Why have kids?

Why Have Kids?: A New Mom Explores the Truth About Parenting and Happiness by Jessica Valenti
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book seemed really short. I finished it in a day, easily. With all the talk in this book about exploring the truth about parenting and happiness, I felt it did too little exploring. This book left me with a lot more questions...and my point in reading this was to get answers. :(
I felt like the author tried to insight action in some areas the book discussed, but really didn't provide any suggestions on where to start, which was frustrating.

If you think of the book as a gateway to further discussion then fine, but that was not what I was wanting or expecting, thus my disappointment. However, I am much happier this book was written than it not, and hope it will instigate further exploration in future books on these topics.



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inRandom: Get Caught with @OfficialKukees Giveaway! {US}

inRandom: Get Caught with @OfficialKukees Giveaway! {US}: Sarah had written a review about these wonderful pieces of joy a few days ago and now you get the chance to win a box of them for your ...

I normally try not to enter food giveaways...but I just couldn't help myself with this one...:)

Why I am excited about this fall..

In no particular order: Football Community Season 4!! New Girl Season 2 Glee Season 4 (to see Glee Project winner in the Glee project) Leaves changing colors Crispness in the air Fall colors Light Jackets Pumpkins! And so much more! :)

Tea Tea

I love tea. While living in Japan I ended up drinking a lot of tea. Since coming back to America, tea just hasn't been the same. I don't like heating a tea kettle on the stove, and microwaving the water just isn't the same either.... So I was looking into getting a Japanese style electric kettle that heats the water and then I found THIS nifty huh? With different settings for different tea this thing is awesome. AND one of my blogs is doing a giveaway of one here SO thanks to Kally Tea and To the motherhood I have a chance to win this awesome kettle! You guys should check it out too. :)

Chalice by Robin McKinley

Chalice by Robin McKinley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. I am not exactly sure about the explanation or lack thereof towards the end for the events, but I was pleased. The story as a whole was enthralling. Robin McKinley always seems to do such a good job pulling the reader into a completely new world and explaining its logic with only a few pages, and in some cases, just a couple sentences. As with most of Robin McKinley's books my main gripe is it ended too soon. This book was pretty short and I would have loved to read more about this world and the lives of its characters. As anyone who read her book Pegasus would understand, this book ends fairly abruptly. Though at least it ended at the completion of a scene, unlike the other book mentioned....but that's a rant for another day. I would love a squeal to Chalice, but I am not going to hold my breath as sequel's are few are far between. She has stated she would never do one for my favorite book, Sunshine, for which I will probably always hold a bit of a grudge (I know she knows the answers to all those unanswered questions!). I guess I have a love hate relationship with most of Robin McKinley's books. I love the stories she tells but I hate how they usually seem to end before I feel the story has run its course.

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Working hard plus giveaway news!

We have officially turned in the keys to our old apartment and are working our behinds off to get our new home in order. Thanks to the Rubbermaid 2 in 1 Recycler I won over at Mom Always Finds Out Blog we have really been upping the amount we recycle. It is a good feeling! After some adventures on craigslist we got a microwave for over the range for FREE!! It was a pretty amazing experience and I really appreciated the kindness of the sellers. :) Lastly, I wanted to talk about my kitchen and some things I would love to get for it. Though we have not come up with any solid plans for getting rid of our BLUE countertops (yet) we have been organizing our kitchen supplies and I would really love to get some new, cool, stuff. So, I have headed over to Measuring Flowers for a great kitchen goods giveaway! While there I saw there was a grand prize too...who couldn't use a Margartor?!!? Mom, I'm looking your way! :P

Clickinks printer giveaway!

There is a new giveaway at one of my favorite blogs for a Clickinks printer here My printer has seen better days so I could really use this new one! I have been told it "Ideal for small businesses and home offices, you can use this brother printer to make a quick scan or copy, it also sends and receives faxes!" That is what I am talking about! :) Edit: Sorry guys I had originally put in the link to the giveaway in wrong EEEE! Check it out here Of the few things we have not move to our home yet is our old printer...hopefully we will soon be able to move new our new Clickinks. :)

Home Sweet Home

It is pretty neat being a homeowner now. We are going to take it slow with our move but it is already in progress! To distract myself for a little while from the move logistics I went the The Review Wire I found a cool giveaway to share! The Shabby Apple clothing gift card! Please check it out if you are so inclined :)

Mohawk Rugs

Since we are closing on our new home today my mind is on decorating our new place. I have been looking at area rugs...and now I have found Mohawk Rugs! Even better than find them...I have found a chance to win one! Check it out! :) She has a great blog. Sooo excited about my closing today! I am very glad I took the whole day off from work so I can focus on this!

HP Giveaway!

I currently have an HP printer which I love but has seen a couple more years than it probably needs to...wouldn't it be great to have a new one??!! Well there is! HP Photosmart 7510 e-All-in-One Printer *Giveaway ends April 25th* Hurry there isn't much time! :)

It has been a while...

Oh let me see what has happened in my life... Love my husband..that never seems to change...good thing huh?!!? :) like my job...had several co-worker changes that make me sad but hey that is just a part of life Became a "cat lady" at some point. Buying my first home! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (I am pretty excited about this as the closing is tomorrow!!!!) :) God is Good and is being quite good to me!

Towels and Bamboo!

I love good, solid, soft towels. I might be a bit of a towel snob. Lucky for me there are some quality stuff out there for me to covet! =) Bamboo Forever (which does more http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifthat just towels btw) is just the stuff I love! Even Better...one of thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif blogs I read, Two Classy Chics, is doing a giveaway of their towels!
Check both of them out! Good, quality products and good quality blogging! =)

Sweet!

So I love sweets! Not fruity or hard candies, I like the chocolate cake type sweets. Lucky for me, Pillsbury has some new yummy treats for people like me! Even better, Outnumbered 3 to 1 is doing a giveaway so you can try it out!
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Go here to check out the sweets and enter to giveaway!

We all need more fiber

I have been thinking about how to get more fiber in my diet now that protein is under control, and Leslie Loves Veggies has provided an excellent suggestion for how to get that fiber in: Konsyl Fiber Supplements sound like a great way to get http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifin that fiber:
Here is a link to more about Konsyl AND about how to get a prize package of Konsyl products through Leslie Loves Veggies!!


Enjoy your weekend!

Old Navy Giveaway

Family Centsability blog is doing an Old Navy Giveaway!!

http://familycentsability.blogspot.com/2011/08/2000-fan-giveaway.html

check it out!

Girard's Salad dressing

According to Leslie Loves Veggies "Girard’s is a premium quality line of dressings that was created in San Francisco by Chef Pierre Girard in 1939. Chef Girard started with a recipe for Original French dressing, and gradually added varieties. Girard’s dressings gained prominence for their premium quality and distinctive triahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifngular bottle"

I did not know about their dressings before this, but after going around their website I am amazed and really want to try it out.

good news for me (and you!) Leslie Loves Veggies is doing a giveaway!!

Click here to go to Leslie Loves Veggies.

Leslie Loves Veggies Giveaway!

One of my fav sites is doing another fantastic giveaway...this time for yummy and gluten free cookies by Lucy!! http://www.drlucys.com/.

The giveaway can be found HERE

Good luck all!

Leslie Loves Veggies

Just letting people know that one of my favorite bloggers is doing an exciting giveaway!

Cedar's Mediterranean Foods Prize Package Giveaway
Win a Prize Package containing a set of 12 totally FREE product coupons from Cedar's Mediterranean Foods - 3 Winners Giveaway at Leslie Loves Veggies Ends 2/4
Check it out here

While your there you should check out her other giveaways! =)

Why Paramount Pictures won't get my money.

You probably have already gotten a good picture about what I mean...

In the summer of 2008, as my husband and I were preparing for our move to Japan, we found this TV show called 'Avatar The Last Airbender' I remember hearing that the show was amazing, despite being a cartoon, originally geared toward children on the Nickelodeon station. By the time I saw it, the show had completed its run, so after returning to America in 2009, my husband and I rented the DVDs and immensely enjoyed the story Avatar told.
My interpretation of the show-
A boy name Aang from a Buddhist temple in some place like Nepal is chosen to be the next Avatar. He is the one person who is able to learn the ancient art of ‘bending’ of each of the four countries or cultures of the story’s world. The four nations each had the ability to ‘bend’ one of the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire, or Water. It was clear to me from the beginning that the all the nations were representation of Asian cultures, except Water, which represented the Inuit people or Eskimos. Fire nation is clearly Chinese, Earth is Korea, Air is Nepal. Each nation had warriors gifted in the use of ‘bending’ and used martial arts, clearly another culturally Asian practice. The people in the world of the TV show all read Chinese characters as well, completing the 100% Asian vibe of the show.

When I heard about Paramount Pictures making a motion picture of the TV show I loved I was ecstatic and immediately ran to learn who would play the roles of the characters I had loved on the show. I quickly came to realize that I could not watch this clearly racist movie. You heard me right, RACIST. I learned that all of the main characters, were to be played by white people. Even worse, at one point the main ‘villain’ of the show would be played by Jesse McCarthy…blond haired blue eyes pop singer, far from the Chinese Zuko of the show. When Jesse McCarthy was able to make the shooting dates as a result of tour date conflicts, the role of the villain Zuko was given to Dev Patel of Indian ancestry. That’s right, now all the good guys were white people, NOT Asian as in the popular TV show, but also the main villain, and now in fact the entire ‘bad’ nation are the only people of color in the film. This is just horrible. Are American and international audiences unable to accept Asian actors as hero’s and main character? I don’t believe this to be true, but I believe that Paramount Pictures thinks that casting white actors would be best.

Though I really wanted to watch this movie, I can not bear to support this company's racist actions by paying to see this film. I see this movie as teaching Americans a number of wrong messages. The TV show had it all right, the movie has it all wrong, and it is a true shame.


I soon found an organization that is protesting The Last Airbender movie and hopes to show Paramount Pictures that what they have done is indeed wrong. I hope other people will choose not to support this movie as I, and those at www.racebending.com, have.

Racebending Binder

Best Buy GC anyone?

Parent Trend is working with Underwriters Laboratories to encouraging fireplace safety in the home this holiday season. After reading the helpful tips below be sure to go to Parent Trend's website and comment to win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card.

1.Do NOT hang stockings in front of a burning fire. Remove them before using the fireplace.
2. Keep combustible materials such as greenery away from possible flames.
3. Be sure that your tree is 3+ feet away from the fireplace, radiator or heater.
4. Be sure to keep out of reach of children and extinguish any time you leave the room.
5. Recycle wrapping paper, NEVER throw it in the fire place!