Mother's Day 2011

Sunset Beach, NC

To the beach!

We are off to the beach for the next several days. Aidan has been running around like a crazy boy in his underwear and life jacket, dragging his bucket and shovel all over the place. The kid has never been to the beach, but he is so excited!


The winners of the giveaway:

Jus and Kat
Lmbrunken
skii_gurl95
Janel
spykerman


Please email me at kristarsimmons@gmail.com so I can forward your info to Erin and you can claim your prize!

The day(s) I got to play movie actress

So, about a year ago, I had the privilege of shooting this music video for Leeland. I am just now getting around to posting it.

I was about 4 1/2-5 months pregnant with Nora when we did this, so it was very meaningful to me. 
And, yes, I did all my own stunts.

Shaklee Basic H2 Review & Giveaway

I was super excited when Erin from Healthy Branscoms gave me the chance to review Shaklee's Basic H2 and do a giveaway on my blog.

If you are like me, finding a good all-purpose cleaner that not only does a good job, but is a safe and healthy alternative to other mainstream cleaners is a high priority.

The Basic H2 is truly a great find! Not only can you use it on any washable surface, but it is also nontoxic, natural, and long-lasting. With just one 16 oz bottle of concentrate, you can make 48 gallons of cleaner! And, it is only $10.35 a bottle for Shaklee members. Wow!

*For a limited time, Erin from Healthy Branscoms is offering a free membership with a $30 purchase and a Healthy Branscom's Special. Email Erin for more details before this deal is gone!*

To try out the Basic H for myself, I first mixed just 2 drops in 16 oz. of water for cleaning windows and mirrors and then I mixed 1/4 tsp. to 16 oz. of water for all-purpose cleaning.

Here's a look at what I did:

 Before (nasty!):

 After:

 Before:

(Aidan stuck some foam sticky things on my kitchen floor and they would not come off after much scrubbing)

 After: (TA DA!)

Before: (gross apt. carpet/stains)

 After:

Let me just say I was AMAZED that this did so well. First of all, it doesn't have a smell, which is the thing I hate most about other cleaners. Secondly, I was so impressed with the fact that it worked on these thing that other cleaners had not been able to improve. I really did not think that I could get rid of that age old stain in the carpet, but I think I now have a new obsession! Our carpet is horrible because they didn't clean it very well between the last renter and us. (I know, disgusting.) Thirdly, I would feel safe using this product around my children without worrying about smells. And, I could let Aidan actually clean with me too!

Okay, ready for the giveaway?

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Healthy Branscom's is giving away 5 samples of Basic H2 to 5 of my readers. Awesome, right?

If you would like to win one of these samples, just do the following:

Comment and let me know what is one thing you hate to clean. (I won't make you become a follower to enter, but if you do, let me know you are a new follower of the blog!)

For additional entries:

*Follow Erin at Healthy Branscom's and comment here that you did.

*Like Healthy Branscom's on Facebook and comment here that you did.

*Share the link to my blog on your Facebook and comment with that link.

Please don't forget to leave your email address so that we can contact you if you are winner!

This giveaway closes on Friday, May 6 at 11:59 EST.

Thanks and good luck!

Krista

Easter 2011

So He Says...

While Nora was babbling in the car, Aidan informed us that "she's talking about the circus."

While sitting at lunch, he said, "I am a green ostrich and I am going to eat your bicycle."

More funnies:

"I am a bad king because I have a sword in my garage. I am going to use my remote to go get it."

"I'm going to nip you in the bud." (from Backyardigans)

"I'm the master of the skys." (supposed to be 'master of disguise')

Flying Solo

I feel like I am flying solo a lot....at least for the bulk of the day, but nothing quite compares to the actual process of flying across the country with 2 little ones.

Friends, I was truly dreading this trip...and you wouldn't even want to believe who decided to pop in for her monthly visit the morning we left. So, there I was, 4 bags, one double stroller, an almost 3 year old and 6 month old baby. We were a walking circus. Literally.

The first flight went pretty well. I dumped a jar of baby food in the seat pocket, but we managed to keep quiet for the most part. The most difficult for me was juggling all the stuff we had. I had to carry Nora, hold Aidan's hand and get all our bags off and on the plane, set up the stroller, and get the kids inside. It was quite the feat.

Our layover, which dragged on and on  as we became increasingly more delayed, was a nice respite from the confinement, but soon we were all exhausted. During one of our frequent bathroom stops (Aidan's requests to pee were so urgent and sudden on this trip that I was in a panic that he would have an accident), a kind lady asked if I needed any assistance. I replied with, "I"m sure I do, but I don't even know where to begin." We both laughed and she said had been there once. That moment of commiseration was good for my soul.

Then, we boarded our plane for the final flight home, or at least to Charlotte, where we would then drive 2 hours home with our huge suitcase wedged between the kid's car seats. Oh, the joy! This is where we hit a major breakdown. I had managed yet again to carry all the bags and children and get seated, only to find out that we couldn't actually sit in the seats we were assigned and had to move to another row. After everyone had been seated, I got up to begin the move. The most wonderful part about this was not only did Aidan flat out refuse to move, we were in the front row of the plane, so we had an audience. Aidan protested and protested. He even said, "No, you go Momma. I am going to sit here and you can kick me in the back of the seat." (Can you tell what we had been discussing on the previous flight?) So, he threw a fit, a screaming, flailing, you cannot control me and hold Nora at the same time kind of fit. So fun. After that subsided I asked if the lady behind me could hold Nora so I could take Aidan to the restroom. When we got back to our seats, the flight attendant came up to me, and said, "Ma'am, we are waiting on you, could you please sit down?" Ummmm, rude. And then we sat on that ridiculous runway for at least another 30 minutes. (no kidding) During this time, Aidan lost it. He wanted to sit in my lap too. He wanted something to eat and none of my snacks were good enough. He wanted me to hold him and put Nora down somewhere. He was tired. He didn't want to wear his seatbelt. (I had a feeling this would happen because we were way past nap time at this point, and getting closer to dinner after all the delays). The attendant kept coming and asking me if she could do anything..."Not unless you change the rules and actually let me hold him!" I didn't really say that, only thought it.  So, he finally just fell asleep. Which is totally unlike him, but he got so ridiculously crazy that he just conked out. It was wonderful. And, then after a time, he woke up...and it again was a mix of laughing, crying, and altogether crazy behavior until we landed. I have never been so glad to be on the ground before.

So, we survived. It was doable. Oh, and Nora....can you guess that she was absolutely easy going the entire time?..cause she was. And then she screamed bloody murder for most of the car trip home. Mostly because it was past everyone's bedtime and she was hungry, tired, and probably sick of being overlooked.

And really, it only took me like 2 weeks to recover. :)