*May contain affiliate links*
YOU ARE SPECIAL,
IMPORTANT & AMAZING!
*--------------------------------*
*LOVE YOURSELF*
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
11 Valentine's Day gifts under $50
11 Valentine's Day gifts under $50
Need some inspiration for Valentine's Day?
Here are some great ideas for gifts under $50
A Spa Experience Gift Basket
(6 reviews)
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links provided by Postpresso.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Valentine's Crafts for Kids
This post may contain affiliate links
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Get Ready for the Day of LOVE...
**Valentine's Day**
*Saturday, February 14 2015*
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I've gathered up a few of my kids crafts and activities to help you celebrate this wonderful day with those special little valentine's of yours!
Lets put the LOVE back into CRAFTING!
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Via My Kind Of Introduction
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Via My Kind Of Introduction
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**Heart Shaped Bird Feeders**
Via Alpha Mom Blog
**Heart Shaped Bird Feeders**
Via Alpha Mom Blog
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Via My Kind Of Introduction
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Via My Kind Of Introduction
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**Boys Shark Valentine Boxes**
Via The Joy of Boys
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**Folded Dollar Bill Hearts**
Via Muslin and Merlot
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Disclaimer: This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for selected posts which will be labeled as sponsored. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and/or benefit from. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.
View Full Disclosure for further details.
This post may contain affiliate links.
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Friday, February 14, 2014
This Valentine's Day - I'm sticking to you like a Mabel's Label
Mabel's Labels wants to sticker the world with love, so for today ONLY
- on Valentine's Day -
Sticker the World with Love with Mabel's Labels and enjoy 50% Off Heart Sticky Labels
Use Coupon Code: MABELLOVE
Visit Mabel's Labels for many more label designs and options.
Promotion runs from 6am EST and ends at 11:59pm EST on February
FTC Disclosure Statement:
This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Happy Father's Day
It's Father's Day.... And my fiance has to work both jobs today :( The joy of working 2 restaurant jobs......
I met my fiance through my aunt Lori. in 2004 she was dating a guy named Joe and his best friend was Alan. Lori and Joe decided that Alan and I had a few things in common and would make a good couple.... It turns out that they were right!
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| Alan and I before kids -- |
My
fiance has 5 kids, including our 2 daughters. CW is 14, MJ is 10, Bre
is 11(who we NEVER see and probably won't for MANY years! That's a
different post for another day...), Loran is 7 and then there's Jade who is 6! Alan and I have been
together since I was a teenager, October will make 9 years. He has
always had a job and never once gave up on his parenting jobs. He
pays child support for his two boys and is the main bread winner in
our household of 4: Alan, myself and our 2 daughters. At the moment,
Alan works 2 jobs and they both just happen to be restaurants (Good
restaurants though – Red Lobster and Applebee's). Which means he
works a lot of doubles along with mandatory holidays at both jobs....
Including: Father's Day, Valentines Day, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, New Years and many more... sometimes even Christmas Eve. There are days that I don't see Alan
until 2 or 3am! But when he is off, he spends his spare time with the
girls. No, we don't have any extra money to go on vacation or to buy
new clothes and sometimes we barley scrape past the bills on-time.
We've moved many times since the girls have been born but the
residence we're at now is the longest we've lived at so far. (We
almost moved at tax time but had a change of plans... Next tax season
will be a new home for sure!! I'm not as happy in this neighborhood
as I was this time last year.) Even though we have bounced around and
had a pretty rough life, Alan has almost never been without a job
since we've been together. I worked full time at Blimpie's Subs and
Salads (sometimes being the only employee other than the owners) from
the age of 16 until three days before my oldest daughter was born,
when I was 18! The shop closed down while I was on maternity leave so
I wasn't able to get another job until after I had Jade in 2007. I've
worked at Toys'R'Us and Ingles since the girls have been born but I
have been a stay at home mom for about 4 or 5 years now and Alan has
never complained much.
He works his butt off for hours, standing on
his feet while dealing with continued back pain (When I was pregnant
with Loran, Alan worked for a big construction company. He was on a
grading crew but they were also one of the only railroad crews and it
really did a number on his back. Not to mention that his feet could
REALLY use more arch support!) Even though most of Alan's hours are
spent at work and most of Alan's checks go to Child Support and Bills,
Our little family is still standing on our feet!
Yes, it's been very
tough to stay together at times along with staying on our feet but
with Alan's hard work and my continued determination to be a strong
mom and over come the thoughts of feeling like “a single parent
with an overworked roommate”... We have climbed every mountain that
has stretched before us and crossed every river that has tried to
drag us under. I couldn't do this without Alan. He's my other half
and I love him more than I could ever explain!
Even though there was
a possibility that Alan already had a daughter in his hometown
(Lenior, Hickory, Hudson area...) but didn't know for sure.... he was
convinced that his little swimmers couldn't make baby girls! So when
I got pregnant, Alan was not expecting to hear the doctor tell us,
twice, that we were expecting a daughter! Those baby girls that Alan
never thought he would have, has become his pride and joy. Nothing
can beat a bond between a loving daddy and his little girls... Not
even a few late nights at work! I couldn't of chosen a better father
for my daughters!
Happy Father's Day Alan W!!!!! I love you more that you will ever know.
Did you do anything special or planning something special for the outstanding Father's in your life??
Share your stories below and I'll make a feature Father's post soon!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
20 Date Night Ideas
Do you need Idea's for your Date Night plans?
While surfing the web, I happen to run across a post on All Things Katie Marie about date night. My fiance and I have been together for a long time, October 2 will make 9 years. Most couples plan their Valentine's Day to be a romantic fun day but not everyone has the time to plan out a big night. My fiance works 2 jobs and it just happens to be mandatory for him to be working at BOTH jobs so it was just me and my daughters this past Valentine's Day, but we had a nice little dinner a couple days after.
When I found this list, I got excited and then realized that I had mixed thoughts. There are some wonderful ideas on the list and I'm going to try them out but others just seem unreasonable for my lifestyle.
Some of the ideas are free and some will cost a bit, so pick the idea that's best for your family.
Below is the list... I also added my thoughts on some of the ideas at the bottom.
20 Date Night Ideas
Cook something together.
Go off the grid for the weekend- no cell phones, no tv, no computers. You'll be amazed at what you do for entertainment.
Go see a movie.
Go to a restaurant you both have never been to.
Hit up BevMo's five cent wine sale and have your own wine tasting at home.
Play a board game.
Go bowling.
Have a spa night. Take a relaxing bath then follow up by taking turns giving each other massages.
Movie or TV marathon.
Play some miniature golf.
Swing some golf balls at the driving range.
Be in control and go to a shooting range. Be careful!
Put together a puzzle.
Go on a food crawl. Go to a different restaurant for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
Go fishing.
Test drive a car you have no intention to buy.
Pack lots of blankets and drive out in the country to look at the starts.
Snuggle up by the fire and read a book.
Give yourself an imaginary budget. Then separately go online and pick out all the things you would buy for each other with the money.
Get active! Go on a bike ride, hike, walk, etc.
My thoughts on the Date Night List
1. Okay so to start things off, Cooking something together - my boyfriend and I - won't work. He's the main cook around here (I know, I know, Lots of people say it... Your a stay-at-home mom, why are you not the main cook in the house... Because we do things differently! That's why, his cooking is better than mine so he cooks... The End) Every-time Alan and I try to cook together, one of ends up leaving or doing something wrong and the other is stuck finishing the meal or fixing the meal.
2. Going off the grid is just to good to be true. All alone in a small cabin, deep into the woods with no phone signal or internet, sounds of a small river flowing close by, laying under the starts all night and watching the sun set and rise..... Ahhhhhhhh...... Sounds so peaceful and romantic..... *Snapping back to reality!!* We have kids. If I happen to find a baby-sitter (extremely rare occasion when a baby-sitter is found), I would have to give the sitter a way to get intouch with me incase of an emergency. Along with my fiance's texting addiction, he wouldn't be able to focus on anything if his phone wasn't close by. His only thoughts would be "I wonder if I have any texts?"
3. Going to the movies is a wonderful Date Night idea. If you get a couple hours without the kiddos, either call your local movie theater or go online and check the theater's site and see whats playing. You can still have your phone in case something important comes up (phone on vibrate is best). You can sit back in a dark room and hold hands with your love while watching a nice movie. It's very relaxing and I've almost feel asleep in those dark chairs. We have a theater in town that has couches! HEAVEN!
4. A restaurant that neither my boyfriend or I have been to sound promising. The only problem with this is finding a restaurant that we can afford. With 4 kids to support along with the bills.... money for dates don't even make our saving list! A cheap restaurant with some class sounds like a great idea for us!
5. BevMo's?? What and Where is that? I live in a very small town in North Carolina named Candler. We don't have any store that you can buy wine for 5 cents at. Truthfully..... I don't really have the taste for wine and neither does my other half. The only kind of wine that I found that I like isn't really a wine to me... Boones Farm. Seems more like a malt to me.
6. Alan and I have played board games in the past. Every now and then, one of us decide to pull out a game and convince the other to play a time or two. It's really fun and I love it! GREAT Idea!
7. I wouldn't go bowling with out my girls. They love going bowling and we never go. A trip to the Bowling Ally would be more of a Family Night then a Date Nite.
8. This sounds so doable! I just may have to try this out! It can even happen without a baby-sitter. Just wait until your kids goto sleep and then RELAX!
9. A Movie or TV Marathon goes on in my house often since my fiance is a TV nerd so this wouldn't be any different than any normal day.
10. Playing Minuture Golf would be another thing I would want to bring my kids along to. They would have a blast!
11. I don't golf....... and neither does my man!
12. I am NOT a fan of guns
13. To me... Puzzles can be fun at times but get boring quickly
14. Going on a food crawl would be such a fun thing to do! I believe we may do this soon!
15. My kids love fishing, I couldn't go without them.
16. I don't believe I want to spend my Valentine's Day or Date Night riding around in a car..... New or not.
17. I would LOVE to drive out to the country and look at the stars..... Oh wait.... I live in the country! :-) I may have to talk my man into taking blankets to the field across the road and watch the stars with me!
18. I don't have a fire-place so I can't snuggle up by a fire and I'm the only one who likes to read in this relationship!
19. The fake budget sounds fun but not for a Date Night
9. A Movie or TV Marathon goes on in my house often since my fiance is a TV nerd so this wouldn't be any different than any normal day.
10. Playing Minuture Golf would be another thing I would want to bring my kids along to. They would have a blast!
11. I don't golf....... and neither does my man!
12. I am NOT a fan of guns
13. To me... Puzzles can be fun at times but get boring quickly
14. Going on a food crawl would be such a fun thing to do! I believe we may do this soon!
15. My kids love fishing, I couldn't go without them.
16. I don't believe I want to spend my Valentine's Day or Date Night riding around in a car..... New or not.
17. I would LOVE to drive out to the country and look at the stars..... Oh wait.... I live in the country! :-) I may have to talk my man into taking blankets to the field across the road and watch the stars with me!
18. I don't have a fire-place so I can't snuggle up by a fire and I'm the only one who likes to read in this relationship!
19. The fake budget sounds fun but not for a Date Night
20. I would LOVE to go on a hike on a warm summer day but that will have to wait a few months for that.
So I have LOTS of thinking to do! I'm not sure what my fiance and I are going to do for Valentine's Day but I'm sure we will enjoy every bit of it.
Do you have any Date-Night ideas to add to the list?
Friday, January 11, 2013
Getting ready for Valentine's Day!
Do you have Love on the brain?
Valentine's Day is just over a month away... 34 days to be exact. Some stores are already putting out the pretty little Valentines cards with cartoon designs and brightly printed hearts! I realize that some of the store bought Valentines can be cheap and cute but when it really comes down to it, kids always seem to want the box of Valentines that cost the most and depending on how many kids are in your child's classroom... you may have to buy more than one box. As a mom, I know that we could have lots more fun making our own Valentines at home!! Even Teacher Valentines can be made at home and come from the heart instead of from a box. Fun and Creative plus it's cheap!! IT'S A HOME RUN! 
Where do you put all those valentine's after you get done making them? In the Valentine Mailbox, of course! Alot of elementary teachers make mailboxes with their students around Valentine's Day so the kids can collect their Valentines but why not have a Mailbox at home to collect your Valentines aswell? You can truly use anything to make a cute Valentine's Mailbox with your kiddo's. Including milk jugs, boxes, buckets and more! I've found so many really neat ideas through out the web and I have a few that I came up with myself that will turn any normal Valentines day into a day of Fun, Love and with the right person... maybe a little Romance.
Throughout the next month I will be sharing all the valentine fun that I've found and came up with. I'm a mom on a budget so nothing will Over The Top on cost, but I promise it will be Over The Top in many more ways! From crafty Valentine Cards to yummy Valentine Treats! I'll be sharing ideas from lots of other wonderful blogs so you won't just be getting new ideas, you will also get the chance to check out the designs on other crafty moms around the world including some from Danielle's Place, Mom On Timeout! Make sure you check back and see what new valentines ideas I have to share!
Need crafty idea's to do with your kids? This wonderful eBook: Fun Kids Crafts, is full of over 600 fun kids crafts for any occasion including lots of Unique Hpliday Crafts with Illustrations, Printable Templates & Step-by-step Instructions. Crafting with kids can bring a family closer and give you hours of fun and wonderful memories. Click here to step into the world of crafting with your kiddo's!!
I hope to talk to you all in future posts very soon! If you enjoyed this post please share with your friends through. I just made a Facebook Page for my blog, I'm calling it 'The Realm of Freebies, Deals & Fun'. It's very new but I am making sure that it's full of interesting and helpful posts! Click Here to make sure you never miss a Good Deal or a Good Tip!
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