Memories & New Year Resolutions

I can't believe another year has come and gone. So many wonderful memories have been made this year. Lots of parenting firsts and events I will never forget. Here is a stroll down memory lane for our family in 2011:

• Jaxson played his first year of baseball. He loved it - we had a great coach and team and he can't wait to play again this year!
• Aidan FINALLY made it through potty training! I thought it would be easier with the second child - nope I was wrong! When he finally caught on, it was the best feeling in the world!
• Watched both my babies in the cutest end of the year preschool program. Aidan shined on the stage and surprised everyone in the audience with his very loud singing skills and awesome dance moves!
• Jaxson started Kindergarten. Yes, many tears were shed those first few days (from me of course!) but he has a great teacher who he adores and this made it so much better for Momma!
• Got to be the Tooth Fairy for the first time ever! Jaxson lost his first tooth (literally fell out of his mouth - his Daddy thankfully found it on the living room rug!).

I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for our family. I hope it will be as good to us as this past year has been. I don't usually make New Year resolutions but I thought I would give it a try this year. If you need some inspiration for your own resolutions or are just curious to check out mine, click on my latest hub below! Happy New Year everyone!

10 New Year Resolutions Every Mom Should Make

Hubnugget Award Makes Sweet Christmas Present

Wow - let's just say I was so honored to be nominated and win my first HubNugget Award. I didn't even realize you could be nominated again for your work. So you can imagine my excitement when I received an email to let me know my hub "Want to Be a Stay at Home Mom? Apply Here" was nominated for The Family and Parenting Nominees this week. It really is so awesome to know that you are doing something right to get recognized by a community of over 150,000 members. I just hope and pray that this is a sign of good things to come for our family and I can be promoted from stay at home mom to work at home mom! I have been looking for opportunities to make some extra income from home and this just may be my golden ticket!

So to all my family, friends, and followers - please help support my dream and vote for my hub! If you click on the below link, you will find my hub is the first one under The Family and Parenting Nominees. All you have to do is click and vote. It only takes a second! Voting will be open until Wednesday morning and you only have to vote once! Thanks in advance for your help and support!!!


To vote for "Want to Be a Stay at Home Mom? Apply Here" click the link below:

The Night Before Christmas Eve HubNugget

My Baby Boy is 6

So everyone says it over and over but you never quite get it until you have your own children. They grow up too fast! My baby boy is going to be 6 years old on Wednesday. I just can't believe it. I remember the first time they put him in my arms - I was scared to death and completely in love with my 7lb 12 oz bundle of joy!

I have so many memories of that day. By far my most treasured memory was Jaxson crying while getting checked out by the doctor. My husband went over and started talking to him and he instantly stopped. Jaxson is still like that - a complete and total daddy's boy. It's okay I occasionally win his attention and love and when I do it is the best feeling in the world!

Another great memory was seeing both sets of new grandparents hold our little baby. The smiles on their faces were priceless as they each took a turn holding him. My dad was out of town but managed to fly in at the last minute to see his first grandson. I was so happy that he made it and loved watching him hold his grandson so proudly.

My sister was also a proud aunt. She bravely accompanied me in the delivery room along with my husband and mom. She helped me while I pushed, held my hand, cried with me, and made me laugh all at the same time. Jaxson quickly stole her heart. He is truly blessed to have such a wonderful aunt.

So December is a crazy month for all of us - with Christmas shopping, family get togethers, and holiday parties. In the middle of all the madness, we have Jaxson's birthday party for the family a couple of weeks before his actual birthday. I hate that his birthday is so close to Christmas so I try extra hard to make him feel so special and loved. Today I took cupcakes to school to celebrate with his class and on Wednesday, his actual birthday, we will be visiting the Discovery Center upon his request. Holiday birthdays are the worst - especially for kids - but I hope that all the effort I put into making his birthday into a big deal makes him realize how much he means to us! Happy 6th Birthday my baby boy!!!


Be sure to check out my latest hub:  Holiday Birthdays - Ways to Make Your Kids Feel Special

The Birthday Boy :)

Gotta love a sharp dressed man :)

One Day Sale at CVS

I got an email earlier from CVS talking about a great one day sale going on tomorrow Saturday, December 17th. If you have the CVS card, go to your local CVS store and swipe the card in the coupon center to receive $25 worth of coupons. One of these coupons is for a great deal on 12 packs of cokes. You can get 3 for $8! They have not released details on the other deals available, but I will definitely be making the trip to pick up some 12 packs for our family.

Then after CVS I will be finishing up my Christmas shopping - just 3 more people and my list will be done! Only 7 more shopping days left...happy shopping everyone!

My Sweet Little Ninja



My Sweet Little Ninja



As usual, my sweet Jaxson chooses the one birthday party theme that I can't find in stores. They had Kung Fu Panda (Jaxson said no) and they had a karate party (again he said no). He wanted a red and black ninja party so that is exactly what my baby got for his 6th birthday. Searched the Internet and found some great and inexpensive party ideas to use. After a lot of hard work, the ninja party was a success and my baby was happy. Because as always, that is the only thing that matters to me - my boys' happiness!

If you are planning a ninja themed birthday party, check out my latest hub for do it yourself ideas for decorations, invitations, cake ideas, and goodie bags:

Birthday Party Ideas for a Kid's Ninja Themed Party

Jaxson's Ninja Cake and Cupcakes



Present Time!!!



Hubnugget Nomination - Need Your Vote

So excited to be nominated for a Hubnugget Award on Hubpages! My article "Funny and Creative Ideas to Hiding Your Elf on the Shelf" was one in only six nominated in the Holidays and Celebrations category. This award is only given to new writers who have joined Hubpages in the last 60 days and would mean my article would be published in a weekly newsletter sent out to 80,000 recipients! Please help me to win this award and visit the link below to cast your vote. My article is the 2nd listed article about half way down under the Holidays and Celebrations category. It only takes a second to cast your vote! Thanks in advance for your help!!!

To cast your vote click here:

How To Make an Advent Wreath: Christmas Traditions, HubNuggets Style

Fun Adventures With Our Elf

Finally, Santa Claus delivered the Elf on the Shelf to our house the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Since I forgot to set up his grand arrival, he just happened to magically appear on top of the Christmas tree while the boys were taking a nap that day. Jaxson finally found him about an hour after they woke up and let me tell he was just a little excited.

Of course, myself with those infamous "mom moments" totally forgot to hide the darn thing on Monday night. My sweet Jaxson saved me with I bet he didn't want to fly in the snow. How I love that child! That is exactly why he didn't leave! He did finally move to a new spot during nap time that day when it quit snowing :-)


So yesterday I was on a quest to find more funny and creative ways to hide our new Elf on the Shelf. I had the best time setting up different situations with our crazy elf and took some really funny pictures. It was hilarious because of course Aidan was home so I had to be sneaky as I was setting up the pics. Playdoh, popcorn, and cartoons were all used to distract him while I finished my mission!

As usual, I went a little overboard and ending up with about 18 crazy ideas. I decided to include some of my ideas in a hub I wrote on Hubpages. The first hub titled Funny and Creative Ways to Hide Your Elf on the Shelf  has already been published so be sure to check that one out to see all the fun adventures with our Elf on the Shelf. I am currently working on "Funny and Mischievous Ways to Hide Your Elf on the Shelf" so be on the lookout for that one next! Hope you will find them useful if you need some new ideas on how and where to hide your Elf on the Shelf!


Jaxson found our Elf on the Shelf!