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Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports: April 2009

Apr 28, 2009

As the Swine Flu goes around...

With the escalating media reports and more cases of swine flu being reported, the levels of fear in the hearts of many are also rising. Just earlier this evening while my husband shopped for our regular groceries at HEB he stood in line at the checkout counter behind a family piling their grocery cart with provisions to last several days. He overheard them saying they needed to be stocked for the situation at hand. An atmosphere of panic seems to be looming overhead.

In times like these, we can only trust God to keep us safe and ofcourse do our part to keep safe.
  • Avoid crowded areas.
  • Cook food thoroughly.
  • Make sure your hands are washed regularly especially after stepping outdoors.
  • Cover your mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Get rid of the tissue immediately.
  • Do your bit of building up your immunity with multivitamins and a daily dose of citrus. (Our family has resumed drinking a glass of warm lemon juice with honey in the morning. This concoction used to be on my dreaded list as a child but today as a mother I see my Mom in myself and the cycle seems to repeat....lemon juice and honey for my family!)
  • Leave hand sanitizers around the house to encourage little ones to keep cleaning their hands especially as they get into everything and anything in just a second! (And make sure they avoid putting anything into their mouths especially their own fingers.)
  • Above all....PRAY AND TRUST GOD.
While reading the newspaper this morning and going through the various flu reports, I immediately thought of Bunny girl. As I began to think of her safety (P.S. I'm an overtly protective mother hen-I guess its the first kid syndrome. A few of my Mommy friends have told me I'll be more tough whenever we have our second.....I say lets wait and see!!) the verses from Psalm 91 came to mind.

Psalm 91: 1,2,9 and 10 says
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

These verses keep my heart at peace and I pray they encourage you too. May you and your family (especially your little ones) be kept safe during this time and may you find peace in knowing God's Hand of Protection will safeguard you and all your loved ones, as you trust in Him.

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Apr 27, 2009

Making every child feel special....Disney.

I've been wanting to do this post for a while now and have been putting it off as as there's so much to write, so much to share, so much to re-live. Our first trip to Disney as a family was, as Disney puts it,"Truly Magical"!

I suppose what made it all the more special was the way each character made each little child feel as if he or she were the only child at Disney that day and all the attention was his or hers........ I know Bunny girl came back feeling that way.

Each time I look through the pictures, the one thing that keeps leaping out of each photograph is the giant beaming grin of a very happy little girl and coming to think of it, our grins seemed to look a little large sized too! (Disney does that to parents too!!!)

Among all the characters, Goofy did his part of being truly wacky and absolutely nuts! He was one of the first characters we met and definitely one of the most memorable. What would set Bunny girl off into giggles was the way he'd keep chewing on his ears...and this he'd do ever so often!

Meeting the Little Einsteins was a dream come true for Bunny girl and till we left for Disney her number one favorite was Annie but that changed on the 2nd of March. As soon as June noticed Bunny girl's fabric painted June picture on her Tshirt, she gave her a big hug and kept pointing at the picture and giggling. She even made it a point to write a special little birthday message for Bunny girl's autograph and thereafter Bunny girl was sold!

This picture will always be my all time favorite. I love every bit of it and Belle did make sure she spent a good long time chatting Bunny girl up and did her part to make Bunny girl feel so special. She asked her a lot of questions and listened intently as Bunny girl animatedly replied. Can't you tell how loved she feels just by looking at her little blissful face?!

At the Animal Kingdom, Bunny girl was called up to help one of the Cast members teach the crowds the Lion King dance. It obviously created an impression upon her little heart as she's taught the 'moves' to her grandfather and all her little toys! It's actually very infectious with the bop bops and slide slides!! (I guess she got me too!) Oh and they even made sure they gave her a little Certificate of Commendation at the end that states she officially hand jived for the Lion King Musical- so cute!

Another princess who officially struck a chord with Bunny girl was Cinderella. The Cinderella book comes out for a read more often than it did prior to our trip and now when Bunny girl plays with her Cinderella doll ( which just for the record, was never played with till just before our trip to Disney. She got the doll for her 2nd birthday!) I hear her saying "You are Cinderella Cinderelly and I am Mama Cinderelly". (Cinderelly was the name the two little mice gave Cinderella and lovingly called her this way.....just a clarification- wink wink!)

And finally our mouse-eared pair Mickey and Minnie. They were absolutely adorable and each time Bunny girl met them it was special. Since Bunny girl's still too young to understand the concept that different people dress up as characters, she assumed they made sure they were at each park when she got there. Finally on the last day she even asked " How did they follow me here too?" and we just told her they just knew she would be there and they wanted to make sure they were around to make her day special. This always pleased her as she'd continue walking around the park with a beautiful proud smile! I think the icing on the cake for her was the moment a Disney Photopass photographer got an entire room of visitors to sing Happy Birthday for her and Mickey and Minnie were there too. Minnie did her little twirls and danced around Bunny girl while Mickey conducted the group and Bunny girl....well....she was in 7th heaven!

There were many special moments that could be re-lived all over again but for now this has to do as I need to get my pep up cup of 'chai' (lovely Indian tea, cardamom flavored)before my Energizer Bunny stirs from her nap! Toodles!!

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Mommy Tip # 7 - Easy Peasy Carrot Cake (my shortcut recipe!)

For all you readers working on time deadlines, this recipe is definitely my quick way to make a yum carrot cake that tastes just like one baked from scratch!

Step 1: Grab hold off a Duncan Hines Cake Mix- Moist Deluxe Spice Mix, the next time you walk down that grocery aisle and don't forget a bag of carrots as you head off to the check out counter

All set to bake?

Step 2: Take 2-3 carrots and grate them. Keep this aside and get your cake mix ready. (Follow the instructions on the box)

Step 3: Just before you get ready to spoon the mix out onto your baking tray, throw in the grated carrots and give the mix a good stir. The mix is then all set for a good bake!

Now sit back and wait for your cake to be baked and enjoy the smell of 'freshly baked carrot cake' at home.....and believe me this tastes just as yum as it smells!!!

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Apr 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day!

Four of my favorite Earth Day deals:
  1. Hurry over to your closest Disney store with 3 empty plastic bottles(any size) and exchange them for a reuseable Disney water bottle . This offer is restricted to one per customer. (Link)
  2. Download your rebate form for a free roll of Reynolds 100% recycled aluminium foil today only. This offer is restricted to one per household and the forms are limited so go to the site and download the same quick! (Link)
  3. Walgreens has a printable coupon for 15% off select eligible items or 20% off Walgreens and W brand items PLUS you get a reuseable Walgreens shopping bag for free. The icing on this deal is you can stack manufacturer and store coupons on a product-yippee! (Link). Remember these can only be used at the Photo counter or Beauty counter.
  4. Free really pretty Earth Day totes from Calypso Studios- there are 10,000 available and you need to register to win one of these. Registration ends at 12pm Eastern time today. (Link)

There are tons more Earth day deals and links at Free Sample Freak's blog. Check them out and ....

Happy Earth Day!

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Apr 20, 2009

Through the eyes (and mouth) of a child!

Coined together some priceless 'Bunny girl-isms' that I thought needed to be recorded somewhere for for our family, friends and the blogosphere to read now and for Bunny girl to read later and have a good laugh...perhaps with her own little ones?

1. Bunny girl is determined to have Jesus come over for a playdate and while she and Jesus play, she has instructed that I need to be in the kitchen baking cookies for them!

2. Bunny girl is emphatic that car dealerships sell balloons and when you buy a balloon, they give you a car! (Buy a Balloon, Get a Car free?...sign me up for that one!!)

3. Bunny girl is adamant that Heaven is residence for Jesus, God AND Father God! (She still refuses to accept that God and Father God are the same)

4. Bunny girl is sure the plural of 'Hug' is 'Husses'!


And then there are those gems that just trip out of her cute little 3 year old mouth:
  • The other day she played dress up and said she was a lady from 'Mosquito' (Mexico!)
  • Today her book had a picture of a big yellow 'Meylon' (Lemon!).
  • A few months ago her arm consisted of her 'Elibolo' (Elbow!)
  • Earlier this morning while playing dress up her Aunt placed a scarf around her head and Bunny girl proudly stated she looked like a 'Cooker' (Chef!)

It's no wonder that we don't watch much television at home. The television stays functional when it gets warmed up with Bunny girl's favorite Playhouse Disney channel each morning and that's where it ends. Hubby cannot stop moping about the fact that he doesn't watch the news as often as he'd like...Ha ha ha..not like there's anything very encouraging to watch nowadays!

I'll sign off by saying this- we have a bundle of energy who proves to be the best source of entertainment when awake...and no amount of TV can compete with that!

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Apr 17, 2009

Playschool concern!

The countdown has begun and Bunny girl will soon be starting playschool in June. She has been waiting to start school since last year and both Hubby and self felt now would be the best time. She'll be starting with the summer program in the school and then continue with the regular classes in August.

The other day we went to speak with the Preschool Director and as usual I had a list of questions to ask.The darling lady patiently answered every one of them without blinking an eyelid or snickering at some of the really silly ones. Finally after getting the much needed assurance from her, we turned round and asked Bunny girl if she had any questions to ask.

She paused for a bit, thought and then quietly asked the Director " Will they have tissue?"
Oh my darling precious pumpkin! Her only concern was if the school would give her a tissue when she ate her food during break.

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Rolling those Rrrrrrrs

Bunny girl still has a problem with her Rs and though she's able to pronounce more words with the R sound there are some that give her a problem.

The other day her Aunt was playing with her in the hall when Bunny girl asked her to "Turn White". Her Aunt looked confused. She repeated herself again, this time slower and more emphatically but this only baffled her Aunt all the more. Finally exasperated Bunny girl drew her face close to hers and said slowly " White and Left?"

I personally love the way she pronounces those Rs but I know its only a matter of time before my baby is all grown up and those Rs come rolling off without a twitch. At times I 'weally' wish she would 'wemain' a baby!

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Apr 15, 2009

Mommy Tip # 6 - Clean up!

Cleaning our home is a loooooong process as I have a very willing little helper who insists she be my right hand as I sweep and mop. There are days when I'll notice areas that have been swept free of dust now have new trails of dust thanks to Bunny girl's sweeping. Each time I feel I need to stop her from helping me I remind myself that through the additional dust trails and new footprint soils, I'm building up a little lady who learns the necessity of keeping one's surroundings clean.

I still remember when Bunny girl was close to turning two and we were in the church nursery one Wednesday Bible study evening. Service had finished and the lady who watches the kids in the nursery was picking up the toys. Bunny girl immediately left my side, toddled over to the floor and began to help her pick up the strewn toys singing "Keen Up Keen Up Eveebuddy Eveewhere" (Clean up Clean up Everybody Everywhere) I was touched and that day I learnt the little things we instill in our kids at home, get practised when they go out.

Here are some of my clean up tips:

1. Even though their little smudgy fingers may not clean your sparkling glass table or bathroom mirrors impeccably allow your little ones to help. Have 2 wipe cloths, one for you and the other for your little helper.
2. I generally use organic based cleaning solutions as I noticed Bunny girl would sneeze and develop a runny nose when I used regular agents. I swear by Green Works!
3. Allow your little helper to sweep the floor after you've finished the first round and after they do their bit, you can quickly run through with your broom one last time( just in case!)
4. When I mop I generally don't allow Bunny girl to use the mop on the floors (Water + Kid = Messy puddles of fun = Slips and Falls!) but I do allow her to dip the mop in the bucket a certain number of times before I use it. (For example, I tell Bunny girl to dip the mop in the water solution 7 times and she has to dip the mop in and lift it out just above the water level 7 times. This helps with their counting too)
5. After 'Clean up' is through, wash wash wash your hands and then sit back and enjoy your spotlessly clean home for 5 seconds before the pile of toys and smudges find their way back into position.

Cleaning up Bunny girl's toys and books is also another task she participates in. We sing the clean up song and do this together and now that she is a little older, she does know there is a place for everything.

We do not live in a perfect world so there are those days of "I don't want to clean" and "I like messy" but what home with kids is not complete with those 'hurricane just hit here' days.

So go pick up that broom and grab your little helper and....Have Fun!

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Apr 14, 2009

Wait. Trust and See.

Today was Maddie Alice Spohr's homegoing and even though I didn't know this precious child personally, her story has left an impact upon my life in a way I cannot comprehend. (To read Heather's speech at the service, visit this link. To read the Washington Post article, go here) The loss of a child is one of the hardest blows any parent should have to face and today as I sit here typing this out I can hear Bunny girl giggling away in the next room, jumping around and playing. (Thank you Lord for her) The heaviness Heather and Mike and countless other parents face cannot be compared and seems so unfair and at times I question, "Why Lord?"

As I reflect I'm reminded that He who spoke this world into creation has nothing impossible for Him and crazy as it seems, there is a reason behind everything, a purpose behind every situation and circumstance in our lives.

At times when life goes spinning out of control and it seems like the circumstantial storm waves crazily lash against our lives, its at times like these that the Lord says, "Wait. Trust and See." The waiting gets painfully long and the trusting gets harder than ever but through it all the only assurance we have is this- He is Faithful to His Word in our lives. His Plans are to bless us not to harm us. To give us a future and a hope...not a life of disappointment and distress. Every hair on our heads is numbered, every step ordained. As a Potter He sits at the wheel, spinning our lives and moulding us into the shape and fashion He desires. Even when it seems like the spinning is out of control, we need to remind ourselves that He knows what He is doing.

Wait. Trust and See. May He grant us the strength to rely on Him in difficult times.

To Heather and Mike, our prayers continue to be with you. You both were awesome parents to an awesome little girl and her life will always be a reminder to many of God's imprint, masterpiece and joy. God bless you.

Donations for the March of Dimes campaign, in Maddie's honor, are encouraged and can be done so here

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Apr 13, 2009

My little artist

Bunny girl has always loved "Dwaw-ing" (drawing) since little. The doodles and scribbles on her little drawing board always came to life as she animatedly described the person she drew or the car Dada drives.

Four days ago, while her Aunt sat doodling with the board, Bunny girl asked her to draw Elmo and as her Aunt started to draw the eyes, Bunny girl emphatically stated "I know how it's done" and placed the drawing board on her lap. She then said, " First you dwaw(draw) the eyes, then the nose and then the mouth. That's wight(right)!"...and I'm not exaggerating but there honestly was a cute replication of her version of Elmo on her board, not a scribble or a doodle but an actual picture. We were stunned and it took us a second to jump back into Mommy-Daddy mode and tear around the house for a camera......by which time my artistic genius swiftly rubbed the picture off.

2 days later I tried to coax her to do another Elmo and yesterday, in between her sillies, she drew her next work of art. Check out the pics below....



















This may not be Da Vinci material...but to us, it's priceless. Yay Bunny girl, you make the artists in our family proud !!!

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Apr 12, 2009

150 kids songs for 99 cents


I know I couldn't believe it either but it's true!

Amazon is selling a download of 150 kidsongs (that's 3 cds packed with songs-Woohoo!!) from Countdown Kids for 99 cents.

My download is underway as I type this out...hurry and get this awesome deal through this link.

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Winner for the 1st Blog Giveaway- Kim!

Hurrah for Kim! You have been chosen to win the 2 books of your choice- Tico Tango and Getting to No.

Will be contacting you over the email for your postal address. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

A big thank you to all who took part in this giveaway. I promise there will be more to come!

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Blessings of His Resurrection!

One song that never fails to describe the beauty of this wonderful day for me is Bill and Gloria Gaither's "Because He Lives"

God bless you and yours, this Resurrection Day!

1. God sent His Son - they called Him Jesus,
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

2. How sweet to hold a newborn baby
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because Christ lives.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

3. And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory - and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

(Link to the song)

Another beautiful song is Don Francisco's "He's Alive"...be blessed!

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Apr 11, 2009

In Memory of Madeline Alice Spohr

This precious little girl went home to the Lord on April 7,2009.

Born three months premature, little Maddie fought her way out of the NICU and fought her way bravely through the last 17 months of her little life. She was Heather and Mike's little sunshine and looking at her beautiful smile, you know it was true. I haven't read a lot about Maddie but the little that I have has moved me. The family needs our prayer support and whatever contributions you can send in for Maddie's homegoing service on the 14th (The family is accepting help via paypal. The button can be found on my blog, on the left) and in support of the March of Dimes campaign. (March for Maddie can be supported here)

A website has been set up in Maddie's honor. You can also read more posts about the joy she brought into the lives of those who knew her. More information and details about Maddie can be found here and Heather twitters here

Heather and Mike, you are in our thoughts and prayers. We pray God's Arms of Comfort hold you and His Breath of Peace cover you as you go through this hard time. We cannot ever question God's Plans and hard as it may seem, He is still in control.

In honor of darling Maddie, the blog will go purple for this week. God bless you both.

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Apr 8, 2009

Why pay for toothpaste?

If you have a Walgreens closeby, stock up! Since the past few months, Walgreens has been giving away free toothpaste certain weeks and one such week is this week.

Buy the Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste for 3.49$ and receive a Register Reward Receipt for 3.49$. This receipt can be used at any Walgreens store for any other purchase, thus making your tube of toothpaste totally FREE!

If you have any of the 1$ off coupons for the Colgate Total, this deal gets even sweeter, helping you get an overage of a dollar. (There's a printable coupon that can be used as well. This can be printed twice. After printing this off the first time, refresh the page and the second prints off. Here's the link )

Remember to break up your transactions if you are buying more than one tube of toothpaste as the Register Reward holds good for only one product. Similarly if you use your Register Reward receipt to pay for another tube of toothpaste, the receipt for that tube will not print.

So do what I generally do- break up your transactions and buy a tube at a time and club your receipts together and buy whatever else you need at Walgreens.

Happy stocking and saving!

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Easter Bunny and the library

Earlier this week we told Bunny girl the morning story hour at the library would be special as the Easter Bunny had a scheduled appearance after the stories were read. She was excited (Bunny girl loves all character appearances and this love has only escalated after her trip to Disney)and was full of beans even as she got ready for bed later that night. Many long minutes later she finally fell asleep.

As I prepared to catch some much craved for shut eye, she suddenly got up, turned to me and whispered in the dark..."So what books will the Easter Bunny choose?".... I couldn't help but grin ear to ear inside and gently pulling my darling bunny to my side, I patted her back to dreaming sweet bunny dreams.

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Apr 6, 2009

In His Hands

Years ago, as a student, my mother sent me this forward in an email and last week while researching for a bible study I came across the article again ...

"A basketball in my hands is worth about $19. A basketball in Michael Jordan's hands is worth about $33 million. It depends whose hands it's in.

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal. A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty sea. It depends whose hands it's in.

A sling shot in my hands is a kid's toy. A sling shot in David's hand is a mighty weapon. It depends whose hands it's in.

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God's hands will feed thousands. It depends whose hands it's in.

Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse. Nails in Jesus Christ's hands will produce salvation for the entire world. It depends whose hands it's in."

How awesome to rest in this assurance that our lives are secure in our Heavenly Father's Hands. Trust Him, in peace.

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Apr 4, 2009

Mommy Tip # 5 - Making Disney extra special for your little one

Mommy Tip # 5 goes out to all parents trying to make the most of Disney's 'What will you celebrate' theme this year.

In case you were not aware, you get a free admission into one of their Theme parks. Check out this link. (We took Bunny girl to Disney a week before her 3rd birthday. The resort knew we were celebrating her birthday the following week, so she got to wear a Birthday Button for the duration of her trip. More in a future blog post about the awesome birthday privileges she enjoyed.)

We had one ultimate goal on our trip- to make Bunny girl's first trip to Disney a truly memorable one. I ofcourse had a sub goal....to make sure we did it on a budget! Here are my 5 favorite little things I did to make it extra special!

1. We were at Disney for 5 days (counting the day we arrived and the day we flew out), so I made sure I packed a little surprise for each day. Each day the present was hidden in a different place and Bunny girl was always so excited knowing that 'Mickey had crept into the room while she was asleep and had left her a special something' The presents were little things we picked up- a Mickey rotate glow chain, a Handy Manny book, a Little Einstein book, a Winnie the Pooh plush she'd been eyeing for over 2 months(got it for a steal during Target's toy clearance sale). The only book we actually got her from Disney was 'A Day in the Magic Kingdom' as her goodbye gift the day we left.

2. We bought a regular pretty pink notebook from Hobby Lobby(using their % off coupon) and decorated the cover with a large Disney sticker and had her use that as her own little autograph book

3. Created custom made Disney Tshirts with fabric paint. Took designs off the web and fabric painted them onto plain Tshirts. On 2 particular T shirts we had Disney guests point out and compliment them (The June, Little Einstein Tshirt and a Minnie Mouse with balloons)- Not only is this more economical but its also unique and totally personalized!

4. 3 year olds don't understand the concept of wake up calls at hotels and Disney has a lovely automated one with Mickey calling. Every morning we'd get Bunny girl to pick up our wake up calls and it was always fun to see our little groggy bundle bouncing up to answer the call as it was so special for her to hear Mickey tell her to get out of bed to meet him later.

5. If you have a child celebrating a birthday around the time of your trip, here's a tip for you- We bought Bunny girl 3 Disney birthday cards prior to the trip and got the characters to sign in their respective cards (Mickey and Minnie, Pooh and Piglet, The Disney Princesses.). Put these in an envelope and brought the cards in when the Postman delivered the other mail on her birthday. We had one little happy camper that day!

You really can do so much on a budget. There are lots of Disney travel tips and more on this great site. This is the link. Visit the forums, all the members are very helpful and you can get some great ideas from the posts.

Oh and if your child has his/her birthday party a few weeks after your big trip, why don't you think of putting together a fun Disney themed bash. Stuck for ideas? Check out what we did for Bunny girl's Disney party.

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Make a joyful shout !

Bunny girl is our little singer...she is always singing(even if she doesn't know a song) and has even started making up her own little songs.

Her latest passion is to jump around the house (see I told you, she is the Energizer Bunny. I can scientifically prove it to you....Happiness or excitement=Bunny girl leaping around !) singing her favorite songs from church. We have an awesome praise and worship team in church and Bunny girl loves them. Most often than not, I will hear her belting out the words to one of the songs with a few words replaced here and there. My ultimate favorite version of the song, Mighty to Save was the one she rendered last night.

Was chatting with my sister in India, on the messenger, when Bunny girl suddenly burst into a song. Her words verbatim....

"Shine your light and let the whole world seeeeeee
We're singing,
For the Glory of the Risen Boss!"
(The actual words are- "For the Glory of the Risen King")

Needless to say she cracked us up but jokes aside, its always so beautiful to hear little ones sing to their Heavenly Boss above.

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Apr 3, 2009

ENDED: First Blog Giveaway! - Congrats Kim!

I'm hosting the blog's first giveaway and in honor of Mommy Tip # 4, I'm giving away 2 books of your choice, to any resident in the US. The winner can choose two books from the list of 4 below:
  1. The Parrot Tico Tango by Anna White
  2. Arthur's 'Locked in the Library!' by Marc Brown
  3. Pee-Wee's Tale by Joanna Hurwitz
  4. Getting to No (How to break a stubborn habit)by Erwin W Lutzer -from the Billy Graham Collection

To be eligible for this giveaway you will need to post a comment stating the 2 books of your choice.

For additional entries:
  1. Subscribe/ follow blog- and leave an additional comment confirming the same
  2. Blog about this giveaway and leave an additional comment with the link to your blog

This giveaway will end on April 11th 2009 and the winner will be chosen using the Random selector.

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Apr 2, 2009

A Full Cup- Your Best Source for Deals, Coupons n more

I love ' A Full Cup', they have.....
  • Everything you need to be a frugal, smart shopper
  • An updated coupon database - source details and printables
  • The best deal alerts for your local stores- with a planning from your side you can hit the stores and get back with a comfortable saving in your purse!
  • Neat discussion forums-this is so useful especially when you are trying to combine deals. Some of the AFC members are such pros at getting the most out of their buck!
  • Fun contests, great giveaways and much, much more.
Sign up for a free membership at A Full Cup and SAVE SAVE SAVE!

For all you existing AFC members out there, A Full Cup has now undergone a facelift and is even hosting a contest for you here. Check it out!

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Mommy Tip # 4 : Read, read, read!

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis said " There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all " and boy, I second that 100% ! We started reading to Bunny girl when she was just a few months old and honestly I believe that truly is one of the best gifts we have given her...a love for books.

Today if someone asks if they can get Bunny girl a present I would say "Get her a book" without even stopping to think twice about it. The other day we finally bought her a bookshelf to put her collection of books in. It has made it so much easier for her to choose the books she wants to look at or get one to be read. Each time the house gets real quiet, I sneak up to check on what she's up to and most often than not, I see her sitting on her mat, next to the bookshelf, flipping through the pages of one of her picture books.

Remember a book is a great companion especially when children grow older. It develops a child's imaginative capabilities and vocabulary. ( A big incentive to parents considering developing the reading habit for kids- its the quietest possible means to keep your child occupied for a generous amount of time! ;> )

It does get a little expensive buying books but don't reconsider encouraging the reading habit as there are economical options:

1. Join the local library
2. Have a rotating library club with your kid's friends- the kids can borrow each other's books
3. Buy books off garage sales
4. Keep an eye out on Amazon book deals- there are some really good deals especially under the buy 4 for the price of 3 section.

Try reading to your children if you haven't tried out this great parent-child activity. It's never too early to start reading to your child nor is it ever too late to develop a love for books now.

I'm not sure who said this, but whoever did, sure did drive home a point!...
“TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open your child's imagination. Open a book.”

Happy Reading!

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