Family Friday

I thought I would just post some family pictures and what we've been up to over the past week. Enjoy!

Nick "graduated" from preschool last week...














Don't they look so cute in their cap and gowns?














Afterwards we went to the zoo...














Nick really wanted his face painted like a Tiger :-)



















On Saturday we went to the beach (OC, NJ) for professional photography pics. Can't wait to see how they turned out!?

AMAZING show last night!!!!!!

Yes...I went to another Coldplay concert last night and they ROCKED!

Whiny Wednesday...

Ok...so what do you do with all the mail (junk & good stuff) in your house? No matter how many times I try separating my mail with the recycle bin at my side....it still manages to pile up!? I have some nice wicker baskets to make the clutter look better, but it still disturbs me knowing it is just sitting there. We have a file cabinet for bills and really important things yet I still have a mountain of papers throughout the house.

Sometimes I do a quick de-clutter by throwing all my crap in laundry baskets or paper bags. Out of site out of mind right? Not! Then the bags just accumulate in my bedroom waiting for me to give them some attention. When I finally do...I manage to throw some away but end up just making more piles! Aaaahhh!

Help....Please offer me some unique suggestions on how I can successfully manage all my clutter!?

Teresa's Tuesday Tip

We always love it when we find a great do it yourself tip and fun project to share in with our wee ones. We recently found a great recipe for homemade lip balm thanks to Kiwi magazine and owner of Bramble Berry, Inc, Anne-Marie Faiola. It's a great springtime project and hopefully we'll remember in the future to share with you our process and end results.

For the homemade lip balm you'll need:
2 tsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp beeswax (or candelilla wax)2
1/8 tsp sweet almond oil
2/3 tsp olive oilsmall containers for your completed lip balm (available at Bramble Berry, Inc.)

Directions: Pour about 2 inches of water into a saucepan. Using a heat resistant glass measuring cup in the saucepan heated over medium heat, add the coconut oil and beeswax together in the measuring cup. Heat until melted (usually takes 2-6 minutes). Since cold olive oil will harden beeswax, heat the oil in the microwave until lukewarm. Just make sure you don't overheat it.Combine the coconut oil, beeswax and warmed olive oil. Add the sweet almond oil. You can also add honey but be sure to mix well. Pour your newly made lip balm into small containers and let it harden.

(makes about 5-7 small containers of lip balm)

And when you've used up all of your homemade lip balm, you can just reuse the containers for your next batch.

~Teresa

Margie's Monday Mommy confession

Whoops! Forgot to put content in my post so here's a late mommy confession, lol.

How do I drink my coffee in peace?...I put cartoons on for Nick in my bedroom, stick Anna in the high chair with some breakfast, then wheel her into the family room while I enjoy my coffee with a DVR'd show from the night before....like The Hills (or this morning, John & Kate).

...And speaking of which, I just have to vent about Jon & Kate...I don't really watch Jon & Kate anymore but with all the hype these days I wanted to watch their premiere. First of all, if you do a reality show, being shot by the paparazzi comes with the territory right? And she's like, "why don't they take pics of another mom instead of me?" Um because you're a reality show honey!?

And poor Kate for having to plan the Bday party all by herself. Boo, hiss...pitty party. She kept mentioning how she had to do it herself because Jon needed a "weekend off." Welcome to the real world Kate. I am sure they have plenty of help behind the scenes?!

Oh and I am glad to see even the Gosselin boys do "potty talk." They always seem so perfect so it's good to see them acting like real boys. I heard them call each other, "poopy, wiener, butt head"...I love it! Sounds like my son when he gets together with his buddies. Ugh...

Loving this song these days...

A very powerful song and can especially relate to the words at this time in my life. Not usually a country girl but love the Dixie Chicks!

(Don't forget to pause the playlist on the right sidebar before listening).

True mommy confession Thursday

Ok...so I am trying to organize myself and my blog so I am switching some things up on here. No more 'True mommy confession thursdays.'

With the idea from my good friend Teresa, over at weeBgreen, we will be recycling posts. Every Monday I will be writing 'Margie's mommy confessions' and every Tuesday I will be posting 'Teresa's tuesday tips.' Cool huh!? What do you think...?

Oh & I have some ideas for Wednesday and Friday as well, but will not reveal quite yet. You' will just have to come back and see what I have in store ;p ....

A little late

As I have mentioned earlier, our annual family tradition on Mother's Day is participate in the Race for the Cure in Philly and then head over to the Irish Pub for brunch afterwards. This year the kids were just too cute doing the 1 mile fun walk. I love seeing the little cousins all together and spending time as a family. Oh and my only complaint...I don't get to sleep in on mother's day. So I've decided I need a whole Mother's Day weekend, Saturday for me & Sunday for our moms :-)

So here are some pictures of our morning...

We went to the circus and loved it!

If you're interested in heading to the circus in Philly anytime now through May 25th, I have special ticket prices for you all, compliments of Mom Central and Feld Entertainment. Mom Central and Feld Entertainment sent several Philly Mom Bloggers to the circus on Friday night and hosted a meet & greet dinner at Bullies. Then we were sent on our way to enjoy the pre-show festivities with our awesome swag bags...

We all loved the show and even Mike and I were stumped by some of the magic tricks for this year's theme, Zing Zang Zoom .

Now for the important stuff...To order 4 tix for just $44, visit http://www.comcasttix.com/ . Select performance and & enter code MOM in the Mom Central promotion box (Or you can call 1-800-298-4200). And if you want add'l tix, the price remains $11.

My tip for making this a great family experience, be sure to get there 1.5 hours early so you can go outside to see the Tigers, Elephants, Zebras, and horses. Unfortunately some of my family went to the circus just yesterday & didn't know this. This was a highlight to our evening for little Miss Anna especially...

And here's a little sneek peak inside...

My Marley...

So I watched Marley & Me for the first the other night & I cried my eyes out! The story just fits my life to a T! I have always lived with dogs (big ones too) since I was a baby so I could relate to every emotion throughout the movie. Not to mention the emotional rollercoaster that Jennifer A. portrayed having kids....I felt like I was taking a glimpse into my own life.

My dog now, Lucky, is a German shepherd we rescued a few years ago. She is a piece of work! She steals diapers & eats them leaving remnants on the floor for me, yuck....she ate a whole pork shoulder once and left it stuffed in our FR couch...she steals my daugther's clothes and stuffs them in hiding spots around the house...she refused to go out back for the 1st year (she was a chained up outside dog before we adopted her) so she would have accidents all over the house...and NOW if you open the door with her close by, she'll bolt! But we keep saying, she's "our Marley" and we love her despite all the crazy times :-)

...the pork we found in the couch!?

Vent session....

Ok so I have to vent...I just can't hold back anymore. Have you ever heard anyone quote, "Judge not, that ye be not judged?" Well that seems to be my life lately with a whole bunch of family drama that has taken place over the last several months. I really dislike this statement. I was searching the internet looking for some good quotes about how I feel when I came across this:

How many times have you heard someone whine, "Judge not, that ye be not judged?" This verse of Scripture from Matthew 7:1 is often quoted out of context by people who are terrified at the idea of someone preaching against sin or pointing out any form of error in anyone, especially in themselves. (Taken from http://www.biblebelievers.com/jmelton/Judging.html)

Amen is all I have to say....everyone "judges" at some point, it's called having an opinion and a backbone? We would be indifferent robots if we never formed an opinion about things. It's called constructive criticism. "...For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."

(sigh)...there, I got it off my chest. Thanks for listening :-) Now for the feedback.....

And the winner is....

Congratulations to Noreen over at silly mommy of 2 silly girls! She has won the Mother's Day gift set by Chesapeake Ribbons.

Enjoy!

Mother's Day Giveaway

This Mother's Day I am walking in the Philadelphia Race for the Cure. My entire "crabbie clan" walks together in honor of my mother, a breast cancer survivor, and in memory of my mother-in-law, who was lost to her 2nd battle with cancer. After the walk, we continue our 7 year tradition going to brunch at the Irish Pub ;-)

So to enter this Chesapeake Ribbons' giveway....Leave a comment below, about how you celebrate your Mother's Day.

One lucky winner will recieve this matching set that includes a 'one size fits all' headband, bow, and barrette. What a cute way to coordinate mom & daugther or even siblings!?

This giveaway will close on Monday, 5/11 at 5 pm ET. Please make sure to leave your email address along with your comment so I know how to contact you. Goodluck!

Happy Mother's Day!

True mommy confession Thursday

Hmm...so my confession for today, well I actually never play kids songs for my kids in the car, home...anywhere. I really like my music (which you know if you follow my blog) and so I didn't want to get my kids in the habit of listening to their own CDs; therefore I just don't play any for them.

Are you familiar with those little kits you get in Kindermusik class? Yeah, well I maybe only played the CD once, if at all.

I do sing songs to them from time to time, I do allow the singing books (that counts right!?), so now they really do seem to love my music....so we're all happy ;-)

(Oh and did I mention I am going to see The Killers on Friday night!? Nick said he wanted to come with me....now how cute is that, ha-ha!!)

Flaunt It! Monday Giveaway....

If you have not checked out weeBgreen yet than you have no excuse not to now!

Enter Flaunt It! Monday's giveaway now to win a $25 gift certificate to spend on any of the great products WeeBGreen has to offer. One winner will be chosen on Wednesday 5/06/09.

To enter the giveaway & learn more click here.

Goodluck!

Did you watch the Kentucky Derby?

Congratulations to Mine that Bird!!!!

What an awesome race & story. If you haven't already heard, it's definitely worth a read.

Hopefully he'll continue to the Preakness...?

Look...Anna has 4 teeth!