How crazy is your clean?

 I'm no neat freak. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be, but I just can't do it. I have a hard time keeping up on the house itself, and my downfalls in cleaning?? They get overrun and then I'm begging the husband for help... its the dishes and the laundry... ughhh....  I don't think I'm ever caught up with the dishes and the laundry is just an endless cycle.

Kenmore has their "Crazy Cleaning Confessions" contest going on right now where you can submit a video to win the grand prize: the Kenmore Elite High Efficiency laundry pair, the first prize: Kenmore Elite Oasis High Efficiency laundry pair or the second prize: Kenmore Elite High Efficiency dishwasher. Can I convey how badly a dishwasher is needed around here?? Through September 6th, you can create a video that shows how crazy that you go for clean clothes and dishes!

To benefit Roots & Shoots, Kenmore is donating $5 for every video submitted and fifty cents for each one that's viewed! And of course, don't forget to vote for your favorite between September 11th and October 1st. Head over to Kenmore's YouTube channel to enter, or even just view and gain some awesome tips and tricks while you're at it!!
 




I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Kenmore and received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Menu Plan Monday

Its our last week before kindergarten starts... how things will change next week... its the end of an era, the beginning of a new one... and I've got to get focused!! There are a couple carryovers from last week since I wound up not making as much as I had planned on.

Recipes are below!!

Monday: Rotini with ham

Tuesday: Crockpot lasagna

Wednesday: Cilantro Chicken

Thursday: Enchilada casserole

Friday: Red Beans and Rice with Chicken Sausage

Saturday: Fall apart crockpot chicken

Sunday: BBQ'in at my parents!

Once again, breakfasts are usually cold cereal, oatmeal and sometimes Boug just wants toast and a banana! Lunches usually are leftovers or sandwiches paired with yogurt or fruit generally. My meals are usually a bit heavier in meats and chickens as hub is a butcher and brings so much home for free or next to nothing!! Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at orgjunkie!!

Rotini with Ham: (from myrecipes.com)
2 c. uncooked rotini
10 oz. frozen broccoli
1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 c. milk
6 oz. velveeta
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 c. chopped ham
salt/pepper/garlic powder to taste

Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add pasta; cook 5 minutes. Add broccoli; cook an additional 5 minutes or until pasta is done; drain. While pasta cooks, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a medium saucepan; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 8 minutes or until mixture is thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and next 4 ingredients (cheese through pepper). Combine pasta mixture, cheese sauce, and ham.

Crockpot Lasagna (from A Welcoming Heart)
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 jar(28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water
16 ounces cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Break noodles in half. Place half of the noodles in bottom of greased 4-quart slow cooker. Stir Italian seasoning into meat and spread half over the noodles already in slow cooker. Then layer half of the sauce and water, half of the cottage cheese, and half of mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours.Makes 6-8 servings. Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Cilantro Chicken
4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix lime juice, cilantro, garlic, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken and turn pieces to coat evenly. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Grill chicken over medium heat until no longer pink!

Enchilada Casserole (Thank you Org Junkie! Recipe from Taste of Home)
1 pound ground beef
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
1 cup salsa
6 flour tortillas (10 inch)
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in enchilada sauce and salsa; set aside.
Place two tortillas, overlapping as necessary, in the bottom of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cover with one-third of the meat mixture; top with 1 cup corn; sprinkle with 1-1/3 cups cheese. Repeat layers once, then top with remaining tortillas, meat and cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Red Beans & Rice w/ Chicken Sausage:
2 tbsp. A1
2 tbsp. Heinz 57
2 tbsp. Worsterchire sauce
2 onions
2-3 cans red kidney beans
1 package smoked sausage (I use chicken smoked sausage w/ cheese & garlic!)

Put all sauces in the bottom of the crockpot. Chop onions and put on top of the sauce, then beans on top of that and then chicken sausage. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Stir will and serve over rice.

Fall Apart Crockpot Chicken: (crockpot!! from Hillbilly Housewife)
3-4 chicken breast
1 stick butter
1 packet Italian dressing mix
8 oz. package cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup (I'm going to try cream of mushroom this week...)
1/2 can water

Bake chicken, butter, dressing mix in crockpot for 3-4 hours, shred chicken and add cream cheese, cream of chicken soup and water til heated through. I server over egg noodles.

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Twist up your water!

So far with the Kickoff to Kindergarten, I've let you know a few great ways to add super snacks to super lunch boxes, but what about beverages?? Do you think that the kiddos want to have the same ol' boring juice boxes or water everyday?? I don't think so...

Twist Organics are great waters that have a simple hint of juice, they're the perfect addition to the lunch!! I'd much rather have Boug bring these to school then the juice boxes or pouches that masquerade as fruit juice and they're really only 10% juice. Twist Organics is available in six flavors- lemon, mandarin white tea, mango acai, pomegranate blueberry, west indies lime and wild strawberry. Boug decided that her favorite flavor was the pomegrantate blueberry, where I loved the west indies lime and the hub said he needed to put the mandarin white tea in his own lunchbox!

Twist does offer other flavors that are not certified organic, but they sound delicous none the less- flavors like marionberry, mandarin, peach and lemon!! They even have Twist Fusion that are those "functional" waters, like satsuma tangerine for energy, strawberry kiwi for power and others!

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A lesson in confidence with Veggie Tales

Veggie Tales have been around for a while now, but for some reason we didn't have any DVDs in our collection until we received Minnesota Cuke and the search for Noah's Umbrella, thanks to FRN.

About Minnesota Cuke and the search for Noah's Umbrella:

Larry the Cucumber is Minnesota Cuke, a children's museum curator and part-time detective hired to find the famous Noah's Ark. But his search gets complicated when he learns of Noah's mysterious and powerful umbrella ... and a clever villain who wants it for his own selfish gain! Will Minnesota find the confidence to continue the search, face the villain and protect the umbrella -- or will all hope of finding the Ark be washed away for good?

I love that the package says right on it: A lesson in confidence. That's one of those things that is so important to instill in our kids. And to be able to do it with a movie that they love- wonderful!! Both Boug and Lil' Buddy had such fun watching Minnesota Cuke and the search for Noah's Umbrella! Boug's favorite though was the bonus features, where you can learn how to draw Minnesota Cuke!!

They even have a challenge going on where you can win $1000 in Veggie Tales DVDS! Help Minnesota Cuke find Noah's umbrella to be entered in to win!

Minnesota Cuke and the search for Noah's Umbrella is available at the Big Idea site or from Amazon.com

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program for Big Idea, who supplied the DVD for review.

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Snazz up for school with Doodle and Goo!

Even though we spend gobs of money to get the wardrobe together for the school year, there just has to be something special for that first week of school. Doodle and Goo had that something special for my Boug!!

The "Kindergarten Rock Star" purple tee shirt that Boug got from Doodle and Goo is one of the most fitting tee's for her that I've seen out there!! There's just something too cute about a rockin' 5 year old with a jewel embellished shirt!The "Rock Star" shirts aren't only for the kindergarteners, Jodi from Doodle and Goo, has made these great tees available from pre-school all the way up to high school!!

There's so many cute things available at Doodle and Goo to choose from, and they're all destined to make your sweetie look great! Beautiful couture clothing, tutu's and adorable accessories are bound to make all girlies happy!! There's even choices for the princes in your life- I love the little man tie tees! Too cute!

You can get 25% off of all hand painted princess jeans and ruffle bottom pants when you use promo code LAUNCH at checkout!!

Want to win a custom crystal tee shirt?? Head over to Doodle and Goo and let me know your favorite item in the shop! Get thinking of what you'd put on your custom tee and who you would give it to!!

Extra Entries??
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If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Make sure you include the link!! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com

This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Tuesday, September 8th. Giveaway open to residents of the US only please. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win??

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A Pop Culture Staple::: The Simpsons

Can you even believe that The Simpsons have been on for 21 seasons?!?! That's like an eternity in tv time!! The Simpsons are an iconic piece of pop culture, and I'm super stoked that season 12 is out on DVD! Even my husband is ridiculously excited about this one, I love that we have a show that we both love... but honestly, who DOESN'T love The Simpsons? I mean, they're one of those shows that even if you've never owned a tv, you'd know who they are.

The 12th season of The Simpsons has 21 great episodes spanning 2000 into 2001. Of course the "Treehouse of Horror XI," "Lisa the TreeHugger," "Worst Episode Ever," "New Kids on the Blecch," and other great, classic episodes. Could I pick a favorite episode from season 12? Probably not... There's just too many great ones, its just too hard. Not with guest stars like Drew Barrymore, Ed Norton (*drool*), Pete Sampras, Justin Timberlake and others.

Not only are the four discs loaded with hilarious episodes of The Simpsons, they've got a ton of great bonus material on them! Deleted scenes, commentaries with producers, crew, cast and others, animation showcases, illustrated commentaries and more! I think that no matter what, with every dvd, my favorite bonus is always the deleted scenes!!

The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season is definitely a DVD collection staple!!

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Fab lunches with Fabkins!

An easy way to do a little part in helping the environment is to switch over to cloth napkins. We've been doing our part here at home, but why should that stop when the kids go to school? And why should it not be fun?

Fabkins are a great way to help make being tidy and neat a fun task- I feel like whenever we use paper napkins, I'm always begging Boug to wipe her face. With the Fabkins, she's so antsy to use her cloth napkins that her face is never dirty!! I know that packing Fabkins in her lunchbox, I won't be sitting home worrying if she has mustard stuck on her face or jelly in the corner of her mouth.There are different styles of Fabkins available to choose from, like the prima ballerina, xtreme sports, fruit salad, african safari and others, your kiddo isn't going to have the boring napkins at the lunch table!

They're an easy way to keep your kid eco-friendly and saving yourself a bit of money in the process! The packages and packages of paper napkins add up!! Fabkins is even available for fundraising opportunites with your childs school!

Don't forget to use code FreeShip at checkout for free shipping on orders of 2 sets or more!!

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Stick your shoes under!!

When getting organized for back to school, don't you realize how many shoes your kids have? And to think that you just bought them 3 new pairs for the new school year? And they'll probably con you into buying a few more before the spring rolls back around... keep them organized with Shoes Under!

Shoes Under™ from TELEBrands is a great way to organize not just shoes, but clothes, accessories, crafts and collectables by maximizing the unused space under your bed or in your closet. It’s very affordable, holds 12 pairs of shoes and features a clear zippered cover. Shoes Under is available at www.shoesunder.com and exclusively at leading retailers including Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, and CVS with a suggested retail price of $10.00.

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Crunch Your Fruit!!

Snacks to fill the lunchboxes are one of those necessities for school, but you don't want them to get bored with them... or have them get traded to other kids, so you've got to keep the kids interested! Being able to put great, healthy and fun snacks in the lunchbox are a great way to make sure that the kids are eating what you've packed for them!

Funky Monkey Snacks are a great line of freeze dried, all natural, and 100% fruit snacks! Each 1 ounce bag contains 3 servings of fruit- I love it because I know how Boug can shovel away snacks, and I'm able to know that she's getting in her fruit!!

Boug was kind enough to share with me, but I had to beg... we tried out the Purple Funk first, which has acai in it. Acai's one of those fruits that are all the rage now and I can see why- it's stinkin' delicious!! Though as much as I liked the Purple Funk, it wasn't my favorite, I definitely fell in love with the Bananamon. The organic banana and organic cinnamon is so perfect together!!

We're loving Funky Monkey cause they have no added colors, flavors, perservatives or sugars. They're gluten free and certified Kosher. You can really see the quality in the fruits that they use when you open up the package of Funky Monkey Snacks!!

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WaiverWire for the fantasy football fan in your life!!

Who is the football fan in your life? You husband, father, son, brother, uncle... even yourself?? I know how annoyed that my husband gets because I'm into football almost as much as he is, but he's the one who plays the fantasy games and does the football pools.

WaiverWire is the new place for the men in your life to compete with fantasy football, with so much information so that they can win their fantasy leagues! WaiverWire is loaded with fantasy football draft software, fantasy football news, fantasy football analysis, a forum to chat on, tons of resources for research, they can even check out over 100 local NFL team news feeds! There's so much more available that I could probably go on for a while letting you know.

Now my husband is a football fan, specifically the Minnesota Vikings, but he's vowed not to watch football for the next two years, besides the Super Bowl, since Minnesota took Brett Favre. But I know that he won't be giving up his fantasy leagues and I know that WaiverWire is going to be a great site for him!! He loves his fantasy football, and hopefully WaiverWire can give him the "one up" that he needs to whoop his buddies butts!!

With WaiverWire being created by guys who left Wall St. to build this site, you know that it's quality because it's something that they're passionate about!! Make sure you head over to WaiverWire before the pre-season is over and the real season starts!!

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Quantity over Quality??

With so much surrounding the blogosphere, particularly the "mommy blogs," where does everything stand and why? We've gone from grown ass women who wanted a place to express ourselves and gain friendships, to banning each other from forums, attacking each other verbally and much more. Where did we go wrong?

Even Amy over at MomSpark.net did an awesome job putting it into words about "blogger status"- better than I could have ever done.

Point of the matter is- when status and a "who's who" of sorts comes into play, people get ugly. Crap like- "I can't believe this one scored that, That bitch is undeserving, she's a bad mom... blah blah blah..." The greed is disgusting, the entitlement is enough to make you sick and want to walk away from the blogosphere forever. It feels like the only way that you wont get lumped into the "mommy blogger" subtitle is to just quit at times.

Here's the thing... (taking from Amy/MomSpark's topic)... When the other bloggers see the same people getting chosen over and over and over for campaigns and special status and events, its frustrating, yes... but what do these ladies have?? Is it their charming personality? I think not. I'm almost certain that its readership. So the ladies who get thousands upon thousands upon thousands of readers each month, who also have thousands and thousands of twitter followers and whatnot, are the ones who get preferential treatment? Do you think that all of those people are considered "quality" in their lives? Doubtful.

I love my status, which I'm not even sure what it is, but I love where I am in the blogosphere. I love the friendships that I've made, the people that I've met and the people that I will continue to meet. Because honestly, I didn't throw a bot out to get all my twitter followers. I didn't throw some "subscribers only" fancy pants giveaway. I'm me. If you want to subscribe, I'll be happy that you did and I'll look forward to your comments on my site, but I won't force you to be a subscriber. I wont force you to join my facebook page and I wont spam your inbox with lots of requests to boost me up in the interwebz.... But what I will do, is I'll be here. If you want to read, I'll be here. If you want to comment, I'll be here. If you respect my opinion, I'll be here. Because I like where I am, I like my QUALITY readers, I love my QUALITY friendships. I may not have the same QUANTITY of subscribers or twitter followers, but my pals are QUALITY. And that my friends, is a more special status than being a "numbered mom," some sort of "insider" or an "a list blogger chick."

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Frecklebox... FreckleROCKS!!

If you've read A Couch With A View for any length of time, you know I'm a sucker for personalization... so of course, I'm quite happy to be able to include Frecklebox in the Kickoff to Kindergarten!!

Frecklebox has got to have seriously some of the best personalized items that I've ever seen. When we did the MEGA Review with Frecklebox for Extraordinary Mothers, we were able to check out their personalized books and even a surprise puzzle and we were just so happy with the results. This time around, Boug was able to pick out a personalized folder and notebook for her to bring to kindergarten with her!!

The choices are not only adorable for the littler kids, but there are some great designs for the older kids as well. Even I'd like to have the zebra print notebook and I'm 27!! Boug picked the butterflies and I adore them... they're so vibrant and bright. Her notebook is definitely going to stand out amongst the others!! The quality is awesome, they seem like they will be quite durable for Boug and how destructive I know that she can be!!

Frecklebox isn't just for school supplies or books though, they have lots of great products like their personalized lunchboxes, placemats, posters, growth charts and more! And you can't help but love that their books are eco-friendly- printed on recyled paper!

Want to win your choice of item from Frecklebox?? Head over to the site and let me know your favorite item! Who would you personalize it for??

Extra Entries??
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Follow Frecklebox on twitter.
Add my text link to you blogroll- http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/
Post my button on your blog.
Post about this giveaway on your blog!
If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Make sure you include the link!! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com

This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Tuesday, September 8th. Giveaway open to residents of the US only please. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win??

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Get Funky With It!!

When you're looking to up your environmental responsibility, you can head to Funky Green Machine to snag up some of the best stuff!! Everything at Funky Green Machine is organic, all-natural, cruelty free or ethically made. Its a great place to shop for so much that can make you a more environmentally and socially responsible person.

A great way to make a difference in your day to day life, I think, is to start with the kids. I feel like its harder to change your ways once they're set than it is to just do something from the get go. Basically my thoughts are to not let the kids know that there's a choice in being responsible, that its just the way that it is!

Boug will be responsible with the Klean Kanteen stainless steel bottle in her lunchbox instead of a juice box or a bottled water, thanks to Funky Green Machine! The 18 oz. size is perfect for her small hands and BPA-free, non-leeching and eco-friendly is awesome!

Funky Green Machine not only carries great products like the Klean Kanteen, they have everything from furniture to feeding, from dog shampoo to mens skincare and so much more!!

You can get 20% off of your purchase from Funky Green Machine by entering welovecouches in your shopping bag at checkout!! This code will be good through the end of September!! And you can't forget that shipping is only $7.95 and orders of $100 or more get free shipping!

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Saving on school lunches with Grocery Outlet!

Did you know that from grades Kindergarten through 5th, you'll make over 1,200 school lunches?? That's a heck of a lot, and though I'm no stranger to making lunches (I make the hub's every day) I am new to making kids school lunches. I've got this sinking feeling that its going to be expensive... with a capital E.

Saving money on packing up the lunches is something to strive for, because nowadays, we're not all made of money and though we like to think we are, when its time to pay the bills and balance the checkbook, we realize we aren't!

Save on packing school lunches by...

• Buying the larger containers and portioning yourself into reusable containers. Convenience packaging is far more expensive.
• Stick to your list!! Make sure you're using a grocery list and don't buy on impulse. Check the sales and use your coupons!
• Involve the kids- no one wants to see things come back home that the kids were supposed to eat for lunch. Make them more prone to eating all of their lunch by letting them help make the decisions to what's going in there! Make a list and let them circle their choices for their lunches.
• Keep it fun! Use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches, let kids make cracker sandwiches, use wraps from time to time. Even cereal in a cereal container can be a welcome change for lunch!
• Shop discount stores! Places like Grocery Outlet are a great way to make your money go further by costing about 50% less than conventional retailers.

How jealous am I that there isn't a Grocery Outlet around me?? They're only in a few states, so keep that in mind when you enter into this giveaway!! Grocery Outlet is in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. You can check for a location near you on their website. I also have to send out a big thanks to the Grocery Outlet Bargainistas for the great savings tips!
Want to win a $100 Grocery Outlet gift card?? Just leave a comment here with your favorite school-days, money saving, lunchbox addition!!

Extra Entries??
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Follow GroceryOutlet on twitter.
Add my text link to you blogroll- http://acouchwithaview.blogspot.com/
Post my button on your blog.
Post about this giveaway on your blog!
If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Make sure you include the link!! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com

This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Tuesday, September 8th. Giveaway open to residents of the US only please. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win??

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How cute is Hatley??

I'm not a perfect mom.
I have a hard time relaxing about certain things.
One of those, is clothing. I freak out over stains. I lose my mind over mis-matches. Though I despise laundry, I won't even think about letting the hub try and do it.

See, my husband would rather just throw whatever on the kids (no honey- those pinks don't match) and call it a day. So when I find coordinating pieces that are affordable, durable and cute as heck, I've got to roll with it! I've even gotten into the act of rubber banding outfits together so that if he gets the kids dressed, matching tops and bottoms are basically attached to each other.

Hatley's new lines are absolutely under the categories durable, affordable and cute as heck. There's no denying that!! Boug got the most adorable "pink bears" outfit from Hatley and I'm patiently waiting for it to be cool enough to put her in this outfit. Something about a rich brown and a sweet pink paired together for little girls is just such a perfect color combo!! The brown corderroy jumper that's embroidered with a pink adirondack bear, with a pair of pink leggings that have the same brown adirondack bears on them- Irresistable! They even have pajama sets in the line too!

Can't forget that the fall is coming, which means for us here in upstate NY (among other places)- rainy weather, and Hatley has a promo perfect for that! Buy any raincoat, rain boots and umbrella to receive $10 off of your order! The Wild Horses lined raincoat and matching boots are so sweet and Boug's already been eyeballin' them... and not to leave out her little brother, the Bear Country infant raincoat is what she wants to get for her brother!! (all together now... awhhh... she's thoughtful!!)

Don't forget to use promo code SHIP45 for free shipping on orders over $45!! You can also enter into the Hatley Rainy Day Contest at the site!

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Can I Vent?

To be honest, we aren't very well off.
We live modestly.
We've either worked really hard for all that we have (which isn't much) or we've gotten lucky and have had family or friends that have given us stuff. I mean, my tv's, my couch, my dining room table- yeah, all given to me by my parents when they were moving, redecorating and whatnot.

So with our move coming up soon enough, and the landlord wanting to show this place during the month of September, we need to get things organized, start packing and purge, purge, purge. The hub has an aweful habit of also just bringing home things that friends of his or co-workers are just trying to throw away or giveaway. We've got tons of electronics stuff out in the garage that we have no need for that I've finally convinced him to get rid of. His mother gives us stuff that isn't our style or that we don't have space for... that stuff will be purged too.

So trying to be a good person, maybe up my karma points or something, I list this stuff on freecycle and craigslist, for FREE... 2 small tables, a chair, 3 computer monitors, a printer, a scanner, a bike, a pressure washer... for FREE... I mean someone who is just starting out is bound to need something, someone who fell on hard times might need something, who knows.

But if something is for FREE, how can you be picky?? Either you take it or you don't. I'm about to put it out to the curb with a big FREE sign, just to get it out of my garage so that I can pull the listings off of the sites because people asking questions about how old things are, what the serial numbers are, will they be compatible with this... I dont know!! Don't ask me!!! Its FREE!! If you want it, come and take it, try it out on your own!! I'm not a secretary, I'm not a personal assistant. I put up the information that I had and thats that....

BLAH!!!!!!!!!! Ya try and do something nice and it comes back to bite ya in the ass....

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truTV::: Not Reality- Actuality.

truTV is one of those channels that I wish my itty-bitty, rinky-dink cable company offered, but I'm not that lucky. We'll be moving next month and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I find it on the channel list for the new cable company, or dish, or whatever we get!!

I'm a fan of reality television, but a lot of todays reality tv isn't actually reality. Ladies competing for millionaires? In reality, that doesn't happen the way they protray it. People being roommates? Again, in reality, it doesn't happen that way. truTV doesn't like to call itself reality. They call themselves "actuality." Which makes so much more sense!!

But these are real videos on truTV, so sometimes you have to watch with caution. I've been getting my fix online since I don't get the channel.

I love this video from World's Wildest Vacation Videos with the fish!! It cracks me up every single time that I watch it!! Even Boug will watch this one with me and just crack up. Isn't it funny??


Though I've watched lots of other videos from truTV, one of them is from World's Wildest Vacation Videos and the guy is bungee jumping... I'm scared of heights, so it freaks me out regardless... but then he keeps falling!!! Thank goodness that there is something there to catch him, or else that could have been really, really bad.... kinda like the video clip of the "Sore Luger" from truTV and The Smoking Gun. The only word that I have for that one is- "Ow."

Do you get truTV at your house?? Do you watch it??

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Wordless Wednesday

Almost 2 years ago, sharing cake... My little angel face girl is getting so big!!

For more WW, make sure you hit up Extraordinary Mothers, 5M4M and the hub!

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$5 Season Specials

Do you download shows or movies and watch them on your computer??

Right now Amazon.com has $5 Seasons specials going on, and there are some really great shows listed!! You can download seasons of Heros, The Office, 30 Rock, Top Chef, Saved by the Bell, Friday Night Lights and more!!

If you have Amazon codes lying in your account, this is a great way to spend them!! Even if you don't $5 is pretty dang affordable to be able to watch a season of a great show!! Check out the Amazon $5 Seasons specials before they go away!!

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Happy School Year's Eve!!

With the first day of school quickly approaching, I keep thinking how we should celebrate sending Boug off to kindergarten, if at all. But when you think about it, school year's eve is a lot like New Year's eve... with resolutions, hopes, wishes, plans.

Cookie Magazine and the PTA is helping you with putting together the School Year's Eve festivities!! You can head to the School Year's Eve site to plan your party with their tools, tips, and even enter to win $1,500 for your school or PTA unit.

The resources at the site are so valuable!! There's tons of links that can get you headed on the right foot for the school year!

Now, since Boug doesn't really have many friends that are headed to Kindergarten with her this year (yet), our School Year's Eve celebration will probably just be an intimate one with our family.

But my School Year's Eve resolutions, that's a whole 'nother story... I've got a list a mile long. First and foremost, I need to not get so frustrated when trying to help Miss Boug... Sometimes its hard, being 27 years old and already knowing these things, finding the words to explain it to Boug is tough at times. I also need to make our family time count a bit more. With the hub working til 7 pm most nights, and school night bedtime being 8:30, I need to make the little bit of family time we'll have in the evenings go a bit farther, be a bit more "quality."

What are your plans for School Year's Eve?? What are your resolutions for this upcoming school year??

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Love Your Stuff with Built NY

Seems like every so often something new comes on the scene that is irresistable, and that's exactly how I feel about the line of products by Built. Made of neoprene their products are perfect for toting your stuff around and protecting it at the same time!

Boug loves the Fugu lunch tote from Built, and although she seems to think its hers, I think her dad has other ideas for it. We love the way that the neoprene stretches and that the bottle compartment is seperate!

Built has a huge line of great, sturdy product that range from baby bibs to oven mitts, from wine totes to laptop sleeves.

Neoprene is so cool because not only does it expand to fit what you need it to, it insulates your foods and drinks for up to 4 hours, it has soft grib handles and it stores flat so not to take up too much space when empty! (Not like my husbands lunchbox, which is actually a cooler... ughh....) And what I love the most- its machine washable!

You can browse Built's line of products and purchase here!

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Lunchtime Snackin'!

I can't believe I'm going to be packing Boug's lunchbox for Kindergarten in just like 2.5 weeks!! Its crazy!! I want to send her with healthy snacks that will fuel her for the day, not sugary stuff that will have her running on empty before you know it.

Kashi's products are perfect to pack into a reusable container to head to school with! Though we already love starting our days with the warm cinnamon oat Heart to Heart cereal, the TLC Crackers are super to pair with some cheese as a healthy snack! We love how they're all natural and minimally processed! Loaded with SEVEN whole grains, they're an easy way to know that we're eating better than we used to!

Another awesome easy snack idea is the Fruitabu organic products! Boug just loves the twirls and flats since they're fun to eat and I love them because they contain a half serving for fruit in each one. Stretch Island Fruit Co. also has some of the best fruits in their line of Fruitabu products, like apple, grape, raspberry, and others! They have no sugars added, all the sugars are natural from the fruit itself, which makes me feel great about giving them to her!

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Send them to school with Zak

When searching for school supplies, lunchboxes and containers top the list. Each kid's different personality has something different that appeals to them and Zak! Designs is a great place to find something for everyone!

Zak! Designs offers all the characters that your kid wants to take along with them! Their products are not only fun, they're functional!! Characters like Transformers, Toy Story, Disney, Yo Gabba Gabba, Spongebob, iCarly, the Jonas brothers and so much more, there's everyone's favorites!

To complement their lunch bags, they also have the EZ-Freeze Cool Bites that make packing lunches easier. Not only can you put a snack inside of the freezer container, it helps to keep the rest of the lunch cool too!

Zak! Designs offers stuff for the whole family too, like baby dinnerware and all sorts of homegoods. So maybe while you have some free time when the kids are at school, you'll start organizing with Zak's storage cubes or get caught up on your dinner prep with the measuring spoons and cups! You can find out where to buy Zak! Designs products on their website, from online retailers to your favorite local stores!

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Battle the back to school bug with Kleenex!

My own mother has already warned me, one of the first things thats going to happen when Boug starts Kindergarten is she's going to get a cold. Which means then I'll get it, then Lil' Buddy and the hub. And what sucks the most, is we're all battling a cold right now and school hasn't even started yet!!!

Around here, with the classroom supply lists, most of our schools say to provide one box of tissues for the classroom. Good thinking, that way the classroom always has tissues on hand, but I'm thinking we should all be providing the best tissues to stop germs from spreading. Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissue is what I'll be giving to the classroom this year!!

What an easy way to help keep the kids a bit healthier, to just switch from rough, dollar store brands of tissue to Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissue!! Keeping the kids healthy means less days out of school, keeping up on the schoolwork, mom and dad not getting sick, not missing work... do I need to keep going??

Want to win a $50 gift card and Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissues?? Just leave a comment here with how you plan on "Battling the Bug" this season!! Visit www.BattleTheBug.com and let me know how many bugs have been spotted in your state!!

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If you don't have a blog, you can gain extra entries by emailing a friend about this giveaway! Just CC me in your email! caseyscouch@yahoo.com

This giveaway will accept entries until 11:59 pm on Tuesday, September 8th. Giveaway open to residents of the US only please. Winner will be drawn with random.org and emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hours to winning email or a new winner will be drawn. Please make sure that your email is accessible, whether in the comment or a blogger profile, cause if I cant contact you, how can you win??

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