It's Time to Fill the backpack - Check out this Giveaway!!

It's almost time to say good by to our amazing summer vacation and Hello to the new school year.  LeAnne has been telling me she is going to Kindergarten all by herself. I've had to tell her she can go to Preschool all by herself. She is very excited to get back to school to see her friends, do crafts and learn.  I am so thankful our little girl loves to learn like she does.  She has a huge passion for letters and numbers.

I will be heading back to school Monday for a planning day and then our first day is September 6th and Preschool starts September 12th.  I can't wait to see how much the kids have grown.  I've missed my student so much this summer.  The contest I am about to tell you about would be a HUGE blessing to my family but more importantly our school because I would share the supplies I win with the school who like so many schools is on a limited budget.  

Next weekend our family will be heading to Tri-Cities to go school shopping!  I am so excited to get her some new clothes and a new backpack!  Speaking of backpacks... do I have an amazing contest to share with you!

I am also excited to share that some of the strain of shopping can be eased thanks to the “Win an overstuffed backpack of goodies from Fill the Backpack from Splash Creative & The Centsible Life valued at over $750. giveaway. That's right! The Centsible Life is working with seven other bloggers for Communities in Schools.

From The Centsible Life's site:

"Fill the Backpack benefits Communities in Schools

This isn’t just an ordinary giveaway though, it’s also a way for Splash Creative Media to give back. 10% of our net profits are going to our nonprofit beneficiary, Communities in Schools, a wonderful organization that surrounds students with a “community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.”

A donation to Communities In Schools is an investment in the future of our country. For approximately $200 per child per year, we are able to keep 97 percent of the young people we serve in school and on track to graduation.

You can find out more about Communities in Schools, donate, or learn how you can volunteer via their website, twitter and Facebook pages.

Fill the Backpack Giveaway includes:

• Eventbrite: $50 credit for Eventbrite events-great for school events and fundraisers.

• Leapfrog: LeapFrog’s Leapster Explorer ($69.99) provides handheld learning experiences in a portable device designed for ages 4-9. It serves as a mobile hub for downloadable Learning Apps that include eBooks, video, games, and flash cards that auto adjust during game play according to a child’s needs and skills and works with LeapFrog cartridges (prices vary).

• Sleep Innovations: Help your kids get proper rest, so they can study better Sleep Innovations REMedy Study Bundle set, twin XL, contains a 1 1/2 inch twin XL-size gel memory foam topper and gel memory foam pillow in a reusable zippered canvas bag.($80)

• Etymotic: an exciting new family product from Etymotic that will be released next month! You’ll be among the first to own it! ($49 or $79)

• Snapfish: A $50 gift card to Snapfish with tons of great ideas for back-to-school including photo skins for gear, personalized notebooks, and more!

• AVG: AVG 2012 ($54.99), the latest Internet security solution from the leader in online security.

• Mabels Labels: The Ultimate Back to School Combo ($39) with everything you need for labeling everything for back to school, and Bag Tags ($21)

• Marble Jar: Looking for a way to help reinforce positive behavior for your family? The Marble Jar app for iPhone ($2.99) can help.

• ChicaLogic: ChicaLogic is a company that creates software for women, by women to keep your PC running smoothly. ChicaPC Shield ($29.95) and ChicaPC Fix ($29.95) work to scan your PC to find and remove threats caused by malware invasions and errors caused by regular use.

• Lands’ End: You can’t beat Lands’ End backpacks for durability and quality for kids of all ages. (prices vary)

• Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac ($150) or Microsoft Office 2010 for PC ($149.95) are packed with features that help you tackle every assignment, and work together on group projects-from almost anywhere.

• California Innovations: California Innovations eco-friendly lunchboxes are offered in a variety of colors, sizes, and even with your children’s favorite Disney characters. Made from recycled material (and PVC free), this is a great alternative to paper bags.

• Stonyfield: From everyone’s favorite organic yogurt company, we have a gift pack with coupons for YoKids, an activity book, and more!

• Carolina Pad: Carolina Pad offers a fun back to school package featuring exceptional quality and design. You can find everything from binders to notebooks, planners to folders for back to school in their online store or at retailers nationwide.

• Scholastic: Literacy is the cornerstone of a child’s growth, and for nearly 90 years Scholastic has created quality products and services that educate, entertain and motivate children and are designed to help enlarge their understanding of the world around them.

• P&G: P&G offers an Back to School box filled with tons of great products to help you and your family get back to school. Even better you can help kids stay in school by purchasing products using P&G’s brandSAVER.

• Johnson’s & Johnson’s: A back to school gift pack including Johnson’s products including detangler (no more tears over hair brushing), hand and face wipes (perfect for on the go cleanup), and baby powder (for everything from the locker room to your shoes. For all those playground scrapes, and bumps they’ve also included Neosporin, and Mickey Mouse Band Aids.They work better together.

• Playful Planet: Keep your kids healthy, and get some fun exercise in on rainy or cold day with the Splash Creative Media as part of the Fill the Backpack Campaign.

This is a lot of swag!

Enter on all the Splash sites!

Visit the sites of the Splash Creative Media team to learn about the other companies who have generously donated items for our Fill the Backpack giveaway! The Fill the Backpack team consists of:

TechSavvyMama by Leticia Barr @TechSavvyMama

Clueless Mama by Laurie Cooper, @Clueless_Mama

Formerly Gracie by Grace Duffy, @GraceDuffy

Savvy Sassy Moms by Andrea Fellman, @SavvySassyMoms

Just Precious by Julie Meyers Pron, @JustPrecious

Sassy Moms in the City by Alison Ray @SassyMomChicago

It’s My Life by Jessica Rosenberg, @Kikarose

The Centsible Life by Kelly Whalen, @CentsibleLife"

Visit all of the sites and enter for a total of 8 chances to win!

Sea Creature Creations

This afternoon LeAnne & I used the Beach Buddies Shell Crafts kit from Creativity For Kids to make sea creature creations.  I won this awesome kit from a blog giveaway so it was a few hours of FREE fun! The kit is very well put together and easy to use.  The first thing we did was pick out a sea creature from felt; LeAnne chose a green sea horse and I chose an orange crab.  Next we painted our sea creature and shells. While we waited for the paint to dry LeAnne took a nap.  Once she was up from her nap we glued the shells onto the flannel, added some eyes and we had beautiful sea creations all ready for a puppet show. 

Daddy & Baby Sea Horse

Sebastian the Crab

The sometimes friendly, sometimes angry SHARK!

Then LeAnne and I decorated a piece of paper to look like an ocean backdrop.  I thought it was so precious how she was pretending with her creatures I suggested she put on a show for me and was she ever willing.  Without further babbling form mama bear let the show begin!!!

Look who got a hair cut & a nice scratch on her face...

Lately LeAnne been telling me what she wants to be when she gets older and one week it was a cooker then the next week she wanted to be a hair cutter like Vickie (her hair stylist).  She even said she would cut my hair all the time. I am imagining myself bald from too many hair cuts. hee hee! On Monday Vickie gave LeAnne a new hair style.  Its cute but a tiny bit too short. It will grow and it is much easier to care for.  Before Vickie started she was sure to tell her "Don't cut too much"! 


Then Tuesday morning while she was taking a bath, while I was putting on my make up I hear a bang follow by her crying.  Poor girl was playing and had hit her face, right under her eye on the water faucet.  Of course this bath faucet has been covered by an adorable yellow rubber ducky for the last 3 1/2 years then a week ago the duck broke so I threw it away.  She had not hit herself the whole time the duck was there then BAM! I have another faucet cover on the way from Target. Daddy says she'll probably never hit it again but I say IF I don't have a new cover for it she will.  The new cover is cool anyway because I can use it to rinse her hair with. 

In other news LeAnne informed me earlier this week she was going to to be going to Kindergarten all by herself. I told her she had a few more years before Kindergarten but she could go to preschool all by herself. I found out this week she will have 7 kids in her class including her.  She's very excited to go back to school.  I start back September 6th and she starts September 12th (Daddy's birthday).

Earlier this week LeAnne comes in from the back yard all upset saying "Bella (our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) is in time out just like we have at school". I say "0h, what happen".  She says "She wouldn't come inside when I called her" I say "Good luck with the time out", and laugh. She says "It's not funny, I am angry"!  Hee hee!! 

See her ouch under her left eye?

Oregon Vacation

Friday August 12th we packed up our Ford Freestyle and headed to see Grammy & Grampy in Salem Oregon.  We stayed there Friday and Saturday.  On Saturday we went to the Polk County fair where LeAnne got to pet a pig on the nose for the first time and she built her own little tool box at the Home Depot Exhibit.  It was lots of fun!!

The best surprise of our vacation was that Amanda wanted to come with us!! On Sunday morning we all headed out for the beach!  Amanda hadn't slept the night before so she was in a very hyper/talkative mood which John and I LOVED!  It been a long time since she'd talked to us that much.  It was a nice treat. Then of course 10 minutes from out destination both girls fell asleep.

We arrived a few hours before check in so our first stop was the beach in front of our hotel. Oh the feel of the sand between our toes!  The smell of salt water and the sound of crashing ocean waves!  Then we headed into town to get some lunch and walk down Broadway browsing in shops.

The next day we went to the aquarium where LeAnne had a blast feeding the seals, looking at all the sea life and touching some sea creatures.  After that John and LeAnne went to play on the beach.  This gave Amanda and I some time to walk around and chat. It was nice!  She's a very special young lady!  Next we headed to lunch then the Carousel Mall to do some shopping and LeAnne rode the Carousel. 

After nap time we headed to the beach to fly kites and then into town to have dinner and play at a family fun center.  That was a day full of fun!!

Our last morning their we checked out, made a few last shopping stops and were on our way home.  That was a long day of traveling for sure!  That was by far one of the best vacations we've had in a while.  It was very nice to have our girls together.  LeAnne absolutely adores her big sister.  I love the ocean and the weather was beautiful!!  I know we'll be going back to Seaside, Oregon to vacation. 

Animated she is for sure!!

Anyone who knows our little at all knows she is very animated and full of life!  Here are a few videos I've captured this summer of her dancing and singing. Watching her makes my heart full of love!!!

Remembering an amazing Friend - Michael Fidecaro

 Michael living across the street from me all my life. (birth until high school)  Through out our childhood we spent a lot of time playing together.  One day we thought it would be a good idea to play tic tac toe on the hard wood floor of my bedroom with a red marker.  That is the only time in my life I ever recall getting soap in my mouth.  I must have gotten lippy with my mama.  We walked to and from school at Highlands Elementary school and then McKnight Middle School (getting rides to school together sometimes).  Halloween was always fun and kinda spooky at his house.  His mom would dress up as a really scary witch and scare us kids.  She also made homemade popcorn balls that were so yummy.  Michael and I spent many an evenings driving around talking or walking at Coulon Park talking.  We both had family struggles and could always count on one another to vent to. I remember the day in high school went we didn't want to stick around for a bbq/field day so we snuck out of school, had lunch at Coulon Park then snuck back into school. LOL!!  Another fun memory I have is from our 1st semester of our Freshman year at Hazen High School.  A lot was going in my life and I begun to spiral, my GPA went from 3.6 to 1.5. I told him I'd be dead after my parents saw my report card.  Upon getting home he brought me over some dead roses in a vase. :-)  On many occasion we'd talk on the phone looking at each other out the window.  Don't ask me now why we did this but it was fun.

Michael was very kind, sweet, sensitive and caring! He was very funny and had this special laugh when he thought something was really funny.  He was a great friend!! He knew how to make you feel special.  He was great at cheering people up.  I also love that if he didn't like what I was doing or if he thought I was about to make a stupid choice he would straight out tell me I was being dumb.  Even though I loved that quality about him I think it contributed to us growing apart during and after high school.  I regret we lost touch but I'll be forever grateful for the many great years we had as best friends. 

I am very sad to say Michael was taken from us way too soon. (15 years ago this September) He is missed by many!  I am thankful to have had him in my life and I look forward to seeing him again one day!!