One of the fun games my girls and I love to participate in is snowball throwing. Oh yea just when you are not looking and SMACK… you are hit! The girls will run just laughing their little hearts out to get ready to throw their next snowball.

So when I heard that there was a petition to try and get Snowball throwing as an event at the Olympics, I was all over this. You see, I have always wanted to be a part of the Winter Olympics since I was a little girl but since graceful is not in my vocab… I have just given up all hopes until NOW. Now, I can throw a mean snowball so I think I should be the first one recruited for this event right? Who is with me?

Go sign the petition and let’s join together so we can all be in the even together. Now if you just feel like you cannot sign the petition now and need to work on your snowball throwing skills, no worries! Coca-Cola has developed an online game to get you prepared and perfect your snowball throwing skills. Let the games begin :).

As you are preparing and perfecting  your skills, I have 5 shirts (You pick your own size) from the IFST and Coca-Cola to giveaway to show you are serious about your snowball throwing skills for this year’s Winter Olympics. Also, guess what? One lucky reader will also win:

Collector’s edition bottle sets from the 2008 Beijing Olympics!

All you need to do is leave me a comment below to let me know how which video you liked the best from the IFST Blog.

For Extra Entries:

Tweet About This Contest
Follow Me on Twitter @OneMomsWorld
Follow IFST on Twitter @IFSTPresident
Join Our Facebook Fan Page
Subscribe to Our RSS Feed

(Leave a comment for each entry you do) Contest will end Feb

May the Winter Olympic Games Begin!

Full Disclosure:

Coca-Cola is running an online parody campaign called the ‘International Federation of Snowball Throwing’ designed to generate excitement for the upcoming Olympics and promote TCCC’s Olympic sponsorship in an unexpected way. I was not paid in anyway to write this post. I love snowball throwing so wanted to join in. I may end up with some great Coca-Cola merchandise though

Now you see, I do live in the mountains and yes we are use to the snow and cold BUT, there is usually a little bit of a break in between storms for us to re-cooperate. Since Dec. 17th,

• I have seen my grass for about a total of 4 days.
• The girls have maybe went a total of four FULL days of school (meaning no delays or snow cancellations).
• We lost power for 4 days.
• We have seen more ice that we ever care to!
• We have came up with so many creative ways to sled that you would be amazed

It is a winter for the history books for sure. I am itching for the sun so I can go out and run and get more fit. This winter has really done me in and I am so just wanting to get out and run, run and did I say run?

Anyways… I thought I would share some videos of our little sledding runs and some pictures to make you smile from our own little version of North Pole!

First Glance at North Pole, NC

The Girls Taking a Sled Run

M Having Fun with the Circular Sled

Mommy and L Taking a Sled Run

Snow Gals

The Girls SnowWoman

M Loves to Make Snow Angels

The Girls Love to Crash the Sled

The Girls LOVE to Sled

The Snow Is Here So We Should Enjoy It I Guess

Happy Winter Everyone!!

To see the girls faces during the show as just amazing! The show lasted a little over 2 hours, but the girls did not complain at all. They are at the ages of 5 and 7. Since due to the weather my step-daughter was not with us, we took my little cousins age 9 and 11 (boys). They were equally amazed as well.

They included the family in on lots of events during the show. Seeing the magic being performed and then watching the amazed looks on the children faces just couldn’t be beat.

I am always in awe of the acrobats and so I just knew my girls would be as well. Much to my surprise the boys couldn’t stop watching either. How they are so flexible and strong will always be a wonder of mine? They have so much faith on each other to which I’m sure they have a huge bond with one another. Just seeing them do the flips, balances, jumps and climbs was just awesome.

I will have to say, that I have never seen a real life cannon ball and guess what… I was finally able to see one!!! I think I was jumping up and down as much as my girls were. My youngest daughter just couldn’t quite figure out why the women were getting into these tubes and her mouth just dropped open when they shot across the stage. Amazing!

Oh the animals were a HUGE HIT! All the kids were on the edge of their seats during the whole animal scenes. I was so cracking up at the elephants… they can sit their big booty on these little stools and never miss a beat. Too cool! Also how they would all line up and swing each other’s tales to hold on to each other. So cool!

I was a little anxious for the tigers when it was time for their scene. They never skipped a beat with the trainer though and all did their tricks perfect. Amazing!

At the end was a huge parade and all the kids joined in and clapped their little hearts out!

It was such a great experience for the whole family. My hubby and I were just into the show as much as the kids were. We definitely recommend this for a family outing

Check to see when the ZING ZANG ZOOM is coming to your area and use this special offer to get your tickets really cheap :).

A SPECIAL OFFER FOR YOU!
Purchase
 a
 4‐pack
  of 
tickets 
for 
only
 $44 
for
 weekday
 shows,
or
 receive
 $4
 off
 weekend
 tickets 
by 
logging 
on to 
www.ticketmaster.com
 and
entering 
the
 coupon
 code:
 MOM.

Also, be sure to get to the arena early to check out the All Access Preshow.

Step onto the arena floor and into The Greatest Show On Earth® at the All Access Pre-show! Come an hour before show time to join Clown College® and learn how to be a circus clown.

10 Reasons You Can’t Miss the All Access Pre-show!

1) An amazing elephant paints right before your eyes.

2) Learn juggling, makeup and fun with the world famous Clown Alley.

3) See a one-of-a-kind special Ringling Bros®motorcycle as built by Orange County Choppers.

4) Meet the performers up close and get autographs.

5) Witness Klose’s Performing Canines jump through obstacles and hoops.

6) Be amazed as Zingmaster Alex teaches magic to audience members.

7) See performers jump rope and do tricks on the low wire.

Watch the contortions and table juggling of the Chinese Qi Qi Har Troupe.

9) Try on actual clothes used in The Greatest Show On Earth.

10) It’s FREE with your ticket, so get in on the fun!

What age was your children when they first went to the circus?

Full Disclosure: Our family was provided these tickets in exchange for this complete review. This review comes from my heart and the complimentary tickets did not persuade my views at all!

My beautiful girls call my mom an unique name. I’m not so sure if she ever thought she would be called this when she was a grandparent, but it warms my heart that my girls came up with this ever so cute name on their own. My girls call my mom Yay-Yay! Yes… you heard me right :). Now, you see how this name came about is very interesting. When M was about 6 months old, my mom would call M on the phone and go yayayayayayayayay over and over to her on the phone. She did this until M was well over a year old because M would just crack up and do the cutest little baby laugh. Mom was over at our house one day and M out of the blue looked at my mom and said plain as day Yay-Yay. Her little mind put two and two together that she was the woman that always did Yay-Yay to her so that must be her name right? Ever since that day, my mom has been known as Yay-Yay to the girls. When L was born and old enough to talk, she naturally just started calling mom Yay-Yay as well. Is that not just the cutest story?

Now let’s just say if you gather a group of young kids today and ask them what they call their grandparents…. you are going to get a different answer from each one.  You’re bound to encounter the run-of-the-mill Grandmas and Grandpas, but things really start getting interesting once the Gramies, Lulus, Gagas and Boo-boos start popping up.  Where did all these names come from?  Are the grandparents planting them?  Is it just a matter of young kids butchering the annunciations?  Regardless of origin, the nicknaming of grandparents has taken on a life of its own, and as a result BabyCenter has published the top 10 most popular names from grandparents:

Popular Grandmother Names:

Grandma

Nana

Grammy

Granny

Mimi

Gram

Nanny

Oma

Mamaw

Gran

Popular Grandfather Names:

Grandpa

Papa

Granddad

Gramps

Pop-Pop

Poppy

Papaw

Pop

Opa

Pappy

In addition to the top ten, BabyCenter also collected dozens of other sweet, fun and downright odd names while compiling the list that can be found here.

What does your kids call their grandparents? I would love to see if it falls into the top ten from above or is unique to your family :).

Did you know seven out of 10 Americans do not consume the daily recommended amount of fruit? Every Yoplait Smoothie contains a full serving of fruit as well as real Yoplait yogurt pieces with live & active cultures. Yoplait Smoothies are a good source of calcium when prepared with milk according to directions, and an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin C.

Simply add milk to a Yoplait freezer package, blend, and in less than two minutes you can enjoy a nutritious and delicious smoothie guilt free! At 110 calories per serving, Yoplait Frozen Smoothies make creating the at-home smoothie convenient, simple and worry free.

Let’s take a picture tour of how easy it was to make these!

Gather the milk and the smoothie package. I used the single Hamilton smoothie blender to make this smoothie.

Pour the entire package of the yoplait smoothie into the blender and add the milk.

Put the lid onto the blender.

Press the blender button to make the smoothie.

After a minute and half…. you have 2 servings of a fruit smoothie.

See how easy it is? This would be easy to make in the morning before you head out the door for the day or in the evenings for a snack. Like I said, the taste is delicious. It really is great taste that will leave you wanting more!

Would you like to try them out for yourself? Print off this $1.25 coupon to use on your purchase. Also… you can win your very own prize pack of a coupon for a free package and the blender. All you need to do is leave me a comment below telling me what is your favorite smoothie. I will pick a random winner after the contest ends on Feb 3, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Extra entries?

1. Subscribe to our feed
2. Tweet about this giveaway
3. Post about this giveaway on Facebook

Make sure to leave a comment for each entry!

P.S. The coupon, blender, information and the prize pack to give away were all given to me from Yoplait and MyBlogSpark.

Those three words are just some of the adjectives that I would use to describe my wonderful Grandma. She is a wonderful 96 years old and just loves life and all the people that are involved in her life.

She is going through a rough patch right now and it really breaks my heart. I worry about her all the time. My grandma and I are super close and always have been. I love that I can still pick up the phone any time and say hello to her and carry on a full conversation. Sometimes just hearing her speak is what motivates me to have a better day.

She is such a sweetheart and is always worrying about me. She doesn’t like me traveling on airplanes and she just told me yesterday that she worries herself so much until I get back home. She is such a gem. She is a believer in our almighty Christ and is always praying for everyone. That warms my heart so much to know she has me in her prayers.

Like I said she motivates me! She stayed on me and stayed on me to go back and finish my degree in college. I made that step last year and will soon be done with my degree this year. I wanted to do it for her as much as I wanted to do it for me. She loves to motivate us to do better all the time.

The above picture was taken at this past Christmas celebration. She was worrying herself so much over my gift. Jennifer she would say “I just wasn’t able to get to store and get anything, it is worrying me so much that I do not have you anything.” I told her… Grandma please do not worry. You just being here celebrating with us for Christmas is the best gift I could ever wish for. She got a smile on her face and turned to her freezer where she whipped out a loaf of banana bread. Growing up, she has always given me banana bread loaves and oh my goodness does it make me smile. Her loaves are so delicious and I always keep them all to myself to eat when she gives them to me.

Even at 96 years old she is still warming my heart with the things she says and the banana bread that she makes sure I have all throughout the year.

It has been on my heart and mind lately since she has had some health problems, that I am going to be faced one day that she is going to cross those pearly gates and be with our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ forever. It just brings me to tears. Yes, I am selfish and always want her hear with me, my girls, my family! I want to keep those thoughts in the back of my mind and just enjoy her each and everyday I can. She inspires me, She motivates me, She is my HERO!

I love you Grandma…always and forever, Your Youngest Grandchild - Jennifer

We had a real rarity too this Christmas…. we have 6 generations in our family now. I just love our Houck Family and just will always treasure this picture!

6 Generations in the Houck Family

A SPECIAL OFFER FOR YOU!
Purchase
 a
 4‐pack
  of 
tickets 
for 
only
 $44 
for
 weekday
 shows,
or
 receive
 $4
 off
 weekend
 tickets 
by 
logging 
on to 
www.ticketmaster.com
 and
entering 
the
 coupon
 code:
 MOM.
Charlotte, NC Show Dates:
Wednesday January 27: 7:00pm
Thursday January 28: 7:00pm
Friday January 29: 10:30am, 7:00pm
Saturday January 30: 11:00am, 3:00pm, 7:00pm
Sunday, January 31: 11:00am, 3:00pm, 7:00pm

Be sure to get to the arena early to check out the All Access Preshow.

Step onto the arena floor and into The Greatest Show On Earth® at the All Access Pre-show! Come an hour before show time to join Clown College® and learn how to be a circus clown.

10 Reasons You Can’t Miss the All Access Pre-show!

1) An amazing elephant paints right before your eyes.

2) Learn juggling, makeup and fun with the world famous Clown Alley.

3) See a one-of-a-kind special Ringling Bros®motorcycle as built by Orange County Choppers.

4) Meet the performers up close and get autographs.

5) Witness Klose’s Performing Canines jump through obstacles and hoops.

6) Be amazed as Zingmaster Alex teaches magic to audience members.

7) See performers jump rope and do tricks on the low wire.

Watch the contortions and table juggling of the Chinese Qi Qi Har Troupe.

9) Try on actual clothes used in The Greatest Show On Earth.

10) It’s FREE with your ticket, so get in on the fun!

You can win a family four pack for your family opening night. Just leave me a comment below that you would like to win and I will pick a random winner on January 21st at 12:00pm EST. Good Luck!

December 2009

Together 8 years… Married for 2 Years! Happy Anniversary to the love of my life Scott :).

It all started here on the blog and then a year later I blogged about how could we honestly make it through that first year? Now, here we are January 2010 and I have to say the 2nd year of marriage ROCKED. We had the best year.

Random Thoughts of 2 Years of Marriage

We are much cuter since we are carrying around less pounds now

We still had our tiffs, but we didn’t let it stop us from still showing our love for each other

He is really my best friend!

We can so tell when we are pushing each other’s buttons, and will give each other that smirk

He has made me into a huge coffee drinker

He will have coffee waiting for me in the mornings!

He is such a great hands on daddy that loves taking the girls to Chick-Fil-A

He is so humorous and sometimes he can be over the top but I still love him

He hates talking on the phone!

He loves Fox News

He hates when I let the gas get to right on empty

He loves to do laundry (haha or maybe he just wants clean clothes to wear!)

He is my biggest fan with my work

He builds my self-esteem up so much since I don’t think I’m all that

He loves God and shares his faith openly!

He loves to sneak up behind me and give me the biggest hug (heart melts)

He loves to drive (thank goodness since I love to travel)

He loves to surprise me with my special foods!

He LOVES my cooking

But Most Important: He LOVES me and our girls!

Happy Anniversary Scott. What, Where and How will our 3rd year of marriage will bring us? I for one, cannot wait to find out.

I love you Honey Bunny (he so hates me calling him that). Here’s to an awesome year :::cheers:::

What do you do when you have been experiencing a month of snow, ice and zero temperatures? You pack up and head to the sun and the beach! We are down here for the Mom Bloggers 2010 Ocean Isle Inn weekend. It has been amazing and a welcome break from all the snow and ice. The indoor pool and hot tub is just what the dr ordered to cure the winter blues. The girls are having an absolute blast of getting the chance to swim in January.

Ocean Isle Inn earned the Gold Star of Excellence Award from the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association. I can assure that the hospitality is so great. Lee and his staff really know how to treat their guests. Always asking if there is anything they can do for you, helping with directions to area restaurants and offering suggestions for family activities to do in the area.

Over the next couple days, I am going to be showcasing some of the restaurants and activities we were able to do while we were here in the middle of winter. This has been such a great time and if you would like the opportunity to join in the fun, make sure you friend Ocean Isle Inn on Facebook Fan Page. They are giving away an awesome spa package giveaway.

Full Disclosure: Ocean Isle Inn has given me a paid stay for this weekend, but it does not reflect my thoughts at all. My feelings and recommendations come from my heart as always!