Apples and Cheddar

Feeling like crap makes one want to cook a bunch of crap! I felt the Betty crocker bug coming on and i hit the kitchen. Only this time i decided to not fatten my ass...well too much anyway.





I peeled and slices about 6 apples and dumped them in a foil lined baking dish.


Then i dumped about a cup and a half of shredded cheddar all over these slices apples.


I followed this up with a sprinkle of salt and pouring about 1 cup of half and half in the pan.


Then I covered with foil and baked at 375 for 45 minutes.


After 45 minutes i removed the foil covering and then continued to bake until the apple mixture was bubbly and the apples were super tender.


While those bubbling apples were baking, I became mischievous and mixed up about 3 tablespoons of butter with a half a cup of brown sugar, give or take a bit and some chopped pecans. About the time this mixture was cooked to a crumbled heavenly mix the apples were ready. I crumbled the pecan mixture over the apple mixture and served warm to my family.





I consider this healthy because there are apples in it. The fruit counters the half and half, the cheese, the brown sugar, the butter, all of it. Calorie free and SUPER Delish! My ass only grows a smidge!

Wordless Wednesday

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

How cool is this? I planted these little boogers from little plants and seeds and now they are all grown up and starting to reproduce! I am such a proud plant mom!

Mom Ride

A few years ago I was in the market for a car. I wanted something economical and yet stylish for my single woman lifehood. I ended up with a Subaru Impreza. It was a fabulous choice for me at the time. Small and compact, great price for my budget and had some punch when driving. I settled in, ALONE, to my tiny car, just me my fancy flip flops and my purse, and was perfectly happy.

3 years later, a husband, a baby and some extra pounds, same flips flops, and this sweet little car is really not my style anymore. We just do not fit in this little punch of a car anymore. Nope. 1 diaper bag, 75 in case of emergency toys, the back up diaper bag, the stroller, the pack and play, the boppy, the Phoebe, a babe and two parents squished into a tiny smurf of a car and a Red Bull; it ain't pretty. Plus my lease is up. So we are in the market for a MOM RIDE in Pink Haired Momma ville.

Here are a couple of the top contenders at this point. I am looking for budget friendly, gigantic space, safety and then of course style. Thoughts?
Swagger Wagon
VW kid friendly

And yes they are VANS. YES I have become that woman. I am the Hot Pink haired lady who used to dance on bar tops shooting shots of tequila and having not a care in the world. I could never dream of being a VAN owner, but now, now many years later, many stretch marks later, many where is that damn paper towel roll i stuffed under the seat cause the baby just barfed again moments, I have become HER. I embrace this! Mommahood has taken over! My fat ass need a Van for all the back up emergency crap life totes around with you!

Oh ps Baby DIVA is 18 months old today! YAY!

CHEAP thrills for bad moms

I have been in the worst funk for well over a week now. I feel like crap, cranky, bitchy, the worst mommy in the world, the ugliest pink haired lady, the works. DAMN Girl hormones. I hate it when they slap you down for no reason and make you feel like poo indefinitely. AHHHH!

In my funk, I decided I needed a spa day, only to discover that my pocketbook was not so willing to contribute to my need to be mood altering pampered. Bummer man! And it is too bad the lotto didn't work out for me and aid in this endeavor. Double Bummer! Since the balls didn't bounce in my favor i took a cue and decided to design my own destined future, I decided to grab laugh by the balls and say F OFF I NEED THIS NOW!!! Momma syndrome. Gets the best of us.

I grabbed some Epsom salt that I snagged from CVS super cheap a few weeks back. Hit the kitchen and pulled out the safflower oil, purple food coloring, baking soda and lavender essential oil. Yes I do keep ALL of this stocked in my house. All while sporting a smile, apron and not muttering a single nasty word or thought...scouts honor! WHATEVER!!!

I grabbed a glass jar from the craft room and dumped in 8 ounces of Epsom Salt, 1/2 cup safflower oil, a dash of baking soda and 4 drops of purple food coloring. I then dribbled in my fabulous lavender oil. Gave the mix a stir, a shake and POOF I had insta-spa in my house. I immediately went and took a nice long soak in a hot insta spa bath with my CHEAP, non lotto winning, impromptu design of a spa day for one bitchy tired momma.

I feel much better. You should try it. Enjoy!

Wubzy Winner

I am sorry to be a little late on announcing the fabulous Winner of The Wubzy Dino Island DVD. But better late than NEVER.

And our fantabulous winner is comment #5 CHERYL!!!

Please contact me at pinkhairedmomma at yahoo dot com within 48 hours with your contact information to claim your prize! Congratulations! Thank you for your participation. I hope you really enjoy this movie!

Fire butt

Fire butt is how it is known in our house. What is Fire Butt? Well it is when poor Baby DIVA has an incredible diaper rash that is so intense it causes her to scream out in pain and the forces momma and daddy into guilt mode because we can not "fix" it. We have discussed the issue numerous times with our pediatrician. Baby Diva has had a multitude of creams slathered on her ass, powder dusted on her tush and nothing. Fire Butt still prevailed. We removed apple juice, orange juice, and the like from her diet as the doctor said the acid in these juices may be bringing about an excreted substance in her stool and urine that causes her little butt to flare up like a tomato in the summer sun.

Nothing worked. We just became accustomed to a quick reaction plan whenever we noticed the redness coming on or we heard the firs butt yelps. And that is how we we live.

Recently I have taken notice to an issue that is quickly arising in the mommy news world. Pampers, our brand of choice, has been receiving some unbecoming attention in regards to their new Dry Max diapers. Many children are turning up left and right with diaper rashes that resemble a chemical like burn on their tushes.

Hmmmm...could Baby DIVA be amongst all the children suffering from this issue? I sure hope not, however if the diaper is the cause of this incurable rash, and all we have to do is switch brands and VOILA fire butt is gone?!? then Hallelujah! I can deal with some leakage of pee here and there common with other brands, if it keeps my daughters butt sparkling clean and white instead of fire engine red!

Although I do not think this is the ultimate source of our Fire Butt problem, I am not about to overlook something that possibly could resolve our problems with great ease. The next few weeks will offer us some trials and tribulations. We are going to try a different brand of diapers as well as have another deep discussion on the matter with our doctor. In the mean time please feel free to share with me your own experiences with Pampers. Have you had any trouble? And success stories? Any input at all? Pampers has been in contact with the public and has released this statement: Pampers Statement. I am not among the evil Pampers haters, I just wanted to share this information in case others too may have Fire Butt with unknown cause and might be able to solve their problem too.

More to come as our experiment continues...

Farming in the Burbs

We have our own farmville, right here in the Burbs of Houston, no computer or facebook required! Please send me nothing, I got it going all by myself!

Remember how Baby DIVA and I tried to hurry Spring along this year after suffering through multiple snows here in Texas, something we are not used to all, by planting our garden? We spruced up the back yard with colored pots, flowers, and little baby seedlings of delish foods we hope to munch on over the summer? If you do not then click HERE and HERE to refresh yourselves. Go ahead. I will wait...

So I have totally awesome news. Farming in the Burbs is totally paying off. WE GOT EDIBLES!! This last week Baby DIVA spotted some beautiful flowers unfolding from our farm in the burbs. Every day since, we have gone out to check on these lovely little babies, watering them, talking ot them, making sure they are happy,Yep we CRAZY. But then today, magic happened! We found the beginnings of a baby squash, growing right there in our suburban garden! FARMVILLE meets SUBURBIA! Hot diggity dog!

And then we discovered some bell peppers poppin out! Look MOM TWINS!!

Now I am totally stoked over this fantabulous accomplishment, but I won't lead you to believe I am 100% perfect at the Burb farmin thing, just 99%. You see I also have some little critter munchin my lettuce way before I get a chance. I guess that could be interrupted to mean that I grow super yummy stuff, right? At least that is what I am telling myself and anyone who feels like listening to me. Nonetheless, thanks to a simple swagbucks search, I came up with a cure all for this little critter and have it under control! I will be sure to share this concoction and story in the future!

Oh and one last note. A peculiar thing happened in the garden. It seems the cucumber has grown rather fond of the asparagus and has grown on over and wrrapped its little tentacles around it. Hmmm possibly a Cusparagus in the making?

WINNER WINNER WINNER

Lets give a big congratulations to Whitney, commenter #11 for snagging the HEB gift card!

Congrats to you my friend! You have 48 hours to contact me with your contact info!

Thank you to all who participated!

Magic Momma Elixir

Picture Source

Just this week, a fantabulous Orchid momma that I know asked me a little question.

"Pink Haired momma I don't know how you are blogging, mommying, and working 40 plus hours a week. Could you please share your magic mommy elixir?"

Well after I cracked up I got to thinking about this. How the heck do I manage to keep it all going and manage to stay SANE all the while? So I began to investigate...

That is when it occurred to me with the simple combination of a few little items, coupled with an incredible ability to multi task, I have found the Magic Mommy Elixir that keeps me SANE and keeps me Happy Pink Haired bopping along, well at least most of the time.

I multi task like a crazed power walking maniac. I blog while on breaks from work (career work and mommy work that is) while cooking dinner and switching laundry. Those 10 add up resulting in fun filled blog posts and fantabulous creations on the table. I manage to squeeze in play dates while at the grocery store, seriously those play areas at walmart ARE set up for this, didn't you know? I shower while watering the yard. I cook while exercising, the stove makes a great balance bar. And I relax while teaching Baby DIVA the art of knowledgeable channel surfing, hand-eye coordination skills!

And every bit of this multi tasking skill is done whilst a carry a Magic Momma Elixir in one hand...

A splash of too many to do lists

A dash of taking credit for store bought cupcakes displayed as your own

A pinch of guilt just because moms have it

A smidge of Excedrin, goes without explaining

A jigger of Monsters or any other suitable energy drink of your choosing

Picture Source

Whip it all up in the blender, shake it the shaker, stir in a bowl...WHATEVER you have clean to mix will suffice; Pour it all in an adult sippy cup garnish with a handful of several day old cheerios from the backseat of your mom ride and serve daily, repeatedly!

So my lovely Orchid momma, you see a talent for multi tasking and getting myself drunk on life is the answer to surviving the crap mommahood throws you and that my friend is my Magic Momma Elixir!

Wordless Wednesday

The laundry "Boat" and self dressed Baby DIVA

Swimming in laundry

Hmmmmm?

Why are there no slip pads on infant socks?

I have added to my to do list. I now have 75 zillion tasks per day instead of the 45 zillion I had last week.

You see I am no longer just a Stay at home (working) mommy. Pink Haired Momma is moving on up in the world. I graciously accepted a work at home full time position with a fabulous company. I am thrilled to pieces to be working. Okay not really but I am tickled pink to have the moola coming in. That's the motivator , I ain't gonna lie.

So now I hold two full times jobs, as does H4L. I am able to work evenings 40 plus hours a week, after being with Baby DIVA all day. Which is really awesome because my new work schedule does not interfere with our fantabulous social play date schedule. Priorities! H4L works all day at his job full time and then comes home and is Evening Stay at home Pops! And he is so good at it. I hear him being Man in charge with Baby DIVA, and my heart melts. My favorite is "Stop eating the Soap!", and yet it wasn't bath time. Hmmmm.

It works fab for us! The schedule may leave us tired and loony right now but as we work out the kinks it allows us dual income and Baby DIVA never having to visit daycare. A major deal with us. However being So busy though does tend to make the mind wander into exhaustive psychosis from time to time. Here are some of my recent thoughts...



1. Why are there "no-slip" pads on the bottoms of newborn and infant socks? Just wondering.

2. Why is it once you finally get to the store and load up on the one food item your toddler will eat without fail anytime, they then decided they no longer like it?

3. When did I last shower?

4. If I turn away when Baby DIVA mysteriously brings out a snack that I havent given to her in Oh about a week and she munches it, will it not really be happening?

5. How many times can you dry one load of laundry before the clothes disappear?

Grumptified

The other day I was driving around town pretending to do something constructive, grumpy, caffeine deprived, had Baby DIVA and Kdude loudly chatting in the backseat. I was on the verge of being the grumpy Pink Haired Momma. The traffic was working my nerves, I had a headache trying to come on, I was just plain yucky grump.



Then at a red light, which no doubt I had some choice words to shout at when it brought me to a halt, gave me the ticket I needed on this grumptified day. A school bus of children, (cause that is going to help any ones grumpy day, right?), was parked right in front of me at this red light. Through the windows I could see all the children laughing, giggling, smiling, goofing off with one another, having the time of their lives, on that bus. I have no idea where they were going; to school, on a field trip, perhaps it was just a large family with their own school bus that is used as a means to transport the family to the grocery store, who knows. What I do know is, in those few moments, watching the laughter through the glass, seeing the innocence of the children, the hunger for life, the live for the moment and love every second attitude that those kids possessed at this torturous stopping point in my world, forced me out of my grump and brought about the light.
Literally.
The light turned green indicating it was time to go forward; and in my mind I went forward. I let myself go forward in my mind, forward to laughter, forward to loving the sounds from Baby DIVA and Kdude in the backseat, forward to enjoying the traffic as it blessed me with more time to hear those fabulous sounds from these wonderful children in my car. Forward to appreciating, loving and cherishing every second of life and not feeling grump what-so-ever. So lovely.



And then I spilled my cold Red Bull in my lap. Game over! Grump back on!

WOW WOW EVERYBODY Giveaway

I admit it. I have become one of those moms. I have given in and allowed Wubzy to enter my child's life! And you know what? SHE LOVES IT!

Wow Wow Everybody!

Baby DIVA gets a total kick out of watching Wow Wow Wubzy. She shrieks with excitement. She twirls around and makes herself dizzy with delight when she hears the intro music hit the living room. The speakers cue in to the music, her face lights up and her mouth drops and VOILA she is one happy camper! It is absolutely adorable.

And I must say the show is rather entertaining. From the naive charismatic nature of Wubzy to the intelligent remarks with fabulous tidbits of information by Walden, I feel perfect secure knowing my daughter is watching a tv show that keeps her mind captivated while also encompassing fun learning and catchy tunes. I love how happy Wubzy makes her.

*And I am not gonna lie, I love that Wubzy allows me a few minutes of "downtime". Yes I DID just say that out loud!*

This week, a totally new Wow Wow Wubzy has been released: Escape for Dino Island. The sponsors have provided the following information pertaining to this fabulous new release:



BRAND-NEW “WOW! WOW! WUBBZY! ESCAPE FROM DINO ISLAND ” DVD

Wubbzy, the cute and quirky bendy-tailed character from the hit Emmy Award®-winning Nick Jr. ® preschool TV series Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, takes viewers on a “dinomite” adventure in the brand-new DVD, “Escape From Dino Island.” Whether it’s exploring the jungle, swinging from vines or “discovering” friendly new creatures, the latest release will provide tons of prehistoric fun for preschoolers throughout the land. “Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Escape From Dino Island,” the newest installment in the best-selling DVD series from Anchor Bay Entertainment, lands at retail from coast-to-coast, Tuesday, May 4, 2010.

“We are very excited to bring ‘Escape From Dino Island,’ to DVD as the newest title in our collection of award-winning Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! releases,” said Julie Cartwright, SVP of Brand Marketing for Anchor Bay Entertainment. “Preschoolers and families nationwide will dig the dinosaur-themed entertainment that is sure to bring laughs to the youngest set, while imparting important life lessons about honesty, teamwork and more!”

In the “Escape from Dino Island” DVD (SRP $16.98), Wubbzy and his best pals, Widget, Walden and Daizy, climb aboard Widget’s Wavy Wheeler 3000 and set out on an awesome adventure that takes them from their hometown of Wuzzleburg to the mysterious land of Dino Island. On their journey, the four friends discover the Wazumboo Jungle and tame a Doodleberry patch that has gone wow, wow wild! The fun-filled collection of larger-than-life episodes will have young viewers stomping, singing, dancing and learning – Wubbzy-style!

To help celebrate the release of “Escape From Dino Island,” the DVD launch will be supported by two exciting consumer promotion initiatives. From June through December 2010, consumers who purchase one box of Minute® Rice and any Wubbzy DVD will be entitled to receive a Wubbzy toy free with a nominal S&H fee. In addition, from May through September 2010, consumers can purchase a Wubbzy DVD and any package of Joy Cone Company ice cream cones to receive two Wubbzy Scholastic books, A Tail of Tails (SRP $4.99) and Special Delivery (SRP $3.99) with a $2.00 S&H fee.

Also a star on the Internet, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! remains the top game for the past two years on Nick Jr. ®’s award-winning website (www.nickjr.com) and boasts the first-ever video podcasts for preschoolers at www.wubbzy.com.

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! has been a hit with young viewers and their families since its 2006 TV premiere on Nickelodeon®, and the show currently airs daily on Nick Jr. ® Wubbzy is a fun, lovable, curious little guy who just likes to play, play, play with his friends in the eye-popping town of Wuzzleburg. The show keeps kids laughing, while providing essential, wholesome life lessons about cooperation

And now I have been given the opportunity to share with YOU, one of my lucky readers, a brand new FREE copy of this new Wubzy release. You too can have a twirling giggly happy tot in your living room jammin out to Wow Wow Wubzy. The contest opens now and will run until midnight May 21, 2010.

Main Entry
Please leave a comment telling me what you like about Wubzy and the show.

*You must complete this entry in order to be considered for the prize.*

EXTRA ENTRIES
Extra Entry 1: Follow my blog (or tell me that you already do ) in a separate comment
Extra Entry 2: Follow me, Pink Haired Momma on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know
Extra Entry 3: Blog about this giveaway and then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your post telling me you did so in a separate comment
Extra Entry 5: Tweet about this giveaway and then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may tweet about this giveaway as many times as you would like and may add an extra comment once a day for extra tweets!
Extra Entry 6: Grab My Button and put it on your site (or tell me that you already have it ) in a separate comment
Extra Entry 7: Subscribe to Pink Haired Momma (or tell me that you are already a subscriber)
Extra Entry 8: Follow me on Facebook and leave a separate comment letting me know you did so.
Extra Entry 9: Share this giveaway on Facebook and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did so.



**This giveaway ends at midnight on Friday May 21, 2010. The Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.**

***The opinions in this post are that of my own. I was not compensated through monetary means of any sort to perform this giveaway.

H-E-B Giveaway for Mom's Day!!!!

I know the majority of you out there reading this blog are moms. We Rock. But WE are also daughters. And I think it is safe to say that we might lose sight every now again of this feat. So with that in mind I have been trying to come up with something fabulous for my mom this year for mothers day. And with that thought process, I was stumped.

My mother is not a trinket kind of gal; not a jewelry loving chick, hates smelly stuff of any kind, flowers make her sneeze and honestly what do I get for a woman who has it all, I mean she has ME and Baby DIVA right? She likes socks. Ummm okay not loving that idea. Then something tickled my fancy! FOOD!

Mom loves food. She loves to eat, to cook, to taste, to just about everything that is about food. So there I was thinking FOOD when H-E-B walked into my world and handed me on a silver platter a great idea for mom this year! Check it out! At H-E-B you can find her that perfect gift and treats she'll love—like our dipped strawberries (available for a limited time), floral arrangements, and all the ingredients you need for a delicious Sunday meal. Plus, check out these 10 Ways to Celebrate Mom.

Some of the fabulous specials going on IN STORE right now to help you get mom something fabulous are:
· $3 Off Hand-Tied Bouquets or Floral Arrangements (in store coupon)
· Floral Combo Loco: ‘Always In My Heart Bouquet’ bouquet with free vase
· Limited Time Dipped Strawberries
· Gift Cards
o Buy $50 in gift cards, SAVE $5 on your next H-E-B purchase*! Offer valid from 4/28/2010 – 5/11/2010
· Fragrances starting at $19.99
· Buy any 3 Hallmark Expressions Card, get one free with in store coupon

On top of these Super FAB deals for Mother's day, HEB has also provided me with a FABULOUS giveaway opportunity. One lucky reader will receive a FREE $20 gift card to spend any way he or she likes at HEB. Now, come on, you can not beat that! $20 FREE to blow on mom! This contest opens now and will run until May 12, 2010 at midnight. Good luck my lovies!!!

Main Entry
Please leave a comment telling me how you would use the HEB gift card to surprise your mom .

*You must complete this entry in order to be considered for the prize.*

EXTRA ENTRIES
Extra Entry 1: Follow my blog (or tell me that you already do ) in a separate comment
Extra Entry 2: Follow me, Pink Haired Momma on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know
Extra Entry 3: Blog about this giveaway and then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your post telling me you did so in a separate comment
Extra Entry 4: Follow HEB on twitter and leave a comment letting me know
Extra Entry 5: Tweet about this giveaway and then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may tweet about this giveaway as many times as you would like and may add an extra comment once a day for extra tweets!
Extra Entry 6: Grab My Button and put it on your site (or tell me that you already have it ) in a separate comment
Extra Entry 7: Subscribe to Pink Haired Momma (or tell me that you are already a subscriber)
Extra Entry 8: Follow me on Facebook and leave a separate comment letting me know you did so.
Extra Entry 9: Share this giveaway on Facebook and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did so.


That is a total of 10 possible entries guys! Pretty fabulous! Happy entering!!

**This giveaway ends at midnight on May 12, 2010. The Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.**

***The opinions in this post are that of my own. I was not compensated through monetary means of any sort to perform this giveaway.

Mother's Day is near

Mother's Day is near!



Fantasy:

I am alone from when my eyes open until when my eyes close at night. I have full control over what I want to do and when i want to do it and how i do it for at least a full 12-15 hours (notice i don't ask for too much here). And that is all.


Reality:

At around 530am screeches from Baby DIVA will force open my tired eyes. H4L will pretend to be sleeping so deep that he has no conscious idea that Baby DIVA is awake. Then I will head to the kitchen with Baby DIVA in tow and begin to get her breakfast ready and possibly my own. Might go ahead and get some laundry sorted, plan out the weekly grocery trip and meal plans. What idiots decided to put Mother's Day on a Sunday? The day that is most commonly utilized by Moms to prepare the family for the upcoming week? DUH? I guess it really is "Mother's Day", Mother's Day of work that is!





So that about you? How would like to spend your Mother's Day?

My new bloggin' rules

I have been really thinking about my Pink Haired Momma blog and what direction I would like to see this blog go in. I am a mommy blogger along with all the other thousands of mommy bloggers. I did not set out to make money or to receive incentive items to write about when this blog began. I simply wanted to share with whoever wanted to listen my thoughts on my life as it unfolded. I briefly got caught up in the hustle and bustle of blogging and thought about taking it to another level and allowing it to become a career. Very quickly I found that this is not for me.

I do not like crowds, and I quickly found that the mommy blogger for profit area was just full of crowded women pushing each other around trying to get to the front of the line. That ain't for me. Seriously it can get quite catty. I fully expect to see Desperate Housewives of America: the Bloggin Momma's series to erupt on the tube soon.

I do not like censoring what I have to say in order to keep sponsors comfortable with allowing me to review their products. I do not like having to set deadlines on my life, just so I can get a blog post out about this or that. The race to be the best mommy with the best blog and the coolest blog posts ruins the heart of a blog, and I am not willing to do that to Pink Haired Momma. That is not who I am.

Pink Haired Momma chronicles the thoughts I have and the fun adventures I encounter in my every day life as a wife, mother, woman, and Pink Haired fluffy chick. I don't have a rhyme or reason to what the posts my bring. I simply will write what I am feeling, seeing, doing, thinking. When you visit Pink Haired Momma you will likely find an assortment of information that calls out to the side of motherhood everyone understands. LIFE. Some days it is good, some days it is bad. Some times LIFE allows you to spend a good amount of time in the kitchen testing out new recipes, and during these times I share my recipes with you; but then sometimes LIFE only allows you to shove that 3 day old burrito from taco bell down your throat as you run out the door and later realizing in your haste you forgot underwear. Some days might find you having time to write an elaborate tale about a trip to the cool park down the street and the local bar your hubbs sings at or the awesome library reading last Tuesday; while other days the laptop not only doesn't get opened but you have no idea where it is. Hmmm? Did it get stuck in the fridge? with the key no less?

But that is the joy of motherhood, the joy of LIFE, the joy of living. I want Pink Haired Momma to share with the world the ins and outs of motherhood, from my eyes and heart. The boring, the funny, the passionate, the anguish, the laughter and the tears. I want Pink Haired Momma to provide an outlet for anyone to laugh, to learn and to enjoy. I will still be providing reviews and giveaways and I am very open to sponsors and their contributions to this effort; however I will also be providing an honest review about products and services and places that I encounter in my world just because I do. I want everyone to know and understand that I am an honest person and thus so are my blog posts and my reviews. That's just me. And that is my promise to my readers. To provide my honest opinion. I will never write up a review about anything unless I have personally used it or been to it.

Pink Haired Momma is my thoughts. My special place to share my honest opinions. My link to my wonderful cyber friends. My passions. My words. But most important Pink Haired Momma is simply ME. If you do not like it or if you find me offensive the honey I am just click away from being off your screen, move on!

Pampers Gifts to Grow

Do you use Pampers? Did you know about this Pampers Gifts to Grow program they have going? Well is sure didn't until about 6 weeks ago. Where the heck have I been???

Inside pampers products, like diapers packages and wipe boxes, (UGH I can not even imagine how many of these I have non chalantly tossed in the trash), there is a little 15 digit number that you can collect and then enter into the Pampers to Grow website. After you accumulate several of these fabulous little digits, you will find your points are racing up in number. You then scoot on over to the Gift to Grow rewards store and POOF you get free stuff.

Seriously?!? You know how I love free stuff and cheap deals, so when I learned of this (late in the game I know, BAD MOMMA) I simply had to give it a try. 6 weeks later and I am hooked. Don't think you wont see me stalking the trash cans down the street hunting for unsuspecting parents who did not cash in their own Pampers 15 digit codes! Okay so maybe not really, but it is something I already must buy so why not spend a few minutes and get some free goodies out of it!

Don't live in the dark like me! Go check it out! Pampers Gifts to Grow

Time out for Mom

Time out for Theta Mom Thursday is upon us! Hallelujah! If you are familiar with what is going on then you better share your time out moment pronto!! If you are not familiar with what is going on then i suggest you hurry your little tush on over to theta moms and get in on the madness. The madness of moms having 1 hour of alone time a month! Oh my gosh! *Gasp* Moms need down time too!

This month, despite Baby DIVA having Fevers , Hand, Foot and Mouth and a cranky attitude, I was able to slip out and have a Moms Night Out with my fabulous friends from HAM . We attended an Adults only session of pottery making at Ceramics by Tess, and it was a divine night out! Full of fun, laughter and NO KIDS!!!

I also have put into practice taking 20- 30 minutes to myself 4 days a week. This time is usually found while Baby DIVA naps, however it is still "alone" time. I utilize this time to improve my physical and mental body. I participate in yoga, belly dancing, stretching, and/or reading my my current book for a full 1/2 hour. The reality that my body is not a perfectly limber piece of elastic that can bend and mold and twist exactly like it could when I was 20 is not my favorite part of the day. Attempting a yoga pose and finding a post baby boob or belly roll in the way that inhibits full movement is always good for a heavy laugh though, and helps me stay motivated.

This "time out" is not only a gift to myself but a gift to Baby DIVA. By forcing myself to implement and exercise regimen for the mind and body, I am setting the stage for Baby DIVA to experience, learn and develop her own standards and goals in the fitness of the mind and body from early on. I am contributing to her well being by aiming to make my person healthier, and that my friends is the greatest motivation ever.

So that is it! My Theta Mom time outs for the month of April. Simple. Fun. Energizing. Wonderful. I couldn't ask for anything more than time with friends and family!

Memories of France: Hell Hole High

7 years ago, I participated in a summer study abroad program in Lyon, France. This happened during my fabulous college days at the University of Saint Thomas. I was the ripe age of 24, thought I knew EVERYTHING, of course, because well I did. This trip was a huge undertaking for me, my family, and all those around me. You see I was only 2 years out from being hospital bound from my illness, I still was receiving IV treatments on a regular basis, and every day was a chance I took, a risk of possibly not making a full 24 hours without a relapse. But I knew EVERYTHING, and knew I would be just fine, despite the mini heart attacks I gave my parents and doctors while planning this adventure to leave off on my own and go live in France for the summer. I was DONE letting that stupid disease run my life, and so I jumped in the drivers seat and took off.

The whole group being Welcomed by the Lyon officials

Traveling abroad was a wonderful and enlightening experience for me. I learned so much about other cultures and more importantly about myself. I met some wonderful people, whom otherwise may have not entered my life, had I not taken the chance and jumped on that jet plane to France. I buddied up with a fabulous woman while in France who I will call B. We did not know each other before taking this trip to France, but quickly developed a life long friendship that not only carried us through the trenches of Europe, scared to death about having to spend a night in the park, or getting kicked out of a pub by a seniors group, or getting dumped off at a train station even the Little engine that could would be scared of, but rather a friendship that can outlast marriages, births of children, life accomplishments and Fat Tush's! Yep that is friendship my friends!

Those bushes behind me were briefly going to be my "blanket" for the night, you would think I might not have such a smile on my face right?

Recently I was looking through some memorabilia in hopes of possibly starting that scrapbook from my travels through Europe and France, might i remind you that this was 7 years ago and these goodies are still "waiting" to be scrapped! Ooops. I came across several of the emails that I sent home from France during my stay. The school that we stayed at was a Lycee, and I will define in short form that this means high school age children, students, attending classes here where we early and mid 20's age college folks were staying. French versus American. The tension was fabulous!

Classic pose everyone has if they visit Paris

While looking through memories recently, I cam across this email I sent home to all my friends and family during my stay abroad. I pissed all over myself while reading it. I remembered exactly how I felt when it was going down and then when I took the mtime to share it with my family and friends. I had a sort of go with the flow vibe rocking while living in France. Nothing I planned turned out to be how I thought it would be, or how it would go down. So I stopped planning anything and just went with life as it came at me. This took me on so many adventures in Europe that I might not otherwise have never encountered. Some of it lovely some of it awful, but all of it amazing and an experience I would never change! Enjoy this funny first hand tale of one of my weekends in France, summer of 2003, completely unedited and here in the exact manner my friends and family received!

"so as you know i stayed in Lyon this weekend. well most of the students left, in fact they are still not back today Tuesday because of the strike. trains are not running. 3 of the girls jumped on the back of a train and rode on the outside so they could get back to class. we had no idea where the other students were until today because we are not allowed to use phones or computers over the weekend...which brings me to my story. we were told it was no problem to stay here at the dorms over the weekends. well apparently that was another big fat lie. we went off on a fantastic shopping spree on Saturday like most women would enjoy. after walking up the gigantic hill which i have now learned is a mountain and the wrestling with the automatic gate which is not automatic we finally enter the courtyard of our hell hole high school. all we could think of was the wonderful hard mattress at the top of the 8 flights of stairs and the wonderful no air conditioning. upon arrival we learned that the school decided they wanted to lock all the doors in the building and let us sleep in the stairwell. now you know that went over real well with 3 women who had just returned from a day of shopping and mountain climbing {with our packages of course} boy we were pissed so we did the following"

1. went to the phone booth and promptly called the states looking for the phone number to this hell hole facility because of course the phone numbers were up the 8 flights of stairs lounging in our no air conditioned rooms behind locked doors. that failed

2. went to the bar we frequent and said we need help, tried to speak french that was funny. lady tried to help us by calling information and getting phone numbers of the school, unfortunately we don't know the last names of anyone here. not only that but the school was deserted, who were we going to call we don't even know if phones exist on campus because we are forbidden to use them. stupid Americans cant use anything those fat asses who are always in line first at meals and eat like pigs. oh sorry when there is actually meals and that's a whole other story. again this attempt failed

3. we called an American student we met at a restaurant and left a frantic message on her answering machine telling her we were not freaks but we wanted to invade her home use her free toilet and sleep at her place. we then encountered the problem of not being able to give her a return phone number because us stupid Americans cant have access to the phone or computer. this attempt failed as well

4. ate a block o cheese ( Ah let me please insert here that this was a daily ritual for me while in France)

5. found a nun this attempt worked

the 350 16 year olds have returned today. you see they were not here yesterday and we were grateful. what we did not know was that yesterday was a holiday. the school remained closed no food for us fat Americans. also town was closed. we are still not sure what holiday we just encountered.the hours are bizarre here. you can only eat from 12p to 1p for lunch the stores and restaurants close from 2 to 6, you can only order something to drink until 715pm when the gate opens and dinner starts and runs to 8pm. this is not at the school this is in town. hours never stay the same either. people here just decided when they want to do something at any given point screw everyone else.

so i hope you enjoyed hearing about my weekend! having a blast in France wish you were here! you could join in the journey up the mountain!!!! hahhahahahahahaha"