Sepia at the Cemetery

Reaching Up To The Heavens

My very first Outdoor Wednesday.

This is a monument, grave marker from a cemetery photo shoot. I had the most awesome time walking through and talking through with Laurie. We stopped and looked at dates, read markers and chatted about whatever. The weather was glorious and the sky amazing. We are talking about going back on a cloudy day for another shoot before it gets to cold.

The Biggest Light Bright In New Jersey

For some reason I had a problem coming up with an "L" photo for ABC Wednesday this week. I was going to post a bunch of Laurie photos but the ones I have, she has already told me she hates them.

Here is Goddess playing with the biggest lightbright I have ever seen at the Children's Museum.

Ruby Tuesday - The Girlie Jewelry Box Moment

My Goddess loves "pretty things". This is what she says every day. She loves sitting with her jewelry box and riffling through it, putting on various pieces of baby girl bling! Who doesn't love to sparkle once in a while? The red and black bracelet is a Street Angel creation made especially for Goddess with love.

FTC Goes After Bloggers

As of December 1st Bloggers Beware!

The FTC is looking at a new criminal who may be wearing a big t-shirt, have a coffee cup super glued to her hand, a baby on their breast and a toddler in front of Sesame Street. Or she may look something like this...

Yes...the FTC is looking at you fellow bloggers. Most of us are very aware of the new ruling and have added disclaimers to our sites regarding the companies who provide or products and sponsor our giveaways.

However, if you are not in compliance, you will be sanction. Big scary words for a mommy blogger who simply uses a product and talks about it. I am not really certain how they will police this. Some of my reviews are from companies some are from products I have purchased on my own and want to talk about.

Most bloggers are just voicing their opinion on a particular product as if they were at work, in a school yard, emailing a friend, at a mommy group or whatever medium you can think of.

Most bloggers will NOT say something just because a company asks them to.

Most bloggers DO NOT get paid to blog about an item.

Most bloggers are NOT trying to drive the market in a particular direction.

Most bloggers LOVE getting products and are willing to honestly discuss what they felt about it.

Most bloggers LOVE sharing a product with their readers in the form of a giveaway.

Most bloggers HAVE NEVER lied about a product for a sponsor. 

Most bloggers are NOT receiving laptops, toys or trips to Disney!!

Most bloggers want to follow the rules and are not trying to hurt anyone. We don't have big lawyers working for us (as many companies do), telling us the proper buzz words to make sure that our butts are protected from being sued over our opinion.

Most bloggers work HARD and spend MANY hours to provide "fair & balanced" reviews on items that we receive for "free" and could have been purchased for under $25.00.


BTW...is a product really free if I have to spend 15-60 minutes writing, researching, linking, and posting it??? If it is a giveaway? Writing, researching, linking, posting, adverstising, picking a winner through random, contacting the winner, providing an address to the sponsor and then forever keeping communication openin case the sponsor doesn't follow through. The amount of follow up alone is worth at the very least $10.00 an hour!!!

I would think there were more important things wrong with the world than a couple of bloggers who were lucky enough to receive trips to Disney and latops. BTW...Sony, Acer, Dell, if you are listening I could totally use a new one.

PEACE OUT!

Source

Snow White Diamond Edition Dropped Today

As part of a One2One Network campaign I was lucky enough to be part of a magical, review for a Disney classic.
 

I watched this with my Goddess yesterday while her brother was in school. She loves "beautiful things" and any Disney princess is beautiful to Goddess. For me, personally, I grew up loving Snow White. I loved it!  It was my favorite movie and I remember having the album (vinyl) and would listen to "Some Day My Prince Will Come" which was my mom's favorite song to sing. Sad now that I think about it, but as a child it was just funny because she couldn't hold a tune to save her life.

Goddess loved it! I loved it! I appreciate all the additional features too!

This movie was the first DVD that made me think I NEED a Blu-ray player, thankfully this DVD features both DVD and Blu-ray or I would have had to watch at a friends house.

What is Disney Blu-Ray? The revolutionary new Diamond Edition provides the highest-level viewing experience, immersive interactivity, unprecedented value, quality, and versatility with the exceptional picture and sound of Blu-ray and the extended utility of DVD.  Upgrading to Blu-ray offers you technology on more scratch resistant and kid-proof discs and Blu-ray players play both Blu-ray discs and your favorite DVDs.

Side Note: Maybe this is a reason to purchase a Sony Playstation! We love games in this household.

Head over to Disney's official Snow White site for a sneak peak at this beautiful Disney classic.

Want to see a trailer of the movie? Here it is in all its enhanced color.

Be Still My Mommy Heart

It's not the best picture but that kid getting off the bus!

He's mine.

That is Handsome in all his big boy glory.

Since the first day of school I was adamindt that I was going to drive my kids. I wanted to be "that mom". Always there, involved, doing homework, baking cookies, leaving surprises on their car seats for them to find, notes in the lunchbox, pancakes made into letter, blah blah blah.

Here we are at the 5 week mark and over the past couple of week Handsome has asked if he was taking the bus. He is the ONLY kindergartner in town out of over 70 that is picked up and dropped off. I always said if he really wanted to take the bus, I wouldn't hold him back.  Everyday, all the other kids get on the bus and Handsome, Goddess and I walk to my car with a chorus of "Bye, Handsome, bye, bye, Handsome...." behind us. Cuuuutteee!

This morning I spoke to him about the bus again and he said, yes, then he said no.

After I put him on line this morning I walked over and asked the only bus driver I know (by face and association only, "Ava's Mom") if she was the bus for my route. She is! Awesome. So I headed over to him and said, "That is Ava's Mom who drives your bus." He said, "yeah".

This afternoon I didn't sign him out and when he walked out of school I said, "do you want to take the bus?"

He said, "no".

I said, "Ava's mommy drives your bus, do you want to take it?

He said, "no, I don't want to.

(one last time) "Ok, you don't want to take it?"

He said, "Yes, I do. Can you come with me?"

I said, "No but look all your friends are going on. Do you want to take the bus? I will follow you."

He said, "yes" and walked on.

The driver and I exchanged nods and thumbs up.

She gave me the universal sign for hold on, I did.

I saw his friend Leo getting on the bus, and I said, "Leo, Handsome's on the bus."

Goddess and I walked to the car, my mind racing and Goddess whining that she really, really, really wanted to go on the bus.

I got behind the bus and followed until they veered off a side street for drop offs while I took the direct route home.

Most days we are home by 3:40. The bus came at 4:08 and we were home by 4:11. A little less time home but if this is something he wants, this is the best year to do it. There are only Kindergartners on this bus and he and Leo are the last stop. Handsome gets off and Leo two streets later.

He came off the bus like a big boy and I told the bus driver it would only be in the return trip and that I would still drive in the morning. We would have to be at the bus stop too early. School is long enough!

I will continue to show up at the school for the next two weeks and see if he wants to ride. It is in his hands. After the two weeks I will drop off and let him take the bus if this is something he wants to do.

Oh my aching heart but I know this is something I have to do. It is only a bus ride. He is not heading off to college and I can let him grow, spread his wings and spend some time with his friends before coming back into the safe nest of his home.

Spread your wings my son but don't try to fly too far from the nest, you have plenty of time and Mommy just might clip them.

Teaching Children To Read

Handsome has been reading for about a year now. He gets stuck once in a while but he can read most 1st reader books on his own.

Since he started Kindergarten we have done a lot of reading. He has always loved books, most of his favorite baby items were books. He would study them even at the age of 6 months. Just staring and slowly turning the page. I was always amazed to see my little guy quietly sitting with his books.

Even on long car trips, just bring books and he was fine. However, he didn't love sitting through a story. He wanted to look at them alone or have me ask him where things were in picture books but he never wanted to sit and listen to me read. As I read I would notice that he would lose focus and start fiddling with something or picking at his finger nails. My daughter however has always been able to sit through as many books as I will read to her. Her reading comprehension is off the charts and I constantly have to stop her from answering my son's homework, book questions.

We have to read every night for school. Then he has to draw a picture or write some words based on the story that was read to him. Because he loses focus while listening I have been keeping his attention by leaving various words out while I read so that he has to finish the sentence for me.

Bye Bye Baby Tooth

This is a picture of Handsome taken October 20, 2005. He was 5 months old. He would get his first tooth 5 days later on October 25th. It was a bottom tooth and it was on the right side.

This past Thursday while jumping around to his favorite website Starfall he stopped jumping. I overheard the Teach ask, "what happened? Are you ok?" Then I heard, "Your tooth fell out."

 

The three of them showed up in the doorway of the bathroom where I was removing my contacts and getting ready with some water for him to rinse and spit.

When I looked at him holding his fallen tooth and bleeding from his gum, he was all smiles. So excited that his first tooth had fallen out and that the "tooth fairy" would be coming. We haven't spent a lot of time talking about the tooth fairy or what happens with teeth but he seemed very aware.

After taking the little tiny tooth and washing it while he held some paper to his bleeding gum I remembered the Tooth Fairy Kit I had purchased over 3 years ago when it was on sale. I love shopping during sales and have about (3) 30 gallon containers holding sale items (Christmas gifts, Birthday gifts, Thinking of You gifts).

He remember when I did and asked me to get it. We did a happy dance and he said, "Mommy, I lost my tooth, you are proud of me?!

I was so proud and so excited for him. He looked at his tooth while his sister asked if she could touch it. He said no.

The kit contained a Tooth Fairy book, a little blue envelope and a little candle light that you put out so the fairy can find you.

He was so excited to put his tooth in the blue envelope. We put the candle in the window.

When he woke up the next morning he came into the living room carrying his little army guy (as usual) and sat on the couch. I asked if he had checked under his pilllow. He ran into this room and came back with the envelope and of course army guy.

He read his little note and took out his money. When he was done he said he wanted to lose another tooth so he could buy a Super Mario Wii game. I told him he would need to loose 4 of them to get a game. He started fiddling with his other loose tooth.

When I sat down to write in his baby book I realized that this was his very first tooth that grew in and his first to fall out. Thankfully we have it (it wasn't swallowed, or lost down a drain as when I was a kid) and if we never keep another, this one will always be the most important.

My baby is getting so big! Losing teeth! I wrote to his Godmother to tell her and her answer back was, "isn't he too young?!" I feel the same way. Weren't we just waiting for his teeth to come in?

This Is Not A Personal Message To Any Of My Readers - Just A Self Portrait!

How about next week we try a theme? Take a picture of yourself outdoors and report back here next Sunday to show off your beautiful face.

Behold The Glorious Heavens

The other night Goddess called me outside to see the sky. Love it! So excited that she sees it as beautiful.

Come In My Bounce House!

My kids have a great time in their bounce house. It was a purchase that was higher usual, about $300.00, but it was well worth it. They used it often. I wish it fit in my house. If my ceilings were higher I would so do it.

Once In A Blue Moon Had Me Over The Moon

It isn't often that you read a book and every part of it is great. Once In A Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge is the whole package. I loved the primary and secondary characters. The storyline was amazing. The dialogue real. I really wanted to turn each page. I wanted to breathe the story.

Once in A Blue Moon is about two sisters; Lindsey and Kerry Ann.

In A Nutshell: I love this book. It is one of my favorite of the year, and I read a lot of books. I couldn't wait to pick this book up every night. As soon as the kids were in bed I would jump back into the world of Kerry Ann and Lindsey. I longed for their happiness and connection and sometimes cringed during certain interactions. I have two sisters, one I am close to and one I haven't had interaction with in many, many years. I imagine this story would be very similar to my own personal situation if it were ever to happen.  This is a story with heart and soul. Family is important and these sisters NEED each other. However, it is their desire to connect that drew me to it. The underlying words and actions of two people who long for a connection, but have a bumpy road back to each other makes for a tear filled ending. Seriously, I loved this book!