Time.

I think that there comes a time in our lives when we stop and realize that time flies by. As I sit here in my recliner, staring at my Christmas tree and the stockings all hung in order from oldest to youngest, I am smiling.

Happy.

Full of life.

It was this time last year that I was not in the mood to blog.

I was not in the mood for decorating for Christmas.

I was only in the mood to somehow make it through each day until my husband came home from Afghanistan.

It was hard. It was tough. On some days it was unbearable to get through.

This year?

I am soaking it all in.

I have three daughters. Three.


My husband is home.

Said husband is constantly tormenting me--and even though I may act annoyed or roll my eyes at his constant teasing?

I love it. I love him. I love my family.

To say that I am blessed this year is an understatement. I am more than blessed--and for that I am grateful.

It's okay...

To have a few Chips Ahoy for breakfast and a bowl of Special K for a snack...

To consider wine a part of the fruit group...

To lock yourself in the bathroom for a few moments of peace and quiet...

To slightly panic if you forget your cell phone at home...

To get extra butter on your movie theater popcorn but order a Diet Coke to drink...

To blame the wrinkles under your eyes are simply from not drinking enough water/getting enough sleep...

To create a Pinterest account in order to mark hints for your husband...

To be more excited about homemade stuffing than you are about turkey...

To rather be decorating for Christmas than fighting the masses on Black Friday...

Heavy Whipping Cream vs Cool Whip

This all begins with Leo and I staying home this year for all of the holidays. We're doing a huge Thanksgiving dinner for our family of five. 

As each day passes I add more food dishes for us to cook. I have come to the conclusion that I over estimated serving sizes in the stuffing department. So much so that we currently have two 9x18 pans and one 8x8 pan of bread and seasonings drying out on my counter top.

I hadn't really planned to do a cranberry side dish. Until I talked to my Mom--she asked if I was making her (to die for) cranberry salad. I told her no, I didn't think so. She agreed and we laughed that it wasn't like I had the ingredients (whole cranberries, lemon jello, heavy whipping cream and more) on hand.

After thinking it over I text Leo who was battling the masses at the grocery store. I shot him a quick text on a few key ingredients to buy. 

When it came time for me to text heavy whipping cream I even added in parentheses to NOT buy whipped cream in a can. I even laughed thinking he probably already knew that and I will probably get a smartass response back. 

Fast forward to him getting home. He's putting some stuff away while I am trying to get dinner to the girls. 

Leo: Hey, babe! Want me to put this whipping cream in the freezer?

Me: Um...why would you put it in the freezer?

I look up to see him holding the biggest container of Cool Whip that I've ever seen! Freaking hilarious--I died laughing!

I want to add how glad I am that he is not in Afghanistan this Thanksgiving. I am so blessed that he is home this year!

Six. Months.

So it's official. You are now a 6 month old. I honestly cannot believe that you are now half a year old.

Did I really just say half a year?

You rocked at your 6 month checkup today. 15 pounds, 26 1/2 inches long. Growing perfectly, reaching all of your milestones.

This in no way surprises me. You're an amazing baby--and I know that people always say that they have amazing children, but you really are.

You are starting to move around SO much. Your latest way of getting around? The pushup crawl:

You get up in pushup position and then drop forward--like a dance move or something? It's hilarious. It's cute. And it gets you from here to there. *As typing this you JUST crawled a couple of REAL crawl moves. Insanity!

You also dance, dance, dance. Any music you hear, if mommy is attempting to sing singing her heart out, you get on your hands and knees and shake it out. You're my rockstar!

As for foods, you love fruit. Veggies aren't a hit unless they're orange. And you're still my breastfeeding marathoner--as in you'd rather be with momma than eat anything else which is still awesome.

I love you SO much. The past six months have been a whirlwind of fun. I don't want the next six months to fly by as quickly. You've stolen my heart, sweetheart. I am so blessed to have you in my life.

We had a date. The best date ever.

Dear Isabella,

You and I went out for a little Sunday date. We weren't sure of what to do--your only "must do" was visit a toy store for Santa ideas.

We decided to hit up the outlet mall near our home. This place has it all--we were in girl heaven! Shopping, walking, eating some Dippin' Dots.

SO stinkin' cute!

After wandering around and not finding a lot to buy (we were just at the outlets on Friday) we thought we'd go to our first ever 3D movie--Puss in Boots.


We BOTH loved it! It was hilarious--we giggled, I would giggle, you would ask me what was funny (you know, it was one of those cartoon mommy/daddy humor bits that were snuck in), you kept leaning over and giving me kisses while whispering "I love you".

Pretty much it was a day for Mommy's heart to melt into a big sappy puddle. Go figure, I know.

We had so much fun. It's so rare that I get much one on one time with you, my first born. You were grinning and beaming ear to ear, your smile never wavered off of your face. For once you were the object--the only object--of my attention. You acted so much older and it made me realize how important it is for you and I to sneak off occasionally alone together.

When you're older and reading this, I want to thank you for being my date. I loved wearing silly 3D glasses with you, holding hands and giggling like we were sisters. I promise to try and sneak off with you for more dates in the future. I'm still trying to figure out this whole Mommy jig.

So for now we'll eat crazy ice cream, popcorn with butter and wash it all down with Diet Cokes. Because sometimes we I need to walk on the wild side of mommy life.

Love,
Your dorky Mom

It's Official: We Love Dove Men+Care

Leo does a lot of working out in order to be in the Air Force. He runs almost every day, does weight lifting and a variety of other strength training exercises. It's important to have a soap that will make him smell nice after his midday workouts and he needs a deodorant that will work during the work day as well as during his workout sessions.

With winter rapidly approaching we have to consider dry skin, too. Leo doesn't want to use a product that contains so much fragrance that it will dry out and irritate his skin in the cold months ahead--and let's face it. If your husband is anything like mine he doesn't pay a lot of attention to keeping his skin moisturized.

These are a few of the reasons why my husband prefers the Dove Men+Care line of skincare products. It is formulated and scented for men: our husbands, boyfriends, fathers. It allows a man to be protected against sweat and embarrassing sweat stains. It also is a one stop shop for keeping men clean and moisturized at the same time--no need to use a handful of products!

Leo loves the Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Body & Face Wash. It's formulated using a micromoisture technology to guard a man's skin against discomfort while moisturizing at the same time. Another bonus? It rinses off of his skin and does not leave a residue buildup like other soap brands on the market. Dove Men+Care is hypoallergenic and is made with zero fragrances and dyes for sensitive skin.

After Leo used the body wash and deodorant he asked me to tell my readers that he loves the deodorant. He's been using the body wash for quite some time now, but he was hesitant to try out their antiperspirant and deodorant. His underarms are sensitive and he hates to use a new deodorant for it to break his skin out in a rash after applying it. The Dove Men+Care deodorant did not break him out! He was so excited and wanted me to share that little piece of info with you.

Bottom line is this: we will continue to be a Dove product household. Dove Men+Care is here to stay in my home which makes all of us happy. I love the way my husband smells and he's very satisfied and happy with how his skin feels, how well it's moisturized and that his sensitive skin didn't break out in a rash.

If you love to be in the know with Dove Men+Care, you can follow them on their social media platforms: the Dove Men+Care Facebook page and the Dove Men+Care Twitter page.


We received one set of Dove Men+Care products in order to facilitate an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions expressed above are our own.

A Catch Up

* Time is really getting away from me right now. Can I blame it on the holidays? I have been making lists of gifts, searching online for gifts, planning holiday meals, trying to get decorations organized--you name it, I am doing it.

* This year's Thanksgiving is already a much, much happier time for me in my life. Last year Leo was deployed. I was pregnant. My girls were wondering where their Daddy went. I am positive that this year will be amazing--just to have my husband next to me and my baby girl here is such a blessing. I am blessed for sure.

* So, I am really hooked on a book--as in I am up late every. single. night. reading it. It's SO good--I promise I am not just saying that. It is called Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank. It starts with the main character, Rose, who has a vision of herself dead on her living room sofa. When in actuality it is her mom who is the one who gets murdered. I'm not giving anything away (this info is all on the book jacket). I have probably 20 pages or so and I am determined to finish it. I love it!

* Did I tell you that I finally got my hair done and LOVE it? I found my hair girl! Finally after living here for FOUR years I have found an amazing hair stylist. I already have my next appointment scheduled--that is how I know I love her to pieces.

* I have been a selling machine. Let me explain that. I've been selling a ton of my movies on eBay and the base that we are stationed at has a Facebook group to sell items--like a yard sale. I have been decluttering and finding new homes for so many awesome things that we don't use any more. I love it--plus the extra money doesn't hurt either!

* Brynlie turns 6 months old on Monday. Seriously--6 months. I am in awe with how quickly time has flown by with baby number three. I remember with Isabella I felt like she would be a baby for so long. Not true--time will fly by and I am definitely soaking it all in.

* Speaking of 6 months, as of Monday I will mark my 6 month breastfeeding anniversary. I am SO happy with the success of breastfeeding Brynlie. It does make me sad that I didn't try harder with my other two girls, but they both turned out wonderful, so I know that it's fine. I just love the bonding experience that I get with Brynlie. Being the little one and the youngest of three I think it allows her to have extra mommy time which we both adore.

* Have you heard of Lalaloopsy dolls? Holy cow. These things are definitely an "it" factor toy this year. They are sold out everywhere--and of course both Isabella and Madelyn want one. They're pretty cute and I found a few available online. I am going to be buying them now before I can't find them anywhere.


* I hate it when I have dreams that are so real that I get real life mixed up with them. Or when they just feel so real that I keep thinking about them all of the time. The other night I dreamed of knitting a scarf. Mind you I have no freaking clue how to knit. Anyway, I woke up and now for 48 hours I have an urge to knit a scarf. Weird, right?

Carmex Skin Care

With cooler temps comes drier skin. I have eczema and my skin does not do well with cold winds and frigid temperatures. It drives me insane when my skin is dry! I find myself constantly having lotion in my diaper bag for when I am out and about with the kids. I am always washing my hands or using a hand sanitizer, so having a small thing of lotion in my bag makes me smile.

I had a chance to try out the all new Carmex Skin Care line. You know the smell of their lip balms? I love that smell--it's a comfort thing for me and reminds me of school when I was a kid. Anyway, the Carmex Skin Care products smell just like the lip balm. They smell really, really good.

I tried out the Healing Lotion and the Healing Cream. The lotion kept my hands, arms and legs moisturized and smooth. I didn't have any dry looking skin and my skin was so moisturized which is a huge plus! It's a non-greasy formula (and it actually is non-greasy!) and has aloe plus Vitamin E.

The cream was fabulous. I hate it when my feet are dry. My poor feet are often neglected and they get the brunt of the abuse from being walked on constantly, I rarely wear socks, and I am a huge fan of flip flops. None of these things make for soft feet. I have been using the Carmex Healing Cream nightly and I can already tell a difference. The cream is thick and also contains 9 healing ingredients to really help your skin absorb and repair itself. I recommend using the cream on your elbows, feet, knees and hands. Love, love, love the cream!

Giveaway:

I have ONE set like the picture above to give to a lucky reader. Just leave me a comment telling me why you want to win this Carmex Skin Care set. Is it to relieve really dry skin? Do you live in a cold climate? Or maybe you want to give this to someone as a stocking stuffer? It can be anything!

Bonus Entries:

(1 entry each) Subscribe via RSS, subscribe via e-mail, and/or follow via GFC

(1 entry) "Like" Winey Mommy on Facebook (click the "f" button on top right)

(2 entries) Follow Winey Mommy on Twitter (click the "t" button on top right)

(1 entry daily) Tweet this giveaway! Click: Tweet. Leave your tweet URL in comment

(1 entry daily) Visit Carmex and tell me something you liked, learned, wish they had. This can be done one time daily.

Rules:

This giveaway will end on November 22nd @ noon CST. Open to all US residents 18+. To be eligible to win you must do mandatory entry. If you do not follow that rule all entries will be void. Leave a valid email address in comment or available on profile. Winner will be drawn via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to notification email. If winner does not contact back w/full name/address a new winner will be picked. All winners will be posted on blog when picked. This blog is not responsible for prizes not being delivered, getting lost, etc.Facebook and Twitter have no bearing on giveaway or outcome of giveaway. I will try my hardest to work with company if something should go wrong. This blog is not responsible for anything regarding to your use of product. 

I was provided with the product pictured above in order to facilitate this review and giveaway. No other compensation was given and all opinions expressed above are my own. 

I Love My Husband

This morning I woke up totally disoriented.

My husband was nowhere to be found. My bedroom door was closed, so where was he?

I got up, placed Brynlie into her crib and darted out of my bedroom.

And there I found him. He was trying to change Madelyn who had soaked through her entire diaper. *note to self: no beverages for Madelyn at bedtime.

I knew he had to be tired. When I was awake feeding Brynlie at midnight he was playing an Xbox 360 video game. Something with guns, loud noises and one of those where I can't distract him at all. I'm pretty sure a lot of you can sympathize with me on this one.

Okay. Back to my point--after all this post is about how much I love him, not about how much I despise Xbox and video games.

So, he then made the girls breakfast. He asked me to feed Brynlie and then get the girls dressed.

Get this: he was taking all three of them to the park so I could sleep.

This is amazing for two reasons. The first being I haven't been brave enough to all three of the girls to the park by myself yet. The second is because I have been so tired and for him to do this? It was the sweetest thing that anyone has done for me in a long time.

And for anyone wondering what to do for a mom with a baby? Give her the gift of sleep--best gift ever.

Real Moms Love to Eat

When I first heard about Beth Aldrich's newest book, Real Moms Love to Eat, I nodded my head up and down just hearing the title of the book. It's true. I love to eat, but somewhere down this road of being a mom it has become a huge struggle to me.

I often wonder why I make sure that my daughters all get healthy and balanced meals, yet I don't take that same precaution when it comes to what I eat. A majority of my daughters' snacks are healthy snacks--fruits, all natural yogurt, baby carrots. They do get to enjoy a fresh cookie or unhealthy snack on occasion, but I try my hardest to really limit the unhealthy products that go into their bodies.Why can I not do this for myself?

Sometimes I think that it is due to what is readily and easily available for myself. With all of my girls being home it is rare that I get to sit down during an actual meal with the family to eat. I find myself serving others, filling up sippy cups with milk, wiping up spills, breastfeeding Brynlie--basically doing everything but enjoying a meal. And to be honest? It's sometimes easier to grab a few cookies and a Diet Coke while nursing Brynlie.

Real Moms Love to Eat is written for all of us moms. Whether you are already a healthy eater or you are struggling in taking care of you like I am currently doing, this book is for you. Beth Aldrich has included delicious healthy recipes that the entire family will enjoy, whole food meals for you to prepare as well as food facts that will help keep you educated in healthy eating so you will not only feel better about yourself, but you will start to look better, too.

If you are interested in reviewing Real Moms Love to Eat, check out the Food Affairiate program! You will get the opportunity to review an e-copy of Beth Aldrich's book! Once you sign up to be a Food Affairiate, you will review the book (again via e-book), and get the chance to be the winner of randomly drawn prizes. A great way to jump start living a healthy life for your entire family!


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Beth Aldrich - Real Moms Love to Eat blogging program, for a chance to get 3,000 My SocialMoms Rewards points. For more information on how you can participate ,click here.

Remember When "Fall Back" Was a Glorious Event?

I remember many many MANY a few years ago when this whole "fall back" business was an awesome event in my life.

Extra hour to go out at night?

Check.

Extra hour to sleep in before waking up for work?

Check.

Extra hour to sleep in the following day?

Awesome.

Now? Not so awesome.

I thought I would kick off the whole fall back event with a trip to Target for a little time out. I shopped my little heart out and followed it with a little stop at my favorite local wine store to pick up a bottle of vino for later this week.

I got back home, popped a DVD in, popped a little popcorn and relaxed.

I stayed up until well after midnight thinking smugly to myself that it was so much FUN to stay up late. And as a bonus? I got to subtract an hour. It was no longer 12:16 in the morning, it was now 11:16 at night. 

I should have known right then and there that I was tempting fate. My daughters woke up Sunday morning at 6 something. I was so tired I couldn't even read the remaining numbers on the clock.

All that I knew was that I was no longer a single twenty-something.

I am now a mom to three girls four years and younger.

I love sleep. I need sleep. This whole "fall back" business backfired in my face.

I no longer love "fall back".

I am...

Today I am linking up with Chrissy over at Life as CEO for her new weekly post of "I am..." It's her Sunday edition of writing out her thinking/feeling/doing/wishing positives for the week ahead. I think it's the perfect way for me to get into the mindset that tomorrow is Monday and that means that our week will be starting up once again.

Ready?

I am...going to do some more reading. This includes blogs and books. I am so far behind--and I usually feel better once I get a little bit of quiet time to myself daily.

I am...going to continue to try and eat healthier. If I fail for a day I will not beat myself up mentally. I will simply pick up and continue down the right track.

I am...going to smile every day and be happy. I will not let anything or anyone get me down--I control my happiness and that is the key to me being happy.

I am...going to try and get one mommy time out this week. Last week I got my hair done AND I went to Target. Alone. Talk about an awesome night!

I am...going to drink MORE water and LESS Diet Coke. 

These are my hopes for the week--I need to read these every morning to remind myself of what I have set out to do!

Remember to go and check out Chrissy's and if you're feeling extra inspired write out your own list. Have fun thinking of some things that you want to do for yourself this week!

Best Friends Forever...

Madelyn has become quite the little character--from her wild dance moves, to the things that she says, I am constantly laughing with her. 

Some of my favorite things about my girl include:

Her love for her family. She loves with all of her might and the love she has amazes me every day.

Her love of pumpkins. Now that Halloween is over it breaks my heart a little--especially when her Ariel carved pumpkin will be in the trash can and no longer on our front porch...wish me luck with that one...

Her dance moves. I have no way to describe these. She does a gallop, toe, hop move that has me laughing hysterically--seriously, it's beyond hilarious!

When she toots she says "I poot!" OhmyGod. SO hilarious.

The way she snuggles. When Madelyn was little it was very rare for her to actually want to be snuggled. She's always been independent, so for her to want to come climb on my lap? Heart melting.

Her love of Ariel, Snow White--basically any Disney princess. But her top fave? Ariel, hands down. She walks around singing the song that Ariel sings as Ursula is stealing her voice. YouTube it--and then imagine a two year old walking around singing it. 

I could probably go on and on and on...girlfriend is such a sweetheart and my own live in comedian. I adore the little person she has become--and can't wait to see who she becomes in the future.

Sweet Girl {Full of Words Wednesday}

Isabella.

She loves with all of her might. 

Her compassion for others is on another level.

She loves to text her Aunt Kristi.

She is always my assistant baker.

She has a love for nail polish.

She is a 4 year old fashionista.

She's an amazing big sister to Brynlie.

She's an amazing big sister to Madelyn when they aren't fighting.

Love my little girl...hard to believe she's grown so much since this cute post...

The True Story of Puss'N Boots

If there is one thing that my daughters love, it would be a great movie to watch in the car while we are out and about. I try to keep their movies rotating and I love to find a new movie that they will both love, will be kid friendly and that keeps their attention span for the duration of the movie.

Isabella and Madelyn were so excited to get to review The True Story of Puss'N Boots. I put it in the DVD player and they were both captivated with the animation as well as the story line. Anyone that has small children can testify that if they don't like a movie they will definitely let you know!

The True Story of Puss'N Boots is based on the well known Puss'N Boots character from Charles Perrault. The movie is a tale of a farmer's son who inherits a cat--that talks. The cat's boots are magical boots and Puss helps the son win the heart of the Princess at the same time as battling many suitors who are after the throne. William Shatner is the voice of Puss which I immediately recognized his name as do most of my readers I am sure.

I do have to say that there were a few parts that made me rethink showing it to my two young daughters. I may have to wait until they're a little older to watch it again--in particular it was a dancing scene where a woman is dancing pretty provocatively for a children's movie if you catch my drift.

The Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack is available for $24.99 and the DVD alone without the Blu-Ray addition is $19.99.



A big thank you to Child's Play Communications and Phase 4 Films for this review opportunity. All opinions expressed above are my own and no other compensation was given.

Notice Anything Different?

I had wanted a new blog look for quite sometime now. I wanted something crisp. Clean. Fun. And bright.

After scouring the web universe for days weeks months, I knew exactly what I wanted and who I wanted to do it for me.

A majority of my readers know her simply as Krystyn from Really, Are You Serious?. But...

Did you know she's a full time blog designer, twitter page designer, card/announcement designer and more over at Krizzy Designs?

She is! And? She is fabulous.

I let her know how nervous I was about my blog. I am one of those people who likes to have their hands in everything--much to the annoyance of my family I am sure.

She held my hand through the entire process, sent me samples and really let her creativity come through. She listened to everything that I had to say--and now?

I am in LOVE with my end result! I'm happy to blog again!

Thank you SO much, Krystyn!