Funny Irish TShirts Review

I'm Irish, and what better way to let the world know than to advertise this fact on a tshirt? I was given the opportunity to pick from an abundance of FUNNY IRISH T-SHIRTS, and while a bunch of them were awesome, when I saw the one below, I immediately thought of Kasi.

The shirt is made from 100% cotton, and Kasi loves it!  It's soft and comfortable to wear, and she has a thing for skulls.  She was thrilled when I told her she could have it.

If you want to show off your Irishness (look at me making up words!) this St. Patrick's Day, get a shirt from Funny Irish Shirts.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Android Or Blackberry?

I think I have finally decided on which type of phone I am going to get. I have asked several different people, and it seems like everyone has a different opinion on which is the best phone to have.  If I could afford it and it was available on my plan, I would get an iPhone. But I can't and it's not, so I was debating between an android and a blackberry. 

While I love the android, I am not sure a phone that is completely touch screen would work for me.  I drop my phone a lot, and I'm afraid the screen would shatter within a week.  The blackberry seems like a better choice, because it has a full keyboard, which will make the texting I do a red lights a whole lot easier.  The blackberry is also a little bit cheaper, and since I am paying for this phone myself, cost is a variable in my decision.  NO matter which phone I decide to get, I am going to also invest in a portable usb charger battery.  I am on the road for ten hours a day sometimes, and I call my boss constantly.  Having my phone battery die would be terrible, and would probably also get me fired.  

So let me ask you, my loyal readers, which phone you would recommend; and android or a blackberry?

Mission Tuition

I get so many requests on Facebook for games, sweepstakes, and shopping sites.  Most of the time I just ignore them, because I don't do sweepstakes, I only play one game, and I do not do too much shopping online, unless it's on etsy.  I love etsy!

Today I found out about a shopping site called Mission Tuition . Let me explain how it works.  Simply put, you can shop online through their site and earn cash rewards that are put into a saving account that you can use to send your kids to college. Signing up is free, and you will also get access to coupons you can print out and use to buy groceries or eat at thousands of restaurants nationwide.  You really should check out their list of participating merchants. When you are ready to access your rewards, you can have a check sent to you, or you can have the money transferred to your bank account or college fund.  How cool is that?

I plan on doing a lot of shopping in the next few weeks, thanks to the tax refund I am looking forward to getting.  I can't think of any reason why I shouldn't shop through this site for the things we need.

Starting off the year with some home renovations

Guest post written by Mary Hilson

One thing that I was determined to tackle this year was all of these renovations around our household that we've been putting off for so long. We've been saving up for these too and it just now works out that after the holidays we have time to finally put time into some of these things.

But I didn't actually have time to research all of this during the holidays, so I've been finding builders and stuff like that at the last minute. A few weeks ago I was looking online for some people to do our work and I came across some Home renovations info and I think that we're going to go with that company.

We have several things that we need to do around our household, most importantly, redoing our kitchen. I really use the kitchen a lot, but that's kind of what happens with so many kids and a love of cooking. I've wanted an island to prepare food on for years now and now I'm finally going to get one. I can't wait to see the final result!

Tophatter

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of tophatter for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you looking for unique things for your kids?  I know when it comes to my daughter, she likes to be one of a kind.  I find it hard to shop for her sometimes, because she likes to stand out in a crowd, and that is hard to do when she is wearing the same clothes and accessories as almost every other kid in her class.  I was excited when I heard about Tophatter live auctions for many reasons, but mostly because  can bid on unique things for my daughter.  Brandi loves jewelry, and right now there are several beautiful bracelets that I know she would love up for auction. 

From what I understand about this site, at 9am pacific time, they start the auctions.  Not only can you bid on the items, you can chat with other people who are bidding.  Let's face it, moms these days love the social aspect of online sites.  I will admit to being one of those moms. 

You really should take a moment and check out this new site.  Right now, you can save 10% off your first purchase by sharing on Facebook.  I know that on my next day off, I will be online at 9am waiting to see what I can snatch up for my little fashion diva.

I'm Loving These!

Check out the picture below and try to guess what it is before looking underneath it.  Okay?

So, what did you think it was?  Some type of tree stump?  I did too at first, but then I realized that it is a vessel sink.  I love it!  I wish I could redo my bathroom and put this in.  Better yet, I wish I owned a cabin in the woods, because this sink would fir perfect in a rustic bathroom.   Of course, with a sink like this you would have to have an awesome vessel faucet to go with it.  What do you think of this one?

Okay, so it might be a little modern, but I love the fact that the water pours off of it instead of out of it.  It kind of reminds me of a waterfall, which fits perfectly with the outdoorsy feel of the sink.  Don't you agree?  

I found a bunch of other vessel sinks that are just as beautiful as the one above.  Check this one out:

It looks like a bunch of pebbles, but it is actually made of glass.  I would love to have something like this in my bathroom, but with the rate with which my kids break mirrors, there is no way I would have a glass sink.  It is beautiful though.

Who Would Want To Be Me?

Recently, both my Twitter and Facebook accounts were hacked.  A friend alerted me to the Twitter issue, which was great because I never go on there, so I had no idea.  Apparently I was sending spammy messages to my followers and had no clue.  When I logged in to check, there was a very nasty message from one of my followers, thanking me in some not so nice terms for my message to her.  You would think that if this person knew me at all they would know I would never do something like that.  Facebook sent me an email alerting me to the fact that someone in another country had signed into my account, so I was able to change my password quickly there.

This experience opened my eyes to how easy it is for someone to get your information.  I bank online, and I always worry that someone will try to access that information as well.  There are sites like IdentityHawk that help you protect yourself online, and I might just sign up for it.   I'm convinced, though, that anyone who tries to steal my identity will be shocked when they can't get credit in my name, and really, who would want access to the $3 I have in the bank?  But, having identity theft protection is still a really good idea.

I Need New Everything

 I can not tell you how excited I am that it is tax time.  Some people dread this time of year, but not me.  In years past, my ex and I have done well when it comes to our refund, and I expect to do just as well this year.  I don;t make a lot of money, and it's hard enough for me to pay my bills every month, let alone splurge on things for the kids.  It is usually February when I buy them new clothes and shoes and all the other things I can't afford during the year.

Just because I have money to spend doesn't mean I spend it freely.  I still refuse to pay full price for anything, and I scour the stores for sales.  This year I am going to spend some money on new clothes for myself. I don't wear a uniform to work (though I do have some company sweatshirts) and I like to look nice. I no longer need pants with elastic waistbands, so jean shopping should be fun. I also need new shoes.  My sneakers have holes in the bottoms, so when it rains I walk around all day with wet feet.

This is also the time of year we all get new socks and underwear.  This may be too much information, but I haven't bought new underwear since I have lost all this weight, and the ones I wear are way too big.  I am looking forward to buying some that will fit properly.  Of course, I will try and find a hanes coupon or two to help save me some money. I also need new bras.  I haven't bought a "real" bra since my surgery.  I have only worn sports bras.  I am looking forward to buying something lacy and sexy.  The only bras that used to fit me didn't come in any color other than white, so I'm hoping to find something black that fits.  Or maybe even something purple.  Or flowery.  Who knows.  It will be fun to have choices. 

I promised the kids that I will give them each one hundred dollars when I get my refund to make up for the very small Christmas we had, so they have been planning how they will spend their money.  Of course, there choices change everyday, so who knows what they will end up buying.  I just hope whatever it is, it doesn't eat or poop.

Researching Camera Tripods

Last February, I bought a new camera.  I did a lot of research before I decided on the one I wanted, and I have been more than satisfied with it.  I was always interested in photography, so investing money in a decent camera seemed like a good investment.  Up until a few days ago, I hadn't used my camera for more than point and shoot pictures. 

My kids got a new dance game for the Wii for Christmas, and Brandi and her friend Brianna were playing it the other day, and I used my camera to take a video of them.  When I went to download it onto my computer, I could not do it.  No matter what I tried, I could not figure it out.  Thankfully, my dad was able to figure it out for me, and I was able to watch it on my computer tonight.  It came out okay, but my hands were a little shaky, so the video is a little shaky. Fortunately, you can still see how much fun the girls were having.

I think I need to do a little research on camera tripods so I can take better videos (and pictures).   Now that I know how to get the videos off my camera, I will probably make more videos of the kids.  They grow up so fast, and I want to document as much of their childhood as I can.  Pictures are great, but capturing their personalities on video is priceless.  I want to be able to look at these videos one day and remember how cute and funny they used to be.

I am going to post the video of Brandi and her friend on here and on facebook as soon as I figure out how to do it.  I may need to get my dad back over here for that.

Hearts

Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and for the first time in 16 years, I do not have a Valentine.  Well, I kind of do, so maybe it's better for me to say I do not have a husband.  This does not stop me from looking forward to this love holiday, because I have my three kids to buy something for.  Plus, I am sure they will get me something, too. 

I found those glasses up there at Zenni Optical, and I would totally wear them.  I love the little blingy heart on the side! For those of you who don't know about Zenni, they are the best place to buy glasses.  Those heart glasses are $30, but they have a huge selection of eyeglasses that cost under $10.  That's right.  I said under $10.  For someone like me on a very tight budget, being able to save money on eyeglasses is awesome.  I wear glasses, and Ryan needs glasses to see the board at school, and buying glasses for the two of us gets downright expensive.  I have yet to order from Zenni, simply because our current pairs are still in good condition.  I do have friends and family members who have ordered from them, and they were more than satisfied with their glasses.

The next time you need new glasses, check out Zenni Optical.

Kitchen Lights

I have a huge fluorescent light in my kitchen.  It is one of those long, rectangular ones that you see in grocery stores and restaurants.  I would love to replace it with something more stylish and modern, like the one pictured above.  All the accessories in my kitchen are black and silver, so this fixture would match perfectly.  I have looked at several flush mount ceiling lights and while I like this one best, there are so many to choose from. 

I would love to replace all the lights in this apartment.  Heck, I would love to just be able to paint a wall, but I'm not allowed.  I can not wait until the day I can afford my own place so I can decorate however I want.

Need To Laugh?

I have a new favorite thing to do when I am bored.  I go online and read  funny autocorrets that people post from their phones.  Some of them are hysterical!  The best ones are between parents and their kids, especially when they were texted by mistake.  There was this one where some girl thought she was texting her boyfriend about sneaking over, but she accidentally texted the message to her mother.  Her mom's reaction was great!

I tend to find the ones that are dirty even funnier.  Yeah, I know.  I'm weird like that.  You want to know what I don't like?  People w post pictures of themselves on Facebook doing the duckface.  I have not seen one that looks even halfway nice. In fact, I think doing that face makes a person look stupid.  That's just my opinion, of course.  I would think that people would want pictures posted that make them look nice, not silly.  There are also the people who alter their pictures, and sometimes, it just doesn't work.  There are so many examples of Photoshop fails online you would think people would learn a thing or two.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I am all about playing around with a picture to make it look better, but not to change the way I look in it.  Did that just make sense?

Anyway, I think I got off on a little tangent there.  Sorry.  My point was, the next time you have some spare time, check out the autocorrects online, especially if you need a good laugh.

Meow

Back in May, when we moved into this apartment, I promised the kids that as soon as I could afford to pay the pet deposit we would get a cat.  It looks like I will have the money for it in the next month or so, which means we get to go kitten shopping.  I'm pretty excited about it, too.  My mom suggested I check out our local shelter, which is what I will probably do. My only issue is that I do not want fleas.

I have dealt with flea issues in the past, and they are so hard to get rid of.  I am going to make sure that this time, I treat the kitten before we have problems.  I know there are ways to get discount pet meds, which will be really helpful.  I am sure I can find some type of preventive flea medicine.  I think they have one that you can use once a month of something like that.  Plus, this kitty will never go outside, so that may help keep the fleas away, too.  

I know we are going to get a girl cat, and I have spent a lot of time recently trying to decide on a name.  I want something cute, but not silly.  I'm not a big Fluffy or Whiskers person.  My pets have always had human names.  I am leaning towards maybe Lucy or Molly.  We've already had a Zoey, Ollie, Jack Jack, Oscar, Claire, Rose, Cake and Sugar.  Okay, so Sugar and Cake aren't human names, but Brandi named them and she was really little when she did.  I had a white cat named Princess when I was little. 

Do you have a pet with a cute name? What would you suggest as a good name for a kitten?

Growing Up

When I was in school, we didn't get to have hallway lockers until we were in junior high school.  Back then, that meant seventh grade.  My kids are in a district where they start switching classes in fourth grade, which is where Brandi is right now.  Switching classes also means she gets a locker in the hallway.  She thinks she's hot stuff because of it, too. 

One of the best things about having a school locker is decorating it.  Brandi went crazy when we found some Victorious stuff that can be used to decorate lockers.  I didn't have the money at the time to get it for her, but I have a feeling when I have some extra money she is going to hit me up for it.  We found this cool covering that goes on the outside, but I'm not sure the school would let her use it. We also found mirrors and shelves; all the things a young girl would need to make her locker her own. 

I find it hard to believe some days that my baby is growing up.  It starts with lockers, and soon she'll be discovering boys and wanting to date.  I can't wait.  And yes, that was sarcasm.