Do You Know You Are Out of Shape?

Yesterday evening, I decided to tackle the job of cleaning out a line of shrubs that have been overrun with a crazy vine. I was clipping and pulling and was so proud of my work. I have more to do today and I realize how sore my legs and shoulders are! I am not a good exerciser, although I was doing yoga 3 times a week until I got this cold/cough. I have been sick for 3 weeks and not keeping up with my yoga. It was the little bit that I did. Then I found out my good cholesterol was low- probably because I do not exercise.

How come when we know it is good for us, we still do not do it? I am making an early resolution to get moving (like Oprah's old slogan) and get fit. Not buff and hot, I will settle for losing 10 pounds and being able to garden!

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Challenge Winner For Two Moms in A Blog

Two Moms in a Blog our hosting a 14 challenge month for a Kodak Easy Share All In One Printer.

I hosted Challenge #4.

The four entries included: Life on The Road, Cathy's Bloggin, Mommy Mandy, and Mary.
Each entry will receive one ticket for the grand prize drawing for the printer.

And my chosen winner is.....Tiffany for her creative interpretation of the categories- plus her little one, her "something sweet," is too cute!

Tiffany will win a gourmet bar of soap from Tina at Club Candles. Thanks for playing!


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Holiday Giving Idea: Give a Book

If you are thinking of a special gift for a child in your life, a great idea is to give a book. All children need books! As children get older, they can appreciate stories that include tales from around the world, like Animal Tales. Some of the stories included in this anthology are Grandmother Spider, Native American; The Rabbit in the Moon, Indian; The Dragon and the Cockerel,Chinese; The Greedy Frog, Aboriginal; The Musicians of Bremen, German; Never Trust a Pelican, Thai; The Monkey's Heart, Kenyan; Sedna and King Gull, Inuit; and Magic in the Rainforest, Brazilian. As you can see from this selection, children can learn about the different types of tales from around the world. You can also choose to purchase this book with the CD that reads the stories with colorful language and sound. This type of book is also great as a read aloud for younger readers, but a great option for older independent readers too.

To purchase this book and see other great collections of stories, visit my Barefoot Books website.




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Playing With Our Friends

Last weekend we went with friends to a festival at our local state park. The girls got to play on the playground together for the first time in a long time. It was a beautiful fall day in Florida... in the 70's! This time of year and Spring are may favorite. The weather is perfect! It is a great thing to live here, even if you have to suffer the 95 degree days for a few months. This weather lasts a lot longer!

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CityPass for NYC- A Great Holiday Gift!

If you are going to New York City or know someone that is going to NYC, the CityPass will be an invaluable holiday gift this year.

New York CityPass is an all-for-one pass that gets you into all the great attractions in NYC. Each booklet has a ticket to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the new Greek and Roman galleries, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Guggenheim Museum and the American Museum of Natural History. Plus, a trip to the top of the Empire State Building Observatory and tour of the Manhattan skyline from the water aboard a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise, along with a map, public transportation information and insider tips on the best time to visit each attraction.

It is sold at 50% off the combined admission prices for all of those attractions. And you will save time because you get to skip the main ticket lines. It is $65 for adults and $49 for children (ages 12-17).

The CityPass is also valid from December 15 until March 15, giving you three months to use all 6 tickets.

I remember looking at the CityPass on my first trip to NYC. I was going to a conference, so I was not sure what time I would have to go to the main attractions. I ended up not purchasing it and wish I had. After standing in line for tickets at the Empire State Building and the American Museum of Natural History, I wish I had pre-purchased my pass. People that had the CityPass were walking right up to the entrance! It would have definitely been easier to have purchased it early.

If NYC is in your future or the future of a loved one, get the CityPass as a great surprise this holiday.

My Little Ones at Halloween!

This is a little delayed, but I wanted to include a picture of my sweet ones from Halloween. The little batman started out as a knight, but due to wardrobe malfunction (the helmet would not stay on), we bought the batman the night before. The little butterfly was suppose to be a lady bug and refused to wear her costume. So she got the butterfly wings. Never what we plan... but they had fun!

Challenge #4 - Wednesday Photo Game

I am posting a challenge for Two Moms In A Blog November challenge. Those great women are offering 11 more challenges during the month to earn tickets to win a FREE Kodak Easy Share All-In-One Printer. Check and book mark their site for more information on the upcoming challenges!

Thanks for playing!

Challenge #4 - Wednesday Photo Game

Photo Scavenger Hunt

Our Wednesday Challenges for November will be some type of fun photo game. For our first game, we'll do a photo scavenger hunt. To earn this ticket, you will need to find 10 items: one for each of the ten descriptions listed below. This leaves lots of room for creativity and it will be fun to see what everyone comes up with:)

Scavenger Hunt List
- something cold
- something hot
- something soft
- something hard
- something heavy
- something light
- something dark
- something bright
- something crafty
- something tasty
- something sweet
- something cool

How to Participate
In order to participate, you need to collect the ten items above and take a photo of all ten. Then, post the photo on your blog or email it to twomomsinablog@hotmail.com. Once you have submitted your photo, leave a comment on this post so we know you participated. Your photo must be posted/emailed by midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 13 in order to enter.

THE PRIZES
As with all our challenges, by completing this challenge, you will earn another ticket into the draw at the end of the month for a Kodak Easy Share All-In-One Printer. One participant in THIS challenge will also receive a gourmet bar of soap from Mia Bella donated by Tina at Club Candles. Thanks Tina!

For more open challenges to earn more tickets for our grand prize, check out our contest page.

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Thankful Tuesday's

My friend Betsy has started a series called Thankful Tuesday's on the 4fabmoms blog. What a wonderful idea to be mindful of those things we are thankful for each and every day.

Today, I would like to make a special thankful post for my husband. My husband has been going through chemotherapy for the past 6 weeks. It is not constant therapy, but is taking a toll. Along with illness each time from our preschoolers, he has not felt as well as he would like. He has been home for the past week and even though he is tired, he has been trying to keep things up around the house and help with the kids. I am thankful for the time he has at home to rest, for the things he accomplishes even though he does not feel well, and for the love he has for his family.

We know this is a short time in the span of life. We are thankful for our faith that God will get us through each and every day. We are thankful for the testimony He has given us to demonstrate our faith.

Thanks Betsy for the reminder!

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The Best Cleaning Steamer! Sanitize Without Chemicals!

Make this a Christmas gift to yourself! I bought the Shark Euro Steamer today and I cannot believe how clean my grout is! I bought this at a local hardware store because I heard how great steam cleaning is to sanitize your house without chemicals. I started just cleaning the tile. Then I noticed how the grout was coming cleaner, just going over it with the cleaner cloth. So I got down and got dirty! I scrubbed my grout with the metal scrubber brush and it turned back to the original color! Wow! I was quit warm, and gave myself a facial, but it was worth it! The 47 oz. of water kept going to clean the entire floor and to clean the majority of the kitchen grout. Now I am off again. I just could not pass up telling you about this. Buy yours today!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Pillsbury Bake Off $1 Million

I was just watching a repeat of last year's Pillsbury Bake Off. The winner, Anna, has her own cookie blog, Cookie Madness. She posts almost daily cookie recipes with pictures. What a find!

The next bake off has the 100 finalist. All of the recipes are available on Yahoo food.

And while I was motivated by the show to think of my own recipe, I will have to wait until 2009 to enter and 2010 to be one of the finalist for the million dollar prize- start thinking of your winning recipe and join me!

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Fall in Florida Part 2

It finally stayed below 80 degrees for an entire day! We wore jeans on purpose for the first time. That also meant I discovered my two year old does not fit into the hand-me-downs from her cousin- a 4 year old- and we are out of hand me downs! She is now in a size 3T! At 2 1/2! So I happen to go to JC Penney's tonight and to my surprise, not only a sale, but an additional sale! Yeah- clothes for cheap! I love it! Getting clothes for a good price certainly makes it better to buy. Since she has now out grown the 4 year old, we are on our own- soon to be passing up I am sure.

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Win a FREE Kodak Easy Share Printer

Two Moms In A Blog are offering a November give away. Join in for your chance to win a Kodak Easy Share Printer. There are issuing 14 challenges through the month of November and for each challenge you will earn a chance to win the printer, plus other small prizes. For this blog entry, I am entered to win $20 from Barnes and Noble. Who could not use that with the holidays approaching!

So visit the mom blog and join in the fun!


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Google Page Rank

I am posting today since the much awaited Google Page Rank was released. While I do not worry about page rank, it would have been nice to see a higher number, if only so I could get better opportunities for paid posting! I have a few readers here, mostly friends and family, but I did have high hopes of better days. Maybe in the next go round!

For those that really obsessed, at least the wait is over and now we can move on!

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Contests and Blogging

If you are a mommy blogger and trying to make some money with your blog, you know the importance of traffic. Traffic is the key to earning $$$ through one free available money maker, Google Adwords.

So how do you increase traffic? One way is by hosting contests. A great site for seeing how to use contest is Contest for Moms blog. She is giving away of Comfy Easy PC in this post. By linking to her blog or posting a comment, you can be eligible to win.

If you want more tips for making money with a website or a blog, a great resource is our Work at Home Professional Series. Episode 10 is with Pajama Mommy about her ideas for getting more money from your blog. It is well worth the 30 minutes of your time to get these valuable tips and resources! I will post the link soon, but you can go to the Itunes store and do a search for Smart Moms and download it from there.

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Parent's Magazine Free Podcast

I just found this Parent's Magazine Free Podcast of the internet radio program. You can listen to it right from the site or download it from iTunes. iTunes is a free download and you do not need to have an iPod to use it. It is a great resource for organizing music and podcasts. There are MANY free podcasts on iTunes, including video Nick Jr. shows and Super Why from PBS Kids. The videos can be played right on your computer.

When you download iTunes, you will see the iTunes store on the left side bar. When it opens, go to podcasts. Click on Kids and Family. Make sure you check the Top Podcasts on the right side bar.

A great free resource!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

St. Augustine Events- Uptown Saturday Night

If you are going to visit Florida, you should visit part of our history instead of one of the large theme parks. One great place to visit is St. Augustine. If you decided to go, make sure you check out all the great events in St. Augustine, especially the upcoming Uptown Saturday Nights. On the last Saturday in October and November, October 27 and November 24, from 5:00 - 9:00 pm, the antique district along San Marco Avenue comes to life with loads of antiques, workshops on antiquing, book signings by local authors, and featured artist's works at local galleries. Close by, you can also enjoy galleries, stories, live music, food, and wine. The shops all have open house so you can enjoy the best of the district even in the evenings!

The best part, parking is free at Mission of Nobre de Dios!

St. Augustine is great to visit any time of the year, especially in the fall when the Florida weather is moderate. The history of the oldest city in the US is enough to keep you busy during the day, and the Uptown Saturday Night event is enough to keep you busy at night.

Don't miss out on these two special nights in St. Augustine! If you cannot make it this fall, other dates are available. I am going to plan my visit to St. Augustine to make sure I can go to Uptown Saturday Night!

Give Your Child Some Sidewalk Chalk

I have posted some of these pictures on my preschool blog, but they are worth mentioning again. A little sidewalk chalk and innovation, and you have an artist! Check out Julian Beever's collection of pavement art. Be sure to click on the 3-D images to really give your brain a work out!

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The Second Round of Chemo

Today begins the second round of chemo. My husband had last week without any treatments and now it is a full week of inpatient treatments. He tried to get out of the inpatient thing, but the doctor said he thought it would be best to keep the kidney good. Hopefully he will be out early Saturday since we celebrate Halloween on Saturday in our city. If not, no biggie, we will go visit the hospital in the cute costumes!

As I keep saying, this is a short time in the scope of our lives. Two more months, we are done! The healing has begun and all of this is just formalities!

Keep praying!

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt

Superbug- Cleaning Your Home

I am sure most moms started a large cleaning campaign this week when news of the Superbug hit home. I completely washed down my kitchen and bathrooms, to me those seemed like the most likely culprits of germs. My husband has been in the hospital recently so that makes it even scarier!

And it is not just the kitchen and the bathroom of course. Shoes are one of the worse! Think about where your shoes go- the bathroom floors, the grocery store, the hospital floor (in our house). Leaving your shoes outside may be a good option!

One of the best ways to prevent any illness or germ in your house is to wash your hands carefully, for the entire song of Happy Birthday. Don''t share towels- each have your own towel to dry your hands- germs come off when you dry and they stay there. Or use paper towels and throw them away.

When you blow your nose, throw the tissue away immediately. Don't stick it in a pocket or your purse. How many times do you wash those tissues in your jeans and make a big mess anyway!

Use alcohol based hand sanitizers. While I have heard reports this has made some germs immune to the anti-bacterial properties, alcohol kills the Superbug.

And sanitize your house- with bleach especially. I hardly ever use bleach, but that and alcohol kill the it.

For more tips, read the Clean Living Newsletter. And wash your hands!

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Smart Moms Professional Series

It has been a long busy week.

Smart Mom Kim has been working hard this week on the Smart Mom Professional Series. This is a free podcast download for moms that work at home to help them increase their skills, abilities, and to give them some good ideas to improve your business. If you are thinking about working from home, this is a good opportunity to start out on the right foot. You could not buy the experience these women have to offer. Millionaire Mommy gives some tips for becoming a millionaire young, PJ Mommy will teach you how to monetize your website, Suzanne (no Mommy name here) gives helpful tips for working ebay as your home based business.

You cannot go wrong listening to these 30 minutes episodes. Plus they are FREE!

So log on to our blog, 4fabmoms, and download your free work at home mom help.

Click here to support breast cancer research by purchasing an original Breast Cancer No Excuses T-Shirt