Wordless Wednesday - This tastes like dirt!

Mommy: "Elijah, don't put that dirt in your mouth."


Elijah: "Yuck! Dirt!"

Happy Wednesday!

Organizing your Digital Scrapbooking

The very first page I did featuring Elijah.

I think I was in elementary school when I first realized you could scrapbook stuff. I would collage anything I could find to preserve the memories of each day. Ask my mom; Her attic is still filled with the boxes of every piece of paper I think I ever wrote on, every ticket stub, even placemats and napkins from restaurants and parties. You may be saying to yourself 'pack rat' but I prefer memory preserver better. ;)

This collage below was one of the first of hundreds of digital collages I did when I was a teenager. How many tongues are sticking out in that picture? Seriously? lol And how many hair colors/styles did I have? It's like a Seek & Find.

Obviously I have refined my scrapbooking quite a bit since then. It didn't take me long to figure out just what to do with that stuff I collected, especially with the rise of digital photography meaning I could have the photos instantly. Sometimes I let the objects tell their own stories, sometimes I write a journal entry to accompany them. Sometimes I use memorabilia from an event (napkins, fliers, decorations) to frame photos from the event. Sometimes I create special backgrounds, frames, and elements just for the special thing I am scrapping. Either way, I do a lot of scrapbooking. And now that I have Elijah, it has more than tripled, but my budget for supplies has been traded for diaper money. Believe it or not, that turned out to be a good thing!

I have been hybrid scrapping for years. Printing elements that I create in Adobe Photoshop to accompany my pages. Soon after I started hybrid scrapping, I found myself doing full digital scrapbook pages so I am not new to the concept. Oh no, my problem is that I am a little too into it....

Now being over 10 years from when I first started, I have quit a digital collection. I'm talking serious GIGS of files. Most are burnt to cd... hundreds of cds. Some is on my external hard drive, which is a terabyte, thank god. My problem is that when I go to work on a project I can never find that perfect paper/element/frame/alpha that I know I have. I have used iphoto on my mac, ACDSee and Picasa on my PC. I have tried folders. I just haven't been totally happy with anything so far. So I have started a search for the best way to to organize it all. Folders, software, I will try as many options as I can and then will share what I find with you.

The first thing I have found worth while so far is a fabulous article by Simple Scrapper. Check it out here: http://www.simplescrapper.com/2009/06/02/organizing-digital-scrapbook-supplies/

So while I keep looking for more ideas, tell me, how do you organize your digi scrap? Leave your ideas and tips in the comments below!

Kissimmee - The Heart of Florida

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Kissimmee Tourism. All opinions are 100% mine.

Just about 1 mile south of Orlando, Kissimmee Florida is one of the most popular tourist destinations. With it's proximity to Disney and other attractions, it makes the perfect place to stay on your vacation. It's just outside of the more busy and expensive area so it's also a more relaxed and inexpensive place to call your temporary home.

Dave and I have been planning a trip to Florida for a few years now and although we both agree Elijah should be a bit older before we go, there is so much to do with him now if we got the opportunity to go we would be out the door and Kissimmee would definitely be where we would stay. Although I haven't been there before, Dave has. He says it's a top pick to be close to everything!

Whether you are looking for a lavish, romantic suite or a fun family-friendly hotel, Kissimmee has a place for everyone. I personally would love to stay at the Celebration Suites at Old Town. Affordable and two miles from Disney, they offer 1 and 2 bedroom suites with a full eat in kitchen, dining room, living room, even a private balcony! It would be the perfect home away from home. They also have so many amenities such as not 1 but 3 heated outdoor pools!

We plan on staying about 2 weeks when we go so we have been filling our itinerary with as many of the activities we can! Of course it will come down to our budget at the time of the actual vacation, but honestly there are so many things to do that are inexpensive, I don't think we will have a problem staying busy.

The big thing we will do is at least 5 days in Walt Disney World and hopefully 2 or 3 at Universal Studios. I personally can't wait to see the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction!

There is so many other fun things to do in Kissimmee besides theme parks as well. Dinner shows, golf, boating, nightlife, shopping, museums, and more! I am looking forward to having dinner at Pirate’s Dinner Adventure, shopping at Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores and checking out Titanic, The Experience; which features full-scale re-creations of the ship's most famous locales!

There is so much to see and do in Kissimmee you will be sure to fill your itinerary and have the vacation of a life time! Start planning your dream trip today by visiting http://bit.ly/a7PkBE!

Wordless Wednesday

Stay Cool! Happy Wednesday!

Rayovac Powers Your Summer!

Moms and Kids just want to have fun this summer, and Rayovac has the power to make it happen!

From June 21st to July 20th Rayovac is having a Power Your Summer Giveaway! All you have to do is tell them how you will power your summer each day for a chance to win amazing prizes! Just visit www.rayovac.com/PowersYourSummer each day

for your chance to win!

While you're there make sure to check out the rest of the site! Rayovac, together with expert moms at 5MinutesForMom, will offer up great daily summertime family tips sure to help you power your summer!

And that's not all! You have even MORE chances to win some great prizes at the

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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST

Hashtag: #rayovac

Join @Rayovac_Battery, @5minutesformom, and @CirclePRMary for a fun summer event with more than 20 MORE prizes! Batteries, $50 Target gift cards and more!!!

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Disclosure: The first 99 bloggers to promote the Rayovac Powers Your Summer Promotion won a prize package from Rayovac.

Dad's Perspective: Happy Father's Day

Preface --
Fathers Day isn't just about Dads, but is a celebration of the child, and the mother. For without them it would not exist. I was never "in" to Mothers or Fathers Day, but having a child lets you know head on what your Mom and Dad did for you and how they feel everyday for you and lets you know what they went through to raise you.

So let us celebrate our Moms and Dads, our wives and most importantly, our children, on this Fathers Day!

A Happy Mothers & Fathers Day to my own Mom & Dad!

**Now on to our feature presentation**

Dearest Elijah,

Last year was my first Fathers Day, and now that it's here again, I wanted to tell you how wonderful it is having a son. There's a line in one of my favorite movies that states "you don't know true happiness, until you have a son". So true.

You're over 19 months old now, and remembering your first "da-da's" in your high chair, to your "daddy, daddy" now, I have found the words to express my feelings. You gave them to me.

Hearing you say Da-Da, or Daddy, is the best feeling in the world, and makes me feel so happy. The love exuded in those simple words from you is felt in such a pure way, that it almost hurts.

It's amazing how much love and joy and fun a child brings to your life. No words can truly explain this.

When you were born, I held you as we slept that first night, and you crawled up under my chin, and snuggled close. I knew THEN I was your Daddy. And you assured me of this, at less than 24 hours old. Amazing!!


(Side note: Your Mom-Mom was the first person to call me "Daddy" as she handed you to me in the delivery room, and that was an awesome feeling.)

From your little blinking eyes at birth, to your bright alert blue eyes today, I thank you for being the reason I am able to celebrate this day. When you look up at me and hold out your hand for help, or you kiss me and snuggle close, I am reminded of this fact.


I forget all my problems, and thank God for you.


I am proud to be your Dad, and enjoy every moment of you sitting on my lap at the computer, holding my hand, calling out to me late at night when you have a bad dream, kissing my head, your hearty tickle laughs, or asking me to sit on the floor with you so you can sit on my lap and read a book.

I have loved and been there for you (and always will be), from that first day we took you home.

I worry and get a little scared about you growing up and leaving our arms and watchful eyes, but I will do everything I can to protect you, and care for you.

I will always be your Daddy. And you, my baby boy.

My son.
I love you Eli!
Love, Daddy

The following song puts into words all of the thought and emotion that goes with being a parent and says all the things that ring true in my life. Things have been different since "taking you home". Click the link below to be redirected to hear it.

Don Henley - Taking You Home

---

P.S.
-Mommy doesn't always get enough love and attention, whether due to our hectic lives and all that goes on, or "just because", but without her, you wouldn't be here, and thus, I wouldn't be your Daddy, so I want Mommy to know that we love her, need her, and appreciate all she has gone through for this moment to occur, and all she does for us on a daily basis.

I love you Erin!
We love you!

Thank you sweetie! -

Love, Daddy (Dave)

Music Monday - Devo : Don't Shoot (I'm a man)

One of Dave's favorite bands of all time is Devo, so of course he plays them a lot. Elijah, like Daddy, can't get enough of Devo and since he loves music videos this song was no exception with all the bright colors and action. He wants to play it over and over and over. You should see the fancy dance he does to it. I will try to get him on video doing it this week, it's such a riot.

Devo: Don't Shoot (I'm A Man)

Mailbox Monday Freebies

Welcome to Mailbox Monday! Join me every Monday when I share what I received in the mail this past week for FREE and share links to get the items FREE yourself! To keep up to date with all my free stuff posts make sure you subscribe or check back often and look for these posts and Notable Newness Freebie posts.

Remember to always use a separate email just for freebies if you sign up for them to prevent your mail email from getting junk and third party ads you don't want! To make signing up for free stuff easier consider using the AutoFill Forms and InformEnter add-ons for the Firefox web browser. I use them both and have even written a tutorial for InformEnter you can view.



I am so far behind the next few Mondays will probably be pretty big posts. These two photos were from the last two weeks of May. As you can see, I'm not short on free magazine subscriptions...

Magazines:

• Maxim 1 year (qualifier)
• OK 1 year (qualifier)
• CBS Watch 1 year (qualifier) I got my sub back when it was always free.
• Remedy 1 year
  
• All You 2 free issues when you enter. Just cancel after the 2nd if you don't want it. Although the coupons in there pay for itself!
  
• Parents (no longer offered for free)
  
• Lego Club 1 year
  
• Working Mothers (no longer offered for free)
• Traditional Home (no longer offered for free)
  
• Parenting Early Years 1 year (qualifier) I got my sub through this offer, which is no longer offered.
  
• Baby Talk 1 year
  
• American Baby 1 year
  

These magazines, although not pictured, are still available for free:

• Get Married 1 free issue
• Bridal Guide 1 free issue
• Wood Magazine 3 free issues
• Dime Magazine 9 free issues
• Mountain Homes 1 free issue
• Lego Club Jr 2 free years
• Designing Windows 1 free issue
• Subaru Drive Performance 2 free years
• Vacations Magazine 1 free issue
• There are also many free subscriptions here. Just fill out the info and it gives you magazines you qualify for.
• This is another site that I use often just like the one above to get Free Magazines!
  
• Free Travel Guides and Brochures - Browse destinations, pick travel guides that you'd like, receive guides Free by mail or download.
  

A bunch of the free magazines listed above come from ValueMags.com. They always keep a rotating selection of free subscriptions. Bookmark and check back to their site often for their current free titles. They give away a lot of digital subscriptions too. I didn't like digital subscriptions at first but now I am LOVING them! I can still read them, save them, and even print pages I want, anytime! And they don't even take up any space! I am totally sold on them now!

A few of their free digital subscriptions currently available are:

• Field & Stream 12 digital issues
• Saltwater Sportsman 14 digital issues
• Flying 12 digital issues

A few other free digital subscriptions other places on the web are:

• Cosmopolitan 1 year
• Organic Spa 1 year
  
• Gamerzines always free
• Celebrating Christmas always free

And if you're into ebooks, there are a few of those floating around free right now too!

• Free Crochet Patterns: Crochet Stitches
• Free 94 Page eBook: Recycling Crafts
• Free eBook: Simple Scrapbook Layouts
• Free 95-page eBook: Creative Crafting All Year Round Holiday eBook
• Free eCookbook: 40 Healthy Snack Recipes
• Free eCookbook: 31 Secret Restaurant Copycat Recipes
  
• Free eCookbook: 33 Secret Restaurant Copycat Recipes: Volume III
• Free eCookbook: 27 Simple Mexican Recipes
  

Since I didn't get any exciting freebies still are still offered, I'm not going to make a freebie list this week but you can check out this post to see some great new ones. To see all Walmart's current freebies check out this page. Sam's Club also has a sample page here. You may need a club member number to sign up for some. (You didn't hear this from me, but some people say any 9 digit number works.)

What did you get in the mail this week?

Check out A Frugal Friend for the Mailbox Monday linky to add your post and check out others!

See some of my previous mailbox monday posts here.

Free SwagBucks on your birthday!

Since I first found SwagBucks back in late 2008 and posted this post in February 2009, I have earned over $200 in prizes. Mostly in $5 Amazon.com gift cards. They have had many changes since then but only for the better. Just yesterday I cashed out 450 swagbucks for another Amazon card.

Recently Swag Bucks announced another new way to earn extra bucks, and it's REALLY easy! All you have to do is go in to your account details and update it with your birth date! Then every year on your birthday they will reward you with 50 free swagbucks!

I'm all about easy ways to earn even more!

If you haven't heard of SwagBucks, I highly recommend you check them out! New members can even get 50 Free SwagBucks by using code SUMMEROFSWAG at sign up!

To get more info and sign up, please use my referral link:

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/erinjeany

Oh and if you are ever looking for extra bucks check out the Swag Bucks widget at the bottom of this site. Click the 'Swag Codes' button anytime you visit to see if there is a special swag code active right now! :)

I was not paid for this post. Opinions are 100% mine!

Notable Newness: Freebies

Some great freebies you can sign up for!

"Like" Redbox on Facebook and get a FREE rental on June 21st!

Free Cookbook Download: 50 Gourmet Burger Creations From Kids Across the Country!

Free sample of Cottonelle toilet paper & wipes!

Free sample of Aveeno Nourish Shampoo and Conditioner!

Two FREE samples of tea from Teasta Tea! Just use coupon code TRYME --Shipping is also free!

Free Nickelodeon Show Downloads from itunes:

• iCarly
  SpongeBob
  Phineas & Feb
  Dora the Explorer
  Ben 10
  Bagukan
  Ruff Ruffman
  Hannah Montana
  Wizards of Waverly Place
  Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
  Suite Life

thanks Rockin' Deals!

• Free Sample of Zantac for heart burn
  
• Free Sample of Prilosec OCT for heart burn
  
• Free Sample of Playtex Gentle Glide Tampons
  
• Free Sample of All Oxi-Active Laundry Detergent

Not so Wordless Wednesday - Early Father's Day for Dada

To: Dada
Love: Elijah

Dada,

Mama and I thought long and hard on what Father's Day gift you would like the best.

Then I thought about what Father's Day really means to us.

Father's Day isn't just another day about giving gifts. It is a day of celebration. It deserves to be celebrated as we do any important holiday.

Father's Day celebrates the fact that you are my Daddy. It celebrates every moment we have shared from the first moment you heard my heart beat and saw my ultrasound, to the first time you felt me kick, to the first time you held me in your arms and looked into my little blinking eyes. The days and nights you spend taking care of me.

It celebrates you, all that you are to me, all that you are to this family. It celebrates how much you love me and I love you, and always will our whole lives through. It celebrates how much I am truly honored and thankful to have you as my Dad.

No gift could ever express just how much having you as my Dad means to me.

Sure a day where we give you some gifts and then you get to relax is pretty nice, but I think it should be spread out.

I think besides the gifts, celebrating Father's Day together by doing a few fun family activities could be a nice way to begin.

To start the new tradition I thought it would be fun to have a picnic and day at Annie's Playground sometime next week. You pick the day and Mama and I will make a nice lunch to take along.

I love you Dada! Thank you for all you do. Father's Day and every day.