What Happens When I Have a Day With No Kids...

This past Saturday I had a day without my kids :)  I went to the Traveler's Championship Golf Tournament with my parents, sister, my sister's boyfriend and my sister-in-law.  I'm not really a huge golf fan (I rarely watch it and haven't played since my oldest was born over 4 years ago), but my brother works for the tournament so my family goes every year.  I've never been before because I had always lived in Florida for all the other years so wasn't around for it.  So my husband stayed home with the kids on Saturday and I was out the door by 10am (and didn't get home until after 8 that night!)  So yes, I had a FULL day without the kids! 

So we were all walking around trying to find the tent for where our tickets were for.  Now I am paying attention (or so I thought I was).  We were at the 18th hole, but not very close to the fairway.  My dad was walking in front of me and all of a sudden I hear him say something like "whoa - there's a ball!".  I look up (why do we all look up when we hear there is a ball flying in the air? I never really understood this because with my reaction time, I am more than likely to get hit in the face!) and then because I looked up I never saw it - but felt it bouce off my basically bare foot (I had on a pair of flip flops).  So yes, my first professional golf tournament, and I got hit by a ball! 

It turns out it actually hit my dad in the knee first and bounced off him and then got me.  And this all happened before I ordered my first margarita!  My husband and brother both had a good laugh about it...

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A Birthday Extravaganza over at A Lazy Green Mama!

Have you stopped by A Lazy Green Mama lately?  If not, you definitely should.  This week kicks off her first giveaway event - A Birthday Extravaganza to celebrate her little one's first birthday!  The giveaways start tomorrow, June 29th and all end on July 8th.  There will be 6 giveaways and she's promising that they are good :) 

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Wanna Enter a Giveaway from my Etsy Shop (Domestically Green)?

If you stop by On The Search for Hidden Treasure, Sarah just reviewed some of my reusable swiffer duster pads and loved them so much that I decided to giveaway another set to one of her readers!  Stop by her blog and enter.  And while you are there, check out all the other cool things she's found on Etsy - if you're like me and love to shop on Etsy, you would love her blog!

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Snikiddy Bakes Fries Review & Giveaway

I recently had the opportunity to try a sample of Snikiddy Baked Fries courtesy of Smily.ly.  They are a healthy snack that were made for families and kids.  They are a healthy alternative to traditional chips or cheetos that are on the market today.  They are all-natural, gluten and wheat free, contain no preservatives, corn syrups, trans-fat or hydrogenated oils.  They are also peanut and tree nut free for all those families that are effected by peanut allergies.  And believe it or not, they have 50% less fat compared to other potato chips or vegetable chips. 

My kids and I tried a sample of the Cheddar Cheese flavor Baked Fries and they were a big hit.  My 2 girls tend to be our picky eaters and they kept asking for more!  I must admit, that they were a tasty snack!  They reminded me a skinny cheese puff - light and airy with a delicious cheese flavor.  The only thing that was kind of a pain about them was how messy they made the kids fingers.  We ate them at the park and luckily I grabbed the diaper bag before we left the house so I had some wipes to clean off their hands. 

Would you like to try some for yourself?  Snikiddy is running a few promotions right now:
1) For the next 6 weeks, if you buy a Snikiddy sharing pack on http://www.snikiddy.alice.com/ you will get $1 off and FREE shipping.
2) They also have a Sweepstakes tab on their Facebook page - you can become a fan and enter in their weekly drawings for a chance to win a Snikiddy gift pack.  The grand prize is a new Jamis kids' bike!

In addition, you can be one of 3 winners here at 3 Little Ones to receive your own free sample!  Giveaway will start today, July 23rd and end on August 9th at 9 pm EST.  The giveaway is open to US only!  Once the winners are selected via Random.org, I will email them and they have 48 hours to reply back or I will pick a new winner.  Please make sure that your email is visible in your profile or you include in your comments below.  If I don't have your email, I have no way to contact you if you win!  See below for various ways to enter:

Mandatory Entry:
1) Follow my blog publicly

(You must complete the mandatory entry before the rest of the entries will count!)

2) Subscribe to my blog via email
3) Subscribe via RSS feed
4) "Like" Snikiddy on facebook
5) "Like" 3 Little Ones on facebook
6) Follow Snikiddy on twitter (please leave your twitter name)
7) Follow 3 Little Ones on twitter (please leave your twitter name)
8) Grab my button and add to your blog and place url where it is located in the comments below
9) Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this giveaway post (5 extra entries)

* I was not compensated for this review - I did receive a free sample of Snikiddy Bakes Fries courtesty of www.Smile.ly All opinions included in this post are my own. *

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Getting To Know You...

I've joined in this week at MannLand5 for Getting To Know You.  So here's a few questions and my answers - so now you know just a little bit more about ME :) 




1.If you had 5000.00 to spend on plastic surgery what would you have done?  Although I would love a flatter stomach, I'm too chicken to do anything...I'd rather take the $5,000 and go on a great vacation with my family and just wear a tankini :)  I did have 3 kids in 3 years, so I think I'm justified in my flabby belly.


2. Do you watch Soap operas and if so what is your favorite and why?  I used to in high school and college - The Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.  Now I have no time (and wouldn't want my kids to watch it)

3. Favorite clothing brand?  I don't really have one - I love Ann Taylor, but can't really justify spending that much money now that I'm home w/ my kids.  So now I tend to go with Old Navy.

4. An afternoon shopping spree at your favorite store or maid service for a year?  Hmmm - I think I would go shopping spree.  As much as I would love maid service, it doesn't really work for me.  My husband got me maid service a few times when I preggo with my first and I would clean before the maid came (because I didn't want her to think I was a slob) and she managed to break something everytime she came. 
5. would you ever vajazzle? Nope. Not even a chance.

6. Favorite Disney Princess?  Cinderella

7. Last movie that made you bawl your eyes out?  The Notebook

8. Have you ever broken any bones and if so what?  I broke my left foot when I was in 2nd grade.  I was playing freeze tag and tripped in a hole in the ground. 

So if you feel like joining in, stop by and visit MannLand5! 

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I Made It - Dinosaur Stuffed Animals for the Kids!

Have I mentioned before that my son is obsessed with dinosaurs?  I'm sure I have since we've been to Dinosaur State Park and The Garbage Museum (with a huge Trashosaurus) recently.  My Mother-in-law gave me a pattern (back in January!) to make Dexter the Dinosaur (a cute stuffed dinosaur).  My original intention was to make the dinosaur for him for his birthday (back in February).  Obviously that never happened....

Because once I started to work on it, my 2 1/2 year old daughter kept asking me about it and if she was going to get a dinosaur too.  So what does a Mommy do?  Head to the fabric store with my little girl and let her pick out some fabric!  So I started up again on the dinosaurs.....

And once one dinosaur was almost done, my 1 year old daughter came over to it, picked it up, and gave it the biggest hug (and then wouldn't let go!).  So what does a Mommy do?  Make another!

Well all 3 kids happily received their dinosaurs this week! 

My son says that his is an Allosaurus. My older daughter says that hers is a "Sleepy-saurus" and she sleeps with him every night. My youngest daughter just cuddles with hers. 

So what did you make this week?  If you made something cool you want to share, head over to Everything Etsy and link up.  Or you can just head over there and see some other great projects that were done this week. 

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Blog Hopping Today - Keepin' Company Thursday and Buzz on By Thursdays

Are you looking for find some more blogs to read?  Or are you looking for some more followers?  Then come join in some blog hops today : )

Keepin' Company Thursday is hosted by Heck of a Bunch and Traci66.

Buzz on Thursdays is hosted by Two Savvy Sisters and Fashionably Organized. 

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Wordless Wednesday - You Lookin' At Me?

So this explains why we've been going through bird food at a very fast rate!!!!!!!!

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here. For a few more places to find some great WW and linkups you can stop by: Live And Love...Out Loud, Seven Clown Circus, 5 Minutes for Mom and A Beautiful Mess!

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Summer Kickoff with New England Blogger Blog Carnival

Awhile back I came across Thoughts from an Evil Overlord - I'm not sure how I found her, but it was one day while blog hopping.  And while I was on her blog reading about some crafts she had done, cool stuff she found on etsy and then looking through her etsy shop as well I saw that she started a group for New England Bloggers - a way for all us bloggers from New England to meet and connect.  Seeing as we had just moved back "home" to New England, I sent Elizabeth an email requesting to join her group.  There are some days where it is nice to be able to visit some blogs that are right around the corner from you (okay, not that close, but since I've lived in CT, RI and MA and used to travel to VT often for work, I feel like all these blogs could be my neighbors!)

So kick off summer, there is a New England Blog Carnival where we all get to introduce a fellow New England Blogger....

I decided to introduce you all to Beth @ Laugh Until You Cry.  Beth is a mom to an adorable little boy.  She is a teacher and also a photographer (you should check out the link to BMP Photography on her blog).  I love the title of Beth's blog - as a mom, each of my kids have brought me to that moment where I am laughing with them until the tears come strolling down my face.  Her post on a moment when her son brought her to tears is very sweet. 

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Gift Cards Made Easy

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of FriendGiftr. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do have friends or family that you have a hard time buying gifts for?  Or do you live far away from friends or family where it may be easier to buy them gift cards rather than mail a package to them? 

I know that when I used to Florida (and the rest of my family was up in New England) it was sometimes easier for me to just buy some of my family a gift card for their birthday or anniversary or when a new baby was born.  With my 3 kids, it was hard for me to get to the store to pick something out and then head to the post office to mail it.  And then when it came to buying things online, sometimes I would browse online for hours and get just couldn't make up my mind what to buy.  That was when a I resorted to a gift card! 

I recently was introduced to a website - FriendGiftr.  If you go here you are able to buy and send both real digital and/or physical gift cards to your friends, family, and work associates for any occasion: the holidays, birthdays, engagement, wedding, new baby, etc. As a buyer, you can select from over 120 retail and restaurant gift cards (with that many selections, there has to be something your recipient would love!).  The gift cards come in various denominations as well: $10, $20, $25, $35, $50, $75, and $100 gift cards. And what is great about FriendGiftr is that if your recipient doesn't happen to like what you got them, they can exchange the gift card for the merchant you selected and select a different one that they would prefer to shop at.  They can also split up the gift card and select 2 or more mrechange they would like to shop at. This exchange is free of charge and the buyer won't find out. 


This service would have been great for me when I bought one of my friends a gift card after her new baby was born last year.  I wasn't sure where she would have liked to shop for her new baby - but by using FriendGiftr, I would have had the option of Baby Gap, Old Navy, or Pottery Barn Kids - all stores that I know she loves to shop at.  At least if she had something in mind at one store and I bought her a card for a different one, she could swap it out and use the gift card for what she really wanted!

As for a merchant that I like at Friendgiftr - The Cheesecake Factory!  I hardly ever get to one, but I do love a good slice of cheesecake every once in awhile!

Another great bonus to this website, you can use their service from their website, Facebook, iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android.  How convenient is that? 

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A Bad Day

So the other day I was having a bad day....

You know those days where you can't seem to get anything done.  And I think someone slipped some extra sugar in my kids' breakfast that morning because they were literally bouncing off the walls.  And not listening to anything I said. And the phone kept ringing with obnoxious telemarketer calls or wrong numbers.  And then I got that dreaded phone call from the realtor telling me that the house was going to be shown sometime in the afternoon.  So I tried to straighten up the house in between diaper changes, making lunch, keeping my children entertained, getting kids down for naps, and yes, catching those mice we had!  Then I got the call about three hours later (with house pretty much cleaned) that there was a change in plans and the house wouldn't be shown afterall! And did I mention that my 2 year old just talks nonstop all day long?And it's not just talking - it's also lots of questions! And she is 2, so there are times that it takes very hard concentration on my part to understand what she is saying.  And it's hard to concentrate on what she is saying when my 1 year old is crying because of a poopy diaper or my son is asking me for something or I haven't gotten enough sleep the night before.

But my husband can tell immediately what kind of day I've had when he calls on his way home from work.  And he knew that Mommy really needed a time out when he got home.....

Is that not the perfect bottle of wine that every Mommy needs once in awhile?  So after he got home, we put the kids to bed, I finally took my shower for the day, and then I sat with my husband and had a glass (or maybe 2) of wine.  And in retrospect, my day really wasn't all that bad.  After all, I did get to spend it with my 3 adorable children.  

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Sarahsewta Giveaway!

Have you ever heard of the etsy shop Sarahsewta?  If not, you really should stop by her store and check out what she has to offer.  She has some of the coolest looking rice bags made especially for your little kids!  I have never seen rice bags look so cool - here are a few that are my favorites...

If you like everything in her shop as much as I do, then you should stop by Mom to Bed by 8 - she has a giveaway going on right for a $25 gift card to Sarahsewta!  The giveaway ends on June 18th. 

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A Race for the Finish Line!

My older two kids ran in their first road race this past weekend!  My dad and my brother were running the 5K and there was a 1/2 mile kids fun run right before the race.  Since my kids are always "racing" in the backyard, they suggested we bring the kids and let them try to run the kids race.  All week my son kept talking about how he was going to win the race. I tried to explain to him that he would be one of the younger kids there.  The race was for ages 2-11 and my son is 4 and my daughter only 2. 

On the morning of the race, my kids were so excited!  My husband ran with my son and I ran with my daughter.  Both kids started out a little too strong and fast, so both had to take a few walking breaks. With a little encouragement though, they kept on going and finished! 

Here is my son with his Daddy:

And here is my daughter a few minutes later:

My son and daughter are still proudly wearing their medals this morning!  And they keep asking when their next race is going to be.  My dad has been running since I was 13 and he managed to get both my brother and sister into running.  So even though my dad was never able to get me to run, I think he's got his grandson and granddaughter!

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Bows For My Little Girls!

Awhile back I was lucky enough to win a $10 Gift Card to Sweet As Pie Creations Etsy shop (an awesome etsy shop featuring hair clips & bows for little girls) from Twee Poppets Review & Giveaway.  I have 2 little girls, so I'm sure you can imagine I was very excited about this!  Granted only 1 of my girls currently has enough hair to wear clips, but I'm sure it won't be long before the baby's hair gets a little longer.  

Sweet As Pie Creations has such a large selection of hair clips and bows to choose from.  There are plently of pinks and purples for all your girly girls out there.  My 2 1/2 year old's favorite color right now is pink!  If there is ever an option as to what color to pick, she always goes for pink.  Except on those rare occasions when she's been spending lots of time with her big brother, where she wants blue or dinosaurs or trucks.  So I was so happy to see that Sweet As Pie Creations also has a great selection of other colors and themes - tractors, fish, turtles, sculls, etc!  So when I say there is a large selection, I am not kidding. 

I also love how affordable the bows and clips are.  A pair of hair clips ranges in price from $1 to $2.  The hair bows range in price from $1.25 to $2.  With my $10 gift card, these were all the hair pieces I received!!!!

My older daughter loves the butterfly clips!!!  I think that she can't resist the sparkling butterflies! My daughter can have some crazy hair (in the humidity is it just a ball of spiral curls) - but these clips do a great job at both staying in her hair and also keeping her hair out of her face. 

Of course when my younger daughter saw me taking pictures of her big sister with her hair clips, she wanted to join in on the fun!  Like I said, she doesn't have much hair yet, but I think she enjoyed wearing the clip even if it was only for a few minutes!

If you are looking for some pretty hair clips for your little girl (or neice or cousin or anyone else...), I would definitely recommend Sweet As Pie Creations Etsy shop.  These hair clips were better than any store bought ones I have at home (and also cuter!).  Thanks Twee Poppets & Sweet As Pie Creations for these hair bows - my daughters love them!

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Boys Will Be Boys....Girls Too?

If you saw my Wordless Wednesday post yesterday, you saw we had a little visitor the other day!  My 3 kids and I had just gotten outside to play when my son ran off chasing something - which I found out within only a few seconds it was this...

I really did feel bad for the thing because he didn't stand a chance next to my son.  As a kid I used to catch toads, but now when I look at them I have no desire to touch them, let alone pick them up and pet them!  Plus my son is not the most gentle of kids either - there were a few moments that I thought he may end up getting squeezed to death.  But my sympathy for that little guy disappeared after he jumped right at me and my camera as soon as this shot was done...

 

I don't think he was a fan of the photo shoot going on that he was a part of!  But it did make for good laughs with the kids - they thought my jump and scream was hysterical!  And it of course sparked some curiosity out of my 2 little girls.

I was not that surprised with my 2 1/2 year old daughter.  She loves to play with her big brother and often picks up his dinosaurs over her own dolls!  I was a little surprised at how excited she was to play and touch the toad though...

But my biggest surprise of all was when my 1 year old daughter insisted on touching the thing too - she is usually our observer and when asked to do or touch things she will just shake her head no.  Not this time though...

I am starting to wonder why my husband and I bought the kids balls and bubbles and sidewalk chalk for outside - this poor little toad (who has since moved on to his own home unless kidnapped by some neighborhood kids after he left our yard) kept my 3 kids occupied for over an hour - and with their great concern over the toad, there was not one fight I had to referee! 

Even though that thing nearly gave me a heart attack, I don't think I would mind if he stopped by again soon!

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I Made It - Curtains for the Kids Finally!

I've been following Everything Etsy blog for awhile now - I love reading and looking at all she finds on Etsy!  She also has a blog party each Thursday - I Made It - where you can show off your latest project that you completed over the past week.  I think if I start joining in, it will keep me motivated to actually finish the million and one projects I currently have going on right now! 




So I finally finished the curtains for the kids room!  Currently, my 4 year old son and 2 1/2 daughter share a room.  I took them to the fabric store and let them pick out what fabric they wanted their curtains done in.  So on my son's side of the room, he picked out some dinosaur fabric. 

I used some old navy blue sheets as the fabric on the back.  With the navy blue on the other side, these do a great job at blocking the light from coming into the room. 

My daughter decided on Disney princesses for her curtains...

They are both excited for their new curtains.  And I have some extra leftover fabric so maybe they will be lucky enough to get some coordinating pillows :) 

Head over to Everything Etsy and see what else other's have made this week! 

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Glidden Paint

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Glidden. All opinions are 100% mine.

Is your home in need of a little makeover?  I know that I have a few rooms in my house that I would really love to give a fresh new look to.  One of the easiest ways I've found to freshen up a room is to paint it a new color.  There is just something so clean about a freshly painted room.  For me though, the hardest part of painting a room is choosing which color to go with.  I can sit in the Home Depot aisles forever just staring at all the color chips not knowing where to start!  And then I when bring those little color tabs home I have a hard time visualizing what that color is going to look like on my walls. 




The last time we painted though I had a great experience with Glidden paint.  I loved how they had a large assortment of testers available at our local Home Depot store.  I was able to pick up a few testers and bring them home and paint a sample of the paint directly on to my wall! The tester are very unique because they even included a mini paint brush to use so I didn't have to dirty the ones I had at home and then rinse off before trying a different tester.  Having the availability of a tester made our project much more affordable!! I have been known to have my heart set on a certain color, buy a gallon of the paint, paint the whole room, only to absolutely hate it and insist to my poor husband that we need to do paint it over again with a new color! So that one weekend chore just turned into two weekends!


Glidden currently has a "Glidden Paint, Get Color, Give Color Giveaway" going on right now - it began after midnight on June 1, 2010 on http://www.glidden.com/.  If you are fortunate enough to win some testers here, you can always find inexpensive Glidden paint testers at any Home Depot store.  So make sure to go and test drive your favorite color!! That might just be what your room needs!

Another great idea about the Glidden testers - this was a big advantage for me when we sold our house last year.  Before putting it on the market, there were a few spots that needed touching up.  Seeing as I had gotten sick of storing all our old paint cans, I had brought them to our recycling center a few months back.  So for the touchups, I just purchased a few additional testers in the colors I had originally painted in.  So much easier to fix up (and much cheaper too!)



If you have a hard time choosing a color, make sure to stop by the Glidden website where you can find ideas quickly with Glidden’s Top 10 Color Palettes and XL Paint Chips.  The Glidden’s Top 10 Color Palettes have been assembled by color experts to help you express your personality. They also have great tools (a room painter tool and also coordinating colors on each color chip) to help make it easy to select the perfect combination of colors for your home.

So if you are up for adding some new color to your home, make sure to visit: http://bit.ly/bjLb2u. 

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