Oh YES! I recently had the opportunity to test out Heely’s, (you know the sneakers with wheels in the heels). Since they came onto the scene,I have always wanted a pair, I thought they would be perfect for keeping up with my little one, but alas they were only for kids at the time. Well not anymore!

Naturally I selected the groovy purple ones…

I, like many other kids grew up wearing my roller skates, which seemed much more easier to pick up on, and natural, and , but hey I was young then and you pick stuff up much faster. Then Roller Blades came out, which did take me much longer to learn, now we have Heely’s.  This definitely has been much more trickier then I anticipated, but that’s because kids just make everything look so much easier.  Though it took some time to get in the swing (and no i’m not doing any jumps or twists… YET!), it is a lot of fun, and quite a nice little workout.

I found the construction of the shoe to be quite durable, and very well cushioned which made it feel very comfortable on with out making my feet look overly wide like other “skater shoes”.  The laces seemed a bit short to me, which I guess is so you don’t trip on them, but other than that, very well made.  I also liked the fact you can take the wheel off rather easily and pop on a cover to wear the shoes regularly. There is a very large selection to choose from so you can get them to go with just about anything.

Also if you go to the Heely’s Website you will find several motivational and instructional videos which I found extremely useful. It takes practice but its been worth it, and I totally recommend you grab a pair and get your spin on. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

*While Heely’s provided me with a pair to review, the opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Heely’s, Bussiness 2 Blogger and I promote Blog With Integrity.

As most of you know I’m a TOTAL fan of Jordi Labanda‘s artwork, I have quite the collection of his notebooks already. I have recently come across the dilemma that Target has decided to stop carrying them… Grrr!  I turned to ebay to try and continue to feed my fix for the medium sized notebooks which have become a perfect fit for my journal/day planner.  For a small fortune I would have been able to do so, but luckily I stumbled across MiquelRius.com.  They have a ton of notebooks and bags by Jordi Labanda at the same price I would pay at Target. YAY!  Plus those cute little purse sized notebooks on the bottom they gave me for free. SWEET!

So for any other fans out there who didn’t know or for anybody that likes the selection I got and wanna jump on our groupie wagon go to MiquelRius.com and as always Enjoy!~

Have you ever tried making home made meatballs? The only problem I ever incur is trying turn them over when they are cooking or picking them up when they are done. I want meatballs but all I end up with is crumbled meat to add to my pasta. Then I came across these very handy tongs, what a life saver, love them!

To get yours: $12, williamssonoma.com.

How adorable are these for your outdoor table?  Ok I know they are not purple, but I love ladybugs too, and though the weather has not allowed for too many outdoor dinning opportunities, I just couldn’t help but share with you guys.  Someday soon summer might actually come and these will come in quite handy over here on the East Coast.
They are $10 for the set of four at Bay Village Store.com

I just finished reading the No Cry Discipline Solution, one of the many books authored by Elizabeth Pantley, and I can honestly say that this is the single most important book that a mother should read, after the obvious What to Expect When You are Expecting.  As you know my daughter is Autistic (low spectrum) so I follow several sites regarding Autism, and Connie Hammer who is a parenting coach recommended this book.  I quickly ran to the library to get it.  I am always looking for a better way of handling the behavioral challenges that I face with my daughter, not only from her Autism, but because I have had ZERO experience with children prior to having her. I didn’t know what to expect with my daughter and for the better part of well… 5 years, I’ve felt completely inadequate and in the dark.

The book started out with correcting my outlook on discipline, by talking about the old aged theories and myths and then provided me with a better more appropriate view and attitude on the very behavioral challenges that I face with Kayla.

It broke down several causes for the behavior problem, bringing me down to my daughters view of things.  It was such an eye opener. So many things we take for granted such as not enough sleep, boredom, enough food, or even their frustration with life, which we can so totally take for granted, can cause the tantrums and arguments.

“Your child’s misbehaviors are a direct result of the fact that she cannot control her emotions.” was a powerful statement to read as Mrs Pantley also compared the very situation to adults. How many times have we as adults not be able to control our emotions? (definitely more than I’d like to admit) So why do I expect it from somebody who has been in this world for only 5 years?

Not to mention my husband always says that when my daughter and I argue we are totally feeding off each other which Mrs Pantley points out: “You would be stunned to know how many negative behaviors you actually prevent from happening when you improve the way you interact with your child.”.

All of this information is just in the first two chapters. The really good stuff comes further on where Mrs Pantley breaks down very specific situations such as bossiness, problems when they are in the car, biting, school, and my personal favorite… interrupting, and provides you with what to do and what NOT to do. I admit there were several “NOT’S” that I have been doing but am correcting those now.

She also discusses dealing with our own anger issues by pointing out the ways you might be feeding fuel to the fire, while also providing you with a 6 step control plan.  It truly is amazing how much we can get off track and cause more of our own problems without even realizing it.

So as I said before I can’t recommend this book enough. I still flip through and re-read bits and pieces in it every morning just so I can help remind myself to see things from my daughters eyes, and to retrain my way of thinking and dealing with what is going on with her. Too often we get wrapped up in our own mind, our own frustrations of the world at our adult level, and we forget or simply write off the “problems” a 5 year old has to face.

Thank you Mrs Pantley for shedding light on all of these issues and helping this mom have a better handle on discipline.

That is the question I asked myself, now that the weather is warming up and I have found it necessary to start wearing deodorant again. Normally during the winter I don’t sweat, I’m too cold.  However, not only did my trusty old deodorant seem extremely heavy on me, but it also seemed to make me smell worse once sweat interacted with it.  Then when I took my shower I had to use so much soap and scrub my arms red to get it off.   I honestly have to admit I actually smelled better without deodorant, still stinky mind you, but not chemically infused stink that wouldn’t come off, it was O’Natural.

Now obviously I really don’t want to stink at all, but what is a girl to do?  I stood in the deodorant isle for 25 minutes examining all the products, all the chemicals in them, and all the promises to get rid of the odor.

I decided to do a little research on the EWG site that I told you guys about a few posts back. (Are Your Cosmetics Safe?).  The first lesson I learned is the ones that have some exotic, fruity, yummy smell are the ones that are LOADED with poisonous chemicals.  So I started checking out the unscented ones, and all I can say is LIAR’s lol, they do too smell.  Some of them smelled so foul I thought I was going to hurl in the isle.

According to the EWG the ones that scored lowest were mostly online ordering types, not one I could buy right now in Target.  So I went down the list to ones scoring below at most a four, which is where I like to try and stay at.  I came up with Ban Original ~ unscented.  Wow, Okay I thought, with a score of 2, and under $2, plus this deodorant has been around for YEARS!  SCORE, lets give it a try.

I must report I am extremely happy with it(obviously since I am writing this post).  There really is no smell, or stink for that matter under my arms.  Now it is the wet roll on which I never much preferred (takes forever to dry), but I am so happy with the results overall that I really can’t complain.  Besides now I have given my hair dryer more purpose LOL.

If you are in the market for a new deodorant or looking to use something a little less toxic, look no further…

Normally I don’t rave about a store brand product, I’m usually rather choosey about what items I’ll consider the store brand option for.  However now a days, I actually am looking at the price tags on the shelf A LOT, all thanks to my new attempts at being frugal.

I recently went to buy my usual Hoover Premium Pet carpet cleaner AGAIN, (hey I like my house clean, I’ve got four cats and a 5 y/o I’m washing the carpets almost weekly, don’t judge!).   I was extremely shocked to see that Walmart’s Great Value Pet Stain Carpet Cleaner Solution was a little over $7 dollars cheaper. WOW that $7 bucks could pay for a case of my Starbucks Frappuccino’s, so I figured it was worth a shot.

I’m so glad I did, I LOVE IT!  It smells so much nicer then the Hoover, and it actually gets the dirt/stains out better.  It even removed an old stain complete with smell that I couldn’t completely get out with the Hoover.

Now I don’t ALWAYS bust out with my carpet machine, I actually bought a spray bottle which I keep with some of the solution in for small messes, and it just works fabulously!   It also works great in both  my Bissell Spot Bot, and my Hoover Steam Vac.

Walmart you did it again, you saved me money!  So save yourself $7 bucks and buy yourself some Frappuccino’s!

Earlier this month I told you I was chosen to do my very first review, and what an awesome first product to do! I received Petz Bunnyz Bunch by Ubisoft, it is very similar to Nintendogs where you adopt and care for, in this case, a bunny.

Kayla adopted a white Netherland Dwarf that she also named Kayla. The game is very user friendly, and entertaining. She is 5 and had no problems following the clues they give you on what to do next. She ironically takes better care of the virtual bunny then she does of any of our four cats. Oh well. The bunny is the cutest thing ever too. I find it much less difficult then Nintendogs. There are several things you can do such as give it toys to play with, feed it, teach it tricks, groom it (which Kayla really enjoyed the showering part) and then in addition to all that it actually has mini games. The more you do the more games, furniture and toys you unlock.

Kayla was very excited that she already moved from newbie to beginner status. I think a game like this is good for little ones because it teaches them to care for something, which is rare in video games these days. It really boosts their self esteem when they quickly earn new items or levels, yet not in an overly competitive way as would be with other types of DS games such as the Mario games.

You can purchase it here for $23.99, and if you have little ones I highly recommend. Its also a good way to get your child ready for the responsibility of having a family pet, if you are considering getting one.

*While Ubisoft provided me with this game to review, the opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint.Ubisoft, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

If you are hanging around here, you most likely share the love of purple, or at least know somebody who does. Now wear it with pride!

Go to my new OneBlondesRamblings Zazzle Store and get your Purple Pride wear. Show the world you’re a Purpleholic and PROUD of it!

There once was a day when I chuckled at the thought of chapstick, or lip balm.  Perish the thought of using anything but “fabulous” & “luxurious” lipstick. Then… I became “MOM”.  I tried to keep up with lipstick, but lets face it, its a pain if you’re a mom. It doesn’t go exactly with your new mommy wardrobe, either.  Then there is always your kid getting in it and using it as a marker. The best is when you do actually wear it, carrying or kissing your kid becomes a whole new feat.  (you know, not getting it smeared all over you or them.)

Eventually I gave up and then started going through this chapstick, that chapstick and yada yada.  Never did I find anything that actually worked.  It either felt caked on, wore off in 10 seconds, tasted like or smelled like vomit.  It just plain didn’t work, not to mention was filled with icky stuff like chemicals.  That was until I found my two newest favorites…

I started using Burt’s Bee’s Medicated.  WOW, it feels like I’m putting neosporin on.  It heals my lips up so fast, without that gooey feeling. My lips instantly feel sooo soft, and with no pain from the orignal crack.

Ok then what do I do for everyday use, when I don’t have cracked lips, and don’t want to get them either? That’s when I came across Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm. AMAZING Stuff!  So soft and gentle are how my lips feel after applying. The stuff doesn’t wear off the second you put it on either. There’s no fragrance, or smell, and they truly feel moistly protected against the cold, dry air.  Best of all its all natural, no bad stuff. I have always LOVED Neutrogena products, but after having my daughter and going on the green streak, I stopped using most of their products for one chemical or another being in them. Then they came out with this new Natural’s line and they reeled me back, lol. So, that’s my two cents…