Wordless Wednesday- The Shirt Says It All

Wonderful Spring Movie Collection For Your Children

I love the beautifully illustrated, classic tales of Beatrix Potter! Did you know that there is entire DVD collection of her wonderful stories? The BBC created these animated films back in 1992. They were titled "The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends".

I purchased this DVD set for my children about 7 years ago and they still enjoy watching them. There is not any inappropriate innuendos, belching or Flatulating characters...nothing but good wholesome entertainment for the entire family! These would make the perfect Easter gift.

One of the things that I love most about this collection is that the illustrations stay true to Beatrix Potter's original artwork. I love Beatrix's stories and these films bring them to life.

I bought my DVD collection at Overstock.com back in the day but you can also purchase it at Amazon.com (Free Shipping too!).

Here is a sample of one of the stories from the DVD collection that I found on You Tube (fast forward to see sample of the actual animated story)

Dinner Menu- Week of March 29th

Monday-
Traditional Passover Seder Meal at Church

Tuesday-
Curried Chicken and Barley Casserole, Cucumber Peanut Salad, Guferati, and Chai Tea

Wednesday-
Vegetable Lasagna and Green Salad

Thursday-
Greek Chicken Salad on Homemade Flat Bread and Fruit Salad

Friday-
Hamburger and Green Bean Casserole with a Green Salad

Saturday-
Chicken Fajitas and Spanish Rice

Sunday-
Homemade Split Pea Soup and Bread

I thought that I would add some international flare in my menu plan this week. I am trying a few new recipes that I found online and have included the links. I love trying new recipes!

Cashing in my Swagbucks

I finally earned enough swagbucks to get something worthwhile. After using swagbucks as my search engine for nearly a year I earned a $25 gift card to Amazon.com!! Woo-Hoo!! And after spending WAY to much time searching Amazon for that perfect prize...I settled on this.

It is 8 feet wide and 18 inches deep. Should make for some cheap entertainment on those hot summer days. I hope that it least holds up for the summer. On the reviews 1/4 of the people hated it, so we shall see. The biggest compaint was of the sides colapsing. Perhaps this is why the lady in the picture is holding the side. lol.

Friday Photo Flashback

Thanksgiving 2004

Look how sweet and little my two oldest children were.
My son was 4 here and my daughter 2.
You won't find them being this loving anymore!

My Doll's Life Doll Outfit WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO BEVERLY!!!

She was comment #117 and left this comment:

Beverly Hernandez said...

I signed up for the My Doll's Life newsletter
hernandezclan@gmail.com

March 24, 2010 2:37 PM

Winner has been contacted by email and will have 48 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Baby Doll Cloth Diaper 3-pack WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO TAMARA!!

She was comment #104 and left this comment:

Tamara said...

I blogged about the girl event early #3
wazzuroo@gmail.com

March 16, 2010 10:52 PM

Winner has been notified by email and has 48 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be drawn.

My Fancy Princess Tea Set WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO STRAWBERRY KIDS!!!

They were comment #219 and left this comment:

Strawberry Kids said...

@strawberrykidss follows @HappilyDomestic on twitter and we tweeted here:
http://twitter.com/strawberrykidss/status/10583449788

March 16, 2010 1:17 PM

Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be drawn.

ShoeBuy.Com WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TRISH AND ROB!!!

They were comment #179 and left this comment:

Trish and Rob said...

Oh I love the Rileyroos! They sell all kinds of accessories, too!
whisper342@aol.com

March 10, 2010 5:22 PM

Winner has been contacted by email and will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Wordless Wednesday- Cuteness Edition

Have you ever seen anything more adorable?

Family Update

I thought that it was high time for an update! Since cutting back my computer time drastically, I have had to focus on getting done what was absolutely necessary on my blog when I have gotten on. The Great Girl event had me staying up until midnight most nights, but I am proud of myself for sticking to my restrictions. The fact that I pulled off a whole event when only allowing myself computer time after the kids went to bed is quite an achievement (if I do say so myself).

What else have we been up to?

My husband and I decided to go ahead and sell our house. We have lived in the same small house since 2000 and have outgrown it. Our house is only 1,300 square feet, 3 bedroom, and 1 bath. We also do not have a garage since we converted it into a family room. Needless to say we are in desperate need of more storage, another bathroom and at least 4 bedrooms.

Trying to sell a house is so stressful. My husband has been doing an endless amount of repairs, we rented a storage unit and cleared out a bunch of stuff, and I have been cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. It is all rather exhausting. I am trying to keep the house in a state so that if the realtor calls we can be ready to show the house within an hour. Have you ever heard the saying "Trying to clean house with kids is like shoveling snow in a snow storm"? Whoever said that quote was a very wise person indeed.

My 9 year old son has been busy studying his math for all his state testings. The testing started today. He has been seeing a tutor for the past 2 months twice a week. It has made life busier then normal for all of us and we will be thankful when it is all over. He has worked hard. Besides the extra math, he continues taking piano lessons once a week and in his free time keeps busy building legos, reading his favorite Magic Tree House books and driving his sister crazy. He also loves his two baby brothers and helps with them all day long. He is a tremendous blessing to me. I don't know how I would do it without him.

Our baby girl as you know just had a birthday on the 15th and turned 8. I can hardly believe it! We celebrated with a small spa party/sleepover with two of her good friends. We had pizza, cherry and chocolate cake, and strawberry ice cream. I gave the three girls all pedicures and manicures. They loved it! Afterward they all got cozy on the couch and watched "Nancy Drew". It was a fun birthday. My daughter was especially thrilled that I hosted the girl event on my blog for her. She has been loving all her gifts. Apart from her birthday my daughter has been busy with school and piano practice. She can be found most days reading a book, playing with her dolls, or making some kind of arts and crafts. She loves to help in the kitchen and is always curious about everything around her (sometimes to the point that it gets her in trouble).

Baby "E" is soon to be 2 years old next month! After dealing with real low muscle tone and a year and a half of physical therapy, I am happy to announce that our little guy is finally walking!!! He took his first steps last month when we were in Washington, but didn't actually start up walking until last week. He is doing well with it but gets so embarrassed if you make a big deal and cheer. He is a bit on the shy side. He is using more words all the time and signs for a few things as well. He is still the mellowest kid you will ever meet. You will find him most of the time sucking his thumb and holding his blankie.

Baby "J" is now 4 1/2 months old. He has gotten so big and strong. He weighs around 14 pounds and is 24 1/2 inches long. He is getting to be quite the little chunk too, with chubby cheeks and rolls on his wrists! My new nickname for him has been "chubbers". He laughs and coos now and is developing his own little personality. He is a high demand baby, wants to be held and cries quite a bit. He keeps everyone in the family on their toes. We are constantly all rushing to stick his pacifier in his mouth. What would we do without that handy invention??

Well, there is a quick update for you all. I could say a lot more but it is getting late and I have to be up by 6:30 am tomorrow morning. More testing! Thanks to all of you who have faithfully read my blog and been supportive of my endeavors. I don't always have the time to blog all that I would like but I hope that I have managed to still keep this blog an interesting place to visit. :-)

~Beth

Save BIG at MY TWINN- Exclusive Coupon Code For My Readers!

Right now at My Twinn there are many ways to save BIG! With any $99 purchase you receive a $50 coupon code that allows you to select free goods. Go here to see selection.

My Twinn also has a large selection of 50% off girls clothing and a 25% off selection of girl and doll outfits.

Save even MORE... My Twinn has graciously offered all my wonderful readers 20% off any first order of $99 or more. Use coupon code HAPPY20OFF. Coupon expires 5/1/10


Here is a few scenarios to help you take advantage of this special offer:

• Buy a custom My Twinn Doll (regularly $149) with coupon code you only pay $119.20 and also receive $50 in free goods!
• Buy some adorable outfits for your daughter at 50% off, save 20% more with the coupon code and also recieve $50 in free goods! (This is with a $99 purchase)
• Don't need anything right now? Buy $100 Gift Certificate, you will only pay $80 for it (with coupon code) and will also receive the $50 in free goods! You can then use the gift certificate when you need it.

Today I made a purchase at My Twinn and got some awesome deals! My daughter had $40 of birthday money and bought several doll accesories, I bought her 2 full outfits, a pair of pajamas, a couple head bands, and purchased a $30 gift certificate (to use down the road for more clothes). We received our $50 free goods code at the end of our purchase and turned around and ordered the free goods. My daughter picked out the doll tent (she and her brother are going to have a blast with this), a dog for her Twinn Doll, dog collar and leash, play pet carrier for the dog, and another shirt for my daughter! The quality of the clothes from My Twinn are excellent too. Even if you are not wanting a doll, the selection of clothes is great and My Twinn is always offering awesome sales.

So what are you waiting for? Go shop!!!

Spring is in the air!

I don't know if the weather is warming up where you live, but it has been beautiful here. Time to start the spring cleaning! Clean out all that clutter that has been building up all winter, wash those windows, clean out the closets, and change all the sheets on the kids beds. There is something about spring that revives me and gives me that boost I need to get things done around my house.


I also love spring because it means spending more time outdoors with my children. Where we live it is miserably hot in the summer. If we don't enjoy our spring weather then we miss out. I have lots of plans for park play dates, picnics, barbecues, and sitting and relaxing in my backyard watching my children play. Thanks to CSN Stores I will be featuring a review soon for an item that will help make playtime outdoors with your toddler a lot of fun. Stay tuned!

PolkaDot Spots Girls Rolling Suitcase WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS NIFTY NAPPY!!


She was comment #146 and left this comment:

Nifty Nappy said...

I entered the my twinn doll giveaway

niftynappy@gmail.com

March 8, 2010 6:53 PM

Winner has been contacted by email and will have 48 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be drawn.

My Twinn- The Just Like Me Doll Giveaway WINNER!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO AEK!!!!


She was comment #227 and left this comment:

AEK said...

Signed up for their newsletter

angiedkelly at gmail dot com

March 4, 2010 4:19 PM

Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Hartstrings Girl's Spring Dress WINNER!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO SARAH!!

She was comment #76 and left this comment....

Sarah said...

I would choose the Plaid Smocked Sundress - so cute!

girottih@yahoo.com

March 4, 2010 12:38 PM

Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Friday Photo Flashback- Then and Now

My husband and I took a little 2 night getaway back in the summer of 2005 to Seattle, Washington. We were in WA. for a family vacation and his parents were kind enough to watch our kiddos for us. One of our excursions was dinner at SkyCity restaurant which is of course at the top of the Seattle Space Needle. We had a beautiful sunset dinner with great views of the city and the water. We even got to see the city lights at night that were absolutely breath taking! It was a very memorable experience. Before our trip I exercised like a maniac to fit into this little black dress. I lost 5 pounds and managed to get a fairly decent tan. I was also only 26 at the time and cared more about how I looked. Here I am on the observation deck of the Space Needle....

Fast forward to winter 2010 and here I am once again on the observation deck of the Space Needle... I didn't exercise, I didn't tan. I am just a mom who has had 4 babies who really doesn't care what anyone thinks anymore! I guess this is how it is to be in your 30's. :-)


See more Friday Photo Flashback here.

GlassesUSA WINNER!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ANTHY!!!

She was comment #92 and left this comment...

anthy said...

tweet! http://twitter.com/my_twitraccount/status/10666353497
anthy_stl [ATT] yahoo [DOTT] com

March 18, 2010 5:16 AM

Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

Fluff Talk Thurday #16- Advice for the cloth diaper newbie

Are you new to cloth diapering and trying to figure it all out? I can help!

How many Diapers will I need to get started?

First of all you need to determine if cloth diapering is something you are wanting to do full-time or part time. If you are wanting to go full-time then I would recommend having at least 20-30 diapers for one child and 30-40 for two. Personally I would go for the higher amount simply because you do not want your diapers to get warn out and also you want to have enough on hand to last 2 full days of diapering.

Which type of diaper do I go with?

There are many options in the cloth diapering world ...pocket diapers, one-size pocket diapers, all in ones, fitted diapers with covers, pre-fold diapers with covers, etc. The diaper types may seem daunting and you will need to figure out which diaper type works best for you and your baby. For me, I mostly like to use one-size pocket diapers. I love how you can adjust the same diaper for small infants all the way to toddler sizes. With having 2 in diapers this has been extremely handy for me. Also, I prefer this type verses using a diaper plus cover system because I am not one that likes re-using covers. To me they always seem to smell like urine even if you wipe the cover down. I use the diaper and cover as I would a pocket diaper, I only use it once and then throw in diaper pail. However, I do like fitted diapers paired with wool covers. The wool when dry contains no oder and I can feel good about using it a few more times.


My greatest advice about choosing diaper types or brands is to only buy 1-2 of each and try them for at least 2 weeks to see if you like them. I know there are some great deals out there on diapers, but I would not be quick to buy all of one brand. Having a complete set of one brand of diapers that you hate will do you no good. Same advice goes for diaper types. You may think you want to do only pre-folds and covers to cut expenses but find that this system isn't the most convenient.

A lot of cloth diaper stores offer trial packs that allow you to try several brands of cloth diapers for a trial period and then you return them. I have not done this so I am unsure of how it works exactly, but this may be an option you want to look into.

Another piece of advice is to not base everything off of what one person says. One person may say "This brand is awesome, don't bother buying anything else" but, it may turn out to be a diaper you do not like. A friend of mine that is faithful to a certain diaper brand is like this and so I bought a couple of the diapers she recommended and they are not my favorites at all. In fact they are $5.00 more per diaper then the brand I bought at the beginning and I did not like their velcro system or their liners.

What else will I need?

Diaper Pail/Liner: Besides the the actual cloth diapers you are also going to need a diaper pail. Dry pail systems are recommended. All that you will need to do this is buy a standard 13 gallon (or smaller) kitchen trash can and a diaper pail liner. The liner is usually made from polyester with a PUL coating. Put the liner in the can as you would a garbage bag and put the lid on top! It's that easy. After 1-2 days of cloth diapering, you then pull out the liner and empty the diapers into the washing machine. You even toss in the liner, it can be washed with the diapers.

I do recommend having 2 diaper pail liners so that you have one in the pail on wash day, but it is not completely necessary.

Wet Bag: If you plan to cloth diaper your baby when leaving home you will need a cloth diaper wet bag to put those dirty dipes in! Cloth diapers are bulkier then disposable diapers and so you will need a wet bag that will hold at least 3-4 diapers. I would recommend buying at least a medium sized bag. Wet bags can also be tossed into the wash with the cloth diapers on wash day...just don't forget to empty the diapers out first. Oh, and don't forget that you have a wet bag full of dirty diapers in your diaper bag!! I do this a lot and it's a good way to ruin your diapers. For this reason, I mostly use diaposible diapers when we leave the house.

Cloth Diaper Detergent: Cloth diapers cannot be washed with any brand detergent, you must use a detergent that can safely be used with your diapers. Go here to see a chart that list many cloth diaper safe detergents.

Diaper Sprayer- This is not 100% necessary to cloth diaper your baby, but now that I own one I have to say it is a MUST HAVE!! When your baby is breast fed only and still has the breast milk poo you do not have to get the poop off the diapers before throwing into the diaper pail. However, once your baby starts to eat solids, you will need to shake out the poop before throwing in pail. No one wants to do the whole dunking and swishing routine and that is why I recommend having a diaper sprayer. This sprayer connects to the back of your toilet and can be mounted to the wall for easy access. It works the same as your kitchen sprayer. With the diaper sprayer you can easily spray off the poop into the toilet. Makes life SO MUCH EASIER. I recommend The Diaper Sprayer brand. I have one and it is awesome! It does not leak out water unto the floor and has adjustable pressure. Don't be fooled into trying to install your own sprayer that you made yourself. You won't save that much money and will save yourself a heap of time.

This really is all you need to cloth diaper your baby! There is of course more accessories, etc that you can use but these are the basics. I did not go into great detail here, but wanted to to give a quick over view of what you will need. Read my previous Fluff Talk Thursday posts for more cloth diaper advice as well as a tutorial on how to make your own pop up cloth wet wipes! See my labels on right hand side bar for link to Fluff Talk Thursdays posts.

Your Assignment For Today:

"Advice for the cloth diaper newbie"
What is your best piece of cloth diapering advice? What would you recommend for the new cloth diaper user? Don't forget to Grab my Fluff Talk Thursday Banner for your post (can be found at my right side bar) Then come back and link up your post for all to read.

Next Fluff Talk Thursday will be April 1st

Topic is:
"Pros/Cons of Sunning you cloth diapers"
Do you line dry your cloth diapers or dry them in your clothes dryer? Tell us what you do and what you like best about each method. Don't forget to Grab my Fluff Talk Thursday Banner for your post (can be found at my right side bar) Then come back and link up your post for all to read.


To see the last Fluff Talk Thursday Post click here.
Instructions for Fluff Talk Thursdays, click here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope you all have a fun
St. Patty's Day!
We celebrated on friday with a traditional
corn beef and cabbage meal,
followed by a fantastic St. Patrick's Day show downtown
with Irish music and awesome Celtic dancers.
The dancers came all the way from Dublin, Ireland!!

Exciting Giveaway Coming In April and Extra Entries Opportunity!

On April 1st I will be posting my review of the Contours Options Tandem Stroller. That is not all.... there will be a giveaway for one of these awesome $250 double strollers as well!!! As usual there will be many ways to enter, including the daily tweet entry. I want you to have as many chances to win as possible .

One way to gain extra entries is to grab my stroller button and post it on your blog. If you do this and leave a comment on THIS post, you will earn 5 extra entries! You MUST keep the button on your blog until the 30th of April for this to count and you MUST have the button on your blog no later then April 15th. Don't forget to leave your comment here that you did this.


<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.happilydomestic.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af214/HappilyDomestic/doublestrollerredo-1.jpg" /></a></center>

Kissaluvs Marvels One-Size Fitted Diaper and One-Size Cover WINNER!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MUMMATUTU!!

She was comment #201 and left this comment...

Mummatutu said...

I entered the Hartstrings Giveaway
-------------------------------
mumma905708(@)gmail(.)com

March 7, 2010 11:16 PM

Winner has been contacted and has 48 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to all who entered. Make sure and enter my current giveaways for more chances to win some awesome prizes! (Links at left side bar)

The Great Girl Event- Last Day!

I hope that you have all enjoyed The Great Girl Event here at Happily Domestic. I have enjoyed putting this together for you. There is still time to enter all the Girl Event giveaways, so make sure you get all those entries in! Check my left sidebar for all the current giveaway listing links.

I love to hear feedback from my readers on what you think of my events. Feel free to leave comments with any suggestions, etc. that you may have. I always strive to make my blog an enjoyable place for you to visit.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Beth

Great Girl Event- My Doll's Life Review and Giveaway!

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

My Doll's Life is an online doll boutique specializing in high quality, fashionable doll clothing to fit both 15" and 18" dolls. Their doll clothing will fit perfectly on dolls such as American Girl dolls, Corolle dolls, Sophia's dolls, Gotz dolls, and Bitty Baby by American Girl. Their budget friendly doll clothing and doll accessories such as doll shoes, doll socks, doll tights and doll hangers will provide endless hours of play for your child.

Your doll never looked so good! Expanding your doll wardrobe at My Doll's Life is fun and affordable. It truly is the best doll clothes supplier in the market!

At My Doll's Life your daughter will also have fun creating her own doll's world with their Design A Doll section or she can print out paper dolls to color and cut for hours of play at home!

Join My Doll's Life free club for special offers and a free acessory with every $30 purchase made. Click here for details.

Watch this video to see the sporty side of My Doll's Life!

Our Experience:

My daughter loves to dress her dolls. Last Christmas my husband and I bought her a doll clothes wardrobe to hold all her 18" doll clothing. Every time she receives money, she most always wants to buy a new outfit for her doll Ruthie. I was excited to discover My Doll's Life and the HUGE selection of 18" doll clothes they offer. It was hard to decide which outfits to choose for our review. There are so many adorable outfits!
We finally decided on the lavender Belt,Ruffle Blouse and Sparkle Legging set with silver Gladiator Sandals for the 18" doll and the Ocean Theme Doll Bathing Suit & Mesh Cover Up and pink sandals for the 15" doll. These outfits are not only adorable but well made. My daughter
can easily dress her dolls as these outfits contain Velcro closures for easy outfit changes.
The customer service we received at My Doll's Life was superb. Everyone was very friendly and professional. Our items were sent out quickly and were well packaged. I love how My Doll's Life gives your little girl a whole experience when shopping on her site with their interactive play and user friendly shop. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed it.


BUY IT- Experience the quality and affordability with your purchase from My Doll’s Life.com. Be sure to look at their $15 and Under Category for complete doll outfits and $5 Doll Shoes & Accessories. As a reader of Happily Domestic they are offering a 20% discount coupon on all orders placed by December 10, 2010. Use coupon code “Happily Domestic” at checkout. Pssst…..spread the word!

WIN IT- My Doll's Life is giving one lucky Happily Domestic reader a doll outfit of their choice and a pair of doll socks and doll shoes to match (My Doll's Life's choice). Your little girl is going to LOVE this!

Here is how to enter:

First Mandatory entry:
Visit My Doll's Life and look around, then tell me what outfit you will choose if you win.

*Remember to leave your email address in your comment! YOU MUST DO THIS TO WIN*

After you have completed your first entry you are eligible for additional entries. *See my giveaway instructions here for more information. * *Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry AND include your e-mail address.*

• Subscribe to My Doll's Life email newsletter. Click here. Leave a comment telling me you did this.
• Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect (can be found at my right sidebar.) - current follows count too!
• Subscribe to my blog emails via Feedburner. Sign up box on my right sidebar.
• Blog about THIS giveaway between March 14th and March 20th and gain TWO entries!!! link back to my site- leave the URL where you blogged. Please leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I blogged about your Doll Clothes giveaway@ #1" then "I blogged about your Doll Clothes giveaway@ #2".
  
• Grab my Happily Domestic button! (found at right sidebar)- Leave the URL where it is posted.
• Follow HappilyDomestic on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (counts as 1 entry)- after this you may "tweet" daily and gain an extra entry each day that you tweet-limit one per day. Leave your tweet status.
  
• Vote for me at TOP 100 MOMMY BLOGGERS, link button is found at my top left sidebar. Leave a comment saying that you voted for me. This only counts for new votes.
• Enter any of my current giveaways, leave a comment and tell me which giveaway you entered. Counts as 1 entry per giveaway entered. Please leave separate comments per giveaway you entered.
• If you earned the 3 extra entries for blogging about my event early, leave 3 separate comments saying that you did this. See Rules here.
• If you earned the 3 extra entries for grabbing my event button early, leave 3 separate comments saying that you did this. See Rules here.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.(MST). Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
*This giveaway is open to USA residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.*

Thank you to My Doll's Life who provided me with the product for review.
All opinions are my own and no other compensation
was received to conduct this review and giveaway.

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*