The first review is posted since O Momma Reviews launched! And…a giveaway is involved :-)

I’ll give you a hint. It involves:

You know what I’m absolutely in love with right now?

Iced coffee.

But I don’t even have to head to Starbucks for it, which is good, because it saves money and my taste buds. See, I’m a girl that likes really sweetened coffee (I’m talking like, 1/3 cup of sugar per one coffee cup) and their strong, bitter coffee doesn’t cut it for me in this area. So what do I do? I make it myself.

I take coffee that is still hot enough to melt all that sugar and creamer (I use powdered flavored creamer like Coffee Mate’s Vanilla) and simply pour it over ice. And, I make enough to have left overs so I can put the rest in a sealed drink container so the next few days I can just whip that out and pour it over ice.

It’s simply divine and so refreshing first thing in the morning (and easy!). It’s just too hot for a steamy cup of coffee for me right now and this has been perfect first thing in the morning or through out the day when I need a caffeine boost.

Try it!

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Photo Credit:

coffee on Ice

Originally uploaded by Yato

I mentioned earlier that I’ve read 3 books so far and I had to share what I’ve learned. It’s amazes how stories help reveal things in your own life.

The best so far was “A Time to Dance” by Karen Kingsbury (Any book by her you can’t go wrong, she’s amazing). It’s about a married couple on the brink of divorce and how God brought them back together when they thought it was too late. I have to admit, at times it made me angry to read and watch how silly they were being. Not speaking to each other or when they did it was rudely, or didn’t listen to what the other was trying to say, one character was practically cheating on the other, ignoring God, etc. And yet they both obviously still loved one another. It made me realize that often that is me (not cheating or anything serious!). Whether it’s being too busy sitting here blogging or reading other’s blogs to spend time with Mark some nights, or saying something without thinking, it can put a wedge between us that eventually could build up to be worse if not addressed. Thankfully, Mark is pretty good about being honest and up front about issues like that. It made me see how truly painful divorce can be and that I never, ever want to experience that first hand. It’s made me very thankful for the man I married and work harder to be the best wife I can be.

It also reflected my relationship with God at times (more often that I’d like), where clearly He knows the right path for my life and yet I keep ignoring Him and His commands. As I was reading it was like seeing life through God’s eyes almost…knowing what could be if they would just accept it and not letting pride get in the way. I also felt like God does sometimes when looking down at his people making the wrong choices. Angry, sad, and hurt. Thankfully, they did accept God’s truth and ways in the end and things turned out with lessons learned and blessings just as God promises for our lives.

I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, “A Time to Embrace” as soon as it arrives at my library.

Introducing…

O Momma Reviews! BlogHer Ads is starting a new paid review program and I desperately wanted to be apart of that. So, a new blog was quickly in the works yesterday and here it is! Things are still getting adjusted how I want it, but for the most part it’s ready for viewing.  I’ve moved (copied, really) my past unpaid reviews from here to the new review blog and all the new reviews will be done over there, obviously. Of course, I’ll give you guys a heads up when something is posted over there.

Well, I did it. I watched the movie, “Juno” last night.  I’ve been curious to see it since it came out, but have been nervous to see it for fear of the emotions aroused.  And you know what? I didn’t cry.  And I think that says something in it’s self, that it didn’t portray the birth mother perspective well.  Little emotions were shown in her decision process or at the hospital, and NON afterwards.  After leaving the hospital is the most difficult time, why did they just paint it out like she popped the baby out and everything was “normal” again.  As some one who has experienced placing, I can tell you that her life is never normal again.  Leaving the hospital empty armed is like a knife stuck in your heart. And yea, that pain subsides but it doesn’t just go away magically like they show it to be.

Oh, I know! Because we’re America and we like happy ending that tie up neatly.  We like our happy feelings and minimize the pain. I get that, I do. But then, I don’t think an adoption plan is a good thing to put in a movie.

I hated that this movie made me feel like people would judge all birth mothers on this character. Like we all got knocked up and immediately disregarded the baby as our own, wanting to give it away just so we can go back to “normal.”  For some, maybe that is true. But I know when I was pregnant, and my birth mom friends as well, it took months of pain and agony to make that choice. For me, it took 7 months of tears and prayers to realize that was what I needed to do and to accept it.  I’m not saying that I want to see my exact story on the screen (every story is different, it’d be impossible to please everyone, I know) I’m just wondering about the effects this  movie has on the perspective people have on birth mothers.

I also really could not stand the relationships in this movie, mainly between Juno and the adoptive dad.  Disgusting. Maybe it’s just my issue with being abused as a child (and therefore my fear), but a grown man and a 16 year old should not “bond” like that.

And lastly, I didn’t like the foul language.  I don’t understand how using curse words portray anything intelligent at all. There was more in this movie than I care to hear.  Oh, and I felt like the story line didn’t flow well.  There are parts I’m still sitting here confused about. Oh well, I won’t be watching it again to try and figure it out.

I’m not saying that this movie didn’t have any truth or good moments in it, cause it did. But over all? Juno is not a movie for me. What’s your opinion (that’s the key word here, opinion. Please don’t get defensive at my views)?  Most birth mothers I’ve talked with seem to have an opinion similar to mine but some see more in it than I did, an adoptive mother wrote that she loved it and thought it portrayed adoptive parents well. The media obviously loved it. Why?

Need a pick-me-up?  Head over to In The Motherhood, where 3 moms take true life stories/scenarios and turn them into “webisodes”.  They star Leah Remini, Chelsea Handler and now Jenny McCarthy, which equates to a very funny portrayal of a mom’s life.

I’ve only watched a few but I love these little shows, they’re guaranteed to make you laugh. I think there is something for every mom in these clips. My favorite one so far is probably “Mother’s Day Gone Wrong.”  Let’s just say I will be careful with chapstick from now on and I won’t let my daughter around display toilets.  What’s great is that a lot of these stories are taken from real life mom experiences, they hold contests to see who has the greatest and then it gets turned into a show! Plus, they have online games, recipes and you can read funny mom stories or share your own.

And as a bonus for me, I love that Leah Remini is taking part in this because King of Queens was my favorite show and it’s nice to have her humor back to lift my spirits.

It’s nice to know my life isn’t so bad, people obviously go through worse!

I don’t know about you, but as a Mom? I’m tired.  I try to refrain from a daily coffee intake but there are many days where I just need coffee to get through the day, especially before long school days.

And that, my friends, is why I’m so excited about this opportunity.  Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company is giving out free coffee to bloggers and will link your website from their blog. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!  I personally love flavored coffee, right along with the 1/3 cup of sugar and creamer I put in it (you heard that right…I’m a super sweet coffee girl).

Just wanted to pass the opportunity along to you all. Surely there are some tired Momma’s (or anyone!) out there in the blogging world needing some coffee and linkage!

The very first O Momma give away to here! Remember that natural skin lotion I raved about? Well, I was sent more samples and I loved it so much I’d like to pass it along to you. As I said in the review post, it’s a natural shielding lotion that keeps the moisture in and the bad environment gunk out. Who doesn’t want soft hands (or face, feet, legs, elbows)? And, to get soft hands with 93% natural ingredients? Bonus. It’s also great for sensitive skin and heals those extreme dry spots.

It’s priced at $25 dollars for a 4 ounce bottle so don’t let this opportunity pass you by! A little goes a long way, it’ll last for months. All you have to do is comment on this post by next Friday, February 22nd (in honor of Savannah’s Birthday!). Winner will be announced by Monday the 25th.

Now, Go!

I think I’ve found a new favorite lotion! It’s a natural skin care product that acts as a shielding lotion, locks in moisture and leaves skin feeling soft. And, it’s ingredients are over 93% natural, how often can you say that in today’s trend of injecting ingredients that causes who knows what?

I’ve tried other shielding lotions and loved the results I got on these dry winter-dish-washing-diaper-changing hands, but it wasn’t up to par to use for a facial lotion for my skin type. It left my face feeling stiff and still in need of more lotion. See, my skin type is that weird combo skin during the winter: very oily but prone to getting extreme dry spots. How do you fix one problem without making the other worse? If I use a heavier lotion to cure the dryness, I get clogged pores and a shiny face the rest of the day. If I use a lighter lotion aimed toward soaking up the shine, it makes the flakes worse and pretty much is useless all around. Winter does nothing good for my skin.

I discovered Skin MD and I’m in love. It’s made for hands, feet, face and body. So, pretty much all over. Who really wants 4 different lotions for different parts, anyways? I tried it on my hands first, and loved how it was very light with no scent and soaked in immediately leaving my skin soft and hydrated. Then the next morning, in my desperate need of a face lotion I braved putting it on my face. And, it worked!

It’s light enough not to get in the way of make-up, feel heavy or greasy, but still works well to soak in the dry areas that need it. It’s the perfect balance and preface to my make up routine. It works great to apply under the eyes where they get dried out from my eye make up remover, without irritating my eyes. It’s been known to help with anti-aging, not that I’m quite there in my 20 year old body but perhaps it will help prevent aging in the future!


It’s perfect for sensitive skin (remember those natural ingredients?) and other skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis. Eczema seems to run in our family, thankfully Savannah only very slight issues with it, but I’ll be trusting this product to use on her as well.

I have to admit, too, that my feet are a disgusting cracked desert in the winter. I hate, hate, hate it. So, that’s where I’ll be applying the true test of moisture and healing.

At $25 per 4 oz. bottle, it is priced more than your typical lotion, but that’s the thing, it’s not a typical lotion. It surpasses by far and well worth the price. And, a little goes a long way so you shouldn’t need to buy it often!

Try it for your self! You can get your own free sample by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to:

21st Century Formulations
Free Sample Offer
9663 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 860
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

I love half.com.  It’s my new best friend, seriously.

Mark and I had 11 text books to sell from last semester and I decided to go with this little brother of ebay to go about business.  I don’t know if you guys have any experience with the original ebay.com, but trying to get something online for people to buy can appear tricky. What shipping to offer customers? How much should I charge? How can I catch the customer’s eye and accurately describe the product?  (okay, that doesn’t sound bad, but trust me, it can be a confusing task with many options to chose from for a newbie). And, they get you with the little fees. And, you can only have an item up for about a week and either it sells in that time, or it doesn’t.

Well, what I like about half.com is that it takes all that guess work out.  It’s made for just media type things (books, CD’s, movies, video games, etc.) to sell/buy at reduced prices.  It’s really great for buying textbooks (that’s all we’ve bought/sold so far, haven’t tried the other categories of products) at lower prices, because university stores are ridiculous. With 11 books, it took me hardly any time to get our items listed. I was able to tell them the exact product (what edition/cover/author/everything!) with just entering the ISBN number (therefore, saving time), entered the quality of the book, described the book (like, if it had markings), and listed the price. Click. Done.

What I really liked?  Instead of the guessing of what I should list it for, it gave me a recommended price based on what other people had/are listing it for so that I could list it competitively, but fairly.  It was usually spot on, too.  And, what I really like? No bidding.  I like that I can buy a book at ebay prices without sitting at the computer for an hour fighting over an item. And what I really, really like? It doesn’t have a time limit.  It stays up until it sells, or until I take it down. And, no listing fees. It just takes a very small percentage out after a sale is made (like, two dollars).

Within just a few hours? I’ve already sold 2 books.  Score.

Of course, the extra cash will go right back into buying new text books. School starts for Mark on Wednesday, and myself on Thursday. Ugh. I’m not ready for vacation to be over.