apparently, prune juice stains a lot more than regular juice, because his piggy looked like he had been rolling around in a real pig pen! Needless to say, he took a ride in the washing machine with some of Eli's dirty clothes. He came out surprisingly clean and has been under Eli's arm since he came out of the dryer!

Later in the week, Eli decided that a bag of lentils from the cabinet looked like they would be fun to play with. He had a grand time running around with the bag, and I didn't think anything about it....until he started throwing them like a ball! He got one good throw in, and the bag busted sending lentils flying across the room! I got the vacuum out and cleanup as much as I could, but I still had lentils stuck to my foot for at least three days after that!

I am hoping to avoid any messes pig or lentil related this week:)

What kind of fun messes do your kiddos make for you to clean up?

Walking and Winning

This: is what I have been seeing a lot of lately.

I started this year with more focus than ever to get healthy and lose some weight. So, the boys and I have been heading to the park at least twice a week. I can get a little exercise and they can play and get some of their wild and craziness energy out. It has been cold here, but not too terrible in the afternoons. Plus the cold just encourages me to talk a little faster! So far my diet and exercise plans are paying off...I have already lost 8 pounds! YAY! I just might make my goal before my dreaded 30th birthday in June!

Now for a winner!

Congrats to Leslie!

I used random.org to pick a commenter from my Wordless Wednesday post! I guess it was easy for everyone to tell that the boys were having a blast playing with some packing peanuts! Leslie send me an email with your address so I can get a fun happy to you in the mail:)

P.S. Check out Mimi's blog for a new FREE 4 All Fridays that she is hosting!

Wordless Wednesday: Silly Boys

Can you tell what is stuck to my silly boys' heads?!?

Time to Explor(eum)

This past Saturday, it was just too cold to do anything outside. So Jason and I decided to load up the boys and take a trip to a local children's museum/science center.

We met my mom and sister for lunch, and then we all headed to the Exploreum. The boys had a great time checking out all the exhibits, playing in the ball pit area, and watching an IMAX movie about dinosaurs.

Henry and Grant even played a game of Tug of War with Jason and Eli. Can you guess who won?!? You might be surprised!

After a day of fun at the Exploreum, we headed down the beautiful streets of downtown Mobile... ...back to our car...
....and then home to a big bowl of veggie soup for dinner!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. ********************************
It has NOT been freezing in South Mississippi this week! We have NOT been snuggled under blankets and drinking hot chocolate* to keep warm.

Despite the freezing temperatures we have been having, I did NOT wear flip flops one day this week. I did NOT drop Henry off at school and then walk Grant into preschool with my flip flops on....even though it was freezing outside. I would NEVER wear flip flops in 20 degree weather just because I was too lazy to go back to my closet and find socks.
I also did NOT make my kiddos wear a pair of pj's under their clothes on Saturday so that they would stay extra warm. Pj's do NOT make pretty good long johns for kiddos.

*Speaking of hot chocolate....I used random.org to pick a winner from my giveway on Friday. Congrats to Kelli from Outside My Kitchen Window! I will be sending you a SUPER cute hot chocolate themed prize. I am planning a few more giveaways this week...so stay tuned for your chance to win something!

This Makes Me Feel Better!

Who knew that store brand infant formulas were just as good as the name brand stuff like Enfamil? Well, it seems like the people who make the store brand stuff, PMB Products, knew. They just won a HUGE lawsuit against the makers of Enfamil, based on a claim of false advertising!

I have to admit,those baby product commercials always made me feel bad if I didn't buy the very best for my child....like somehow I loved my kid less if I bought the cheaper stuff! It's no wonder I felt that way.

{Mead is now banned from saying things such as “It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development,” or “There are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition.”}

But I did buy the store brand formula when Grant was a baby.

{And I saved some of the cans for future craft projects}

I had two kids 17 months apart, which meant two in diapers. Plus Henry had a milk allergy so we were buying formula for Grant and more expensive soy milk for Henry! That got to be expensive FAST! I asked my pediatrician if the store brand was okay to buy, and she said it was just as good. I obviously believed her {at least a little bit} because I bought the store brand the whole time Grant was on formula. But I think in the back of my mind, I wonder if he really was getting all the nutrients he needed!

Turns out I worried for no reason! The store brand formulas IS just as good as the more expensive name brand formulas! So don't feel bad if you want to save a little money by purchasing the Walmart of Target brand formula. It is just as good for you kiddo as it is for you wallet!

To read even more about this click here or here!