Mail Call: September 19 - 24

I hope everyone had a wonderful week! We really didn't do a whole lot during the week...still trying to fight this allergy/cold mix (which both the girls & I now have)...ugh!

Friday night we went to Oktoberfest in Lee's Summit (which was a ZOO) but lots of fun! They had an entire kids street full of crafts, balloons, freebie stuff and more :D

Saturday, we went to Target and Petco. Then we went to Patrick's dads' house for a BIG fish fry with lots of friends/family.

Today, the girls and I stayed in...as we all felt pretty crummy - runny noses, sore throats, coughing, yuck! Hopefully we will get better this week!!

Now for this week's mail call...

• Shirts x 2 from Tini Posh for the girls (they say BOO! on them ~ PR/Giveaway for FFF)
• Flipsize packaging slip to send in my summer clothes from the girls
• BOGO FREE Coke product coupon from mycokerewards.com
• Baby on Board keychain (PR/Giveaway for FFF)
• Dimitri James Skinn (Olive & Enzyme Cleanser) (PR/Giveaway for FFF)
• Train set from Melissa and Doug toys (freebie from Huggies Enjoy the Ride points)
• "God Gave us You" board book (BR for FFF)
• Smarty had a Party black bowls (PR for FFF)
• Bluapple product (PR/Giveaway for FFF)
• LabelLighthouse.com labels (PR/Giveaway for FFF)
• Swiffer Duster and coupons from Vocalpoint.com
• Lilla Rose hair products (PR/Giveaway for FFF)
• 2GB usb drive that looks like lipstick (PR/Giveaway for FFF)

Hope everyone has a wonderful week! Take care, Melissa

Mail Call: Sep 12 - 17

Not a whole lot to report from last week...we mostly stayed home, went to the park a couple times, and went to story time at the library for the first time in about two months.

Since the outlook of me getting a job is not looking good, I am thinking that story time at the library may become a weekly adventure for the girls and I every Tuesday or Thursday. Both Destin and Arwen love to read (just as much as I do)...so its fun to check out books and listen to story time.

Over the weekend, we attended two birthday parties and went to Fall Fun Fest in Blue Springs. The first birthday party was for our good friend Kynly :D Her & Arwen are bestfriends - both now at the age of 1 year old! You can read more about her birthday here. The second birthday was for our nephew, Braxton who turned 7 years old. Its hard to believe how fast they grow up!

Now for this week's mail call...I got lots of product review/giveaway items for FFF. I can't wait to share...

• Thirty One Gifts bags x 4 + 1 rosette clip (from my party and 1 is for a PR/Giveaway)
• "I Dig NY" tshirt (PR & Giveaway for FFF - posted last week)
• Living the Country Life magazine
• Darcus Tori Heart Shaped Turquoise Earrings (PR for FFF)
• Taylor Joelle Leggings x 2 (one for each of the girls ~ PR for FFF)
• EnvyDerm Mascara (PR for FFF)
• Kind Fruit & Nut bar (freebie)
• Playful Planet Kids Yoga DVD (PR & Giveaway for FFF)
• Pirate Costume for Arwen (PR for FFF)
• Millie T-shirts/stickers (PR & Giveaway for FFF)
• Cerra Air Fresheners (freebie)

I hope you all have a wonderful week and upcoming weekend :D Take care!

Mail Call: 9/5 - 9/10

I hope you all had a good weekend, and spent the time to say "I love you" to your loved ones. Its hard to believe that it has been 10 years since September 11, 2001. Did you say a prayer yesterday? I know that I will never forget.

Our weekend went by way too fast...we got to attend a friend's 4th birthday party :D The girls loved that! And then we went grocery shopping (our big event on Sunday - just the girls & I).

Now for this weeks mail call...

• Shadora Earring/Jewelry Set ~ they look just like the ones I wore on my wedding :D (PR + Giveaway for FFF)
• Mixbook Stationary Cards, set of 30 that I created with the girls pics on them (PR for FFF)
• Custom made Tutu from Lil Bean Fashions (PR + Giveaway for FFF)
• Bambo Diapers, size 3 & 4 (PR + Giveaway for FFF)

What's new with us?

I can't believe I am saying this...but Fall is here! The weather over the weekend was in the low 60s, and the girls and I wore jeans and t-shirts! It literally felt like pumpkin picking time...which will be here before we know it.

I don't remember the last time I updated the blog...a couple weeks at most. So I thought I would share what we have been up to.

Destin never ceases to amaze me how incredibly smart she is! She has learned how to draw smile-ly faces...she drew a picture of "mommy, daddy, Destin & Arwen" just a few days ago. It was absolutely incredible to see a 2 year old draw such a detailed drawing and explain what each aspect of her "piece" was.

Destin is still very independent - she wants to dress herself, brush her teeth/hair, help mommy/daddy with everything and always has to know what we are doing at all times. The only thing that she is still NOT independent with...is bed time. I really think we need to set a goal for this, so that she is still not sleeping in our bed til she goes to Kindergarten! Let us hope that it won't continue for that long!

I would really like to sign Destin up for some type of activity - dance, gymnastics, sports or something...but I think we may wait another year, when both the girls can participate and we have more money to invest in something like that.

Arwen who is now 13 months old is doing wonderful as well. She is loving Elmo, and sharing it with everyone that we meet. Every visit to Walmart or Target, means that we have to visit Elmo at the toystore (even though we have almost every Elmo toy there is from Destin's obsession when she was younger!).

Arwen is loving playing outside, riding her toys, playing (eating) with chalk, going for walks, and rides in the wagon. I can't wait to take her to the zoo again - she has really taken a big interest in animals lately. To read more about Arwen...please read my last post!

 

Patrick is still working hard as ever for our family. We went on a special date night a couple weeks ago, and got to see the Kauffman Performing Arts Building in Kansas City (which he, his two older brothers and his father worked on for more than year). It was absolutely incredible to see the building in its finished state. I couldn't be more proud of him and all of his "brothers".


Melissa (ME!)...I have been busy trying to find childcare, so that I can go back to subbing for the Lee's Summit & Blue Springs school districts. I just don't see the point in going back to work if I am only making just enough to pay for daycare. I am not really sure what I am going to do...I just hope I can find something soon.

I am also keeping myself busy with blogging for Frugal Fabulous Finds still. I absolutely love working with Wendy & Melina every week. Finding great deals, saving money and of course sharing great giveaways with over 20,500 readers each week!

BIG NEWS!! I finally got Lasik eye surgery. After weeks of appointments, and second opinions...I finally found an amazing Doctor named Dr. Daniel Durrie! He did a fantastic job and I can proudly say that I am now seeing 20/20 for the first time in over 20 years without the help of glasses or contacts! I cannot tell you how exciting it is to actually be able to see the clock when I get up, or to even see Patrick's face in the morning. Before, I could only see about 6 inches in front of my face...and now I can see everything clearly! It is such a relief/blessing/miracle that I can actually see without needing my contacts/glasses. I still cannot believe it.

My surgery was Friday, September 2nd at 2 PM...and by 6 PM that night I could see 20/20! Amazing! I would highly suggest anyone to look into this...its free to see if you qualify, and they also have great interest free for 24 months! I am very lucky to have insurance that pays 90%! I have been waiting for over 10 years to have this done, and now I can say with a smile that "I finally did it!". Yay!

For the next couple weeks, I hope I can find childcare...or another way for me to make money for our family. Despite Patrick working full time, it just doesn't seem like its enough for us to survive. I am just not sure what I am going to do...waitressing doesn't seem like a good option, and all of the daycare centers in our area, will charge me full price for the girls. If you know of any ways I could make money - please let me know! I just don't have a lot to invest, if at all...wish me luck!

Until next time, take care!

Arwen is 13 Months Old!

A month has passed since Arwen turned 1 year old in July. And she is still growing faster than ever...climbing, walking, running, clapping, and more!

Arwen is still sleeping great - we are still working on 1 nap/day instead of 2...but she is doing really well at night as well. I was finally able to get Arwen in for her 1 year checkup about a week ago, and they said she was doing great. One thing I don't understand is the percentages...I just wonder if they change every year, since the girls are identical in height/weight, and the percentages are WAY different! I will just have to ask next time we go in for a visit, in 6 more months.

Arwen is talking so much now (see her vocabulary list below). She is doing a really good job of keeping up with her big sister - playing, building, drawing, and discovering the world around her. Something that I have noticed just in the past couple weeks is that Arwen loves animals - the sounds, pictures, stuffed, real...she loves them! She starts to smile real big and laughs out loud every time we "practice" our animals.

Vocabulary list: bubba, mama, dada, ball, up, down, uh-oh, oh, duck, quack, dog, woof, cookie, ooh, out, cow, moo, blank (what she calls her blanket), Daisy, Elmo (her new favorite), Destin, yum, ow, and many more!! I need to start writing them down, so I can keep track. She is definitely going to be an advanced talker like her big sister.

Other stuff...

Arwen is finally comfortable walking in shoes/sandals outside :D Yay! Now I don't have to worry about her little toes stepping on something not kid friendly. I have been trying all of Destin's old shoes on her, and it looks like she is already wearing a size 5! Wow!

Arwen is still very much obsessed with her blanket (the pink crocheted one) and her fingers. She loves to carry it with her everywhere we go!

She is very photogenic (when she is in a good mood) :D I know I have been slacking on picture taking...but when I do I try to take really good ones to share!

Arwen really likes to blow kisses, and is now giving hugs/kisses to all of her stuffed animals. You can also see her nodding her head to agree, or shaking her head from side to side to disagree (it is very funny to watch!). She loves Elmo - and you can almost always see her playing with something Elmo in our house. Just like her big sister, Arwen definitely gets "in the zone" when Sesame Street is on.

I cannot wait to see what new milestones she meets over the next month...until next time, take care!

Mail Call: August 29 - September 3

It seems like my mail box has really slowed down lately...but here is what I got this week:

• Sand Gone (PR for FFF)
• "Go For It" (BR for FFF)
• Nuvo condom sample
• "Nurturing Paws" and "Hope Whispers" by Lynn Johnston (BR for FFF)
• www.ArtisticLetters.com print (PR for FFF)
• Darcus Tori Fleur-de-lis DIamond Stud Earrings x 3 (freebie/PR for FFF)

That's it for this week! Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I hope to update my blog here shortly...