Ten reasons why you would want to visit Virgina Beach

Back again today with another blogging opportunity from Social Moms! Today they would love to know 10 Reasons Why You Would Want To Visit Virgina Beach! With it being summertime right now, we have been looking and planning on places we would love to go, and Virgina Beach is definitely on our list. Below are some of the reasons why.

1. Memories. I've been to Virgina Beach before and I absolutely loved it. I only got to stay for one day though, and I would love to go back and re-visit the hotel we stayed in and just reminisce on my teen years for a little bit. My trip to Virgina Beach was the first trip that I took without my parents, and it was a very fun trip!

2. Events. There are so many cool things in Virgina Beach! I would love to go check out the Symphony by the Sea concert series, Family Great Adventures Series, and the Funk Fest. All of them look like something my whole family would enjoy. I would love making new memories with my family!

3. The food! I remember the food being amazing there! I cannot remember where we ate at, but I would LOVE to try the food at the Aberdeen Barn Restaurant or the seafood at Captain George's Seafood! I love trying new food in different places.

4. I would love to take my kids to the Grommet Island Park at Virgina Beach. I think they would have a blast playing at the park after a long day at the beach! This park is awesome because it is a park for everyone since it's handicap accessible and even better, it's on the oceanfront!

5. The Surf, Sun, and Sand! The idea of going to any beach sounds amazing right about now, it's so hot outside. Why not make it a beautiful beach?! I would love to watch my kids building sandcastles while working on my tan!

6. The museums look amazing at Virgina Beach. I would love to take my kids there so they could learn a bit about Virgina's history. My daughter would love to visit the Francis Land House, and my son would like going to the US Navy's Master Jet Base, NAS Oceana. I would really like to see the King Neptune Statue. There are over 10 museums around Virgina Beach, a lot to choose from!

7. The getaway! Aside from being a beautiful place to visit, it would be SO nice to get away from day to day life around here. We are all itching for a vacation right about now. Going to Virgina Beach for me would be like walking into another life for a bit, and after spending the whole summer (so far) at home, a vacation would be more than welcome!

8. The accommodations. The getaway packages look amazing! The hotels all seem reasonable and the package deals are even better! You could even go camping, or get the whole family together and rent a vacation home. Personally, I would like to stay in Angie's Guest Cottage.

9. The weather! Being in Missouri, I really really want to get out of this humidity! Virgina Beach is known for it's amazing weather, and even if your going in May the highs are in the 70's! The high in June is around 82 degrees, I would love a break from this incessant heat!

10. The family experience! I know going to Virgina Beach would be a great vacation for my family. I would love to be able to take them there. We would make so many memories and have so much fun with all the attractions. It would be something my family would always remember!

So those are my top ten reasons that I would love to visit Virgina Beach! There are so many more reasons! Check it out and request your Vacation Guide today! Thanks for reading, and if you've been there leave me a comment and let me know your favorite part!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach Tourism blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway! CLOSED!

Thank you to all that entered, the winner is Felicia K. Who said...I voted for your story #2.
feliciamarie.king@gmail.com



IT'S SUMMER!!! Yay! Pools, sun, and vacations! Summer is my all time favorite season, I can't get enough of the sun and my sister in law's pool :)  So far this summer we have been to Girl Scout camp, hung out at the lake, been to the water park many times, and lived at my SIL's pool. At the end of the month we have Girl Scout Day Camp, and we are looking forward to that a lot! But for now, things are starting to calm down a little bit, and I'm totally fine with that.

Camp Prairie Schooner! 

Since I have all but abandoned this lovely blog of mine, I couldn't think of a better way to get back in the groove of blogging than a $15 Amazon Gift Card giveaway!

To enter leave me a comment below letting me know how you stay entertained during the dog days of summer. Things are starting to get a little boring here and my kiddos are fighting out of boredom!

You can get 2 extra entries by voting for me HERE, just leave a comment on her post letting her know you are voting for my story, #3. Come back here and leave me 2 comments letting me know you voted. You can only vote once!

Tweet daily for an extra entry every day! Leave the tweet link in a comment. Feel free to use this tweet: "#win a $15 Amazon Gift Card! http://mom2anutball.blogspot.com/2011/07/amazon-gift-card-giveaway.html Ends 7/15"

Please leave your email in your comment if it's not visible on your profile. Contest ends July 15th at 9:00 pm CST. Winner will be chosen via random.org and emailed as well as listed in this post. They will have 48 hours to reply to the winning email before I choose another winner. Amazon is in no way affiliated with this giveaway, the gift card is being sponsored by me! Thanks for entering!

Time Saving Tips

Moms are very busy people. From softball practice to cheer practice, from school plays to making dinner, moms are almost always the go to gal in charge of getting everyone where they need to be! There have been many times that I have wished for an extra hour in during the day! There is good news though... there are a ton of things you can do to save that valuable time! Here is my top ten time saving tips.

1. Combine trips. I find it easier to head to the grocery store while my daughter is at cheer practice, that way it's all done by the time she is, and I save on gas. Double bonus.

2. Make a list. It may seem like that would take more time, but 5 minutes to make a list of everything that needs done that day will help save time later when you forget something important that needed to be done. I'm horrible about remembering everything I need to do, without a list I would (many times) have to go back and do something I could have done earlier.

3. Plan ahead. During the school year I like to lay my daughter's clothes out for the next day while she is taking a shower that night. Makes getting her ready for school the next day a ton easier and faster. I also like to makes sure I have dinner set out and ready to cook the morning of. I'm constantly forgetting this one though, and normally I have to run back to the store to get something for dinner that night.

4. Remember that it's okay to not be perfect! Not everything has to be in order for your day to continue. Sometimes it's okay for your hair not to be perfect or make up on. Sometimes I skip on them, and life is fine without my hair and make up done!

5. Make a schedule, and try to stick to it. If you know what comes next everyday, it will be faster when the evening comes. Dinner, then baths, then nighttime story. If it's the same every night, it gets easier and faster.

6. Pay ahead. Often times I have a prepaid debit card in my car just in case I forget my wallet or leave my purse at home. It's saved me many trips back home.

7. Bank online. It saves so many wasted trips to the bank! It also makes bill paying a cinch and you don't have to waste time, or gas going to pay bills. I love online banking.

8. Do chores daily. I like to do a load of laundry every single day first thing in the morning. That way it don't pile up and I have to spend a whole day doing it. I do that will all my household chores. It makes life easy :)

9. Enlist the help of others. I do this often, hubby helps out and so do my kids. I realized that I'm only one person and sometimes I need help getting things done.

10. Shop in the "off" hours. I find the stores are way less busy at night and that is my favorite time to shop for groceries. No long check out lanes, and not very many people in the store in general makes for a super fast shopping trip!


Well, those are my ten tips! Hope I helped you out! Remember things don't have to be perfect all the time, take the time to smell the roses!!



I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Just sayin'

Sometimes the evil comes out in my children... proof is in the pics :)

I know it's blurry, but she looks freakin evil!

His eyes freak my out!

Joplin Tornado... hits close to home.

"Home" not really being psychical, more emotional, though Joplin is a mere 160 miles away. The horrible tragedy in Joplin makes you realize how precious life really is and how everything you know and love could be gone in an instant. It makes me want to hug my babies a little more and not let go. It's been so hard reading, watching, and listening to all the videos and news reports from Joplin. I literally had to make myself walk away from my computer after hours of surfing different news sites reporting from Joplin. It seems like each picture I see is worst than the last. It is - in one word - horrible.

Picture taken from CNN.

It's heart wrenching to think about. A group of us are going to go donate blood today. Other than prayers that is just about all we can do right now. Next week we are going down to help with clean up, and I can see us doing that every week for a very long time to come. They are going to need help for a long time. I hope that once the "newness" of this passes that people will still remember that they need help.

Just a reminder that when bad things happen dirtbags come out of the woodwork trying to scam people for money. Please make sure that if you donate money to do it through a well known site. Make sure your hard earned money is going to Joplin and not some dirtbag looking to gain a few bucks off of other peoples tragedy. It's all over facebook. It's really sad.

To give now and ensure 100% of the proceeds go to Joplin:
- Go to http://www.uwheartmo.org/ and click to donate
- Text JOPLIN to 864833 ($10 donation)
- Call the Heart of Missouri United Way at 573-443-4523 

 Please pray for everyone involved, those directly affected as well as indirectly. The volunteers and even the reporters could use some prayers. There is another bad round of weather due to hit Missouri today and tonight. Thanks for reading. 

Summer Getaways for kids!!

Here is another great blogging prompt from Social Moms! Today Alamo Insiders would love to know what your top 5 getaways for children are! I remember when I was in school and the last few weeks of school would be filled with conversations of what trips we were planning on taking and adventures we planned on having during the summer. I loved summer time, my mom always made it super fun, and I plan on doing it for my kids too. I have a few different things in mind that they will love this summer and I can't wait to get started on our adventures.

The very first thing I think all kiddos should experience is camping! I absolutely loved camping as a kid, so much so that I went camping every single weekend during the summer when I was a teen. Last year was the first year that I got brave enough to take my kids, but I am so glad I did. Both of them loved going and can't wait to go again this year. There's just something about sitting around the campfire making Smores and telling stories that is so relaxing!

The next thing is Disneyland or Disney World. We are planning on taking our kids next summer so while it's still a long way away, I am super excited. I think it should be like, a right, for every kid to go while they are elementary aged. I didn't have a chance to go, and it's defiantly something that I want my kids to experience.

Another thing that all kids should get to do during the summer is going to Yosemite National Park. We are working on doing that this summer. My family took me when I was little and it is something that I will remember forever. It was so beautiful and it almost makes you feel SO small in comparison. I loved it there.

If your kiddos are in or around Kansas or Missouri then a trip to Great Wolf Lodge would be awesome too. Their rooms are phenomenal. The prices are reasonable, and the best part is the swimming! They have indoor and outdoor pools and it's so fun! We had the chance to go last summer and I know my kiddos loved it and can't wait to go back!

The last place would be a fun trip to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. They have cabins for overnights. They have the best roller coasters and tons of fun for the little ones. Snoopy Land is awesome. Their prices are also pretty reasonable. Yet another place that my kiddos love!

Those are my top five places for kiddos to getaway to! I hope you have a chance to visit some of them. Being a kid in the summer time is one of the best feelings in the world, they all should get a chance to do something fun!

Thanks for reading!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

AGH!

So, this whole trying to get pregnant thing just sucks! I'm so over being disappointed every month. It's only been 3 months. This month is the worst, no Aunt Flo and no positive. GAHHHHHH!!!

That's all I got really. Just bitching! I've meant to update more often but things have been crazy busy around here. Girl Scouts, Field Trips, and playing at the park are taking up a ton of my "blogging" time. Oh, I also found a neat site that I'm more than a little hooked on. It's called Worthy of Publishing. Check it out if ya got some time and you like to read.

Hopefully soon I will be bitching about morning sickness instead of negative pregnancy tests! Wish me luck!