Cover Your Hair Give Away

January 11, 2010 by

I love hats. I have an assortment of hats ranging from demin to mink. When I was contacted by Cover Your Hair to review their products and host a give away I was thrilled. The weather has been freezing in my area for several weeks, so I requested a hat to review. I’m so glad I did, the hat they sent is adorable. It’s beige and white and so soft. It’s made out of angora, wool and nylon. This hat is available in a variety of colors, black, hot pink, soft blue and soft pink. I love earth tones with chocolate, so I was ready to sport this hat. It looks great with jeans and a sweater. It’s also great if you’re having a bad hair day and you need to run a few errands.

Cover Your Hair carries a variety of hair accessories. They have several styles of hats, headbands, bandanas, berets, turbans and more. I love the diversity of their products. They have something for everyone. I love the berets. The price is great and you can choose from a variety of colors. If you’re into bandanas, you won’t be disappointed. They have square, pre-tied and triangle styles. They have the most adorable fur pony tail holders too. Now these were a first for me. I had never seen fur pony tail holders. Very unique product.
Cover your hair is offering 1 of our readers $25.00 worth of surprise merchandise from their site. You could be the lucky winner. Here’s how: visit Cover Your Hair and leave us a comment on what items you would like to receive. We will randomly select a winner from the posts.
Want extra credits? Do 1 or all of the following:

Comment on 1 of our posts ( 5 entries)
Follow our blog (3 entries)
Subscribe to our blog (3 entries)
Vote for us on Top Baby Blogs (2 entries)
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Grab our button (3 entries)

This give away will end February 10, 2010 at mid-night.  Give away is open to world wide residents 18+.

Filed Under: bandanas, berets, boutique hats, hair coverings, Uncategorized

LayAway Is Back

January 7, 2010 by

Are you familiar with the layaway plan? It’s where you place items on hold in a store and you make payments until you get the merchandise paid for. It used to be popular in the 70’s and 80’s, but faded out when credit cards became the thing. With the economy the way it is, it looks like layaway is back and the way to go. I remember using the lay away plan at Kmart and this local department store called Nichols back in the day. I used the layaway plan for summer and winter cloths and Christmas items for my daughter. I paid a fee to the store, and than made weekly payments of $10 – $15. I look back now and my response is wow. Of course back than, my entire layaway was the cost of a pair of sneakers now. I don’t think $10 – $15 would put a dent in what things cost today, but I think it’s a great plan when you’re short on cash and you don’t want or have a credit card to use.
Toy R Us, Kmart, Sears, TJ Max, Burlington, and Marshall’s are big promoters of layaway. It’s a great way to ensure that you get what you want and you don’t have to go in debt to pay for it.  E-layaway is becoming popular with Kmart and Sears too.  Although Wal-Mart eliminated their layway plan, I love shopping at Wal-Mart on-line. They take Paypal, which works out perfectly for me. I’m able to use funds from my on-line business when I shop there. Wal-Mart also has free site to store shipping and low shipping cost to your home. I love shopping in my PJs, so I take advantage of shopping on-line. If I could figure out a way to have my groceries delivered, I would take advantage of that too.
If you are like many people whose funds are limited, but you can make weekly payments, you should check out these layaway programs. It’s a great way to release the stress of trying to figure out how you’re going to pay for a birthday gift, school cloths and Christmas gifts. If you would love to redo your bathroom or bedroom, but can’t afford to take the money out of the household budget. Put that comforter set or shower curtain and towels on layaway too. You’ll be glad you did.

Filed Under: e-lay away, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Career Women Make Bad Mothers

January 7, 2010 by

Career Women What’s your thoughts now that you’ve read this advertisement? I was offended since I am and have been a career women and mother for the pass 32 years. I take pride in my role as a mother, and I also take pride in my career. I’ve worked hard being the best that I can be at both. It’s pretty sad that in 2010 women have to endure this. 


A company called Outdoor Advertising Association (OAA) used this slogan in England as a part of their campaign to promote outdoor advertising. I’m baffled as to how this slogan received approval and thousands of dollars were set aside to plaster it on the side of buses, buildings and billboards. How could you not think that it would be offensive to working women. Well, it looks like OAA just sent thousands of dollars and their bullshit slogan down the toilet. They are being forced to pull the advertisement, and in my opinion rightfully so. The intent was to spark a debate, and encourage people to voice their opinion on a website. Instead they entered into a war with working mothers. 

Not all women have a choice in being a Stay At Home Mom.  Our economy has forced many women into the work force.  They feel bad enough, they don’t need to see buses and billboards that make them feel worst.  On the other hand, many women have made a conscious decision to enter the work force.  They enjoy having their own pay checks and contributing to the household.  Does this make them a bad mother?  I don’t think so. I choose to have a career.  I have a beautiful daughter who grew up understanding that women have choices today.  I taught her to always stay true to who she is and to do what is best for her.  Many women have made the mistake of losing themselves in their relationships or putting everything and everybody before them and in the end they don’t know who they are.


My daughter watched me progress in my career.  I traveled, continued my education and still managed to keep my house in check.  I also checked her homework, transported her back and forth to ballet lessons, and any other school activity she was involved in.  She received 3 meals a day and quality time with me.  As a matter of fact, we still have mother/daughter day.  She choose to end her career and stay at home with her son.  Did you notice the word “choose”.  He turned 2 recently, so she is now working outside the home part time and working on her Masters Degree. 
I resent anyone calling me a bad mother because I choose to have a career.  Do you see my middle finger OAA?  Yep, it’s for you.  If that’s not enough, I have a big ass that you can kiss.  How do you like me now.  My career afforded my daughter many opportunities that she would not have had otherwise.  My career put her through an out of state college.  It also provided trips to Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  She still talks about these trips to this day.  She made life time friends as a result of these experiences.  My career contributed to a better life for her as a whole. 
Are you a working mother?  If you are or aren’t, we would love to hear your opinion on this advertisement.  Thank you for the opportunity to vent. 

Photo courtesy of Daily Mail

Filed Under: careers, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Little Miss Perfect

January 6, 2010 by

Little Miss Perfect! Have you watched the show? I watched two shows last night for the first time, and frankly I found them appalling. The shows were reruns, the new season hasn’t started yet, but it gave me an opportunity to decide whether or not I would watch the new season. Little Miss Perfect is the typical pomp and pageantry where little girls are made up like grown women, wearing hair extensions and $500 – $1000.00 dresses and outfits. It made me think of JonBenet Ramsey. Maybe that’s why I have a problem with it.
One of the shows that I watched featured a mother who was upset because she had to explain to her daughter why the judges didn’t think she was pretty enough to win. Here’s the story. The little girl’s name is Shelby. Shelby’s parents live in Florida where they bred and raise reptiles. They didn’t appear to have much money or they are extremely budget conscious, which was surprising because everybody knows that pageants are an expensive business.

During a segment of the pageant, the girls are suppose to wear an outfit that will “Wow” the judges. Shelby’s mother purchased her daughter’s “Wow” outfit from the local Goodwill Store. Once she got it home, she realized that it would not be good enough for the pageant so she asked her husband for advice. Dad suggested that Shelby pose with her pet Python on stage. The mom decides to put together a pair of khaki shorts and irons the letters “Jr. Zoo Keeper” on the shirt for the competition. The python would be the attraction rather than the outfit. I have to give mom and dad credit for creativity. I would have been Wowed by a little girl with a python hanging around her neck. One of the judges thought that it was a great routine and loved it. Another judge felt the python was used because she didn’t have anything else, i.e. talent.

Shelby’s other dresses and outfits for the pageant were made at home by her mother as well. She was adorable, but she was no match for little girls whose moms have spent hundreds of dollars on dresses, hair extensions, professional make up artists, tanning sessions etc.  Why would you expose your daughter to this kind of competition and than be upset when they don’t win? I understand that every mother wants opportunities for their daughter and little girls especially should be taught that beauty is skin deep, but you don’t teach this lesson in the beauty pageant world. Mothers are serious about their daughters winning and they mean business. There is no expense spared, and you have to be able to compete on that level. Shelby’s mother stated that she put her in the pageant to win money for her college fund. She didn’t want her working in a convenience store when she grows up. 

I didn’t place my daughter in pageants although I believe she could have won if I had taken that route.  She choose ballet and cheer leading instead and believe me that world was bad enough. I spent thousands of dollars on ballet lessons and costumes. I actually felt sorry for Shelby’s mom, but there was a moment when I just wanted to slap her and ask what she was thinking. Why would you go up against these women and expose your daughter to this? She was clearly out of element, and now you’re standing here crying because you have to explain why she didn’t win. Wake up honey and get real. The pageant is called Little Miss Perfect. Next time do your home work before you enter your daughter into this type of pageant.

Anyway I won’t be watching the next season’s shows. These two episodes were enough for me. I hope Shelby’s mother recovers from the harsh reality of the pageant world and Shelby finds a place where she’s comfortable. She did a great job.  What’s your opinion of beauty pageants for children?

Filed Under: beauty pageants, children's pageants, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Super Mom Gives Birth and Serves Dinner Hours Later

January 5, 2010 by

Do you think you’re a Super Woman? Here’s a test – could you deliver a baby and serve a turkey dinner 2 – 3 hours later? Paula Thomas shown with her new daughter Lexi accomplished this feat. Can you believe it!  This lady put the Christmas turkey in the oven while having contractions.  When the contractions were 3 minutes apart, at 12:35 p.m., she asked her husband to take her to the hospital.  She delivered a beautiful 7 lb. 7 oz. baby girl, Lexi, at 1:45 p.m., and by 3:00 p.m. she was home basting the turkey.  Now who’s super woman?  She gets my vote. 


Paula has 3 other children, Caitlin and Gabby, both six, and Reece who is three.  Paula said, “I really wanted my Christmas dinner – I was starving.” LMAO!  After 8 hours of labor and giving birth to a 7 lb. 13 oz baby girl, I was stitched from one end to the other.  I sat on a doughnut for weeks.  I didn’t want to walk let alone fix a turkey dinner.  I was too busy moaning over my breast feeling like bricks and trying to figure out how I was going to raise my infant daughter. The only person getting food in my house was my daugher you can believe that shit. 

This lady gives super woman a new meaning.  I hope mom and baby are doing well, but there is no turkey on the face of the earth that would have made me leave my hospital bed and new daughter.  My husband would have been at my mom’s wrapping up a plate of turkey and the trimmings so he could bring it to me at the hospital, lol.  He wouldn’t have seen a golden brown turkey on a platter or a heaping helping of mashed potatoes and gravy for months.

Woman are such amazing creatures.  I may be a little biased because I am one, but seriously we hold it down.  There is nothing that we can’t do, and we will be running this country in the near future.  What man could accomplish this?  I love what Barack Obama said about Michelle Obama, “My wife does everything that I do except she does it in high heels”.  I love it.  What do you think of this super mom?  We would love to hear from you.

Filed Under: birth stories, child birth, Christmas dinner, giving birth, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

The Most Wonder Time of the Year

January 4, 2010 by

Christmas 2009 is behind us, but I wanted to share a few pictures of my grandson, Xavier, on Christmas day. If you’re wondering where the gifts are, there were plenty. I don’t place the gifts under the tree until Christmas morning, they are just too tempting for a 2 year. He’s at the age where he can tear off the paper or he digs into the gift bags, and once they’re wrapped I’m not interested in doing the job again. It’s easier to wait until Christmas day to tempt him rather than yell at him or drag him from under the tree a hundred times a day.

My grandson loves cloths and shoes. It’s hilarious. He literally lights up when he gets a new pair of shoes or a new outfit. He puts his shoes on as soon as he wakes up in the morning, usually on the wrong feet, and he goes to bed with them on. We have to wait until he is sound asleep to take them off or he will raise hell. The picture below is of Xavier and his grandfather, Gaga. He’s trying on his new jacket. He loves to model his new cloths and he spends a lot of time admiring himself in the mirror when we’re dressing him. Besides Mama, my grandson is his biggest fan. I hope he maintains a strong sense of self-worth down the road. I believe a child’s self-esteem is built at home.

Xavier is also a cars fanatic. At some point during the day you will hear movie Cars, movie Cars Mama. I‘ve watched the movie Cars so often I know the words and all the characters. Who can name all the cars in the movie? I can I can, lol. We will be redoing his room this month in the Cars theme, so Mama purchased a car bed for him. You can check out the big boy bed and accessories here. The picture below shows him opening hot wheels and a few cars from the movie. We believe he has a total of 50 cars total. We’re going to build a shelve in his room and display the characters from the movie. McQueen, Mater and King are his favorite characters.


I love the holiday season. I love decorating, baking cookies, and gathering with family and friends, but I’m ready to get my house back in order now. I need to take down the lights outside, but it has been a whooping 16 degrees or below the last few days so they will have to wait until the weather is warmer. Mama is not too keen on cold weather unless I’m inside. I’m going to miss my Douglas Fir with the white lights and my collection of nutcrackers, but I’m looking forward to 2010. I hope your holidays were as blessed as mine, and I hope that you receive many blessings throughout 2010. Happy New Year!

Filed Under: celebrating the holidays, children's Christmas gifts, Christmas decorating, holiday ideas, Uncategorized

My Grandson’s Christmas Gift – A Race Car Bed

December 27, 2009 by

race car bed Look at what Mama did. I’m redoing my grandson’s nursery, we’re turning it into a big boy’s room. This race car bed is his Christmas present from Mama and Gaga as he calls us. Isn’t it adorable. Xavier turned 2 in September, so we thought it would be a good time to transition him from mommy and daddy’s bed to his own. We’re hoping the new furniture and decor will make him want to stay in his own bed. Wish us luck. If you’ve overcome this problem, we would love to hear how you accomplished it.

I ordered the Little Tikes Lightning McQueen bed from Amazon. They offered free shipping which I love, and the bed could be shipped directly to my daughter and SIL. I decided to purchase the twin size bed instead of the toddler.  Although the twin was more expensive than the toddler, from an economic stand point it was cheaper than buying another bed in a few years because he had outgrown it. We initially painted the walls in Xavier’s nursery a light blue, which worked out perfectly. We purchased the comforter set, shown below, and it has the same shade of blue in it as the walls. We’re using a red McQueen valance for the window treatments.
McQueen bedding Instead of wallpaper border, we’re going to use framed posters of Mater and McQueen. We don’t want to overdo the room, so we’re going to use a plain red lamp and rug to pull the room together.

I found these adorable drawer pulls by Farm Fresh Knobs and Pulls, and couldn’t resist them. They carry a variety of characters to choose from, which includes Mater, Doc, Sally, Flo, Sheriff and others for $2.99 each. They really give the chest of drawers a fresh look. He received a flat screen TV from his other grandparents last Christmas, so we decided to install cable in his room. We’re hoping that he will want to stay in his room and watch his allocated TV time there.

We’re going to pull everything together after the 1st of the year. I’ll post pictures when everything is completed. If you’ve decorated your son’s room in a race car theme, please leave us a few tips. We would love to hear from you.

Filed Under: car themed bedrooms, children's cars, decorating children's bedroom, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Hot Dog and Bacon Wraps – Holiday Appetizers –

December 25, 2009 by

Hot Dog and Bacon Roll Ups
  • 20 slices of bacon
  • 2 pounds of beef hot dogs, approximately 20
  • brown sugar

Take a piece of hot dog and wrap a piece of bacon around hot dog. Secure with a colorful toothpick. Place a layer of hot dogs in the bottom of a crockpot and sprinkle generously with brown sugar.

Repeat layering until all hot dogs are used ending with brown sugar. Cover and cook on low for 5 – 6 hours. Makes 60 appetizers. Great for a baby shower or holiday party.

Filed Under: baby shower recipes, Christmas snacks, easy recipes, Food-Recipes, holiday appetizers, Uncategorized

Chicken and Bacon Wraps – Holiday Appetizers

December 25, 2009 by
Chicken and Bacon Wraps
  • Boneless chicken tenders
  • Maple Brown Bacon or Plain Bacon
  • Brown Sugar

    Cut chicken tenders in half. Cut and wrap a piece of bacon around each piece and insert a decorative tooth pick to hold it together. If you use plain bacon, sprinke appetizers with brown sugar once you remove them from the oven. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Place on decorative plate. Make plenty they will go fast.

Filed Under: appetizers, baby shower recipes, easy chicken recipes, Food-Recipes, holiday appetizers, Uncategorized

Crab Dip Recipe – Great Appetizer

December 25, 2009 by
Crab Dip Recipe
  • Stick of butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup of parsley
  • 1 pint of 1/2 and 1/2
  • 2 tablespoon of flour
  • Dash of red pepper
  • 1 pound of crab meat
  • 8 ounces of grated Swiss cheese

    Melt butter and add onions. Simmer until tender. Add parsley, cream, and red pepper. Thicken with flour (add slowly). Mix in crab meat. Place ingredients in a baking dish. Cover with Swiss cheese and bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm with Nonni’s Panetini. 

Filed Under: baby shower recipes, easy recipes, Food-Recipes, holiday appetizers, Uncategorized