Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies

Let me start off by apologizing for it having been a while since I've updated.  A lot has happened - my brother-in-law passed away from cancer at 24 years old; we found out we were pregnant and have subsequently had our little boy, Will, just two weeks ago; work has been crazy, and I've got an 18 month old that climbs on everything.

Moving on...

I participate in a program called Influenster.  It's a great program that allows you to test out new products and spread the word about them to everyone you know.  I was selected for their Mom voxbox, and had the opportunity to test some neat products out, like Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies, among some other things.

I enjoyed the Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal cookies so immensely, that they ended up quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to snacks during my pregnancy with Will.  Working from 8-4 every day, I needed a snack that would hold up to my mid-afternoon hunger pangs.  Quaker Soft Baked oatmeal cookies were an awesome solution to the 2pm snack craving!  I tested out the Oatmeal Raisin variety as part of the voxbox, and it was delish.  It was soft, it was chewy, it was fresh, moist... everything an oatmeal raisin cookie should be.  There was just the right amount of cinnamon in the cookie, and they didn't skimp on raisins!  Added bonus:  they're made with whole grain oats and are a fantastic source of fiber!  My daughter, Ella (18-months old now!), enjoyed the cookie and kept asking for "more! more!"  They are now one of her favorite snacks, and I love that they're wholesome enough to keep her energized and full from after naptime until we sit down for dinner.  They're individually wrapped, so they're perfect to throw in my purse or the diaper bag for a quick snack on the go!

Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookie - with raisins!



enjoying my oatmeal raisin cookie at work!

The details you need to know about Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies:
-Made with Whole Grain Quaker Oats
-Individually packaged
-Provides a good source of fiber
-Contains 6 grams of total fat per serving
-You can find Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies at most major retailers.
-Suggested retail price: $2.69 for a box of 6 cookies

Check Out "The How To Mommy"

If you're looking for some awesome tips on being a mom and doing it all, check out The How To Mommy!

She's doing a giveaway now for a Fisher Price gift set!  Check her out... http://www.thehowtomommy.com/?p=1867

Yes, I realize it's been a while.

But I suppose that's what happens when you have a 7-month old who doesn't want to sit still to save her life, work 40+hours a week, and are trying to clean (unsuccessfully, I might add) for above 7-month old's baptism this weekend.  And honestly, I have no clue where the time went to!  My house still looks like a bomb hit, Ella is still crawling all over the place - well, Army-crawling - and work is still....work.

I need to go couponing hardcore.  I went to CVS last night and got my freebies from the magic coupon machine.  I got my free pantyliners, my free candybar, and my free bandaids (which were out of stock, but I got a raincheck for the free box).  But I need to go back tomorrow and scan my OTHER CVS card to get more freebies, use my free bodywash coupon, and get some stuff for Ella's baptism.  Plus I need to do some major grocery shopping.  My cupboards are b.a.r.e.  That just goes with the whole I-don't-have-time territory.

Oh well.  I'm enjoying watching Ella get into things she shouldn't and then watching the look on her face when I take them away or move her to a different area.  I really think that if she could talk, she'd be like "bitch, do you know how long it took me to crawl over there?!"  She loves the dog dishes, for whatever reason.  Fortunately my dogs are pigs and don't leave any food behind, but they do leave plenty of water....

Where Does Life Go?

I feel like there are not enough hours in the day.  I get up at 0530, put the dogs out, warm up Ella's bottle, get the dogs inside & feed them, change Ella & dress her for the day, feed her, put her back down to sleep, shower & get ready for work, make my lunch & get Ella's bottles ready, drop her off at day care, go to work for 8 hours, pick Ella up, get home and get the dogs out, feed Ella, feed the dogs, play with Ella (& maybe squeeze some dinner in, if Ella lets me), bathtime for Ella, feed Ella and put her down for bed.  When she is safely in dreamland, I clean up the kitchen, make her bottles, maybe do some laundry if I feel motivated but most times I don't.  I'll plop my ass on the couch until 10pm, put the dogs out one last time, and then drag my butt into bed.  It's exhausting.  I love being a mom, but I'm tired. 

And Adam helps, when he's not working.  But he works the 6pm to 6am shift as a cop, so he's rarely home at night.  He's an amazing dad, though.  And he's a great husband.  He watched Ella for a few hours on Saturday morning so I was able to go to the mall and try and find an outfit for Ella's baptism next weekend.  I found one, and I'm kind of excited about it, but I wanted a dress and ended up with white pants and a sheer yellow floral top w/ lace cami underneath.  Oh well, it's cute nonetheless.

But back to my point.  There aren't enough hours in a day.  I feel like I never have a chance to get my house cleaned.  When the weekend rolls around, I spend it sleeping in til 9am (after I get up at 5:30 to put out the dogs and feed them and Ella and get her back to sleep) and then lazing around the living room until noon.  I need to get a better handle on things.  Any tips?  What are you guys doing to "keep your head above water," so to speak?

Shark Week

Andy Samberg - host of "Shark Week" on Discovery (pic on Discovery.com)

Who else watches this?  Come on, 'fess up.  It's your guilty pleasure, isn't it?  Well, it's one of mine.  This is pretty awesome.  I've been watching nothing but Discovery Channel (except for a 30 minute stint of news each night to know what's going on in the world) since Sunday night.  I've always loved sharks.  I'm fascinated by them.  When I was little, I had posters of them all over my room, we always visited the aquarium, were at the beach, etc.  I wanted to be a Marine Biologist.  I'm not sure what changed my mind, save for the fact that I suck at all things science.  If I could have become a Marine Biologist without the science, I'd probably be sharing really awesome pictures from underwater with you right now :)

I'm currently watching "Into the Shark Bite," which is where these two guys rig up different cameras to suit 5 different types of sharks to try and get them to bite the camera so they can analyze the view from the business end of the shark.  It's pretty freaking neat.  The one they just got showed the gills and "tastebuds" of the shark from the inside.  That's the closest I ever want to be to a shark's mouth! ;-)

So share with me - who else is watching Shark Week 2011?  I know I'm not the only one enjoying this!

Winner, Winner... Chicken Dinner!

I need to give a big thanks to a fellow January mamma, Amy from Tales From the Mothership... she was doing a Thirty One (www.mythirtyone.com) giveaway on her awesome blog and I was the lucky winner! :)  I scored a thermal tote with personalization!  I opted for the Black Parisian Pop pattern with raspberry monogramming!  I can't wait to see how awesome it looks when it arrives on my doorstep! 

Picture of the thermal tote in Black Parisian Pop

So a big thanks to Amy for offering the giveaway, and I'll post pics of the bag when it arrives! :)

Check Out A Friend's Blog For A Giveaway

A friend is giving away a Baby Einstein Count and Compose Piano as a giveaway for reaching 100 followers.  You should check it out and enter to win! :)

http://lifeasweknowit22.blogspot.com/2011/07/official-100-follower-giveaway.html