March 25th Is National Waffle Day And I Have Been Celebrating Early

I can eat breakfast anytime of the day and crave things with syrup on them especially if I smell or see it whether in a photo or a commercial. My husband is the same. Whenever he sees me using syrup he suddenly wants pancakes. 

Not a great photo but this has been me lately. Whether for linner (lunch and dinner) or breakfast I have been on a syrup craze. 

Early morning catching up on General Hospital (I am always behind) I have been eating my fair share of waffles. 

What I love about Maple Grove Farms is that it is 100% Pure. There is no other ingredient and you can really taste the difference.  There is no corn syrup, fat, sodium or cholesterol.  AND I was truly shocked to see how many ingredients when I looked at the syrup I have been using for over 3 decades.  I will NOT ever use another syrup. The taste is in the pudding syrup and I am forever changed.  Looking forward to trying Maple Grove Farms Organic syrup next. 

Guys, Maple Grove Farms isn't only about syrup they also have dressings, baking mixes, sugar free products, and MAPLE CANDY. I LOVE maple candy. The best part is that I can get this at my local supermarket. I just checked the website and they have it!!!!  You can check if it is available by you here.

I Highly Recommend Ghost Bully

The 411:

I LOVED Ghost Bully. It took me longer than I wanted to read. It should have been read in a weekend but it took me a month. NOT because I didn't like it life got in the way but whenever I wasn't reading it I wanted to read it. I can't say that about a lot of books. 

Jonah is our main guy and when he and a friend realize their place is haunted everything hits the fan. Their ghost is mean. JUST mean.  He friggin kills Jonah. Really?! I thought only the living could hurt us. At least that is what my daddy told me when I said I was afraid of ghosts. Willard; Jonah's ghost murder is a true bully.

The rest of the book is good versus evil. My favorite parts are when Jonah learns to live with his new life after life and the witty dialogue. 

This coming of age book is fast paced with a little adventure, a little drama, a little suspense, supernatural, a bit of horror and a whole lot of funny.  Jonah, his friend Max and the rest of the Psy-kicks made this book so worth it. I loved this coming of age story with a twist. Think Scooby Doo, Little Reaper, Ghost Whisper mixed with pop culture references. 

Perfect for all ages and not necessarily horror fans.

Give YOU and Your Boo-Boo The Gift Of Sleep

Hey my friends have I got a great product for parents of toddlers and preschoolers for you. I really wish this was around when I had tiny ones in the house. 

When they open the "gift" you can explain that this is their new buddy and read them the tiny storybook included called A Bedtime Surprise. This is a story about a little boy who receives the light and explains  how the light is used. You don't even have to do it.  Then show your little the colorful Incentive Chart (red week, green week, blue week and yellow week), and smiley face stickers that they can stick on the chart  every time they stay in their room. 

Included in the box is a Parent Guide and a USB cord so you can charge Sleep Buddy. The guide has a chart by age that includes the recommended sleep times for nap and bed as well as suggestions on rewards and how to set the times on Sleep Buddy.

My kids and I love this idea and both wish it was around for when they were younger and my daughter is using it now. She doesn't have a clock in her room and now that the light goes on she knows when it is time to go to bed and this morning she came out of her room saying her light was still on so she knew it was before 6:00.  We had a snow day so I didn't wake her up. 

I am thinking this would also be good for Christmas morning. My son is 14 and Autistic. Since the age of 5 he would wake at the crack of dawn and head to the living room touching and searching through the gifts before anyone else was awake. I will be using this Christmas Eve in his room. He will not be allowed to leave his room until at least 7. No more opening gifts at 4:45 AM.  WOOT! WOOT!

The SleepBuddy Complete Sleep System (a $69.99 value) includes:

·     Interchangeable Light

·     Children's Book

·     Rewards Chart

·     Parent's Guide

A Lover! Not a Fighter Or Am I?

Yesterday while doing our weekly volunteer at an animal shelter with my kids I almost truly got into a fight with another volunteer. Imagine? I seriously was about to take my earrings out and fight!

We usually clean a room or two but yesterday after cleaning our third room I headed back to the first room we cleaned. I wanted to do the floors which would have made that room DONE! However there was another woman doing bunny cages. Why do the floors if she was doing cages? It would have looked like we hadn’t. So I headed to the supervisor (a woman I had never met because she normally doesn’t do weekends) and tell her we did the three rooms, washed all the dirty things including the ones for the other volunteers but didn't do the floors because there was someone still doing cages. She said no problem. The kids and I went back in to spend some time with the cats before leaving and the other volunteer mentions that she needs to pick up her son soon and she would appreciate us doing the floor for her. She tells me what needs to be done as if I have never worked there before and I listened. No biggie. Not even going to go there. I just tell her OK. We are here every weekend. We know what to do and stay until the job is done. I ask my son to please sweep the floor. My thought process was at least that much will be done and we can do her section after she leaves.

10 minutes later the supervisor comes in and the other woman is closing up the rabbit cages. The supervisor asks if the room was done and my son says "Yes! I swept the floors." The other volunteer jumps in, "NO! He didn't do them. He didn't pull out the garbage cans or get under the cages. He didn't squeegee the floors. It all has to be done." I am thinking, "Wait! What?! I couldn't ever imagine calling out someone's kid in front of him or anyone else. He is 14. Underage and can't work there without me being there. Everyone has eyes and he certainly doesn't need some adult to call him out. We were going to do it when she left. Why work around her?

The supervisor says "OK! They said they are going to do it. You can go take your son. They are willing. It is OK thanks for your help."

The other volunteer says, "NO they are unwilling I can get it done in 15 minutes."

I swear if I could have blinked myself in front of her face I would have but I stormed over to where they were the whole way saying "but but but...you said you were leaving. We said we would do it. We are just waiting for you to go so we can finish up." No one ever said unwilling."

She said, "I am not mad. I hope I don't sound mad!" I shout, "You sound a little upset."

The Supervisor puts up her hands and said, "OK I think this was a miscommunication. They said they would do it. You can go get your son."

Everything seemed like it would be fine but this lady never left. I started sweeping as I was hearing the cages close thinking she is going. She is telling the bunnies that their cages are nice and clean now. I am sweeping by cat cages, making my way to where she was working so when she goes I can hit that area. NO! She starts sweeping too! WTF! Why?! GO!!! You said you were going. You tried to throw me and MY KIDS under the bus for what? A volunteer job that is supposed to be something we all do because we love animals but it always manages to be a PAIN IN THE ASS with the people who work there?!

I am evolved and don't want to judge this woman. The term crazy cat lady exists for a reason and it doesn't always have to do with people who love cats. Maybe she is fighting with her husband. Maybe she has a sick parent. I don't know. So I get the small broom and pan and sweep up her pile so I can get the squeegeeing done and get out. 

She finally says have a good weekend and I return the sentiment.

She took 10 more minutes to leave. I found out later she was giving the Supervisor and ear full.

After cleaning, I went to sign out. This Supervisor doesn't know me and I want her to know why I stood up for myself.  I tell her the story I mentioned above and that it is very important for me to stick up for myself. I spent years not saying anything. Never defending myself and always letting others mentally beat me up.  My kids are watching me and I needed them to hear me defending them.

She says I should let it go and after hearing both stories she thinks the woman misunderstood me. I told her I felt she was trying to be a martyr.

When I left I was still angry. There was so much I still wanted to say to that volunteer. I was ready to throw down if she said anything that made me feel like I needed to.

When I tell friends the story, they say it was probably because of her calling out my son or saying "They are unwilling". That if she had said she is unwilling I probably would have let it go. I don't know maybe.

I just know that I felt proud of myself and wish that I was that strong years ago.

She would have probably gone blow for blow with me but I would have definitely thrown the first if necessary. It feels good to know that about myself. Too many years a victim. Not anymore.

Thankfully my kids didn't have to see mommy go crazy. What they saw was mommy defending them.

Lesson for the day: Don't mess with a CUB in front of MOMMA

3 Family Fun Games For Preschool and Up - Video Reviews - FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

I have mentioned in the past that I love unplugging and spending time with my kids. Lately we have been having fun with puzzles and games. Kicking it old school and I hear some of my friends are also doing this. Kids and adults spend so much time online whether a computer, tablet or smartphone and never enough time together. Our time with our kids is going fast and in the future the phone may be the only communication I have with them so I have been doing things with them that they love.

Goliath Games has some fun games like the 3 listed above. I loved two of the 3 but was only able to try out 2 of them. Stick with me and I will explain.

Build or Boom is the first one up. This is a really fun game that had us laughing. It can be played by 2 players and the recommendation is 4 and up.

You each get a platform, an air hose and a few sticks of dynamite. The first to build gets to blow up the other's construction.

We had a blast (tee hee) blowing up each other's construction and found some of the builds very challenging or maybe that was just me.

The next game was not a favorite of mine. It is called Giggle Wiggle
and I had a hard time even getting close to doing well. My daughter did much better than me. Maybe her smaller fingers? Hmmm?

Giggle Wiggle is a really cute game. That can be played by up to 4 players. When you open the box you will see that Wiggle Giggle the Caterpillar comes in 3 sections (really easy to put together). You also get stickers to put on for his eyes and multicolored bow ties. He also requires 3 AA batteries.

Each player picks a color marble and it is a race to the finish line as players place their hands in Wiggle Giggles hands as he sways and spins to the music.

Race to place your colored marbles from his bottom row of hands all the way to the top as he wiggles.

I found it stressful and annoying but my daughter who disliked it the first three times is really good at it and has asked to play two days in a row. I do because it is what she wants but you will see in my video, I am NOT good at this game at all.

The last game is called Who Tooted? This Game's A Gas

By far the funniest game. Can be played by 3-4 players and is for ages 5 and UP. Dad has a gas problem or maybe the family does and they are blaming it on Dad. He happens to be the one on the board.

To play is easy. Put 2 AAA batteries in. Put the board together, put the player pieces on the stands and get ready to hear some fart noises. Everyone gets a whoopee cushion that they hold in their hand. Pick your game piece, mom, dog, son or daughter and hold your cushion but keep it hidden from everyone else because the cushion will randomly select the farter. Once your light goes off on your cushion press the button which will illicit some fart noises. Now everyone has to point their 'noses" at the player they think farted. Even the farter because you wan't everyone to believe it was NOT you. If you can trick the other players you get to move that many spaces. The winner is the one who gets around the board the fastest. It is a funny game. We played quick but our batteries must have been used because we need to pick up some more. Here is our quick video.