H-E Double Hockey Sticks

Teaching a child about free agency can be very difficult; especially with the c-r-a-z-y world we live in. Free agency seems to be a theme throughout church this year. I keep hearing about it in Sunday School and then on Sunday in Relief Society there it was again. Is someone trying to tell me something?

About a year ago Cameron started noticing people smoking and was never hesitant to tell someone that would kill them. I had to tell him over and over again that people have a choice. Then came swearing....Cameron was watching a children's movie and they used the phrase, "what the ______" and he started saying that. Then school started and he's come home with a very colorful vocabulary...words that would make your hair stand up. So, there it is again a parent teaching opportunity. It's been pretty impressive to see the changes in our home and Cameron has a good understanding about free agency.

Well.......................church on Sunday we're singing a hymn and Cameron is following along. The word Hell was used in the hymn and I hear Cameron gasp and look at me with confusion, "did you hear them say the H word?" Try and explain to a 1st grader the difference between swearing and describing a place. He didn't get it and all I could do was laugh!!!! I can hear it now, "but mom they say it in Church!!!!!"

What about blankie?

Tonight Cameron and I were reading the Book of Mormon; were in chapter two where the Lord asks Lehi and his family to pack up and leave all of their possessions behind. You know the part. So after we were done reading I asked Cameron what he would do if the Lord asked us to leave our nice new house, leave all the toys, the DS, everything and he said, "I'd go but I would sure take blankie!"

Just in case you forgot what blankie looked like here is a quick reminder.

That's not chicken

Cameron is always leery of trying new foods. He thought turkey was chicken for a long time. So, tonight when he sat down to eat he asked if it was chicken. I didn't answer him and he gobbled that Tilapia right down and fast. I just showed him this picture, "I love that fish and salmon!"

It's mine and it was FREE!!!

I love Orange and this Rachel Ray Tea Kettle is to cute to pass up. I would never spend $45.99 on an orange tea kettle but it was free so why not! It's a long, boring story but the moral is: remember sometimes it pays to complain (especially when they give you $50.00)!

and it's going to look smashing in my orange kitchen!

Here we go again

So tonight we're at Vicki's hanging out and Cameron starts in with this story.....(let me give you a little background; he loves these candy treats and yesterday while at the store I bought 8 boxes for a $1.25....SCORE!!! He asked if he could put a box in his lunch and I said yes).

C: I ate my candy during lunch today.

M: Good.

C: One of the hearts said let's kiss and I gave it to Michelle (saying this with a little snicker)

M: Oh and what did she say?

C: (even bigger smile) she smiled at me and told me the candy tasted good.

What am I going to do--he's only 7?????

The fish is back in the water

Cameron was so excited to start swim lessons again. His class only had 3 kids in it which is a perfect size for Cameron.

Look at his face.....he was big grins the whole time!

Of course the best 5 min of the whole lesson is when you get to do cannon balls off the deep end. (I tried to get a clear picture but I had no luck this time)

oops I did it again.....

A couple of years ago my mom and I did a cleanse and I was unable to drink Diet Pepsi. I love Diet Pepsi!! Did you hear me? I love Diet Pepsi!!! After laying in bed for about 19 hrs in caffeine withdrawal I decided that I would no longer drink it. I did really good for a long time....caffeine-free Diet Coke became my new fav (caffeine-free Diet Pepsi if gross). Well, this past summer I started dabbling with caffeine again but I would drink anything but Diet Pepsi....I thought as long as I didn't drink Diet Pepsi then it would be ok.

About a month ago I had a Diet Pepsi and now I can't stop drinking it. I stop at Circle K a couple of times a week and buy a 32 oz and I currently have a 24 pack hidden in my trunk (it's not really hidden I just have not brought it in from the store yet). Why do I feel so guilty? I'm treating it like a drug! I was at my mom's yesterday and poured it in to a glass and then disposed of the can so nobody would make a big deal about it. Is it really that big of a deal?

This weekend a friend and I were running errands and she saw in my backseat I had a case of caffeine-free Diet Coke then she saw in my trunk that I had Diet Pepsi; here's her perspective on the whole ordeal...."Mandy, it's like if I was to drink a beer one day and then O'dules the next. What's the point?"

He's growing up

Tonight I attempted to take Cameron to Avatar but of course the 3D Imax was sold out. He began to cry out of disappointed and then he said two funny things...

1. He started to cry and out of no where he starts saying, "it's no fair that we don't get to see Avatar and Uncle Steve got to see it!" I don't know why I found that so funny but I totally started laughing.
2. On our way home I called a friend to complain about the movie being sold out and she asked me how Cameron took it.

M: Not very well he started to cry

F: Do you want to come over here and hang out

M: No, Cameron had that sleepover last night and I think he's really t-i-r-e-d

C: Mom, I heard that and I'm not tired!

Now how am I going to talk in code?

Want a free handbag?

A good friend of my sister's is helping me advertise my new business (A Girl's Must Haves) by doing a giveaway. Check out all the details on her site or read below and then head to

its the little things that make a house a home to enter. Good luck!!!

A Giveaway - A Girl's Must Haves...

Today's Giveaway is brought to you by Mandy from

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A GIRL'S MUST HAVES

HANDBAGS AND ACCESSORIES AT A REASONABLE PRICE

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Mandy sells designer inspired handbags, wallets and scarves and they're socute!

She is kindly offering a FREE purse to the winner of the Giveaway.

(Lucky you!)

Let's start with my favorite...

Cute, right?

It's even better in person!

It also comes in red and black.

Here's a peek at a few others...

and her wallets...

Her scarves are adorable, as well, and come in fuchsia, grey, black and brown...

You'll have to check out her blog to see all of her products. She has many more purses and wallets that come in lots of different styles, colors and textures.

To simplify things, you only need to consider two prices:

Purses cost just $40.00

Wallets and Scarves cost $20.00

*Bonus*

If you make a purchase between Monday, February 1st and Friday, February 5th, you will receive a 10% discount.

But you will need to contact Mandy at

AGirlsMustHaves(at)Gmail(dot)com

before you purchase your item through Paypal on her blog.

That way she can adjust the total to reflect the discount for you.

~FYI~

Mandy only has one of each item on her blog available at a time, so if you see something you want, you should grab it while you can! She updates her blog with new purses on a monthly basis.

Ok, now for the good stuff...how to enter the Giveaway!

You will have three chances to win:

1. Visit Mandy's blog, A Girl's Must Haves, broswe around, then come back here to tell me which item you would choose if you won the Giveaway.

2. Become a follower of Mandy's blog, then come back here and leave a comment telling me that you have done so.

(You should do this anyway, so that you are among the first to get updates when she adds new items!)

3. Blog about the giveaway on your own blog, come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post.

*Make sure that you leave a separate comment for each entry. Single comments with multiple entries in them will only be counted as one entry.*

This Giveaway will begin Monday, February 1st and end on Wednesday, February 3rd at midnight (pacific).

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For the locals:

Mandy does in-home parties, so if you live in the area, there are hostess perks associated with hosting a party. And what a good excuse to have your girlfriends over and shop for accessories!

Sounds like fun to me!

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Good luck to those of you who enter the Giveaway!

I'll announce the lucky winner on Thursday!