Happily Blended Product Reviews, Giveaways, Mommy Blogger

Mommy Brain Experiences

February 8th, 2010 · No Comments · Brandy's Life

I swear once you become a mother it is like every child takes a little piece of your brain, seriously! I used to be so great at mathematics in high school and then I had my daughter at age 20 and low and behold I lost part of my brain. I could no longer remember dates, phone numbers nor was I able to correctly balance my checkbook. Then I had two more children, why!? Not sure what I was thinking, apparently I love children or something

So here I am a mom with three children ages 7, 3 and 1. I swear my brain has lost so many functions and it’s what I like to call Mommy Brain. If you want me to remember to call you at a specific date and time or want me to remember your phone number, that number is going into my Verizon Wireless Blackberry Curve smart phone, why? Well quite frankly I can write it on the calendar, I can write it on a post-it note, but without a nice alarm buzzing to remind me, you can be pretty certain I WILL NOT call you, attend the event or anything.

My brain is so shot from having my children that I am often so absentminded that I have even used bar soap on my children’s hair, forgot what time Girl Scouts was, nearly forgot to pick my oldest up from school and oh yeah I almost forgot about a few soccer games too! It’s like my smart phone is the only way I can remember a thing!

I admit when I first got my smart phone, I didn’t know if I would even like it or if it would be worth paying for the service each and every month, but seriously I love my life with my smart phone, without it I would be walking around lost and forgetting those important events!

Now my smart phone is so attached to my hip that unless my daughter is playing Tetris on it, I have it right by my side everywhere. My friends pick on me by taking my smart phone and let me tell you what, I freak out. I seriously freak out and go grabbing for it as fast as I can. They think it’s a riot! I think it’s “not cool” at all, that smart phone is my lifeline, don’t they understand that I have Mommy Brain?!

Disclosure: Verizon and JuiceBoxJungle sponsored me to write this post, and they asked me to talk about the ways my smart phone affects my life as a parent.

Have you smiled today?

34FF87E2EF0B2B4788DA73101F6AE786 Mommy Brain Experiences

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#giveaway Katie and Kimble Wins Mom’s Choice Award

February 8th, 2010 · No Comments · giveaways

Mom’s Choice Awards® Names the Katie & Kimble Series by Linda Thieman among the Best in Family-friendly Media

The Mom’s Choice Awards® has named the Katie & Kimble (A Ghost Story) series by Iowa author Linda Thieman among the best in family-friendly media, products and services. The MCA is an annual competition known for establishing the benchmark of excellence in these areas.

When the great flu pandemic struck America’s shores in 1918, it took with it an estimated 675,000 men, women and children.

In her imaginative first book in the award-winning chapter book series, Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, author Linda Thieman follows one of the young victims, named Kimble, and her nine-year-old friend, Katie, who just moved into Kimble’s old house.

Though ghostly in its viewpoint, the story does not fit into its genre’s stereotype. Rather, Thieman’s ghost is a funny, adventuresome little girl who not only helps Katie, but receives help from her friend in return.

Written to inspire the 7- to 10-year-old set, Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story is an educational adventure for the parental set, too, giving insight into the worldwide pandemic, Kimble’s Jewish customs, and even a bit about the supernatural.

For more information on the awards program and the honorees, visit MomsChoiceAwards.com

For more information on the Katie & Kimble series, visit http://www.katieandkimbleblog.com

ENTER TO WIN BOTH KATIE AND KIMBLE BOOKS!!!!

Giveaway ends 02/15/2010 and is open to US Only

HOW TO ENTER:

Leave a comment telling me who you would want to win these books for.
Follow @brandyellen and @LindaThieman on Twitter and tweet once per day using #giveaway hashtag. Leave a comment with link to your tweet and twitter username.
If your name is on the extra entries list found here, leave one comment with the words “Extra Entries”.
Visit Katie and Kimble blog and leave a comment on one of their blog posts. Leave a comment below telling me which blog post you left a comment on.
Subscribe to Happily Blended for daily email or RSS updates, and leave a comment below.
Subscribe to Happily Blended’s weekly newsletter, and leave a comment below.
Comment on another non-giveaway post and leave the name of the post here within a comment.

Disclosure: This is a copy of the press release, and I am sharing it to my readers as a way to share Katie and Kimble books with you. Linda offered a chance for you to win a set of 2 books as a nice gesture for sharing the exciting news with my readers. My family has received both books in the past for free. I did not receive compensation to share this particular post with you.

Have you smiled today?

Question about this post or something found within it? Read my Disclosure Policy.

Scheduling Extra Curricular Activities

February 8th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Brandy's Life, children

I often wonder about over scheduling my oldest. My daughter just loves everything, she has expressed an interest in everything from guitar lessons to karate and even piano lessons. Currently my daughter only has one sport that she plays in the Fall, that is Soccer and her father is usually the coach for her team. The remainder of the year her and I have Girl Scouts together, I stay with her and help the best I can with the weekly meetings.

It seems I have a child who is interested in so many things, I see a lot of me in my daughter because I am one of those ladies who can dress up and be all fancy but in the next minute be getting all greasy working on the vehicles. I think it’s great when a person has so many interests that they can get along in any social setting and I hope my daughter keeps this skill.

In the meantime as a parent I struggle with what is “too much”, you know? I want for my children to experience anything and everything they show an interest in but at the same time I don’t want them to be over scheduled and stressed out. I feel that my daughter can take on one more activity when soccer is out, so maybe a winter or summer type of sport? I don’t know what’s best. I do love that she is very artistic and has a love of music, she actually often talks about having her own band. It’s cute the lyrics my daughter has come up with for songs of her own, I must admit I have a very creative child and hope that maybe guitar or piano lessons will be something in her near future to encourage her love of the arts.

Have you smiled today?

34FF87E2EF0B2B4788DA73101F6AE786 Scheduling Extra Curricular Activities

Question about this post or something found within it? Read my Disclosure Policy.

What a Year Already

February 8th, 2010 · 5 Comments · Blogging Support, Brandy's Life

I don’t know what I was thinking when I started planning the All I Wanted for Christmas event, I suppose it was because I wanted to share wonderful products for everyone to win. I know I feel super fantastic when I win something, and I guess I wanted to share that feeling with everyone else by giving them a chance to win some wonderful items. The problem is I scheduled it for the beginning of a new year, a new year means a new, fresh start but I have yet to get myself organized this year between blogging for Examiner, my two personal blogs, running my business and of course being a mom and getting the kids all set up on what they need to be doing to move forward for a positive year.

It’s insane the things I get myself into, I swear I am not happy unless I have my hands in tons of things at once. I don’t feel stressed out, reality is I am excited for all that has landed in my lap this year already, but it has made my world a bit challenging for the time being.

(more…)

Have you smiled today?

34FF87E2EF0B2B4788DA73101F6AE786 What a Year Already

Question about this post or something found within it? Read my Disclosure Policy.

Symptom Pak Cold & Flu Review & Giveaway

February 8th, 2010 · 1 Comment · All I Wanted For Christmas, Product Reviews, giveaways

I get to share with you a great product for this cold & flu season called Symptom Pak that offers all the medication one would need during the cold & flu. The Symptom Cold & Flu Pak comes with five uniquely different medicines that treat your specific cold or flu symptoms! Each package of medicine comes with 30 tablets each.

So what’s included?

Acetaminophen 325mg
Phenylephrine 5mg
Dextromethorphan 10mg
Guaifenesin 200mg
Chlorpheniramine 2mg

(more…)

Have you smiled today?

Question about this post or something found within it? Read my Disclosure Policy.

Car Insurance Talk For Connecticut

February 7th, 2010 · No Comments · Miscellaneous

I have a friend who was looking for Homeowners Insurance Somers, CT and they were talking to me online about their search for homeowners as well as Life Insurance Somers, CT. I could give them some advice as far as what they needed to have included in their homeowners insurance, at least from a New Hampshire residents perspective, however, it was hard to lend state specific advice to them on homeowners insurance.

I haven’t ever had a life insurance plan other than what has been offered to me from previous out of the home work positions, and honestly I don’t know a whole lot about those types of plans. I know that another friend of mine has life insurance for her family, and I completely understand the need to have a life insurance plan, so my friend continued on in her search and looked for Life Insurance Tolland, CT.

Has anyone who reads my blog have a clue about insurance for homeowners and life insurance? Is there a difference in policies between states so close such as New Hampshire and Connecticut? I would love to hear some advice on how you determined to go with a specific company or plan when it came to choosing the right homeowners and life insurance polices for your family.

Have you smiled today?

34FF87E2EF0B2B4788DA73101F6AE786 Car Insurance Talk For Connecticut

Question about this post or something found within it? Read my Disclosure Policy.

Still Having Issues with My Webcam

February 7th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Blogging Support

Yesterday I recorded TWO videos as you can see below they came out perfectly fine using my Creative Live! Cam Optia Pro webcam …

AND THEN THIS ONE WAS OKAY ….

BUT now this video below and every one since will NOT sync lips with voice, can someone please assist me so I can get my webcam working, I love my FLIP tons, but it’s easier to do at home videos with the webcam when I am sitting using my laptop ….