Color Run Fun!!

This past weekend, my boys and I had a wonderful new experience!  We participated in our local 5K Color Run.  At the age of 41, I can now say that I have done a 5K and say that my boys have done their first 5K with their mom!  When I heard about this event and read that it was an untimed, non-competitive 5K in which you could walk or run, I saw it as a perfect opportunity for us.  Not to mention the fact that you get to be sprayed with color.  When I told the boys about it they became excited very quickly and agreed to join our "team".  In fact, after I signed us up about a month prior, every week my youngest 2 kept asking when it was over and over because they could hardly wait.

As the day approached last week and I checked the weather report, it looked like we might be in for some thunderstorms and rain.  The day before I prayed that the weather would at least hold through the event.  Fortunately, while it did rain for part of it, the rain was light and not pelting down and did end part way through.  As you can see from the picture above, I made and wore my first ever tutu for the event and found colorful bandanas for the boys to wear.  Our shirts along with a color packet came with our registration.  The boys had so much fun throwing and smearing on their color packets before we started the 5K that morning.  Then there were 4 color stations that sprayed more color on us throughout the 5K.  The rain just added to soaking the colors in and making them a little more vibrant.  We had a blast and just used the rain and cool breeze as an excuse to stop for hot chocolates (ok, yes that did mean coffee for me), before heading home.  I had brought towels along to spread on our van seats to help keep the color from transferring.

The boys were excited to wear their shirts to school on Monday to show their teachers they had participtated in a 5K and already are talking about us doing it again next year.  My oldest son is even wondering if we might be able to find a local zombie run 5K to participate in.  I think that this experience has been great for our family to promote physical activity and look forward to having many more experiences with my boys like this one!  I would greatly encourage anyone who hasn't participated in an event like this to consider it.

Sometimes It The Little Things.....

Have you ever noticed that sometimes it the little things that can make your week or leave you feeling great?  Sometimes as women and/or mothers we can get so caught up in our daily routines and our busy lives that we don't get a chance to do something for ourself and enjoy it. This week I had 3 things that kind of made my week that I wanted to share.

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love my daily coffee.  That doesn't just mean getting to drink coffee daily, but means that I love to stop by our local Moxie Java that was one of the first coffee places to open up in Twin Falls, Idaho and getting to drink/savor my coffee while looking at the daily newspaper and chatting with many of the daily regulars that I have gotten to know over the past 14 years.  What a better way to start my day?  It helps me start my day on a positive note every day.  I love their dessert blend coffees that have a flavor baked right into the bean.  This way I can go out for coffee without ordering a drink with tons of added calories and because it is brewed by the pot it is very budget friendly.

However, this week I had a new coffee experience.  A new Starbucks opened in Twin Falls that has a Clover machine.  Many of you may be asking what that is.  The picture below shows what it looks like.

This lovely machine brews each cup individually with the help of the barista that grinds and measures the coffee for each cup and stirs it in delicately to the water that you see come out of the tap.  The machine then works like a reverse french press and it is really neat just watching the whole process.

I have to be honest.  I have never been a big fan of Starbucks.  I love my dessert blend coffees and anytime I have gotten a coffee at Starbucks I have always found it to be quite bitter.  However, I like to try new things and wanted to see what all the fuss was about with the "Clover".  I ordered a Clover Venti Pike's Place with a shot of sugar free cinammon dolce syrup (to give me some of the flavoring I enjoy with a dessert blend).  I will tell you that it is without a doubt the most amazing cup of coffee that I have ever had!  It is so smooth and creamy (remember I don't add cream or mild to my coffee)!  I felt like it was an experience.  One that I thought about over and over this week.  This will now be my "treat" every now and then in the afternoon when I either want to meet a friend for coffee or just take a few minutes for myself to sit down and truly savor a cup of coffee.  While you can go through the drive through and order one (I am not a coffee drive through person),  I highly recommend going in and watching them make it.

The next thing I want to share about my week is a new bra.  Yes, you heard me right, a new bra!  Remember I mentioned how busy we are with life?  How often do you get a new bra?  I know it is not a top priority on my list usually.  This week I got a new perfect shape t-shirt bra at Victoria Secrets.  Again, being frugal, bras at Victoria Secrets aren't usually in my budget.  However I had a coupon!  The salesperson made sure I truly got the right size for me (a different size than I thought I was) and I have been amazed at what a new, well-fitting bra can feel like! Definitely better than the last bras I purchased at Costco!  

Now for the third thing.  Some of you may have heard of 3-D fibre lashes/mascara.  Again, not something top on my priority list.  However, a friend was having an online party a few weeks ago and top support her I purchased a set of Younique.  While I received it last week, I just finally took the time to try it our a few days.  Wow!  I definitley like it has "opened" my eyes literally.

In the picture above, my right eye just has my regular mascara on and my left eye is done with the Younique.  Seriously check out the difference!  Look at how blue my eyes look and it really opens up my eyes!

So as I sit here drinking my Friday morning Moxie coffee taking a few minutes for myself, I encourage you to think of the little things that can make a difference.  You have to take care of yourself too!  Take time each day to reflect and some time for spirituality.  Take care of yourself physically and find time to share and fellowship with others!

Happy Friday everyone!

Is Comparison Robbing You Of Joy In Your Life?

I'm sure that many of you have heard this saying before, and if you haven't this may just give you a whole new perspective.  I have been wanting to write this post for a while talking about this as a woman and mother and how comparison can affect our lives.  What happens when we start comparing ourselves to others?  I do not believe it is a healthy thing and believe that the only comparison we should be making, is to ourselves and the progress we are making personally.  Everyone out there is living in a different situation and stage of their life.  How many single mothers are out there?  How many divorced women are out there?  Then there are those that are re-married and may have a blended family?  Who is in a more traditional situation where you have been married to the same person and have children with your spouse?  Who is a stay at home mom?  Who is a full time working mom?  Who is a part time working mom? There are so many scenarios out there that we may be living in and the last thing we should be doing is comparing ourself to others.  I could go on with the list, but I think you get the idea.  What happens when you see other women and compare yourself or situation to the one you see or perceive them to be in?  Did you notice that I said perceive?  Quite often our perception of things isn't even accurate.

When you see another woman/mother and think they have got it all together, is it based on the pictures you see on their "highlight reel" from Facebook or a blog?  Maybe what you perceive as being so amazing and perfect in someone else's life is simply a picture they are painting.  Do you see behind closed doors what their life is like or hear from them how they feel things are going?  These may be things that you are comparing that make you feel inadequate in your life and shouldn't.  We all have strengths and weaknesses.  You may see strengths in others that you feel you don't have, but what you may not recognize is that you have other strengths that the person you are comparing yourself too sees in you and wishes they had.  We were all made to function differently and chose different paths in life and that is ok.  I believe that everyone needs to base their decisions on what they think will work best for their family in their situation, not based on a comparison to others, and that as women we should be supporting each other along the way. 

As mothers/women we are faced with so many decisions.  Are you going to breastfeed or formula feed?  Do you use cloth diapers or disposables?  What type of sleep training are you using or are you (because you know you should be - note my sarcasm here).  Do you put your baby in their crib to sleep or do you co-sleep?  Regardless of what you choose or sometimes have to do when one doesn't work out, people will always have an opinion about it.  Are you doing what is best for you and your child in your situation?  Then move forward with it and be confident. Then comes the comparison of what your baby/toddler is or isn't doing yet compared to others.  Infants and children develop at a different pace.  Is your baby sleeping through the night yet? Is he/she rolling, crawling, walking, talking........  Have you started potty training yet?  Don't let someone else make you feel inadequate.  Are you a stay at home mom and loving it?  Embrace it, but don't judge others that choose a different path.  Are you a mom that works full time either based on desire or necessity too?  If it works for, or is necessity for your family then feel confident in that choice.  If you are a stay at home mom, don't make someone else feel guilty because they have their children in day care and are working.  It is very hard for working women to decide what type of child care is going to work for them.  I see women struggle with this all the time and it only adds salt to a wound when someone judges them for how they are doing things.  Where are your kids going to go to school?  Private, public, charter or Home School?  The list of comparisons can go on and on and what is truly accomplished?  Understand, that there is no one absolute right or wrong way of doing things.

Do all of these comparisons leave you analyzing yourself and situation constantly?  Do we really wonder why depression and anxiety in today's society are so high?   When you are constantly comparing your situation to how someone else's appears, the joy in your life will always be on a constant drain.  Even when you are using these comparisons to make you feel better about how you are doing things compared to someone else's mess you think you see are you really just building up a false sense of having your life in perfect order so that when something doesn't work out, your whole world comes crashing down around you?  When you are doing that, how are you making the person that's in the situation that you perceive as being a mess feel?  You certainly aren't building her up and encouraging her that she can move forward.  You could be distancing yourself from people that you are misjudging so that you build yourself up at the expense of another.  What if you stood by that woman and encouraged her through (not told her how she should be doing things)?  You might surprised because someday she might be your best ally and supporter when you are in a difficult stage or situation.

I have never believed in comparing myself to others.  I am fortunate that my dad instilled this in me at an early age.  So much so, that whenever I have been in a group where this goes on, I separate myself from it.  We need to be women that support each other and help each other grow.  Grow from what?  Whatever point you are at in your life.   If you are the woman that does not have any children yet, but when you see how other women are raising their children stop at the second you start to think "I would never.............. with my child".  Anyone with experience will assuredly tell you that will only come back to haunt you.  If you are the mom with a baby, don't compare to the mom who's kids are of a different age such as teenagers.  If your are now a grandmother, don't focus on how differently your children are doing things and tell them how they should be doing things based on how you did things.  Times change and how things are done change.

 

Instead, could we all agree to stand by, and be a blessing in each other's lives?  I think if we all did this, we would be amazed at the things we would notice in our lives.

 

I would like everyone know that a great amount of thought and time went into my writing this post.  In fact I spent weeks.  I would to hear your comments and apologize for my lack of posts while I have worked on this one.

Unplanned Blogging LOA

Looking at my blog for the past month, it kind of looks like I abandoned ship doesn't it?  What started out as a road trip to Canada for a family reunion (where I did actually manage to write my last post), turned into an unintended, month long leave of absence from Miss Mom Speak.  For those of you that have liked my page on Facebook, I did manage to share some great fellow bloggers post that I felt were worth the read.  Upon returning from our 2300 mile long road trip, I found us busy getting caught up.  While I had managed to buy almost all of our back to school supplies before we left, upon returning we had back to school eye appointments, well-checks, my oldest got braces, middle school registration, elementary school open house, and getting 4-H projects ready for/and our local fair.  It was a busy month to say the least!  Actually, I think it was our busiest summer yet and seemed like it flew by!

However, I am happy to say that we have 2 weeks of the new school year under our belts and I think it is going to be a great school year.  My oldest has started middle school and thinks it is great.  His maturity is amazing me and he has taken on many new experiences.  He has mastered the lock on his first locker, has learned busing to and from school (something we didn't/don't have available to us for our elementary school), is working serving lunches at school, has learned how to text and is doing great on communicating with me as needed, is currently trying out for and hoping to make it into the robotics club at school, and attended his first youth group at our church last night.  I am amazed and so proud of the young man he is growing into!

My middle son has taken on the big brother role of helping my youngest adapt to his first year at elementary school in the first grade.  My youngest moved from the daycare/school he had gone to since 12 weeks old where there was maybe 150 kids, to the school my older 2 have been at that has around 650 kids!  My middle son is showing him the ropes of eating breakfast at school, finding his way around, and taking the bus after school to Boys & Girls Club a couple days a week.  My youngest is done with day care!  He loves his new school and both boys love their new teachers!  My youngest even talks about all of the new friends he has made.

My role in all of this has simply been talking to them about their new experiences, preparing them, showing them around and walking them through the anticipated changes ahead of time.  The other thing that I always try to be conscious of, is if there is something new that I am nervous about, I do not share or discuss that with them.  I feel that really helps prevent them from becoming nervous about something new that they don't need the added worry about.

So while I was absent from blogging over the past month, I can happily say that we are well into a new school year that I think is going to be great!  Hopefully over the next few weeks, I will get caught up on some great new posts.

Feeling Fabulous In My Forties!

Last August I turned 40 and today I am moving forward to 41! Yes it is my birthday and I am excited about it.  To me aging has never felt like a negative, but always a positive.  I like to embrace each year as it comes and make the most of it.  As I was approaching 40 last year I really wanted to celebrate.  I was blessed to have family/friends from Texas fly in just to help me celebrate and then was able to go up to Sun Valley with my husband's family and spend a wonderful day riding the gondola, having lunch at The Roundhouse, and walking around doing a little sightseeing.

One positive of aging to me, is that with each year I believe that I am taking better and better care of myself.  I think that every woman should be comfortable with her body, know her body, and take care of it.  I want to get the most out of my years and so there are many things that I make continual improvements with.  One is taking care of my body physically and healthwise speaking.  I try to do my best to eat a healthy diet.  I joined Weight Watchers in 2000 and received my Lifetime Membership in 2001.  The only times that I have not attended since has been during my pregnancies.  This helps me to keep a weekly focus on eating healthy and maintaining my weight.  I take a multivitamin daily and try to drink lots of water.  It is no secret that I love my coffee.  However, I choose to drink a dessert blend coffee which has a flavoring baked into the beans.  This means that I am not drinking drinks that have a lot of calories.  A few years ago for our anniversary, my husband bought us a wonderful espresso maker.  If I make myself a coffee in the afternoon, I use sugar free syrup with skim milk.  By mid afternoon I avoid caffeine for the rest of the day.

Last year a few months before I turned 40, I went to donate blood and found out I was anemic.  This was surprising to me at first since I had been taking my multivitamin and eating healthy.  Then when I stopped to think about it, I realized that was probably why my energy level had been diminishing so greatly.  Especially before, during and right after my cycles.  That's when I had to look at how my cycle had changed to every 3 weeks instead of 4 and was lasting a few days longer than previously and was getting heavier.  This is why I think it important to listen to what your body is telling you.  I hope you have a good relationship with your Dr and his/her nurse and go in for your annual checks.  I do and so I had a conversation with them and together we decided that the best plan for where I was at was to consider a uterine ablation.  I moved forward with this and will say that it was a great decision.  I have not had a period since, my energy level has been great since and it has not affected my hormones in a negative manner.  

In the fall, my husband and I surprised our boys with their "dream" vacation and took them to Disney World.  It was the best family vacation we have ever gone on where we made many family memories. The boys talk about the trip constantly and I know it will be hard to ever top the fun we had there.  

In January I went ahead and had a mammogram and found it to be a very educational and positive experience.  The testing was not nearly as uncomfortable as I expected and I was re-taught how to do my breast self exams. It really showed me the significance between discovering a lump at one month of growth verses 3 months.  I will definitely be going in again as the time comes up for my annual mammogram.  Last week I was surprised and encouraged by my health insurance calling and encouraging me to go in for my annual preventative checks.

Also, in January I started wearing my Leopard Spirithood that I got for Christmas and quickly found out how fun it was as a 40 year old to wear and did not find a single person that said I was too old or ridiculous for walking around in it.  To the contrary I have had many compliments and inquiries as to where I got it.

In February, as I have previously posted, I was chosen as to be part of Tria's Ambassador program for their new Age-Defying Laser.  I am in the middle of my second 12 week cycle of treatment.  My skin feels and looks great (I think).  I even brought my laser along on the road to Canada!

In March I made the decision to go back to a passion for blogging that started a few years ago and re-define my Mom Speak blog that originated from a time I wrote for our local newspaper here.  I really hope that what I share here can help or inspire others that chose to read my blog.

I am proud that my boys know my true age and see a woman/mother not trying to hide it.  When I went to "Muffins With Mom" at my youngest boy's school in May and showed me the paper he had made me with his answers about me, by age was correctly filled out as 40.  I witnessed another little boy say to his mom "I didn't know how old you are mom so I put 30".  This woman was obviously a little older than myself and she said to her son "That is just fine sweetie, you just keep telling everyone that mommie is 30!".  Honestly this broke my heart just a little.  The example I set for my boys is very important to me.  I want them to learn honesty and integrity from what they see from me.  I also want them to see a woman that is comfortable and proud of who she is.

My husband, boys and I are currently visiting my parents and other family where I was raised in Canada.  We just finished a long weekend family reunion where I was able to see family in which some I hadn't seen since the last reunion I attended in 1989, and some I had never met in person, but had a connection through Facebook.  I don't know how many years it has been since I was able to celebrate a birthday in Canada and so I know today is going to be great and the next year is going to be even better!

I truly believe that my 40's are going to be fabulous and that I hold the key to that.  I can say that I am comfortable in my own skin and know that those who love me, love me for who I truly am.  

Is It Ok For Kids To Drink Coffee? - Caffeine and Kids

This is a post I have been mulling over for a few months ago.  Why?  Because I have been seeing/hearing of more and more parents letting children drink coffee with them and even ordering them coffee drinks at their favorite coffee spots.  I even had one woman tell me that she was told that coffee was good for children.  My first thought was: "Has something changed that I don't know about?".  So this is where I started last winter.  I asked 4 different pediatricians that I know proffessionally if something had changed and was it ok or even recommended now for children to drink  coffee or have caffeine.  I received a plain and simple answer from all 4 "no".  I then asked if there were any situations medically speaking that they would recommend to a parent that they give their child coffee or caffeine and again received the same answer.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my morning coffee.  However, that does not mean my children ever get it even watered down with milk.  If I go out for a coffee, they may share a juice and sometimes as a treat they get a steamer (steamed milk with a syrup flavoring) or a hot chocolate.  My oldest will be 12 in October.  Even on the rare occasion that they get soda as a treat, it is uncaffeinated - Root Beer, Sprite, Orange Soda...... 

I do want to debunk one myth that there is no evidence to support - coffee does not stunt a child's growth.  However, there are many other reasons as to why it is bad for kids to drink coffee.  In fact, the AAP (American Academy Of Pediatrics) makes it clear that they do not support any amount of caffeine as being safe for children's consumption on a daily basis.  The FDA is currently investigating products that contain caffeine with a focus on products aimed at children and adolescents.

Did you know that in healthcare and hospitals that caffeine is used as a drug?  In both kids and adults, too much caffeine can cause jitteriness and nervousness, upset stomach, nervousness, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, increased heart rate and increased blood pressure.  In young children it does not take a lot of caffeine to produce these effects.  Their bodies and brains are developing and vulnerable.

I have talked to many of our local Emergency Room staff that tell me it is amazing the number of children and teens they see and the results of their EKG's just from caffeine consumption.

So let's start out with insomnia.  Children ages 5-12 need at least 11 hours per day and teens need 9-10.  Caffeine in the body can last up to 8 hours.

Next, how about cavities?  Coffee is acidic and acidic drinks weaken teeth by ruining tooth enamel.

What about bone loss?  Coffee is a diuretic that increases urination which causes a loss of calcium and thus can lead to bone loss.  For every 100mg of caffeine ingested in a child, 6mg of calcium is lost.  Calcium is necessary for bone growth and development.

Then there is hyperactivity, restlessness and an inablility to concentrate that can be caused.  This can affect your child's whole school day where they are required to pay attention to focus, pay attention and sit still.  Could this lead to over diagnosing of ADD?  Just some food for thought.

Like I said towards towards the beginning of this post, I spoke to 4 local pediatricians,  Emergency Room staff, and have done extensive reading before writing this post and felt that this was a time when this information should be shared.

Summer Camp - Letting Go As They Grow

This week, my oldest son is at Boy Scout camp.  He will be 12 in October.  This is his first time away from home for more than one night.  So what were some things I took into consideration before deciding he was ready for camp?  I thought about his maturity.  Not just taking into consideration if he was mature enough to go, but also how this experience would help him to develop and gain more maturity/independance.  I think it is important for children to be able to grow and develop their sense of identity as they mature and are ready.  With my son being the oldest of 3 boys, I also saw how he deserved this experience this year.  He does very well at school, has been taking on more and more responsibilities and functioning well with those, and also puts up with a lot from his little brothers.  While his little brothers will tell you that they think he is an awesome big brother, I think he deserves a little break and some time to do something on his own while having some fun.  

I also want him to start to trust himself to start making some decisions on his own and have confidence in those decisions, while he knows he can come to us if in need of advice to make some of the more difficult ones.  Sunday as he got ready to depart I helped him check all of his supplies to know he had all of the essential items for the week.  Upon taking him to where the group was leaving from, before we got out of the van, I told him we would pray for his week at camp.  We prayed for safe travels and experiences for all throughout the week along with asking for the boys to have lots of fun.  I helped him unload all of his stuff to take and as the group prepared to leave, I said a meaningful, but not overly emotional goodbye.  Quite often as parents I believe that we need the objectivity to not transfer our concerns/emotions to our children too much as we consider how this can increase anxiety and fear in them about what they are about to embark on.  Did I have concerns?  Of course!  However, I have to believe that if I have done my job as a parent, and that I have prepard him well.  I think it is important for him to see that I have confidence in him while reinforcing that if he needs me, I am there for him.

Monday night I did receive a phone call from him at about 10:00 pm.  This showed me that he heard what I told him when he left that if he was unsure about something he could ask to call me.  I was very fortunate that one of the adults that went had texted me a picture earlier in the day and let me know that he had done and passed his swim check.  I was able to share this with him and tell him how proud I was.  Then he was able to share his concern with me - bugs in the shower.  He is afraid of bugs.  I told him that he could wear the water shoes he had with him in the shower.  He then shared with me a situation with a peer that he had to make a decision about.  Since I could see that decision put him in an awkward position with his peer, I simply took the burden off of him and told him that he should simply say "My mom and dad said no".  This allowed it to be mine and my husband's fault for saying no and not his.

I am happy to say that the next morning I got a text from the leader what a great time he is having along with another picture.  This reassured me that he was able to move on and is having a great week.  I have to say that I am so appreciative of having technology and leaders that allows me to share in his week at a distance.  

Busy Summer Days, Hot Weather & Dinner

From time to time I will try to post a recipe that my family really enjoys and that is really easy to put together. Whether it be a day that I am at work or one where we are busy running around until right before dinner time, it is always nice to have something that is quick to get on the table.  Add in the hot summer weather and not wanting to heat up the house and a crockpot is wonderful.

One of my family’s favorites is Chicken Salsa Quesadilla’s. This is a recipe I made up.

3 or 4 frozen chicken breasts

1-16oz jar of La Victoria Cilantro salsa (can be substituted with any salsa of your choice) Flour Tortillas – Regular or Burrito sized depending on your preference (I use a whole wheat high fiber tortilla for myself)

Shredded Cheese (I use Colby Jack for the kids and Pepperjack for the adults)

Place the frozen chicken breasts in crock pot. Turn crockpot on low heat if early in morning or on high if noon or later. Pour jar of salsa over chicken. The chicken will cook in the salsa. If you are around at all while cooking, break apart chicken in salsa so that the flavor cooks through. If not around while cooking, break apart when you get home and scoop into separate bowl to soak while you get your griddle ready. When your griddle is heated up, spray Pam across griddle or whatever oil/butter you use. Place tortillas on griddle and scatter cheese. I use a pretty good layer of cheese. I like to buy my cheese in 2lb blocks and grate with my Kitchen Made attachment on my mixer so that I always have some cheese on hand.   If any of the kids don’t want the chicken with salsa on their quesadilla they get just cheese. For the rest of the family, when the cheese is melted, I place a layer of the chicken salsa mixture on the lower half of the tortilla and fold the top half over. I place cooked quesadillas on a cutting board while I start the next ones. Once they have cooled a minute or two I cut into sections with my pizza cutter. I place on plate and cover while finish making the rest. If my cheese is already grated, the total time I spend is about 15-20 minutes from the time I start placing tortillas on the griddle.  Super easy, fast and delicious!

Why It Is Not Too Soon To Get Ready For "Back To School"

Last night I ran into a friend at a local store where they were showcasing their "Back To School" section.  Her question to me was: "Don't you think it is crazy they are already pushing shopping for back to school?".  I told her not at all and went on to explain why.  

Each year I inevitably hear a couple of complaints from parents in the week before school goes back.  One is how they are scrambling to get everything.  They have waited until the last minute and now are trying to get a household of anywhere from 2-6 kids ready to go back in a week. This often means finding stores out of items and also tends to be very overwhelming.   

The other big complaint I hear is how much it costs to get their kids ready to go back.  While you have the school supplies, you often hear about new clothes, shoes, and backpacks to add on as well.  I have had parents tell me that just for each child's school supplies they have spent a couple of hundred dollars.  I will be honest in telling you that this blows me away!  Before my kids started school I was totally freaked out by people telling me about their kids school supplies.  Now I know different and would love to help others. 

While I coupon and their are coupons that come out to help with school supplies, you don't have to even be a couponer to buy school supplies on a tight budget.  If all you do is get the Sunday paper, look at the weekly flyers and stop at 2 stores a week, you will be amazed at how well you can do.  Each week starting from a couple of weeks ago, store flyers start coming out with weekly deals just to get you into the store.  Office Max is one example as they come out with deals like what you see in the picture below.

Last Sunday, their flyer came out with deals where the pencil erasers, index cards, and pocket folders were 1 cent each with a minimum $5 purchase.  This meant that I bought the package of glue sticks, package of blue pens, and package of red pens (items on my oldest son's school list), as the items to give me the minimum of $5 and then was able to get 30 pocket folders, 9 packages of pencil erasers, and 9 packs of index cards for $7.78.  This week they have the scissors for 25 cents each, sharpies 25 cents each, and packs of 4 glue sticks for 25 cents each, which made my total $3.18.  I then went over to Fred Meyer's where the binders are on sale as well as buy one get one free, filler paper 79 cents each, bottles of Elmer's glue 59 cents each, Ticonderoga 24 packs of pencils $2.99 (half price), Crayola crayons 59 cents each, Crayola crayons 59 cents each, package of highlighters $1.00, and a package of 2 erasers for 49 cents.  All of the extra items that won't be needed for the boys this year, will be stored away in my plastic totes for when they run out or for next year.

Each year I stock up on these items when they are at their cheapest price point so that we are prepared.  Last year I had very few items that HAD to be bought.

If you start doing this, it can make it very easy and less stressful to be prepared as well as much easier on the pocket book.  I would tell you that with 3 boys in school, our school supplies come to maybe $60 a year if that.

What if I also told you that I have their pants and shoes for school next year?  This was done a few months ago when there was a sale on jeans on for $8.88 a pair as well as a clearance on shoes.  Believe me, with 3 boys, we wear through jeans and shoes so it would be insane to pay top dollar for these items!

An App/E-Mail Everyone Needs - Alert ID

I first heard about this a few weeks ago when a friend posted on facebook about a peeping tom in her neighborhood.  It is called Alert ID and is a website that also has an app that can be downloaded to your phone or tablet.  It allows you to see a map of your neighborhood or area you are in and all the incidences that have occured such as a peeping tom, suspicious vehicle, burglary etc.  It is a online neighborhood watch that will alert you and send you an e-mail whenever there is an incidence and also sends an alert whenever their is a new registered sex offender in the area.  So your are probably wondering how much this lovely little service costs right?  Guess what?  It is free!  It is basically a free neighborhood safety network, public safety database and sends out public safety alerts and more.  In just the past few weeks I have received alerts about sex offenders and suspicious vehicles.  It basically allows me to keep an eye on what is going on in my area and hopefully improve the safety of my family and home.  You can go to their site and sign up for e-mail notifications, but if you do have the ability to put the app on your phone, you will receive alerts right to your phone.

What My Boys Asked Me This Morning

.......... and why I answered them "Absolutely Not!"

This morning we were out of the house to run a few errands and on our one stop, the boys asked me "Mom, can't we just wait in the car?".  My answer was quite simple.  I said "Absolutely NOT!".  I then explained to them why.

First off, let me explain some background.  I have never at any age left my children in the car.  It really isn't ok at any age or any time of the year. We hear about incidences of babies being left in the car accidentally and that is why it should be routine to always get your children out of the car.  I have seen and heard of incidences of vehicles being stolen with an infant or child in the car and so even if you don't think it is too hot out, it is not OK! Even when you think you can leave your car running if it is hot out, you are making it even easier for your vehicle to be stolen, or for your children to think they are playing in the car and to engage a gear shift.  When there is an outside temperature of 75 degrees, within 10 minutes, the inside of a car heats up to 100 degrees.  In 30 minutes it heats up to 120 degrees.  When the outside temperature is 85 degrees, it only takes 5 minutes for the inside temperature to reach 90 degrees and 7-10 minutes to reach 100 degrees!  At 100 degrees outside, it only takes 15 minutes for the inside of a vehicle to reach 140 degrees.  Unfortunately we hear about incidences with pets and children in hot vehicles all too often.  I even know of one situation that a mother got home from grocery shopping and with baby sleeping decided to unload the groceries first.  The car was parked in the garage and in the process of unloading groceries she got a phone call.  By the time she got done on the phone, she had moved onto something else in the home and by the time she remembered baby sleeping in the car, it was too late.  A very sad and heartbreaking situation.  So that is why with my boys being the ages of 11, 9 and almost 6, I will not let them or ask them to wait in the car.  They go with me where I go and I ask you to do the same.

Hair Care - Reverse Washing Your Hair

Have you heard of reverse washing your hair before? I have been wanting to post about it for a while A couple of years ago I was on Pinterest and an image of a woman's long, silky, shiny hair caught my attention so I clicked on it and it lead me to a post on reverse washing.  It described to me the process of fully wetting down your hair, using conditioner in your hair with mainly focusing on the ends (to add moisture and seal in those ends) and letting the conditioner sit for about 5 minutes, and then shampooing your hair with focusing on mainly the roots and scalp as the oiliness mainly comes from your scalp.  I had already been asking my hairdresser what I could do to get my hair to look smoother and silkier so when I saw this I figured that it was an idea that wouldn't cost me anything to at least try.  The hardest part for me was to put conditioner on my hair first because it was so ingrained in me to shampoo and then use conditioner.  I did this the first time and was amazed at how wonderful my hair felt after.  I was worried that by shampooing after, the conditioner and its effects would be washed away.  My hair was smoother, silkier and had even more volume.  At that point it was normal for me to wash my hair about 3 times a week. I stopped washing my hair on a daily basis years ago because I had read and been told how bad it is to wash your hair on a daily basis.  Hair is fiber and the more you wash it the frizzier it is going to get and the worse it is going to look.  Especially the longer your hair is because the oils from the scalp do not travel down the shaft as quickly.  The next time I washed my hair like normal - shampooing first and then using conditioner.  I was shocked at how my hair didn't feel near as wonderful and didn't style as nicely.  That is what converted me to fully changing over to this method. Now, the only time I shampoo first, is if I make a mistake and grab the shampoo first instead of the conditioner.  I have found that I can even go a day longer between washes because my hair feels/looks great, which means that I only usually wash my hair twice a week now!

So as I was getting ready to do this post today, I decided to google reverse washing since it has been a couple of years since I first read about it.  I was amazed to find posts that as more women are trying it, it has become quite the trend!  Women with fine limp hair, describe their hair as shinier and having more volume.  Those with thick hair, describe their hair as feeling healthier, looking shinier and less frizzy (I am one of those).  It seems like a win win situation doesn't it?  The hardest part those of you that wash your hair daily, may be to get used to having not to wash daily and for others to get into the routine of grabbing your conditioner before the shampoo!

I will also share that I let my hair air dry so that it isn't suffering extra heat damage since I use a ceramic straightening iron on my hair.  However, I also find that with the reverse washing, I also find that after my initial styling I only spend a few minutes each morning smoothing my hair with my iron to get ready for the day.

I also use a little leave in conditioner that has a UV protectant in it to protect my hair a little more from the sun.

Miss Mom Speak Is Now On Facebook!

Miss Mom Speak now has a page on Facebook.  I would love it if you were able to like my new page!  Just click on Miss Mom Speak to come on over and then click "like".  You can also follow me on Twitter if you haven't already under @missmomspeak.

Tria Age-Defying Laser - After My 12 Weeks Of Treatment

As some of you may have previously read, in February, I was chosen by Tria Beauty to be a part of their ambassador program for their new Age-Defying Laser.  This means that they did give me the Tria Age-Defying Laser to review and keep, but all opinions that I express on her are my own and I have not been given any financial compensation from them.  I completed the full 12 weeks of treatment with the Age-Defying Laser and wanted to give everyone an update.

To refresh everyone, Tria recommends treating 5 days a week with a 2 day break each week for 12 weeks.  I started on treatment level 1 for 1 week which helped my skin get used to the laser (treatment time is 2 minutes on this level - 30 seconds in each zone), then treatment level 2 for 2 weeks (treatment time is 4 minutes - 1 minute in each zone), and then treatment level 3 for 9 weeks (treatment time is 10 minutes - 2 1/2 minutes per zone).  This worked really well for gradually getting my face/skin used to the treatments and to building it into  my daily routine.  On treatment level 3, 10 minutes can sound like a long time, but by that point I was used to it and excited to use it each day.  I was already seeing results by that point and so it was a great motivator.

Tria recommends cleansing your skin with their Priming Cleanser right before each treatment to remove any impurities that can block the laser's light, and to also use their Finishing Serum to help sooth, hydrate, and brighten your skin at the end of each treatment.  It is also recommended that you apply a facial sunscreen every morning during treatment.  Because I wanted to see the best results possible, I followed all of the recommendations.  I mentioned in a previous post that I have very fair and sensitive skin.  I as really happy to find that the Priming Cleanser worked very well on my skin and I did not notice any sensitvity or reaction to it.  I wanted to make sure my skin was properly cleansed because it makes sense that anything on your skin could block your pores and also affect the light of the laser from being as effective.  I would also thing that then the laser would pick up more dirt from your skin.  It is important that if you feel less sensation from the laser during the treatment that you might want to clean the laser off.  I simply wiped mine off with a soft cloth every week or two.  While I felt a mild tingling sensation during treatments in each zone, it was not uncomfortable or painful in any way.  I would develop some mild redness on my face that within a couple of hours or by the next morning, was gone completely.  I loved how the Finishing Serum felt so silky and smooth on my skin.  I recently read that you can keep the Finishing Serum in the fridge, so that when you apply it after a treatment, the coolness can also help soothe your skin.  I may try this when I start my next 12 weeks of treatments.

I was amazed that within a couple of weeks into my treatment that I could already start to see results. In the side by side above, the picture on the left is right before I started using the Age-Defying Laser, and the picture on the right is 4 weeks after finishing the 12 weeks.  The result that surprised me the most, was the fading of my scar (that I also mentioned in a previous post) that I have had for 3 years.  I also noticed my skin tone and texture improve, an age spot on the side of my face faded, the wrinkles on my forehead have diminished, and my smile lines on the sides of my mouth have also faded.  I have had a few people comment to me how great my skin looks.

Tria recommends taking at least a 4 week break before starting another 12 week cycle.  I was torn as to whether to start another treatment cycle or wait until we were through the summer.  However, I was excited to start again (after 5 weeks) and so I started a new treatment cycle last night.  I have found that using the Age-Defying Laser became a part of my evening routine within a couple of weeks and that I look forward to the treatments.  Plus, being able to see the results so soon after beginning treatments is a great motivatorl.  I feel that now I can be proactive in decreasing the signs of aging in my face!

I do not believe in buying every product on the market that says that it can improve aging.  Let's face it, you can spend a ton of money!  I want to get the most bang for my buck.  I love that once you purchase this device it is yours.  In-office fractonal non-ablative laser treatments, which is the same technology that the Age-Defying Laser uses, can easily run $1000 per session and you'll need 2-3 session.  I do not have to take time out of my busy schedule to go to appointments, and quite frankly, I could not afford to do these.  I have also heard of the chemical peels that are very pricy, uncomfortable (to put it nicely), and leave your face looking fried while you recuperate.  I would not want to go through that level of discomfort and then have down time where I didn't want to show face.  With the Age-Defying Laser, I was able to do my treatment every evening and leave the house in the morning without any redness or signs of treatment that would leave people asking me questions.  I also like that there has been a study done with evidence-based results, and that it is FDA cleared.  This gives me the peace of mind that it is safe and that the majority of users had measurable results.  The results from the study show that 92% of users were satisfied with the treatment and results!

I would definitely recommend the Age-Defying Laser as well as following all of the instructions and tips that Tria provides.  Right now Tria has a promotion going on that you can take advantage of if you decide you want to purchase one where you get a 2 week skincare starter kit plus Finishing Eye Treatment by using the promo code "SKINCARE".

100 Good Deeds

Earilier this week, I received an email that I had been chosen to receive a 100 Good Deeds Bracelet.  What is that you ask?  100 Good Deeds was started by Mary Fisher partnering with vulnerable women in Africa to make jewelery to help them earn a dignified living.  When you purchase one of these bracelets (mine was given to me), you have done your first good deed by helping to employ 1 vulnerable woman.  Work gives these women dignity and freedom. The person who sent me mine was doing a good deed giving it to me!  That means if you give someone one of these you have done 2 good deeds!  When mine came in the mail today it made my day and I opened it with anticipation because I didn't even know what color I was receiving.

What does this bracelet do for you?  Hopefully it opens you to see the need for compassion and to hear the call for kindness.  Is this something you are conscious of in your daily life?  I think we can always use a gentle reminder to have compassion for others.  

Inside the card packaging it was written that Hellen Nhendwa of Zambia made my bracelet.  Reading her name touched my heart!  Now I will pray for her daily.  Inside the card packaging it explains how your bracelet works.  Each bracelet is made with 100 glass beads threaded threaded onto a hand braided nylon thread using a lucet tool.  At the end of the 100 beads a single rubber ring is added.  This ring is to be moved over 1 bead at a time with each good deed you do, moving the ring closer and closer toward the 1GD button.  The rules are that a "good deed" is you going out of your way to  help someone and only counts if the deed remains anonymous.  I have always believed that it is important to help/do good for others with a giving heart.  I don't believe you should do a good deed expecting something in return or to use to promote yourself.  I think you should always ask where your heart is when doing something for another.  What could feel better than doing something selfless for another?  You can read more at 100 Good Deeds.  I look forward in the days to come to be able to continuously in the days to come to find ways to quietly be able to slide my ring over bead by bead!

Don't You Just Love Cleaning Your Toilets?

Maybe you do, but I am going to guess that most of you don't.  I will tell you that cleaning bathrooms is my least favorite room to do and that cleaning toilets ranks last.  In fact, if there was one thing I could hire someone to come into my home and clean, it would be my bathrooms.  With 3 little boys and my husband, that can make the situation even less desirable.  So what if I told you that I have some items that could make the task a little easier?

The one thing that I am fortunate to have, is soft water.  However, what I am about to share with you should make your life even easier with hard water.  The first thing is to get those toilets clean.

What you see in the picture above, is a combination that Don Aslett Cleaning Center sells.  Here you see their bowl caddy and johnny mop with their Safety Foam.  The Safety Foam is a professional strength foaming bowl cleaner that is rated #1 by their customers as "the best toilet bowl cleaner ever".  You must use the Johnny mop to plunge the water level down below the water ring.  You then put 1-2 oz of the Safety Foam on the Johnny mop and then agitate the bowl swab inside the toilet bowl and up under the rim while paying particular attention to the water ring.  The high foaming action allows the Safety Foam to cling to the inside of the bowl to help lenthen the dwell time of the cleaner to the soil.  You then allow the Safety Foam to  stay inside the bowl for 4-7 minutes (I like leaving it for the full 7 minutes).  You then give the Safety Foam a few final swishes in the bowl and then flush.

If you still have a ring in your toilet and may need to do some further scrubbing.  In the past I have used a pumice stone, but now have found something even better at the same store.

A pumice stone may leave scratches in your porcelain toilets.   The ShawsPads (you can by little ones without the handle too) are amazing!  Believe me, that with just a little bit of elbow grease, you can get rid of that ring, even if you have hard water!

Once you have gone to the work of getting your toilet that clean, you want to keep it that way right?  They recommend using once a week.

A few years ago, I read on a coupon blog a great way to keep those toilet rings gone - Brominating Tablets.

You can buy them wherever hot tub supplies are sold.  This container was purchased at Walmart.  You simply take the lid off the toilet tank, and place 3 tablets initially in the top right corner of the tank.  Then about every 3 weeks, you put 2 new ones in.  I have been doing this now for about 3 years and it definitely works.  If I miss the 3 week mark, I will start to see build up in my toilets and then I know that it's time to get some tablets back in there.  This really makes my weekly cleaning so much easier and less labor intensive!

Protecting Your Skin - Coppertone Deal You Won't Want To Miss

Using sunscreen to protect your skin is very important.  For every sunburn you have, your risk of developing skin cancer increases greatly.  Sun exposure can also greatly increase those wrinkles and signs of aging.

This week Target has a sale on Coppertone sunscreen where you buy one and get one for 50% off.  If you go to coupons.com , their is a coupon for $2 off any Coppertone Clearly Sheer product that you can print.  You can print 2 coupons per computer or device you are printing from.  Target has a coupon policy where you can't use more than 4 of the same coupon per day, so I printed 4.  You can also put the Target Cartwheel app on your smartphone where you can go through the offers on there and add them to where the store scans your barcode on your phone and you can increase your savings.  Right now on the Cartwheel app, there is an offer for an additional 25% off of any Coppertone Clearly Sheer product.

I went into the store and purchased 4 Coppertone Clearly Sheer items pictured below that were priced at $6.99 each with the second one being $3.49 (remember this week the second one is 50% off).  I then used the 4 coupons I printed and had them scan my Cartwheel barcode.

This brough the total for everything to $8.63 that I had to pay making each item cost $2.15 with tax.  My total savings was $20.26 or I saved 70%.  Sunscreen can get pricy and I have always found any Coppertone product I have used to be excellent quality and to be very effective in keeping my family's skin from getting sunburnt.  Remember, you are supposed to reapply sunscreen every 2-3 hours when out for extended periods of time.

This sale is running until midnight this Saturday night so if I was you, I would catch this sale before it is over.

Father's Day Dinner - Grilled Steak and Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I wouldn't post another recipe/meal so quickly except that this meal came out so delicious and when I posted a picture on facebook, I received many request for the recipe for the crab stuffed portobello mushrooms.

I will tell you that after reading another recipe for crab stuffed portobello's, I just created my own for these.

At Costco, I purchased a package of their portobello mushrooms and a container of their Arichoke & Jalapeno dip as well a a package of their New York Strip steaks.

I already had a 1lb package of imitation crab meat and green onions at home.  I simply chopped up the imitation crab, chopped up 1 bundle of green onions, and mixed the crab and onions together with half the container of Artichoke & Jalapeno dip.  I washed my portobello mushrooms and sprayed the outside of them with PAM cooking spray.  I then spooned the crab mixture into each one and sprinkled paprika on top.  Because we own a Traegar grill, I let the mushrooms smoke for about 20 minutes before turning up the temperature to cook the steaks.  While the grill was heating up for the steaks, I seasoned them and seared them in a cast iron griddle in the house.

I have to say that this was the best Father's Day BBQ I have made!  We had 2 stuffed portobellos left over that were almost as good reheated as leftovers.  I will definitely be making these again!

My Favorite "New" Way To Cook Pasta - One Pot Pasta

Have any of you not caught the Pinterest bug yet?  I do not spend a lot of time on there, but when I am looking for ideas for different things I find myself on there.  I am a visual person and so the images that then can lead me to tutorials and/or recipes on how to make things are wonderful!  A few months ago, I started to see pictures popping up of making pasta dinners "all in one pot".  They caught my attention and here about 6 weeks ago, I decided to try it.  I was thrilled with the results and so were my husband and the boys.

The first time I made it, I used one box of pasta, 3 cans of chicken broth, one can of diced tomatoes, 3 fresh cloves of garlic chopped, 1 medium onion cut into thin slices, dried oregano,  some finely chopped cauliflower I had left from a veggie tray, fresh mushrooms, and some fresh spinach and 2 tablespoons of olive oil drizzeled on top.  I brought everything to a boil as recommended, and then turned down to a simmer and stirred every 2 minutes for about 10-15 minutes while I reduced the chicken broth.  At the same time, I sauteed 3 chopped chicken breasts with seasoning in a separate pan.  I then mixed the chicken in with the pasta pot at the very end.  I have to say it turned out great and the fresh flavor to the whole mixture was wonderful!  Everyone ate it and loved it.

This spring, my husband has really decided to get into gardening in our backyard.  He built this amazing planter in May and it has now become our fresh herb garden.

About 2 weeks ago, I decided it was time to make pasta all in one pot again and realized that I had our wonderful new herb garden to be able to use fresh herbs and was pretty excited.  We also have a sugar snap pea plant that has started producing pretty well and so I decided I would use them as well in the pasta.

This time, my combination included: 3 different kinds of fresh basil and cilantro from the herb garden and the sugar snap peas.

I am sorry that I didn't take a picture of it when it was all done, but I have to tell you that it was wonderful!  I have even used whole wheat pasta both times I have made it, and my husband and the boys didn't even notice because the flavors are so fresh and tasty.  I can't believe what a healthy way this is to make a meal that incorporates grains, vegetables, and meats in such a tasty way and so I just had to share with everyone.

Getting Stocked Up For Summer And Beyond

Couponing is all about stocking up when there is a good sale combined with your coupons.  Today was a good example of that.  I went in to get stocked up on Bugles, Gardettos, and Chex and discovered some other really great deals.

In the picture above, I got the 10 bags of snacks I went in for that were on sale for .98 cents each and had coupons for an additional .25 cents off each.  I then found the chicken legs (which are huge by the way) for buy 1 get 2 free.  I had a coupon for .55 cents off the A1 and an additional coupon for $1 off meat when you purchase A1.  The Tic-Tacs were on sale for $1 each and I had coupons for $1 off 2.  The butter (worth $2.50) was free when I spent $25.  My total for everything came to $38.28 and I saved $72.26, for a total savings of 67%.

While at the store, we saw that they had bottles of Hawaiian Punch marked down from $2.98 to $1.98.  It was at this point I knew I needed to go home and print some coupons.  On coupons.com there is a coupon to print for buy 1 get one free.  At home I also printed off more coupons for the Gardettos/Chex/Bugles for .50 cents off 2 and coupons for .30 cents per bag of Haribo gummies.

When I got done printing, we went back and got 10 bottles of the Hawaiian Punch, 6 more packaged of the chicken legs, and 16 more bags of the snacks, 6 bags of Haribo gummies, and another free box of butter.

In total today, I got 12 packages of chicken legs, 10 bottles of Hawaiian Punch, 2 boxes of butter, 26 bags of the Gardettos/Bugles/Chex, 20 Tic Tacs, and 6 bags of Haribo gummies.  I spent a grand total on everything of $84.37 and saved $168.11 for a total savings of 67%.

The chicken legs will freeze and be great for summer BBQ's, and the Hawaiian Punch will also be great for summer BBQ's and parties.