A First...A Big First...

Someone had her first ponytail today.

Loved it.

And I think it may be the cutest ponytail....

Ever.

The One Where I Had to Wear a Football Helmet. While in Summer School.

To say I wasn't athletic growing up is the understatement of my life. Looking back I realize now that it wasn't because of lack of skill--it was due to lack of care. I couldn't care less about running. And push ups. And anything else that made me sweat.

Then came the year my parents made us take summer school...it wasn't because we were failing, but more of a way to keep us out of my Mom's hair while she worked from home AND I'm sure the big reason was to keep us out of trouble.

We moved to the smallest town ever when I was in 8th grade. Wrong thing to do to a 13 year old girl who was hormonal and would have done anything to be liked in said new town.

Started hanging out with the wrong kids and BAM! We get hit with summer school.

What a punishment. The upside to going to school during the summer was that we got to know our teachers on a more personal level. We could actually talk to them--they really listened. I loved that part.

The part that I didn't care for? Gym. Dear Lord. NOT gym!!

That leads me to my post. About a football helmet. And summer school. We were told to bring our bikes the next day for a casual ride.

We didn't have helmets {hey, back then we could also walk anywhere, we didn't have cell phones and climbed trees. You know--it was dangerous times back then...}. My teacher let us know not to worry--helmets would be provided.

Already not thrilled with said bike ride, we arrived the next day with our bikes. And got greeted with football helmets. I placed it on my head and nearly threw up from the smell of sweat. The thing was way too big for my head {oh--my sister and cousin were there, too! And I seriously wish you could see me laughing hysterically right now!! Bwahaha!} and kept falling down, blinding me.

We set off on our bike ride. Trying not to hit anyone in the group I remember a girl getting too far over to the side of the road and getting hit in the face with branches. OhmyGod--that was SO funny and I can't believe I remember that!

Anyway, we start going on back roads--you know the roads off the interstate {feeder roads}? Except I couldn't make it up any of the hills. So now not only was I laughing so hard because I could only imagine what the drivers on the interstate {I-44 to be exact...} were thinking when they saw a herd of students, on bikes, and a majority in football helmets....but I couldn't make it up any hills.

My teacher goes back and has me changing gears, etc. Nada. He then looks at my tires. Both flat.

Just imagine this--a 13 year old on a bike...wearing a HUGE football helmet and riding a bike. With two. flat. tires.

That was the longest day of my life...and probably one of the funniest. My sister and I still crack up and die laughing when we talk about the herd of teenagers--right next to I-44--and 98% of them riding bikes while wearing football helmets. Freaking hysterical!!

11 Months? Say it Ain't So!

At 11 months you....

Have four teeth! Two top, two bottom

Can stand--and you let go like a big girl

Crawl as fast as possible and let Isabella chase you

You laugh and laugh at Isabella

You love animals

Love to eat

Growl when you're mad

Clap about everything and anything

Smile non stop

Nap like a champ still

You're starting to love being outside

You can say baba, get down, mama, dada, boo, nigh-nigh

You love to wave bye bye

You are such a sweet, perfect baby. 

I love you, Madelyn Reese!

The One Where You Get to Know Me...

I haven't done a fun meme in forever--and I really feel like I'm long overdue. I decided to jump right into Getting to Know YOU brought to us by MannLand5. So...here we go! And don't forget to go and link up with her to join in on the fun!




1.If you had 5000.00 to spend on plastic surgery what would you have done?

That one is easy for me--definitely a boob job! Although honestly the thought makes me just a little scared to be cut open...



2. Do you watch Soap operas and if so what is your favorite and why?

Does Desperate Housewives count? No? Then nope--no soaps here! I just never could get into them...


3. Favorite clothing brand?

I love the Gap and drool over Anthropologie's clothes on a weekly basis. Gorgeous!


 4. An afternoon shopping spree at your favorite store or maid service for a year? 

Okay, this one is really, really hard for me.  But I would have to say a shopping spree at Pottery Barn would make me happy enough to not mind cleaning my own house! Plus, say I did go on that shopping spree--and then I sold all of my old stuff. That would give me money to hire my own maid! See how that all works out? Awesome!


5. Would you ever vajazzle?

Haha! Um, hells to the no! No way, no how...


6. Favorite Disney Princess?

Belle all the way {Beauty and  the Beast}. That's one reason why Bella was named Isabella...love her and her name.


7. Last movie that made you bawl your eyes out?

Like not just a few tears cry? Probably Marley & Me...omg, so sad! I cried during The Blind Side as well...but not as hard as I did in Marley & Me.


8. Have you ever broken any bones and if so what? 

No, thank God! I got stitches once...but no broken bones.

Infantino Fold & Go Bouncer and Twist & Fold Gym

The two awesome products that I'm going to go over today are the Infantino Fold & Go Bouncer and the Twist & Fold Gym. These two items are fantastic--and great for traveling. Whether you are heading over to a grandparent's home, a babysitter's place to get a date night or traveling out of town these are two things that fold up easily and flatten out really well. You won't have to sacrifice any room in the trunk to tote these two along.

First up is the Infantino Fold & Go Bouncer. I put this all together by myself which means that it's not hard to do--at all! I had it put together within 10-15 minutes. I put Madelyn in it {although she is almost at the cut off weight of 25 lbs!} and she had a blast. She is probably a little too old for it, but I am sure if she was a little younger she would have loved it even more. I love how the bendable bar isn't hard--you can move it up and down which is pretty cool. A lot of bouncers have one spot for the bar and it isn't stationary. With this being movable it made it a piece of cake to load her in.

Folding it up is beyond easy! You slide the lever and push in the button. Fold it up and you're done. I love it! This would have been an ideal product for us when we were traveling over the holidays last year--and I recommend this to any mom or dad out there that does a lot {or any} traveling with their infant.

Next up is the Infantino Twist & Fold Gym. I love this gym for the simple fact that it's the easiest thing ever to set up and put away. With the Twist & Fold Gym I can fold it up and keep it stored away until Madelyn wants to play with it. It isn't just sitting there being in the way 24/7 which is a HUGE bonus in my book.

There is a mirror, different musical attachments, rattles and toys that you attach where you would like them. The colors are bright and fun which really engaged Madelyn while she played with the toys. She loved it!

I loved the toys this month--and I know in the future if a friend or sister gets pregnant that these toys will be a huge hit and a great buy for the baby. We love Infantino!


I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for Infantino and have received various Infantino products as part of my participation.

Macy & Madelyn--A Photo Shoot

I should have titled this more appropriately--perhaps well, it was supposed be a top secret photo shoot while Isabella was napping....but with a 3 month old puppy and an *almost* 11 month old baby...

Well, you get the picture.

Enjoy the cute fest below...ohmygoodness--they seriously melted my heart today...

Sucre Lulu Winner!

Congrats to Julie, the winner of the $25 Sucre Lulu giveaway! She was contacted and has already responded--thank you to all who entered!

Rayovac Powers Your Summer Promotion

Thanks to 5 Minutes for Mom, I get the opportunity to tell my fabulous readers about the Rayovac Powers Your Summer promotion! From June 21st through July 20th Rayovac is empowering families to have fun.

Simply "Like" Rayovac on Facebook and then complete the entry form on the Rayovac website. Tell them how you will power your summer fun every day for your chance to win fabulous prizes ranging from cameras, bikes, camping supplies, and a summer supply of Rayovac batteries. There are no correct or incorrect answers--so it's even easier to win. You must be a US resident and 18+ to be eligible to win.

Then on Wednesday June 30th, Rayovac and 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting a fabulous twitter party! This awesome event will have 20 prizes to giveaway including Rayovac batteries and $50 Target giftcards. The party will be held from 7pm-9pm CST using the hashtag #rayovac. Be sure to follow the hosts for the party: @Rayovac_Battery, @5minutesformom, @CirclePRMar.

The first 99 bloggers to promote the Rayovac Powers Your Summer Twitter Event won a prize package from Rayovac.

Tree Top Blog Tour!

 With summer being in full effect here in Mississippi I have been trying to think of creative and healthy ideas for the girls. There always seems to be an abundance of ice cream treats thrown at us left and right--which isn't bad on occasion, but I do like to have healthy alternatives that are just as much fun.

One great idea that I tried out for the girls is freezing Tree Top 100% Apple Juice in ice cube trays. You can add these to any drink that your child is drinking and it makes for a yummier version of ice. Especially if we are at the park or outside playing, regular ice seems to water down the drink. My girls LOVE this--especially Isabella! And Madelyn doesn't mind adding a little flavor to her water, either.

Right now Tree Top is offering the America's Secret Ingredient contest! Simply share your apple themed recipe for your chance to win a trip for two to the Big Apple, attend the Food Network NY Wine & Food Festival and you will meet a Food Network celebrity! If you have a fabulous recipe that incorporates apples, I say go for it--you never know, you could win!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Tree Top and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

How to Get Your Toddler OFF the Paci...Ahem.

 The paci's resting place...

First, let me say...I'm ba-accck! And we have our lovable, huggable, cutie-patootie Macy. I cannot wait to go crazy with my camera and take pics of our sweet puppy!

Anyway. Back to the subject at hand.

The paci has been somewhat of a nemesis to me for almost 2 years now. It's an arch enemy of sorts. Awful.

Let me put it this way--Isabella? Would never ever ever go to sleep without it. Ever. I am not kidding...and, oh, how I wish I was kidding.

Fast forward it to Friday night--June 18th to be exact. After struggling and fighting with Isabella to get to sleep I decided that a nice evening on the porch at sunset would do her good. After all, we were in the Smoky Mountains--the view? Gorgeous. The mountain air? To die for.

So there we are. Rocking on a dark green wood rocking chair. {Talk about a total "mountain" moment, huh?!} and she starts going crazy. Nothing new until...

IT  happened. She threw her paci. OFF the freaking mountain. I almost threw up. I almost cried.

 Until she asked for her paci and I told her sorry...you threw it off the mountain, honey!

And she laughed, told me she threw her paci off the mountain and the squirrels had it.

Greatest freaking day of my life--and you know what? She is still off the paci 48 hours later. If you ask her where her paci is she will tell you, "Paci on the mountain. With squirrels! I threw it."

Seriously love it...best paci story ever!

Guest Post: To Dad's Health!

Hi everyone! My name is Marjorie and I blog at the soon-to-be-renamed 2010mysd.com. Stop by and say hello ! I'm a mother of a nearly 16-year-old son, wife, and jack-of-all-trades living in Northeast Florida (and sweltering at the moment!). I'm thrilled to be guest blogging today at The Winey Mommy, although I wouldn't mind being on vacation now myself.

"Recognizing and preventing men's health problems is not just a man's issue. Because of its impact on wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters, men's health is truly a family issue."

-Congressman Bill Richardson (Congressional Record, H3905-H3906, May 24, 1994)

Friday is usually "Fitness Friday" on my blog. Since this week is National Men's Health Week and Sunday is Father's Day, what better topic to discuss than the health of the men in our lives.

I swear it's genetic: men naturally have an aversion to anything medical. I take the preventative approach to health. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. My dear hubby, on the other hand, will not go to the doc unless something is wrong. I love him dearly, but this drives me batty!

Enter Men’s Health Week. The goal is to encourage men to get regular medical advice and to improve their lifestyle, wellbeing and all aspects of their physical, mental, emotional and sexual health. It’s never too early to get boys and young men in the driver's seat when it comes to their health. Empowering our sons to make healthy lifestyle choices is one of the best gifts we can give them.

These are three ways you can steer Dad in the right direction when it comes to his health:

1. Give him a Father's Day card with a doctor's appointment as a gift. Tell him it’s already paid for. That way he won’t say no. If your husband is like mine, he hates wasting money so he’ll keep the appointment!
   
2. Go for a walk or bike ride after dinner. Why not make it a family activity and bring the kids along. Even though he’s a teenager, my son and I often go walking at night. We enjoy spending time together and it sets a good example for him. My husband and I have started riding our bikes together on the weekends. It's a nice way for us to be alone together and get exercise at the same time.
3. Send him a Health-e-Card. These ecards are geared towards men and are appropriate for any occasion, including Father's Day.

Because Sunday is Father’s Day, I thought I’d share these freebies just for dads!

• Take Dad to TCBY for a free cup or cone on Father's Day. (participating locations only)
• Dad can munch on a small breakfast and coffee at IKEA for free!
• Treat Dad to dinner and a tournament at Medieval Times June 18-20 free with one full-price adult admission. Use code DFWEB10.
• Dad gets a free ice cream float 6/20 - 6/27 when you spend at least $2 at Denny's. You have to make him a card on Facebook to get this deal.
• Dad eats dinner free at Smokey Bones if you have a Bones Club card. You can get a Club card at the restaurant or online.
  
• Head to Spaghetti Warehouse and Dad can choose between the original recipe pasta and the 15-layer lasagna free!
• Dad can get any model or make cell phone of his choice free at T-Mobile. This deal is only available on Saturday, June 19 starting at 8:00 a.m. As with all cell phones, there is a catch. You have to sign up for a 2-year contract. Taxes and "fees" also apply.
• Take dad to one of the 147 National Parks this weekend, when admission is free.

OK, I know what you're thinking. Some of these freebies aren't healthy. But dad is allowed a treat every now and then, particularly on his special day. Unless noted, these deals are only available on Father's Day, June 20.

Have a wonderful Father’s Day weekend! And, thank you for taking time to read my guest post. I hope you enjoyed it!