Blue Ivy Carter Pictures

March 9, 2013 by
Blue Ivy Carter, Beyonce, Jay-Z's Daughter: New Photo
 photo courtesy of New York Daily News
Wow, does Blue Ivy Carter look like her dad or what?  I see little resemblance to her mom.  She has Jay-Z’s eyes, mouth and the shape of his face.  The most famous celebrity baby turned 1 in January.  Rumor has it that mom and dad celebrated her birthday with family and friends.  The theme was Princess.  Mother 2 Mother searched for pictures, but we were unable to locate any.  I admire Beyonce & Jay-Z for wanting to keep family moments private.  They’re demonstrating how they raise their daughter is their business and they’re doing a great job.  They’re also proving that it’s important to keep your circle small and keep only trusted people in your circle.  That will eliminate photo leaks from those seeking to make a few dollars off their daughter.
Unfortunately, being a celebrity brings difficult times for those wishing to live a private life when they’re off the stage or screen. I’ve seen negative comments on how much they spent on the birthday party and how ridiculous it is that they gave their daughter an $80,000 diamond encrusted barbie. Mother 2 Mother doesn’t know if that is a rumor or fact, but it must be difficult to have the public determine what should be spent or not spent on your child. Hopefully Mrs. Carter has tough skin, and she will be able to endure such judgement.

 

Filed Under: Jay Z, Life-Thoughts, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Veggie Tales Give Away

March 8, 2013 by
Veggie Tales: The Little House That Stood

As Easter approaches, VeggieTales: The Little House That Stood is the perfect title to celebrate the holiday with! The Wise and Foolish Builders meet The Three Little Pigs In a hilarious veggie parable, featuring Bob, Larry, Junior Asparagus, The French Peas, Madame Blueberry and others. When
the Three Little Pigs roll into Cabbageville looking to build some new houses,
they meet one builder with a plan and two without a clue!  Larry builds with
hay, Mr. Lunt with bricks, but only Bob builds his houses on a firm foundation –
following the wise plans from the “Master Builder’s Handbook!” Will the Little
Piggies make the right choices when it comes to building their houses – and
their lives – on solid ground?  Find out in this parable the shows kids when
they follow God’s blueprints, they can stand strong when the storms come! 

PLUS! 
Ever wonder what happened before Humpty cracked?  Find out in this very Veggie
retelling of the classic Humpty Dumpty story “The Good Egg of Gooseville” where
we learn that a good neighbor always “lends a little hand” to those in
need!

 

The
DVD is available at all major retail outlets starting for
SRP $14.99.
You can win a copy of the Veggie Tales:  The Little House That Stood.  Just leave a comment on this post and tell us your favorite Veggie Tale character (required).  Want extra entries: 


  • Leave a comment on another post – 5 entries
  • Follow me on Twitter – 5 entries
  • Tweet this give away – 3 entries
  • Follow Mother 2 Mother Blog (left sidebar) – 5 entries
  • Recommend your Twitter followers follow @sugarkisses  – 5 entries
  • Follow me on Pinterest


    • Give away ends March 30, 2013.  Give away is open to US residents 18+ only.  Give away will be mailed directly from the sponsor.   Enter daily to increase your chances. 

    Filed Under: blog giveaways, blog reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With:

    Raising A Preemie

    March 8, 2013 by

    As you know, my Zarriah was born weighing 2lbs. 10 ozs.  She spent the first 3 month of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Virginia Beach, VA.  This is my preemie a year and half later.  She’s walking, talking, eating everything in site and has proven herself to be one of my greatest blessings.  I look back at the day she was born, Hurricane Irene was coming through.  I nicknamed her “Storm”.

    Her doctors say she’s doing fine.  They see no problem with her eyesight.  Her motor skills are fine, she sleeps through the night, she’s walking, and throws the normal tantrums for a toddler.  She has a totally different personality from her brother.  He’s loving and likes to cuddle, Zarriah prefers her independence.  She likes to be held, but she doesn’t hang around long.  She prefers to discover and climb over or under whatever is in sight, and is always up for a fight.  Yep, she will fight.  She fought for her life, and she continues to fight.  Hopefully, she will grow out of this habit.   

    She has a huge appetite!  I must say, she eats more than any child that I have ever seen.  There’s times when I think she’s going to be sick, but it never happens.  When she doesn’t want anymore, she will turn her head, spit it out or just stop eating if she’s feeding herself.  Her grandfather and I took her to Golden Corral for dinner.  She ate the biggest plate of mashed potatoes and gravy that I’ve ever seen.  The people sitting next to us looked and looked.  Finally, I spoke up and said she will eat until the bottom falls out.  We engaged in further conversation, and found out that they too had a preemie who was at that time 10.  She had caught up and grown into a beautiful young lady. 

    It is such a blessing to be able to write this post.  I want to thank the nurses in the NICU at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital in Virginia Beach for their professional care.  They were all excellent, and will be forever in our hearts and prayers.  I remember the first time that I saw Zarriah.  I truly believed that I would pass out.  She was so tiny, in an incubator and wires everywhere.  I broke out in a sweat.  The nurses comforted me, and assured me that they were skilled and she would be fine.  Zarriah has been back to visit the NICU on several occasions.  We thought it was important for her to keep the connection with those who fought  as hard as she did to save her life. 

    Are you raising a preemie or know someone who is?  Have they caught up or did they remain small?  Leave me a comment, I would love to connect with other raising preemies. 

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

    Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

    March 2, 2013 by

    Mother 2 Mother would like to pay tribute to 109 years of Dr. Suess.  Yep, 109 years.  I remember my first Dr. Suess book, Green Eggs and Ham.  It still remains one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books.  I read it to my daughter and now I’m reading to my grandchildren.  

    We hope Dr. Suess’ legacy will live on and on.  What’s your and your children’s favorite Dr. Suess book? 

    Filed Under: children's books, Dr. Seuss books, Dr. Suess, favorite bedtime stories, Green Eggs and Ham books, Uncategorized Tagged With:

    Oral B Toothbrush Give Away

    March 1, 2013 by

    I was contacted to review the Oral B Professional Deep Sweep electric toothbrush.  I’ve been an electric toothbrush user for years, so I was curious to see what the Deep Sweep had to offer versus my current brand which was recommended by my dentist.  First, the brush was easy to assemble and charged quickly.  It has a slim feature, and fits nicely on my counter without taking up much space. 

    This little baby packs a lot of power too.  It has a larger head than my current brush and the bristles are stiffer.  During the initial use, I did have difficulty maneuvering the brush around my mouth because of the larger head.  I’ve gotten used to it now, so it’s quite easy for me to use.  There’s little spatter with this brush.  A lot of electric brushes sent the toothpaste everywhere when your brushing, not the Oral B.  This model has a few cool features.  The bristles fade when it’s time to change the head.  I love this, you don’t have to guess.  It also pulsates if you’re putting too much pressure on the brush.  This is a great feature, you won’t up end with sore or bleeding gums if you have sensitive teeth.  My current model lacks both of these features.  The brush also prompts you to switch from the front to the back and from the upper to the lower teeth every 30 seconds.  Dentists recommend that you brush for 2 minutes for a thorough cleaning.   My current brush has this feature.  

    The best feature on this brush, the bristles move in a side to side motion.  This action gives you a better cleaning than regular electric brushes.  It is also the most important feature for me because I have deep pockets around my lower, front teeth.  Flossing is a must for me even after using my electric brush.  With this model, you get a deep clean.  It goes deep into the crevices.  One of it’s selling points is that it removes 100% more plague.  I don’t know about 100% more, but it does give a great cleaning.  

    The only negative that I found, was the head lacks a cover.  It’s small and would be great for travel.   Because the charger on my current electric brush is rather large, I take a manual brush when I travel.  Unfortunately, a manual brush doesn’t come close to giving the cleaning that an electric brush gives.  To remedy the lack of a head cover, I’ll just stick it in a plastic bag before placing it in my cosmetic bag.  I really want to take this baby with me. 

    I highly recommend the Oral B Professional.  I’m not a dentist, but I switched from a manual brush years ago and will never go back.  Let me also add that my dental cleanings take less time since I switched to an electric brush.  I have both brushes setting next to each other.  I find myself reaching for the Oral B now.  Mother 2 Mother wants you to try one for yourself.  We’re giving away one Oral B Professional to one of our readers.  Here’s how you can win:

    • Leave a comment and let me know if you currently use an electric brush or manual brush.  (Required)
    • Leave a comment on another post   – 5 entries 
    • Follow me on Twitter – 5 entries
    • Tweet this give away – 3 entries
    • Follow Mother 2 Mother Blog – 5 entries


    Give away ends March 25, 2013 at mid-night.  Give away is open to US residents 18+ only.  Give away will be mailed directly from the sponsor. 

    This review is my opinion after using this product and my opinion only.  Other than testing the product, I have not been compensated for this post. 

    Filed Under: blog giveaways, blog product reviews, electric toothbrush, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

    Using the Winter Sowing Method for Seeds

    February 5, 2013 by

    Today, I’m going to share gardening tips on winter sowing vegetable seeds.   Check out my other backyard vegetable gardening tips before you leave too.  I have the winter blues!  So, I decided to start my vegetable seeds for my spring and summer garden.  Planning my garden takes the blues away and gives me a head start on growing strong, healthy veggie plants. 

    For the past several years, I have started my seedlings using heat mats and grow lights.  I have about a 90% germination rate with what I sowed.  However, it takes a lot of time and space to nurture the seedlings. Using the winter sowing method eliminates the heat mats, grow lights and chances of growing leggy vegetable seedlings.  You simply place your containers in a location where they will get sunlight and rain water and let them go until spring.  

     

    gardening tips

     

     

    I decided to use the winter sowing method for the past few years.  It’s much easier than setting up the mats and grow lights.  As a result, I’ve been saving plastic liter bottles as well as  juice and milk bottles.  Anything that I can cut and punch holes in the bottom for drainage is fair game.  I started about 20 bottles over the week-end.  Tomatoes, dill, zucchini, squash, sunflowers and petunias. Yes, you can winter sow flowers too.  I love that dill and petunias reseed for several years after planting.  

    I will sow a few tomatoes inside under grow lights, but I’m sold on the winter sowing method.  And, it’s doubtful that I will ever return to to a full fledged indoor sowing setup again.

     

     

    winter sowing vegetable seeds

     

    Winter Sowing Vegetable Seeds:

     

    • Wash your bottles in hot soapy water and rinse well.
    • Allow bottles to dry.
    • Use a box cutter to cut around the bottles.  Leave an inch on the bottle for a hinge.
    • Add drainage holes in the bottom of your bottle.  To accomplish this, I used a hot glue gun on the bottom of the milk bottles.  However, I was unsuccessful using the glue gun on the liter and juice bottles.  The glue gun wouldn’t penetrate.  So, I used the box cutter to make slits on the bottom.  You could also use a drill on the bottom.  If you have another method of punching holes, bring out your equipment and punch holes in the bottom of your bottles.

     

     

    winter sowing method

     

     

    Next prepare your seed starter mix:

     

    • Mix your seed starting mix as directed on the package.  I use warm water when mixing the soil.  Mix it thoroughly.  You want it wet; however, not soggy.
    • Add 2 – 3 inches of the mix to the bottom of each of the bottles or container.  I use Miracle Gro Seed Starting Mix.  I have a great germination rate each year with the mix.   I have also used Miracle Grow potting soil, and my seeds germinated as well.
    • Plant your vegetable or flower seeds according to the directions on the package.  Once you have the seed planted, wrap the bottle with duct tape.  I purchased my duct tape from the Dollar Store.
    • Mark the bottles with a permanent marker, which I also purchased from the Dollar Tree.
    • You can discard the bottle tops.  I moved the bottles and containers to my deck to ensure they get rain. Let them go until spring.  At that time you should have sprouts that will need water.  As they grow, you will have to remove the top of the bottles. Just remove the duct tape and remove the top.  You can use a pair of scissors to cut the hinge on the bottle.
    • You can place your bottles in trays for a little more organization, but it’s not necessary.  My are placed randomly on my deck.  Once I remove the tops, I organize them so I can tgrans
    • Your seedlings will already be hardened off.  Which is a step you will have to take if you start seedlings indoors.

     

    Finally, if you are a gardener and use the winter sowing method, please share your experience.  You may also like My Winter Sow Seed List.

    Filed Under: Nature-Gardening, Vegetable Garden Tagged With: , , ,

    Superbowl Commericals

    February 5, 2013 by

    Superbowl, what a game.  It had everything that you expect, thrilling game, the unexpected lights out saga, Alicia Keys singing the longest rendition of the National Anthem in history, Beyonce bringing the house down, great commericals and Jennifer Hudson with the Sandy Hook children. 

    Each year I list my favorite commericals, and I will.  First, I have to ask what is up with GoDaddy?  Personally, I think they continue to miss the mark.  I didn’t see 1 positive tweet or post on Facebook regarding that commerical.  Frankly, I haven’t seen a Superbowl commerical from GoDaddy that I have liked yet. 

    Now on to my favorites:

    • Dodge – Farmers
    • Got Milk?
    • Budweiser Clydesdales – Reunion
    • VW – Get In Get Happy  (I loved the man who said Don’t be no cloud on a sunny day.)
    • Doritos  – Goat 4 Sale
    • Oreo – Creme or Cookie Fight  (I sided with the Creme)
    • Taco Bell – Young At Heart 


    I have to also bring up Alicia Keys.  Did she go on and on or what?  That had to be the longest version of the National Anthem that I’ve ever heard.  I was starting to become irritated.  Jennifer Hudson sang beautifully, and the Sandy Hook children touched my heart with American the Beautiful.  Lets not leave out Beyonce!  She brought the house down and literally blew out the lights, lol.  All in all it was a good game, and we had a good time eating good food and sending hundreds of tweets.  What was your favorite commerical?

    Filed Under: football, football commercials, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

    Michelle Obama’s Classic Style

    January 26, 2013 by

    Obama style.  Yep, Michelle Obama has it.  She’s an educated woman who cares about world events, a loyal wife and mother and does it all with class.  In my opinion, she’s the most stylist First Lady since Jackie Kennedy.  The new hair cut is banging and her selection for the Inauguration Swearing in Ceremony was on point.  I loved, loved, loved the coat and boots.  The belt gave it the extra pop.  I would never have thought to use a belt for the accessory.  I would have gone for a huge, chunky necklace.  The color was fabulicious and the wine color gloves with the blue was classic.  I’m sure Jackie O is smiling down on her. 

    Now, I’m a boot person so I was immediately drawn to them. I’ve learned they were by Reed Krakoff the same designer as her coat.  The gloves and belt J. Crew.

    I thought Sasha and Malia’s coats were adorable too.  Malia was in J. Crew and Sasha in Kate Spade.  J. Crew will retire Malia’s coat, so it will be unavailable for purchase.  Don’t know if Kate Spade will retire Sasha’s at this point.  I’m looking forward to seeing Sasha and Malia evolve as teens in the White House.  

    Filed Under: First Lady dresses, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

    Kids Funny Face Breakfast – Part IV

    January 26, 2013 by


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    Welcome to another fun post of Kids Funny Face Breakfast.  We will be adding posts for lunch and dinner ideas as well, so watch for upcoming posts.  This is Muffin Dog.  He’s just waiting for your little one to devour him.  You will need the following ingredients:


    Omelet (body)
    English Muffin, sliced as shown (body, ears, legs, tail)
    Olive, sliced as shown (eyes)
    String cheese slices (eyes)
    Strawberry slice or pimento from olive (tongue)


    This recipe is from the book Funny Food: 365 Fun, Healthy, Silly, Creative Breakfasts by Bill & Claire Wurtzel and can be purchased from Amazon.  

    Filed Under: breakfast ideas for kids, easy recipes, Food-Recipes, fun breakfast foods, fun food for kids, Uncategorized

    Sports Theme Brownies – Cookie Cutter Review

    January 26, 2013 by

    I found these adorable sports themed cookie cutters by Fox Run on Amazon and had to share them with you.  My grandchildren love brownies, so I decided to try them on the brownies versus sugar cookie dough.  The cutters are thin, so I was worried about them being able to make the impression in the brownies and how difficult it would be get them out.  They worked perfectly.  Great idea for sleep overs, parties or anytime treats. 

    The package contained a football, baseball, soccer ball, hockey stick, baseball bat, baseball glove, and football helmet.  My grandson said the brownies, “Were the coolest”.  That  means they were a hit.   

    
    Here’s my grandchildren enjoying their treat.  I packaged the brownies so they could take them home, but a few didn’t make it out the kitchen.  I would recommend the cutters, they’re worth the money.  Fox Run also has cutters in other themes, Noak’s Ark, farm animals, dinosaurs, zoo animals you name it.  Limitless cookies and brownies are on the horizon.  Oh, I would recommend hand washing and drying immediately to preserve them.  They’re made of a tin, and will probably rust if not dried quickly.   Did I mention they’re eligible for free shipping?  Yep, they are!   
    
    
    Filed Under: cookie cutters, Food-Recipes, fun food for kids, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,