Summer Wellness

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

What do you think about "generic" products?

Me, I love them! I am definitely a store-brand kind of girl. Especially when it comes to health & wellness products; you can usually check the active ingredients and immediately see there is NO sacrifice for the money savings.

I just returned from a vacation to Arizona. The desert dryness and breezes wreaked havoc on my eyes. I quickly stopped into a Walgreens to buy their store brand Sterile Rewetting Drops for soft contact lenses. At $5.99 for a full half-ounce, these were the best selection for the money. And the quality was great! My eyes were very thankful.

I have used many Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products over the years, and they have never let me down. They are a great value and contain the same active ingredients as the major brands. Did you know these products also come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee? But wait... there's more! Each purchase also benefits the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™. Great value and socially-conscious. I like that!

**You can win!** Several bloggers are giving away Walgreens Gift Cards right now! If you win, you can stock up on high quality, great value products for yourself! Check out the current giveaways by clicking here: giveaways

I'm OK, you're OK

Once again, the blogosphere has connected me to a fantastic person. I am so happy to have recently connected with Onesie Mommy. She left a touching comment on a recent post - so touching, in fact, that I had to post it myself! Check it out HERE.

Tonight, I am honored to have a guest post published on the Onesie Mommy blog!

I have only one child.
She is over age three.
Am I an anxious mess because I do not have a second child yet?
Nope. This is how I like it.

Please visit my guest post HERE.
Tell me... what do you love about your unique family?

Dont' forget to follow @OnesieMommy on Twitter!

Wordless Wednesday: Toy

Why is my home overflowing with toys?



All she needs is a rock!

Got (Gummiberry) juice?

I miss Saturday morning cartoons.

Before the time of all-cartoon cable networks, prior to a Disney Channel subscription in my home... those were the days when children across the country longed for Saturday morning.

Saturday mornings had a purpose; these days held a higher level of excitement than any other throughout the week. It did not matter that I was awake past my bedtime the night before, or that I was battling fatigue from hours of summer swimming pool play.

I got out of bed as soon as my eyelids fluttered open. 

I headed straight for the television.

Snorks.  Smurfs.  Pee Wee's Playhouse.

My favorite of all-time? Sandwiched between Snorks at 8:00 and Smurfs at 9:00, was Disney's Adventures of The Gummi Bears.

25+ years later, I can still sing the theme song verbatim.

Dashing and daring,
Courageous and caring,
Faithful and friendly,
With stories to share.
All through the forest,
They sing out in chorus,
Marching along,
As their song fills the air.

Gummi Bears!!
Bouncing here and there and everywhere,
High adventure that's beyond compare,
They are the Gummi Bears!

Magic and mystery,
Are part of their history,
Along with the secret,
of Gummiberry juice...

- - - - -
I wonder which theme songs Amelia will remember when she's in her 30s? Little Einsteins? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? Maybe the Backyardigans or Fresh Beat Band?

Today, Saturday morning is just like any other morning.

Disney Channel. Nickelodeon. Cartoon Network. PBSKids.

There is such a vast selection of shows every morning of the week, maybe she won't remember any of them?

That breaks my heart just a little bit.

- - - - -

 
Another fabulously fun memoir prompt from The Red Dress Club!

Part 2: WATER FUN

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses."
 --Joyce Brothers

Did you miss yesterday's post? Part 1: DESERT

So, what else is there to do in a land of dry air, dust and heat? Swimming pools and water parks, of course! I'm so glad we grabbed a waterproof disposable camera - the photo quality isn't the best, but we captured some fun moments!

Vacation, Part 2: WATER FUN


Ahhh, mama needed this!


"Go, Daddy, Go! Yaaay!"


"It's like the ocean!" (wave pool)


Oh, happy day!


Amelia's very first waterslide! So glad they let her go down with us.


New friends: named "plate" and "mama duck" @ Ritz Carlton


How do I make a career out of this?


Last night, different resort. Still loving the pool!

Part 1: DESERT

"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in"
 --Robert Orben

Summer vacation 2011: Arizona

We awoke bright & early and flew into Phoenix. Our agenda? See some desert sites and spend a lot of time splashing in beautiful resort pools.

Mission accomplished.

Vacation, part 1: DESERT


"Wow, we're really high in the sky! It's windy up here."


(Mom, being "creative")


One of the coolest locations for a chapel - ever.


Cougar went everywhere with us - including a morning hike over rocky terrain. He was quite a trooper.


Our desert oasis for the first few nights


"Mommy, is this Snow White's castle? I think it is!" (Actually, Mission San Xavier near Tucson)


Amelia dubbed Arizona "very cactusy".


Tombstone - very dusty. And the site of the shootout at the OK Corral.

Check in tomorrow for Vacation, Part 2: WATER FUN!

Modern mama

Posted this a year ago... Pulling it from the archives!

Why I am grateful NOT to be a 1950s housewife:

Men's cotton boxer shorts and/or an oversize t-shirt are much more comfortable to sleep in than a modest, full-length, long-sleeved nightgown.

I can take my makeup off and pull my hair back in a headband before my husband arrives home from work - and any other time of the day I feel like it.

Cookies come in quick and easy "break & bake" packages, taking only a couple seconds beyond baking time for a warm & delicious treat.

(And speaking of food...) Dinner can be Chinese delivery, a previously frozen pizza, sandwiches, or sometimes even cereal if I've had a rough day and just don't feel like the extra effort for something better.

A stinky diaper on a weekend is as much my husband's responsibility as it is my own.

I can have a job outside of my house. Or inside my house, thanks to modern technologies and the Internet.

Yep, it is 2010 (now 2011!). Mommies can celebrate our evolution over the past 60 years. I may be fighting to balance all my personas these days, but I am definitely glad that I am able to have so many. For those of you who are the 100% housewife/mommy type, more power to you. And I am certainly impressed.

But I'll take my modern conveniences and allowances any day.

Now where are those pajama pants? And my glasses. I need to get more comfortable.