Need nickname help!

I read a lot of blogs and some of my favorites are the ones that have nicknames for their kiddos and hubby.

I am not creative though. I need help! So, I thought I would come to you..my readers.

Let me tell you a little bit about each kiddo and hubby.

Madison is the oldest, 7 years old. She is a drama queen, but she is retro. She loves old styles, jewelery, lip gloss, cheer leading, the Jonas Brothers and music in general. She says she wants to be a singer like Taylor Swift when she grows up!

Christopher is 3 years old. He is definitely all boy! Jumping around, doing flips, pretending to be super heroes, Star Wars Characters, and more.

Jacob is 10 months old. He is my little trooper. I was on bed rest with him for 3 weeks and then he came almost 3 weeks early. He is strong. He is already walking and babbling. He loves music. He is calm. He doesn't cry unless he is hungry, dirty, or is hurt. He reminds me so much of hubby.

My husband, is a Aggie engineer. He is the calm, cool, and collected one of us. He never gets upset or angry. He is the "glass is half full" guy. He is a good sport and will do anything for the kids(see picture below). He loves sports and my cornbread. ;)

So, there you have it. A little bit about each of them. This is my family.

Now, help me give them cute little nicknames for my blog!

Did you hear?

Did you hear the news yet?

It snowed in Houston! Yes you heard me right! It snowed in Houston, Texas yesterday!

Crazy I know!

My kids LOVED IT! OK, Jakers didn't really care for it. And yes the hat he is wearing is C-Man's. C-Man had a ball playing in it. He was disappointed that it didn't stick long enough for him to make a snowball, but he really enjoyed tasting it. And according to C-Man, the snow tasted amazing. At one point, it tasted like marshmallows and the next pizza! It was awesome! Diva M had school. I think we were one of the few school districts who did not either cancel school or at least do early dismissal. I know she did get to go out and enjoy the snow though and the teacher even made a lesson out of it!

I am really glad all my kids were able to experience the snow. Who knows when it will happen again!

Especially in Texas!

Thanksgiving Week~ ER trip

If you hadn't noticed, I did not post many blog entries this week. Thanksgiving week was....interesting to say the least.

Kids were out of school, being...well...kids that had no school...which meant chaos at home. Luckily we didn't have big plans for this week. I did not make a big production of the meal. We had tacos and tamales for Thanksgiving day and on Friday I made a turkey with mashed potatoes. Simple right?

Well Friday things got crazy. We had a mishap with a stocking holder falling on my 9.5 months old head and us watching him carefully. He seemed fine all day. Then night hit, and the throwing up started. Of course this is when I turned to Google to see what it said about head injuries, and guess what one of the symptoms was? Yep..throwing up...so of course I start to panic. My husband and I agreed that if he got sick one more time we would call the pediatrician. Well not even 10 minutes after those words left my mouth, Jake projectile vomited all over my husband and my bed. Immediately we call the pediatrician and gave her the details. Of course since he is so young she said that he needed to be seen at a ER, just in case it was a head injury and not just a bug.

Hubby ran off with Jake and I stayed behind with the big kiddos. Panic and worry set in. I was literally sick to my stomach with worry. I was texting my husband asking for a play by play of what was going on. Of course most of it was simple," We r in the waiting room. He seems OK", "Wait, he just threw up again." And finally they were called back and a doctor ordered a CAT scan just to be safe. Luckily the CAT scan showed nothing! It was negative. The doctor said that he had a bug that is going around. If he was able to hold down some pedialite then he could come home to me, if not then he was getting a IV and a admission.

Fortunately, my son is a trooper. He is a tough one. He was my most difficult pregnancy, and by far my easiest baby(other than the scare we are talking about right now). So I knew that he would be the fighter he has always been, drink that pedialite and come home to me.

And he did.

Other than being exhausted, he has done wonderfully! Saturday we kept him on just a pedialite and water diet. He was not happy. He was so hungry but I wanted to make sure his tummy had settled down. Today, he has kept down oatmeal, cheerios, gerber banana puffs, and a banana. So tonight, I'm finally going to let him have some milk.

*Cross your Fingers* for me and for him! ;)

All Boy!

I should save this pic for tomorrows Wordless Wednesday but I have another pic I want to share then.

My son is all boy! Seriously..he can barely walk a straight line without falling and hurting himself. Doc says he is just a boy. I wish someone had told me this ahead of time. Now I have to go through this twice!

Look at his eye!

I believe the story is that his eye met a scooter outside somehow!
You would think falling off a scooter you would get a skinned up knee or elbow right?

Not my son, he goes for the face!

Need a Babysitter?

We moved to Houston shortly after our daughter was born(she is now 7) and we moved to this city without knowing a soul. We still do not know many people even after being here almost 7 years now. Finding a babysitter has always been an issue for us.

For the first 2.5 years in Houston, we would not go anywhere or do anything if we could not take our daughter. Once I joined a playgroup, I made friends and every now and then one of the mom's would watch our daughter and eventually our son. Now with 3 kids it is harder to ask them to watch them so my husband and I can have some time to ourselves.

So now becomes the task of finding a complete stranger to come and care for my children for a couple of hours. Just the thought of this scared me. It made me anxious and very much put me on the verge of a panic attack. I had no idea where to start or who to trust in something as serious and as precious as my children.

Fortunately I found a great website that has helped put my mind at ease and helped me realize I can find a qualified, responsible and caring individual to care for my children whenever my husband and I need some "adult" time.



NannyPro.com is just that site.

Nannypro.com is the premier online matchmaker for families seeking nannies and babysitters with the primary goal of creating a safe platform for families to connect with caregivers in the US and Canada, and obtain valuable advice and information all around the topic of childcare, parenting, and more.

Registration for nannies and sitters is free, and parents choose from various membership levels, which give them the unlimited ability to post jobs, and search, contact and hire nannies and babysitters in their areas. Detailed nanny and babysitter profiles allow families to find a caregiver specific to their individual needs.

NannyPro.com offers families 4 types of best in class background checks and pre-screens each new nanny and babysitter profile before posting it to the site. Additionally, NannyPro.com works with the International Nanny Association to offer the Basic Skills Assessment to each new caregiver upon joining the NannyPro.com community giving parents peace of mind in hiring a highly qualified caregiver.

NannyPro offers great membership options for families.

1 Month Membership - $ 24.99 USD
Plus the Complete NannyPro Hiring Guide FREE!
Full access to all of NannyPro's features

3 Month Membership - $ 49.99 USD Save more than 30%
Plus the Complete NannyPro Hiring Guide FREE!
Full access to all of NannyPro's features

6 Month Membership - $ 79.99 USD Save more than 40%
Plus the Complete NannyPro Hiring Guide FREE!
Full access to all of NannyPro's features

12 Month Membership - $ 99.99 USD Save more than 60%
Plus the Complete NannyPro Hiring Guide FREE!
Full access to all of NannyPro's features


I have been searching the NannyPro site now for approximately two weeks and I have already found at least 3 individuals that I think would fit perfectly into our family as a caregiver. It's so easy to use and I love that I have not had to put in any of my contact information. I have seen sites and joined other sites that I had to put in my contact information and I had people calling me before I was even ready to choose someone. I value my privacy and NannyPro does too!

WIN IT!

The Founder of NannyPro wants to offer one of my readers a 6 month membership to Nannypro.com! That's a value of 79.99! What a amazing deal!!!

Here are the ways you can enter:

Mandatory- Visit NannyPro.com and browse the site. Come back and tell me what features you like the best! Make sure you post a valid email address when you post! Any anonymous posters will be deleted.

Bonus Entries:
1. Tweet this giveaway-using @gutimom in your tweet. You can do this 2 times a day. Each time you will earn 1 entry. Come back and let me know EACH TIME YOU TWEET WITH THE LINK!

2. Follow me on twitter. Just click the little birdy and come back and let me know you now follow me. This will earn you 1 extra entry.

3. Blog about this giveaway and come back and post the link in a comment. Blogging about this giveaway will earn you 5 extra entries!

4. Follow my blog, come back and comment letting me know you do. This will earn you 2 extra entries.

5. Email your friends about this giveaway(BBC the email to me at gutierrezmommy01[at]gmail[dot]com) and/or post on a social networking site such as myspace, facebook,etc. Come back and post with the link if you post on a social networking site. This will earn you 2 extra entries!

Hurry before this great contest is over!

Ends November 17th at midnight CST.

Open to US and Canadian residents only. Winner will be notified by me via email(so make sure you leave me a valid email in your first post!) and will have 48 hours to contact me.


**I received a 1 month membership to review for this website. I did not receive any monetary compensation and my opinions are my own.

Free Audio Book Downloads

In this day and age, sitting down and reading a book can be hard to get most kids to do. Most kids have MP3 players or Ipods.

Luckily, you can get audio books, load them to your kids MP3 Player and know they are still hearing great stories.

At Great Little Trading Company you can download tons of kids audio books for free. They have great stories such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella, and The Tortoise and the Hare.

Go check out the selection of great audio books right now!

The Entitlement Free Child Giveaway

Mom Select contacted me and asked me to review a book for them. I was really excited when I saw the book and I knew this was going to be a great read!


The Entitlement-Free Child gives parents practical and easy to incorporate techniques to everything from bickering siblings to teacher conflicts and social problems.


The Entitlement-Free Child not only outlines what an entitlement is and how to avoid it, but gives you real-life situations and how you can deal with them. A situation is outlined, entitlement issues listed and then an entitlement-free strategies are given. As I would read a situation, I would think about how I would handle it. It was quite an eye-opener. Apparently, I have entitlement issues that I am inadvertently passing on to my children!

This book isn't a child-raising theory, it is more like a guide book with practical tips that will help guide you through confusing parenting situations.

The Benefits of Entitlement-Free parenting:

• Eliminates the self-perpetuating stress of entitlement where nothing is ever enough
• Gives you the permission and the encouragement to say "no" (a positive response to parental doubt & guilt)
  
• Teaches children self respect and respect for others
  
• Teaches children self control and postponed gratification
  
• Teaches children age-appropriate problem solving skills
  
• Gives children age-appropriate responsibility for choices and behavior

My Review:
One of the best techniques that I learned about is called "play". Play - Instead of taking kids shopping or to a movie for good behavior. Try planning a picnic and enjoying a park while asking the kids what they want to do for fun and what kind of day they had? You would be amazed at the fun you will have. The bonus: You are teaching your kids they can have fun without spending a lot. This is a wonderful lesson, especially in today's economic times.

Should You Buy?
If you ever thought - why can't my kids quit the constant "Its mine, I want it" whining? This book will help you put an end to stubbornness, disrespect and social problems by giving your child the resourcefulness to get what he/she needs and the confidence to respect the needs of others.

It's definitely worth a read for parents of all ages!



BUY IT!: The Entitlement-Free Child by Karent Deerwester can be purchased on Amazon.com for only $11.24



WIN IT!: One of my readers will receive their own copy of The Entitlement-Free Child by Karen Deerwester.


TO ENTER: Leave a comment telling me what parenting issue you feel is your biggest concern (ex: bickering siblings, allowance, bossiness, eating out, etc...)
This is required before you may use any of the extra credit options.
Please leave your email address in your comment if it is not visible in your profile.

Extra Credit! You may do any or all of the following, just don't forget to leave a separate comment for EACH one you do:

• Blog about the giveaway with a link to my blog (www.txmykindarain.blogspot.com) 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Follow my blog
• Add my button to your blog
• Add me to your text blog roll (not button) 2 entries, leave 2 comments
  
• Subscribe to my blog via email
• Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following: Tired of bratty kids? Win The Entitlement-Free Child giveaway @gutimom http://bit.ly/sHtvR
• Leave the link to your tweet in your comment. You can do this once a day! Just come back and leave the link each time you do.

Contest ends October 30th at 11:59 CST and a winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. I will contact the winner on October 31th and they will have 48 hours to respond. US Only

Cheerios Spoonful of Stories

My Blog Spark is working with Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Program, which focuses on the importance of children reading and the value of having parents and their children read together.

Over the past seven years, Cheerios Spoonful of Stories has given away more than 35 million children's books by distributing them free inside cereal boxes and has donated nearly $ 3 million to First Book, their non- profit partner, which provides books to children for low- income families. In addition to encouraging children to read, Cheerios is looking for anyone interested in writing children's books. Now in it's third year, the Cheerios Spoonful of Stories New Author Contest is a way to encourage previously unpublished, up-and-coming children's book authors and to continue to nurture a love of reading. Entries are being accepted March 16 through July 15,2009 and will be judged on appropriate story and content for children ages 3-8, emotional connection, writing quality, uniqueness, and read-aloud potential. More details of the contest can be found at the website Spoonful of Stories Contest.

Shellie Braeuner, the first years winner, won for her book " The Great Dog Wash". This nanny from Nashville won a $5,000 cash prize and the opportunity to have her book reviewed by Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing. Simon and Schuster offered Shellie a book deal-and will publish her book, illustrated by Robert Neubecker, in hardcover this summer. In addition, Cheerios will be featuring "The Great Dog Wash" free inside 1.5 million boxes of Cheerios. The book has been specially printed in paperback in both English and Spanish.

Cheerios is also announcing the winners of the second New Author Contest:

- Lori Degman of Vernon Hills, IL., won the top prize for her story, "1 Zany Zoo." In addition to winning a $5,000 cash prize from Cheerios, Degman earned the opportunity to have her book reviewed by Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing. Simon and Schuster has since offered Degman a book deal, her book is expected to be released in 2010, initially in paperback distributed inside Cheerios boxes, and later in hardcover sold in the market.

Cheerios also named two runners-up in the contest: Tameka Fryer Brown, of Charlotte, N.C., for her story " I'm Not Eating That!" and Joan Stradling, of Star Valley, AZ., for her story, "Who Invites a Pig to Dinner?". Both Brown and Stradling will receive a cash prize of $ 1,000 from Cheerios.

Are you or someone you know an aspiring children's book author? Enter the Contest!

My kids love to be read too. My oldest daughter loves to read to all of us now that she has learned to read. We all really enjoyed these books so much! They have definitely been added to our rotation of bedtime stories! Their favorite is the book, " When Dinosaurs Came With Everything".

WIN IT!

I have a complimentary Spoonful of Stories gift set to giveaway to one of my readers, thanks to My Blog Spark! To enter, you must Answer one of the following questions(these are a must to be entered, read on for how you can earn even more entries!):

1. How often do you read with your children?

2. What is your favorite Children's book?

3. If you could be a character from a children's book, who would it be?

Extra Entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link in a comment.

2. Tweet about this giveaway on twitter, leaving me the link in a comment

3. Follow my blog and leave a comment letting me know.

4. Follow me on twitter, just click the Follow me button my blog, leave me a comment with your twitter name so I know you are following me!

Books are in English and Spanish. CONTEST ENDS SATURDAY JUNE 27TH!

Save Cows, Eat Chicken!

It is the 5th Annual Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A!

Show your appreciation for the cows while eating more chicken.

Put on your best cow costume and join us for free fun on July 10!



Come to any Chick-fil-a Restaurant on July 10th dressed as a cow and you get a free meal! Free food! Who can beat that?!



Need some help with a costume? Just click HERE! Chick-fil-a is helping you out with a costume kit!

A Giggle is Worth a Thousand Words

After weeks of trying, I finally captured Jacob's giggle on camera!

And it is such a glorious sound!

Free Museums and Free Events!

Target Community has a list up of free events going on all across the United States!


This is a good site to visit, especially now while school is out and the kiddos get bored at home!



Just CLICK HERE and see if there is anything going on in your area!

Calling all Princesses!!!

I found this wonderful WAHM named Audra one day surfing the net. Audra is owner and Creator of My Lil Tutu. Her company is brand new, but very promising! Audra specializes in handmade custom tutu's for your little girl! I can not even begin to tell you how cute these little things are! You must see these little cuties for yourself!

Are those not the cutest things you have ever seen?! I wanted to share Audra with you guys because we all know how much I love WAHM's! Since she is a brand new Company, I thought we would do our usual little interview so you can get to know her as a person and her company.

So, take it away Audra!

Tell me about you and your family……
My Name is Audra and I'm a WAHM!! I've been married to my hubby for almost 3 years now!! My sweet baby girl is 2 and I have a step son who is 12!

Whats your store name and link?
My Lil Tutu www.myspace.com/457421332

What do you specialize in?
Making tutus for your little princess!!

How did you get started?
I've always loved making things and trying to be creative! One of my friends is an Awesome photographer and was always taking my daughters pictures for me. I would make tutus for her pictures and then I would post up her pictures on a mommy forum we were on. I was getting so much feedback on them and then they started asking me if I was selling them. So I sold a few here and there and word got around! Now I sell them on myspace and also sell them in a local children's store here in town! My daughter is definitely my inspiration!

What do you love about your business?
I love when the parents send me a picture of their little girls in my tutus and just to see the smile on their face makes my day!!! I love that I can make something to make someone smile!

What is your favorite product right now?
My hot pink tutu with zebra ribbon! SO cute!

What makes your shop different?
I love what I do! I wouldn't sell or ship anything I wouldn't put on my own daughter! All of my tutus can be custom made to fit and made in any colors!

What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create?
http://www.gymbofriends.com/

What do you love about handcrafts?
I love that someone took them time to make it and create it!

What are some of your favorite online shops?
www.myspace.com/customizedforyou
http://www.lexibugsphotography.com/
http://www.sweetsoles.com/
www.myspace.com/bowheadbowholdersandmore
www.myspace.com/thisnthatboutiquesupply

Thank you Audra for telling us about yourself and your company!

Now for you readers out there, we have a great opportunity for you to get your hands on one of these bad boys! Audra is gracious enough to offer up a custom made tutu for one of my readers! You get to pick 2 colors with matching bow on the tutu!

Now, the rules for entry!

1. You must leave me a comment for each entry you qualify for.

2. I will not add you to the drawing if you post anonymously.

3. Open only to residents of the U.S and Canada.

And this is how you can enter! Enter today!

This giveaway ends Monday June 22nd!

1. Post a comment here on my blog, telling me what you like about the tutu's and who you would give the tutu to if you were the winner.

2. Post this blog entry on Facebook, come comment back with the link when you do.

3. Become a follower on my blog and post a comment when you do.

4. Email the link to this blog post to all your friends, BCC the email to me at gutierrezmommy01 [at] gmail [dot]com

As a added bonus to all my readers, Audra is offering FREE SHIPPING through July 1st for any orders you guys place. Just mention my blog when ordering to receive FREE SHIPPING in the U.S.A.!

Kindergarten Graduation

Well, my little girl decided it was time to "Grow up" on me. I knew the day was coming, I just was not ready for it. At least not this soon.


My daughter graduated from Kindergarten yesterday. It is so hard to believe that she went through her very first year at school in such a short amount of time it seems. She did very well, not that I am surprised by her learning, she is one smart cookie.

Not only did she graduated but she was recognized for Perfect Attendance all year long! That's right! Not one sick day!

I am one Proud Momma!

Busy school stuff!

So, as you may have noticed...I have not been around much.

It has been so crazy here I can barely remember to cook dinner for the family!

End of the school year is always busy with parties and programs, but even more so now that Madison is in Kindergarten. Being homeroom mom I have a ton of responsibilities to the class. I have been planning for Field Day and the End of the Year Party.

So, that is why I have no been blogging this week, I have been trying to get everything planned for that. Her last day of school is June 3rd though, so I suspect I will be able to blog a more when it is all said and done.

Just wanted to give those of you who might have been wondering where I went the low down!

Preschool Coming to a End

My 2 year old son completed his first year of Preschool this past week. He went 2 days a week to a fantastic program at a local church. This preschool is amazing! My oldest daughter went there, but not until the year before Kindergarten. I firmly believe this school helped prepare her for what she was to do and learn and see in Kindergarten.

My son, only being 2, has many more years at this school. But for his first year there, I am more than pleased. He has learned so much in his time there. He can sing the ABC's. Most people have a little bit of a hard time understanding him on some parts, but I know that's what he is singing and he knows it too. He has learned colors and shapes, numbers, cute little prayers, and other fun songs.

You can see from the picture below that he loves to sing and do the hand motions with the songs that he was taught.
And I have his wonderful teachers to thank. They are amazing women who have been so patient and loving to my child and I could not ask for a better teacher and caregiver for my son.

Disney on Ice

We had the opportunity to take the kiddos to Disney on Ice: Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey at Reliant Arena a few weeks ago.

This was our 4th time at a Disney on Ice production and every time the kids have had a fantastic time so I knew that it was going to be a night to remember.

When you walk into the arena you are surrounded by tons of Disney souvenirs and workers willing to take your picture with a backdrop created with your favorite Disney characters. We decided to get the picture taken with the Mickey and Minnie backdrop. As you can see below it turned out beautifully!

When it was show time, you could feel the enthusiasm and electricity from all the kids in the arena. The music is superb, the skaters are so athletic and mesmerizing, and the costumes help bring the story to life.

My 6 year old and 2 year old enjoyed the whole show and screamed with glee at their favorite stories( Madison being Ariel the mermaid and Christopher when Peter Pan flew across the sky).

I totally recommend the Disney on Ice shows to anyone who has children who love Mickey and Minnie. Its a wonderful thing to see your child's face light up when these wonderful characters come to life!

Spring time= Bluebonnets

I love Spring Time.

The weather gets a little warmer and beautiful flowers start to bloom!

Luckily, being in Texas, we get to experience the most amazing flower I have ever seen. The Bluebonnet.
I love to go and take the kids pictures in the bluebonnets every year!