A few weeks ago Michelle from Name Bubbles contacted me about a giveaway. How cool is that??!! They generously sent me some of their products to test out. Name Bubbles is the leader in name labels, school uniform labels and waterproof labels. They will be giving a lucky reader a PACK of lables!
They sent me two different packs, I did some for the girls and some for the boys. At first I was not sure if I would use many of them as my kids aren’t in day care or pre-school. Was I wrong! These things are quality labels, not the rip-apart kind you have seen other places. The above label I put on Storie’s shirt and washed it in every load I did this week (the shirt is still stained by the way). The label stuck perfectly and still looks new. 
I stuck the larger labels on the kids toys that we take to baseball/softball games. We manage to loose something every time we go and with a last name like ours if it has a name on it we are likely to get it back!
I labeled all our books that we take to church and lose there, and all my books that I loan out to friends.
The best labels they have in my opinion are the “Bubble Toes” these are darling little feet that stick in the kids shoes. I can’t tell you how many pairs of Crocs we have lost at swim meets. These are water proof, and the best part, it has helped my little one know which foot goes in which shoe!!! She just looks at the sticker and matches her foot with it! She has worn these all week all day and the label looks perfect still.
I labeled all Rush’s sippy cup’s and everything he and the girls take to the YMCA when Paul and I go. The ladies at the YMCA were very impressed mostly that Rush’s zip lock that I usually throw all his stuff in I replaced with a lunch bag and that his name was actually on everything… thanks to Name Bubbles. This label is dishwasher safe and believe me I have been testing it! The sippy cup and the storage containers below I washed probably 8 times on hot and the labels haven’t budged.
Anyway, I am a huge fan now and am going to change my standard baby shower gifts to these! Name Bubbles has packs for camp, sports, birthday, school, daycare, nursing home and college. They come in tons of different colors and patterns, go check out her site and tell me which set you like the best. Name Bubbles will be giving one reader an ENTIRE set!!! The kids will pick a winner on Monday! For a second entry, link my giveaway to your site or follow my blog!
Giveaway Wednesday!! Name Bubbles!
What was your weekend like?
Lets play a game. Guess what we did this weekend? I will give you some clues…
Cupcakes anyone? April Fools!
April 1st is the greatest “holiday” ever celebrated by twisted parents! My parents have had their fair share of tormenting me as a child and teenager that I figure it is time to start with my own children. There is nothing better than coming home form school to yummy cupcakes waiting for you. Especially when your Mom and Dad tell you in honor of April Fools Day we will be having dessert first!
Sleeping Beauty or Sleeping Storie??
I am never surprised anymore at the places I find my 5th child sleeping. She has even fallen asleep on the top of my husbands head. Don’t believe me? I have the video to prove it. Most small children traditionally take naps, not Storie, she has been too good for those silly little nap things since she was about 6 months old. Instead, she unwillingly falls asleep in the most uncomfortable places and positions possible.
Swimsuit Giveaway! Need I say more??
It's A Rush!
These might be a little graphic for some, but I had two different emails asking about Maureen’s birth photography. She did a phenomenal job and they are so beautiful. The hours she put into it was unbelievable. So these are a few of the pictures of our little Rush’s birth.
It’s A Rush!
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These might be a little graphic for some, but I had two different emails asking about Maureen’s birth photography. She did a phenomenal job and they are so beautiful. The hours she put into it was unbelievable. So these are a few of the pictures of our little Rush’s birth.
Sit still and smile.
The nice Scholastic lady called today and did the interview for my two sentences in the June magazine. Everything was going well until she asked for a photo of me and the kids…
Got S’mores? Arkansas Diamond Mines!
Breaking all child labor laws and figuring we had our own private work force, we decided to take the kids to Arkansas for Spring Break. While their friends were off to Mexico to sit on a beach or in Colorado skiing, we chose the more economical route with 6 children and took them camping. Who knew our little neighboring state has the World’s 8th largest Diamond Mine?? And I have to tell you-we were pleasantly surprised at how pretty Western Arkansas was! I apologize to you little pretty state with all the green rolling hills and beautiful chicken farms.
This is what it looks like when you go camping with this many people in one SUV, in case you ever thought it might be a good idea. You might want to read my earlier post about traveling with children…
I have nothing to say about this, but I laughed for almost the first half of the trip every time I thought about it. The kids car seats might not be buckled in this well, but darn it, Paul’s Coke was going to make it unscratched. Can you see where he even duct taped it closed? Seriously??
Let me tell you what this is a picture of since you will never guess. This is us doing 78mph down the highway. Can you see the problem with that? Maybe that the speedometer says we are doing all of ZERO. That will make the trip exciting. “Actually officer, I was hoping you could tell ME how fast I was going?” I had the truck inspected the day before and nothing was wrong with it. As soon as we got on the highway it quit working. But hey, if you need, I can email you on how to figure out how fast you are going by timing yourself in-between the mile markers along the side of the road. Who says nothing educational came out of this trip?!
While stopping for lunch (which takes about 90 minutes) the kids were having a great time entertaining themselves. In between the fence, down the sidewalk, trading sodas back and forth.. of course as we were leaving I noticed the sign.
This isn’t going to be the first time on this trip we paid absolutely no attention to posted signs!
Our good, brave friends came with us camping. They have 3 little kiddos. This is our Storie on the right and their little Emma on the left. They are the cutest two kids ever. They pose together every time I pull the camera out!
And here are the big boys. Don’t you remember what it was like trying to be cool while hanging out with your family? These guys pulled it off real well even while chasing the baby around and making cute noises at him!
I DON’T LIKE TO BE COLD. Everyone within earshot knew it. The only thing I ever dread about camping are the long cold nights. Every Mom who has ever camped with small children, especially ones still nursing or taking a bottle you know how it goes:
You get them all new clean warm clothes and thick socks, you put them all in sleeping bags with their blankies. Then you spend the rest of the night shoving them back in their sleeping bags because they wiggle out as they sleep and lay moaning next to you because it is 35 degrees out. Then the baby wakes up (because that is what they do), you try to either nurse them back to sleep, freezing to death as you do it or you try and give them a cold bottle, (that you tried to keep warm by putting it in the sleeping bag with you) they are accustomed to it being the perfect temperature, thanks to the microwave that you forgot to bring and somehow wire to work in a tent. Once the baby is back to sleep and you try to warm up your sleeping bag again, another child has to go to the bathroom… Unfortunately, all my kids are just as afraid of the dark and the scary woods as I am, so we run together to the bathroom and back again to the tent. Now repeat this a few times and that is how each night goes.
There is a picture of me further down after a few of these nights. 
WaaaaHooooo, now to the fun part! Each child was in charge of finding me a 1/2 carat diamond, or, if they worked together they could find a 1 carat diamond. I think I deserve it-it’s only a 1/2 carat for each child. That’s not asking too much? So this is the diamond field at Crater of the Diamonds State Park. But don’t let the name fool you-we dug and dug and dug and dug but alas, we found NOTHING! I was starting to consider buying a field in the middle of nowhere and telling people there were diamonds on it, charging them to get in and dig it all up. Then planting potatoes. 
There were 11 diamonds found the day we were there. NONE by us. For crying out loud, we had 9 children who dig up my front yard any chance they get and we couldn’t even find one! Maybe what they needed were my nice dinner spoons-those seem to work for digging up everything else.
This is that picture of me after a few long nights. I dare someone to COMPLAIN! The best part about camping in Arkansas?? We let the kids bring their AirSoft guns! We figured no one would mind! The boys quickly made friends with some other kids from Dallas a few campsites away and hooked them up with a few of the extra guns we had brought. Then we sent them off through the campground to the amplitheatre to wage war. They rotated Emma and Owen in when someone got out. I would have liked to know what the other campers thought of our army of pellet pumping midgets.
So, we switched from diamonds to quartz crystals. Funny how we didn’t have a problem finding any of these. 
Dig Rush, dig!!! Or no warm bottle for you!
Ummm had to throw this one in. This is the view we had of Storie all day. Who are her parents and why do they dress her in too big pants??
Second sign of the trip that we failed to see until too late. 
This is us…. washing all our crystals in the sluice trough. 
The last day we drove into Hot Springs and toured the town. It was really pretty, we had planned on taking the kids to some Hot Springs, after all wouldn’t you think there would be some?? But no, Hot Springs is named that after the hot springs that you can’t go in. There are only old time bath houses for adults. Go figure, if anyone need a bath in this group it was the kids not adults. The kids were a bit freaked out when we toured an old bath house at the idea of a stranger giving them a bath. I have to disagree, at this point in the trip it sounded like a good idea to me.
But the best part of Hot Springs was the forced march we drug the kids on to the top of a mountain with the promise of a lookout tower. Only to get to the top and find out it was $7 a person to go up in the tower and more insulting they (the little hobbit of a person behind the counter pushing the $7 trip to the top like a drug) was the promise of a beautiful view of Bill Clintons boyhood home. Really? $91 to see Clinton’s boyhood home. How about we don’t. But all in all, the view that we did have was beautiful and the kids had a blast, it was a great time and only 5 kids had ticks. Which couldn’t have been that bad because they started a “I Had a Tick” club complete with secret handshake!
Meet My Litter
Baseball Star Dude
Part comedian, part Dad, part athlete. He will boss around your children while they play ball.Baby Sitter Doll!
Just as angelic as she looks, this girl could easily raise a Village by herself, and all the children would grow up to be President.Webkinz Pup!
Self proclaimed, she would be a webkinz dog. Because, "they're cute, and puppies are too. And they're sweet and they always get along with other puppies."Princess
This mini-Martha Stewart can handle ANY craft you send her way. She isn't all bows and rainbows, she's got karate kid moves!Pick-Me-Up
Not "Pick-Me-Up" like caffeine, she wants you to pick her up! AND NOW!Supercute Destroyer
Anything that can be destroyed WILL be destroyed!Mary Poppins
Practically Perfect in Every Way for now! Nicknamed "The Panda" she is rolly polly and lives by the motto, "the little one, is KING!"Miller Dog
The resident Labradoodle, Miller got his name because Mom won and got to name the baby! Need something chewed up? He'll take care of it. Especially if it's expensive..
