We're At the End! Please Be Safe!

Good afternoon to my FABULOUS readers! It's the end of the year post and I hope that everyone will be celebrating safely on this evening. AAA is offering free towing from 6pm to 6am (check with your local AAA) and I know in some cities public transportation offers free rides, so please take advantage if you find that you are too impaired to drive. Please do not take chances with your life or the lives of others. Never think it can't happen to you, or you've done it before or you're in control. It's not worth it! Take advantage of the free transportation services. You only get one life.

I must say that I have truly had a good year. It may not have been perfect but I plan to go into the next year with higher heights in life emotionally and spiritually. I look forward to enjoying life to the fullest. I'm grateful for all that has happened and my increased faith. I'm thankful for those who have took the time to stop by and read my blog. I'm thankful for my beautiful family and wonderful friends. I thank God for my rainbows during my rainstorms. I'm thankful for shelter, food and clothing. I'm thankful for all of God's miracles and all that He has done and has yet to do.

So on that note, I want to wish everyone an awesomely blessed, prosperous, and safe New Year. Always find a song to sing when it's raining and find a reason to smile even though it's cloudy. Complaining don't make the situation no better and it don't make God move no faster.

May God Bless You All!!!

Carla Mason-Dubose

Got my First Free Sample!

Hello to my FABULOUS readers!! I hope that everyone is having a great week. I must say this week is going by pretty fast and to top it off, I think my little munchkin gave me her sickness (she's so sweet!) I'm all stuffed up and it's making me so miserable. I've been doctoring myself with cold meds and cough drops. Hopefully I'll be okay by Sunday. I'm supposed to be singing at a concert, so I hope I'm feeling better.

But onto other news....I hope you are visiting a few of my favorite blogs sweeptight.com; pennypinchingpolly on Facebook and justmarriedwithcoupons.com.  Also checkout Melinda's Sparkling Creations on Facebook, savingstar.com and freeflys.com. These are sites that I visit often and you can find some really great deals.

I got my first FREE perfume sample in the mail today. It's called Body by Burberry and I must say I really like it. I can't wait to wear it. It's an .06 ounce sample. The fragrance is pretty strong so a couple of sprays and I'm good to go. I'm still waiting on a few other samples I requested, so as soon as they come in, I'll definitely be posting.

That's all the news I have so far. I'll definitely be keeping everyone informed. It's evening now and we all know when it's gets closer to the time when you get really relaxed, that cold really starts weighing down. So until next post, have a wonderfully blessed and safe evening. Look for your rainbow in the midst of your rainstorm.

Back Up n Running!

Greetings to my FABULOUS readers! I am back up and running. I had to pull out the 'old faithful' computer.  It's slow, but it works. Trying to blog from my phone was not working! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday week. The middle of the week is almost here already and this year is pretty much over.

I must say I am truly thankful and grateful that my munchkin is all better. I'm grateful for the tests and trials that I've endured this year. We have truly been blessed as a family and individually and for that, I'm truly thanking God for all that He has done and is yet to do in the coming year. Whatever happened in 2011 and previous years is over and done, there's no turning back.  All we can do is move forward and be better. I'm looking forward to being elevated mentally and spiritually and using my gifts and talents that I have been blessed with in hopes that someone will be inspired and motivated to move forward and thank God for all that He has done.

I'm thankful for the small things in life. We get so focused on big things and what we don't have, until we forget just how blessed we are. So before we complain just say I'm thankful and this is only a test. There's brighter days ahead.  I've always said 'Look for your rainbow in the midst of your rainstorm.' Find a song to sing even when it's raining and get the strength to smile when it's cloudy, because trouble doesn't last always.

I hope that everyone continues to enjoy the rest of the year. Please be safe and above all things, Be Grateful!

Until next post....Have A Blessed Evening!

th the family. Hope everyone enjoys their holiday season. Until next post Be Blessed and Be Safe!

afambuswmn.blogspot.com

Good Afternoon my fabulous readers! I'm still posting from my phone. I hope that everyone had great day yesterday. I enjoyed church service and dinner wi

WISHING EVERYONE A WONDERFULLY BLESSED CHRISTMAS AND A VERY PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!
afambuswmn.blogspot.com

all!

afambuswmn.blogspot.com

Greetings all. My computer is down so I'm posting from my phone. I want to wish everyone a wonderfully blessed holiday weekend. Be safe and God bless you

Let's Remember.......

I hope that everyone is doing well, these few days before Christmas.  I know alot of people are busy with holiday shopping and getting prepared to celebrate with family and friends, and as we get prepared,

Let's remember those that are less fortunate or feel like it's not Christmas

because there's no gifts under the tree

 Let's remember those in homeless shelters and on the streets

Let's remember to give a smile to everyone we meet

For all we know, that smile can meet a great need

Let's remember those in hospitals, hospices and nursing homes

 Let's remember those who may be watching their loved ones pass away 

and those that have passed on

 Let's remember those who are sick and shut in

and can't get out their door

Let's remember to love and pray a little more

Let's remember that the past is done

never again to return

Let's remember the lessons in this year

that we have learned

Let's remember to be grateful

for every single day

Merry Christmas to all

May the joy of peace always come your way

Original poem by C.M.D.

Checking In.....

Hello to my fabulous readers!! I've been MIA for the past couple days. It's been a hectic week between ER room visits and doc visit, I've been super busy.  My 10 month old is sick with bronchialitis and you know I've been just spoiling her. I hate it when babies are sick, they can't talk and tell you how they're feeling or where it hurts, but moma instincts will kick in. She was coughing so bad Tuesday night. I know she didn't sleep well and neither did I. Took her to the ER on Wednesday, doc said she has bronchialitis, gave her a breathing treatment and we went home. Early Thursday morning, she's coughing so bad until she's spitting up brown mucus, 1:00am, back to the ER I went. It didn't look right and I wasn't taking any chances. Doc said something about GI bleeding, they did a finger stick, she was also running a temperature of 102 so they gave her Tylenol. He said it could have been from the excessive coughing that could cause a small tear in the esophagus or stomach. He gave me a prescription and home we went. I took her to her regular doctor today and she gave her another breathing treatment, they also sent me home with a nebulizer that looks like a seal, it's so cute and she gave me a prescription for albuterol.  Although asthma doesn't run in our family, she was doing a lot of 'wheezing' and she also gave her meds for an ear infection.  Good murcy! She has been sleeping alot which is understandable. It's going to a journey, but whatever it takes to make the little munchkin feel better.

Don't forget to check out sweeptight.com and justmarriedwithcoupons.com for some awesome deals and giveaways and feel free to follow me on twitter @afambuswmn

Until next post BE SAFE AND BE BLESSED!!

Random Updates....

Good afternoon to all of my fabulous readers. Just want to take the time to say that I truly appreciate everyone who stops by my blog. I just started it a little over a month ago and I've gotten a few hundred visits. I'm still new at this, learning the ropes about blogging and networking, so any feedback, comments or suggestions you can provide would be truly helpful. Don't forget to follow me @afambuswmn on Twitter.

Okay, so I've been a moma on a mission.  I've been entering giveaways galore. I haven't won anything yet, but it's still fun just to enter. Quick update on the savingstar.com website, IT WORKS!! A mommy blogger at http://www.armywife101.com/ is also a participant in this website. For those who haven't read my previous post about this website, I'll give you an overview. It's basically an ecoupon website where you register your store savings cards. You browse through the coupons, click activate and when you scan your card at the grocery store those savings go into an account. So if you have a total of 5.00 in ecoupons activated and you scan all of those items at the store, $5.00 will go into an account. After 5.00 you are eligible to receive a payout in the form of a giftcard or to your paypal account (which I just signed up for one, I'm so late). It takes a couple of days for the money to show up, but so far I have 2.40 in my account. I can't wait to go grocery shopping again, so I can save even more. I say that's a pretty good way to earn a few extra bucks. I've still been visitng sweeptight.com and justmarriedwithcoupons.com, two awesome websites that have some great giveaways. Just married with coupons is offering $50 off a customized blog page. The graphics are truly awesome. I'm definitely thinking about giving my blogpage an update. Mine just seems so...blahhhhh. Also check out www.gigispetals.com. There are some beautifully created accessories on this site and check out Sparkling Creations by Melinda on Facebook, beautiful glass pendants and earrings.

I just wanted to stop by, don't forget to follow me on twitter @afambuswmn. As I mentioned before, usually when I enter a giveaway I post a 'tweet' about it, so that will keep you posted on the giveaways that's going on.

Until next post........BE BLESSED AND BE SAFE!

It's Monday Again!

Good Monday afternoon my fabulous readers! I hope that everyone has an awesome weekend and now it's back to the grind....

So here's some updates about the new products I've tried (these opinion are expressly my own, I purchased these products with my own money)....I gave my daughter the Yobaby yogurt and I don't think she's liking it all that well. She had a few spoonfuls, I would say maybe an ounce overall and that was it. It was the blueberry flavor. I highly doubt it will go to waste, because my teen daughter just got braces last week so, the yogurt will do her well since her mouth has been a little bit sore.

Her braces look really nice on her, she got 'pink' and they are a far more advance 'model' from the type of braces the kids used to get when I was growing up.

I also tried the Marie Calender's Flavor Steamers microwave dinners. I had the Teriyaki Chicken...oh my so good!! I still the the Sweet and Sour Chicken in the freezer which I'll probably have some time today or tomorrow, since the hubby is cooking today.

As I posted before I have been on a sweepstakes/giveaway/freebie mission. Hopefully, I can win a prize or two. sweeptight.com has some really nice giveaways, there's also a page on her blog where she lists giveaways on other blogs. I've signed up for a few freebies on freeflys.com and shopathome.com. For some reason my toolbar disappeared, which you will need to download this in order to enter some of the sweepstakes and sign up for the freebies. Also I like justmarriedwithcoupons.com, which hosts some really nice giveaways as well. If you would like, you can just click on the sweeptight button on my sidebar.

It will probably be a few weeks before my free items start coming in the mail, but as soon as it does, you know I'll be posting. Also, please feel free to follow me on twitter @afambuswmn. A few of the giveaways I have entered, I tweet about, which is also an option when you're entering, so that will be another way to stay informed of giveaways.

Well, let me get back to being busy. Until next post....BE BLESSED AND BE SAFE!

Nothing Wrong With....

COUPONS!! Greetings all..so in my last post I mentioned a few websites that I printed coupons from. So on to get my busy day started with GROCERY SHOPPING!!!yaaaayyy!!! So I'm doing my shopping and got my little coupon pouch all ready, got my cart full and to the checkout I go. Some of the coupons I had I didn't use because of the price of the item, the amount off just wasn't enough. For instance I had a coupon for .75 off a box of CoCo Puffs, well coco was almost 4.00 so that .75 off wasn't enough, so no CoCo Puffs this trip. If I had been thinking, the coupons I didn't use, I could just left at the store, maybe someone else could have used them, but I'll do that next time. I still have a few coupons I didn't use that won't expire until January, so maybe they'll come in handy. Remember the savings star ecoupon website I posted about where you register your store savings card. Well I did purchase a couple of items off my ecoupon list, but my savings star account still says 'not redeemed', so I'm not sure how long it takes for it to actually post to the account, but when it does, I'll surely let you know.

New Items I'm Trying....
I had a coupon for .50 off the  4-pack YoBaby Organic Yogurt. I haven't tried to give it to the baby yet, but when I do, I'll be sure to let you know how well she liked or maybe didn't like it.

I also got two Marie Callender's Fresh Flavors Steams microwave dinners. She has some awesome dinners in her frozen food line, so I'll be trying one of these today and let you know how it tastes.

Freebies!
I have been busy on my freeflys.com and shopathome.com website, signing up for some freebies. So far I've requested a couple of free samples of perfume and cologne, hair products and baby products, oh yeah and a Christmas Candle, silly me didn't write down the website it was from, but if I find it I'll post it here. After all, I want everyone to have a chance to get some freebies. So when I get them, I'll be sure to post some reviews.

I also decided that I'm going to challenge myself to start entering some giveaways this season, I think winning is a great thing! I'll be sure to write down the websites so I can pass them along. sweeptight.com usually has giveaways daily. shopathome.com has a list of giveways for all kinds of items from cash to clothes. There's about 600 contests on their site to be sure to check them out.

Until next post...BE BLESSED AND BE SAFE!!

I have been one busy moma!

Tis The Season....

To Clip Coupons!
Yes, I'm giving in and doing my best to start clipping coupons. With the holidays coming up and since we are having Christmas dinner at our home, I figured I can save all the money I can on the food! So I've been web-hunting looking for some coupon clipping sites. I came across a few that I like and I found some good coupons for things that we actually eat! I guess the reason why I never really  clipped coupons was because the foods they had we don't eat and it seems like you have to buy at least 20 of one product just to save .50. Not worth it! So here are the websites that I have printed coupons from.

www.freeflys.com I like this website because not only are there great products to choose from, there's also a link where you can get coupon codes to places like Macys, JCPenney, Dollar Rental and a lot of other places and since this is one of the busiest shopping seasons, I figured 15% off and more can add up real quickly.

I also signed up for www.savingstar.com This website is really cool because you can enter the number of your local store savings card like Walgreens, Food Lion, Rite Aid, Harris Teeter and link coupons to your card, so that when you purchase those items and scan your card, the savings is automatically deducted. Once you've saved $5 you can get a payout in the form of a gift card. I did see Amazon, so I think that's a good deal. So far I've linked 4.40 in coupons to my card so when I go grocery shopping this weekend, I'll definitely let you know if it worked.

I also came across www.dealsformommy.com Another coupon website by a mommy coupon blogger, where you will find printable coupons, travel deals, local coupons and links to some other coupon website.

My husband asked if he's going to set up a closet for me since I'm going to attempt to start clipping coupons. I assured him that I will not come home with 100 boxes of cereal or 240 rolls of paper towels.

So I'll be sure to update on how much I saved this weekend. Until next post....be blessed and be safe!

One Day Closer.....

It's already the 5th of December, next weekend half of the month will be over. I must say good things are going on. Alot of giveaways are going on. Visit www.SweepTight.com also www.nomorerack.com has some awesome deals. You can also google giveaways and come across some great websites that are doing giveaways during this time.

In the job market, I've been blessed to have four opportunities come my way. I just have to wait to hear back. I'm truly grateful, so I believe I will be back to work next month, but even if I don't, I'm okay with that, because that gives me more time to spend with my munchkin.

I went to my daughter's Winter Concert at her school where her orchestra class performed.  They did a truly awesome job. I wish I would have recorded, but of course, my battery was low. I'm very proud of her.

I just want to encourage everyone this holiday season, as I have mentioned before alot people get really depressed because of the commercialism that is emphasized around this time of year. I just want to let everyone know to hold on, things WILL get better. It's not about gifts or money, but let's focus on spending time with family and friends.

So what are your holiday plans, I would love to hear them!

Until next post...Be Blessed and Be Safe!

Just Want to Be Better...

Hi all!! It's been a couple of days since my last post, so I just wanted to let you all know that all is well. I'm still enjoying married life-the family is great as well.

I've been looking back over this year that is pretty much over and I must say it's been a great year. I look at my baby and can't believe that she is almost 10 months old and becoming such a big girl. I told my husband I wanted another baby and he gave me a quick 'no', didn't take two seconds to think about it, but it's fine. I'm 38 and I'm done having babies. I'm just enjoying my baby while I can. She's starting to babble a couple of words, I think 'da-da' is a universal word. She's even starting to stand by herself for a few seconds. I can say that it has been a great year. My daughter was born in February, I got married in November, and I started this blog. I am truly grateful to have been home for almost the entire first year of my little one's life to watch her grow and reach those many milestones that occur within the first year. I also have two interviews set up for Monday, so I'm also excited about that. I'm sure I'll be returning to work soon which is really bittersweet, because I know I'm going to miss my munchkin but we have goals that we want to accomplish in the coming year, so I need to return to work.

I'm looking forward to 2012. Everything that happened in 2011 is over, done, finished, it happened, on to the next year. My goal is not to be bigger, because I've never been the kind of person that needed my name in bright lights or my name on a billboard, but I do aspire to be better. I want to grow spiritually and become a better mother, wife, friend, daughter and sister. I want to do more next year than I did this year. Whatever I may be knowingly or unknowingly holding onto, I want to let it go. Life is too short and the end of the day is not promised.

I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and your aspirations for the coming year.

Until next post, Be Blessed and Be Safe--Look for your Rainbow in the midst of your Rainstorm.

You Don't Have To Be Old.....

I read the news about the passing of comedian, Patrice Oneal who died Tuesday morning. He was only 41, and we recently loss a great musician, Heavy D at the age of 44, Bernie Mac and Michael Jackson at the age of 50. It had me thinking, wow, nowadays you don't have to be old to die. Remember when our elders live to be well past 75? Doesn't seem to be happening now. Death does discriminate against race, age, sex, or social status. We all have to meet that fate.

In this day and time it's no guarantee to even see the end of the day. We need to live everyday like it's our last with laughter, having joy, and doing positive things. We also need to do our best to take care of our health. We only get one body and when we don't treat it right, it lets us know. Sure there are people that eat right, live right and still get sick, but, we still need to take care of ourselves.

Also, we need to not procrastinate. I came across an article on a Christian blog called It's Time To Do It, http://www.thechristianwoman.com/devotions/time-to-do-it.html It was really awesome to read because I myself, do procrastinate alot and I need to stop doing that and jump in knowing that as long as I have faith in God that as long as I am doing right He will see me through. Can you imagine the things that these men had on their 'to do' list, but never go to it? How many things are on our 'to do' list that we have been putting off of days, weeks, months, years. People it's time to get it together and do it. Like I said before the end of the day is not even promised to us. So as the new year approaches let's get rid of everything negative, hatred, envy, jealously, arguing, dislike, unforgiveness, etc and go into the new year with a new mind set.

I truly look at those that have passed on and I thank God for all that He has done for me and my family, my natural family and my spiritual family. I will always acknowledge Him because I know without Him, there is NO way I would be here. As I look back over my life, I know I shouldn't be here, not because I lived a rough lifestyle, because I never did, but a couple of incidents that happened to me should have taken me out, but I know it was God that blocked it because there is a purpose for my life and now it's time for me to show Him how much I appreciate all that He has done. God has given me great talents, and the saying goes, if you don't use it, you will loose it and I don't want to loose my gifts because I know that they will help many. It's time for us all to get rid of that 'to do' list and just do it.....

Until next post, Be blessed and be safe!

What Cha Gonna Watch?

So three of the shows that I really like are coming on tonite....The Walking Dead, Real Housewives of Atlanta and Love and Hip Hop. My dilemma...RHOA and Love and The Walking Dead come on at the same time, so since The Walking Dead is having a mid-season finale, I figure I will watch it. RHOA will come back on tomorrow or I can just watch it online.  Love and Hip Hop comes on later so I can catch that show as well. I guess I solved my own dilemma...What will you be watching tonite?

I Can't Believe It!

The weekend is over! already! I know I'm a stay at home mom, BUT it seems like the holiday went by so quick! I'm glad that my daughter goes back to school on tomorrow, so that's a plus for me.  I love her dearly but, she gotta go!

I hope that everyone had an awesome holiday weekend.  I hope everyone experienced safe traveling mercy and grace and now it's on to the next one. I don't know but over the past few years it seems like the holidays just aren't what they used to be. Now it just seems like it's just another day off work. The  holiday spirit has been replaced with so much commercialism until the true meaning is no longer valid. It's all about money. So many people get depressed around the holiday because they feel like they have failed if they didn't get a gift or give a gift. I know these are the traditions that we grew up with, but even then there was a true sense of family and love and sharing that love with family and friends. Nowadays it's about outdoing the last year and the year before. Remember growing up, just about every house on the block was decorated, everyone you pass by would happily say 'Merry Christmas!', the Christmas candy and fruit was plentiful and so delicious, and there was food for days! Now, we can barely say anything with the word Christ, the holiday decorations are up by September and they start playing Christmas music and commercials in October. This is just my opinion but I just don't feel the spirit of the holidays the way I used to. I'm still looking forward to spending time with the family, but I know the greatest gift given was the life of Jesus Christ when He died for my sins. I'm eternally grateful and there is no greater gift than that.

All the Lovely Ladies.....

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Black Friday....Deals or Death Trap?

Hello again. This is something that has been on my mind and I figured, why not blog about it. I just want to talk about Black Friday, which has apparently been in practice for many years now. It's the day where the stores advertises all of these great deals like 'buy a 3,000 square foot house for $150.00', well maybe not a house, but, I'm sure you get my meaning. I found an interesting read about the origin of Black Friday that I would like to share with you. Here is the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)

Personally I think it should be called Black and Blue Friday with the all of the fights that break out over easy bake ovens and the last 46" TV (although they only had 10 to begin with). I've heard stories of people who have gotten trampled even killed on this day trying to grab up those items that they want to give as Christmas presents that are going either end up being taken back to the store or sit on a shelf collecting dust. Personally, I would rather snag up some 'black Friday' deals online instead of taking the chance of traffic jams, being trampled or getting into a fight over that 'last' 46" TV and I'm not a violent person. This is a frenzy that I truly want to avoid.

We went to Walmart yesterday and saw some of the items that would be included in the 'black Friday deals.' They were shrink wrapped in black plastic, labeled and had the prices. Now, I'm no math genius but it looked like there was not enough of one item to accommodate all of those people. For example, they had printers on sale, well it only looked like there was maybe 30 or 40 printers to go around. There was no way there was enough to accommodate the thousands of shoppers, so now you'll have people pushing, shoving, fighting, cussing, taking items out of another person's cart (yes, it happens) and I'm sure somebody will get arrested and still won't get the items they were fighting over. People were camping out for hours at these stores to try to grab up one of 20 blenders, and heaven forbid if they wanted more than one...good luck!

So, in closing, whoever you were able to get gifts for, I hope they truly appreciate it, because if you were one of the millions of shoppers in one store, I'm sure you went through hell and desert sand to put a smile on somebody's face, and if you were getting for yourself, I would use it until it just fell apart. So, until next post.....have an AWESOME day and please be safe out there.

Gracious Greetings!!

Good Morning all! I hope that everyone had an awesome day on yesterday. I know many celebrated with friends, family and the most important thing FOOD!! I had a great time on yesterday although my husband had to work, : ( but he did get home in time to enjoy some yummy food that he cooked (love me some him!) and spend time with the family. His mom bought us a beautiful cake to celebrate our nuptials. I have yet to cut it yet, we had plenty of sweets. My friend make a peach cobbler AND a red velvet cake, we also had carrot cake and my daughter made some cookies. Above all, it was a wonderful day. We watched Paranormal Activity 2 which had me on edge! After that I had to watch something funny to kind of shift my spirit--so we watched Steve Harvey's Don't Trip, He Ain't Through with Me Yet. I've watched it a couple of times, but it's still funny.

Now that I've given you a recap of my day, here's my next topic BLACK FRIDAY.....DEALS OR DEATH TRAP?...next post......

Be Grateful......Be Safe!

Greetings everyone. I'm sorry I didn't do my regular posting on yesterday. Trying to get the house prepared for Thursday. All is well on the homefront. My baby just turned over a container of baby food on me, but, it's what babies do. She's going through some emotions right now. She just doesn't know what she wants to do.

Just want to drop a note to say that I am truly grateful every single day for life and breath, family and friends. Although things may not be perfect, they could be worse. Remember just when you think it's bad, there's someone who has it worse. We need to be thankful everyday, because everyday is another chance to do better, go higher, and be greater than the day before. If we look back over our lives, regardless of how they may appear to us now, there is something to be thankful for.

For those that are going to try to catch those 'black Friday' sales, please remember they only have a few of those items they are advertising and none of that stuff is worth getting hurt or going to jail over. So please be careful people.

Also for those that are traveling PLEASE PLEASE be careful out there on those highways, freeways and streets. You will get there, I just want you to get there in one piece. I would rather you be 'Mary Jones' who arrived late than the 'late Mary Jones'. So please be careful. Also for those traveling long distances here is a great tool to use to estimate your fuel costs. http://fuelcostcalculator.aaa.com/

Until next post, I hope that everyone has a wonderfully blessed holiday!

Good Evening....

Well it's raining pretty good here now, but being born and raised in Chicago and living in Milwaukee for 9 years, I'll happily take the rain. It's evening time, the 'hubby' is meditating with his Xbox and I'm surfing the net. The baby is sleeping after fighting her sleep for almost an hour. I got over 600 swagbucks now from www.swagbucks.com. I'm trying to reach at least 1,000 swagbucks and maybe I can redeem them for a couple of nice gifts. I also received a $10.00 coupon from http://www.soap.com/ which looks like they are an affiliate of diapers.com. They sell general household items like, soap, bodywash, hair accessories, etc. and it looks like they have a grocery section too. I guess you can somewhat compare it to and online WalMart. I'm sure that $10 will come in handy.

I also wanted to let everyone know about a website that you or someone you know could use if they are looking for housing. It's www.socialserve.com. They cover about 30 states right now and several cities. You can find some really nice places on there and you can indicate the price range you're looking for.

Well that's all of my community announcements. My teen is home now, so I guess we'll channel surf and find something good on the TV to watch, well and do laundry--mother's work is NEVER done. If I think of anything else or come across anything else before the night is over, you know I'll post it. Until next post...have a blessed one!!

Back On The Blog.....

Great Greetings from the unseasonably warm Carolinas!! We're expecting a high of 73 today! It's cloudy but I'll take 73 any day! Just coming back from a short hiatus of blog posting. As you know I got married on yesterday!! YAAAAAY!! I'm very happy and we had an awesome time. It was Family and Friends Day at Church, service was AWESOME!! our Impact Mime team performed to one of my favorite songs, by Kirk Franklin and Mali Music-Give Me That (I posted a link to the song the other day) They did an excellent job.  I've posted a link to them performing back in September. It's truly a blessing to see young MEN giving God praise. I hope you enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-efVVxFyJi8

I feel really great this morning, I'm look forward to married life, again and I'm expecting great things for us as husband and wife but as individuals. For me, marriage is more than just a piece of paper, it's a union and expression of love in the presence of God and sacred vows that I intend to keep. I know it's a challenge and it's going to take daily prayer and compromise but above all it takes commitment and I am truly committed to the person God has blessed me with.

To you, how did you feel when you got married, whether it was your first or fourth marriage. I would love to know hear your stories as well.

Well, let me get on my b.l.o.g. and see what I can find for my awesome readers. Until next post, have a WONDERFULLY BLESSED DAY!

Evening Update....

Good evening! Just stopped by to give you an update from today. I think my interview went really well. I truly feel like they were really pleased with me. Hopefully all goes well and I will be back to work soon.

On another note, in the next two days I will be going from Ms. to Mrs. I'm very excited and all smiles! I can't wait to marry my sweetheart!

On the music scene with Mali Music...this man is truly AWESOME!! I love his music. It all has a positive message. He is kind of neo-soul/contemporary gospel music. Check him out. His music has been very inspirational to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Due4gAFWDKs

I hope the link works, if not, just go to You Tube and type in Mali Music. This one is called The Job Experience.  I truly believe he is going to reach masses of young people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Due4gAFWDKs
This one is a collaboration with Kirk Franklin called Give Me That. The Mime Team at my church did a mime to this..truly awesome.  I have been in love with this song every since I heard it. I truly relate to this song. This truly ministers to my soul and spirit. When I think of all that God has done for me, blessed me with and blessed me to come thru, I have to give Him all thanks and praise!

Tomorrow I'll be doing alot of preparation, so I may not do any posting, but feel free to leave your comments.  Until next post.....HAVE A WONDERFULLY BLESSED EVENING and we can all take an example from the birds....FIND A SONG TO SING IN THE MIDST OF YOUR RAINSTORM

It's A Beautiful Morning!

Good Morning all.  I hope everyone had a peaceful night's sleep and sweet dreams.  I'm up this morning getting ready to go make a great impression at my interview. I'm hoping that all goes well, and I will be sure to keep you posted.

Quick question...how would you rate my blog so far.  It's in the baby stages and I'm still getting a feel for it, but I want to hear from you! Give me some ideas, suggestions, etc. I've seen so many cool blogs with the content and great designs. I'm not too familiar with all of the technical things but I'm reading and researching and trying to put alot of things into practice.  Well, let me get mentally prepared.  Talk later...Be Blessed!!

Sooo What Cha Doin?......

For Thanksgiving.  I'm looking forward to family, friends, fun and of course FOOD!! What are your plans?

Winding Down..

Well, I got my African 'roots' tamed now, I'm debating on sitting under the dryer. I just don't have a great friendship with dryers. I guess that's why I haven't been to a salon in years...!! Anywho, my hair is done and all wrapped up in preparation for my interview tomorrow.

I'm still going to get me a wig, because I know what's going to happen after two weeks...ponytail!! because I know I'm not going to feel like doing much to it, so I'd rather just grab my hair and go. I do like my ponytails because it gives me a youthful look...(go mama!) but I like cute styles too and I regret cutting my hair, on one side, I don't know what I was thinking, don't judge me. :  ), I don't really like the way it looks when I unwrap it. I saw the cutest sassy and short wig in the beauty supply store.  I don't know who made it, but it was in a purple box. I'll definitely be spicing me up in the coming year.

The Day Isn't Over Yet

Greetings!! I'm so late with today's post. By this time I will have done all of my internet deal hunting and have settled down for a movie. I intended to make my 'end of day' post last night, but after contending and wrestling with my mobile monster, I was to tired to even type a typo.

Well I've had a full day so far and as I sit here with conditioner in my hair, and my baby banging on the window, and pulling at my blinds, I'll try to get this one in.  I had a meeting at my teen's school today, which was a great meeting. They all had such wonderful things to say about her (I wondered if we were even talking about the same child) but they truly love her, so I guess I'm doing something right.

I have a job interview tomorrow, which I'm happy about, although I'm truly enjoying these days at home with my little sweet pea and blogging but if I get the job I'll be happy, but I will not neglect my readers so I'll still be doing my daily posting.

In preparation for my interview tomorrow, I had to do something to my hair! It had gotten totally out of order and disrespectful! Me and the little one took a stroll to the store, I had to get her some more snacks. This time I got the Cinnamon Maple and the Veggie Dip. She likes the Veggie Dip!! I was kind of nervous because she goes crazy of the Cinnamon Maple. I was going the get the generic brand but it had 40 mg of sodium. I thought that was a bit much for an infant snack. After we got back she went through her 'I'm so sleepy, but don't want to really go to sleep, but I can't fight it anymore' act and finally took a nap. It was a race against her 'nap'. I had to try to hurry up and relax my hair before she woke up and before it started burning. I used the TCB Naturals regular strength hair relaxer. I feel so much better. I was going to wait until my daughter got home but if my hair is going to air-day I needed to have it done by a certain time. So that's all done now, and I think I'll go ahead and settle down. Of course, I need to do a little research on the company I'm going to interview with so I'll be prepared.  Wish me luck!

GIVEAWAY BUZZ!!

With the holidays rapidly approaching,  I've been scouring the internet looking for websites with lots and lots of giveaways. I ran across one website called www.tipjunkie.com This website has a huge selection of giveaways that you can enter along with the deadline and how to enter. You can also search 'blog giveaway director on Facebook and access a huge list as well.  I've entered a few on the contests so far, mostly for the gift cards-I mean who doesn't need some free money, especially during this season. Well I hope you'll visit tipjunkie.com. If I come across anything else, I'll be sure to post. Let me get back to searching while the little one is napping.....

So Grateful!

Good Morning all....I am going to start off by saying how grateful I am to have been blessed to wake up to see another day and that my family is alive and well. My teen is off to school, the baby is up and on the move, so I don't know how much I'll get done today. I wanted to do a 'good nite' post before going to bed last night, but by the time the little got through with me I was done for. I did get a chance to watch a couple of movies while she took a 'real' nap, so that was a plus for me.

While scouring the net yesterday I came upon a few links I would like to share with you.  I'm not sure if anyone has heard of them or used them before, but you can always pass it along.

With the holidays coming up it seems like alot of our fellow bloggers are hosting some great giveaways. So yesterday I entered the $500 Ziploc give away that was on my facebook page.  I also entered to win a $100 Amazon Gift card from www.bloggiveawaydirectory.com. There's a lot of nice sweepstakes and it doesn't take much to enter. Usually I just like them on facebook and then enter the contest. I don't like to sign up for a lot of things that will flood my email, although I do use a separate email account for things like that. I'll be scouring the net again for some more neat giveaways and be sure to post them here.

Until next post...have an awesomely blessed day.....

Another Day on the Blog

Greetings Readers! I hope that you are having a great afternoon...It's November in the Carolinas and I don't need a jacket...Luv'n It Suth'n that's for sure! I'm done earning my swagbucks for the day, so now it's time to get some 'blogwork' done. I had to lock down my 'mobile monster' in her bouncer because when they start crawling, the house is one big daily adventure. From banging on top of the cable box like it's a drum to picking out little pieces of lint in the carpet that we would need a magnifying glass to see.

I did get a chance to catch the premier of Love and Hip Hop, not sure if any of you watch it. It's one of my 'reality entertainment' shows that I like to watch to kind of wind down after a day of chasing after the baby, doing a school day recap with my teen, cooking and blogging. Well the premier episode had me at a loss for words. The way Chrissy punched and kicked that girl Kimbella..oh my! I think she knocked the enamel off her teeth! I'm sure this season is going to be extremely interested as with Real Housewives of Atlanta, yep like that show too, oh and Mob Wives which kicks off New Years Eve--I already know that's going to be a blast. so I'll definitely be doing my best to watch.

I'm on a six day countdown before I go from Ms. to Mrs. and although I've been quite calm I know when that day comes I'm going to be very excited and nervous. We're going to get married after Sunday service, so yeah, I'll be clock watching. I know that's bad and I need to be focused on the Word and the service, but I'll just be so excited.  How excited were you or not on your wedding date? I would love to hear your stories.

Well, that's all for now, let me get back to scrubbing the net and seeing what interesting things I can find, and I will be sure to post them. So until next post.....HAVE A WONDERFULLY BLESSED DAY!

Latest Sign-Ups...

So I signed up for Business2Bloggers today, you will see a 'button' if you want to check it out, or you can visit http://www.business2bloggers.com/

This webiste is truly awesome! It offers great advice on blogging, campaigns and how to get paid for your blogging where they will send companies to you that will pay you for your reviews.  I'm very excited about this. I actually found it through one of my fellow bloggers at http://www.armywife101.com/

I also signed up at http://www.swagbucks.com/ where you can earn 'virtual money' through surveys, offers, searching online, etc. So far I have about 614 swagbucks. My goal is to get up to about 1,000 so I can really get some nice items.

I also registered with http://www.inboxdollars.com/ This site is similar to swagbucks but it pays real cash to  do basically the same thing you would do on swagbucks. If you get a total of $30 in inbox dollars you can request them to send you a check for the cash amount. Some of the offers really don't pay a whole lot, but in this day and time, every little bit helps.

Has anyone ever heard of http://www.billmyparents.com/? Well it's a prepaid debit card for your teens.  I signed up for it through swagbucks. I think it will be a great way to teach adolescents real-life money managing and budgeting skills. The offer requires your teen have an email address, which I just went to yahoo.com and signed up for a free email address and their own cell phone number. The cell phone number can't be the same as the parent's. Also they require a credit card which I gave them the card information from a prepaid Wal-Mart Card that I also signed up for on swagbucks. With the holidays coming up, just load up the card and it's the ultimate gift. I think it will make a great gift for our teens.

I hope you will find this information very helpful and feel free to post your comments and suggestions.

Countdown......

The countdown has started and in seven days I will go from Ms. to Mrs.--again. I am so excited to embark upon this journey of married life to a wonderful man. Big KISSES to him! We went and got the marriage license today and Sunday, November 20th we will pronounce our sacred vows to each other before friends and in the presence of God. I look forward to a journey that is not just emotional and physical but spiritual as well. I look forward to God's hand upon us and reaching higher heights in Him as a married couple and individually.  I hope that throughout this journey I will be a great help to many as I share my experiences, thoughts, and wisdom....

She's Sleeping!

...And now I can get some work done. Good evening--late evening, but I hope that everyone had a great day today. The family went to church and enjoyed a nice service. Unfortunately my fiance had to work today, but I won't complain, doing what he gotta do...a big KISS to him!

Today's news......I bought my baby some more of the Li'l Crunchies by Gerber. I bought the Cinnamon Apple and I also bought some wagon wheels. She didn't care too much for those, maybe they looked funny. I also think they were a little bit to hard for her, being that she only has 1.25 teeth. I think the Cinnamon Apple snacks were a little bit softer and easy for her to chew. They also have a veggie garden flavor which I may try. She also has some of the yogurt snacks that melt in her mouth. It took a little bit of getting used to but now she eats them with no problem.

I also wanted to talk about generic formula versus Enfamil. One day I was in my local Food Lion and was looking at the selection of formula when I saw the Home 360--it said compare to Enfamil. Needless to say, I picked that one right up it was a larger can and it was cheaper and she had no problems with it. They also have the Gentle Formula and Soy Based. I have been using this for about 4 months now. When I first started using it, it was a little bit cheaper but now it costs about as much as Enfamil but like I said it is a bigger can so that definitely makes it worth it.

Well readers it's waaaaay past my bed time. I hope you are all enjoying my posts. Feel free to share on Facebook, Twitter, leave me any comments or suggestions. Until next post...HAVE A WONDERFULLY BLESSED NIGHT!

Random Thought

Where does the time go?

Into the archives of life, never to return

But to remembered and to reminisce upon those experiences

that we use as stepping stones and building blocks

that propel us to the various levels in life.

                                                                                                Carla Mason

Calling It A Night

Well folks after a full day of babysitting four girls, researching on the internet, facebook, and signing up at swagbucks.com where you can earn swagger bucks and redeem them for some nice prizes, although it does depend on how many deals and offers you sign up for. Overall, I think the website is pretty nice, so I will be a frequent visitor. You get 30 swag bucks just for signing up so that was pretty cool.

My little one is FINALLY sleeping. Poor baby was snoring like a grown man. Hopefully she is out for the night (probably not, but I can hope and dream).

Remember to look for your rainbow in the midst of your rainstorm! Have A Wonderfully Blessed Nite!

GRADUATES® LIL' CRUNCHIES® – Cinnamon Maple | Crawler Stage | Gerber

GRADUATES® LIL' CRUNCHIES® – Cinnamon Maple Crawler Stage Gerber

Doggie Doo-Ewwwww

So I've been seeing this commercial come on TV for a game called Doggie Doo. You feed the dog roll the dice, squeeze the handle and yes, the dog poops. I think that's taking 'poop' to a whole new level when you put it in a game. What do you guys think? I don't think it's something I would put on my Christmas list.

T-Mobile. America's First Nationwide 4G Network

Could Have Been Worse

As my fiance was getting ready to leave for work, he calls me and says 'well, somebody stole my radio out the truck' in a calm voice...I don't see how he stays so calm...but anyway, I'm saying 'what!'. He said the whole console was snatched out. Now mind you, it wasn't any type of fancy hi-tech radio system, just a regular digital radio. I mean there's a huge hole where the radio, 4x4 and 2x4 switch is supposed to be. When I think about it, I just thank God, because it truly could have been worse. Supposed for some reason he got up and looked out the window and saw whoever in the truck and went out to confront him/them or the truck was stolen. Although we have insurance, we like our truck. It was truly a blessing and has been a blessing to us. I'm just grateful that all will be taken care of and in spite of it all, we still have our life, health strength and our truck. So, I'm still smiling and thanking God.  Until next post.....Be Blessed!

Reaking Havoc!

My 9 month can single-handedly reak havoc on a house. I had my papers stacked under my desk 'semi-neatly' and she just comes right on over and pulls all of the paper out. It's not good enough that she has toys to play with.....oh noooo, rearranging mom's work space is so much more fun. Never seen a baby that can totally tear up a house single-handedly! She loves paper and anything else she's not supposed to put in her mouth. Gotta love her!

Until next post..........Be Blessed!

Veteran Discount and Freebies

http://www.city-data.com/forum/charlotte/1414797-veterans-day-2011-free-meals-discount.html


Here is a link to a few posts about military discounts and freebies.

Morning Greetings!

Good Morning all! HAPPY VETERANS DAY! Thank you to all of the awesome men and women for the sacrifices they are making. May God continue to bless you and your families!

Decisions! Decisions!

Okay, so I've been scouring YouTube to find some ideas for some half-wigs and lace-fronts for my 'Spice Me Up' stage and I've found some really extremely cute and reasonably priced half wigs that I know would look good on me. I really like one called Isabel from the Isis Collection and another one called Stelle by Outre. Both of these are in a beautiful and bouncy spiral curl style and looks extremely natural and you can style them in some really cute ways. I think I'm going to check out my local beauty supply and see what I find. I think I'll be rocking some 'new hair' for a long time.

On the Reality TV circuit, I can't wait to see the premier of Love and Hip, It's going to be a bash--literally. If you saw the previews you'll understand.

Celebrity births-If some of you haven't read by now, Nia Long gave birth to a baby boy--Kez Sunday Udoka...Congrats Mommy!

Well folks...until next post...Be Blessed!

Gotta 'Spice Me Up'

Greetings all! I hope that everyone is having an enjoyable day as we embark upon the elements of the changing seasons. The leaves are changing to gorgeous shades or red, orange and yellow. It's amazing that with every season there changes in the atmosphere. As I sit back thinking about the weather related changes, I have been thinking about some changes I would like to make--MY HAIR!! I've worn long hair for over 30 years and it's time for a change. At first I thought about being bold and just going for a big chop, and if I don't like it then I'll just put on a wig. Well after many  'loving warnings' from my friends I've been checking out some you tube videos on sew-ins, quick weaves and half wigs and they have some really cute styles. After watching a few I think I'm going to try a half wig and see how I like it. I was thinking about going with a sew-in, but with the length of my hair, and having to braid it down and then sew it in, no thanks, sounds like it's gonna take too long. I'm not exactly sure when I'm going to do my first 'quick weave test' but I know it will be soon. Feel free to comment and give me your suggestions. I know there are hundreds of different types of hair from color to texture to length. My natural hair is brown, so I definitely don't want any crazy colors. Until next post....HAVE A BLESSED ONE!

Oh So Wonderful

Greetings all! I must say that I feel pretty good today. I got a chance to watch a couple of good movies yesterday on Netflix while the baby was sleeping. The weather is a little bit dreary but the birds are still singing. It's amazing that no matter what the weather is, the birds still have a song to sing. If we can apply that to our lives, I think it would make a great difference. No matter what you're going through, how bad it seems or looks, find a song in the midst of it all.

I think I'll get out with my girls later on. My oldest has a project she has to do for school, so you know I'm going to have to put her on a TIGHT budget, because she will act like she needs everything in the world for this project and send my card into overdrive.....Well be blessed readers and remember, 'LOOK FOR YOUR RAINBOW IN THE MIDST OF YOUR RAINSTORM!

First Day on the Blog!

Greetings everyone! Today is my first day of launching my blog-Multitasking Mom. This is my very first time doing this so any feedback, suggestions ideas, funny stories, random thoughts, inspirations and yes even criticism are welcome! I decided to start this because well, I quit my job. OH yeah! call me crazy, but I had to get outta there. It was a call center and my goodness, I just couldn't take it anymore. I was there for three months and I tell you everyday I would seem to get depressed when I had to go in. I hated the hours and the pay was horrible. I know most of you may say well a paycheck is a paycheck and yes that's true, but my sanity is priceless. I'm also a mom of two girls 14 and 8-1/2 months and I felt like I really needed to be home at least in the evening so I could 'parent' my household. I tried very hard to stick it out at least until the end of the year, but I didn't make it.  I must say I have grateful to have an awesome fiance who is standing by me and sticking with me! We discussed it and he pretty much knew this was coming, yet being the wonderful guy that he is, we're going to walk this road together. I decided to start this blog because I know there are many out there who have to Multi-Task daily, often fulfilling the roles of mom, wife, financial advisor, cook, housekeeper, business woman, and friend in our households all at once! Hi fives to all of my multi-tasking moms out there! Ever tried to feed the baby, while typing and then the baby wants to type too; how about just when you think you've put the baby down for a nap and 'think' you're going to get some work done just for the little one to wake up 10 minutes later? Let's not even talk about trying to cook--yeah right-just when you think you've given him/her enough to stay occupied for at few minutes while you stir the rice and flour the chicken that the 'mobile monster' has crawled off somewhere unknown, spilled their food, or starts to get aggravated because after all, you're hindering their time of exploration and you start thinking things were so much easier when you just laid there and smiled at me, but when the crawling begins look out! The house becomes a daily adventure and they will try to conquer every cabinet, closet, not to mention those little pieces of lint in the carpet that only they can see. As I watch and listen to my little one playing, I'm glad that maybe I'll be at home for a little while to enjoy these moments.