A unique book , written and illustrated by a 10 year old girl with a desire to spread kindness and friendship, Natalie Tinti starts Sewing a Friendship with a picture of each of the characters in the book and character profile of each, answering the questions of birth date, age, family, eye color, hair color, favorite food, favorite color, and specialty.  Thus, once the story starts in earnest, the readers can know just exactly who is involved.
The story is basically about five girls becoming friends because of …

Do you know a talented teen? The executive producers of Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars are looking for female singers, 16-24 to audition for Talent – a hot new web series debuting early 2011.  Winners will receive a lead role in Talent and a recording contract with Jive Records! Girls can submit their audition videos at http://thetalentshow.com through September 28th.
This is not something you’d typically expect me to post about on 3Ps in a Pod, but I’m reaching out on the chance that you readers (some …

See this child?   Looks innocent,doesn’t she?  Harmless.  Well, she is that child.Yes, well, this same child is the one who fell and split her lip at age 3 and needed stitches and the same child who fell and broke her arm about a year later, made like Houdini and pulled the first cast off and had to have a second one put on.  Then of course she is also the one who suffers in silence while her ear drum is bursting so I have to try to out guess her …

Purple, Purple, Purple, Purple,
White, White, White, White, White!
Let’s Go Coyotes
You’re Really Outta Sight!
P2 at her 1st Game
August 2010
If you have a picture up for Wordless Wednesday, leave your link below in the comment.  Then you can head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom, Double Bugs,  The Not-So-Blog Blog,  Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, Mommy Goggles, Momspective, Look What Mom Found – and Dad Too!, Mom of 3 Girls, The Divine Miss Mommy,  …

Yes, you read that right, just like the tv show, Project Runway.  Is the game made for Wii as enjoyable?  That is likely a matter of personal taste.  It is set up similarly to the show:

Receive the Challenge – From haute couture to cheerleading uniform, from hip hop fashion to a newspaper dress.
Select the design – Choose from an enormous selection of color, fabrics, material, accessories.
Customize the model – Hundreds of options for hair, skin tone, make up, and features.
Strut the runway – Model unique designs on the catwalk – …

Ah the after school snack time.  It should be so simple, right.  Hah!  Not at my house and I would wager not at everyone of yours either.  Tired, picky children are not looking for nutritious things, rather anything they can quickly get their hands on.  I just saw a great idea of using a 89cent pencil box per child, putting their name on it and a coupe of sticker or something to jazz it up a bit things in it they can choose from such as a granola bar, cheese …

Nosie Kisses is a precious story written by a friend of ours after their fist daughter was born (after 3 boys) making for some truly choice experiences in their life.  One of them is the sweet bedtime tradition that Billy and Savannah have of Nosie Kisses at bedtime each night.  This book shares that tradition with us all and more.  They carry on the tradition as she grows up on through her teenage years, until she marries and even until the precious moment when she too has a daughter and …

School may be in session here in Texas but summer is far from over.  There are plenty of hot, sunny football and soccer games to be had as well as time to spend at the pool so both sunscreen and tanning lotion are far from out of season.
Now anyone who knows me very well is rolling with laughter at the thought of me using a product named Hawaiian Bikini Kitchen Booty Butter Tanning Lotion as I only have 2 colors when it comes to my skin – cotton white and …

You may recall that in our ‘What Mom Wants is… Mother’s Day Giftguide and Giveaways one of the items shown was the KQC Personal Ceramic X-Heat Styling Iron. Now that some time has passed and I have had time to actually use it, I wanted to give you my thoughts on it and how it is working for me.
First let me tell you a little more about KQC.  “KQC is the fastest growing manufacturer of electrical personal care appliances, from hair straighteners, hair dryers and curling irons. KQC products …

In the past I have made mention to the fact that I am not a huge fan of cooking, especially for picky small children.  Baking on the other hand, is a whole other thing.  So, when I was offered a recipe book from the fine folks over at Nielsen-Massey Vanilla, makers of some of the finest vanillas in The World, well, my mouth started to salivate and of course I said yes.
Well, did I have a surprise in store for me.  Thankfully it was a fun one!
Nielsen-Massey …

This wonderful little book took me quite by surprise and it it may you  as well.  New on the market, written by Eva Marie Cote and illustrated by Tom Myers, it is an unassuming little paperback that I was contacted by the illustrator about.  He wondered if I would take a little time and look over it and give them my opinion so I said sure, especially since I knew I had Book Week coming up.
When the book arrived, I instantly knew with P3’s birthday being days away, I had …

Do you collect Box Tops? Although I have always seen Box Tops on many of the products I bought, I did not really pay attention to them until last year when I got to visit General Mills. What a great program for schools to earn a little extra money!   And I love that it it is a way for me to teach my girls about saving money, giving and something akin to coupons all rolled up in one.
Right now, our buddies at Target® have a special promotion …

Well, ready or not, we started school this week.  As you can tell from the faces, we had a few mixed reactions but overall, they were happy to go and happy with their teachers and classes.

August 23rd, 2010

If you have a picture up for Wordless Wednesday, leave your link below in the comment.  Then you can head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom, Double Bugs,  The Not-So-Blog Blog,  Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, Mommy Goggles, Momspective, Look What Mom …

I recently received a copy of an adorable book called Hayseed’s First Race. I knew immediately that I had to give it to P2.  She LOVES it.  Of course, it IS about a horse after all
Written and illustrated by Sally Schrock for children PreK through 2nd Grade. Sally has even listed print out activity sheets for those ages as well.
In Hayseed’s First Race, Hayseed and your child remember to love themselves for who they are and to never, ever let anyone tell them they don’t don’t belong. …

Mandy and Pandy are a little Chinese girl and a Panda Bear who have been paired up to create a cute series of 6 books to give a basic introduction to the Chinese culture and their language for English speaking children. Each book is accompanied with an audio CD which includes English text read by a native English speaker and Chinese text read by a native Chinese speaker.  When you are the mom of a Chinese born/American raised daughter, books like this are EXACTLY what you …

I just wanted to give you the heads-up,  that 6pm.com is having a swim & sandal blow out this Thursday, August 26.
If you are not familiar with 6pm.com is the online retail site where brandaholics get their daily fix on the brands they crave in men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel, footwear, and accessories at up to 75% off every single day!
Check out the links below to get a sneak peek of how spectacular this sale will be! Stock up for next summer now and save!
SANDALS Up to 85% off
http://www.6pm.com/sandals
SWIM SALE! …

Ever feel like sometimes to really clean you have to do all kinds of tricks including standing on your head?  Well have I got a great product for you then!  Soft Scrub has been a household name in our home for many years, along with several other products to do several other jobs.  Well no more.  This is a one-shot-cleans-most things product baby!  With me being down and out with my migraines so often, our bathrooms have gotten down right n-a-s-t-y, I am sad to say.  Well, all I had …

Welcome to Book Week! What is Book Week? A fun time with great reviews on mainly children’s books, some for adults too, some giveaways, some handy information and tips on helping get your children to learn to love to read, some exciting news regarding upcoming new books and more!  So stick around throughout the week and see what pops up!

*Mandy and Pandy Play Sports
*Hayseed’s First Race
*I Am Me and You Are You
*A Century of Flavor ~Nielsen Massey Vanillas

* Nosie Kisses

***WELCOME to the EXTENDED Version of BOOK WEEK!  That …

If you are anything like me, you love the smell of a good candle in your home.  Of course, if you are anything like my almost 9 yr old, you love nothing better than to go around behind me and blow them all out but I digress.:)  The Glade Fragrance Collection can help you transform any room of your home, bringing you the perfect expression for any mood or occasion. And whether the scent you crave is fruity or floral, spicy or sensual, Glade® has a fragrance to satisfy you. …

Fashion Playtes is an online site that allows you or your daughter to design clothing for her to wear. If you have a daughter like one of mine who is very picky about what she wears, this is a dream come true! For me, was a great adventure and opportunity for my daughter to choose exactly what she wanted and open the door to discuss modesty and style as well.

On Fashion Playtes you can use the virtual sketchbook to create their own shirts, skirts, dresses, pants, …

I just finished purchasing school supplies for my 3 girls.  Talk about a beating for both my and my wallet!   Wow!  Normally I buy them through the school so now I know and forever more will buy them via school.  Well, Kelly Wilson has some great helpful ideas and while it may be too late for a few of them for this year, who says you cannot teach us old dogs some new tricks, hmm?

Guest Blog by Kelly Wilson, an editor for Teaching Resource Center.
Your child’s school supply list …

The nice folks at Chex® along  with My Blog Spark sent me a great gift pack the other day. It included a Lock-n-Lock 4.2 qt plastic storage container, a 2 cup plastic measuring cup with a lid, a set of measuring spoons that measure all the way up to 1/3 cup, a set of recipe cards for making gluten free goodness using our favorite Chex® Cereals, and a coupon good for a free box of Gluten Free Chex Cereal. I call that a pretty great package!
There …

One of the things I love best in Texas is the wide blue Texas sky.  Of course, the wide blue Texas sky also brings with it plenty of sunshine and sunburns in the middle of Summer and you can never keep enough sunscreen on yourself or your kids.  Even just driving down the road in the car, you can get a burn through the window on your left arm as it sits in the bright Texas sun.
Recently Mom Central introduced me to a cool new product  ~ Shady Day Daily …

These are all from P3’s 4th birthday Party exactly as she requested – At Grammie’s House, With White Cake, Princesses, Pink  (and White) frosting, Purple Ice Cream.  She seemed to love every bit of the event.  Hard to believe my ‘baby’ is 4!!

August 16th, 2010

If you have a picture up for Wordless Wednesday, leave your link below in Mr. Linky.  Then you can head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom, Double Bugs,  The Not-So-Blog Blog,  Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, …

In the US, I would like to think that everyone has at least heard of Autism, however many of us may not be educated as to just what it is, how many varieties of it there are and just how closely it hits to many, many homes.
Autism Speaks is the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy group, dedicated to helping fund research, treatment, prevention,cause, and cure autism.  Autism does not affect just any one group of people nor does it come in any one ‘type’ of behavioral patterns.
Autism Speaks has …

I know how crazy the summer can get at this point with school starting for many like us in a few days, for some in a few weeks, but the Fresh Air Fund is still in need of host families. I posted about it a couple of times last year.  Thousands of inner-city children’s lives can still be changed.  Take a few minutes of your time and read about it and see if you can be of some help.

Here are the final winners:
Jennifer #135
Arla #51
Tammy #186
Shelia #374
Thank you to everyone who participated. I loved all of your fun comments and replies.
I truly have THE BEST READERS !!!!
Can’t wait to see what is next!!

Sears Hometown Stores are celebrating 17 years with a celebration sweepstakes extravaganza! In the common Sears spirit, Sears Hometown Stores are celebrating this special occasion by doing what they do best: Giving back to their customers!
Hurry though because the sweepstakes will run only through July 31st, 2010. Customers of Sears Hometown Stores, …

The trusty ice cream maker

The wannabe golfer

Happy Unbirthday Daddy!
Brett’s birthday is actually December 18th, the same day as Paris’ but when you grow up in a family of 6, you often feel a little overlooked when it falls somewhere between the last day of school, family Christmas Parties and Christmas.  To make a switch for him to a fun Summery birthday, we now officially celebrate his birthday ob July 18th (June 18th is often Father’s Day;)  If you have a kid who has a birthday at a time where you …

My Friend Louise at  Mom Start posted about this wonderful opportunity. For every post written, $10.00 will be donated to Adopt-a-Classroom, up to $10,000. Elmer’s is celebrating back to school with a partnership with Wal-Mart and Adopt-A-Classroom to make a difference in children’s lives.
HOW CAN YOU JOIN? Well that’s easy!

Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward and by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post with specific rules described below.
Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom
You …

Well, after an awful month of July spent in a migraine pain filled haze topped off with the lat week spent in the hospital.  Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Follow that with computer and email troubles and in not trying to alienate all of my few remaining friends, I had to wait until I had cleared those up prior to posting much.
Anyway, here we are, early August.  I had some fun things from the Holidays that I never got the chance to show you and thought Christmas in July (yes, yes, I know) was …

I was so proud of her…what a brave girl!

August 3, 2010
If you have a picture up for Wordless Wednesday, leave your link below in Mr.Linky.  Then you can head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom,  The Not-So-Blog Blog,  Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, Mommy Goggles, Momspective, Look What Mom Found – and Dad Too!, Mom of 3 Girls, The Divine Miss Mommy, Mom Start, Fairytales & Puppy Dog Tails,  …

Welcome to the new 3Ps in a Pod Weekly Giveaway Roundup. In trying to decrease my migraines and stress in my life and simplify some things, the Weekly Giveaway Round Up will now be a place you want to be! Come by each weekend (a clean Mr Linky sheet will be up each week and you can list your giveaways to your little ol hearts’ content!) They will remain on the blog permanently so you can even check the previous week’s links too whenever you want.   Have fun and lots …

Recently we went on a short, fun family vacation out to East TX and stayed at a friend’s home on Lake Palestine.  While we had some heat and sunshine,we had some rainy days too.

One of the rainy days we went to see ToyStory 3 and on another, we went to Tyler, to visit the Discovery Science Place,  THE BEST kids museum we have ever been to.  We ALL had a ball!

Oh the fun of us all doing our nails….

June 2010
If you have a picture up for Wordless …

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, a fun, new blog hop I just learned about from my newish online friend Stacie over at Simply Stacie. A blog hop to boost your subscriber count!
Hosted by Simply Stacie, This Mama Loves Her Bargains and A little of this A little of that…
Here’s how to join in the fun:

Add your blog link to the linky over on Simply Stacie.

Subscribe by email to the three hostesses listed above. They will return the favor.
Visit the other blogs on the linky list and subscribe by email to any …

……AND THE WINNER IS…..#16 TESA SHELTON!!!!!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!

THANKS TO ALL MY WONDERFUL READERS. WATCH FOR MORE FUN AND INTERESTING ARTICLES and GIVEAWAYS!

….dim the lights….
“…..La-dies and Gen-tel-men….I prrrre-sent you with the Grrrrreeee-aaaaaattttest Show in Eeeaarrttthhhh!….”

While I will never forget the fun I had as a child when my parents took me to the Circus, nor understand what a gift it was, I will also not forget last year taking my girls all together for the first time.  Grammie and Pop had taken P1 for her first visit but P2 and P3 …

Did you know that every newborn in the U.S. is eligible to receive a free ticket to Ringling Bros. circus? What a wonderful way to celebrate the special arrival! The free admission offer is good for one ticket that is redeemable at any time during the lifetime of the child, whether at age 2 or 92. It’s definitely something you readers would love to share with their families and friends.

To receive the child’s first free Ringling Bros.® ticket, parents need only complete the registration form in the “Special Offers” section …

Trust me, in this case, you want to be a FIGHTER!     The Arthritis Foundation and Ad Council have teamed up to promote a new campaign entitled “Fight Arthritis Pain“. I want to share with you a fun video that will inspire you to get moving!

Physical activity – whether walking, running or even dancing helps maintain a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle.  So come on, Be a FIGHTER!!

This post courtesy of The Arthritis Foundation and The Ad Council, who provided the information for most of this post. No payment or compensation, …

Welcome to the new 3Ps in a Pod Weekly Giveaway Roundup.  In trying to decrease my migraines and stress in my life and simplify some things, the weekly round up will now be a place you want to be!  Come by each weekend (a clean Mr Linky sheet will be up each week and you can list your giveaways to your little ol hearts’ consent!  They will remain on the blog permanently so you can even check the previous week’s links too whenever you …

Hey you.  You know who I mean.  Yeah, you, the one I am talking to.  Ever considered making a change.  No, I am not talking a small, tiny, itty bitty change.  I am talking about an all encompassing, cost saving, health improving, life lengthening, type of change.  I am talking about stopping smoking.
To break it down, they want you to become AN EX.  The AD Council and Legacy have given me some terrific information to share with you.

Quitting smoking is one of the most difficult and important lifestyle changes …

Snifff… don’t let Summer placate you you into thinking there is no need to worry about cough, colds,allergies or yes, even the Flu.  While the concern about them may be less, the germs are still alive and kickin and making us and our children plenty miserable.  I know P2 has just had to finish her 2nd round of antibiotics with a wicked ear infection.  No fun.  Thankfully we have great over the counter medicines like the Triaminic brand to help us out.
You may have heard about the new recommendations that …

KaBOOM! PLAY DAYS PRESENTED BY MOTT’S ARE BACK!
THOUSANDS OF COMMUNITIES ENCOURAGED TO PLAY
THIS SEPTEMBER IN SECOND ANNUAL EVENT
WASHINGTON, DC., June 15 — To ensure that kids across the country get active and playful, national non-profit KaBOOM! is kicking-off the second annual KaBOOM! Play Days presented by Mott’s. KaBOOM! Play Days encourage communities to come together for fun activities and to improve local parks and playgrounds. KaBOOM! Play Days run from September 18 – September 26, but event planning starts now.
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to saving play, and one …

Here are some fun things you can do to avoid this summer slump and give your kids a leg up on math for the fall which will be here sooner than we realize!  We have used some of them and thought they were really fun.
KEEP KIDS’ MATH SKILLS SHARP ALL SUMMER LONG
By Frances Nankin, Executive Producer/Editorial Director, Cyberchase
Our kids are at risk over the summer months for losing the skills they’ve developed during the year in math – and the risk is greater for losing math skills than …

Ahhh…so many things…so little time.  Let’s begin with what Kim was kind enough to mention for me.
MIGRAINES
Yes, I have been dealing with the lovely little things again/still (insert huge eye roll and dripping sarcasm after the word little).  Causes?  Well, no one really knows.  Triggers for mine?  Changes in Barometric pressure (gee, that is easy for me to control – NOT), inordinate fatigue (well, something I do have some control over…but as the Mom of 3 young children, well…:), and my personal favorite…..STRESS. Yeah, um, well…WORK IN PROGRESS… nuff said.:)  …

When P3 was placed in my arms in China, she wasn’t able to sit upright yet.  She was 9 1/2 months but coming from an institutionalized setting, that was not really shocking.  By the time we left China, a week and a half later, she was able to sit up just fine, a perfect example of how the rest of her small and gross motor skills continued to improve over the next 6 months and she was all caught up in no time.
Her language skills, however, did not make the …

Ahh,the 4th of July.  That quintessential of all American summer holidays. And this year, many folks find a little bonus of time with the actual date falling on a Sunday.  All the more reason to plan to have a safe and happy weekend!
For many years now, July 4th has been somewhat bittersweet after a 16 year old girl I knew from the Young Women’s class I taught at church was hit and killed in a SkiDoo accident.  At this point I do not even remember the details yet I think …

Earlier this year I mentioned the Build-A-Bear Workshop® Huggable Heroes® program that recognizes young leaders making positive contributions in their communities and around the world.  More than 1,000 nominations were received for this year’s program.  After narrowing the field down to 75 semifinalists and 25 finalists, Build-A-Bear Workshop is excited to announce the 10 Huggable Heroes for 2010.  I thought you’d like to hear and share their inspirational stories.

This year’s class of Huggable Heroes is tackling a variety of really cool and pertinent issues from illiteracy, poverty and feeding the …

Stay tuned for more answers this week!

If you have a picture up for Wordless Wednesday, leave your link below in Mr.Linky.  Then you can head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom,  The Not-So-Blog Blog,  Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, Mommy Goggles, Momspective, Look What Mom Found – and Dad Too!, Mom of 3 Girls, The Divine Miss Mommy, Mom Start, Fairytales & Puppy Dog Tails,  What’s that Smell?, MomDot, …

In honor of Mother’s Day, Kim from What’s That Smell? and I have put together a gift guide to help you find that perfect gift for the mom on your list, and maybe even provide YOU with some ideas for things that you would like to receive as a gift for Mother’s Day this year so you can drop some hints for your family.
We have 4 different categories of gifts and with such a wide variety of great gift ideas, you are sure to find …

In honor of Mother’s Day, Kim from What’s That Smell? and I have put together a gift guide to help you find that perfect gift for the mom on your list, and maybe even provide YOU with some ideas for things that you would like to receive as a gift for Mother’s Day this year so you can drop some hints for your family. (Hints always help me get what I want!)
We have 4 different categories of gifts and with such a wide variety of …

So have you?
Not sure what one is?  Well, let’s start with that.
A Clinical Trial is one of the ways Drug Companies test their products prior to getting permission from the FDA to make them available to the general public.  They have very strict guidelines that must be followed and monitored by Doctors, Hospitals and Clinics and a handpicked group of patients are given the chance to use the medications once they meet the guidelines.  Usually not only are the medications and treatment provided to the patient without cost for the …