loss...

I am sorry I have been sort of MIA lately.  I've been a bit down.


In the past week I've lost two things...my job and my  Grandpa.  I don't even like talking about it but maybe it will relieve some of the stress I have inside and make me feel a bit less sad.


First my job.  With the numbers down in our school system I (being the last one hired) was let go so that a tenured teacher could take my place.  I don't think it's fair and I have a lot of anger and sadness inside about it, but it is what it is I guess.  This is a job that I worked my whole career to get, and worked more than I have at, and after a year it's gone.


As for my grandpa well.....

he lived a wonderful 98 years.  His name is Angelo...and that's him at my wedding.  I love that picture.


He lived a great life and, and in the end, age won.  He was one of our few remaining  World War II vets and I loved listening to his stories about the war and "way back when".  He was loved by many, and I will miss him every day.


So I'l be back in full swing too, I just have to get myself together and feel 100%.  There is nothing I can do to control either of these things but it's just a really awful feeling. 


  Have a great weekend.

**p.s. if you know of any jobs in the Chicago area, I'm all ears!  ; )

fill it

1.  When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is,   get my phone and check my email   .

2.   I can hardly wait for    summertime   .

3.  The quickest way to my heart is     helping me clean       because     it shows you care about me!  

4. A little known fact about me is that     I love Mickey Mouse, always have.

5. The best part about my job is     right now, nothing...but I'll save that for another post next week.

6. Something I just couldn't live without is     makeup, it makes such a difference  .

7.  Something useful that I wish I knew how to do is   speak Spanish fluently  .

sponsor spotlight....tamara lynn photography

You may have noticed the cute, new little button on my side bar for Tamara Lynn Photography. 

(how cute is she!?!)

The shop is run by  Tamara, an American photographer, and she lives in the UK with her boyfriend James, an English painter. Together they run Red Coat Studio, which has just opened up an Etsy shop http://redcoatstudio.etsy.com It features affordable prints of their original artwork. They are having a great sale  for free shipping worldwide, the code is REDCOATSTUDIOFREE. 

These are just some of my favorite items from her shop:

She has also been blogging for a little over a year now. At first it was just a simple place to share some of her photographs, but it has become a personal window into their work and lives. 

If you get a chance, check out her shop and her blog, both are great...her shop has so many cute items!  IF you're a Facebook freak like me, check out her facebook page as well! 

Winner..Photo Card Creations Giveaway!

I hope you all are having a great week!


I have a winner for the Photo Card Creations giveaway.....


#11 Tabitha!!!


Congrats...please email me at justanothermomdayblog@gmail.com

it happened...

So I have talked since this blog started about how difficult it is to leave Jack everyday to go to work.  I am actually happy I leave before my husband and Jack are awake so that I don't have to actually say Goodbye to Jack...it would make me too sad everyday.


But Friday, I had a later start, which meant Jack was up before I left.  And it happened.  Jack looked at me and said "Don't go to work Mama."  My heart hurt a little and I said what would make sense to any kid...."Jack, do you like toys?"
"Yes Mama!" he replied.  
"Well then Mama has to go to work to buy you toys."  


It didn't make it any easier to leave to go to work that day, but it seemed like a good enough reason for Jack.


I am counting down the days until Summer break.  




I hope you have a great Monday.

$100 Stanley Steemer Gift Card Giveaway!

I couldn't imagine living in a huge house.  Or even a semi-huge house.  I feel like all I do is clean, in our average size place.  If I could splurge on something extra each month, it would for sure be a cleaning service. Will Stanley Steemer and MyBlogSpark have made it a little easier for me and also for you this month.  All you have to do is call over to the folks over at Stanley Steemer and tell them what you need!  Not only can they clean your carpets, but they can also clean your rugs, sofas, and tile.  I even learned that they clean car upholstery!!!

Here is some information about Stanley Steemer from their site:   For more than 60 years, we have been bringing cleaner, more comfortable homes to America. To serve customers nationwide, we now boast over 300 locations in 48 states. From a humble, one-man, one-truck beginning in Columbus, Ohio, we’ve done pretty well—all because we’re driven to deliver the best, and proud to stand behind every service 100%.

To combat this difficult allergy season this spring plus truly make your homes clean, consumers should consider a deeper cleaning twice a year by the professionals at Stanley Steemer.

• Not just for carpet cleaning, Stanley Steemer’s expertise extends to hardwood, tile, air ducts, water damage restoration, and more!
• Stanley Steemer’s proprietary equipment and cleaning processes remove more than 98% of dry soil from floors
• With over 70 branches and 220 franchise locations in 48 states, Stanley Steemer services 95% of the country

Want to see Stanley Steemer in action? Check out the Stanley Steemer van and crew as they visited fellow blogger Corine Ingrassia’s home of Complicated Mama:

Stanley Steemer was nice enough to send me a gift card to try out their services.  I am for sure going to use them on our upstairs carpet.  With kids and pets, these carpets could really use it....I can't wait to see how they look!

{{win it}}

Could you use some help with your spring cleaning?  Stanley Steemer is offering one lucky reader a chance to win a $100 gift card!  For your chance to win, just follow the rules below.

How to Enter:

1) Tell me which Stanley Steemer service you would get with your gift card.

Additional Entries: (please leave a separate entry for each)

2) Subscribe to my blog.

3) Follow me on twitter (JustAnotherMM) and tweet about this giveaway, including the #MyBlogSpark. (Once an hour)

4) Like my facebook page and comment on my wall.

5) Become a fan of Stanley Steemer on Facebook.

6) Follow Stanley Steemer on Twitter.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on May 1st. Winner will be announced on here and have 24 hours to respond.

Open to US residents only.

You Must Leave a Valid E-mail Address to be eligible.

Disclosure: The gift certificate, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Stanley Steemer through MyBlogSpark.

Old Navy & Crowdtap Bottoms Bonanza!

I have talked about Crowdtap before, and maybe this post will convince you to join.  

I got to go shopping with 3 friends for FREE Old Navy Bottoms! What is a "bottom?" you ask? Well, for this event we got to choose one pair of shorts, pants, or capris and 1 pair of shoes to start the Spring off right.

It was so much fun! I had an idea of what shoes I wanted to get before I went there because I checked out Old Navy's website before going in, but even without the research I would have been drawn to these Animal Print Cross Front Sandals

 (seriously, how cute are they?).

I headed out to Old Navy to start shopping and as soon as we got started we had employees offering assistance. They were so friendly and made the shopping experience even more fun because they would talk and joke with us as we shopped. Sometimes when you use a discount, employees can treat you differently but that wasn't the case at Old Navy.  My only complaint would be that they were out of sizes for some of the styles, which made it more difficult to find the perfect look. I understand why though, they were so cute!

I ended up going with the sandals I mentioned above and the Button Front Pencil Skirt. I can't to wear them!!

If you are interested in scoring some free swag and other fun things, join Crowdtap just like I did!

*Disclaimer: I am a Member of Crowdtap and the Old Navy Style Council. I got to sample items for free, but all opinions expressed are my own.

Working Mom Meals...Shrimp Tacos

So we are trying to eat healthier.  No chocolate, no carbs, no beer, no snacks......who am I kidding.

But we are trying to have healthier dinners, and those delish shrimp tacos above fit the bill.  They are easy for you working moms and the avocado-cliantro sauce goes oh so well.  I found this recipe on Favorite Family Recipes..enjoy!

Shrimp Tacos (serves 2)

• COLESLAW:
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• -Toss and season with salt.
• 
  
• 
  
• CILANTRO DRESSING:
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• -Mix thoroughly in a blender adding a little water if needed.
• 
  
• SHRIMP:
• 1/2 pound shrimp
• pinch of sugar
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

• Peel shrimp, pat it dry, season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Heat oil over high heat and add shrimp. Cook until shrimp are curled and pink.
• Layer the sauce, shrimp, and cabbage in a warm corn tortilla. We topped it with a little cotija (or feta) cheese.

My Vintage Designs Winner!

Hello all.


I have a winner for the My Vintage Designs earrings!


#9 Connie!  Congrats!  Email me at justanothermomdayblog@gmail.com

well hi.

Welcome to the party!  I am so happy to be joining this party again!  I have already visited some amazing new blogs and I hope you like what you see! This is just a little bit about your fam....enjoy!

Hi.  I'm Amy. A wife to my best friend, new(ish) mom to the sweetest little guy in the world, Jack, and a Special Education teacher. Being a mom has taught me many things..about myself, and about life.  Being a working mom has taught me so many more things; (organization being one of them). I love cooking, baking , shopping, blogging, and working on my photography. I just opened a new little etsy shop as well, you can see that here.   I thank all of you for reading and taking the time to comment, and I love meeting you all too!


The hubs, Tom. We met, at a bar, on Thanksgiving Eve, 2004.  We had our first date the next night.  The rest, they say, is history.  He is my "Mr. Fix It", the best dad, and my best friend.

This is my little man Jack.  He came into this world on October 21, 2009.  He is everything I imagined children would be and more.  He is always amazing me and will ALWAYS put a smile on my face.  Oh yeah, and he is growing up WAY TOO FAST.

Lenny, is Jack's big brother, and the most patient, loving little yorkie (and doggy) I have ever met.  He gives us all unconditional love, and he loves having his belly rubbed.

Thank you for visiting and come back and visit soon!

Photo Card Creations Giveaway

I love sending cards. In fact, I try to make up reasons to give cards.  You can imagine how excited I was when Photo Card Creations contacted me.  

Photo Card Creations is a leading online retailer of premium custom thank you cards, announcements & invitations.  They specialize in wedding, baby, party & holiday cards.  They are passionate about providing exceptional quality products & customer service.  They are excited about their new Online Design Tool, which was recently implemented and the over 100 new card designs that will be added in 2012!  The new design tool makes ordering much easier by allowing customers to design, view & approve their cards online! 

These are just two of the great designs they have to offer:

There is always an occasion to send cards.  From birthdays, to announcements, to "just because", they have everything you could ever want!

{{win it}}

Photo Card Creations is offering one of my readers 25 cards of their choice!    

to enter (mandatory):

Visit Photo Card Creations and comment on which cards you would choose!

Extra Entries:

1. Like Photo Card Creations on Facebook and tell them I sent you!

2. Follow or subscribe to me

4. Like me on facebook 

5. Follow me on Twitter

goog luck! Contest ends Monday April 23.  Winner will have 24 hours to respond!

fill it!

1.  Today is a good day because   It's Friday!   .

2.   The best thing I did all week was   had my last big meeting at work...it was a great feeling    .

3.  The current weather is    sunny and cool       and it makes me feel     pretty ok   .

4. The best thing about spring is     seeing the flowers come up and being able to go for walks!

5. A fashion trend that I'm dying to try out for spring is  all the bright colors.  I need to add some color to my life!

6. A person who made me smile this week was    Jack, but then again he makes me smile daily .

7.  The most delicious thing I ate all week was   I made a great southwest chopped chicken salad...the recipe can be found here .

Hope you have a great weekend!