Kitchen Fantasies

Posted on 04/17/2013 by TheHarriedMom

I’m one of those people who actually get excited when I see a home improvement catalog or home design magazine in my mailbox. It’s a guilty pleasure for me — after the kidlets are in bed, I’ll grab an iced tea and relax on the couch leafing through those publications and fantasize about all the amazing home improvements I’d make!

My first project would definitely be our kitchen. I love to cook and it really is the heart of our home – but it is way out of date and needs a total re-do. I have tons of kitchen gadgets (my current favs are my OXO mandolin and Cuisinart electric knife) and I never seem to have enough storage or counter space for everything.

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Today We Are All From Boston….Talking To Kids About Tragedy

Posted on 04/16/2013 by TheHarriedMom

I don’t like to get political here, as that is not the focus of this blog, but I did want to share my thoughts about the tragic events in Boston….

As an American I am angry that there was a terrorist attack on our soil, regardless if it was perpetrated by a foreign or domestic source.

As a human being I am both angry and deeply saddened by the loss of any life and the immense hurt of any innocent citizens, regardless if was perpetrated by a foreign or domestic source.

My heart aches for the families and friends of those who lost loved ones and were impacted by this senseless act of violence. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain, anger and confusion that they are feeling, trying to cope with yesterday’s tragic events.

At this point, we still do not know who did this or why – and I believe that people shouldn’t jump to conclusions and go on a witch-hunt before we have all the facts. However, even when we do have all the facts, I will never in my life understand any type of violence against the innocent. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Boston, New York, Oklahoma City or Mogadishu, Afghanistan, Indonesia or Jerusalem – innocent people do not deserve this to ever happen to them.

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Tiny Bubbles – Review of Little Tikes Bubble Bellies II Bubble Machine

Posted on 04/10/2013 by TheHarriedMom

Bubbles. There are songs, websites and even Pinterest pages devoted to them. Bubbles make me happy, whether they are in the wine or floating above my head. My kidlets love bubbles too. They can go through a huge bottle in one afternoon waving around their bubble wands, or should I say weapons since the kidlets always wind up smacking them into each other in their bubble blowing frenzy!

With the weather finally getting warmer, we were able to have some backyard bubble fun this past weekend. The kidlets had lots of fun and giggles trying out their new Little Tikes Boubly Hippo Bubble Bellies II bubble machine.

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Playing With Chalk

Posted on 04/09/2013 by TheHarriedMom

I know that spring is in the air and that summer can’t be far behind when my driveway starts looking like this, a massive piece of graffiti art! The family is trying to taking full advantage of the warmer weather here in the Northeast by spending as much time outside as possible.

Both of my kidlets are budding artists and one of their all-time favorite things to do is draw with chalk on our driveway. Sidewalk chalk is a great addition to any outdoor play and is an inexpensive activity that the entire family can enjoy doing together. I love how playing with chalk promotes my kidlet’s imaginations, creativity and even helps with their basic elementary school skills (writing numbers, letters & words).

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Learning To Count – Review & Giveaway David Carter’s 100: Lift the Flaps and Learn to Count!

Posted on 04/08/2013 by TheHarriedMom

Counting is a huge milestone for any child as they are starting to learn and grow. Now counting to 10 is “easy breezy,” according to my five-year-old kindergartener son, but what about counting to 30, 50, 80 or even 100? Aside from learning how to count by 1s, my boy is also learning how to count by 5s and 10s all the way to 100. Sometimes he gets confused trying to remember how the larger numbers progress so I’m always looking new ways to help him to practice his numbers.

David Carter’s 100: Lift the Flaps and Learn to Count! is a fun new picture book that guides children to count from one to 100 with whimsical illustrations and lots and lots of interactive flaps!

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Old School Blogging – Marriage, Babies & Bliss Edition

Posted on 04/05/2013 by TheHarriedMom

At 3 pm today, spring break officially started in my house and I’ve got 10 full days of family fun ahead! We’ve got playdtes, outdoor activities, movie marathons and even an amazing trip on the agenda! Even The Harried Mom is taking a spring break of sorts – this week we’re loading up on reviews and giveaways of “fun things to do with kids!”

However, I’m going to start this break off by kickin’ it back old school and joining in again with a new installment of “Old School Blogging.” I really enjoy these posts because they are so entertaining read and I always learn something new about my favorite bloggers!

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Wreck-It Ralph Read Along Storybook and CD – Review

Posted on 04/05/2013 by TheHarriedMom

We’re getting ready for Spring Break in our household and it’s our first-ever family Disney World vacation! I’ll have more on our vacation in an upcoming post, but for months we’ve been secretly prepping the kidlets — telling them only a few days before our trip to avoid the daily “are we leaving today” questions — on all things Disney.

Last fall we took them to Disney on Ice’s “Rockin Ever After” and we’ve have been re-watching both the classic and newer films on DVD including such as “Bambi,” “Cinderella,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Finding Nemo,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Alladin” as well as some more obscure titles like “Donald Duck Mathmagic Land.”

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My First Vlog — Shaklee Update: Month 1

Posted on 04/03/2013 by TheHarriedMom

This is my first-ever vlog! I hope you’ll watch my post about the Shaklee 180™ Program and my first month results and how I make my favorite Strawberry/Blueberry smoothie!!! My daughter makes a cameo — and no lie, she does that every time I make a smoothie in the blender!

Please be kind!

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How Low Can I Go? Much Lower I Know!

Posted on 04/02/2013 by TheHarriedMom

Last month I shared with you my struggle with weight and my new journey as a Shaklee 180 blogger. I just finished the first 30 days on the program and wanted to share my progress so far!

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Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Posted on 04/01/2013 by TheHarriedMom

I want to thank Ellen at Bad Word Mama for nominating The Harried Mom for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. I had no idea awards like this existed – an award that is not based on votes and a popularity contest (I’ve never won one of those in my life!). I’m honored by this recognition because; to me at least, it means that someone found what I’ve been doing here humorous, helpful and/or inspiring. Talk about an ego boost! I think this is a great encouragement for any blogger out there.

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