A fresh start...

I love new beginnings.  Starting over, a second chance; it bings such positive energy.  I also love a few other things:

Fresh cut grass....

Newly grown ivy..

A Chicago style hotdog with everything on it....

and one of the best places in the world.....

Let's go Cubbies...I'm hoping THIS IS THE YEAR!!!!

have a great weekend!

Another Winner!

How exciting, another winner!  The winner of the Lean Belly Solutions Book and free Cheerios is.....(drumroll please..).....

#7 Kristina G.!!!

Kristina please email me at justanothermomdayblog@gmail.com with your info, and congrats!

I am loose....

I have had headaches for pretty much my whole life.  I remember being a little girl and rolling around my bed in pain. As the years have passed they have started to get worse and worse, and in the past few months I have had them everyday.  I finally decided I couldn't take it anymore, and had to do something about it.

So I went to the Dr., did a few x-rays and found that my spine in my neck is perfectly straight.  Normally people have a 40 degree curve in the neck, I have 0; which is also leading to my poor posture.

Not taking care of this can lead to arthritis and later surgery in my neck, so I am SOOOO happy I found out it can be fixed.  I am now seeing a chiropractor 3 times a week and will soon start physical therapy.  And I am happier than ever that soon I will be headache free.  In fact I have not had one headache this week. 

This is such a good thing.


Have a great day!

Winner Winner!!!

I  am 2 days late, but better late than never right?
The winner of a tie of their choice from Little Gentleman's Closet on Etsy is....

#31 Tabitha!  Congrats!  Contact me at justanothermomdayblog@gmail.com

Wordless(ish) Wednesday....

Just relaxing, and reading the Sunday paper.....

MIA

I am so sorry I have been MIA for the past few days.  Our computer has some awful virus in it and we have not been able to use it all weekend.  Once I get things fixed I will be back to normal.  If anyone has any advice for removing these a virus without spending huge amounts of money, I would love to hear!

I hope you all had a great weekend. I relaxed and actually got a lot of sleep! 

Be sure to enter my givewaways which are both ending soon!

Have a great Monday!

so if you're anything like me....

and live anywhere near me, you are probably about to go INSANE with the weather we are having.  Cold, snow, rain, wind, sleet...everything BUT sun.  I have never wanted warm weather so badly.  So to get get my mood in order and to (temporarily) fill my need for a week away, I thought I would give you some warm weather scenes to enjoy.

Have a great day...warm weather is coming......

Wordless(ish) Wednesday

There's this really cool place by us that has an indoor carousel in it.  Jack loves going, but whenever he goes he is terrified at first.  After one or two times around he doesn't EVER want to get off.   Can you sense the amount of fun he's having?

A healthier you, and a giveaway....

In my quest to become healthier, tone up and lose a few pounds, I am finding ways to have a healtier lifestyle.  And while I didn't lose any weight last week, counting calories and working out regularly are working pretty well.  Well now I found a great book to add to my quest.

 Dr. Travis Stork from the TV show 'The Doctors',  has written a book-  The Lean Belly Prescription.  This book is an easy read, full of common sense, easy to follow guidelines and healthy eating tips.  This book doesn't promote crazy dieting or starving yourself, it promotes a lifestyle change.    It's definitely information that everyone should read. 

 

Also, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Commite, ninety-five percent of Americans do not get enough whole grain.  In fact, the average person gets a little more than a half a serving of whole grain each day.

 

MyBlogSpark and Big G cereals want to help. Big G cereals contain at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving (some with more than 16 grams.) 

MyBlogSpark is offering one of my readers a chance to win a FREE box of Multi Grain Cheerios and the new book “The Belly Fat Prescription,” by Dr. Travis Stork, MD and host of The Doctors.

Visit www.WholeGrainNation.com for more tips, additional information about the benefits of whole grain and how Big G cereals can be a convenient and tasty way to help you manage your weight by incorporating whole grain into your day.

 

Hopefully this will just make my journey, (and yours)  a little bit easier.

For your chance to win (mandatory) :

 

Leave a comment telling me how you make cereal a healthy part of your diet.

Extra Entries: 

follow me (comment if you do!)

Like Just Another Manic Momday on Facebook!

**General Mills provided me with the free product, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark.

 

Please leave your email address with comments. Contest ends on March 20, 2011 at 11:59 PM. The winner will be selected by random.org and notified by email.  Good Luck!

motivation is the key....

I feel like Jack is learning new things everyday.  It's amazing to me how fast and to much children learn.  It makes me realize that all children are motivated to learn and the key is to keep that motivation.  I see so many of my students unmotivated or not excited about learning and wonder why.  I wonder if their parents didn't read to them or didn't value learning.  I wonder if their parents ask them about school or if they have conversations about topics they learn in school. 

One thing I vow to Jack, and to myself, is to do my best to motivate Jack, and make him excited about learning!  Now of course it is easy, but I know struggles lie ahead of me. 
Sure as they get older they have many things out there to help them become "smarter", or a better student.  Things like after school tutoring, study groups, writing groups like The Writing Faculty, and many other educational groups.   Those all do great things, but I think they key to those are also parents that question and motivate their students to want to learn, to want to explore. 

I hope motivation is no problem for Jack, but I am sure it will happen when so many other "better" things come along instead of studying  In the meantime, I will just enjoy the little "sponge" I have as long as I can.

. 

Happy St. Patricks's Day

“May the road rise up to meet you,  May the wind always be at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields.  May soft be the grass you walk on, May fair be the skies above you, May true be the joys that surround you, May dear be the hearts that love you.

Today in Chicago everyone's Chi-rish!

Wordless(ish) Wednesday: Irish Style...

Two years ago I went to Ireland with my sister. It was my 3rd time.  Ireland is one of my favorite places in the world  It was planned to be my last big "party" trip before I got pregnant.  Three weeks before we went, I found out I was pregnant.  We had a blast anyway...Guinness or no Guinness.

These are just SOME of my favorite pics...

Check out other Wordless Wednesdays at the paper mama!

Slainte!

giveaway...little gentleman's closet!

I LOVE ties on little boys...love them.  I get so excited anytime we have a dressy party to go to, just so Jack can get dressed up. 

So you can probably guess how excited I was when Michelle at the little gentleman's closet, sent me this tie for Jack:

(does he look like a GQ model or what?!?!?)

Michelle went from middle school sewing teacher to mom of two boys, and decided to combine her old life into her new one.  All the ties at her shop are fully adjustable and she has sizes for infants, toddlers, and children.

What I love about these ties is the snap closure in back.  It is much better than those clip on ties, and the tie will grow with Jack in length, and with his neck.  I can't wait until he wears them in his Easter pictures!

The little gentleman's closet welcomes custom orders for special occasions. If you have a specific color or fabric request, let her know!

Michelle is graciously giving one of my reader's a tie of their choice.  This will add the perfect touch to your little guys Easter or party outfit!  Here are just two of my other favorites:

 

To win (mandatory):

visit the little gentleman's closet, and comment on your favorite tie design

Extra entries:

1. Like the little gentleman's closet on facebook

2. Follow my blog (if you do, let me know)

3. Blog about this giveaway

Contest will end Monday March 28th at 11:59 pm.  Winner will be choosen via random.org and contacted by email.  Good luck, and happy Monday!

My attempt at a photo wall..

So I have been saying I am going to do a photo wall for almost a year.  Over the summer I bought the frames, and had the design I wanted.  Then came choosing the pictures.  Those who know me, know that I CAN NOT make a decision. 

So the frames sat unfilled for months until I finally made up my mind.

I think it looks pretty good. 

Boycott those Blogs!

I am so happy today is Blog Boycott Day.  We have had state testing all week here at work and my head feels like it is going to explode!  That is also why you haven't seen me around here much this week.

State testing is over and now I am ready for the weekend.  I will be back next week with more great posts and a great giveaway!


#BlogBoycottDay is a day dedicated to social media.  It is a day designed to take a break from blog hopping and instead, focus on building relationships through Twitter.
#BlogBoycottDay is the 2nd Friday of every month, and please check out Belle Bean and a Chicago Dog for more info and to join! 


Have a great weekend!