6 Things I can NOT live without in 2013

I don't blog much, but when I do, it's because-hey!- I've got something to say!!
I have found myself a much happier "me" lately and thought I'd write a blog post on some of my favorite things that are helping me achieve my fitness goals as well as a few products that make me feel spoiled-rotten-good!

So, folks, from left to right.....here you go!
1.  Special K Oats and Honey cereal - SOOO good and doesn't get soggy in milk (which is my pet peeve!) I envy people who can sit down and nosh on a bowl of grape nuts and one- not break their teeth and two-not add sugar.  I need a sweet cereal that doesn't get soggy and is good for me and this does the trick!

2.  Kroger brand's version of Carnation Instant Breakfast.  Judge me.  It's packed with vitamins and perfect for me and my kids when mornings are crazy.  And less than 1/2 the cost of the name brand stuff.

3.  Pantene Silky Moisture Whip mousse.  It's a moisturizer and it's not one of those mousse's that dries hard or anything.  It just makes my hair more manageable.

4.  Yankee Candle's Yuletide candle.  I bought quite a few of these during their 50-75% off holiday clearance sale.  Doesn't smell "Christmas-y" at all.  It's a good mix of spice and maybe candy?  Not sure.  Either way, if you come to my house anytime in the next 12 months, it will smell like this.

5.  Shea Cocoa Body Butter by Sugarbones.  Made out of her house, using only 7 all-natural ingredients, this stuff is amazing for my skin!  I put it on my elbows, hands, knees...etc.  and it lasts ALL day!  For only $5 per jar, it lasts forever!  If you want some, just let me know and I'll give you her number!  She is right here in Richmond!

6.  Last but not least, Sea Salt Edamame.  I pretty much hate vegetables, but I could eat these all day long!  My kids and I have fun popping the seeds out and devouring them!

Valentine Swap 2011- Alex - Thank you Jennifer!

This was Alex's first ever blog swap! She was so excited she got to participate!

Jennifer C. had Alex and it's like she KNEW her or something! Crazy! Alex's favorite thing in the whole wide world is C-A-N-D-Y! Yeesh- to be able to eat all that candy and not gain a pound! Anyhow, Jennifer's swap gift to Alex was PERFECT and I took pictures of everything for you!

Alex wanted me to give a "totes"- (teenage slang for "totally")"cool" shout out to Jennifer for getting her such a great Valentine swap gift!

I did cover up the addresses with some paper when I took the picture, but it just looks prettier with hearts :)

Look at that packaging! The note inside said "Dear Alex, Welcome to your first blog swap! I hope you enjoy these little goodies and I also hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day!"

After she opened the tissue paper, this was what was right on top! Some cut window clings and Peeps hearts!

Alex with her window clings (which are so proudly displayed on my front door right now!)

Some Jolly Rancher gummies and the Peeps!

This is so funny- I just noticed that every picture I took looks exactly the same-except this one- Skittles and Starburst are Alex's favorite candy in the whole wide world! Can you tell??!!

An adorable little hair brush, some lip gloss and a rockin' pair of fuzzy socks!

Some great smelling body lotion and a couple of scrubbies! Thank the LORD! I've never seen anyone go through scrubbies like this girl!

And what do you think was on the bottom of the box? Yep- you guessed it!

Thank you so much Jennifer! You rock! -From: Alex

Valentines Swap 2011 - Thank You Denise!!!!!

This is my third blog swap I have participated in and I am SO happy to report that this one (like the others before them) did NOT disappoint! Denise had me, so I already knew I was in for a treat! Not to mention I got an email beforehand saying that she insured the package (because there was glass), so I was SUPER excited!

Today, my daughter's school was closed because of a student holiday, so Alex came to work with me. I get out at 12 noon, and when we pulled in the driveway, there were TWO boxes on the front porch! So, it was REALLY cool that we both received our swap gifts at the same time! We ripped into those boxes like the two silliest, giddiest girls you've ever seen! Lol!

So, this first post is what I received from Denise-

(I did some creative editing to hide our addresses)

Look at that creative packaging! My son wanted to play with it so bad! The note inside said-

"Enclosed are a few yummy treats for your family! AND something for you to display it on!"

Ok, so this picture doesn't even show you how beautiful the display stand is! No wonder she got it insured! I already have it displayed on my kitchen table! I absolutely love it! There is also some yummy cookie mix, frosting, sprinkles, a goodie bag with some of my FAVORITE candies (I love peppermint patties!) and a set of Wilton heart shaped cookie cutters! I am definitely making these sometime this week!

Thank you SO MUCH Denise! You seriously made my day!

DEXTER

So, I watch The Bachelor, The Office, Outsourced, American Idol and I can now definitely say that I am seriously the BIGGEST fan of Dexter! Yea...I know...it can get a little raunchy at times (Debra and her filthy mouth!), but I am willing to overlook that because the story is just SO unique and intriguing! I have watched season one and tonight, Eddie and I will finish watching season 2! I have literally been on pins and needles since last night! Why haven't I started watching this show sooner?! Oh yea...that's right. I don't subscribe to Showtime! Lol!

If you haven't watch it, basically, the premise is that Dexter is a serial killer who works for the Miami Metro Police Dept. as a blood analyst. He only kills bad guys, though. (you know...because that's "ok"). Anyhow, I am literally on the edge of my seat at the end of EVERY single episode and I just want to keep watching!

Anyhow, I just had to say that! Lol!

This week was really busy. February is gonna be a crazy busy month! I am getting all kinds of crafty over here for Valentines Day!

My all time favorite craft site is Tipjunkie.com . I get SO much inspiration from that lady and all her crafts!

My friend and I are going to be teaching some couponing seminars this Spring, so all of you Richmonders who would like to learn to coupon, but find it a little overwhelming, be on the look out! We are going to make it REAL easy for you :) I have been thinking about doing this for quite some time, but lately, I've just gotten a TON of folks asking me to teach them how to do what I do, so I thought...."why not?" I LOVE saving money and I love sharing deals with others so that they can save money as well :)

To be continued....... ;)

Hello..My name is Toni...and I STINK at blogging!

The first step is admitting it, right??!! Lol!!!

It's just not something I think of doing in my spare time- AT ALL! Usually if I have spare time, I am cleaning my house, organizing my coupons- for probably the millionth time that week- or playing with my kids.

By the way, Alex is 13 now! A full-blown teenager! Luckily, she is so not into boys or anything. She would MUCH rather have candy, clothes, shoes....all the "girly" stuff ! I DREAD the day she puts boys in front of all of that! She is a handful, though! She is just like me when I was her age! She is constantly playing jokes and pranks on people. Some of them are great, some of them are....well....not. One night, she and her friends ran around the neighborhood at like 10pm "ding-dong ditching" people's houses. hilarious, right? (pardon my sarcasm) On a lighter note, she is so tall! Mind you, she just turned 13 a few weeks ago and she is 5ft. 8! She TOWERS over me! She wears a womens 11/5 shoe size! Unfortunately, she hates basketball (because the shorts are too long and ugly--go figure!), but is open to the idea of volleyball. Some teachers have told me that with her height, she could play on the high school volleyball team in 8th grade next year! Which reminds me, I need to call school about the try-out process for that!

Aron will be 3 in April!! He is so stinkin' smart that it scares me! He can spell his name, tell me his b-day, recognize all of the alphabet letters AND their sounds and oh...I could just go on! One thing that is REALLY setting us back is potty training! I have tried everything and he would much rather just go in his diaper. At first he wouldn't go because he said the seat was cold. Sorry dude. The children's potty's don't come with seat warmers.....man up or stand! Well, that didn't work too well. Bribery was next. I offered to make him an entire cake just for himself! Nope! That didn't work either. I know I should wait until he is "ready", but he goes to preschool with me and he will be held back if he is not potty trained :( It's not a punishment or anything....the 3-year old preschool room doesn't have a changing table. So, until he is potty trained, he will have to stay in the 2-year old room :( Hopefully he will WANT to do it when he sees his friends moving on. We'll see.

And yes, I am still the lead Pre-K teacher at my school. It will be a year on 2/11 that I have been there. I opened the school and it has been really cool to see it grow so much. I go in at 6:30am and leave at 12noon. Eddie brings Aron to school at 8am on his way to work. That makes for a crazy morning for him every day, but he manages. I still work one day a week at the YMCA. I have been working there for 3 years this year! I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE working there! I will never leave that place!

That's about all I can think of for now. I am really going to try to get back into this. If nothing else, just once a week!

I think the most challenging part for me is uploading the pictures. Why can't I just import a picture from my computer? I HATE that I have to switch it to HTML format and THEN import it. That is super time consuming!

So, thought I'd throw in some random photos that took me about 20 minutes to put in here! Enjoy!

Aron- marveling at my beautiful painting at the Y! HAHA!

Alex- at Christmas time

Me- Can I ever have just a picture of just me? Nope.

A fun little giveaway!

A friend of mine over at Shop-Leah is having a really great giveaway to get her business started!
Since her business is fairly new, your chances of winning are really good!
Click HERE to enter!!!
Good luck and let me know if you win!

Free Pants!

Do you watch the Superbowl like all of the other MILLIONS of people?
Well, I do. And I have to admit, it's not my absolute favorite thing to watch, but I do it out of obligation :) I would be much happier watching the most recent episode of The Bachelor ;)
Anyways, I am REALLY excited about this year's Superbowl! Wanna know why??
Because you can score some FREE Dockers pants if you keep your eye fine-tuned for their commerical!
The first 2010 people who register HERE immediately following the commercial will win a free pair of Dockers!
They will email you the code to use on Dockers.com!
Don't forget, they also sell womens pants, too!
Good luck and let me know if you win!