Girls on the Run Megans 5k Race Monday Matthews' dress

Matthew Waiting for sister to start racing.

Mom had to walk the track backwards to find Megan and give her  inhaler to her since she forgot it.

James waiting for Meg to come in from the race.

And here she is.... Great finish..

When we came home Matthew found this dress and said, "ON ON MAMA." Daddy said "NO!" Mommy thought it was funny...

Once Daddy told him it was not good to wear dresses and that he is a BOY he said.],"OFF OFF MAMA"

Kindle Fire Giveaway May 24 to June 21

  DonnasDealsAndMore has teamed up with Giveaway Scoop and an awesome group of bloggers to bring you an amazing giveaway! Have you seen Giveaway Scoop yet? They recently launched with the goal to make finding giveaways super fun and easy. Here’s the fun part: all giveaways are displayed in large image-based tiles for the “wow” factor. Plus, infinite scrolling lets you effortlessly scan through hundreds of active giveaways. And, the easy part is: all the giveaways are just one click away! Oh, and if you're a blogger, you can add all your giveaways to their site for free. Thumbs up for more traffic and entries to your giveaways! So, head on over to Giveawayscoop.com and discover how fun finding and winning free stuff can be! One lucky fan will win a Kindle Fire! This awesome giveaway is brought to you by Giveaway Scoop and DonnasDealsAndMore, and co-hosted by BabyCostCutters, Couponer's Corner, Smartchicology, Family, Love and Other Stuff, Trinkies, Be radiant by mark, Mommy Moments with Abby, and This Girl's No Expert All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter Below. Remember you can fill out as many or as few extra entries as you want on the Rafflecopter form! This giveaway will run from 12:01 am on May 24th to 11:59 pm (eastern time) on June 21st. You can tweet and share this giveaway daily for extra entries...so come back daily to increase your chances! The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn! This giveaway is open to US and Canada. Entrants must be 18 years are older. Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Simply Raising 8 is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Siding is near completion... some Pictures....

They had to start in the back because of the way our house is. We added this  lattice under the deck on the west side also. I will add a picture of the gate in another post.

The stairs are new as the old ones did not have rails on them.

notice to the right there was a branch from the Oak Tree hanging over the house. 

Tree cutters came and cut that down for us. They were friends of my Grandmas and gave us a GREAT DEAL!  

The windows are not yet wrapped and they are still working on the So-fiat and fascia on the end. The tree branch was still on the front lawn in this picture. 

 This is not the end of the siding. I wanted to share what has been completed so far. It is actually a little more complete than this but I have not loaded the pictures to my computer.  The back side of the house is not yet complete and will not be until they extend our bathroom out this next week and totally rebuild it. They were supposed to start today but the concrete guy could not get out until Friday and he did not want to leave us with out a bathroom any longer than he has to. I have been researching plants for the front yard and can not wait to start planting and landscaping.  In the mean time they are bringing us a enclosed trailer to put all of our belongings in. It will be like we are moving. I did not realize that we had to do this until today. I knew we had to get some things out but not move all of our things out. That is fine with me as when we move the stuff back in I will not keep very much of it. I just wish I had money for a new dining set that was big enough to fit  our little Army. We squeeze around the one we have and it is really to small for us all. Anyways that is the Siding for now.

Menu Monday and a Giveaway Reminder Menu Software

What we eat when we have construction going on.... and a reminder to enter the Giveaway for Menu plan software and Stressless Kitchen Tools.

It is a busy time for us but luckily we prepared meat a few months ago for construction time. We cooked ground beef that we seasoned for various meals and froze. We also made chicken that way. Even with that we still have been eating out more than I like. Here is the Menu for this week and our busy schedule.

Monday Megan had Girls On the Run tonight. She had a 5k and guess what?  As all the girls took off in a big running heard we could not see  Megan to tell her she forgot her inhaler. Of course Mom to the rescue. One time it was okay to be a Helicopter mom. I walked the track backwards to bring it to her. So I did a 2 an a half K this evening.  I am in no shape to run after working all day around here. We then went and spent a fortune on the healthiest fast food I could find. Subway. 

Tuesday: polish sausage and canned potatoes Fried together 

(Babies Teacher comes)

Wednesday:  Hamburger Helper 

Dad has a  Va appointment 

Thursday:  Enchilada bake (frozen and in a box) 

Friday:   Sandwiches and easy stuff... Kids are leaving also

Saturday: Out to eat.....Wedding 

Sunday: Hamburgers on the Grill. I froze them in patties that are not yet cooked.

If you have not yet entered to win Menu plan software click here to enter. It is very easy.  Read the review as it is really neat how you can clip recipes  offline and they import right into your menu  plan software. Even if you don't menu plan use it to store recipes.

If you have not entered my Stressless Kitchen tools giveaway please enter here. It is a 143.00 Value and great for cooking. I love mine and was thrilled to get the chance to review it for a free set.

Linking to menu monday at orgjunkie.com

$150 Gift Card #giveaway

Because of YOU Colleen's Book Nook has hit 10,000 Facebook Fans!

She  wants to thank you all by having a 10K Fan Celebration and offering ONE of you a $150 Gift Certificate of YOUR choice! I am  joining her in saying Thanks Friends!

This Giveaway is open to the US & Canada It begins 5/21/2012 at 12:01 EST and Ends 6/2/2012 at 12:01 EST

Enter on the Rafflecopter Below:

The final prize will be sent by  Colleen's Book Nook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My favorite educational toys top list

When the teacher gives me the pictures from the babies visit to their new school I will post them on here. Until then these are older ones.

There are many educational toys for toddlers . The babies’ teacher brings educational toys every week to teach the babies with. Although you can make educationaltoys for kids, there are many that are better when you buy them. The kids loved playing with the 3 little pigs set the teacher brought. Through the years I have learned that it is nice to have blocks for building to help with fine motor skills.  I also love to have toys that the kids can pretend play with. They help with social skills as well as teach them to tell a story. I think this   interests them in reading. We made our own flash cards that are personalized to teach them the alphabet and words that they use often. Today the kids went to their Pre School Visitation and they loved it. We are not really ready to let them go and yet we know it will be good for them. The school is overflowing with Toys that they can play with and they do not even know they are learning. Sierra has always loved to paint so she went right to the easel. James was at a water table with bugs and creepy crawlers in it. They were plastic of course. What a great way to teach about science and bugs. I can't wait to get the pictures back from today to share with you but in the mean time here are a few old ones of the babies learning "Play time"  I was making flash cards with colors on them for the babies in the picture on the right. The one on the left is Sierra in her happy place painting. Through the years I have learned that there are some toys that I really want each child to have to help them learn.

• A play kitchen so they can pretend to cook and play house. This modeling behavior is good for their social development.
• Picture cards with words on them to teach them site reading.

• Alphabet flash cards
• Colors flash cards
• Books that you can read by looking at the pictures
• Number flash cards
• Shape flash cards
• People flash cards (Take a picture of each person that is important to your child and write their name next to it to teach them to site read the names)
• Box that you can fit shapes into such as these ones

Source: Amazon.com

• String and beads (you can also use noodles and a rope to make something for toddlers to string as it helps with fine motor skills)  Just make sure they are not a chocking hazard to your child! 
• Puppets  
• Something that makes animal noises
• animal flash cards
• Items to color and write with. (one day a line turns into a circle and before you know it they are putting it together to make words)
• Items to play dress up with.
• A doll that you can zip tie etc on. These are the best but at the same time I have let sierra sit and play with my sweater buttons or coat zipper while holding her and she loves that more than the doll. 
• Play dates on occasion are wonderful to teach them how to be social and how to share toys. 
• Organized activities on play dates where they have to sit and wait their turn are great for teaching patience. 

Basically everything we do with our children from birth on we are preparing them for the real world and there departure into adulthood. It all ties in together and in the end we hope for a great functioning adult someday. The hard part is the teen years. :)

Linked to http://myturn-evelyn.blogspot.com/2012/05/freedom-fridays-2.html

 

#giveaway Maestros Classics My name is Handel Classical Cd For children.

Another Great Giveaway that I am participating in. I wish I could enter some of these. 

This giveaway is made possible by Maestro Classics and the Review is done by Colleen owner of Colleen's Book Nook.

Did you know that Maestro Classics CD's have won over 45 national awards?

Did you also know that Maestro Classics has a Kid's Club? You can sign your child up for monthly puzzles, games and activities. Luckily the kids can go online at their site and get the answers to the puzzles and activities. You and your children can also find how to make lots of homemade instruments on their pinterest site!

So this is how I came to find out about Maestro Classics and the wonderful CD My Name is Handel! Bonnie from Maestro Classics had originally sent me their CD "The Soldier's Tale" to review. It was not to my families liking ( we all felt the story was too dark for us, although I hear it is a smash with jr high and high school boys ) so I shared this with Bonnie. Bonnie wanted me to hear some of their other stories set to music, so unbeknown to me, Bonnie sent me two wonderful CD's that our family has loved, My Name is Handel and Tortoise and the Hare. And I want YOU to know that Maestro Classics is wonderful to work with and will help make sure you find the right "fit" for your child!

I have a 4 yr old grandson and an 11 month old granddaughter and you wouldn't think that children that young would enjoy the classics but my grandson loves My Name is Handel! He was brought up as a baby listening to the classics and enjoys them. The story about Handel is short with lovely & LIVELY music that he LOVES to listen to! He will ask to have this CD played! He sits in a trance listening to the story and music.

So if you want to introduce your child, grandchild or anyone to the classics this CD is perfect!

Maestro Classics is giving this fabulous CD, My Name is Handel, to one of my lucky readers!

Open to US only

Enter on the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stress less Kitchen Tools Giveaway and Review 5/13-5/26

Simply Raising 8 and "6 other great bloggers" are teaming up to offer you a great giveaway sponsored by Trudeau

The winner will receive a set of these kitchen tools that retail for $143.00
They also have a  Lifetime warranty!!

Here is a Review from Missy at Simply Raising 8

I was so happy to get the chance to review these. I have to admit that when it comes to certain things I am Stuck in 1943. I have so many kitchen tools that are handed down and they still work. I am not still using a bag phone, although I  did just finally upgrade to a Smartphone. I love it now that I have it and realize I need to step into the present with my kitchen items. I still use a Pressure cooker quite frequently also. 

I'll start with the can opener. I asked Jim to get me can opener with an all metal handle awhile back.The cheap ones I had been using to replace my old metal one just were not holding up. I would have liked him to get one that could open the cans in a way that they could be reused for crafts but he found one that he thought was good so that's what I got. It is already broken. This one from Trudeau works great and opens the cans from the top so that you can use the teeth on the side to flip the lid off. It makes it so you can reuse the cans for crafts. Although it is a plastic one it is very heavy made and has a lifetime warranty. This also spins really easy to allow the babies, including our 18 month old Matthew, to help me open cans when they are being my "cooker doodles". I love this part because one of the best ways for a busy mom of 8 children to spend time with babies is to have them in the Kitchen helping. This set is also easy on my wrists that I have trouble with. 

This is my set next to my old ones. Notice the size of the blade on that pizza Cutter

Salt and Pepper grinders need barley a crank to get a fresh and flavorful seasoning on my food. I love that. I had been looking for a grinder but could not find one that was just right for a good price and looked like it would hold up. I settled for buying the disposable ones and even those wear out before they are empty. These ones I noticed have metal grinding parts inside them and is very well built. 

The cheese grater has a spacious area to put the cheese in and comes apart for easy cleaning. It also grinds very easily and is designed in a way that fits your hand very well while you hold it. 

The pizza cutter was what my husband liked the best. Of course men always like the biggest and best. This pizza cutter is huge compared to our other ones. He says it cuts very easily and the large, somewhat covered blade makes it worry free. (Yes! he has been in E.R. in the past from cutting himself so he likes that the blade is covered well.) He also says it comes apart easy to clean. It also grips in your hand well.

This Garlic press makes it great to add a garlic flavor to your cooking as well, although I have never had one and am used to doing all the work. 

Thank You, Trudeau for allowing me to Review these great Kitchen products.
*Disclosure: Missy at www.simplyraising8.com was given free products to try and a set to giveaway to one lucky winner. All opinions are hers. The winner will be notified by her. Your information will be given to Trudeau so that they can ship your products.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Slow down past my house please.

We live on a highway that seems to start right at our house. Everyone  heading west is speeding up as they are leaving town. Everyone heading east starts to slow down right at our driveway. As we start to slow down to turn into our driveway people pass us on the right. They end up passing pretty close to our neighbors yard.  I often worry that the neighbors children will be hit while playing. On many occasions we have been nearly hit while trying to get into our driveway. Last year I called the city about getting Traffic Signs  put up. They said that in order to get Street Signs put up we have to go through the county.  The county says in order to get Traffic Signs put up you have to go through the city. I found this site where you can buy Road Signs but I do not know that we could put it up with out getting a permit. I would love to see this have a School Zone speed limit because we have a school right down the road. We do not allow our children in the yard to play unless we are out there with them; however, when they get on the bus the driver has had to honk more than once at cars that do not stop for the bus lights. They come around the corner at such a high speed they are unable to stop for the bus by the time they see it. For this reason I do not allow my children to wait outside for the bus. When the bus comes to a complete stop they head out the door. If you are in our area and reading this please watch for the bus and slow down as the police officer is aware of this and does patrol this area looking for speeders. My husband complained to him. 




* This post was paid for by Blogvertise but is my own words and my honest opinion. I only choose advertising that relates to my life. 








 

Follow Twitter Stressless Giveaway

Follow all of these on this page and then go back to the raffle copter and click enter. Get a head start on the giveaway and like them now if you want.
Follow @simplyraising8 Follow @PargasJunkyard Follow @littleamberfate Follow @djwashingtonson Follow @SDgator2 Follow @HoutzHouseParty Follow @aimige Follow @s8r8l33