CSN ALERT!!  The online smorgasbord of all things wonderful in terms of everything is attainable.  I've entered a giveway that Blueberry Kisses is kindly hosting with a $60 giftcard prize for CSN (http://www.csnstores.com/)  *giddy*

What should I get for my little cub?  I can dream, right?




 

Grouches of the world unite!
Stand up for your grouchly rights!
Don't let the sunshine spoil the rain
Just stand up and complain (heheheh)

Let this be the grouches' cause:
Point out everybody's flaws!
Something is wrong with everything
Except the way I sing!
You know what's right with this world? Nuttin!
You know what gets me hot under the collar? You name it!
And the next time some goody-two-shoes smiles and tells you to have a nice day, just remember:

Don't let the sunshine spoil the rain,
Just stand up and complain!
Just stand up and complain!

I'm looking to share 20 years of this significant wisdom with my cub.  Giveaway for 20 Years and Counting at Island Life 808's blog.

http://islandlife808.com/giveaways/sesame-street-20-years-and-still-counting 

My cousin's first job out of college was selling Kirby vacums.  He entreated and presented to all our aunts, uncles, nanas and grandpas enticing those of substantial income to buy his vacuum.

His own mother bought an Oreck vacuum, which just goes to show that blood is not thicker than a vacuum cord.  This Oreck is a sweet vacuum.  For more info about the Oreck vacuum along with numerous other products, visit http://oreck.com/

I would like to follow my smart Auntie's example and own an Oreck of my own, so I've entered a contest to win one. 

http://amomsimpression.com/2010/07/21/oreck-platinum-pilot-vacuum-review-and-giveaway/

You can join, too, but if you win, please let me have Tues / Thurs custody?!?

I've lost the greatest eyeshadow ever to my sweet cubby's curious little fingers.  Hoping to get a new (improved ) eyeshadow by winning this giveaway.  I already use Bare Minterals and ADORE it.  Care to enter Chickolith's giveaway for a $20 Sephora giftcard?

http://www.chickolith.com/2010/07/21/chickolith-giveaway-wednesday-bigens-fall-hair-color-and-a-sephora-gift-card/

We have been happily using Bum Genius for the last year with our son, but I've been wondering what to use when we begin potty training him.  I'd like to get him some training pants that are a transition from diapeys to chones.  I've found a great product at Snap EZ (www.snap-ez.com) called the AIO Training Pants.  They are great for all stages of toilet training since they hold accidents and are slim like chones, but they unsnap on the sides like cloth diapers to make clean up a cinch. 

I hope to be able to win a $20 gift certificate kindly hosted by www.fabulousfamilyreviews.com.  For information on the giveaway, visit the link

http://www.fabulousfamilyreviews.com/2010/07/snap-ez-eco-aio-training-pants-review.html

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of making black tea and mixing vinegar to go green in my housecleaning efforts.  I groan with green, but want to make an effort to clean wisely since the phosphates from one load of laundry alone are enough to breed a wading pool sized algea patch (wikepedia, don't quote me).

I'm interested in trying e-cloths (http://www.ecloth.com) since they offer the option of cleaning with water.  I'm hoping Sugar Pop Ribbons can help assuage my skepticism with one of her giveaways.  I am entering her contest for a chance to win a Stainless Steel Pack, 4 General Purpose Cloths Value Pack, Water Atomizer, and a Mop Set and Kitchen Pack.  Do I want to win it?  YES.  I would love to relegate all my cleaning rags to the bathroom. 



Are you also interested in this giveaway?

http://sugarpopribbons.blogspot.com/2010/07/e-cloth-review-giveaway.html

I live at amazon.com.  They have a subscribe and save program for groceries that I use for dried goods and baby formula.  The system itself lacks usability and needs a good programmer to overhaul the system.  But the idea is great and once everything is in place, your stuff arrives at your door without any thought.  Huzzah. 

I must order through amazon at least twice a week.  I digress. 

Blommi.blogspot.com is kindly hosting a giveaway for a $25 giftcard for amazon through giftzip.com. 



Info about the giveaway  Go to http://blommi.com/amazon-gift-card-giveaway-sponsored-by-giftzip.


Want to just get a gift through giftzip?  Go to http://giftzip.com/.  They have fast, convenient services for all sorts of vendors (including sears and homedepot). 

Have fun shopping and stay out of the sun!

Remember learning to ride a bike?  I do!  I have permanent ankle scars from the pedals thwaking me when I couldn't stop.  Once of my worst memories is destroying my favorite dress when it got yanked into my bike chain.  I remember crying and crying when my dad had to cut around the dress to get me loose from the chain. 

PROBLEM SOLVED!!! 

This bike is called the strider rider.  It's a basically a kids bike with no pedals, chains or gears.  This would have helped out me (and a lot of other kids in my neighborhood) learn to ride with out fear.  Interested in buying this bike?  It retails at http://www.stridersports.com for $99.00.





I've entered a contest at the Cartoon Loving Mama to win this bike for my little cub.  Looking forward to taking him on bike rides with his mama. 

Sugar Pop Ribbons Dawalla Giveaway I've entered a giveaway for the cutest kid's backpack in the universe. I heart this one and hope to win it for my niece. 

You can enter the giveaway, too.  Just go to Sugar Pop Ribbons Dawalla Giveaway and follow the instructions.  If you'd like to purchase a dabwalla bag directly or just want to browse their lunchboxes and other products, visit http://www.dabbawallabags.com. 

http://www.maxell-usa.com

I've entered a giveaway for kids safe headphones and adult noise cancellation headphones.  Ever since I started riding the subway (and yes, LA has a subway), I've been very concerned about the effect of listening to music in loud places since the volume just gets higher and higher and before I know it, my ears are buzzing a chorus of Carol of the Bells. 

I'm hoping to win these headphones to protect myself and my little cubs ears since, let's face it, we won't get away from headphones and earbuds any time soon. 

Visit the blog Sugar Pop Ribbons to enter. 
http://sugarpopribbons.blogspot.com/2010/07/maxell-headphones-review-and-giveaway.html

Found a great giveaway for Snap EZ cloth diapers.  Hoping to get some to potty train my cub.  You can enter the giveaway, too.  For info, go to: Fabulous Family Reviews


Good luck!

Nerd alert. Summer In LA!

Are You Ready for the Summer?
Many family activities are free and open to the public this Summer. Here's just a sample:

How many outdoor concerts can you see? All over Los Angeles, people flock to the outdoor Summer Concerts that are kid-friendly, lively and free! A few of our preferred venues are the Skirball Summer Concert Series, the Santa Monica Twilight Dance Series, and, our favorite, The Grand Performances in Downtown LA. Hop on the Red Line, grab your bike and pack a picnic for these outstanding concerts.

Want something arty? The LACMA offers Jazz concerts and film screenings throughout the Summer. It's well worth a visit to hear the music then wander around the historical La Brea Tar pits. Not only is the Hammer Museum in Westwood free on Thursdays, but they offer a variety of film screenings along with their sister museum, the Folwer, on campus at UCLA. The MOCA and LACMA both offer free admission Thursdays after 5:00.

Want to see a movie with the family?? Grab a blanket and thermos of hot chocolate for the Pershing Square Friday Night Flicks. This year, they're screening The Princess Bride, Babe, Spy Kids along with many more fun films.

June is National Accordion Awareness Month
What do you know about accordions? According to Tom Torrigila, not enough. Here are some facts to inform you more on this reemerging, but still under-appreciated instrument.
Did you know...

The piano accordion is the official musical instrument of the city of San Francisco and has been since 1990.

Actress Lucy Liu plays the accordion

Guitarist Nils Lofgren started on the accordion.

Billy Joel and Barry Manilow also play the accordion.

The accordion is a member of the reed family, not the keyboard family.

When people think of an accordion, they usually envision that large, black monstrosity with piano keys on one side and about a thousand buttons on the other side. However, the accordion family also includes Cajun button boxes, chromatic and diatonic button accordions, the concertina, the bayan, and the bandoneon.

And accordian playing is also called a "bandoneonist."