As I tried to login to post yesterday, I discovered that my blog was down.  So I took that as a prompt to move on and let it go for the day.  Not sure what the problem was since everything seems to be just fine today but I’m thankful that it wasn’t anything major because I hadn’t backed up for a while and I’d feel terrible if you all had to re-enter the contests.

Life got put on hold again this week as we have had more creeping crud.

On Friday last week I received a phone call from the boys’ school.  It was the health room gal letting me know that Lion had a nasty little infection going in his left hand.  A half hour later I picked him up from school and dragged him to the doctor.  All the while wondering how on earth a simple cut or splinter could cause that nasty of an infection overnight.

An hour of kicking and screaming at the doctor’s office later (they had to clean it out and such – it was awful), a bandaid was applied, stickers handed out and a prescription ordered.  Two days later I received a call to stop the antibiotic they had prescribed since the infection was Strep not staph as they had presumed.  So on to a new prescription he went…. SIGH.

Yesterday CJ was a mess, his head was so stuffed and painful he could hardly move until I’d loaded him up on meds.  Since none of the other boys were in school that day the Twinkies and Tater went to visit my parents and overall it was a pretty low key day.

That afternoon though CJ still wasn’t feeling as well as I’d like and the presence of a fever in addition to some neck pain had me a little concerned so I decided to take him in.  Something he was determined not to do.  You try convincing a 14 year old who is almost 6 feet tall to go to the doctor when they don’t want to… it isn’t fun!

But as we were getting ready to go, Salesman told me his throat was hurting pretty badly, so last minute I decided to take him as well.  After a small check-in ordeal at one of the local walk-in clinics, the boys were checked out.

Turns out CJ just has a lot of sinus stuff going on and needs to take preventative measures to keep it from turning into a sinus infection.  The cultured Salesman’s throat right away and by the time the doc was done checking CJ the results of the 5 min Strep test were ready… and very positive.

Oh Joy!

I have 6 sons and in the 14 years that I’ve been a parent not one of my children has ever had Strep throat.  Something I was quite happy about since there are so many of them and it is so contagious.  Today I might have one more child to take to the doctor…and tomorrow, well, I don’t want to think about that lol.

So, there you have it, we are officially in the middle of the sickies and I can only hope that you are not doing the same in your house!  Have a GREAT Thursday ladies!

I have recently realized (though I have no idea why it took me so long) that my Twinkies talk non stop.  They are just little chatterboxes.

I could almost write a Dr. Seuss type book with their antics…something along the lines of “here, there and everywhere” would be involved because it doesn’t matter where we are going (or not going as the case may be) or what we are doing (again..or not doing) they will always have something to say about it.

I’m not sure exactly when they decided they know more than any of the rest of their family members…all of whom are older than them, but they are positive that they do.  Preschoolers that are unequivocally smarter than the rest of the world are a force to be reckoned with…or feared…or both.

This is the position I find myself in daily.  What crazy scheme will they try today?  Will they have a story to tell or someone to tell off?  Can I possibly keep up?

I have never questioned God’s sense of humor in blessing us with these two adorable little creatures, but that doesn’t mean that I always get it.  None of my other children were capable of getting ahead of me more quickly than these two.

And when there are two of them ahead of you, you are in trouble.

But I digress…

I talk a lot about their funny little sayings and their conversations.  Honestly though that is just a small portion of the interesting life with my twins.  There’s always the climbing of walls, seeing how quickly we can take something apart (or away from a brother) and the ever present search for anything artsy we aren’t supposed to touch without mom being right there to supervise.

These items include, but are not limited to: scissors, tape, crayons, markers, pencils, erasers, etc.

We recently had what I currently refer to as “the incident” with scissors.  Yes, the timeless tradition of cutting one’s hair was exacted by our loveable Bugs a little over a week ago.  Unlike most other children who participate in this ritual of preschoolerdom, my son decided to cut a perfect line, at scalp level, straight up the middle of his head instead of across the front.

He ended up with some sort of odd looking reverse mohawk…nothing short of hideous.  It took me far too long though to work up the nerve to whack it all off.  But I did and he is now a tough little soldier…still with a little baldish streak up the middle of his head lol.

Now the only thing left to do is take a picture and scrapbook it for posterity.  Because there is no way I’m letting him forget it when his son decides to do the same thing!  This is one of the beautiful things in parenting…I think I need to remember it more often!

Moments made up of fun times in everyday life are some of the things that will become your children’s greatest memories.  Having fun games around the house is one of the ways to make just such memories.  Recently I was contacted about Elefun and Friends and some of their great games.

Their games truly are fun.  They are creative, and would even make great party games, primarily for preschoolers.  Giraffalaffe Limbo is a fun musical game that they really get into and Scatterpillar Scramble also keeps them hopping…and balancing.

Here’s a few more details:

GIRAFFALAFF LIMBO is the crazy new game of “how low can you go?” Spin the dial to try one of the 6 limbo styles: classic limbo, crab walk, crawl, giraffe walk, bend forward or backward. The game´s built-in sound will play an encouraging song as preschoolers try not to bump into Giraffalaff. If he´s knocked over, he´ll roll on the floor in laughter. The player that passes under Giraffalaff at the lowest level wins.

In SCATTERPILLAR SCRAMBLE kids will do their best to balance marbles in the hands of one very wiggly caterpillar. Kids will have fun dancing along to the music with Scatterpillar in this fast-paced marble game. The first player to securely place all 8 marbles in Scatterpillar´s hands wins. SCATTERPILLAR SCRAMBLE was named the 2009 Preschool Game of the Year by Creative Child Magazine.

You can even visit their website for more fun and creativity.  When you enter the special code inside each Elefun and Friends game box your child gains access to a fun animated short.

One very lucky reader has an opportunity to win both of these games.  To enter, visit the site and check out the games.  Then come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite game or memory while playing is.

I have some extra entry opportunities as well of course, feel free to take advantage of all of the entries for as many chances to win as possible.…Just be sure to leave a NEW comment with each entry…:

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by November 18, 2009.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I received the two games mentioned to review with my family and present the review.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

There are definitely times in life that it feels like it’s raining…then there’s the times that rain becomes a deluge. I’m really not a big believer in the whole “when it rains it pours” theory, but I have to admit that sometimes it feels that way.

That is my life right now.

Don’t worry, I’m not planning on getting all discouraging on you, but I do want to keep it real.  I struggle, just like every other mom I know.  Life doesn’t always go according to plan and sometimes things feel like they are falling apart around you.

I’m not immune to it either.

Of course, the bottom line through it all is how we react.  The dilemmas that face us, the hardships that cross our paths and the pain that we have to work through are all part of the learning curve that develops who we are and what direction we are choosing to go.

I don’t always react the right way.

The consequences are something I have to live with and move on in spite of. But again, they are shaping me, and hopefully making me stronger and wiser.

So today although this isn’t typical of a post you will find here, I just want to send out a message that you aren’t alone in whatever struggle you are dealing with.  Even if the world seems to be falling down around you, you are still not alone.  There are so many people in your life that care and you just need to learn to lean on and trust others sometimes.

It’s hard, and sometimes it messes with our pride.  We have to move past that.

So my prayer for you this week is that if you are feeling run down, exhausted, overwhelmed, or even something way bigger than those…that a friend will come along side you and hold up your arms in your weakness.

JumpStart and Preschool are 2 names that definitely go hand in hand.  JumpStart has been around for such a long time and I have always enjoyed using their products with my children.  Their new 3D and online versions are so adaptable for various family needs.

I got to try out their PreK 2 cd set and we love it.  Teaching preschoolers all the basic concepts in a very visually appealing way is one of the things I love about JumpStart.  The kids love it as well, giving them access to a world that they control and characters that are very fun.

The first CD is for Preschoolers and they will enjoy 12 activities to help them get ready for school.  On CD 2, Kindergarten children will enjoy the 35 activities created just for them.  One of the most fun activities is creating their avatar and setting up their house.  The kids love these activities, but well, I guess in the end it’s hard to pick any one thing they loved more!

With this 2-CD set, kids can:

• Design an unique avatar and decorate a house
• Choose from over 15 pets to adopt and nurture: groom, feed and buy accessories for the pet to wear
• Complete missions to unlock storybooks
• Rack up gems and then trade them in for pets, accessories or other great prizes to decorate the world
• Get creative by adding personal photos and artwork

Their new JumpStart Online program is another great option.  Even parents have great tools at their fingertips!  This is a monthly membership program that offers similar features to the cd, but even more depth.  Three to ten year olds have tons of educational (yet very fun) resources available every time they login.

With a wonderful 3D landscape, the online world offers so many features.  Be sure to hop over to the site and check it out.  The parents section really is amazing as well, totally worth checking out when you can.

The great thing is that they have offered one of you a 3 month membership to their online world!  To enter, be sure to visit the website, then come back here and leave a comment telling me why you would like to win this.

There are some great extra entry opportunities as well of course, feel free to take advantage of all of the entries for as many chances to win as possible.…Just be sure to leave a NEW comment with each entry…:

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by November 12, 2009.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I received a copy of the More Beautiful You CD in order to listen to it and present the review.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

One of the primary reasons for scrapbooking is preserving memories and traditions.  As I downloaded this beautiful kit named Simple Pleasures by SAS Designs (coming out soon), I was looking through some of the scanned photos I had in my computer and this one just jumped out at me.

This is me and my sisters on an Easter Sunday morning.  Another white space layout with lots of pretty elements.  This is such a beautiful kit!

Well, fall is officially here.  I know I’ve been a little MIA lately, but with kids getting sick, me getting sick and the end of football season life has been a little nuts.  In the midst of it all I have had a moment or two where I feel like my sanity is a little…well…off.

So, in my effort to stay sane, there are a few things in life that make a huge difference.  Finding the beauty in everything around me (something I talked about not that long ago), and great music.

Two very simple things that are making life so enjoyable.  There are some amazing songs out there that have the incredible ability to lift the spirit.   Add to that the fact that the beauty of the changing colors of fall is impossible to ignore.

So today I have a question for you…when everything starts to get crazy or hectic and life starts feeling a little slanted, what do you do to maintain composure (or regain it as the case may be)?

My boys love to create beautiful masterpieces of art and with the website http://www.littlebirdtales.com we now have a fun way to share their artwork and even tell others a little bit about it.  The littlebirdtales.com is so easy to use!  Step ONE just scan and upload your child’s artwork to the site.  Step TWO edit the art by adding text, drawing digital art and/or adding a voice or voices.  Step THREE watch and share the slideshow you and your child just made.   Not only is the site a great way to encourage your children’s imagination it is also a great way to go GREEN.   By using the service in this way, parents can teach children to be creative without using precious natural resources and can also practice what they preach by becoming more eco-conscious in how they share their family memories.

Caleb and Brayden worked together drawing 6 pages about three brothers (conveniently named Caleb, Brayden and Andrew…lol!) that went into a haunted house on Trick R Treat night.  After I had each page scanned and uploaded Brayden and I set down and told a little bit about each page and told the story.  When we were done we all enjoyed watching our Little Bird Tales creation.  I love that you can add your child’s voice.  What a great way to capture a moment in time.

Right now until October 31^st littlebirdtales.com is offering a 20% discount code and a contest to win $250…

Parents can sign up for a free 90-day trial account to get started instantly or can subscribe to Little Bird Tales for one year and 100 MB of storage space for only $24.95 a year. To celebrate the launch of the site, Little Bird Tales is hosting an online contest where kids can submit an ending for their tale “How Little Bird Got His Name” that includes a name suggestion for “Little Bird,” a picture, text and audio. One lucky winner will be selected to win $250 cash, $250 donated to the environmental charity of their choice and a free 3-year membership to the site.

For more information on Little Bird Tales and how to enter the “Name the Little Bird” contest, please visit: http://www.littlebirdtales.com.

Disclosure: I received a subscription to this program to try out for myself and present this review.  Please feel free to read our full disclosure policy here.

I actually couldn’t sleep last night.  Not just a tossing and turning, waking up a few times kind of not sleeping…nope, the laying there in the darkness staring at the invisible ceiling for a few hours at a time not sleeping.  There was a lot of thinking involved as well, though I’d be hard pressed to tell you exactly what it was now (LOL).

This morning when the alarm went off (can’t say when I woke up since I had already been awake for a while), this song came on almost immediately and brought tears to my eyes.  For some reason it was so fitting and I wanted to share it with all of you today.

I hope you are encouraged by The Words I Would Say by Sidewalk Prophets…please feel free to click the link to listen to the full song. They only let me put 30 seconds of it up here.

I know that I’ve been a little MIA this past week and I’m sorry.  The end of football season and sick children have really been…well…kicking my tail for lack of a better description.

This weekend though, while I was caring for some of the sickies, I was able to do a little scrapbooking.  Simple stuff, but because of these beautiful papers, they turned out so pretty.  Here’s the one I want to show you…

(Papers Ana Flor’s Bothanicals)

Featuring none other than my beautiful 6 month old niece with that incredible smile I love so much!