On Hold

I am sad to say that I am putting this blog on hold for now.  I got a new job, and just can't seem to find the time to add blogging to my other duties.  I do plan to get back to it.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon.

Q & A Saturday : Shopping for Clothes

We went to the mall today.  My husband took Dylan to the kid's play area, the bathroom, the play area again, and to look at the fish in the time I spent in ONE store looking for clothes.  Shopping is complete torture for me.  I tried on a pair of  gray pants that fit well, and looked good, but were a little too long in the "tall".  I tried the same pants in a different color in the "average", and they fit, but I really wanted to get them in the gray color, because I found a couple shirts that looked really good with the gray pants.  I had the girl check the other stores in the area to see if they had any.  

After being told a particular mall had "a couple", we drove about 1/2 hour to that mall.  Big surprise!  They did NOT have the gray pants.  So, I tried them in a different color in the "average", and they were too short.  Then I thought maybe the ones at the other mall were labelled wrong, so I tried them in the "tall", and they were long enough, but didn't fit in the waist!  GAH!  After driving all that way, I only bought a jacket.  A jacket that I will probably return, because they didn't have the shirt I wanted to wear under the jacket in my size at that mall.  Did you get all that?

This week's Q & A Saturday question is "Do you love or hate to shop?  Why?  If you need clothes, where do you look?"

Friday Feature: Blue China Studio

I am extra excited about this week's Friday Feature because I am featuring my friend Jacilyn.  Not only is she a great artist, but she is a great friend that I was lucky enough to find here in the blogosphere.  After following her blog for years, I was thrilled when she opened her Etsy store.  Here's why...

Isn't this flower postcard set lovely?  Her photography appeals to me because it is crisp, clean, and uncluttered, (much like I envision her home).

If I were getting married or having a baby,  I would want these butterfly favor boxes for the shower.  I love the robin's egg blue, and they would look great as a table centerpiece...

Okay, I have a confession.   Glitter freaks me out.  I think it goes back to my preschool teaching days, when I was constantly finding it in my hair, my carpet, my clothes, etc.  So I'm not a fan, but I can see little girls (or even big ones!) getting pretty jazzed about these "fairy boxes".  They would be great for holding a collection of small items, lunch box love notes, or a special Valentine's gift.

I'm going to end with this "Be happy" postcard, because that is exactly what it does.  Hope it makes you happy also.

Jacilyn is offering $10 to spend on whatever you would like in her shop to the lucky winner of this week's giveaway!  To enter to win, you need to visit her Etsy store here... and then leave a comment on this post saying what you would get with the $10 if you win.  For an additional entry, become a Follower of "Get Your Mom On". (Leave a second comment saying that you did this).  A winner will be chosen randomly on Thursday, February 9, 2012.

(No purchase is necessary.  The odds of winning are based upon the number of entries.  Each person is allowed two entries, one by leaving a comment, and one by becoming a Follower of "Get Your Mom On".  U.S. residents 18 and older are eligible to enter.  The chosen winner will have 36 hours to contact Jen at getyourmomon@yahoo.com with their full name and mailing address for shipment.  After 36 hours, a second winner will be chosen).

 P.S. Last week's winner was Jenn at Juggling Life.  She said...

Jenn @ Juggling LifeJan 31, 2012 07:23 PM

I would definitely get the "help my family is lost" pet tag--for my wandering beagle who has gone missing twice recently--once for two hours.

Ways To Say "I Love You"

Do you buy your children a special gift for Valentine's Day?  Maybe you get them a little present, or some candy, or a card?  Or, maybe you figure they will get enough candy and valentines at school?

I've never been big on Valentine's Day.  It seems a bit ridiculous to have one day of the year decided upon as the day to celebrate love, doesn't it?  Love should be celebrated every day of the year, but sadly we are often so busy with all the things we need to get accomplished in our days, that we don't take the time to celebrate the love in our life.  We don't have the time to buy little gifts, or candy.  We don't have the time to buy or make cards.  But, there are simple, free ways to tell your kids you love them each and every day.  Besides the obvious, (hugs, kisses, a pat on the back, and saying "I love you"), what about some encouragement?  Think about the last time someone told you "You're doing a great job".  Think about how great that made you feel.  You are the most important person in your child's life, and knowing that you are proud of them will mean more to them than anything else.

So, here are 40 ways to say "I'm proud of you"...

1.  "Good job!"
2.  "Good thinking!"
3.  "Congratulations!"
4.  "Excellent work!"
5.  "I'm impressed!"
6.  "Super!"
7.  "I like your way of thinking!"
8.  "Superb!"
9.  "Beautiful job!"
10.  "You've got the hang of it!"
11.  "What a great attempt!"
12.  "You are a star!"
13.  "I love it!"
14.  "This is awesome!"
15.  "Very imaginative!"
16.  "This is a perfect example!"
17.  "Well thought out!"
18.  "Way cool!"
19.  "Totally awesome!"
20.  "You stuck with it!"
21.  "You mastered it!"
22.  "Great try!"
23.  "Quick thinking!"
24.  "I really like that!"
25.  "Terrific Work!"
26.  "You figured it out!"
27.  "You should be very proud of yourself!"
28.  "Unbelievable work!"
29.  "Thank you for all your help!"
30.  "Amazing effort!"
31.  "What a great listener!"
32.  "Your effort really shows!"
33.  "I really appreciate your help!"

I think the best time to praise kids is when we see them being kind.  How often do we tell our kids to "Be Nice!"?  There is no better way to get them to "be nice" than to catch them doing exactly that, and praise them for it.  So, here are some more ways to say "I'm proud of you"...

34.  "That was so nice of you to make her a card!"
35.  "How sweet of you to share those with your sister!"
36.  "I liked the way you were encouraging your teammates at the game".
37.  "I bet your friend really appreciated your help with that project".
38.  "Putting your arm around your friend when he missed that goal was so nice of you!"
39.  "It was so nice of you to ask him to play with the rest of your friends!"
40.  "I'm sure your teacher really appreciated your help today".

If you have a teenager, and think that all this praise would be too embarrassing, here's an idea I found...

Personally, I'm not sure about the "I love you because..." wording.  I would rather it say "I'm proud of you because...", but I still love the idea.  Read about it here.

There are 29 days in February.  I would like to challenge you to say one of these each day in February, and see the difference it makes!  Celebrate love each day this month, not just on February 14th.

(Speaking of "love", I would love it if you entered my Friday Feature giveaway here.  Thursday, (tomorrow) is the last day).

Friday Feature: Another Day Boutique

Drum roll please....... The winner of last week's Friday Feature giveaway is...

The third comment was actually Megan's saying "I'm following!", but she also said...

I would love to fill out my "I believe..." collection...

She Believed that She Could Fly
She Believed in Wishing Stars
She Believed in Triple Scoops

Diane is the best! Thanks for hosting this content! :)

Congratulations Megan!  Please email me at getyourmomon@yahoo.com, with your name and address for shipment.

If you didn't win, no worries!  I have another great giveaway for you today!

This week's Friday Feature is Another Day Boutique.  I thought this would be a great Etsy shop to feature this week, since people are thinking about what they can get their loved ones for Valentine's Day.  What mother, or grandmother wouldn't love one of these?

Or these?

I really like this one also...

Tammy is offering either a choice of a pet tag, or a keychain for the winner of this giveaway.

Here is one of the keychains...

and here is one of the pet tags...

The dog graphic is so cute!

Tammy has graciously offered the choice of either a pet tag, or a keychain for this giveaway, (valued at $11-$15).  To enter to win, you need to visit her Etsy store here... and then leave a comment on this post saying which keychain or pet tag you would like to win.  For an additional entry, become a Follower of "Get Your Mom On". (Leave a second comment saying that you did this).  A winner will be chosen randomly on Thursday, February 2, 2012.

The world works in strange and often mysterious ways.  My husband's father passed away very suddenly this week, and when I was writing this post, I read Tammy's profile for the first time.  Here is part of it...

"I chose the name Another Day Boutique one winter day when I was driving to work on icy roads. I started sliding sideways and came within inches of being in a terrible accident. The first words out of my mouth was "Thank You" and then "Another Day" came on the radio. At that moment I knew that I had been blessed with another day and knew that would be the name of my new shop. I chose the cherry blossom because to me it represents the changes in life. One day the tree has beautiful blooms.....and soon they are gone. Even though they are gone, we still have the memories of them and can cherish the time they were here. Whether your kids are small and still at home or are grown and have moved out....or you have lost someone close to you.....you can keep them close to your heart and memory with a precious keepsake. Cherish your blessings....."

Thanks for the reminder, Tammy.  It is so appropriate for my family this week, and so true.  Each day we get with the people in our lives is a blessing.  I hope you all make this one special.

(No purchase is necessary.  The odds of winning are based upon the number of entries.  Each person is allowed two entries, one by leaving a comment, and one by becoming a Follower of "Get Your Mom On".  U.S. residents 18 and older are eligible to enter.  The chosen winner will have 36 hours to contact Jen at getyourmomon@yahoo.com with their full name and mailing address for shipment.  After 36 hours, a second winner will be chosen).

My Favorite Valentine's Day Ideas

Hello.  My name is Jen, and I'm addicted to Pinterest.  Okay, I'm not "addicted", but it is really hard to resist spending hours looking at all those fantastic ideas.  I love looking, but I fear that for me, Pinterest should be called "Things I Would Love To Do, But Probably Won't".  Maybe you have more time, or motivation?  Anyway, here are my favorite Pinterest finds lately...

My favorite FREE ideas...

From Grace & Ivy

From THE idea ROOM

My Favorite Teacher Gift Ideas...

From eighteen25

From lisa storms

My Favorite Classmate Ideas...

From The Fry Family

 From Bateman Buzz

I just love this idea because it's not candy, but actually something good for them!

From BHG

Hey, if you do one of these, will you let me know how it goes?  Oh, and if you want me to find more, I could probably be persuaded to spend a little more time on Pinterest.

Q & A Saturdays: Dates

I was visiting a friend recently, and we were discussing how infrequently we go on dates with our husbands.  We were both wondering why, and didn't have a lot of answers.

Jim and I both have parents who live nearby, who are happy to watch my son, and yet we only seem to go on a "date" every few months.  We seem to have a lot to do on the weekends.

I was reading an article recently that talked about how important it is for children to see their parents spending time together.  The author said that it makes children feel secure, knowing that their parents have good relationships.  It certainly makes sense to me.  So often, with young kids around, a husband and wife can go days without really talking.  I know that Jim are usually so tired by the time Dylan is in bed, that instead of talking, we just relax and watch TV.  Maybe we should make dates more of a priority.

This weeks question for Q & A Saturday is...

How often do you and your husband go on dates?  Do you pay for a babysitter, or does a family member or friend watch the kids?  What do you usually do on your dates?