kidding myself

I am going to take a little break for the summer - who has this kind of time to write something cute and sweet everyday??? I figured out it isn't me! So check back periodically - I will post again.

xo
Sparkly Mom(s)

Manic Monday!!!

Well needless to say I have been away on a glorious vacation to Myrtle Beach with my family!!!! It was an excellent trip with many things to do!!! Being that it's Monday and my first day back to work in 10+ days - I will catch up with the blog tomorrow!!! Even though vacation is over - still a busy summer to come!!!

Check back later! :)

Happy Monday!

Whimsical Wednesday!

My favorite Quote!

In order to get something you have never had, you have to do something you’ve never done! unknown author

Sorry that the blog has been lacking lately – life is busy and so when we have a minute and think of something worth sharing we will!

Thanks for stopping by!

Weight getting you down???

LOL I thought that title was fitting!

Some tips my Dr. gave me the other day to blast through my latest plateau!

Eat some Almonds - filling great snack
Drink Ice water- your body has to work (hence burn calories)
PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN - most women don't get enough
Add Weight training- muscle burns calories!

Come on let's do this!!!!

Spell Check

Ok who invented Spell check??? I am thinking this person is brilliant! If you type constantly as we do - Spell check is a godsend! I like to think that I am a decent speller - mainly because growing up my dad was a horrible speller and he would always ask me how to spell words- I made it my mission to give him the correct spelling on every word he asked! Anyway on to Spell check even if you are the perfect speller - it can't hurt to use it we are human and do make simple mistakes! Here are a few of my personal favorite spelling errors that I actually have seen people make!
Not only spelling errors but using the wrong spelling for the context. Example: It's vs. its, their vs. there, hear vs. here, breaks vs. brakes, our vs. are, thyme vs. time, weather vs. whether, to vs. too!

Incorrect Correct

definately definitely
tomarrow tomorrow
collage college
reeding reading
wether whether
originel original
wich which
samwich sandwich

any word missing the G in the ing - doin, goin, missin URGGGGG

ok so now you have it - my pet peeve! If we EVER spell a word wrong in our post please please please tell us! :) THANKS!

Manic Mondays

I think it goes without saying that Mondays are just too busy to blog! SO that being said don't expect much on Monday! :)

On to TUESDAY-

Read the next post!

Finally Friday!

Our kids say the darnest things... my daughter is going to be three in a few months and talks like she is 13 - Actually Mom, Really!?, I need that!, OMG, that's WEIRD!, (that is definitely something I say) and so many more phrases I can't believe! But what about us Moms?? How do you know you are a mom?

When you are half way to work and realize that you have been listening to your toddlers CD and are singing along!

You consider the person who invented the Sippy Cup a genius!

You would trade in your life savings for one solid night of sleep.

When your child is screaming or throwing a fit you attribute it to no nap or illness.

You have the pediatrician’s office on speed dial.

You consider parenting the best job in the world.

Make it a great weekend! Spend some quality time with your family!

Mompreneur

Tons of Americans want to start their own business. Women are on top of that list. We have different motivators for starting our own businesses. We tend to have two major reasons:
1) To provide a life we love for our families
2) To give back to the world around us.

We are leaving or trying to leave traditional jobs for the freedom and flexibility of working when and where we want to, around our family and personal lives. In fact, Moms have taken the business world by storm over the past 10 years, the mompreneur. What is a mompreneur? A quick Google search defines it as a female business owner who is working to balance the roles of both “mom” and “entrepreneur”.

Whether you are an entrepreneur our not, the majority of women list their family as the number one reason why they started (or are looking to start) their own business.

Here’s the funny part: our number one reason for starting a business is also our number one excuse when things don’t go as we plan. The puzzling paradox is understandable and any working mom can identify, but if we really want to do this and live a life we love, we must believe that it’s possible! Secondly, we to establish a defined strategy that we can stick to!

Women want freedom, security, love, joy, and appreciation. We want to make a difference, and we want to provide an incredible life for our families. We understand that there is no quick scheme to being successful and it takes hard work and perseverance. I am going to a workshop in July and will be back on this subject then... if you are interested in learning more send us an email!!!

Gulf Oil Spill

This is absolutely horrifying!! Copy and paste this website into your browser and see the devastation happening in the Gulf! Too sad for words....

http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/

Finally Friday

Thank God it's Friday... :) It's been one of those weeks!

We have some good stuff for next week, mompreneur and more- stay tuned.

Today for Finally Friday I wanted to end the week with something fun! Are your kids bugging you to buy them Silly Bandz?? Do you know what they are??
Kids everywhere are going wild over Silly Bandz!! These colorful Animal Rubber Bands (Silly Bandz) are made of silicone and die molded in many different fun shapes. These rubber bands return to their original shape when you take them off the item they're holding (or off of your wrist). Pick from Zoo Animals, Pets, Fun Shapes, Sea Creatures, Dinosaurs, and princess. All kinds of cool shapes! My husband came home with two packs for each of our kids and you would have thought he gave them $100 dollar bills... it was hysterical! ALL THE CRAZE!

Trilling Thursday

Funny true story from Reader's Digest:

"What is that sound?" a woman visiting our nature center asked.
"It's the frogs trilling for a mate," Patti, the naturalist, explained. "We have a pair in the science room. But they've been together for so long, they no longer sing to each other."
The woman nodded sympathetically. "The trill is gone."

With my upcoming wedding anniversary I thought that I would get your advice... What keeps your marriage strong and HAPPY???
I thought I would list a few of mine

1) Definitely date night - we try to go out to dinner alone at least once a week.

2) Teamwork- we definitely work together to get things done!

3) Sounds weird but we always go to bed together at the same time!

4) Texting throughout the day! Even if it's just a :) or love you!

5) Take a walk and hold hands

6) Going to car shows even though it's not my favorite thing to do!

7) Always give him praise in front of others (genuine)

8) Always kiss every morning and tell him I love him!

9) Rub his neck after a long day at work

10) Always tell him how much I appreciate him in my life!

SO what are some of your secrets to staying happy with your guy??

xo

Whimsical Wednesday

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” unknown author

"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them.” Richard L. Evans

"He who teaches children learns more than they do” German Proverb

"A Daughter is a Little Girl who grows up to be a Friend” unknown

"Parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their toes” Chinese Proverb

Love Whimsical Wednesday! :) Happy Hump Day!

Timewise Tuesday

Good morning everyone!!!

We have a very short post today.... It's not often that we find a product that we can't live without; however I do have just one ok maybe two. :) Mary Kay has an awesome creamy cleanser leaves normal to dry skin feeling clean, fresh and radiant with enhanced hydration. As it cleanses, exfoliates and freshens in one step, it begins the process to reveal younger-looking skin. Plus, with each use, your skin feels refreshed.
There is also a formula for oily skin. We love this product! If you haven't tried it shoot us an email we will send you a sample! :)

Sparkly Moms!

PS- The other product is Mary Kay's Oil free makeup remover! The best one that we have ever tried, including all the major brands!

More hotel tips....

This was the additional list from the same article and actually we thought some of these to be better than the first list!

1. Most of us are happy to help if you want us to tell callers you’re not registered at the hotel, or if you ask us where to park so you can’t see your car from the interstate. But we’re also talking behind your back about what you might be hiding.


2. Always request clean linens when you check in. We wash the sheets every day, but blankets often only get washed once a week. And the bedspreads? If there’s no visible stain, it’s maybe once a month.


3. In this economy, everything is negotiable. If your hotel offers a hot breakfast buffet as well as a free continental breakfast, ask if you can get the hot breakfast with your room. Very rarely will we tell you no.


4. If you travel frequently, use the same hotel each time and get to know the staff. Regulars are recognized and treated as VIPs. You could get free upgrades, discounts, and more.


5. Unless you want to pay $10 for a 5-minute call, never use the long distance. In fact, it’s best to specifically ask for it to be turned off. We’ve had situations in which housekeepers have made calls from a guest’s phone.


6. No matter how confident the reservations agent sounds, if you request a king bed, there’s no guarantee. Call the hotel directly and make the request again a few days before you travel. Then do it again on the day of. If we still don’t have one when you get there and you’re nice about it, we may comp your breakfast or upgrade you to a suite.


7. Don’t act like you own the place. Our policy is to automatically upgrade people if we’ve got the space – but I’m not going to do it if you’re snarky.


8. It seems to have gone out of fashion to tip your housekeeper. Most are paid minimum wage with the expectation of tips. Take care of them and they’ll take care of you.

Monday Monday Monday

I came across this interesting article in Readers Digest... Since vacation is very much on our minds I thought this was something to share!

13 Things Your Hotel Desk Clerk Won’t Tell You

1. The 1-800 reservations number will probably send you to a central office with set rates. If you call the hotel directly instead, you can negotiate.
2. Hotels can pay a commission of up to 30 percent to online booking sites. So offer me 20 percent less than the online price, and we both come out ahead.
3. Independently owned hotels are far more likely to give you a discount. Some chains balk at dropping the rate.
4. If you show up at 11 a.m. and check-in time is 2 p.m., please don’t be upset if your room isn’t ready. I can’t make the housekeepers go any faster. And you don’t want them to rush.
5. Don’t ask me for an upgrade when other guests are within earshot. Want a more spacious room without paying more? Request a corner room or a handicapped one.
6. Some concierges get kickbacks for sending you to pricey tourist traps. If you want an unbiased recommendation, ask me.
7. Sometimes my boss makes me lie, like when the elevator’s not working and I tell you someone is coming to fix it soon. I know it won’t be fixed until Monday, because the manager doesn’t want to pay the repairman’s weekend rate.
8. Don’t call between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. with a special request. Chances are I’ll have a long line of guests waiting to check out or in and will just want to get you off the phone.
9. My official job description: errand runner, toilet plunger, bow-tie tier, towel deliverer, and chef (that free continental breakfast doesn’t appear from above). I’ve also sprinkled rooms with rose petals and dealt with dead bodies. All for about $10 an hour.
10. We love it when you steal the soap, shampoo, and lotion. That’s why we put our logo on them. But pillows, bedspreads, and irons? We’re billing your credit card.
11. Keep it down. Even the best hotels aren’t totally soundproof, and I’m the one who has to send the security guard up to knock on your door when someone complains.
12. It’s a lot easier for me to remove Wi-Fi charges from your bill at checkout than to agree to waive them in advance.
13. No, we don’t have an hourly rate. You don’t want to be at a hotel like that anyway.

OK... so some of those are better than others! :) We are leaving in one month heading down to Myrtle Beach and I CAN'T Wait!!! :) YAY Vacation here we come!

Finally Friday

It's finally Friday and as the song goes- Cause It's finally Friday, I'm free again I got my motor running for a wild weekend. YEAH a wild weekend with our kids! Too funny! Looking forward to a fun filled weekend with the family! I always love berry picking season, it’s taken a while but strawberry season is finally here. If you want strawberries now is the time to pick. We found this cool calendar to show what fruits are available for picking at what times of the year!

June and July - Strawberries & Raspberries, July and August - Blueberries & Blackberries and raspberries come back the end of August through early October along with Apples, peaches and pumpkins!

My personal favorite spot – Rose’s Berry Farm, Glastonbury, CT / Here’s a link to CT Farms:
http://www.pickyourown.org/CT.htm

HAPPY picking!

Sparkly Moms!

Thirsty Thursday

Drinking enough water is essential to good health. Amazingly, water is quite possibly the single most important factor in losing weight…and keeping it off! What most of us don’t realize is that water may be the only true "magic potion" for permanent weight loss.

Water, in fact, suppresses our appetite naturally. Water also helps the body metabolize stored fat. Research has shown that a decrease in water intake causes fat deposits to increase, and an increase in water intake actually reduces fat deposits. We need water for kidney health, as they will not function properly without enough water. If they don't operate properly, some of their load is dumped onto the liver. The liver metabolizes stored fat into usable energy for the body. And if the liver has to do some of the kidney's job, it can't operate at full capacity. If this happens, the liver will metabolize less fat and more fat remains stored in the body!!! This causes weight loss to stop.

The body is an amazing machine. It is geared for survival. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival. When this happens, it holds on to every drop. When it holds on to the water, it is stored in spaces outside the cell (or extracellular). This is the cause for swollen feet, legs, and hands.

Diuretics may help temporarily. The diuretic’s job is to force out stored water…but what you may not realize, they also force out some essential nutrients along with it. Once again, the body perceives the water loss as a threat and will replace the lost water in places we don’t want it stored! The better alternative than that water pill?...Plenty of water, believe it or not! Only then will stored water be released.
And salt. We all know too much salt can be bad. Our bodies will only tolerate sodium in an certain amount. The more salt you consume, the more water your body retains just to dilute it.

For all the reasons discussed, the overweight person needs more water than the average, thin person. This is because the larger people have bigger metabolic loads. Since water is key to metabolizing fat, it is evident that the overweight person needs more water.

Okay, so how much water is enough? I’m sure we’ve heard this before, but on the average, a person should drink eight 8 ounce glasses every day. That's about 2 quarts. The overweight person needs an additional 8 ounces for every 25 pounds of excess weight. Of course, if you should always increase this amount if you exercise or the weather is hot! Staying hydrated is essential.

And last but not least, water should be cold. This is because research has found that it is absorbed into our system more quickly than warm water is. Some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually help burn those calories!

Drink up! CHEERS!

Whimsical Wednesday

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter won’t mind. ~ Dr. Seuss

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. ~Aristotle

The truth is that parents are not really interested in justice. They just want quiet. ~Bill Cosby


We would love to hear what makes you Whimsical...leave a comment and share your favorite quote or personal saying! :)

Fat Tuesday!

Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, the festival New Orleans, Louisiana, is famous for. "Gras" is French for fat and "Mardi" is French for Tuesday. Our Fat Tuesday has nothing at all to do with the New Orleans festival. LOL - It's about feeling fat after a long holiday weekend full of cookouts and parties! Did you know that one Omaha steak hotdog has 20 grams of fat! Crazy huh!!! So now we have our first official summer holiday under our belt! But we still have graduations, birthdays, Fourth of July, and VACATIONS!!! Unless we get a grip now, there will be alot more fat Tuesdays and every other day of the week as well!
Here are some diet tips while at work:
When you arrive at work, don’t grab the closest spot to the office. Park farther away. This forces you to burn a few extra calories!
When you get to the building, skip the elevator!!! Climb the stairs.
Drink plenty of water!
Take a walk – the opposite direction of the vending machine – when a craving strikes!
Your office has a gym?! Take advantage!
Eating healthy can taste great, on your break go online and find new healthy recipes to try!

Please send us your tips!!! Going to take a walk now!!! :)

Finally Friday!!!

Friday is our favorite day of the work week! Especially this Friday the eve of a looooooooooooong holiday weekend! Memorial Day weekend is full of cookouts, parades and sales! We wanted to take a minute to share the story of a young man from CT who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Staff Sgt. Edwin Rivera, who died Tuesday from injuries he suffered last Thursday in a firefight in Afghanistan. Sergeant Edwin Rivera leaves behind his wife and two children. Staff Sgt Rivera was the 50th service person from Connecticut killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, the five men killed before him were honored as their pictures were added to a wall of honor. So as we relax, eat, and enjoy our families this weekend just remember those men and women who make it possible! On a lighter note don’t forget to keep our economy moving and take advantage of those Memorial Day sales!!! J Here are just a few sales going on this weekend!!!

Ann Taylor Loft – 40% off your entire purchase (today – 5/31)
Ann Taylor – Coupon $25 off your $25 or more purchase till 5/31
Eddie Bauer – Buy one polo, tee or tank get the 2nd 50% off thru 6/2
Borders- Rewards 40% off one item thru 5/29
Gap – 25% off entire purchase (30% with Gap card) ONE Day only 5/31
Gap ONLINE- Huge savings!
Macy’s – Thru 5/31 25%-60% off store wide plus print extra 15% off savings pass from website or it was also a mailer.
This is only a few… check this awesome website for more! Happy Shopping!!!

http://www.memorialdaysales.net/

WELCOME!!!!

We decided that it was time to come up with our own place to chat, toss ideas around, and have fun with this blogging thing! We are working moms with purpose, drive and determination! Being a working mother is a balancing act and we haven’t perfected it but we are on our way to being the best that we can be! Please join in our fun!!!! We promise to at the very least make it interesting! We also love feedback so please help us with that too! We want to know what you are thinking and if there might be any topic’s you want to know more about we will do the research, so let us know! One of the other reason’s we wanted to do this blog is to reach out to other moms and share shopping secrets and sales! So stay tuned! We are professional shoppers! We will also do some talking about our toddlers and teens! LOTS to cover so make sure to check back everyday!

We look forward to being a small part of your day and promise to make you smile!

2 Sparkly Moms -