Playtime and After School Snacks #TysonGoodness #CBias

It’s been a super mild winter here in North Carolina.  In fact, today it was 65 degrees out!  I had a doctor’s appointment, and Aaron took the boys for a walk in the wagon to the PX where he got their hair cut.  After their trek, they really could have used a nap since it was that time of the day- but they were so thrilled to be outside we just let them play for the rest of the afternoon.

There was some 4-wheeling, some soccer, and lots of playing with what used to be our little solar lights.  They love rearranging them and taking them apart.  At one point, they started pointing them at each other and yelling ‘pew pew!’ like they were weapons.  I know Aaron and I haven’t taught them that, it’s amazing what they’ll pick up.  And I am pretty sure they didn’t get it from watching Bubble Guppies!  I swear it’s ingrained in the male DNA.

We were outside so long that before we knew it, the girls were home from school!  Mia and Aaron went inside for a bit, but Lili, the twins and I stayed outside.  The boys decided it was hysterical to chase Lili around and around the yard.

With all the activity and early lunches, the kids were starving at about 3:30.  We decided they couldn’t weight for dinner, and could use an after school snack.  Aaron and Mia microwaved some Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches that we had picked up on a recent Walmart shopping trip.   In just a few minutes, all four  kid were happily snacking and sufficiently held over until dinner time.

Right now you can receive a $5 Walmart gift card when you purchase 2 packages of Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches.  You can find out the details about this offer by clicking here.  Just a quick  note though- not all Walmart store carry them, so double check on TysonGoodness.com to make sure yours does before you make the trip.  You can also follow the conversation on twitter by using #TysonGoodness.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias


Dressed up like a million-dollar trooper

Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper- SUPER DUPER!


Halloween Festivities

The kids (and by kids I’m totally including Aaron) made their haunted house last night.  Yes, Ryan is naked, eating multiple lollipops and sitting on the kitchen table.  Oops.  We also decorated treat bags for them to carry Trick or Treating tonight.  I bought the bags for $1 each and then got the glow in the dark fabric paints- we will see how well they glow tonight!


Emergen-C Kidz Blog Tour

Back to school means back to cold and flu season.  Instead of just our own private family germs, we’re suddenly exposed to every kid and their family when the girls go to school.  And once of the kids gets sick, it spreads like wildfire through everyone.

We offer our kids a wide variety of healthy foods every day, but that doesn’t mean they eat them!  Whether it’s Ryan stealing all of Dylan’s fruit or the girls trading in the lunchroom, I can’t always guarantee the kids are eating a well balanced diet.

Enter Emergen-C Kidz.  Each fun & fizzy packet provides kids with 250 mg of vitamin C, along with antioxidents, B vitamins and electrolytes.  Available in three kid-friendly flavors- Fruit Punch, Orange & Grape- there’s one to suit every kid’s preferences.

Emergen-C Kidz Pledge & Vitamin Angels

You can help Emergen-C Kidz give back!  For every box sold, Emergen-C will donate 25 cents to Vitamin Angels to provide essential nutrients to one child for one year, helping reduce childhood mortality worldwide. Additionally, can take the My Emergen-C Kidz Pledge at Facebook.com/EmergenC to commit to a fun and healthy lifestyle for their family. For every Pledge, Emergen-C will donate an additional 25 cents.

While on the Emergen-C Facebook page, don’t forget to sign up for your free sample!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Emergen-C and received samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.


Last day of fun…

The girls start school tomorrow, so I thought I’d make sure today was a super fun day.  I figured if they had an awesome time, they’d remember that when the teacher asked what they did this summer and not say “We watched TV and got yelled at”.

I have a Fandango gift card and saw that Cars 2 was still playing at matinee times at our local theater, and decided to order tickets.  Only- my card wouldn’t work despite it telling me there was a $50 balance on it.  I called them and they said it was refunded to the purchaser, which seems weird because it says it’s got no expiration date on it.  They said contact the person I got it from.  I sent them an email and a replacement card is on the way, however that left this afternoon open.

The girls wanted to go out to lunch, and I found a 25% off your purchase coupon for Ruby Tuesday, so that’s where we went.  (Check out their facebook page if you want the same coupon!)  My girls LOVE their salad bar, and who am I to say no to kids who want to eat their veggies?

After we ate I brought them over to the mall so they could play on the train table in Barnes & Noble.   The boys adore those trains and the girls always have a good time with all the books.  For about five minutes, it was bliss.  I was reading a book, the boys were playing and content, and the girls had found princess dolls and were playing nicely together.

And then it happened.

A brat showed up.  My boys fight with each other, but not with any other kids.  In fact, when another kid would show up, they almost always hand them a train to join in the fun.  This boy was probably 3, and Ryan gave him one of the two trains he had in his hands.  There were five or six total train pieces.

He played a few minutes, and then decided he wanted the train in Dylan’s hand too and took it.  Dylan threw himself on the floor crying.  The brat’s mother?  Just sat there.  I picked up Dylan and consoled him and found him another train.  At this point, Ryan had one, Dylan had none, and this kid had more than he could carry.

This woman was three feet away from the train table, and sitting with a baby on her lap just watching.  The baby wasn’t requiring her attention so she missed what was going on or anything.  Then he took Ryan’s, and Ryan flipped out.

So I had two distraught toddlers who had no toys to play with…

Our trips to Barnes & Noble usually last a hour easy- my kids love it and are well behaved there- but after only 10 minutes we had to leave.  I was so annoyed at this lady!

What would you do in that situation?  Would you have said something to her?

We end up going to the grocery store (such fun!) so the girls could pick out what they wanted in their lunches, and dying hair  purple at home.