The 'S' Word

I've tried so hard to make sure my kids don't use bad words. Two words I despise are "hate" and "stupid". It is difficult to keep them from these words since they pop up frequently on children's shows.

And there are still times when I'm not thinking. The other day when Eli came in to tell me, "Mama! Mama! Mama! They said the 's' word on SpongeBob!"

I was shocked! "They said what?"

Eli: "The 's' word! They said the 's' word!"

I was thinking that surely they wouldn't say that word on SpongeBob. So I finally asked Eli, "Honey, did they say 'shit' on SpongeBob?"

Eli looked at me mortified. "NO! They said stupid!"

So, I'm the one that ended up teaching him a new word. Great!

Eggo Bake Shop Twists are a big hit!!

I love the blog tours where we get to try new foods!! My kids are huge fans of breakfast foods, and often go for Muffin Tops, Cinnamon Toast Waffles or Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

When I found out that Mom Central was doing a blog tour for Kellogg's new product, Eggo Bake Shop Twists, I was very excited. They sent me two coupons in the mail, so I went out and bought s box of the strawberry Bake Shop Twists and a box of the apple Bake Shop Twists. This was on Tuesday. When I got home, I showed my son and said, “Look what I bought!” His response was “Oh! Can I have one? Can I have one?” And for the rest of the day, he kept asking, “Can I have another one? Can I have another one?”

I asked him which one he liked better, the strawberry or apple, and his response was, “The strawberry . . . no the apple . . . no, definitely the strawberry . . . they’re both really good!”

They came four in a box, and by Thursday morning, they were gone. I did get to taste one before my son and my husband devoured them all, and I definitely agree with my son. They are yummy! A lot of frozen pastries that you get have a weird, processed shell-like thing for the pastry portion. The Eggo Bake Shop Twists actually taste like a real, nice soft pastry! They are good!!

Eggo Twists are a great fast breakfast. They are microwavable, and one is ready to go in 25 seconds. They are filled with real fruit and are currently available in strawberry or apple. Visit Kellogg’s Web site to learn more about Eggo Bake Shop Twists and other delicious Eggo breakfast products!! Then next time you’re at the store, pick up a box of Eggo Bake Shop Twists for your family! I’m sure they will love them as much as we did!

Projectile Vomiting at Cracker Barrel

This week's Manic Monday word is Wet. For more Manic Monday info, don't forget to visit Morgen.

I haven't done Manic Monday in awhile, but I thought this would be a good day to give it a shot since I had the perfect incident for Wet. Anyone who follows me on Facebook or Twitter might know a little bit about this incident.

I have been craving Cracker Barrel pancakes for weeks! Last month, we were planning to go get pancakes on my birthday, but my son decided to have a fever that weekend, so we couldn't go anywhere. We rescheduled for this last Friday because Eric was off work and the kids were on Spring Break.

We woke up on Friday morning and headed to Cracker Barrel. We walked in, sat down, and I asked Georgia "Do you want pancakes?" Georgia turned, looked at me and threw up all over me. Everyone's first reaction when I tell them this story is "Oh, poor Georgia." My first reaction was, "You have GOT to be fucking kidding me!!"

I immediately pulled her to me so the waves of puke would just go on me and not everywhere else. Unfortunately, the woman next to me was directly in my line of vision, and at Georgia's first gag, she put her hand to her mouth, and I thought she was going to toss her cookies, too. I figured I had better get Georgia out of there as quickly as possible, so I scooped her up and carried her out of the restaurant as quickly as I could. I thought I was being subtle, but the wet clomping of my shoe proved otherwise, and I knew I was leaving a trail of throw-up as I walked out of Cracker Barrel. Plus, Georgia threw up on me two more times on the way out the door, leaving me completely wet and covered with throw-up.

And here is the really annoying part. After we got home, she was FINE! Never had another incident, and acted perfectly normal! She just had to be sick at the one time we were getting pancakes - something I had wanted for weeks. Then she was fine. Can you tell that I'm still a little bitter?

Twitter Schizophrenia

I am now making it a point to blog more often! I think my problem is I've become addicted to social networking. It's hard to blog, when you can post mini blogs on Twitter and Facebook 100 times a day. Not only do I have a Facebook and MySpace account, but I have two accounts on Twitter. That's right, because one Twitter account just wasn't enough for me.

I would seriously like to know what happened that Twitter just so suddenly exploded in popularity. Seriously! WTF happened?!!! I have had a Twitter account for almost a year, and the only followers/followees I had were my workmates. Twitter seemed perfect because my workmates are anywhere from Albuquerque to New York to Jerusalem, so tweets seemed a great thing. Then, my blogging friends found Twitter. Then my Goo friends found Twitter.

I already had an issue of my worlds colliding on Facebook. It's a little hard to be yourself when your Facebook friends consist of the CEO of your company, your ex-boyfriend from high school, your husband, and your best friends who know all your secrets. In addition, I'm the Teen Program Coordinator at WikiAnswers.com, so I'm also followed by several teens. Dude! I'm afraid to say anything. God forbid I should slip and say the "F" word!

Twitter was getting just as bad. My Neila222 persona was feeling a little bit stifled, so I decided to break out with my alter ego, BlondieGoo. The difference is that Neila222 posts things like "I just got tickets to The Fray concert." BlondieGoo posts things like "Who do I have to blow to get good tickets?" You see the difference. So feel free to follow me on Twitter. I'll let you decide which of my personalities you would like to follow - mild or wild.

I soooo can't believe I'm doing this!!

I signed up for a Whole Foods Cleanse. It starts next week, and once it does, I will be on here giving you a blow-by-blow of how it goes. It was recommended by my Hypnotherapist and Holistic Foods Nutritionist. It's a 21-day cleanse. The first week, you just eat fruits and veggies, and nothing else. The second week, you add in grains. The third week . . . well, I'm not sure about the third week because we have to see if I can get past the first two weeks.

Okay, this is going to be a great health benefit, and a wonderful way to kick-start my weight loss since I have a 20-year class reunion (!!!) coming up next year! I really think I can do it except for one minor problem. No. Coffee. Dude! I don't quite know how I'm going to handle this. There are supposed to be three people available all the time if you need support. This is seriously going to be like I'm in AA. I can see myself in line at Starbucks, calling my hypnotherapist. "Kelly, help me! I just ordered a white mocha and I'm about to drink it." I'm trying to look on the bright side. If I can do this, I can do anything, right?! I certainly hope so!

Child Friendly Activities

I need to get back in mommy mode. I used to take the kids to Gymboree, Wonderscope, all the fun stuff. Today, Eric is with Eli at the NCAA tournament, so I decided to take Georgia to do something fun. You know what we did? We went and sat outside on the patio at Starbucks because it was such a nice day.

Yes, for mother-daughter bonding time, I took my 3-year-old to Starbucks! Dude! What is wrong with me? You know what's even worse? She had a great time!! That's right, most 3-year-old's need toys or a park to have a good time. But take my daughter to Starbucks and give her a vanilla milk, and she's good to go. I guess as long as she's not asking for espresso shots, I shouldn't complain.

13 Things I've Posted To My Facebook Status

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. Aside from being busy with work, I am horribly addicted to Facebook. Where else can you post all the random shit that you're doing and have everyone you've ever met before comment on it? I love it!!! I can post that I'm making dinner, and I may get a comment from a relative, a blog friend, and someone I went to high school with 20 years ago. It's awesome!!

Last night, I was merging questions on WikiAnswers, and happen to be going through a slew of questions about Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers. For some reason, this led to an in depth discussion with Eric regarding which Jonas Brother was the cutest. Eric says Nick. He's on crack. It's Joe. Anyway, I put this on my Facebook status. This got me thinking about some of the bizarre things I post from day to day. So, here we go - the first Thursday Thirteen I have done in months. And it is 13 things I have posted to my Facebook status!!

1. Neila wrote a check for fall preschool enrollment this morning. It was painful.

2. Neila can't believe she's having a disagreement with her husband over who is the cutest Jonas Brother. They have agreed to disagree.

3. Neila found the sharpener for her eyeliner buried in Eli's crayon box. "But Mama! It looked like a crayon sharpener!"

4. Neila needs to spend 12 more cents on Amazon to get free shipping. WTF can I buy for 12 cents?!

5. Neila is wondering why she goes to the grocery store for one thing and comes out with ten.

6. Neila is hoping I'm not too tired after this busy day to celebrate romantically with my hubby.

7. Neila has been to Chuck E. Cheese and Eli's basketball game, and it's not even 2:00 yet.

8. Neila would love to be in San Antonio seeing Goo tonight!!

9. Neila can't wait to see the Friday the 13th remake.

10. Neila just bought cupcakes for Eli's V-day party tomorrow. When did cupcakes get so expensive?!!!

11. Neila is heading to Starbucks for a quad-shot latte.

12. Neila left her sunroof open all night. And it rained. A lot.

13. Neila is drinking.

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy

My children have been Wow! Wow! Wubbzy fans for years! My son, who is now six, began watching it when he was three, and he still enjoys it today. My three-year-old daughter has been into the show for the last year. She LOVES to sing the theme song! In fact, I even recorded a video last year and put it on YouTube of Georgia singing along with the Wow! Wow! Wubbzy theme song:



When I found out Mom Central was doing a Wow! Wow! Wubbzy Blog Tour, I jumped at this one. This show airs about 40 times a week on Noggin and Nick Jr. (And there for awhile, I was beginning to think we were watching all 40 airings. ;-) This is a very cute show that provides kids with a great message, and helps them learn by example. Wow! Wow! Wubbzy is an Emmy award-winning show, and provides kids with a positive model to teach skills such as honesty, cooperation, and fairness all while having fun!

On February 3, the newest Wow! Wow! Wubbzy DVD was released – A Little Help From My Friends. The DVD features six episodes, all centered on teaching children the important values of friendship. If you’ve never seen Wow! Wow! Wubbzy, it centers around fun, lovable, and very curious Wubbzy. In this newest DVD, Wubbzy and his friends Widget and Walden search for a lost Wiggle Wrench, escape a runaway Doodleberry Cake, build a Super Robot, teach Walden to boogie, and work hard for Wuzzleburg trophies. They discover the importance of positive values like confidence, cooperation, teamwork and friendship. DVD extras include bonus episodes, a music video, games, activities and sneak peeks.

Parents can get involved by visiting www.wubbzy.com. There, you can join the Wubb Club, sign up for the newsletter, read the Wubbzy Blog, and listen to Wubbzy podcasts. Your kids will love the activities provided on the Website, such as fun activities, recipes, printable coloring pages, and more!

You can also learn more about the newest Wow! Wow! Wubbzy DVD on the website, as well as all available Wow! Wow! Wubbzy DVDs. Or you can look at a store near you, such as Wal-mart or Target, for your copy of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy – A Little Help From My Friends.

February already??

Okay, what the hell happened to January? It is really February already, and I can’t believe it! I’m trying to look on the upside. February is my birthday month. Woo hoo!! My birthday is Feb. 22, in case you would like to mark it on your calendar.

Eric asked me yesterday what I would like for my birthday, and I did come up with a few things – most of which he scoffed at. So chanced are I won’t get any of them, but I have hope.

Tickets to see David Cook – This got a “Yeah, right. Like I’m going to see David Cook” from my husband. I’ll be buying those tickets myself.

Detail My Car – You should see my car. It is scary. The kids seem to think the floor in the back seat is a huge trash bin. God only knows what’s growing back there. I would LOVE for my car to actually be clean. Eric said, “I wouldn’t know where to take your car. And doesn’t that cost a lot of money?” Translation – I’m not getting that.

Red Tea Kettle – I know, it sounds simple, but it’s something I have asked for for like four years for Christmases/birthdays, and no one ever freaking gets it for me. I’m not quite sure WHY no one ever buys it for me, but it’s really starting to get on my nerves.

New camera – One with image stabilization would be nice so all my pictures don’t turn out like this:

Rebuild Communities with Plant a Seed

I’m sure you remember what it was like when you were a kid. I know when I was little, there was no such things as video games or the Internet. Kids played outside, exercised, and had fun. We played outside with our friends, building that sense of friendship and community. Maybe you were involved in softball, soccer or football.

As a mom today with kids who are becoming increasingly interested in sports, I was thrilled that my children would experience some of the same exciting times that I did as a child. However, when we travel from soccer field to soccer field, I am too often seeing the decline of so many sports fields.

With today’s economy, many towns are facing budget cuts, and many of these fields go months, or even years, without maintenance or renovation. When these fields fall into disrepair, we lose them as a place our children can gather, losing a piece of community in the process.

Taking steps toward improving our communities is one of the most effective way we can become involved.

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Earn Your Stripes program has initiated a call-to-action for a national field renovation program, and it kicks off today – Super Bowl Sunday!!! A commercial will air today during the Super Bowl entitled “Plant a Seed.” Here is a preview of the Super Bowl commercial:



The ad focuses on the role we all play in building stronger communities and making a difference in kids’ lives. The Earn Your Stripes program is designed to inspire children to be their very best, and Plant a Seed shows kids that by planting a seed, you can help give kids places to realize their promise and potential.

The field renovation will renovate approximately 50 fields across the country to help provide better places for children and families to stay active, once again making fields a central and vibrant place of activity and community.

For more information on the Plant a Seed program, visit the official Web site at www.frostedflakes.com/#/plantaseed.

6-Year-Old Basketball

Okay, my kid is not into sports. Given, Eli is only six, and many say that he’s too young for us to judge his potential effectively, but I think a mother just knows these things. Eli has been playing basketball the last couple of months, and he does seem to be having fun. That’s the important thing, right? Right?

I will say this for my son. Watching him play basketball is not nearly as painful as watching him play soccer. I actually enjoy watching him play basketball. He bounces around with all kinds of spastic energy, never quite sure where the ball is. He guards his person no matter which team has the ball (so I’m thinking defense is his strength), and when the ball comes near him, it’s as if someone dropped a bomb and yelled “duck and cover”.

Like I said, this is actually better than watching him play soccer.

This weekend, they take the official basketball pictures, and I’m excited about that. A cute picture of my son in a jersey. Who cares if he wins.

Oh yeah, my husband cares if he wins. Dude! He’s six! So far, I have successfully halted my husband from jumping up out of his chair during the games. I’ll have to be content to listen to him scream things like, “Eli, get open!” This just causes Eli to stop in the middle of the game and stand on the court staring at us, saying “Huh?” Yeah, best not to scream at the kid while he’s trying to play.

But like I said, I think he has a strong future in defense. I have to try to get a picture of his best defensive move. He stands in front of the person he’s guarding and inches ever so close. Then he gives them “the look”. Oh yeah! It’s the look that says, “I’m going to hack up your body and hide the pieces.” This causes every kid, no matter how big or small, to back up!

That’s my boy!

Stop and Shop Healthy Ideas

As some of you may know, I have been very into holistic nutrition. I have been working hard to eat healthy and to get my family to eat healthy, which isn’t easy when I have two children (three including my husband) who are desperately addicted to sugar. Going to the grocery store each week has become very time-consuming because I have to read label after label after label trying to determine if foods are healthy.

I was very pleased when Mom Central launched their latest blog tour for Stop and Shop! Stop and Shop has made finding nutritious foods much easier and has created a huge time-saver! Stop and Shop has launched Healthy Ideas, which is a new symbol they use to label healthy foods. This helps consumers easily identify foods that fit into their healthy lifestyle.

Stop and Shop has placed the Healthy Ideas symbol (pictured above) on more than 3,000 items throughout its stores. This symbol helps you identify foods that have less fat, saturated fat and sodium. It also helps you locate foods that include a healthy amount of at least one nutrient, such as fiber, whole grains, calcium and minerals.

Healthy Ideas was developed by a team of registered dietitians to create a healthy foundation of foods that you can purchase with confidence for your family.

For more information on Stop and Shop and on Stop and Shop healthy Idea, visit the Stop and Shop Web site at http://www.stopandshop.com. Their Web site offers more information about the Healthy Ideas Program as well as expert testimonials and Healthy Idea recipes. In addition, if you are interested in learning more about Mom Central, please visit them at http://www.momcentral.com.

Happy New Year!!!!!

Yes, I am still here, and it is my New Year’s Resolution to blog more often! I miss all my blogging buddies!! I have been so busy with my new job the last couple of months that everything else has kind of taken a back seat. But that is no excuse! I know all of you are just as busy!!

I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year!! We have been crazy around here as usual. Here are my babies celebrating the New Year last night as they banged pots and pans on the front porch screaming Happy New Year at midnight! Well, okay, it was 10 pm, but I lied and told them it was midnight. I’m not going to go to hell for that, am I?

The kids are really growing up so fast! Eli is mid-way through kindergarten. I still can’t believe that!!! And Georgia is really enjoying preschool. Here is a picture I took of them last weekend. One of those rare pictures where they are both smiling and looking at the camera!

My Sister-in-law informed me that Georgia’s hair looked like a hippie out of the 70’s, and while I thought that was a little harsh, I did agree that she needed a haircut. So I took her to my friend Megan’s on Tuesday night who gave her the cutest little bob. Eric was sad because he thinks it makes her look older, but it is flipping cute!!!! See?

I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas!! Santa brought me a Wii Fit! So now I am on my way to fitness! Woo hoo!! And let me tell you, I am already an expert hula-hooper! Oh yeah, baby!!! Plus, I am kicking Eric’s ass on the Wii ski slope! Watch out!!

Did everyone have a good New Year’s?? Mine was AWESOME!!! You all know my love of the Goo Goo Dolls, right? Well, they were performing last night at the House of Blues in Atlantic City! While I was unable to fly across the country for a concert, I have a friend who went to the concert and called me during my favorite song, Naked, and held up the phone so I could hear it!! Thank you, Karen!!! I let my voicemail get the call so I could listen to it over and over!! That’s right! I had John Rzeznik singing my favorite song to me live on my phone on New Year’s Eve! 2009 couldn’t have started off any better!!

Personalize Your M&M's!!!

Who doesn’t absolutely LOVE M&M’s?!! Seriously! They are my favorite candy, as well as my daughter’s (she likes to pick out the green ones). In fact, my kids love M&M’s so much that very often their grandparents will enclose a bag of M&M’s in with birthday gifts, Valentine’s gifts or Easter gifts.

When I saw that Mom Central launched a blog tour on personalized M&M’s, I was thrilled. You can go to www.mymms.com, and personalize your own M&M’s!!! My kids are going to be thrilled when they open their Valentine’s candy and find their picture on M&M’s!!

MY M&M'S allows you to customize your M&M’s by choosing your colors, messages, and uploading your photos. You can make your order special for all occasions. And it’s not just for kids!! Imagine how much Grandma would love her grandchild's face on her birthday M&M'S, or how great the bride and groom would look on their wedding favors!

The site also offers dozens of gift options to accompany the MY M&M'S, such as candy dispensers, decorative tins, and MLB-themed containers. And new this year, MY M&M'S has even teamed up with Martha Stewart for ideas to make personalized gifts even more special. Each of Martha's MY M&M'S personalized gift options provide easy step-by-step instructions.

The site is very user-friendly, and makes personalizing and ordering your custom M&M’s a breeze!! I just placed my order for Valentine’s Day, and I can’t wait to see my kids’ faces!! I just know they are going to be thrilled! Visit www.mymms.com today to check out their different options and place your order for that special gift!