Just wondering...

If Michael Bolton said he loved you but he lied, would you be upset?

Have a great Tuesday. 

Summer is definitely not over..and meetup monday!

I love summer.  I love the pool, the beach, summer nights.  But this summer is one of the hottest I remember. Our air hasn't stopped running.  It's been over 90 most of the summer and the humidity has been awful!  I am lucky we live in the midwest where we get a change of seasons, because I need a change.  I am finally getting ready for fall. 

But for now, we will enjoy those final days of summer.  We swam, visited family, and went to a birthday party. 

It was so fun!

But also soooo exhausting...if you can't tell from Jack's face.  Oh yeah, he is also really into sticking out his tounge lately.  Have a great week, and PLEASE, join meetup Monday!

If this is your first time linking up to Meetup Monday, here's the info:
*Add a link below to a specific blog post or your main blog address
*Make someone's day by commenting on the blog post of the two blogs (or more) before you.
*If you could grab my button and pop it up on your blog someplace visible, that would make my day!

so I turn to you..........

Welcome all my new friends! New Friend Friday also means the weekend is here! I made it through my first week back with the kids.  I have to tell you, it is hard.  Harder than when I came back from my maternity leave. Jack is so much more aware, and interactive and I just miss him like crazy.

I am also having a hard time juggling everything.  I get home from work with Jack around 5.  We play, go for a walk or to the park and it's bath and bedtime at 7:30.  Then my husband and I eat, wash bottles, pack for the next day, clean up and it's bed time for me.  I feel like I have no "me" time.  No time to relax, or workout or do things I need to do like grocery shopping or running errands.

So that's where I turn to you, my wonderful, loyal followers.  How do you juggle it all?  How do you balance work, family and also have time for yourself?  Can it be done?

With that, have a great weekend, enjoy it.  It is going to be beautiful here, so we will be doing lots of outside activities.  I will also be catching up on my photo taking this weekend and will post so new ones on Sunday! Have a great Friday!

I really do clean...and a Kool Kid Legs giveaway

I am a clean freak.  I have to have the house dust and dirt free every day.  I can't sleep at night if the dishes are not clean and put away or if laundry is not folded.  With Jack crawling around the house I have been extra careful to swiff and wash the wood floors like crazy. 

After a day of crawling the other day I looked down at Jack's legs and was in shock!  They were filthy!  I have since learned that there is nothing I can do about the dust and dirt, it happens.  I can, however, protect his legs, and knees by putting these "kool kid legs" on him! 

Jen at Mama Runs With Scissors sent me these for Jack, and we both love them!  They protect his little legs from the hard floors and sun, and I love the designs!  They are all handmade, can be used as legwarmers, and they make diaper changes super simple.  Older kids can turn short sleeve shirts into long sleeve shirts and they look great under skirts!

Jen, is offering one of my readers their very own pair of  14 inch, "Kool Kids Legs". 

To enter:

Visit Mama Runs With Scissors, Etsy shop and comment on which design you would choose!

Extra Entry:

 Follow my blog (if you do, comment below)

Please leave your email with one of your comments.  Contest ends Sunday, September 5th, at 11:59pm.  Winner will be choosen via random.org, and contacted via email. 

Good luck!!!

Wordless Wednesday...Celebrity Edition

My sister went to Italy this summer....

Box Tops for Education at Target, and a MyBlogSpark Giveaway!

It's back to school time, which also means back to school shopping for supplies and snacks!

I don't know about your local schools, but at our school we collect Box Tops to get supplies for our school.  Every classroom has a Box Tops "collection box" and we also have classroom contests to see who can collect the most.

From Aug. 15-28, stop by your local Target (my favorite store!!!), and receive double Bonus Box Tops instantly when you buy 5 or more participating General Mills, Avery, Hefty, Juicy Juice and Welch’s Box Tops for Education® products and earn more for the participating school of your choice. It seems like all of my favorite snacks Box Tops on them!

For more information you can visit http://www.grocerysavvy.com/ for more details and other great back to school savings offers.

MyBlogSpark.com sent me an amazing prize pack including an Avery Binder, Betty Crocker Fruit Gushers Variety Pack, Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni, Hefty CinchSak Trash Bags, Honey Nut Cheerios, Juicy Juice 8-Pack Juice Boxes, Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Welch’s Concord Grape Jelly, as well as 25 Bonus Box Tops and a $25 Target gift card so that I can purchase my favorite participating Box Tops items.

What's even better, is they are giving away another gift pack to one of my readers!

Mandatory Entry:
Comment below on which items you will stock up on at Target® to earn Bonus Box Tops

Extra Entry:
Follow my blog (if you do, comment below)

Please leave your email address with your comment.  Contest ends Tuesday August 31 at 11:59pm.  Winner will be choosen via random.org, and will be contacted by email.  Good Luck!

10 months! and meetup monday

I hope you all had a great weekend! We are enjoying our last few weekends of summer.  We went to a few street fests, splashed in the pool, and took many wagon walks.  Jack also turned 10 months on Saturday.

If 10 months ago someone would have told me my heart would be exploding from all the love I would feel for this little guy, I wouldn't believe you.  I had no clue that it could be true...but it sure is.  It seems everyday I am more and more amazed that I have him.

I have a feeling in a few weeks Jack will be walking.  He is climbing up stairs so fast and walking along furniture one handed!  And he points at everything. I love watching him experience everything for the first time, I can just tell he is taking it all in and thinking so hard about everything. 

Only two more months until I will go from having a baby to having a toddler.  Where has time gone?

And of course no weekend would be complete without a little swinging!

And now for Meetup Monday! 

If this is your first time linking up to Meetup Monday, here's the info:

Add a link below to a specific blog post or your main blog address

Make someone's day by commenting on the blog post of the two blogs (or more) before you.

If you could grab my button and pop it up on your blog someplace visible, that would make my day!

Enjoy your Monday!

Giveaway Winners

I have been a little behind with my giveaway winners. and I am sorry!
I wanted to say congrats to Kim for winning the Artwark giveaway and Wifeplzak for winning the Weight Watchers gift basket!


I will be contacting you via email!

new friends and a great recipe

Welcome to my New Friend Friday Friends! So I made it through my first week back.  It was VERY VERY difficult.  Jack screamed the first two days at daycare.  I felt sick  about leaving him and that made me feel alot worse.  The rest of the week Jack is with family and he was as happy as can be. That made me feel MUCH better. 

The last thing I want to be doing after work, is cooking for hours.  The recipe below is super simple; everything is grilled!  It is also super healthy and super yummy.  I hope you enjoy it, and also enjoy your weekend, only a few summer weekends left!

Grilled Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 3 teaspoons olive oil
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound green beans
4 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Directions
1.Heat grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, combine the cilantro, garlic, lime juice, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the oil.

2.Rub the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large bowl, toss the green beans and tomatoes with the remaining oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

3.Grill the chicken until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Grill the green beans and tomatoes, turning the green beans often and the tomatoes once, until tender and charred, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with the vinaigrette.

Wordless Wednesday

Can you guess who this is???

p.s. ...it's me!

Welcome my newest sponsor, and a giveaway!

I wanted to let everyone know of the newest sponser to my blog, Firefly Blankets. Johanna, at Firefly Blankets, has wonderful "green" products that will look great and help the enviornment as well.!  Johanna graciously sent me a set of her flannel baby wipes/napkins. 

I love these patterns, and they will save money!   Johanna has so many different fabric designs, for boys and girls!
Of course she also makes blankets.  Like this beautiful crocheted baby blanket.


All of her items make the perfect baby shower, or new baby gift.
The best part? Johanna is also giving one of my readers a $10 gift certificate to her shop!

All you have to do to enter is visit her shop and comment on what you would buy with the $10!

Contest will end August 25th at 11:59pm.  Winner will be choosen via random.org and contacted via email.
Good Luck, and be sure to check out this great shop!

a day at the beach....

So Sunday we took Jack to the beach.  I wanted to take him before his first birthday so he could experience the sand and water.  So we packed our beach bags and our cooler and set off to Lake Michigan for a day at the beach. 

Our "day at the beach" lasted an hour.  Jack HATED the sand.  He screamed like I have never heard him scream before.  So we moved him to the middle of our towels, gave him some cheerios and he was in heaven.

We still had a perfect time, sand and all.....and we will try again next year.

Before the screaming began......

Meetup Monday!

This is the Monday I have been dreading all summer.  I am back at work.  The kids do not start for a week, and these are shorter days, but it's still back to work, busy mornings and nights, and missing my Jack.

I know it will be an adjustment for both of us the first few days, but I am hoping I can get over it.

I do hope, however, that you have a much better Monday than I do...which brings us to Meetup Monday!

<a href="http://www.justanothermomday.blogspot.com"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" src="http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i219/agrip76/coffee.jpg" /></a>

If this is your first time linking up to Meetup Monday, here's the info:

Add a link below to a specific blog post or your main blog address

If you could grab my button and pop it up on your blog someplace visible, that would make my day!

Most importantly: Make someone's day by commenting on the blog post of the two blogs (or more) before you.

Everything you could want, and more!

I am sooo excited about doing my second review for CSN Stores!! They have over 200 stores with a huge selection of just about anything you could ever be looking for and I mean that. From a Dutch Oven to Light Bulbs, literally! I actually had a gander at their Dutch Ovens because to be honest, I don't have one nor have I actually ever had the opportunity to try one. Has anyone ever bought one before? 

Well stay tuned for a review for CSN in the near future, and have a great weekend!

New friends and a great meal!

First of all welcome everyone from New Friend Friday! I love making new friends, and I hope you like what you see.

Speaking of new friends, I have another new friend, Jen from Beantown Baker.  She has graciously agreed to guest blog for me.  She has an excellent summer chicken recipe I am making this weekend.  I know my husband will LOVE it.  Even better, is it's super easy for you busy moms!  Have a great weekend, and please make Jen feel welcome! 

So Hello Just Another Manic Momday Readers! My name is Jen from Beantown Baker. I am an engineer by day and a baker at night. I live with my Hubby and two cats in a tiny Boston condo. Hubby serves as my official taste tester for all the treats that I make in the kitchen. While I mostly blog about delicious baked goods, you'll also find savory meals, occasion travel or Boston posts, and even giveaways! The number one all time favorite thing I've made since I started blogging would have to be these Oreo Cupcakes. They're awesome. Enough about me, let's get on to this chicken recipe.



This recipe comes from Cooking Light. It uses fresh melon and cucumber to create a perfectly summery meal. The chicken can be cooked however you prefer. If we had a grill, I definitely would have just grilled the chicken breasts. If you have leftover salsa, it's great served with plain or cinnamon pita chips.

Chicken with Melon Salsa - from Cooking Light
Printable Recipe
Salsa
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed honeydew melon
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed cantaloupe
1/2 cup diced peeled cucumber
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 tsp grated lime rind
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced jalapeño pepper
1 tsp light agave nectar (or 1/2 tsp sugar)

Chicken
3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Combine first 10 ingredients; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, tossing well to combine.

Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Coat chicken with cooking spray.

If grilling: Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done.

If broiling: Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side.

Serve with salsa; garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

A Cheesy Giveaway!

Summer is almost over, but there are still plenty of beautiful days for a picnic! I love picnics.  I love eating outside, relaxing and just enjoying summer.  Well Weight Watchers made my day, (and my summer) when they sent me this awesome picnic basket full of goodies, including new Weight Watchers cheese products!

The new Weight Watchers Spreadable Cheese Wedges come in four mouth-watering varieties – Original Swiss, Garlic & Herb, Parmesan Peppercorn and Jalapeño Pepper. Each wedge has only 30 calories, packs more fiber than the leading competitor and has a POINTS® value of 1. The wedges have a suggested retail price of $2.99-$3.99.


The new eight-ounce variety of Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Cream Cheese Spread is ideal for baking and snacking alike, coming with pre-measured servings and the same easy-to-spread goodness of other Weight Watchers cream cheese products. The spread boasts 40 percent less fat than regular cheese and a POINTS® value of 1 per serving. It has a suggested retail price of $1.69-$1.99.

These cheese products are delicious!!!  They are the perfect for lunch or an afternoon snack, and I'll still be able to lose that baby weight!

The best part?  Weight Watchers will be giving one my lucky readers their own Weight Watchers picnic basket!

The basket includes:


Two Weight Watchers Cheese products
Other healthy snacks
Picnic blanket
Sunscreen
Frisbee
Cheese knife
2 Wine glasses
Contest Rules:



Required Entry: Leave a comment telling me your cheesiest love story

Bonus entry: Tweet about this contest/ or how you entered to win – “I entered to win a custom filled Weight Watchers Cheese Picnic basket from @JustAnotherMM #WeightWatchersCheese”

Contest ends: Thursday, August 19th at 11:59 pm.  Winner will be choosen via random.org and contacted via email!  Good Luck!

Wordless Wednesday

awesome jewelry giveaway by artwark!

Today's giveaway is from one of my favorite Etsy shops.  I bought one of her necklaces as a gift to myself, and I know you will love her shop as well. Sarah designs, makes, and markets her pieces all over the world, focusing on creating unique jewelry to complement all skin tones to emphasize the inner & outer beauty all women posses.

Her jewlery makes a great gift for someone or an ever better treat for yourself!

The winner of this giveawawy will be able to choose from the following pieces:

They are both beautiful and a perect for those hot summer nights!

Mandatory Entry:

1.  Comment on your favorite piece from Artwark's etsy Shop.

Extra entries:

2.  Follow Artwark on Twitter

4.  Like Artwark on facebook, and comment on her page

5.  Follow Sarah's blog

5.  Follow my blog.(if you do just comment)

Please leave your email in one of your comments so I can contact the winner.  Contest will end August 19 at 11:59pm.  Winner will be choosen via random.org and will be contacted via emial.  Good luck!

Free Shipping Please!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LinensNThings. All opinions are 100% mine.

Being a working mom, I feel like I have absolutely NO time to do things like shop for clothes or things for my home.  My new love is shopping online.  I can get it done on my lunch break or at home on the couch after work, plus, you don't have to deal with traffic, lines and crowds.

If a store I like offers free shipping, I am much more likely to shop there, actually, I am pretty much sold! And one store I love,Linens 'N Things is offering FREE SHIPPING (thanks to SocialSpark). Linens and Things is the perfect place to find things like Bedding (I desperately need some) Bath Towels, Home Decor, and Organizational Accessories
.
Simply visit Linens 'N Things and enter the code LNTFREE to get your free shipping! Offer is valid through 9/15/2010

This is the perfect time to shop Linens 'N Things because they have a ton of back to school items that are perfect for your college bound kid! I saw a great selection of necessity items like alarm clocks (get to class on time!), fans, dorm hooks, storage bins, wastebaskets, rugs, and SO much more!
Personally I could use some nice new sheets or bathroom towels and accessroies.  The Contessa Bath Collection looks very classy, and I love that the sets keep everything matching. It takes the hard part away from me! The set includes a matching wastebasket, toothbrush holder, tissue holder, really everything you'd need for a complete bathroom set!
If you have upcoming birthdays, weddings, or housewarming parties you can find great gifts at Linens 'N Things too! My favorites were the Bakeware and Cookware sections!



Remember to use your Free Shipping Code listed above and tell everyone you know!