Skipping On The Seawall...Of Course We Do!

We really DO skip on the seawall!  Wouldn't you?

Our End Of The Summer As We Know It Bash #ClearAmerican #CBias #ad

So Summer is coming to an end!  Well, it will be hot here for quite some time on the island but our lives are about to change!  We live an awesome life full of sand, sun, bike riding, fishing, pool time, and fun!

And schedules?  We don't need no stinkin schedules!  But all of that is about to change.  You see my Bug needs some organized learning so we are about to embark on our Pre K home schooling adventure.  And B is about to go back to school as well!  

So our Summer lifestyle is now coming to an end!  We will be doing scheduled lessons.  We will be "working" and learning.  So what does all of this call for?  An "End of Summer as We Know It Bash" of course!  We're all about the party!  

Since we've included Clear American® Sparkling Water in all of our summer fun, why stop now?  It will be a sparkling, bubbly good time indeed!  

We (or should I say I?), made cake using Clear American Sparkling Strawberry Water.  Water goes in a cake mix right?  So why go tap when you can go bubbly?  No this is not an original idea (I'm not that clever)! 

I got my inspiration from my friends at A Deal Fanatic, As The Bunny Hops, and Making Time For You. And from what I hear (I'm not much of a cake eater), this cake had an extra kick to it!  I'm thinking the bubbly awesomeness of Clear American!

And of course we brought our Clear American Tangerine Lime, Black Cherry, and Key Lime (the babies' favorite) along for the party!

Bubby is always in to his Clear American favorite!  My baby has sugar issues (he actually vomits if he has too much) so the Clear American bubbliness has really been awesome for him!  He gets the "soda" feel without the sickness!  Win-Win! 

We've had the best time with our Clear American Summer (only available at Walmart by the way) and we've enjoyed sharing it with you!  It is such a great value and the taste...WOW!  And did I mention that it sparkles and it's bubbly?  Well maybe only a time or two huh?  

We really had a good time at our "End of the Summer as We Know It Bash" (heck we even got to pay it forward)!  Watch the video/slide show below and see for yourself.  In the middle you can hear Bubby's testimonial to the awesomeness that IS Clear American!  "Yea, I just LOVE it!  Right Mom!".  Take his word for it!  He's an expert!  Oh the music?  Of course it's bubbly!

Disclosure:  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, which is a vendor for Cott Beverages, Inc., the manufacturer of Clear American® Brand Beverages.  All opinions, ideas, and photos are entirely my own! #ad

Dang It Bug...Not Another Victim...Elmo's In Time Out!

Y'all have already read about My Bug.  I love my Bug.  I really do. She is my miracle!  Who knew I would have another child?  I felt blessed!  I still do!  She was a very welcome surprise in my life!  

But to say she is mischievous is an understatement.  To say that she likes trouble, understatement.  To say she wreaks havoc in our household, gross understatement.  Matter of fact, as I type (12:30 AM), I just caught her in the bathroom after being asleep for several hours, making another mess.  This kid, my friends, is what we call in the south, A MESS!

She is always taking others down with her.  Down her path of destruction.  Bubby is her number 1 victim (bless his little heart, he's so sweet).  Every time I hear "hey Bubby, come here", or "Bubby, come look at this" or "Bubby, let's do this", I shudder to think of the trouble she will get him in to.  He really is the sweetest soul I've ever met and he is always sucked into her vortex.  Sometimes he gets in trouble for her antics because I can't discern but usually, I figure it out just fine!  I pity him for this.  He is her biggest fan and I fear she will get him in much trouble before all is said and done!  But he loves her and you can't discourage sibling love!  

I ask her repeatedly to stop bringing others into her "plots" but she never quits.  Her brother, the neighbors, kids I watch, it doesn't matter.  She doesn't discriminate.  If she has a plot, she's happy to take anyone and everyone down this road of destruction.  It's her mission in life.  

But the other day?  She went too far!  She had a particularly "mischievous" day.  She had already gotten in trouble herself for countless reasons.  She had taken down her brother, the little boy I watch, and she wasn't ready to stop there.  She was in time out, in her room, by herself.  The rest of us were playing in the living room.  I heard noise.  No noise allowed in time out!

I snuck into her room and found that she was giving one of their toy Elmos a bath (seriously...WTF?  Where does she come up with this stuff?  She was in the bedroom?  Since when do we give baths in the bedroom?).  The floor was sopping wet.  I was angry to put it mildly.  I grabbed the wet Elmo and put him on the porch to dry out in the sun.  I then grabbed towels (lots of towels) to sop up the wetness that was now their carpet.  I worked on this for hours on and off.  I was mad.  Really mad.  I finally got the carpet almost dry and poured some baking soda on it so I could vacuum it up later and hope that it wouldn't smell.  

I was still mad.  I stepped outside for some fresh air as I do often (if she was your daughter, you'd understand this a little better, it's necessary for both of us) and I sat down on the porch.  

I finally looked over and noticed Elmo.  He had been out there for hours....in time out...just like I set him, and never noticed!  Poor thing had done nothing wrong.  And there he sat...in time out.  All alone and in trouble and he had done nothing wrong!  Bless his little heart!  Guess he finally understands what Bubby goes through on a daily basis...and he played along too!  Silly boys!  When will they ever learn?

So here's hoping that Bug outgrows this "whatever it is" phase she's been in for almost 3 years now.  Here's hoping that Bubby (and all the other victims...sorry Elmo...figure this out), and here's hoping this mom can have the strength to "fix" this baby before she takes down too many more!

Sorry Bub, sorry Elmo, and Bug, seriously?  Enough is enough!  

Bringing the Sunshine In Update! #GliddenGallons #CBias

As I told you here, we are stoked to have been given the opportunity to bring the sunshine in to the babies' boring room thanks to Glidden Brilliance Paint, Collective Bias, and Walmart Paint.  We went shopping at Walmart and purchased almost all of our supplies (of course I forgot something, gives me an excuse to go back).  I just wanted to post this update so y'all can play along with all of this sparkling fun!

Watch our shopping experience here so you can see the direction we plan on taking.  This is going to be awesome!

We are committed to getting this all put together by Labor Day and I can't wait to share with y'all how it turns out.  So stay tuned for the BIG REVEAL sometime between now and then!  Oh and I'm pretty certain this is going to take all of the sparkles I can muster to bring these two themes together so if you have extra, please send them my way! 

Disclosure:  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  All opinions, ideas, and photos are entirely my own!

Breathtaking!

Sunset in Galveston!  

After a long day of fishing, this is what I see!  

Life IS good!

Bringing the Sunshine in to the Babies' Room! #GliddenGallons #CBias

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I have been given the opportunity through #GliddenGallons, Walmart Paint, and Collective Bias to bring some sunshine, fun, and organization into Bug and Bubby's room!  It desperately needs it!

No, it's not necessarily an ugly room!  It's a fairly neat room.  But what a boring room!  We are NOT boring people and their room should not be this boring!

Can you say boring 3 times fast?

Can you say eggshell white on white?

Can you say Holy Disorganization OCD Girl?  I certainly can!  And I must admit that the only reason this room stays clean is because I clean it 47 times a day (yes 47, I counted, no exaggeration here).  Because this.....

Always leads to this!  And I have to clean it up, and clean it up I do!  47 times a day!  We absolutely must have organization and color!

So this boring, no color room right here?  This disorganized (making mom clean up 47 times a day) mess?  It's getting a makeover!  

I'm thinking yellow (of course the color of the sunshine), and Bug's thinking princesses and Tinkerbell (wait? what? Tinkerbell IS a princess in my book). And Bubby's thinking Cars (no surprises there).  And guess what?  Yellow is common to both themes!  Win-win!  Awesome!

I got online for ideas before heading to Walmart to see what The Glidden Brilliance Paint Line has to offer and was amazed at all of yellows!  I'm so excited to shop for our makeover!  I will be sure to share that with y'all as well!  I can't wait to bring the sunshine and organization into this room!  Stay tuned!  I'll be sure to update you and I promise, you'll love it!  Well we will and we hope you do too!  Fingers crossed for some sparkly stuff!  How exciting is this? 

Disclosure:  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shoppers insight study for Collective Bias.  All opinions, ideas, and photos are entirely my own! 

Meaningful Monday! voiceBoks Sponsored Blog Hop!

That's right! It's MONDAY again! Hope we can all make it meaningful, and to help you out with that, I am once again co-hosting this hop with my friend Lisa over at  Insignificant At Best.   The hop and concept are brought to you compliments of the awesome Lexie Lane of voiceBoks.

If you're a blogger and you haven't joined in on the fun at voiceBoks, you are truly missing out on some great friends and connections!  Go over there and join today.  You can thank me later!

And please join in on the fun here as well! Link up and we will all be sure to come by and show you some love! We could all use a little love on Monday!  Just please be sure to follow the instructions below! 

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Guess Who Doesn't Get To Go To Pre K This Year? They Failed Her!

If you guessed my Bug, you were right!  It's sad.  We're sad!  It took me a long time to get this baby excited about this and now?  NOPE!  They failed her!

For the record, yes I know she is beautiful!  Thank you!  She had fought me on this school thing since April when I registered her.  Yes, April, FOUR months ago.  I've been pumping her up since then.  I thought this would be good for her.  

I've called the system at least once a week since our April registration.  I've called them once a day for the past month.  I called them 12 times a day in the past week.  No, I'm not exaggerating, I really have!  They couldn't give us an answer.  I pumped them, but no one answered the phone, no one returned our voice mails, no one knew anything.  Then on Friday (yes the last business day before school starts on Monday), we get our answer.  She's been accepted!  Woot Woot!

Then we hear that she will need uniforms.  And she will need $150 worth of school supplies!  No exceptions.  She can't start on Monday without these things!  Are you people serious?  We've been doing OUR job for 3 months to figure out what she will need, and you don't do your job!  You don't even notify us.  You tell us nothing.  You think this is OK!  And then finally Friday, you tell us that yes she has been accepted but if we don't have the $300 before Monday, she can't attend!

Thanks, she's excited now, and she WANTS to go!  But guess what?  I don't have the money before Monday!  What?  You don't understand?  You think what you did was acceptable?  You think the way you handled this was acceptable?  You're WRONG!  Oh and telling me that you mailed her letter out today?  Today?  On the Friday before she will start school on Monday?  That letter won't get here before school starts people!  FAIL!  

You failed a baby.  You failed a lot of babies from what I hear.  I'm a talker and a lot of other moms still don't know if their babies have been "accepted".  That's right...babies!  These kids are 4 years old.  They are vulnerable.  They are sensitive.  You messed up www.gisd.com.  We should all blast you with complaints.  FAIL!  

And so my daughter and I are about to embark on an adventure in home-school!  OK, this could be fun!  We got this!  We'll bring Bubby along for the ride!  He's a clever cookie!  I'm just sad that my baby is now sad.  And I curse the idiots that failed her!  

It's OK Bug!  We'll have fun!  And in your honor, I am planning a "Let's Get Our Home School On" party for next weekend.  See?  An added bonus!  I love you baby girl!  You're better off at home with Mommy anyway!

She's Growing Up...Stop That!

This was yesterday!  This was my "miracle" child...my gift!

And this is today!  She's ready for Pre K, and I am NOT!

Don't go baby!  And STOP that growing up too fast for Mommy thing, would you please and thank you?

Lysol® Back-to-School Review and Giveaway (Ends 08/22/11) **CLOSED**

**And the winner is....Jessica from Look Who Found The Marbles!**

Back to school time always means back to germ time.  We all know I am a self-professed germaphobe and Lysol® products are a staple in my life.  With 6 kids, I know what these germs lurking in the classrooms can bring home to my otherwise healthy family.  So when MomSelect gave me the opportunity to try two new Lysol® products and give the same away to one of my lucky readers, I jumped at the opportunity!

The Lysol® Healthy Hands No Touch Hand Soap System is wonderful.  The starter kit (a $9.97 value) comes with the dispenser, an 8.5 fl. oz. ant-bacterial hand soap refill, and 4-AAA batteries.  The dispenser is of course "no touch" meaning you put your hands or those of your little one, under the dispenser and it senses them and dispenses just the right amount of soap to wash those germs away (99.9% of them as a matter of fact). Hand washing is the #1 way to fight germs and subsequent viruses.  

The soap refills ($3.47 sold separately) come in 4 moisturizing scents:  Refreshing Grapefruit Essence, Soothing Cucumber Splash, Aloe Vera and Vitamin E with Moisturizers, and Antibacterial Total Care.  

The Lysol® Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes (retail value $2.48) are even better than I had expected.  I use the regular Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes on a daily basis to clean our toys, counter tops, door knobs, bed rails, sinks, stove top, refrigerator, etc.  But these wipes have an added bonus.  One side is just like the "standard" wipes but the other side has scrubbers to clean up even tough messes.  The wipes are also effective at killing 99.9% of germs and viruses.  My new must have cleaning item!  

You can buy both of these items at your local retailer but before running out, go to Lysol and click on the Special Offers tab at the top right.  You'll need to register, but once you do, you can print all kinds of money-saving coupons for all of the Lysol® products you'll need to help ward off back-to-school germs!

Enter to Win:

MomSelect has also generously offered to send one of my lucky readers the same 2 items that I received and detailed above.  You will love them!  And the timing couldn't be more perfect! 

Giveaway ends 08/22/2011 at Midnight (CST) 

in celebration of my Bug's first full day of school EVER!

Mandatory Entries:

1.  Follow my blog through GFC (in the right sidebar).

2.  *LIKE* Lysol on Facebook HERE!

3.  *LIKE* Insanity Is Not An Option on Facebook HERE!

Optional Entries:

1.  Follow me on Twitter HERE!

2.  Share this giveaway on Twitter!

Please enter one comment per item below on this post with your email address so that I can verify valid entries and notify the winner once selected. 

Disclosure:  The two products were received for review from MomSelect through their Lysol® Back-to-School Blogging Program.  No compensation was received for this review.  The photos, opinions, and ideas are entirely my own.

Meaningful Monday...It's That Time Again!

It's that time again!  Don't hide your excitement!  It's all good.  I am proud to once again be cohosting Meaningful Monday with Lisa at Insignificant At Best and the fabulous Lexie Lane at voiceBoks.  Please visit both of my co-hosts (required) and everyone on the list (you'll thank me later) and leave MEANINGFUL comments!  We will be sure to come check you out!  You'll love being friends with us.  We sparkle and smiling is our favorite (you're welcome)!  Have a great week and thank you for sparkling up our Monday!

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#ClearAmerican Frozen Drinks at the Pool! Life is Good! #CBias #ad

I might have mentioned (a time or two) that about a month ago, I switched my families drinks over to Clear American Sparkling Water (only available at Walmart).  I like fun (it's my favorite) so I've been trying to keep this exciting so they'll stick with this healthier alternative to sodas.  You can read about our swap here.  And you absolutely have to read about our Pay-It-Forward mission here! 

The weekend plans included a cook out at the pool along with some sweet and frozen sparkling beverages!  

The list of supplies for the festivities was simple for 3 sparkling tasty treats!  A blender, some fresh strawberries, cups, straws, umbrellas (of course), some Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, and a bottle each of Clear American Strawberry and Clear American Key Lime.  On to the awesomeness!

While B cooked and the babies played, I got to work!

Two Sparkling Strawberry Frozen Baby-ritas coming right up!  Two cups of ice, 1 cup Clear American Strawberry goodness, one cup fresh strawberries, blend...and voila!  Throw in a neon straw and a fun little umbrella and you have excitement galore!  I called the babies over and they were thrilled to gulp down the sparkly bubbling greatness (yes, Clear American is so bubbly that even the blender can't pop them all)!  Delicious!   

Adult happiness?  Yes please and thank you!  Sparkling Coconut Key Lime Frozen Ritas!  Again, extremely simple!  Two cups of ice, 1 cup of Clear American Key Lime Sparkling Water, 1 shot glass of fresh coconut (I didn't like the chunkiness of this and would suggest coconut milk if you try this at home), 3 shots of Parrot Bay Coconut Rum (yes 3, what about it?), blend and yum!

And for me?  Simple bubbly happiness!  Sparkling Key Lime and Coconut Rum on the Rocks!

Directions: ♫♪You put the lime in the coconut, drink them both up. Put the lime in the coconut, drink them both together♪♫.  Fill the cup with some ice, pour in some Clear American Key Lime Sparkling Water, one shot of Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, stir, insert pink straw and umbrella, sip, relax, and enjoy!  And yes, I know you'll be singing this song all day now (you're welcome). 

Another fabulous day thanks to Clear American, my awesome family, the beautiful weather, and the sparkles!  Life is good!

I captured our day in pictures/video and have placed it here for your enjoyment!  If you watch it, you can't help but smile.  I dare you, double dog dare you even!  Watch it and try not to smile!  You can't!  Life is good people! Enjoy every moment, and as always, sparkle on!

Disclosure:  This shop has been has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, which is a vendor for Cott Beverages Inc., the manufacturer of Clear American ® brand beverages.  The opinions, ideas, and photos are entirely my own! #ad

Member's Mark 4XProbiotics Work for Me! #DigestiveHealth #CBias

About a week and a half ago, I posted about my opportunity to try Member's Mark 4X Probiotics (only available at Sam's Club).  You can read about My Journey to Normal if you're interested to get the background to this post and more product specific information.  I was skeptical.  Of course I was!  I have struggled with IBS for 22 years. 

Simply put, I poop too much. There, I said it.  That's all it is!  Well, that and a bunch of stomach cramping and bloating. I have a system that does not like to eat.  Every time I eat, my body rejects it.  It is a bother.  We pick and choose where we can go out to eat (on the rare occasion that we do).  We stay close to home because of my "issues".  The long and short of it is that I cannot do anything in the eating arena unless I first take some sort of anti-diarrhea medication.  And even then, it's a hit or miss kind of thing.  In a way, this condition rules my life!  

Can you imagine my dilemma?  For years I've worried about eating out in public.  For years, I've been worried about going out in public!  For years, I've known the route to every public rest room (and I hate public rest rooms).  But now?  After only a week and half?  I ate at a  Mexican restaurant with my family and made it home, ten miles on a bicycle I might add.  I've gone to the pool with my family and not had to run home even once.  I played at the park with the kids and never once had to make them stop playing to follow me into the bathroom!  These are milestones!  One and a half weeks!  I'm sold!

I have been surprised in a very pleasant way.  I have not been "pooping" my life away!  You might think this is in my mind.  I might think the same thing if I was you, but remember, I was skeptical.  I have tried everything.  I mean EVERYTHING and this truly seems to be working!  I haven't changed my diet, other than the fact that I have actually been eating.  I know, you aren't impressed with that but let me explain.  I am a 5'2" 95 pound woman (yes, 98 pound weaklings even laugh at me).  I am not thin, I am skinny!  I have always wanted to gain at least a little weight and I'm hopeful that I will be able to do just that now!  You see, eating and retaining food is what causes weight gain, and I've never been afforded either luxury.

Is this the miracle cure for IBS?  How do I know?  I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV but I like what I've seen.  Seriously, this has been life changing for me!  My first glimmer of hope in years!  

Do I recommend this product?  You bet your sweet non-diarrhea butt I do!  If this keeps up, I am a lifer!

And just as information, even if you don't have severe stomach issues (or e-gads, the opposite of my issues), it can still do good things.  I got a 3 month supply ($28.88 at Sam's Club).  It came in 2 boxes, each with a 6 week supply, so I asked my husband if he'd like to try them out as well.  We've both been taking them.  He doesn't have major issues, but he has noticed that he is "normal" now.  He hasn't seen the miraculous results I have, but he has less gas (his gas was a real problem for me!).  And he feels good!

Should I be uncomfortable talking about this?  Probably so but I'm elated!  There are plenty of us out there you know!  You don't have to be shy.  Go visit Digestive Health For Me and join their forum, or just read the stories.  You're not alone!

If you deal with stomach issues at all, I challenge you to try this product!  I hope that you too are pleasantly surprised!  And I'd love to hear what you think!

Disclosure:  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  All opinions are entirely my own!

Artists on the Island....Rock Art!

I love my island!  We have shiny happy people here!  They come out at night and adorn our beaches with rock art!  How cool is this?  I love looking at this stuff while riding down my seawall!  Rock on rock art people!  You make us smile!

Meaningful Monday: voiceBoks Sponsored Blog Hop

I’m excited to announce that Insanity Is Not An Option has been chosen to host the first ever voiceBoks sponsored blog hop with Lisa at Insignificant At Best!  Haven't heard of voiceBoks?  You need to go check it out!  Lexie Lane hosts this fabulous community where you can gain "true" followers.  It's not just about the numbers with Lexie!  She is passionate about helping you build your blog with "true" followers.  voiceBoks is all about making new friends in the blogging world and helping each others' blogs grow in meaningful ways, which is where the idea for this blog hop came in.  So please join Lisa and I for the first voiceBoks sponsored blog hop!  The instructions on how to join are below!  Also while you’re at it, make sure to sign up for voiceBoks, you won’t regret it!  You really won't!  You can thank me later!

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#Fandango! I Want My Cars 2 Tickets Now! I Can't Wait!

Well isn't this a fabulous combination?  Cars 2 and Fandango?  Why yes, yes it is!  I had heard of Fandango in the past but had never personally used them.  With this economy and a large family, we haven't been frequent movie goers for sure.  Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I went to a movie at a theater.  But with that said, we really want to go see Cars 2.  We must go!  Bubby talks about it all day, every day!  He's 2 and he seriously watches the original movie at least once a day!

As you know, it’s been 5 long years since we first met Mater and Lightening McQueen! This time the dynamic duo is headed for Japan to compete in the World Grand Prix. Yes this IS exciting! The road to the championship becomes a little rocky when Mater gets caught up in international espionage…OH that Mater! We are oh-so-excited! And it's in theaters now.  I'm thinking a visit to Fandango for advanced ticket purchase is in order!

There will be 6 of us going to the movie so saving time and money will be key obviously.  My husband and I will be taking Bug and Bubby of course, and as an added bonus, my two step-kids, Jr and The Drama Queen (we'll call her TDQ from now on), are visiting from Georgia and this will be a fantastic treat for them as well!

Originally, I logged on to Fandango.com from my home PC.  I created an account and looked around before making my purchase.  While surfing, I noticed some pretty cool stuff. 

There's a "Browse Movies" tab where you can see what's in  theaters now (Cars 2, Bad Teacher, Green Lantern, and Hangover II to name a few...something for everyone).  Movies opening this week (Monte Carlo and Larry Crowne are both opening July 1st).  And what's top at the box office if that is important to you. 

There's a spot to check out information and photos of your favorite celebrities!

You can even join the community and review movies yourself for others to read.  That's right up my alley for sure.  I'll be back there after we actually get to see this highly anticipated flick!

About this time, it got really loud in my apartment.  It always gets really loud in my apartment, and I noticed that they have a mobile app. They have apps for the Droid, they have apps for the IPhone, they have apps for all of the big name smart phones. But you see, I don’t have a smart phone. Mine is only mildly intelligent. It’s a Samsung with 25 MB of allowed usage per month. My kids have smart phones. They have unlimited usage, I do not! Let’s see what I can do with this! 

Since there is no “app for that” on my phone, I had seen on the site that I could just go to http://mobile.fandango.com so away I went! Ready set, go!

 

Log into your account then set the location (by zip code) to get available theaters and show times in your area.   You can find the new movies "In The Spotlight" which is where I found Cars 2.  Select your movie, your theater, your date, and your showtime, and you're ready to order.  (Something to be noted here is that even if your local theater is a large theater, Fandango may not offer movie ticketing for that particular theater.  We have a large theater here on the island, but could not purchase tickets for our local.  I chose the closest theater which is only about 20 minutes away on the mainland.  Personally, I wish they covered more locations.)  Conveniently they not only accept Visa, American Express, Master Card, and Discovery, they also accept Pay Pal which was my choice!  Confirm your order details on the screen, then simply tap the "Buy" button.  And as Fandango says "You're good to go", literally, you're all set and ready to go!  The whole ordering process took me roughly 2 minutes (how awesome is that?) and only used .379 of my allowed MB (even awesomer).

You can see more details about my online purchase through my Intersect Story.  I am relieved to already have my tickets (I'm an incurable panic freak, and the preorder method works best for me as I know that we will have seats.  The movie cannot sell out.  Plans are set.  Plans are good!).  With that said, there are pros and cons to ordering through Fandango and I wouldn't be doing you a service if I didn't outline both here.  

Pros:  

1) Order in advance.

2) Ease of use (both online and through almost any mobile phone).  

3) Quick and painless. 

4) A lot of useful and interesting information throughout the site. 

5) A coupon for useful things after checkout (I chose printer cartridges with a pretty hefty savings). 

Cons:

1)  Limited theater selection. 

2) The "convenience" fee (it's really pretty steep, $1.25 per ticket, and in my case, each ticket was only $2.75) that is charged.  You can actually buy tickets at most local theaters in advance online without a convenience fee.  To counter this of course, you do get a valuable coupon and if it's something you actually need then it's all good!

3) You can only order about 3-5 days in advance, depending on the movie and the theater.

You should go check them out for your next trip to the movies!  You never know, you might like them!  And as always, stay tuned, I'll be back after we see Cars 2 to tell you all about it!  Of course I will!  Oh this is so exciting!  I can hardly wait!  Hope the kids will enjoy it too!

Sun and Sparkly Fun at the Pool! Neutrogena #WetSkin...No Burns, No Fuss! #CBias

Have I mentioned I live on an island?  Of course I have (stop rolling your eyes! I know I rub it in all of the time...you would too).  This means my family spends a lot of time in the sun!  We go to the beach, ride bikes, go to the park, go fishing, take walks on the seawall, and ride around with the top down...all in the hot island sun!  That's what islanders do!

The babies love all of these activities, but their absolute favorite is enjoying a day at the pool, playing, swimming, cooking out, and splashing...lots of splashing!

So what was on the agenda this past weekend?  DUH (you haven't been following along nicely again have you?)....a day at the pool.  It is their favorite after all!

With all of this said, I worry about the babies' skin!  I don't worry about mine enough and never have so perhaps that's why I worry about theirs so much!  Bubby is a pasty white little blond haired, blue eyed boy that burns like his Daddy.  Bug tans like me, but I don't want her to suffer later in life due to overexposure to the sun.  I was almost out of sunblock and knowing we'd spend the entire weekend in the sun, I had to get more.  

A friend of mine suggested Neutrogena Wet Skin.  I'd never heard of it before so I looked it up and found that they are currently offering a $2.00 off coupon at Neutrogena.  While poking around the site, I read that the Wet Skin product line (as well as some of their other sunblock products) utilizes a technology called Helioplex which is a complete UVA-UVB blocker exclusive to Johnson & Johnson in the U.S.   It also claims to have full strength protection even on wet skin.  Oh yea?  We'll just see about that!

I headed to Walmart and after looking around, we ended up selecting the Neutrogena Wet Skin Kids 70+ Waterproof Sunblock and some other items to enjoy our day at the pool.  You can view our entire shopping experience here if you'd like.  We were ready for a full day at the pool!  Yes, this would be fun!

We loaded up the cooler with some food and drinks and the babies led the way to the pool! 

Dad always gets the "fun" job of putting on the sunblock either before we leave the apartment or as soon as we get to the pool or beach.  It's not their favorite thing as you can see, but it is necessary!  And the spray on application of the Neutrogena Wet Skin really did make it quicker and easier which left more time for play! 

There was swimming, and splashing, and jumping!

 There was cooking, and eating, and full happy tummies!

But most important of all?  There were smiles, and giggles, and there was together time!  We had a fabulously sparkly day at the pool as a family and memories like that are priceless!  And not a single sunburn for a change....ding ding ding ding...winner!

I have been won over by this Neutrogena Wet Skin product in all honesty.  Whether the kids were sweaty (as always) or wet from the pool, this stuff wasn't all white, and runny, and ooey gooey!  And honestly, I didn't have to reapply often.  I watched for the "sunburn through sunblock Bubby syndrome" but it didn't happen!  How awesome is that?

You can see our entire day in pictures/video if you'd like (of course you would, who wouldn't want to watch my crazy family in action?).  Just kick back, click the play button below, and laugh along with us!  Oh and did I mention it's like this at least 10 months of the year?  (Yes, I'm rubbing it in again...stop rolling your eyes!  You would too!)

*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  All opinions, ideas, photos, and videos are entirely my own!  Sparkle on! #wetskin #cbias

Top 10 Reasons Why Facebook Is Better Than Twitter

I feel like I have to put this out there!  You see, both Facebook and Twitter are HUGE in the social media arena.  It's no secret!  But honestly, I hate don't like The Twitter very much!  I am forced have to use them both to boost my "scores" so that as a blogger I can get noticed. 

We all know I'm a Facebook junkie, again no secrets there.  But now that I've been actively despising using The Twitter for some time, I'd like to let you know why I prefer Facebook (henceforth referred to as FB) to The Twitter (we'll refer to this beast as TT from this point forward).

So without further ado, my top ten reasons are:

#10 - On FB, I always know who is online (I don't always care, but at least I know).  On TT, I have absolutely no clue who is currently stalking me online while I am.  That's just creepy!

# 9 - On FB, I can type a status in a conversational tone.  On TT, I tweet.  Seriously?  Tweeting is not a human function!  One might even say it's for the birds!

# 8 - On FB, one or more of my friends can simply "comment" on my status and we often have ridiculous meaningful conversations, right there on the same thread.  Timing doesn't matter and it's a personal kind of thing. On TT, I might tweet (have I mentioned how much I hate that word) something and some time later, some one else will reply.  This reply shows up as a stand alone tweet.  I have no idea what they are referencing most of the time.  Do they honestly think I have nothing else in my world and I've just been sitting there for hours waiting on them to "reply" to my tweet? WOW!

# 7 - On FB, I can poke any one, at any time, any day of the week!  On TT, they have #FF...just the one day, and you can only get like 5 people!  (Yes my smart ass lovely Twitter friends, I know it means Follow Friday.  I don't care, it's funnier MY way!)

# 6 - On FB, when people share links, it shows the full link name with thumbnail.  I pretty much know what I'm getting into before clicking on it.  On TT, they have a shortened or tiny URL in text form.  Seriously people?  I have small children, I'm NOT clicking it!

# 5 - On FB, I'm a "friend".  Does this mean I'm a "twit" on TT?  I think it does and I don't *LIKE* it!

# 4 - On FB, I can share actual photos (not just links).  On TT, I can share links to photos (not actual photos).  Major Twitter fail!

# 3 - On FB, I can type a status or post a comment and people *LIKE* it.  I know this through my notifications.  I *LIKE* this!  On TT, someone can mark my tweet (again with that freaking word) a "favorite".  I don't even know how to figure out who "favorited" me.  Through my notific....oh that's right, TT doesn't have those either.  You have to poke around all over the place to find anything!

# 2 - On FB, I have 422 friends.  Of those, I have personally met over 90%.  Less than 10% are people that I have met through the blogosphere and that I communicate with on a regular basis concerning business issues and through other communities.  On TT, I have 1100 followers.  Of those, I swear on my own life, I have actually only personally met about 20...not 20%, I mean the number 20...of them.  About 25% of them (give or take 5%, I've never been good at math), I've come to communicate and work with through the blogging world.  So who the hell are the other +/- 70% you might ask?  Hell if I know and I'm frightened Auntie Em!

# 1 - But the most important reason I like FB over TT is character limit!  FB limits me to 420 characters per status update.  I have a hard time keeping within that limit.  And TT?  They only give me 120!  120?  I have so much trivial meaningless idiotic interesting information to share!  How can I possibly do that with this ridiculous limit?  I can barely say good morning in 120 characters or less!  Major fail!

 

Well folks, that's my take on it.  My FB kicks your Twitter's ass any old day!  It's all here in black and white now, you can't dispute the written word!  

I hope all of my "twits" don't get their panties in a wad over this one!  I'd hate to fall below 1000 again!  That would be a travesty, now wouldn't it?  It's all about the numbers!

Got Cheetos?

 

Bubby Does!  I love this little guy!