"Roomba" is a girl's best friend!

Forget about diamonds, ladies. This is the best present I have ever received, hands down. I had never even seen one before until I was watching Regis and Kelly during their C-mas giveaway week. Long story short, I had written several letters to get my mom tickets to the show (She LOVES Regis!)and my mom and stepdad were in the audience that day. They ended up getting TWO Roombas! So to show her appreciation, my mom gave me the 2nd one. I didn't even realize what a great gift it was at the time. I had no idea that I would come to love this little irobot like my own child. hahaha! Something that vaccuums for you? What's not to love???? And as an extra bonus - it's so quiet that you can turn it on while the kids are asleep. (I sound like an infomercial) Like I said, I lucked out and got it for free, but I think they run @ $300 or so. $300 WELL SPENT if you loathe vaccuuming as much as I do! In fact, it's been vaccuuming as I typed this post. Talk about multi-tasking!

It Worked for Me ???

I submitted a "tip" today to Parents Magazine for the "It Worked for Me" section. Any of you ever read Parents? I've been reading this book called "Writer Mama" & one of the writing exercises is to write "tips" and submit them. An extra bonus is that you get paid $25 if your tip is published. Nice, huh? So here is my first attempt (you have to send in a picture too)...let me know what ya think!

PARTY TIME
To personalize my daughter’s birthday invitations and thank-you notes, I ask her to help decorate them. When Abby was two, she just added a few stickers to her party invites and cards, but now that she is 4, she really gets into it! She draws pictures, adds glittery stickers, and loves to use (washable) markers to write her name. Abby’s friends love receiving their “embellished” invites, and she actually looks forward to helping with thank-you cards too!

Sneaky Chef...

Does anybody out there have any good "sneaky" recipes ideas that are healthy for the kiddos & Pat too! My kids are better about eating veggies than their daddy! :) But I know it would be good to get some more servings of fruits and veggies each day. I've also been looking into whole wheat pastas and things. And I've heard flax seed is good too...do you guys hve any tips for me?

Warning! Do not attempt while kids are awake!

So I cleaned Noah's car seat today...I have to admit, I can't remember the last time I did it, and now I know why! First of all, I lost the instruction booklet and couldn't figure out how to get the straps out of the seat cover (or vice versa). I did find a phone number on the back of the seat though for those of us who need assistance with things like this. I called and talked to a lady who not only told me how to do it (remove the 6 screws on the back panel of the car seat, take off the plastic holders, turn the metal bar, stand on your head, and bark three times, etc...haha). She was nice enough to email a copy of the instruction booklet too, just in case! Of course, while I was talking to her, Noah climbed up on a chair and got the basket of Valentine treats off of the dining room table. Next thing I knew the kid has an orange Tootsie Pop in his mouth and he hadn't even finished his breakfast yet. (Mother of the year award...I know). I am proud to say, though, that I didn't even have to use the instruction booklet for the car seat. I was pretty efficient with the philips head screwdriver and figured it out. Yea for me! The trickiest part of this whole ordeal was keeping Noah at bay (and out of the Valentine treats) while I was pretty much taking the seat apart and cleaning out all the nooks and crannies....fun stuff!!!