Back to Work!

Well I did it....I went back to the Cafe.  I know I bitched and moaned when I quit but I'm happy to be back.  I really missed my customers, making people smile is very important to me.  I like to make peoples day when they come in to enjoy food/coffee.  When you go out and spend money don't you want it to be a good experience- I know I do so I like to give that to others. 

Will things be different, no idea but for me I'm just not going to let the craziness effect me.  I can't change people and if customer service is not their main reason for working at the cafe- not my problem...I can only do ME! 
It feels SOOOOO GOOD having some money in my pocket too.  I was getting very depressed.  Having to ask someone else for money was not fun (even though it was my hubby).  He was okay about it but I could tell it was stressing him out. 
We got a bit behind on bills and we will be playing catch for a couple months but we did SURVIVE.  I feel very blessed to be able to go back to work.  So Waitress Pam is BACK!  Now I just have to convince my body it will be OK, I was so sore after working but I just have to get used to it again. 

I'm NOT a Gardener

I don't like dirt, ants, spiders, and bees so how in the world did I think I could be a gardener.  I tried and let me tell you I suck at it.  I suck at gardening- I said it loud and clear.  After about 20 minutes of weeding this and pulling that my throat starts feeling like it wants to close and an overwhelming feeling of  nausea overcomes me so inside I go. 
I admit I don't like being outside unless I have to, mainly because I'm a redhead and the sun isn't necessary my friend.  I burn even when I have sunscreen on.  I know ...whine whine but I'm being honest.  It's no wonder I didn't make it in Fresno with all the HOT weather.  Give me blue sky and a breeze anyday.

So what am I going to do with the beautiful backyard full of weeds and an organic garden that needs some TLC.  We did okay planting some items and did enjoy our homegrown veggies.  I told my hubby that the inside of the house is my domain and the outside is his but he is a busy man so it doesn't get done as much as I would like it to.  Maybe I should hire someone!!  Oh that's right can't afford it right now.

I want to enjoy our yard I really do!  I need ideas on how to overcome my dislike of bugs and dirt.  Plus it's rubbing off on Lil Mama, we were all out in the yard working the other day and all she wanted to do was water the garden and yard then lets us know she was going to go ride her bike because she didn't want to get dirty.  You should have seen the look on my hubby's face and he pointed at me then shook his head. 
What is good for winter gardens?  Do you have any gardening tips that might help me stop being such a wimp outside?

Klout.com and Sharpie

I got this big orange box from the mailman yesterday and when I opened it I was in AWE!  I can't believe all the awesome sharpie products I get to use now.  I told the kids and hubby STAY AWAY until I have time to use myself! 

Look at all the cool stuff:

The box is cool too!  I was able to receive this wonderful product from Klout~ Klout is a San Francisco based company that provides social media analytics that measures a user's influence across their social network.  My Klout Score is 40!!

I really enjoy Klout.com because their PERKS are awesome.  Next week I'll be getting Axe products, I have a 21 yr old son who loves Axe.  I can't wait to make some cool hats with my Lil Mama with our new Stained by Sharpie- we are already brainstorming.  My hubby was eyeing all the cool stuff too and I know he wants to use some of the Fine Sharpie pens for his airbrush designs.  The creativity is just swarming us this weekend.

Check out all the COOL stuff on Sharpie~ http://www.sharpie.com/

If you want to connect on Klout.com~ http://klout.com/#/PinkMama68/

You have to look at this YouTube video on this guy who draws on coffee cups:

I was given a free product or sample because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

http://klout.com/perks/disclosure

 

Do you have cool ideas on what you would use with SHARPIE PRODUCTS?

Back To School 2011

My little buggers are enjoying their first week of the school year.  Hearing them talk about what they are learning and going to learn is exciting for all us.  Dinner time is full of conversation now. 

I enjoyed the 1st day way too much I think because 3pm came very quick and I almost forgot to get them.  I was about 10 minutes late.  Last year school ended at 3:15 and this year it's 3pm so I blame it on the time change, not that I was enjoying the quiet so much.  The past 3 days have been very nice!  I get up early and do the housework while I'm juiced up on coffee then I have the day to do work online and other projects. 
My Lil Mama is in a split 1st/2nd grade class and at first I was WTF....no that's not going to work.  She is way too smart to do 1st grade over again.  She was top of her class in 1st grade and I just don't want her to be bored.  Lil Mama and boredom doesn't mix at all!   Her teacher and principal reassured me that it will be fine and she will be challenged.  Okay, I hope so! 

Lil Man well he feels all grown now...4th grade and all!  He asked the teacher if he could sit up in front because he wants to LEARN a lot this year.  Let's see how long that will last.  Lil Man is also in a split 4th/5 class but with 2 teachers.  I wasn't as worried because I want him to learn UP.  I know double standard. LOL! He is very excited to have 2 teachers and new school subjects.  He said today..it feels like I'm in Middle School- not sure I how he knows how that feels but I'll give it to him.

So Cheers to 2011-2012 School Year! 

Trying to be Organized this School Year!

I know in my world organizing and kids don't mix but I'm going to give it a try.  Can't hurt right! 

I've always packed their lunches, made sure their backpacks are by the front door, they have jackets, and made sure they brought what they needed to school.  This year I'm feeling they need to be a bit more responsible for themselves.  They are 7 and 9...LOL!  My 9 yr old wants a phone really bad but if I don't make sure he has his lunch box/backpack he will leave it behind and call me an hour later asking for me to bring it (BTW I don't-unless it is an emergency).  Teaching them to be responsible plus organized, let's see how that goes. 

Here is MY PLAN:

• I'm going to make CHECKLISTS for before and after school duties.  I have a door in our kitchen that I plan to hang up everything on it- ONE PLACE!  What a concept!  I will remind them to check it daily.
• Along with the checklist there will be a SCHEDULE. Morning, After-School, Before Bed. Mainly something to keep me on schedule and prepared!  Pack lunches and pick clothes the night before will be on there of course.
• Set up a FAMILY CALENDAR.  Each of us will have our own color (guess what my color will be..LOL) and we will write down stuff like school events, dad's big airbrush jobs, mom's meetings and other FAMILY stuff.  My son just started football so of course that will be going on there too!  This will help with time conflicts too.
• We will have a SCHOOL BINDER that I can put all stuff related to school in so we are not digging around for it the day it is due. 
• I want one place to hold all homework items (crayons, pens, pencils, papers) and NOT in their room.  I'm going to assign each kid a shelf in the cupboard in the kitchen.  We do homework at the kitchen table and then everything is easy to get.  I don't want them to share anything because my kids tend to FIGHT over who has what so each will have their own supplies. 
• I made YEAR BOXES out of Costco cereal boxes for each kid.  They will be able to put in whatever they want to keep from school, bday cards, invites, pictures, and special papers.  At the end of the year we go through it and pick out what really needs to be saved and we put the box up for them look thru later in life.  This will be the 3rd year doing this. 

Well the PLAN sounds good, right?  What are you doing to get ORGANIZED for school?  Let's share our ideas.

Wacky Wednesday~ Commercial Time

Watching TV at night while everyone is sleeping is what I love to do but the commercials are off the hook and crazy but sometimes there is a gem thrown in. Last night I saw this one that made me giggle! 

What is your FAVORITE commercial??

JumpStart/MathBlaster Review and GIVEAWAY!

Our family has been given such an awesome opportunity to review JumpStart/MathBlaster online educational website.  We have been playing with JumpStart for a year now and enjoyed the Free Version but wow having the membership has opened new learning games and excitement for the kids. 
You can play Jumpstart and Mathblaster for FREE but the membership is AWESOME (well that is what my kids keep telling me).

With the membership you get:

• Unlock new levels based on 1st - 6th Grade curriculum
• Play member-only games and unlock bonus levels
• Access more challenging HyperBlast and Zapper levels
• Practice over 100 essential skills for school
• and much more! 

Guess What.... a  PinkMama's Place Reader will be getting a 3 month subscription for FREE.  How EXCITING is that!  See at bottom of this post on how to enter the giveaway.  You will be able to play on JumpStart and MathBlaster both!

Lil Mama's Review: 
I enjoy JumpStart because you get to have pets and cool rides.  My favorite place to play is the JumpStart Academy.

MathBlaster is such a COOL game!  The math games are so much fun and I'm learning new stuff and understanding more on the math we worked on last year.  Plus I like playing with the pets in space.  I also like the Red Alert.

Lil Man's Review:
I think a lot of kids will enjoy JumpStart because it teaches you a lot and it's FUN.  My favorite place is the Downtown Fun Zone.
MathBlaster has a lot of math games for kids like me (I guess he is saying is age) and it's really cool!  My favorite place is the Main Hall.  I give 2 thumbs up and it's an AWESOME game and every kid should go there plus you learn a lot!

Mom's Review: 
Well there you have it Cool, Fun , Learn, and Awesome are the words my kids used!  It's funny in a way but now because that's all my kids want to play on computer and I can barley get on the laptop these days.  Also I have it attached to my Facebook page so I can see the different levels my kids have mastered on Jumpstart.  Lil Mama is 7 (going on 17) and JumpStart is her favorite and Lil Man is 9 and loves MathBlaster.  I enjoyed reading the Math Blaster Blog at http://blog.mathblaster.com and got a feel on what and where they are going.  I'm all for a game that teaches kids!  Now can I get my laptop back I have work to do....that's what I have to say everyday now! 

Now for the GIVEAWAY:  One Reader will get a 3 month Membership to Jumpstart/MathBlaster.

Required Entry: Leave comment letting me know who you would like to win this for, please leave email address so I can contact you!

Extra Entries: Please leave an extra comment for each

•  Like PinkMama's Place on Facebook
•  Google Friend Connect (right hand side of this blog)
•  Follow PinkMama68 on Twitter
•  Like Jumpstart on Facebook
• Tweet about Giveaway and use hashtags #pinkmamasplace #giveaway
• Share on Facebook or Blog

Giveaway ENDS 9/10/11  9pm Pacific Time. 

Disclosure: I was provided with a membership good for MathBlaster and JumpStart at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Are You Ready For School To Start?

Heck YEAH!  I know I sound super duper excited and guess what... I am! Now don't get me wrong I LOVE MY KIDS and have enjoyed the summer with them but if I hear "I AM BORED" one more time I'm going to scream at the top of my lungs.

We have done so many activities, friend play dates, camping but they still need something special to do everyday.  First thing out of one of their mouths in the morning is "What are we doing today?".  If I say "CLEANING" or "NOTHING" I have to hear them run their mouths until I agree to something.  They know how to work me I know, LOL!  Luckily we live close to a park and the swimming pool but what about what I want to do?

My house needs a  major cleaning and I can't do it with them around.  They make too many messes throughout the day. I know that is what kids do so I give them the summer to relax and enjoy but just wait until school starts because we are back on our checklists.  I'm making one for the morning, after school, and evening plus an allowance/reward will be involved again.  We had to stop the reward system after I quit my job.  BTW I'm really enjoying COZI- family calendar!

I'm exhausted! When they go back to school I think I'm going to sleep a week straight...hehehe RIGHT!   After the kids are in school then it's time for me to get a JOB! 

Moms Just Want to Have Fun!

A girlfriend of mine took me to a concert Friday night and it was so much FUN!  It was a grown up concert so it was calm and I had a blast. I danced, sang, and smiled the whole 4 hours we were there.  It was FUN!  I know I said FUN a couple times already but damn I haven't had FUN like that it a long time.

Moms are allowed to have FUN...right?  Well my family (actually I should say KIDS) has a hard time letting me go do that.  Before going out I had lil mama crying and grabbing onto my leg and screaming "Don't go MOMMY, Don't GO!".  During the concert I had 2 missed calls, 2 texts messages, and 1 gmail chat message....all saying "Where are you Mom" and that was all between 8-10pm, those were from lil man. REALLY DUDE! I get home at 12:30 am and guess who is waiting for me at the door...Lil Man!  All worried about his mommy.

I don't go out much at all...maybe 1 or 2 times a YEAR!  I'm a homebody for sure.  As you can see my family don't do well when I go out- SILLY PEOPLE.  Well, I really need to get out more just to show my family it is OK that I actually can have a LIFE and they will be okay without me for a few hours.

Next step is Daddy and I going out...wouldn't that be NICE! 

Lawon... Really? Big Brother played YOU!

"I have a 99 percent chance of coming back into the game with superpowers," is what Lawon said and guess what he was....TOTALLY wrong! 

He volunteered to go up on the block against Rachel (why he did that in the first place is STUPID) but he didn't mind being voted out because he really thought he would be right back in.  I want to live in his world of bubble gum and rainbows for sure.  Really Lawon! 

Through out the weeks Lawon hasn't done much but make everyone laugh. I forgot he was playing until he volunteered to go up on the block. 

Now the best part of last nights show was when he realized what happened...he is OUT for good!  His look was priceless. 

The house MESSED up last night by voting Lawon out though because America voted to bring back Brendon.  Then the game that they had to play was so not fair for Lawon and was way too EASY for Brendon-especially with his crazy girlfriend Rachel telling him what balls to get. 

Yep Brendon WON...of course.  Poor Lawon, you know this is going down in the books for one of the dumbest moves in Big Brother. 

Now Brenchel is BACK and watch out house!  Karma just came back and bit you in the ASS!  I'm not a Brenchel fan but they are making this season interesting.