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!