Giveaway: Car Seat Cover

At the Thrifty and Chic Mom she has a car seat cover giveaway. She had this to say about the car seat cover:

I had heard of car seat covers in the past and in my pre-toddler days wondered what is the point? You can take the padding out and wash it right? So other than the cute look is it really that beneficial? Well the answer is YES! As I soon found out while you can take the cover out it is a HUGE hassle. You have to undo all the straps, ect., ect. and I found myself letting the car seat get pretty gross before washing it since it was such a pain. Baby Bella Maya makes adorable car seat covers and sent me the Ocean Mist toddler car seat from their couture collection to try out. First of all it looks very chic and my daughter loves her pretty new car seat ( so does mommy!), but beyond that it really is very functional. It covers all those crevices and places that crumbs like to hide in and you can easily grab the mess before it falls way down in the car seat. It also removes very easily for washing so it is no big deal to keep my daughters car seat looking great.

Go here to enter the giveaway and read her complete review.

Thinking about Cloth Diapering?

If you are thinking about using cloth diapers you will want to head over to SimpleMom to read her post for the Cloth Diaper 101 week. Even if you already use cloth diapers you will want to stop by as she is posting so thoroughly on the subject you may learn something new!

Cloth Diaper Review was yesterday and she went over several popular brands of cloths diapers. She has a great Cloth Diaper giveaway going on! If you enter the Cloth Diaper giveaway by June 7th you have the chance to win 4 different cloth diaper gift packages. Even if you don’t use cloth diapers yourself enter the giveaway and share them with family or a friend who could put the diapers to good use. They would love it!

Win a Vado HD Pocket Camcorder!

Over at the Grocery Shrink blog they are giving away a Vado HD Pocket Camcorder. Angela had this camcorder herself and is excited about this giveaway on her Grocery Shrink blog. Angela shares:

Hi Friend! I'm so excited! Creative Technology Inc. has donated a Vado HD pocket camcorder just for the readers here to win! I am a proud owner of a Vado HD already and if you've seen my videos on Youtube, they were made with the camera. It takes great video and is about the size of a cell phone. I love that I can drop it in my tiny purse or put it in my pocket for recording anytime. It recharges with a USB plug that folds right out of the camera. It couldn't be easier. It also has a USB extension cord so it will work with any computer setup. When it's time to download your video clips just plug it into your computer. Built in software on the camera takes care of the rest. My computer came with Windows Movie Maker built in and the videos interfaced well with the program for editing. I also love that there are no pricey tapes to buy. The video is stored on the camera and then downloaded. The video can be burned to a DVD from the recording for playback on any family theater system. Retailing at $229, the price is hard to beat for High Definition recording. If you are interested in videoing special family moments, or giving your business a boost through internet video, this is the camera for you!

Visit the Grocery Shrink blog now to enter this contest! The drawing will be held June 10th.

FAST AND HEALTHY MENUS FOR BUSY MOMS by Marilyn Moll

Marilyn Moll of the Urban Homemaker is offering a sale on her book, Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms. I knew that Marilyn Moll has been recently widowed and thought I would like to help her business at this time. Please stop by the Urban Homemaker to look at the products she has to offer. My Mom bought an electric grain grinder a few years back and a Bosch mixer from the Urban Homemaker. She was very happy with the service from the Urban Homemaker and the products as well.


FAST AND HEALTHY MENUS FOR BUSY MOMS Reliable Recipes for Busy Families by Marilyn Moll – Pre-publication Promotion Continues with Eight Bonuses


If you and your family are tired of the pizza,hamburger, and the fast food rut and need some major cash infusion into your grocery budget....


Then Fast and Healthy Menus, provides the menus, the recipes, and grocery list to get you started to better health and drastic reduction of grocery expenses.


Menus rely on family favorite recipes the whole family will eat and basic, whole food ingredients readily found in the grocery store. No convenience products loaded with questionable ingredients, additives, or preservatives are used


You may subscribe to From the Heart of The Urban Homemaker at http://www.urbanhomemaker.com/subscriptions or call us at 1-800-552-7323.

Revolution Money Exchange

I was reading at Money Saving Mom Blog about the Revolution Money Exchange and decided to give it a try myself. I've tried several of Crystal's great "find's" and have never had an idea she passed along that didn't work. The Revolution Money Exchange sounded like a PayPal account without the fees involved when sending money to someone else who also has a Revolution Money Exchange account. Sure enough when I signed up I did receive the $25 for signing up!


Here's the review from Crystal:

"I've been seeing a lot of talk around the internet about Revolution Money Exchange and how you can earn $25 for signing up for an account. I'm usually someone who blows off things like this as "too good to be true" but after being repeatedly encouraged to sign up and try it out myself, I did just that two weeks ago.It was a simple 5-minute sign-up process and almost immediately, I had $25 showing up in my account! I've checked this out very thoroughly and have found this company to be very legitimate--in fact, it was started by the former CEO of AOL! Many of my friends who have signed up have already received their checks and I just requested mine and am hoping to receive it soon. This is an inexpensive viral marketing campaign for this new competitor of Paypal and it's worth signing up for if you have a few minutes and could use $25. And it gets even better--they also have a referral Program which allows you to refer others and receive $10 per referral (up to $500)! Who couldn't use $25? So sign up and then tell your friends and they'll thank you for it and you'll get a nice little kickback, too! I've already received my $500 in referrals from posting about this on my blog and will now be getting a check for $525 in the mail!"


This offer is only good for a few more weeks!

Caroline's Birth Announcement

My sister Caroline and her husband Sean welcomed their third child, and first daughter, to their family on Easter Sunday. I am sharing the birth announcement Caroline wrote and some pictures. Carianna is so sweet and looks just like Caroline did when she born!

It's a Girl!

Carianna Jewel Allen was born March 23rd, at 12:53, on her Mama's Birthday, Carianna's Due Date, and Easter Sunday! She is 20 inches long, and weighs somewhere between 8-9 pounds. The baby scales broke as our midwife tried to weigh her, so that is as close as we could get using regular scales. We are all doing well, she is sleeping and eating and cries only when her diaper is changed! So far she is very peaceful, and her brothers love to hold her and love her. And of course her Papa can't stop kissing and loving on his little girl! God has blessed us greatly, and we are so very thankful. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us!

Homeschooling Ban in California

Do you have a teacher’s degree? According to the lastest ruling by a California court, you must be a state certified teacher in order to homeschool your children.

“A California appeals court ruling clamping down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials sent shock waves across the state this week, leaving an estimated 166,000 children as possible truants and their parents at risk of prosecution.”

Read the complete article here.

Just as upsetting to me as the outrageous ruling itself is the statement from the judge:

"California courts have held that ... parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children," Justice H. Walter Croskey said in the 3-0 ruling issued on Feb. 28. "Parents have a legal duty to see to their children's schooling under the provisions of these laws." Parents can be criminally prosecuted for failing to comply, Croskey said. "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare," the judge wrote, quoting from a 1961 case on a similar issue."

Children belong to the state? Does this judge live in a communist country or the USA? There are more outrageous philosphies however as you read along being expressed by the director of a Children's Law Center:

"Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, said the ruling would effectively ban homeschooling in the state."California is now on the path to being the only state to deny the vast majority of homeschooling parents their fundamental right to teach their own children at home," he said in a statement. But Leslie Heimov, executive director of the Children's Law Center of Los Angeles, which represented the Longs' two children in the case, said the ruling did not change the law. "They just affirmed that the current California law, which has been unchanged since the last time it was ruled on in the 1950s, is that children have to be educated in a public school, an accredited private school, or with an accredited tutor," she said. "If they want to send them to a private Christian school, they can, but they have to actually go to the school and be taught by teachers."Heimov said her organization's chief concern was not the quality of the children's education, but their "being in a place daily where they would be observed by people who had a duty to ensure their ongoing safety."

Do teachers have more of a duty to ensure the safety of children than the parents themselves? Is she assuming that all parents everywhere are not capable of having a greater love and concern for their children than an accredited teacher? I do understand she is representing a group that strives to uphold the rights of children they believe are being mistreated. I have no doubt there are many children that have been and will be mistreated in someway by their parents. However, her statement is very dangerous for she begins with the assumption that all parents do not fulfill their duty to provide love and safety for their own children. I hope to see this decision overruled soon by the California Supreme Court. I was homeschooled third grade through twelth by my parents, and I can tell you one of the very reasons they homeschooled me was their duty to ensure my ongoing safety and to provide me with a quality education. Quality education was precisely one item they saw lacking in the public school I attended! I don't know what part of Los Angles Ms. Heimov lives in, but a Los Angles CA public school is not the safest place in the world for all children, accredited teachers or not.

The Creativity of God

Here's a thought provoking post on racisim by Stacy McDonald, co-author of Passionate Housewives:


"I used to manage apartments (years ago) and when we would do any type of advertising or brochures, we were required to have X number of black people, X number of white people and an Asian or Hispanic person for good measure. This seemed so silly to me. If the person who owns the property is white and the majority of the people in that area are white, why should they be "afraid" to use white people in the ad? If it would have been a black neighborhood, they would have had no problem at all using all black people in the ad, so what's the difference?

In the world of "political correctness" there seems to be more of a tolerance for every color BUT white. If you are white, sometimes you feel like you have to either apologize for being white or "prove" you are not a racist by meeting your quota or by listing all the multi-racial friends you have. To me, THAT'S a racist attitude. Why pay so much attention to race that you even find it necessary to do such a thing? Why count?…

Let us state for the record, that we are NOT in agreement [with any form of racism] and are in fact vehemently opposed to any teaching that requires “racial purity” or separation based on skin color or any other "outward" characteristic.”

That was what we said then, and that is what we say now. Racism is wrong. And personally, I think the “politically correct” obsession with race is wrong too. If you are a Christian, you are my brother or sister. I should not care beyond that.

It wasn’t too long ago, when we still lived in Houston, that I left some items at a grocery store. I quickly returned to the store and tried to figure out which lane I had used to check out. I remembered the cashier and recalled our entire conversation. I was counting on the fact that she remembered me too, since I couldn’t find my receipt! The funny thing was, when I went to the customer service counter for help, and the employee asked me for a description of the cashier, I couldn’t give her one.

Getting frustrated, she asked me if my cashier had been black or white. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember! I began to tell her about the conversation we had – about the fact that she had a son in the military, she went to a ladies Bible study near the mall by my house, and how she was going to be working until midnight that night. Those things I remembered well. They finally were able to figure out who my cashier was, but the whole experience made me think.

This is how it should be. We shouldn’t be paying so much attention to skin color. We should notice more about the person and what’s important in their lives – who they are and if they are in Christ.

Relax and forget about such things. Enjoy your brothers and sisters in the Lord without concerning yourself with race or color. Remember that whatever package God gives us – it’s for His glory! Praise Him for His creativity!"

Read Stacy McDonald's complete post about racism here.

Financial Shape in 2008 Challenge

As I did some last minute shopping before Christmas I was amazed as I watched other people around me. Looking in their shopping carts or baskets I wondered how long it might take them to pay off those items in 2008. I was reading a post on Money Saving Mom's blog a few days back. Crystal was sharing about her Financial Shape in 2008 Challenge:

"Would you like to live on less, pay off debt, and save more money this year? If so, join in the Financial Shape in 2008 Challenge - a year-long campaign to encourage families worldwide to live on less than they make and take personal responsibility for their finances.

The first area of the Financial Shape in 2008 Challenge is committing to get on a successful, workable budget.

If you've never successfully lived on a budget before, never fear, you can do it! Over the next few weeks, I'll be walking you through how to set up and implement a written game plan for your finances. This is something my husband and I committed to do before we were married and it was about the best decision we've ever made! It has saved us so much money, so much stress, and so much time."

Read Crystal's complete post here.

$1-$2 for New Children’s Shoes

I reading a recent post on Money Saving Mom’s Blog and a reader had shared with her about clearance children’s shoes on darlingshoes.com that are $1-2 each pair. You can’t beat those prices! Someone had told the reader that the sale ends today but I didn’t see that posted on the website. These would be good gifts for baby showers! I have been told the shipping charged could be $10.00.

Click here to check out the deals.

Global Warming Hits The Midwest With a Powerful Punch

A New Beginning News by Jennifer Dean November 10, 2007

Since Sunday the Midwest has been feeling the powerful effects of Global Warming. Even as Al Gore was accepting his Nobel Peace Prize for his work on protecting the environment, scientist were engaged in new research on an amazing phenomenon of global warming. An ice storm has blanketed much of the Midwest since Sunday. This widespread storm has caused numerous highway fatalities and rendering life difficult for the thousands who are now without power due to the storm. Scientist are blaming this recent event directly on global warming and its strong effect on the recent air currents flowing from Canada. “We are seeing a new pattern emerging, “ stated an official at the newly formed Midwest Warms Up Weather Station in Kansas City, MO. He continued saying, “For the last few years it has become warmer and warmer as evidenced by our lack of snow fall. This event however strikes us as the strongest proof yet that we are doomed to ever warmer winters. This ice storm has created the largest layer of ice in recent history and effected more people than any other storm in recent history. Yes, it is global warming as work.”

Yes, I created the fictitious news story up. It is a tongue in cheek analysis of the global warming craze at it’s best. Let’s blame an ice storm on global warming! I have not studied global warming in depth but I do believe our world is warming up. I was just talking to my Mom the other day about how much snow we used to get in MO when she was a little girl compared to today. I do not have faith in the panics, expensive proposed projects, or political pundits who pound the global warming scare into our heads on a daily basis. If it is getting warmer I can face it if we are presented with some real facts. On the other hand it seems the only time global warming is brought up to blame any environmental ill on is when it is warm. Hmm..do I hear any talk about the effect of global warming on the Midwest when we are in the midst of a ice storm? No, it’s only brought up on a record high heat day, or during a drought. Never when it is truly cold! What happened to global warming this week? Is it hibernating?

Here’s a link to a real story about the ice storm we are experiencing here in the Midwest. These are the real facts, ice and all.

You’ll have to excuse me here. This global warming thought all came about when I was logging in to Blogger.com and saw the “blog of note” today is carbonfund.org, a nonprofit carbon offset company. They are trying to sell enviromental note cards as Christmas stocking stuffers (only from a carbon free printing company). Need I say more?

Remembering Pearl Harbor

On this day 66 years ago Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese forces. In remembrance of this day I will repost about one of my World World II heroes, Admiral Chester Nimitz.

Admiral Chester Nimitz
A few days ago I had stopped at the library and looked through the DVD’s. I have always enjoyed studying history and one title caught my attention. It was Pearl Harbor Admiral Chester Nimitz Thunder of the Sea from the History Channel.

My great-grandpa served in the Navy and was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed by the Japanese. When I was little Grandpa told me he had brought home a piece of a plane that had exploded nearby him. I never did ask him any questions about his service in the Navy, or about the time in Pearl Harbor. I really regret that. My Mom remembers he was a faithful member of a “Survivor’s of Pearl Harbor” group. When I watched that DVD I learned more about what happened during WWII. I didn’t remember hearing about Admiral Chester Nimitz and I must say I was amazed at the character of this man. My Dad’s side of the family was career military in the Army and Air Force. So I’ve heard some things about military life. Chester Nimitz was incredibly loyal to those who served under him, kind hearted, allowed his top commanders to do their jobs while he stepped out of the way, and he was humble. I was very impressed with the life he lived! Before the war broke out he was offered a job for $25,000 a year when he made $3,000 a year in the Navy. He declined taking the job to continue serving in the Navy. After he retired from the Navy he refused to write a tell all biography for a large sum of money. He didn’t want to be writing anything that would demean or criticize the men who had served under him. Needless to say, I added him to my "hero list" and would like to read a bit more about his life. This is just one example of bravery and sacrifice to country we can remember this day.

Faith In America-Mitt Romney’s Speech

Faith In America-Mitt Romney’s Speech

This evening I watched Mitt Romney’s speech with my sister and brother-in-law. I do believe that was the best speech I have ever heard from a public official. While I don’t agree with all his statements, I was very impressed that he was willing to give a speech on religious freedom. I thought Mitt Romney was right on concerning our Founding Fathers and the intention they had for this country in religious freedom and expression. He quoted John Adams as saying, ‘We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.'

Mitt Romney also said, ‘"As a young man, Lincoln described what he called America's 'political religion' – the commitment to defend the rule of law and the Constitution. When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your President, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.”

Then Mitt Romney ended his speech by saying, "The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed.

"In such a world, we can be deeply thankful that we live in a land where reason and religion are friends and allies in the cause of liberty, joined against the evils and dangers of the day. And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion – rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith.

"Recall the early days of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, during the fall of 1774. With Boston occupied by British troops, there were rumors of imminent hostilities and fears of an impending war. In this time of peril, someone suggested that they pray. But there were objections. 'They were too divided in religious sentiments', what with Episcopalians and Quakers, Anabaptists and Congregationalists, Presbyterians and Catholics.

"Then Sam Adams rose, and said he would hear a prayer from anyone of piety and good character, as long as they were a patriot.

"And so together they prayed, and together they fought, and together, by the grace of God ... they founded this great nation.

"In that spirit, let us give thanks to the divine 'author of liberty.' And together, let us pray that this land may always be blessed, 'with freedom's holy light.'

My brother-in-law pointed out there must be something real about you if all 5 of your sons are willing to campaign for you.

I know there has been an outcry from some evangelical circles concerning his LDS faith, however in the present selection of presidential candidates there are some who would profess a Christian faith, yet deny the reality of standing for what is right and true in their public policy. For such a person I could never vote, it would be to deny all I believe in. I would be voting for the lesser of two evils so to speak, but none the less I would be voting for evil. I don’t know that I could call such a person himself evil, but that they are willing to uphold evil in their public office. I want to find a man to vote for who is willing to uphold (moral) truth while in public office, even if I don’t personally uphold his theological beliefs. What would you rather vote for:

1. A person who professes to be an evangelical Christian but is willing as an elected official to support abortion.

2. A man who you do not agree with theologically but who will support life as an elected official?

I for one will choose the man who will support (moral) truth in government policy.

I do not agree theologically point to point with the following men: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, or Martin Luther King to name a few. However, I do believe each of these men accomplished great good in their governmental offices or public life. I would not withhold praise for the good they brought to our nation, or ignore their faults on the basis of their theology. While I may strongly disagree with many portions of the LDS faith, I will not refuse to listen to or praise the great speech of tonight on those grounds. In the months ahead I will be watching to see if there is action that follows the words that were spoken. I would encourage anyone interested in the destiny of religious freedom in our country to listen to Mitt Romney’s speech or read the transcript.


My sister Caroline had found a new book in the library recently entitled, ‘A Mormon in the White House? 10 Things Every American Should Know About Mitt Romney’ by Hugh Hewitt. After listening to this evenings speech I think I will take the time to read it!

We Know It All

By moderation thinking we know it all. We are shocked to find an ancient people who had the same knowledge we do. This seems to fall in line with evolutionary thinking. In times past we were stupid cavemen. Now we have evolved into the brilliant humans we are today. Granted, scriptures does tell us that knowledge will abound in the last days. Does that mean we have the corner on all knowledge in our era only? I read this very interesting article about a 500 year old map.

Researches are baffled that this mapmaker had enough knowledge at his disposal to accurately display the world, specifically South America. It seems to me an amazing lack of humility on our part not to realize there are wonders and mysteries of knowledge that were discovered in the past. Some of this knowledge may be lost in time, we have not even rediscovered it yet ourselves. I look forward to the day with the Lord when we, as Christians, will be able to comprehend and understand the entire creation and mind of God.

By David Alexander Mon Dec 3, 12:19 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The only surviving copy of the 500-year-old map that first used the name America goes on permanent display this month at the Library of Congress, but even as it prepares for its debut, the 1507 Waldseemuller map remains a puzzle for researchers. Why did the mapmaker name the territory America and then change his mind later? How was he able to draw South America so accurately? Why did he put a huge ocean west of America years before European explorers discovered the Pacific?

Read the full article here.

Out of the mouths of babes...

My brother-in-laws birthday is tomorrow and my sister and I were running into several stores with her sons this evening looking for Sean's birthday present and buying his Christmas presents. After supper her 4 year old son, Mosiah, started coughing, and didn't stop! He has been coughing at night the last few days but this was especially lengthy. Mosiah didn't seem to be doing it for attention. Caroline and I were asking Mosiah at the same time if he was okay. In between coughs he said, Mama, I need my vitamins!" Caroline has started giving him the liquid SuperKids Vitamins from Beeyoutiful that we now carry with New Little Blessing to see what she thought of them. Caroline and I burst out laughing when he said that. He was so serious. I think he has been enjoying that orange flavor more than she realized!