Children’s & Infants Tylenol, Motrin, Benedryl & Zyrtec have been recalled. http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/new_recall.inc Refund info here: http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/faq.inc Go figure I had FOUR unopened boxes, I just bought two boxes YESTERDAY…within an hour of the recall. I guess at least I didn’t give any to any of the kids. (although it doesn’t sound like it is a serious health risk if you have, so don’t panic)  Wondering if I’ll ever see the refund money or not… In the meantime I guess we stock up on generic?

How are you?  I went to a doula training conference this past weekend with a friend.  Had a great time!  We had a bit of an exciting trip though.  We hit a deer on the way, so we had to turn around, get a new car, and start again.  Thankfully we were okay though.  Then, on the first day of class there was an armed robber on the lose in the neighborhood we were in, and everything went into lock-down with police and helicopters.  Sadly, he shot himself a couple blocks away, but thankfully we were once again safe. 

The last few days we have been working out in our garden. (I am plenty sore!)  It is quite the task this year.  We have decided to take galvanized steel feeding troughs and make them into raised beds.  We have six so far – might add 1 more. They are 2×2x6 feet.  But first, we had to get our raspberries and strawberries under control.  They pretty much take over everything if you don’t keep them in check.  Last fall I was lazy so this spring it was lots of work.  At any rate, it is going to be great when it is done I think!  I need to go order seeds as soon as I get done blogging here.

Have you visited our community yet this week?  If not, head over!  There are lots of good conversations!  Here is a sampling:

Kitchen Mishaps

Mother’s Day Plans

No White Recipes

Almond Milk

How to Get Your Kids to Eat Anything

Your Favorite Kitchen Appliance or Tool (One you would replace immediately if something happened to it.)

C-

Hearts at Home was a big bummer for me – as far as for my business. (The conference itself I fully believe in – it is excellent!)  But… This blog comment I got last night made it so much better!

“I want to tell you that Hearts at Home is where I learned about your service. I am so glad you were there. I picked up a sample menu and asked a few questions and I really loved the idea. I just had to think it over and talk to my husband about it. After a few weeks of looking over the sample menu and bringing it up with my husband, I finally got the OK to sign up for your service.

I have to say that I love it! It makes it so much easier at dinner time when my husband asked “What’s for dinner?” and I can give him an answer instead of wondering the same thing myself! I know we will save money by eating at home.

The best part is the grocery list. No more hours spent going through recipe’s trying to figure out what I need, or wandering the store with no plan in mind. I went shopping and, for the first time EVER, I only got 2 things that were not on my list!
THANK YOU!”

Thanks Corissa!  You made my week!

Christine

Wow, can I just say I have had an absolutely crazy last couple of weeks?  I’m ready for things to slow down a bit! 

It started with my Hearts at Home Booth – which really didn’t go very well.  (Well actually it started a couple weeks before – trying to get ready for my booth) Then, I came home with a ton of aprons and Kid Approved Meals Binders I needed to unload.  Thank you to all of you who purchased!  I have shipped out 211 packages.  (That is a job!  Weighing, packaging, labeling) I do have a few more binders and kids aprons left if you are still interested.  I’m caught up on shipping, so I can handle a few more orders.  

Then amongst all that I had the flu, throw in a couple birthday parties (for friends), soccer practice, Wednesday Night Church, guitar lessons, boy scouts, homework, training in a new employee, and then the last couple days our church has been having church directory pictures taken – so I have been sitting over there 7 hours a day checking people in. 

Needless to say, my laundry and my blogs have suffered.  But that’s why I love my job (and you guys) so much!  I am so thankful to have the flexibility and understanding friends.

At any rate, we’re having a fun contest over on our Facebook Page!    The goal is to guess how much I have spent in postage to mail the 211 packages I have mailed.  (remember it is free shipping for you on binders & aprons!)  I’m enjoying seeing everyone’s guesses… and yes I have a prize in mind.    If you want to take a guess – head on over! 

I hope you’re having a great week! 

C-

 
I am so thankful to be able to work at home.  Annika has been sick this week with ear infections in both ears, but since I work at home, I can hold her while she sleeps, and work at the same time.  I feel so blessed to be able to do both things. 

Wow, I am a mess tonight.  I often read blogs on the weekend – as a way to relax and catch up with my online friends (and some local friends) lives.  Tonight, I was reading one of my favorite my favorite blog, and I couldn’t help but be touched.  You see, Jennifer is currently in Kenya with Compassion International.  I have heard lots about Compassion, but friends, you need to go read this, to really put life in perspective.  I shared this with my kids tonight… They certainly don’t grasp the entirety of it, but it got their little minds thinking and hopefully will help them be grateful for what they have (for at least a day).  I think a Compassion Child may be joining our family soon.

Then, as if all that wasn’t enough to pull on my heart strings, one of my dear friends posted this video on Facebook.

That goes completely with my goal of being purposeful this year. 

With an extremely grateful heart…

C-

Wow, well, thank you all for your kind thoughts & emails.   Thankfully everything is pulling together for my conference next week.  I can’t wait to show you pictures and share how it went!  

My binders showed up yesterday!  I was sooo relieved.  They put a rush on my order for no extra charge and they got here in one day!  The colors aren’t exactly what I had in mind (particularly the yellow – it was supposed to be more of an orange…), but they are going to have to work!  It has been so fun to go from an idea in my mind, to getting the design on paper, to having the actual product in my hand. 

My aprons are supposed to get here Friday.  You know when you picture something in your mind, and just presume it is going to be that way?  I’m not sure how I got it in my mind, but somehow…. I pictured the aprons coming in a big box all individually wrapped in poly bags – so FLAT bags… WELL… the company called Tuesday and asked if I wanted them on a pallet and shipped freight or in boxes (plural) via UPS.  All the sudden it occurred to me… if they need to be on a pallet, they are taking up much more space that I was thinking… So I asked.. “just how are these packaged?”  (Yeah, I probably should have thought to ask this before… but like I said I had just pictured it in my mind and figured that’s how it as going to be.)  So how do they come?  In INDIVIDUAL boxes….   LOL  So I am getting four HUNDRED individual boxes with aprons on Friday.  LOL  LOL  I mean the individual boxes will come in larger boxes, but this is going to take up WAY more space than I was anticipating!  I’m not sure if we are going to make it in 1 trip (2 hours away) or not…  My husband might have to make a trip as well to help us get it all there!  We shall see!  This is all such a learning process! 

This morning I picked up my 37,312 copies from Staples.  They did all that in 1 day as well!  WOW… I felt really bad for the copy center lady. 

Tuesday I have super good amazing friends coming to help me assemble binders, write coupon codes on post cards etc. 

It’s an adventure for sure!  One that I am grateful to have the opportunity to experience. 

C-

Hello Monday!  I’m so grateful for a new week…  Last week was just Crazy!  So crazy, I hardly remember all of it, aside from the fact that it was just stressful (with some fun parts sprinkled in).  Let’s see, I’ll try to do at least a little recap.

- I have been working a crazy insane amount, trying to get ready for our Hearts at Home Conference we are having a booth at.  This is a pretty big deal, only a few companies get picked and it is a large conference (about 4000 moms!)  I am so excited, and yet it has been just complete chaos as well.  For example, I ordered custom printed binders to hold my Kid Approved Meals Book.  Well, I ordered them Feb. 15th, and saw it takes 19 days.  GREAT!  I need them by March 9th, I should have them!  Then, I get a call on Friday to inform me “GREAT NEWS!”  Your binders are scheduled to be shipped March 12th!  UMMMM  TERRIBLE NEWS!  The conference is over then!  I went back to read the contract, to discover that it is 19 WORKING days…  UGH  So of course they were closed on Friday by the time I got this news…  So I am anxiously awaiting a call today to hopefully put a rush on the order. 

Then, I decided I wanted to sell aprons in our booth.  They are so cute!  Well, the company I wanted to purchase them had a special through last Friday, but first I had to get it approved by Hearts at Home, and of course… The lady who approves things was out for surgery until mid-week.   UGH.  I finally was able  to get approval late Monday night from someone else there, and the company did honor their special for me.  PHEW!

Oh, and then there was my postcards – that came with the back printed upside down…

Everything just seems to be ending up last minute – which was not at all what I was planning… but so it goes!  I’m just hoping it can all pull together by next week!  EEK!  Nothing like a little stress!

- We did have some fun times last week too.  Tuesday I spent the day with a friend.  We did some shopping and we met with a doula, as my friend and I would both love to be doula’s some day, and chatted for a good two hours.  That was a lot of fun! 

- Friday the kids didn’t have school, so we went to 123 JUMP (a big place with lots of big bounce houses) with 4 other moms.  So there were 5 moms and 11 kids!  Fun times!  We even went out to lunch at Steak N’ Shake, and the kids were great!  Here’s 7 of them.  They had their own table – too cute! 

Saturday Matt and I went to the Focus on Marriage Conference.  It was excellent!  A day well spent. 

Last week My “The Menu Mom” Blog also got a HUGE Makeover!  I Love it!  Go take a look! 

Okay, I better get busy with homeschool.  It’s March!  We’re down to the final 3 months before summer vacation!  YEA!

C-

Hi, I need your opinion on something on my Facebook Page – RE: Aprons I am considering selling at a conference next month.  I will be highlighting Dine Without Whine and Kid Approved Meals at the conference, and I think these might fit in… But I’m curious what your opinion is….www.dinewithoutwhine.com/facebook 

THANKS so much!

C-

As I relax a bit this evening and read blogs and catch up with friends on Twitter, Facebook & E-mail, the thought comes to me…  Seriously… How do they have time for all of that?  Then I realize… Once again… that I am looking at MANY different people, in MANY different circumstances and trying to put them all into that cookie cutter mold of the “perfect” mom.  C’mon… don’t tell me you don’t do that sometimes too. 

I devour a post about a mom editing each photo she publishes because they just aren’t blog worthy until they have been “tweeked” in photoshop. I am taking in all the instructions, bookmarking the post, thinking this must be something I should be doing… and then it hits me…  Yeah… Don’t have time for that – you get what you get – straight out of the camera on my family blog that boasts a picture a day.  (I thought that was pretty good in and of itself! No way I have an extra 30 min. to make the photo look perfect!)

I chat with another homeschooling mom about the field trips they have planned this spring, what elaborate science experiment they should try next and I think… Wow, we’re lucky to just get through the bare bones each day. 

I chat with a friend about all the new business projects she has going and how great everything is going.  Meanwhile, I think.. I am still with the same ol’ projects and they are not moving forward fast at all… downright slow actually…

I read a very popular blog (we’re talking sometimes 2-3 posts a day) about a mommy expecting baby #5 (and her kids are all much closer in age than mine) and I think Wow, I wish I had time (& inspiration) to blog like that…

We do the best we can… and that is just going to have to be good enough.  The issue comes in trying to accept that we have done our best. 

C-