Anne is a 30-something full-time SAHM mom of 5 ranging from 3 to 17 and grandma of 1 who resides in Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) Wisconsin. She started blogging in 2008 as a way to regain her sanity. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers and vodka along with spending time with her husband and kids.
Do you ever find yourself looking at your child and wishing you could just stop time? You are not alone! The folks at Gymboree want you to join them in celebrating and sharing cherished moments in childhood. Gymboree has created an amazing new video to help kick off this campaign and I am thrilled to share it with you. This video is truly touching and must be watched by all parents. So watch and enjoy, then share your favorite cherished childhood moments in the comments! Be sure to use the hashtag #cherishchildhood when commenting or if you share this video with friends! Without further ado, I present to you “Today we’ve got to play!” sponsored by Gymboree:
Back in May, Alex competed in a local wing eating competition at Legend Larry’s. When he first mentioned entering this competition I figured it would be a win/win situation. He would be out of the house for a few hours and get to eat for free and I would be able to enjoy some quiet time at home and get some work done.
In the end, it was definitely more of a win/win situation then I thought it would be.
Here he is in the local competition.
That day, the Alex polished off 2.58lbs of medium chicken wings in 10 minutes AND he won the local competition. Winning the local competition earned him a $50 gift card to Legend Larry’s and a spot to compete at the championship competition.
No, they didn’t really put a tiara on him, I did that for my own entertainment!
This past weekend, we packed up the family minivan and made our way to the Legend Larry’s in Sheboygan Falls for the big championship competition.
It was the Alex vs 5 other guys who had one at the other Legend Larry’s restaurants and the bars that use the LL’s sauce on their wings. Not only did we get to make the way to Sheboygan Falls for the competition but Legend Larry’s also put us up at the beautiful Blue Harbor Resort for the night (but that’s a whole other post).
Here’s Alex competing at the championship.
Yes, he won….again!
This time around he won $300 and gets to have his name on the giant trophy. It was pretty amazing to watch him compete and even though he didn’t win enough money for us to stop at the Sheboygan Chrysler Dealership and buy a new van, it was more than enough for us to have some fun and leave some in the bank.
All in all, we had a great time at the competition and the hotel and enjoyed getting away from home for a bit!
You may recall back in October of 2011 when we sold my beloved KIA Spectra and became a one car family. Since then, things have REALLY changed around here. When we sold the car, Alex was working 3rd shift and we were expecting baby #4 which also meant our family would no longer fit, as a whole, in the car. During that time, gas prices were also outrageous and it just made more sense, financially, to only have one car.
While, since then, Alex has moved to 2nd shift, we welcomed baby #5 AND we now have a 2nd car once again (and it only cost us $1.00 plus license, title and registration).
Now that we are rocking two cars once again, I try to do whatever I can to save when it comes to vehicle maintenance, which can get very expensive. This year, we’ve already put new tires on the van in addition to new wipers, an alignment and of course an oil change too.
Since we are approaching fall and soon winter will arrive along with the holidays, I am pinching every penny I can and trying to stick to a strict budget. This is when I search the internet for the best deals and I have discovered that there are great savings on car maintenance as well at many places, including Lynch Chevy of WI. With great service specials, we will be able to prepare our vehicles for winter at a price that we can afford!
It is because of my penny pinching and budgeting during this time of year that we are able to have a great holiday season and spoil the kids with gifts!
Since Joey is our last baby, I have made it my goal to take a picture of him every day for a year so we can see just how much he changes on a daily basis.
Here is our little Joey the first 25 days of life (August 18th – September 11th).
It’s canning season and Mabel’s Labels has the perfect product for you! Wash Away Labels are dissolvable and perfect for potluck dishes, bottles for daycare, frozen foods, containers of leftovers and of course canning jars! When no longer needed, simply pop in the dishwasher or under running water to rinse off. Organizing your canning jars has never been this easy! Be sure to shop Mabel’s Labels today. Happy Canning!
Next year we hope to have a successful year of gardening and I plan on doing A LOT of canning, you can bet I will have these!
