Hitting children at Wal-Mart???

Just when you think you've heard it all....! There is another story on the news or in the papers that makes you go "WOW!".

I am sure you all have heard about the "grandpa" who went around wal-mart hitting children with his closed fists, keys in hand. Now these children didn't have to be doing a thing except breathing, but he would take it upon himself to hit them as hard as he could then run away. Luckily, one mom acted quickly and caught the little sucker before he could do it to another child. His excuse.....he liked the feeling of being able to get away with hitting someone's child while they were nearby.

I can only imagine what I would do if I found out that any of these things happened to my child. What can we do to protect our children more? What would you have done in this situation?



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The Greatest Casualty is Being Forgotten

I know firsthand all too well what the effects of war can do to a soldier. I have seen so many people in the military community deal with the physical and psychological aspects of war, and it is often left unspoken of. Countless numbers of soldiers deal with PTSD and TBI. Some even come home missing limbs. Many times they don't have a voice to advocate on their behalf and miss out on great opportunities for themselves and their families.

I recently came across a wonderful resource called The Wounded Warrior Project. According to their website, their mission is to honor and empower wonded warriors, raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of severely injured service members and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of severely injured service members.

The Wounded Warrior Project provides countless programs including benefits counseling, caregivers retreats, coping/family services, warriors to work, peer mentoring and so much more.

One of the most intriguing programs is Soldier Ride, which is a rehabilitative cycling event designed to challenge wounded warriors who deal with the physical and mental wounds of war. Check them out on the Soldier Ride Blog, their facebook fan page, and twitter. You can also lend your support here and 10% of the proceeds support their cause.

You can also follow The Wounded Warrior Project on Facebook.

I plan to highlight some of these amazing organizations in the future!

~Savory Sunday~ Carrot Cheesecake Bars

~Savory Sunday~ Carrot Cheesecake Bars

This week's recipe comes from Kraft Recipes for Carrot Cheesecake Bars. The recipe is as follows:

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time 6hrs 5 min

Makes 24 servings

What You Need:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1-1/2 cup HONEY MAID graham cracker crumbs

1 cup sugar, divided

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon divided

3 pckg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN sour cream

3 eggs

3/4 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2)

1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP whipped topping

Make it!

Heat oven to 325 degrees

Mix butter, crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon: press onto bottom of 13X9 inch pan. Bake 10 mins.

Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and the remaining sugar and cinnamon in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time,. beating after each just until blended. Stir in carrots; spread over crust.

Bake 45 to 50 mins. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hrs. Serve topped with COOL WHIP.

Kraft kitchen tips

SOUR CREAM-TOPPED CHEESECAKE BARS

Omit COOL WHIP. Prepare and bake cheesecake as directed. Mix 1 container (16 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla. Spread over warm cheesecake. Bake 5 mins. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hrs. Refrigerate leftovers.

SPECIAL EXTRA

Top each serving with a PLANTERS Pecan Half.

For my last ~Savory Sunday~ I posted the recipe for Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies. I made them last week, but hubby took off with my camera in the truck, and I wasn't going to wait around for him to return before my daughter and I devoured the batch! Fortunately, Krystel at Army Wife 101 made them also. I'm stealing this pic from her Facebook Page. I'm sure she won't mind!

DON'T FORGET to enter the Outback Steakhouse Gift Certificate Giveaway and the UPrinting Business Cards Giveaway!

Outback Steakhouse Gift Certificate Giveaway

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THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

Outback Steakhouse is a huge supporter of troops in the U.S. They recently donated $1 million to Operation Homefront, which is a non-profit org that provides emergency and morale support to veterans, active troops and their families. Outback Steakhouse has also sent volunteers overseas to give soldiers in combat a "taste of home. They have also contributed to the relief effort in Haiti.

I am thrilled to host a giveaway with this great company. Outback Steakhouse is giving a winner a certificate with a value up to $45. This is good at any Outback Steakhouse in the U.S. and includes appetizers, beverages, and desserts.

To Enter the giveaway: Tell me what food(s) you would like to try at Outback Steakhouse. Please leave your email address so that I can have a way to contact you.

Extra Entries:

Follow my Facebook Fan Page by clicking the link on this side of my
site --------------------------------------------------------------------------------> (1 extra entry)

If you already signed up here you have been entered automatically.

One winner will be chosen on March 31, 2010 via Random.org and have 48hrs to respond via email. Good Luck!

I Won An Award!

I received this award from Amanda at Thecurlyblogger.

She totally made my day!

Thanks so much!!!

I am Leading a Double Life

It never ceases to amaze me how little civilian people tend to relate to my military experience as a spouse. I have witnessed the most offhanded comments, which I now attribute to lack of knowledge or someone just really not knowing what to say. I have been married to the army for seven years. Out of those seven years, that little mistress has taken my husband away from me for about four years. During those times when he is gone I have gone through a range of emotions. Sadness, confusion, pride, loneliness, bitterness........But, recently I have found myself missing the single life. Not the single life of not being married, but the single life of being married while being single. Does that make sense?

Don't get me wrong, I love when my husband is at home, away from the dangerous confines of war and working 18 hours a day. But I do miss my single time. You know those times when I can just pig out on Baskin Robbins and leave the container by the recliner cuz I feel like it. Or not having to cook a well-balanced meal Sunday through Thursday cuz my soldier is coming home hungry after a long day's work or he is just hungry period! Or feeding my anxiety and loneliness by giving Ross or Target an extra $50 that I know I should tuck away for something more important, but I'm an Army wife so I can do whatever I want while my husband is fighting for our freedom and I am feeling crappy at home alone. Or leaving the bed unmade cuz I wanna crash on it when I feel like it and will mess it back up anyway. Or not doing laundry and letting 4 loads build on top of one another cuz I don't have ACU's to wash so I really don't care at that point. Or having all the televisions to myself with the DVR's set to Property Virgins, The View, Ellen, Chelsea Lately, Oprah and all the other shows my hubby doesn't care to watch.

Sounds like I'm lazy now that I have reread it but that's hardly the case, believe me. I guess its a way of dealing with my emotions, those emotions that most women won't ever get to experience on the same level as I have. Whatever the case, I do miss it. Selfish? Maybe. I dunno. What do you think?


pic courtesy of

If you are in the military or are the spouse of someone in the military, leave your current location and email address below. I have something special for one lucky winner!!!

Nothing Can Be Salvaged. I am Doomed!

We've all been there. Myself more than once...more than a few times actually. In a few short minutes everything can literally be destroyed. What you worked so hard to get is now gone! It's useless. Nothing you can do, in most cases, can ever bring it back. You stand there in utter disbelief wondering how you could have let this happen, holding the remnants of what once was in your hands. This time it was no fault of my own. It was his fault. Yep! My husband did it. He ruined the laundry!

He was just trying to help out. This isn't the first time he has ruined my mommy wardrobe though, so I should have known better than to entrust him with my minimal garments. Hey I don't have lots of clothes, especially to throw away!

The pic below shows a few pieces I care to share out of a large load of laundry. It's just too painful to take a picture of all at once. Yes it hurts that much hehe. Out of that load of laundry everything is speckled with green dots from a permanent marker left in one of the pockets of his ACU's. The entire load kind of looks like the leftovers you'd find in the street after a Mardi Gras Parade. The pic does not do it justice though. Since I posted it you can barely see the green stains, but trust me they're there. They're EVERYWHERE!

So, lesson learned here. Check the pockets of everyone's clothing thoroughly, even before my husband does the laundry! Or be prepared to get rid of most of your wardrobe.

If anyone knows of a way the clothes can be salvaged please let me know. I'm not sure Clorox can fix this one.

UPrinting-500 Business Cards Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!



The folks at UPrinting have done it AGAIN!

They are giving my readers a chance to get a free set of Business Cards! These cards can be really useful: from the classic business card, to blogger cards, designer cards, and so much more. Business cards have evolved from the classic rectangular shape, to more edgy and modern square and slim cards. They offer them all! UPrinting also offers a print online discount.

One Lucky Winner will get:

500 Business Cards

Sizes: 2 x 3.5”, 2 x 3”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.5 x 3.5” (slim card)

Paper: 14 pt gloss cardstock, 14 pt matte cardstock or 13 pt recycled uncoated cardstock

Specifications: Full Color Both Sides; Offset Press; 3 Business Day Printing

Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping

Eligibility: Limited to US Residents only

Mandatory: Tell me how you would use these cards. Leave your email address so I can contact you. Thats it! Easy right?!

Extra Entries: Tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link. Can be done once a day. Don't forget to leave your email address. (2 extra entries )

Giveaway ends March 30, 2010 at 12pm EST. Winner will have 48hrs to respond. You must be at least 18 years of age to win.

Good Luck!

Disclosure: I will be receiving a blogger appreciation prize for doing this giveaway.

JumpStart Review and Giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

As a former preschool teacher, and mom to a four year old, I am always looking for ways to provide fun learning experiences that are also educational. Video games are all the craze these days, but few teach children learning concepts. I was excited to receive a free membership to www.jumpstart.com. JumpStart is a browser-based virtual world for children 3-10 years of age that teaches everything from math to reading.

I logged in to the 3D virtual world, and added my daughter to the account. She was ecstatic, as you can see in the picture below.

She created her own avatar, which are called Jumpeez, and started exploring the different worlds. There is AdventureLand and MarineLand for Kindergarten to 2nd grade, FutureLand for 3rd-5th grade and StoryLand is aimed at 3-5 year olds.

We spent a lot of time in StoryLand since it catered to her age group. In StoryLand she could decorate her own house and play games that taught colors and numbers and shapes. She could also watch a movie in the theater.

She enjoyed the following game, because the bugs would crawl around through the leaves and she had to catch the correct number and color of the bugs shown on the notepad and place them in the box.

This game was also a favorite. The monkeys would come out of the trees and she had to choose the one with the correct card number that corresponded to the number in the middle of the tree.

Once my daughter figured out how to manuever her Jumpee, and it wasn't hard to figure out, she had a blast! I did have to help her along the way a few times until she got the hang of it depending on what she had to do, but it wasn't too difficult for her. She loved the fact that she could make the Jumpee fly and swim, and she could earn coins to spend on her Jumpee in the Downtown area.

Buggy Racer was also a cool game! She had to drive the jeep and launch ice bolts at the tiki's to collect all of them and win.

JumpStart is a great fit for my daughter. I would recommend their products if you are looking for something educational and entertaining. They also have a blog with content for parents where you can stay up to date on the latest happenings with Jumpstart!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. CONGRATS TO BIGTEETHCLOUDS! HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Win it! The lovely people at Jumpstart will give one of my lovely readers a free 3 month membership!

MANDATORY: Go here and tell me which character you think your child(ren) would enjoy the most AND why.

Extra Entries: Single post for each entry. Please leave email address for each entry or comments will be deleted.

GIVEAWAY ENDS MARCH 23, 2010 12PM EST. Winner will be notified and have 48hrs to respond via email.

Follow me publicly (1 entry)

Follow Jumpstart on twitter. (1 entry)

Grab my button and leave link so I can find it (1 entry)

Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway (You can do this once a day). Leave comment with link to your tweet (1 entry per day)

Follow me on Facebook. (1 entry)

GOOD LUCK!

“Disclosure: I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.”