Halloween is coming!!! Seeing the children all dressed up in their cute costumes always makes me smile. As a pre-k teacher I will be having costume day at school and I can’t wait to see what the little ones will come in wearing. The question is this: WHAT WILL MS. CHERYL BE FOR HALLOWEEN? UGH! I have to go in dressed up–If I don’t I will surely let down 12 cutie-pies. I have been looking online and found a great costume site called MOON COSTUMES. I figured I should look online because Target and the local drugstores are limited to what they have for adults and sometimes when you buy from the store you get the outfit home only to realize it’s missing a piece! (That happened to me twice with my son’s costume–Thankfully I investigated way before Halloween so I could go back again and replace it). I found quite a few cute ones which I will have to post here for you soon. However, I thought I would spotlight some of my favorites for kids and adults.
Moon Costumes has a huge line of costumes for kids. The have Disney Characters, movie characters such as Star Wars and The Wizard Of Oz, Princesses, Barbie, Pirates, Hannah Montana, and more! I don’t think I have seen a larger selection of costumes online yet.
The selection for adults is great. Some of them are SO FUNNY. I LOVE “Chick Magnet”, the Lucy costume and the baby in the highchair costume. If you have a Halloween party to go to, you MUST check out their selection. Here are some of my favorites for men and women:
Need a costume for your pet? They have those too!
Want to see what else they have? Head on over to moon costumes today and view their entire selection. Here is a link for your convenience:
A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression “going bananas” is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:
Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!! This is interesting.. After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.
Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose & glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained & substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.
But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit.It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses & conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood & generally make you feel happier.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, & lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up & avoid morning sickness.
Overweight & at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate & chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A & iron, & twice the other vitamins & minerals. It is also rich in potassium & is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!”
Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking.. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium & magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain & regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack..
Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin & place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture & smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity & reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a “cooling” fruit that can lower both the physical & emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling & irritation.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach &, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes & re-hydrates your system.
PMS: Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood & so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food & Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure & stroke.
I have a few weaknesses, one of them is scented candles. I am a scent woman—always have been. I associate smells with people and memories which is why I always choose the same scents all the time. I am sure many of you do the same. What are my favorite candle scents? I love Clean Cotton by Yankee Candle, and GAP used to put out a SUPER STRONG “Christmas” scented candle which I didn’t see last year, but luckily I still have three left over that I purchased on the cheap after Christmas. =)
I love a strong scented candle; one that doesn’t even have to be lit for you to be able to smell it when you enter a room. I can now add a new company to my favorites list: Gold Canyon. Gold Canyon has MUST HAVE scented candles. Maria Duran is a representative of Gold Canyon Candles and she was nice enough to send me two scents to try. She asked me to pick two scents to try so I picked Cozy Christmas (shock right? lol) and I decided to live on the edge and request a scent that I don’t already have: Sugar Cookie. I am now sitting here with laptop on my kitchen table, watching my two boys color in the their coloring books as I write this review with my fragrant Sugar Cookie Gold Canyon Candle sweetening the air. DELICIOUSLY scented, this candle is making me want something sweet right now. It smells like I just baked in here. My sons kept shoving their little noses in the jar and pretending to faint because it was so “yummy”. I am saving the Cozy Christmas for the holidays but just leaving the box on the counter leaves a scent that I can enjoy. I can’t wait to light them for the holidays.
You MUST TRY this brand of candles if you haven’t already done so. They are so fragrant and offer a very large assortment of sizes, and scents. Gold Canyon offers tea lights, votives, jars and pillars, plus lots of holders for everyday use and for special ocasions too. Their Halloween collection is adorable and their Christmas collection is so festive. At Gold Canyon, you will find many candle options to choose from that won’t break the bank. They even have bath and body options and cleaning products too. I would love to try it all!
Take a look at some of these holiday options which are very reasonably priced:
Oh BOY I could go CRAZY for the holidays decorating my home with Gold Canyon Candles! Couldn’t you?
For those of you looking for a WAHM (work at home) opportunity—there is also the option of becoming a representative for Gold Canyon yourself! You may look into this option when you go to Maria’s Site.
Well, there is good news, one lucky reader will win a 5 ounce candle and a car freshner from Maria’s Gold Canyon Candle Shop! Entering is EASY –just stop by her site and click on the “Shop” link and browse through the scents that Gold Canyon offers then come back here and leave a comment telling me what scent you would pick for your prize. Here is the link to Maria’s Gold Canyon Candle site:
For those of you who don’t know how to enter a comment its simple- Just click on the word comment at the end of this post and it will take you to the end of this post and give you a comment box to fill in. Just fill in the box with your comment and you will be entered to win!
Want extra entries? You can leave two extra comments for meeting any of the following requirements:
BE or BECOME a Fan of Becausemomsaidso.com on FACEBOOK, Subscribe to BecauseMomSaidSo.com by email or join me thru Google Friend Connect, Join Becausemomsaidso.com on Networked Blogs on Facebook, Twitter or add this contest to any social media site and send me the link, Grab the becausemomsaidso.com button for your blog or blog about this giveaway and comment with the permalinks (Remember to leave two comments for each of the above that you deserve).
One Winner will be chosen using random.org on October 3rd. You may enter a new comment every day until October 2nd at midnight Eastern time.
Thanks To MARIA DURAN for her samples and for offering this giveaway prize to the wonderful readers of Becausemomsaidso.com
Ella Bella Hairclippies pal Mary sent me a pic of her son on his first day of school–Isn’t he handsome? He is also very smart–mommy is very proud.
I also need to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ella who turns ONE year old.
Here are my loves on their first day of school (My Easy Share Camera quit on me and I had to use my camcorder to take still pics so they are fuzzy but you can still see well enough I guess):
Both of my boys LOVE their new teachers.
Its not too late to share your children’s pictures either… if you would like to share them send a jpeg to me at cheryl@becausemomsaidso.com and I will post them on the site.
First let me say this: Its all in good fun… much like the many blode jokes, and polish jokes out there (both of which I am so believe me I have been the receiver of many jokes myself). I DO KNOW that there are many MANY MEN who are exceptional DADS and whom rise to the challenge of multitasking and who truly have their act together, so please don’t attach comments labeling me as a man-hater–LOL I just thought this was cute and one that most stay at home moms would get a chuckle out of. Feel free to use the share button to forward it to friends. Oh… I was going to attach a picture of a father multi-tasking but I couldn’t find one. LOL–just joking dads. We love you.
THE
NEXT SURVIVOR
SERIES
Six married men
will be dropped on an island with one car and
3 kids each for six weeks.
Each kid will play two sports
and take either music or dance classes.
There is no fast food.
Each man must
take care of his 3 kids;
keep his assigned house clean,
correct all homework,
complete science projects,
cook,
do laundry,
and pay a list of ‘pretend’ bills
with not enough money.
In
addition, each man
will have to budget in money
for groceries each week.
Each man
must remember the birthdays
of all their friends and relatives,
and send cards out on time–no emailing.
Each man must also take each child
to a doctor’s appointment,
a dentist appointment
and a haircut appointment.
He must make one unscheduled and
inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.
He must also make cookies or cupcakes
for a social function.
Each man will be responsible for
decorating his own assigned house,
planting flowers outside, and keeping it
presentable at all times.
The men will only have access to television
when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.
The men must shave their legs,
wear makeup daily,
adorn
themselves with jewelry,
wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,
keep fingernails polished,
and eyebrows groomed
During one of the six weeks,
the men will have to endure severe
abdominal cramps, back aches, head aches,
have extreme, unexplained mood swings
but never once complain or slow down
from other duties.
They must attend weekly school meetings and
church,
and find time at least once to spend
the afternoon at the park or a similar
setting.
They will need to read a book to the kids
each night and in the morning,
feed them,
dress them,
brush their teeth and
comb their hair
by 7:00 am.
A test
will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be
required to know all of the following information:
each child’s
birthday,
height, weight,
shoe size, clothes size,
doctor’s name,
the child’s weight at birth,
length, time of birth,
and length of labor,
each child’s favorite color,
middle name,
favorite snack,
favorite song,
favorite drink,
favorite toy,
biggest fear,
and what they want to be when they grow up.
The kids vote them off the island based on performance.
The last man wins only if…
he still
has enough energy
to be intimate with his spouse
at a moment’s
notice.
If the last man does win,
he can play the game over and over and over
again for the next 18-25 years,
eventually earning the right
to be called Mother!
After you get done laughing,
send this to as many females as
you think will get a kick out of it and
as many men as you think can handle it.
Just don’t send it back to me….
I’ll be up late working on my blog, ironing the kids clothes for school, and oh… maybe getting a shower in before 1 a.m. just prior to going to bed.
My Motivational Mondays have been few and far between–I appologize. There is no good reason for my failure to post nice Christian thoughts…just plain old summer stuff getting in the way. I am going to try to be more diligent from now on.
I love this video by Michael W. Smith—or should I say a mass of people singing his song with him. I hope you enjoy it too. Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the page to turn off the site’s background music before pressing play. God bless and may all of us have a wonderful week.
Did you have a good relationship with your siblings?
I found a great article on Yahoo this morning. The article discusses the fact that not enough studies have been performed on the impact of siblings upon one another but rather most people look at the relationship of a person with their parents for the most part. Like the author of the article and the professionals sited in the article, I do agree that your siblings have a huge impact upon who and what type of person you will be as you grow up. My brother and I were very close growing up; for the most part he never made me feel like he didn’t want me around. He was protective but not overly so, and I can’t remember a single instance where I felt like he didn’t want me around. He had his own friends and I had mine; he wasn’t a “bad kid” at all. If he was, I didn’t know about it—he would never let me see that part of him if he was up to no good. He was supportive, sweet and caring. I believe he was an excellent role model for me and although I do understand that I am my own person and that I have my own “nature” which for the most part is that of a “good girl who looks before she leaps”, I do think that my brother being the person he was and so nurturing to me helped to keep me on the right path growing up. My mom and dad had a lot to do with all of this, of course, as they brought us both up to do the right things and would not allow us to be mean to each other, but I do place a lot of credit upon my brother–he helped me turn out pretty darn good.
Thanks Michael. I love you. I wish that all the men in the world were like you and dad.
They may buffer stress. Warm sibling relationships can be protective, says Dunn, and seem to buffer kids against stressful events, like parents’ separation.
They provide good practice. Research has clocked the rate of sibling squabbles at anywhere between six to 10 disputes per hour for certain childhood age groups, says Kramer. While these conflicts can be a headache for parents, they can help kids make developmental strides in a “safe relationship” and provide good training for interacting with peers, says Kramer. “You know there’s nothing really that you can do to make this [other] child terminate the relationship.” No matter what, he’ll be there tomorrow at the breakfast table. That safety enables siblings to practice behaving in ways they aren’t able to with other people. Sibling spats help kids learn what they think is right; to negotiate and compromise; and to tolerate the negative emotions that crop up in life. “This is the bright side,” Kramer says. “Obviously, there’s an unpleasant side as well.”
She adds, “Some evidence suggests that when kids have good relationships with siblings, they’re more likely to develop good relationships with their peers.” But we’re still learning about that, she says.
They may help raise our vulnerability to mental-health issues. Sibling strife during mid-childhood is a predictor of increased anxiety, depression, and delinquent behavior in adolescence, the University of Denver’s Clare Stocker has reported. What’s more, a 2007 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that men who had poor relationships with even one sibling before age 20 were significantly more likely to become depressed by age 50 than men who got along with their siblings, independent of their relationship with their parents. This effect may not hold true for women, who weren’t included in the study, notes Robert Waldinger, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and leader of the research.
They can grease a slide into bad behavior. Drinking. Smoking. Delinquency. Some research suggests that siblings’ bad habits rub off. “If you have a sibling who is participating in those types of activities…….
For more on this article click the link above.
Hoping your relationships with your siblings are good ones….but if they aren’t, remember it’s never too late to mend them.
My inbox was full of Affiliate Sales buttons today girls! Here are some of the best ones. Enjoy =)
Now through September 30, 2009, customers will be able to receive FREE SHIPPING and SAVE 50% on Sheer Cover! AND GET 8 FREE GIFTS! YES 8 FREE GIFTS!
Also selling at 50% off right now– PROACTIV Acne Products. I used to use Proactiv when I was working as a full time teacher and stopped using it after my second son was born to cut expenses –it is the ONLY THING THAT KEEPS MY SKIN CLEAR I really should go back at this price–my skin looks terrible (sincerely).
Use the links below to find out more info. Share with your friends who might be interested as well.
I found this on my Share A Sale page today. They shut down the site in memory of those that were lost—I thought that was HUGE. For many of us, today is a hard day to get through….it’s hard to look back upon past events and reflect on the losses. As a New Yorker and someone with lots of fire-fighters in my family as well as friends and family that worked in Manhattan on that day, I am happy to say that God blessed me with the return of everyone I love. Many were not as lucky. I pray that everyone takes time today to reflect on the past and look to the future. God bless the world today and always–may we learn to live in peace.
So by now it has hit everyone that SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION! My boys go off tomorrow (Wednesday) and the 6 year old is not very happy about it. He wants me to home school him. Sadly, I can’t because I have to work, but I think its a wonderful idea. I know many of my readers are home-schoolers and love it. He says school is boring and although I know that is probably true, I know it is also the nervousness of not fitting in at the ripe old age of 6 that has him feeling gloomy. I am sure he’ll get over it; he usually does.
Tomorrow will also be my four year old’s first day of school ever! OH BOY! He is excited and I am nervous. Where has time gone?
I wanted to write this post to wish all of you and the kids in your lives a happy first day back at school—May they all have a WONDERFUL, HEALTHY and HAPPY school year. God bless each of us and each of them as we prepare for the new challenges ahead. May God keep us all in his care and may it be the best school year ever.
If ANYONE would like me to post their child’s first day of school photos, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE email the photo to me at cheryl@becausemomsaidso.com —I would absolutely LOVE to post them!
Want to see what else they have? Head on over to moon costumes today and view their entire selection. Here is a link for your convenience:
