Weekend Blog Walk

Aha Moment

Ok....so I just had an aha moment! I've been working steadily on the blog to improve and add a bunch stuff that I've been wanting to add. In the process of doing this I've been visiting everyone's blogs to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Sooooo there was a big something I missed.

A way for everyone to follow me...

I don't know about the rest of ya'll, but if I don't have little reminders for stuff (no matter how good your blog is) I won't remember!!!

Aloha Jump

Gone a little crazzzzyyyyy!

If you've checked in over the last couple days you've probably been wondering what the heck I was up to!

I figured out how to make my own header, background and signature....woot, woot...and I've been fine tuning the way the site looks. (thank you internet)

In the midst of the all the changes I literally changed everything on the blog like a million times.

Now I see why these people sell this stuff...heck if I'd known I already knew how to do all this "I" probably would have sold it a long time ago.

But anyways....I will quit blathering on....take a look around and tell me how ya like it!

Wordless Wednesday

Too funny... if you didn't grow up in the 80's ya probably won't get this one!

Bwa ha ha...

Yes, yes I am working on the blog yet again! LOL, I can't help it...
So as you come on here this week....it may be a little different every day....
I've figured out how to do a new header myself....and that's what I'm in the middle of perfecting.....
Not to mention, I've decided to do a couple of new areas of the site for specific days of the week. I blogged a book review yesterday and will be adding others in the near future (hopefully good reviews).
I will also be starting Wordless Wednesdays as of tomorrow. I just might have a couple more things up my sleeve!!

Only me….and the book review

Let me preface this by saying….all I was looking to do was to read a few good books (for free and early) and then write a nice little review on them. Of course it couldn’t be that easy!

 I’ve been lamenting and stressing over this darn review for weeks. Those of you that know me know that I can read a good book in a day. This book took me a couple weeks to read. I’m just one of those people that once I start something…I need to finish it!

I signed up for a website a month or so ago that gives you the opportunity to get early release books and then you repay that kindness by writing a review on the book. My VERY first book that I won was a book called “Falling into Green” by Cher Fischer. The following is the review I submitted….I also included the email I sent to the editor.

Review:

 “As an Eco psychologist, Dr. Esmeralda Green is skilled at solving the mysteries of the mind, especially if they collide with the laws of nature. But when a body is found below the crumbling cliffs near her Los Angeles home, she is pulled back in time to a tragedy that defies all understanding. When a young girl is murdered at the same cliff that took the life of her best childhood friend, Ez suspects the two are connected - and, having always lived up to her ecological name, she has learned to trust her intuition and the cues that the natural world can offer.”(Book synopsis from Goodreads)

I love a good, strong female character and Esmeralda Green is one. She speaks her mind and does life her way! Her leading man is the hunky TV news reporter Gabriel Hugo Garcia and he keeps her on her toes throughout the story.

The author had very thorough and interesting characters with a very well thought-out plot line that was anything but predictable. I went into reading this book hoping for the best. The story write-up sounded intriguing and something right up my alley. It had a refreshingly new take on a murder mystery, but I had a hard time getting involved with the characters. I think with some more editing of the overly descriptive character descriptions that this book could be much better! It was very distracting to have the same descriptions restated multiple times. I looked forward to the book/characters being ecologically friendly but felt that the emphasis on this could have been toned down just a bit.

When requested for a review I feel compelled to write one, I know all the hard work from the writer and editors that went into this piece of work and hate to take away from any of that.

My email to the editor:

John,

 I wanted to thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to read this book early. I apologize for the delayed review. I actually agonized over writing my review. I wanted so badly to like this book and was very excited about the story line and characters, but the detractors unfortunately won out on this one. I know all of you have to put so much work into each and every book that goes out there…and I by no means want to detract from that! If I can be of any help…please let me know…I just didn’t want any comments I made to come out snarky…so I kept any details to a minimum.

 Thanks,

Anissa

Striving for Perfection…

I love this pic...found it on Pinterest!
I can’t help it, it’s in my nature! I can fully admit that I am a recovering OCD momma. Even with five kids, I can still find it rearing its ugly head.

At least the baby isn’t crawling on the floor any more... she would end up with dirty spots on the knees of her clothes. Ya don’t think that didn’t drive me batty? (That was even after mommy sweeping and cleaning the floors on a daily basis.)
I can’t believe I’m admitting that to everyone, but it’s true.

The reason I bring it up is because I find it meandering over to my blog… I look around at all these awesome blogs and think am I measuring up…I could be doing this or I could be doing that to improve it. Anyone who’s looked upon my little slice of heaven can attest that I‘ve changed the layout, color scheme and content about 50 million times since it began.

When I’m not altering the set-up of the blog I actually write. I’m thinking maybe I should just be doing some more of that, and then I might be able to write more than once a week. I have no idea how some you write every day!

Blog hoppin'

25 fun things to do with a toddler on a rainy day…

This week we have had several days in a row of rain. A day occassionally isn't too bad, but with this many in a row you start hunting down things to keep the kiddos entertained. I don’t know about you, but if I let my little one get bored she quickly finds ways to get into trouble and make a huge mess. Not to mention she then doesn’t want to take her nap! This is a recipe for disaster…

At home:

1)     Coloring

2)    Reading

3)    Hide and seek

4)    Another variation of hide and seek is to hide a toy and have/help them find it

5)    Finger painting

6)    Grocery store- We have several reusable shopping bags and then fake food or old boxes and containers from food items that can be used to go pretend grocery shopping.

7)    Pretend cooking- We use mommy’s pots and pans, baking pans, etc. to pretend cook.

8)    Build a fort- Love this….use all kinds of blankets, pillows, boxes,  etc. to make forts around the house.

9)    Puppets- over the last year or so we have bought a slew of little animal puppets from  the Carter’s store (they are so darn cute), even before she knew what to do with them she love to hold on to them. We have definitely gotten our money’s worth out of these!

10) Have a dance party….I don’t know about your little one, but mine just looovvveesss music and to dance.

11)  Play with sidewalk chalk in the garage

12)  Watch a movie (depending on their age, you could make it like going to the movie theatre with popcorn and a darkened room)

13) Hide stuffed animals through-out an area of the house and pretend you’re on a safari

14) Finger painting

15) Bake together (age dependent on how much they are able to help)

16) Play dress up

17) Have a tea party

18) Have a picnic

Out and About:

1)     Shopping (for us girls…this is always fun)

2)    Indoor play area

3)    Indoor pool (if not thundering & lightening)

4)    Story time at a local library, community center or book store (I know our local library has it several times a week)

5)    Got to library to look at books

6)    Children’s Museum

7)   Go outside anyway (if there’s no thunder & lightening of course)

Hope this helps you guys to get the creative juices flowing…if you think of anything else…feel free to add to my list.

Screaming Mimis

And this is what I did on my mini mom-cation (the baby is asleep and the rest of the family is at the movies)...anyways, on to the post....

Uh huh… the older kids thought it was funny to yell at the baby any time she would yell because every time they’d do it…she would copy them. That was until yesterday! We were driving to the shoe store and Target and they got it in their heads that if the baby was yelling in the store that mommy wouldn’t want to stay very long. Well, they got what they wanted, but they didn’t stop to consider that they wouldn’t be very happy with the outcome either! (The oldest tried to bail and go to Starbucks…I was like oh hell no….you started it, you can deal with the outcome with everyone else)

All I kept thinking as we were walking through the store was: OMG, I’m one of those moms with one of those children that everyone looks at and shakes their heads.

Needless to say....they won't  be yelling at the baby again any time soon! (So maybe this little outing from hell was worth it)

What I’ve gradually come to discover over the last couple days is that my little darling (who likes to do EVERYTHING early) has decided to grace us with the terrible two’s early. Joy…joy.

I’ve been so excited every time Hailey would do her milestones early; however, this is one I could do without…. Please, for all that is holy let this be a very short phase in our lives! J Where oh where has my little angel gone? Just in the last couple days she’s turned into an even bossier and independent little tyrant. How exactly do you reason with a 15 month old…..problem is….YOU DON’T!