Getting Ready for Christmas

Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was dressing the boys up in Halloween Costumes and now tomorrow is already December! We've already gottten the tree up (on Thanksgiving), the stockings hung (last night), and all those miserable (um I mean wonderful) singing characters are up. Batteries will come out tonight (check!).

And.... we are ALMOST done with Christmas shopping - yeah! A very good thing since we will be slammed with Nutcracker rehearsals and performance for the next 2 weeks. We had our photo session on Wednesday, so I will post pics from that soon. I don't have any of me in my costume yet because (Drumroll please) - I lost weight and have to have the costume taken in! WOO HOO!

Get Paid To Blog

I recently signed up with a service called smorty that pays you to blog! Smorty gives you the chance to write your opinion about a product or service (something you may already be doing) and to be paid for your opinion.

With Smorty you are paid weekly(through PayPal) for giving your opinion about subjects that interest you.

One of the things that most excited me about Smorty is how quickly I recieved my first opportunities. Only a few short minutes after registering, I was presented with 5 unique opportunities ranging from shopping cart software, on-line casino review, and debt solutions. I am able to pick and choose the offers I am interested in reviewing. Other pay per post sites I have joined have taken much longer to offer me opportunities, and I had no selection to choose from.

Would you like to get paid to Blog? Well, you can if you can answer "yes" to the following questions:

1. Is your blog over 3 months old?

2. Are you an active blogger? (Do you post at least 2 times a week?)

3. Is your Blog free of any violent, hate, or adult content?

If this descibes your blog, you are ready to blog for money!

Head over to http://www.smorty.com/ and open an account today!

Businesses can also advertise on blogs through Smorty as well!

Wordless Wednesday

My Pooh Bear

Christmas Fun

Looking for something to keep the kiddos busy this holiday season? Want to send a letter to Santa? Head over to the Northpole for lots of fun Christmas activities. Send a letter to Santa, play some fun games, find some yummy recipes, see if you are on the naughty or nice list, keep track of Santa, and so much more!

Tagged

Amy over at http://kelly4.blogspot.com/ tagged me for this nablopomo meme.

I have to list seven weird or random things about myself. (Only 7???? How will I narrow it down? LOL!)

1. I have 6 boys! I don't think that is particularly wierd myself, but all the stares at the stores and the questions, "Are they all yours?" make me think I might not be the norm.

2. I teach tap and ballet - Gotta get my girl time somehow! LOL!

3. I hate when my food touches on the plate.

4. I always order the same thing at a restaurant - I rarely experiment!

5. I collect Disney snow globes.

6. I took the "scenic route" through college - it took 10 years to get my degree.

7. I am actually going to dance in the Nutcracker in December -(after having 6 babies! YIKES!

Here are the rules:1. link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.2. share seven random and/or weird things about yourself.3. tag seven people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.4. let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blog.





I'm going to have to sort of break rules 3 and 4 because everyone I know who Blogs seems to already have posted this one! So..... I am tagging whoever has read this and hasn't done this one! Let me know in the comments you let me tag you and I'll visit and read your wierdness!

Go Elf Yourself!

I can now safely say Christmas is on the way... I have turned my children into elves!

Check out this fun site http://www.elfyourself.com/ and get ready to have some fun! Just upload pics of family and friends and "Go Elf Yourself!"

If you would like to see ours we are here:Older boys and baby nephew: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9577177125

Youngest boys and newborn pic of baby nephew: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9577096150

Happy Thanksgiving!

From Our Family to Yours -

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Malloys

Wordless Wednesday

Reason #464 why Dad should not be left home alone with the kids.

Ahhhh.... The Joys of Living In A Small Town

When we first moved to the town we live in 7 years ago it was literaly nothing more than a map dot -with little more than 1 grocery store and a McDonald's. Well, fast forward a few years and we are one of the fastest growing cities in the country and we now have a Taco Bell, Jack in The Box, Arby's, Wendy's, and as of 5:00 PM last night- A Burger King.

Of course we had to head over on opening night because Thing 1 and thing 2 (I mean, my children) have been begging to go since they broke ground. We were not the only ones -there was a line to get in the door - At Burger King!!!! We crowded in the building to be the 27th customer EVER served and the kids had a blast.

I am not the biggest BK fan in the World, but I did find it rather amusing that we were there with almost every other person in town. Small town happenings - Gotta love it!

Wordless Wednesday

Kids In The Kitchen - Handprint Pumpkin Pies

Handprint Pumpkin Pies

Need a way to keep the little ones from underfoot while you're slaving in the kitchen on Thanksgiving? Why not get them involved? Little ones can smash the potatoes, pour the ingredients, or even lend a hand with these fun pumpkin pies!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1 15-oz. pkg. refrigerated piecrust
1 16-oz. can packed pumpkin
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees, then begin making the turkey handprint for the pie. Trace your child's handprint on a piece of lightweight cardboard, then cut it out to create a stencil. Place the stencil over one of the circles of pie dough and cut around it, adding turkey feet to the bottom of the hand.

2. Place the cutout on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush with water and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

3. Next, place the remaining circle of pie dough in a 9-inch glass pie pan. Press the crust firmly against the sides and bottom of the pan. Crimp the edges.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until smooth.

5. Pour the mixture into the piecrust and bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

6. Place the baked turkey cutout in the center of the pie and allow the pie to cool before serving.
Makes one 9-inch pie.

Some Dental Freebies

The tooth fairy has been a frequent visitor at our house these days as our 6 year old finally starts to lose his teeth! In honor of her visits I have scoured the web for some fun dental freebies for you!

Colgate Healthy Bedtime Habits - sign-up and keep an on-line log to earn a free character toothbrush for each child in your home

Reach Access Daily FlosserAquafresh

Arm & Hammer Toothpaste - skip the intro, choose "Oral Hygiene" from the "Roll over to Choose a Solution" menu, click on the giant toothbrush, click on "Free Sample"

House Meme

Heather over at http://notadiylife.blogspot.com/ did this fun little Meme, and I decided to play along as well!

House meme:

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Mary Kay Red Fig and Tea Body scrub
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No
3. What would you change about your living room? Make itbigger!
4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Clean - That will last - Yeah right! LOL!
5. What is in your fridge? Lots of things! String cheese, milk, juice, soda, yougrt, turkey, etc.
6. White or wheat bread? Wheat
7. What is on top of your refrigerator? Knives - and I'm not sure - I'm not that tall!
8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? We don't have a shower curtain in our bathroom - we have a door. The boys have fish all over theirs.
9. How many plants are in your home? None. I have a black thumb!
10. Is your bed made right now? Unmade - Hubby works nights and he just got up a little bit ago. I know- excuses, excuses.
11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Soft Scrub
12. Is your closet organized? Somewhat - the boys have a way of jinxing my organization!
13. Can you describe your flashlight? No - we have a few
14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Plastic - we have 6 boys who tend to break things - enough said.
15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? No
16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? Garage? What is that? LOL! Ours was converted before we bought the house. We do have a storage area and that is cluttered!
17. Curtains or blinds? Both
18. How many pillows do you sleep with? One.
19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? No
20. How often do you vacuum? Rarely - we have hardwood floors so we sweep daily.
21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Standard, although I would love a soniccare one day
22. What color is your toothbrush? Pink.
23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yes
24. What is in your oven right now? Dinner! Barbeque Beef Turnovers - Yummy!
25. Is there anything under your bed? A storage container full of fabric that I WILL use one day!
26. Chore you hate doing the most? Cleaning the toilets - That is man's work! LOL!
27. What retro items are in your home? Well, my house was built in the 70s - does that count?
28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Yes, It is also my dance studio where I teach tap and ballet.
29. How many mirrors are in your home? Five.
30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? No - the kids and the hubby would find it!
31. What color are your walls? Purple - well, lavender really. Dark blue, red, grey and sky blue.
32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? Just my attack poodle!
33. What does your home smell like right now? Dinner
34. Favorite candle scent? Vanilla
.35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? None
36. What color is your favorite Bible? Green
37. Ever been on your roof? No way!
38. Do you own a stereo? Yes
39. How many TVs do you have? 2.
40.How many house phones? 1
41. Do you have a housekeeper? I wish!!!!!
42. What style do you decorate in? Ummm - homey I guess!
43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Solid
44. Is there a smoke detector in your home? Two
45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? Assuming all of the people were out of the house, I would grab my laptop and family pics.

If you decide to do this Meme - Let me know and I will check it out!

Kizoodle - Shop For Free!

I just joined a new site called Kizoodle. Using Kizoodle is almost like getting stuff for free because you never exchange money with anyone!

Here is a simple overview of how it works:

• Kizoodle is an open swap forum where you post things to "sell" for credits, after you successfully "sell" an item then you can "buy" things with the credits in your account. The only cash you will ever spend is on shipping your items that "sell", but you request credits to cover the shipping costs.
• What types of items are available to buy on Kizoodle? Everything for baby, kids, and moms!!! Including homeschooling supplies!
• How do YOU get started with 7 Kiz Credits in your account and start swapping in Kizoodle? Follow these simple instructions:

1. Sign up for your account here: http://kizoodle.com/MemberLogin.aspx?su=1
2. Sign-in to your account with your username and password
   Click on "My Kizoodle" in the menu on the left, then on "My Kiz Store" in the pop-up menu Enter this promo code: GLNYDE and you will receive 7 Kiz Credits in your account!!!!

What's next? To use your credits to start "buying" items, you need to first list at least one item and successfully "sell" it
1. From "My Kiz Store" click on "Post an Item"
2. Fill out the form with information about your item, you can also upload a photo of the item (I highly recommend taking the time to take a photo of your item, it will "sell" faster)
3. You have complete control of how many credits you request for the item and for shipping, but the general guideline is that one credit equals about one dollar.
4. Browse the store by clicking on "Go Shopping" to compare your item with other similar items posted (but don't get too excited about the things you want to "buy", you have to focus on "selling" something first!)

Guess what I'm doing today? Looking for stuff to list on Kizoodle so that I can start getting the stuff on my wish list! I hope that you are as excited about Kizoodle as I am and I look forward to reading your posts about your experiences using this new tool for the budget-conscious mom!

Aquadots Recall

Well, I can scratch another toy off of my son's Christmas list. This time they are recalling Aquadots, a popular craft kit with tiny beads that fuse together when sprayed with water. The very same chemical that causes the beads to stick together can also be toxic when swallowed. Children who have ingested the beads have become comatose. Other possible complications include slowed breathing and seizures.

Anybody else longing for the toys of old?