A Free Dress! From Old Navy :)

Those of us who are mom's know that we put ourselves last on the list for just about everything.  Most of my clothes are at least a few years old with only one or two new pieces thrown in every 3-4 months - those pieces are almost always bought on clearance usually at Old Navy.

Since discovering Old Navy in the late 90's, I have been addicted.  That is why when I signed up for CrowdTap and was chosen for the Old Navy Spring Dress Sampler, I was super excited!  Not only did I get to get a FREE Spring Dress for myself, I had 3 coupons to share with friends.  I had a fun little contest going on Facebook for the 3 coupons, I don't think I've ever received so many responses to a status update.  It was fun and 2 very deserving ladies (both long time friends) and 1 husband who was trying to do something nice for his wife were the recipients of the coupons!  In fact, I had the pleasure of going with one of the ladies to help her pick out her dress.  So much fun!

When I went to shop for my dress, I was astonished at the options available.  I literally tried on every single dress in the store and of course ended up with the last one I chose :)

I paired it with a cream colored knit shrug, gold necklace, earrings and copper colored shoes - and wore it to a bridal tea shower the next day.  I had fun chatting with everyone about the dress and where I got it, and of course it was even more fun to tell them how I got it.

If you'd like to join CrowdTap and do fun things like this - click HERE.  And of course you can always find Old Navy at www.OldNavy.com!

New carpet....new vacuum!

We are finally investing in new carpet.  We had planned on doing this much sooner, but then life happened and I was laid off (that was 2 years ago!).  It has been a struggle to say the least, but one that has brought us all closer.  I am so blessed to have the family that I do.

We have been in our home 6 1/2 years with carpet much older than that (yuck!) - the people before has had both cats and dogs along with a toddler roaming around.  Then we moved in with 2 dogs and though they are no longer with us, the carpet serves as a daily reminder that they were here....and not in a good way.  And of course, now we have a toddler roaming around and I hate to see her rolling around on that carpet.  We have tried time and again to have it professionally cleaned, but it is beyond help (we've actually been told that by the carpet cleaning people).


Having said all of that, we are so looking forward to new carpet, but that also means getting a new vacuum cleaner.  Most likely the $50 special at Target or Sears.  However, I happened upon this AMAZING Oreck Giveaway at the Village of Moms blog. And, oh my how I would love to win this for our family.  I know that having new carpet and this amazing vacuum would help with my sweet daughters eczema and allergies.  Additionally, it would save the rest of us a lot of sneezing.  So, check out the giveaway, it's a good one!


Here's hoping for a win!

Corolla for the win!

I was recently discussing with a group of friends our "dream car" choices.  While everyone else was choosing fancy schmancy vehicles, I chose my Toyota Corolla. Granted, I did say, I would like to have all the bells and whistles you can get (but that I couldn't afford when I made my purchase), but honestly, I love my Corolla.

Corollas are dependable, trustworthy, reliable.  You know what you're getting when you buy a Corolla.  Maybe someday way down the line I might opt for a Camry :)  But at this point in my life, my comfort lies with the Corolla.  I have every intention of driving that car until I can no longer drive it, and if it keeps going the way it is, that is going to be a really long time from now...and that makes me smile.

I have two good friends who drive Camrys and have for a while and 2 others that have Corollas.  All four echo my sentiments, but with various stories attached.  None of the four have kids, but do lead very active lifestyles that require them to travel a lot.  Their Toyota's have gotten them there and back safely for years, with no problems.  It's nice to share that commonality with friends :)

FULL DISCLOSURE:

I'm participating in a Toyota/TwitterMoms campaign, which inspired this post. My opinions, thoughts and feelings are my own. As a TwitterMom, I'm eligible for a courtesy gift of $50. 

I adore my Corolla....

I remember the first time that I saw my Corolla sitting there in the parking lot. It was nearly love at first site. From the time I sat in the driver's seat more than 5 years ago, I haven't second guessed my purchase. I am not really a "car" person per se, but I really do love this car. I feel so at ease driving around town or on the interstate and it is a comfy ride. We've taken the car on many long-distance road trips and have really enjoyed them.

In 2008, when I had my daughter, I was comfortable toting her around in my Toyota Corolla and now as a toddler, she has a blast sitting in her now forward-facing car seat and enjoying the view of the world out of the back window. Might I also mentioned that my beloved car has on more than one occasion assisted in helping my daughter drift off to sleep. Some days there is just no getting her to nap, so out for a drive we go and it works. Every.single.time.

Oh, and I MUST mention, the gas mileage - depending on where I'm driving that week, gas mileage ranges anywhere from 30-38 mpg. Which is a big bonus for me. I also love that the car is so spacious even with being compact. Also, as I mentioned we've taken this baby out for many a road trip and everything fit nicely in the trunk....it's huge!

I can without a doubt say that once our 2005 Corolla has gone to the junkyard in the sky (which it's not even close to doing, aside from your regular oil change and tire rotation, it has never been in the shop), I will be purchasing another Toyota. Perhaps next time the Camry will be my car of choice, although I am pretty loyal to the Corolla.

Only time will tell :)

FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm participating in a Toyota/TwitterMoms campaign, which inspired this post. My opinions, thoughts and feelings are my own. As a TwitterMom, I'm eligible for a courtesy gift of $50.

Tweet, tweet...

I've been spending a lot of my free time on Twitter.

I was pretty hesitant about joining that community, but have fallen in love with it. I've discovered an entirely new set of people with which to converse. Lots of moms on there trying to make the world a better place for our kids. It's great.

They give me a lot to think about as I continue on this journey of being a SAHM. A journey that I dearly love but also find to be a bit challenging. I love that I can stay at home full-time with my sweet daughter and be here for my son during his time out of school. I can be the parent that totes the kids from activity to activity while picking up their friends along the way. I've always wanted to be that kind of mom. But, I do miss socializing with adults. I miss having adult conversation and helping with things other than changing a diaper or cooking dinner. But, what I am learning is that I need to live in this moment and cherish this time that I can just change diapers and cook dinner. These are moments that my kids will remember for the rest of their lives. I missed out on these moments with my mom and I so wish that she could've stayed home with me.

So, no more pining away for the things of the past or for the things to come. I am going to live in the moment. Soak up every single bit of the time shared with my kids. This after all, is what life is about. Praise the Lord!

Such a heartbreaking few weeks...

Ugh, I just haven't been in the mood to come on here and post a thing. I think I've prayed so much to God over the last few weeks that all I can seem to muster out to Him these days is "Thank you for my blessings and sending prayers for those that are hurting."

It's true what they say that you never know the power of love until you have a child of your own. I have a stepson whom I love dearly, but until I had my sweet girl last October, I truly never knew how deeply I could love someone. How deeply God loves us. It is so overwhelming at times that it's hard to breathe. It also makes you hurt even more when you hear about what others are going through as they experience the loss of a child or even going through an illness with a child. It is heartbreaking.

Last week we had horrible weather and a tornado ripped through a local town killing only 2 people. A new mom and her 9 week old little girl. This is something I will never understand. I just have to continue to have faith in the Lord and know that he has a plan for everyone and this was their plan, as unjust and tragic as it is. I don't like it, but I will learn to accept it. Then I heard about sweet Maddie losing her battle www.remembermaddie.com and then precious Thalon at 4 months losing his life to SIDS. I can only imagine what these families are going through. I pray that I never have to experience the loss of a child. I really don't know how I would survive something like that.

I don't know any of these beautiful families, but my prayers are with them each and every day and night. Almost hourly I think about this and send up a prayer. I know all these sweet babies are up in heaven playing together. Whole, not hurting and looking down on their families and smiling. Sweet angels.

This is fun...

I just entered this coffee contest over at Peas and Bananas. I am really enjoying going through and reading the blogs. Very entertaining. Here is hoping I win. Mama needs free coffee!

Enjoy!