Jumpin-Beans

If you are on blogger, you might have also been having issues with your blog the past couple days. They say everything is back to normal, but not on my end... I had several posts that I had written up, ready to go... I think I had 8 or 9, anyways, they have disappeared ! Nope, I can not find them anywhere, but I tell you what... I learned my lesson. From here on, I will be saving a copy somewhere else... Lesson learned. With that in mind, I am a bit frustrated... I will be playing catch up the next several days... They were all reviews and giveaways... Yeah, it took time... Lots of time... So, please excuse me for a few days... I am not "gone", just trying to get them all rewritten! Thanks and hope you have a great weekend!!!!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response My question: Are you watching any of the singing shows? My answer: We have been watching American Idol off and on... BUT- the big one for us is the new show, The Voice! Love that show!!!!

With Marc being in the military, we are very familiar with the Camelbak brand... He has the Camelbak pack, the book bag... and now, I have the Camelbak BPA Free Water Bottle ! I was really excited to try it out, as we have been very impressed with the brand so far... I wanted to see if the water bottle would hold up to the test. Luckily for me, Heart Rate Monitors USA sent me one for review! It says it is spill proof, so you know we had to find out... So far - so good! I love this bottle, as you bite down to get the water. That helps to make it spill proof!!! The thing I don't like about it... The fact that I put too much ice in it and then have a hard time getting the lid on (since it has a straw) Is that their fault? Nope, it is mine... and yes, I have learned now! We have it to drink water throughout the day... We take it when we go on the porch. We most certainly take it when we go to the park! The thing that I absolutely LOVE about it? The spout that you drink out of, fol...

I was excited to know that Bindi Irwin has ventured out, once again, to make chapter books! The first two were released in April, with more to follow. I know that Broxton is not into chapter books yet, but he will be one day... (and I am sure that some of you have children that are reading them now!) I loved seeing Bindi with her dad, so I wanted to read what she was starting now. (Remember, she is the daughter of Steve Irwin, of Crocodile Hunter fame) With Bindi , her mom Terri and her little brother Robert living at the Australia Zoo, all of her days are sure to be fun. But how to decide what to write about?! I love how the book starts with a Dear Diary page... That is just a sneak peak of what lies in the pages ahead! The first book in the series is: Trouble at the Zoo. This book tells of Bindi and the day she celebrated her birthday. (Let me tell you, this little girl. I know she makes her daddy proud! She chooses to host her birthday at the Zoo and the proceeds to go a diffe...

When you go to the grocery store... How do you shop? Do you buy based on price? Brand? Whatever you see first? I have to say, there are some things that I buy based on price... but, there are some things that I just can not stray from. As long as I can remember, I have been a Tetley Tea drinker. I can tell you why, too! My Nana was a Tetley Fan. That means... we ONLY drank Tetley ! Once I was out on my own, I automatically bought Tetley as well. I mean, if it was good enough for my Nana, it was certainly good enough for me! I even went so far as to buy Caffeine Free Tetley Tea when I was pregnant! Nothing was going to stop me! I will say though, when they changed their packaging... WHOA! Stop the presses, it took me a minute to figure it out!!! I was so used to just seeing the box and grabbing it... I had to stop and think for a minute what I was getting. Although the packaging has changed, the great tasting flavor is still there! I did have to go to their website to see when th...

We have been spending quite a bit of time outside lately... The weather is just to perfect to stay indoors. Not to hot, but not cold either... Just right... I am not really sure what is going on in this picture, but it looks like an entertaining conversation of some sorts!!! Broxton loves learning and helping daddy and his bike! Finally, Broxton LOVES his shoes from Kidorable . He plays in them all the time! I should actually do a post of all the times he has worn them! You would be surprised! When he outgrows them, we will have to buy more! They are his shoes for all occasions! Hope y'all had an amazing Mothers Day!!!! Here is to a great week!!!!

Feel free to grab my button to let everyone know you won!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!! Big Belly Banks- XMAS DOLLY Energizer battery Sponsored $!0 Gift Card- Couponsforme2

I have discussed several times about how I hate that the art of letter writing is a dying thing... I hate it... (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE email, but the thing is... I love getting snail mail too!) Remember my earlier post about the Hallmark Prepaid Cards? (Click on over and enter the giveaway) Well, did you notice my picture? I have been using my UGLee Pen for more than just jotting down notes! I love it, the feel... The way it writes... and yes, I admit... I am a pen junkie! I love them! When I worked in the restaurant business, I would always have tons of different pens... (Let me tell you, some of the best ones I THOUGHT were from pharmaceutical reps... Hey, it was cool having friends that worked for doctors offices!) I know if I had the UGLee Pen back then, it would have been one that I did not leave on the table... You know what I am am talking about, you would be surprised how many pens vanished during a shift... I told you, I had the good ones! Now, I have an all time...

Quick!!! Grab a kid and grab a seat!!! You are in for the ride of your life! We were sent a review copy of Rocket Town by Bob Logan and let me just tell you... BROXTON LOVES IT!!!!! (Okay, I admit... I love it to!) Rocket Town is the story of an astronaut and his dog, who head over to Rocket Town. Rocket Town is full of, you guess it! ROCKETS!!!! Even the signs are in the shapes of Rockets!!! Broxton's favorite part is when they leave Rocket Town and head back to his favorite rocket... You want to know why? BECAUSE there is a countdown and then a BLAST OFF!!!!!! I would say that this is a great book for houses with boys.. but, quite honestly... This is a great book! Boys and Girls! and Rocket Lovers of all ages!!! The illustration is amazing! The colors! The rockets make me secretly wish we had one to at least play in! :) I can not wait to get more of his books, this is only the second book by Bob Logan... So, I can only imagine what he will bring us next!!!! Ha! Ha! I can no...

We love Cars, as you can tell by the family photo at Disney last year... I just wanted to share with my readers near or in Atlanta... The cars are coming! The cars are coming!! The cars are coming!!! With the release of Cars 2 right around the corner (June 24 th ) Disney and State Farm have teamed up to bring us the Agents on a Mission Tour!!! Lightning McQueen! Mater! and introducing : British Spy Finn McMissile They will be in Atlanta May 22 and 23rd!!! When/Where: Sunday May 22 at Perimeter Mall from 12-6 Monday May 23 at Studio Movie Grill from 1-7 It's FREE! It's Open to the Public! Hope to see you there!!!!! There will be giveaways, games, e-photo opportunities and much more!!! Come see what all they have to offer for a day of family fun! ***** Just wanted to share with you a fun event to take the kids!*****

I just saw this on a blog I follow and I immediately had to share with you all... Kroger has over 300 employees that are actively serving. They have teamed up with Procter & Gamble, as well as the USO in the Shake Hands With A Hero Program. It is super easy and I hope you do it!!!! Just head over to Shake Hands With a Hero. Then, Enter your Name, City and State. After that, choose the branch you would like to honor. (I of course chose the Army National Guard for Marc.) Then, you send a virtual handshake to them. I had to tweet it and share on facebook ... Well, I did not HAVE to, I wanted to! :) They give you that option at the end! You can even post a message on their wall... Or c lick to learn more on how you can help out . I would love it if you did it... Let me know if you do!!! I am so glad I found out about this and am able to share with you!!! Thanks, from a VERY PROUD ARMY WIFE!!!!!

Broxton has a couple new toys that he loves these days... Have you heard of the Lil' Teammates that are slowly entering the homes of sports lovers everywhere? Straight from the source: LIL ' TEAMMATES : · 3" tall collectible action figures for little sports fans, ages 4 and up. . Officially licensed for NFL, MLB , NBA, NHL, and over 50 colleges. · Series 1 includes: · QUARTERBACKS · RUNNING BACKS · PITCHERS · BATTERS · Basketball PLAYMAKERS · Hockey SLAPPERS and GOALIES · O ver 120 figures altogether for SERIES 1 alone. · Durable. MADE FOR PLAY! · “Big kids” love ‘em too! Great collectibles. · SERIES 2 coming this summer. More positions. More articulation. Also in Throwback uniforms. · Corresponding interactive website allows kids to register their figures, play games, learn about their favorite teams and win free stuff! · MSRP : $7.99 But enough o...

Taken from Joan Faith Website : It would take a pretty amazing imagination to make up a story more amazing than this one On occasion one of the unorthodox religious cults makes the news and we get a brief glimpse into what goes on in their world. We rarely get the real inside story beyond the journalistic sensationalism. Joan Miller finally takes us deep into the life of just such an organization and shows just what can take place when a charismatic leader manipulates scripture to satisfy his own ends. But it doesn ’t end there. The first part of The Transformation of Joan Faith is about Joan’s upbringing and her struggles with the abuses visited upon women and young girls. It is a fascinating and compelling story written with an even hand and lack of rancor. It is, in part, an expose of one such misguided religious organization. It is the second part of the book, however, that shows how Joan’s faith was re-channeled, though the sheer power of vision, determination, and dependence on G...

I do not know how it is in your house, but trying to figure out a great vacation is not the easiest of things to do. Especially when you have kids of all different ages. Take our house, we have to consider fun and entertainment for ages 2-15. Talk about a wide age gap! I was lucky enough to have the chance to review " The Complete Idiot's Guide to : The Best Family Destinations. " I love the books from the Complete Idiot's Guide... It makes me happy to know I am not alone on some things! You know what I am talking about!! :) I really liked this book, for several different reasons. First of all, the breakdown. The book is first divided by PARTS. You have: Part 1- The Northeast Part 2- The South Part 3- The Midwest Part 4- The Southwest Part 5- Mountain States Part 6- The West Part 7- The Northwest Part 8- Mexico Part 9- Canada Now, after you pick the PART you want to travel to... This book helps you out yet again. You can then narrow down your trip based upon the adve...