Did You Watch?

I originally had a post ready to talk about all things Royal Wedding, but honestly I haven't been that into and especially since the recent storms. I think there are more important topics. I was a big aggravated about all the wedding coverage leading up to the big day when parts of the south have been destroyed.
So, no I didn't set my alarm this morning to watch the wedding, but as soon as I got up I did tune in. Don't get me wrong I love a good fairytale and I do think this is a big day for the royal family, but the extensive coverage leading up to today was a bit much.
I was happy to see that Brian Williams left the royal festivities to get back to cover "real" news on our own soil.

i know I'm a news junkie, but goodness have you seen the destruction? It is heartbreaking!!! My thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by the recent storms. I can't imagine seeing a beast like some of those twisters headed towards me.

On a more shallow note, I LOVED Kate's dress. She seems like a class act. So since today is the big day...happy wedding to Prince William and Princess Kate!

Storm Sanity

If you read the title of this post then you might be wondering why I'm showing this cutie reading? Well, he's in the closet riding out the crazy storms we've been having. I know central Arkansas has been hit harder then us lately, but I KNOW a lot of you took cover in Bentonville recently. I know I was clearing out our SMALL closet trying to figure out how I was going to tell a very busy toddler why getting in the coat closet was fun. After looking at a lot of your pictures and reading your blog/twitter updates it sounds like reading is a popular pass time as the storms roll through.

If you're computer is charged I know some people were watching cartoons with their little ones. We never had to take cover, but I was already preparing Stella that it was going to be an adventure. She is scared of "funder" right now so we have to be careful not to completely freak her out.

So, if you have any tips on making storms more bearable if you have to cram into a bathroom or closet please share. We all know this is just the beginning for storm season.

By the way, if April showers bring May flowers...I'm expecting Arkansas to be in BLOOM soon.

Tasty Tuesday: Black Bean and Corn Relish

This is another easy recipe (no cooking required) and lighter for the warmer months. I saw it on my friends blog and decided I was hungry and needed to get this recipe in my fridge pronto. Thanks for posting it Jenna.
So if you can grab the ingredients at your next stop to the store, whip some up and then take it to your closet with you the next time you have to take cover during these crazy storms.

Check it out here.

Egg Solution

I hope you all had a great Easter. I don't know about you but I always LOVED decorating eggs around Easter, so this year we put our artistic talents to the test and ended up the the assortment above. It was super fun to do this little task with our little one, but now we're stuck with a lot of pretty hard boiled eggs.
So, what do we do with them all? I'm sure we'll make some deviled eggs tomorrow or later this week and I might use a couple in a recipe,but what about the rest? Well, I saw that Laine posted this on twitter and facebook so I'm stealing it from her.It's a website with several recipes that call for hard boiled eggs.
If you have any recipes you'd like to share please leave a comment.
I hope you all had time to look beyond the chocolate bunnies and colored eggs and celebrated the true reason for Easter.

Oh Hail!

 No that is NOT snow...it's hail! What?!?! When did NWA become a hail location. Every now and then yes, but lately it seems it's the norm. Whatever happened to rain?

 These had melted quite a bit by the time we took a picture. How crazy? And I know there was hail bigger then this around NWA.

 Front yard. I mean this hail came down fast and furious! We just replaced our roof...who knows we might need to get it checked again this year after storm season.

This just amazes me...all the hail.

And here we go again...it's in the forecast for tonight for MORE hail!
How about you...how did you fair?
I know there was a lot of damage in the Johnson area. Stay safe...this weather is CRAZY!

Congratutions to...

Jason Brown of Springdale for winning this week's giveaway from Homewatch Caregivers! Enjoy your 8 hours of service and movie passes and gift card.

A Bit Much?

Do you know what that's a picture of? My first guess would NOT be a toilet, but guess, what, it is!
I saw this on a Little Rock stations twitter and I couldn't believe. Well, if I'm honest, I can because we are always looking for the bigger and better item out there.
But how lazy are we that we can't even lift our own toilet seat? When it senses your presence this toilet lifts the seat and while you're doing your business warm air is blowing on your toes. WHAT?

Oh and that's not it. You can plug in your iPod or turn on the built in radio. Yes, it's a spendy potty seat at almost $6,500 but would you splurge for the luxury? I think I stick to the traditional white thrown, but if I ever saw one...you bet I'd try it out.
What do you think?

Tasty Tuesday: Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad

In honor of Tom's new love of Quinoa I decided to post this recipe from oureverydaydinners.
I haven't made it yet, but it's on the menu for this week!
Let's face it..it's healthy so since everything this blogger makes is good I KNOW this will be great.

PS if you don't want healthy...Amy currently has a chocolate cake recipe on her blog right now  :)

For this week's recipe click here.

GIVEAWAY: Homewatch Caregivers, Movie Passes, and Dinner

Ok, ladies and gentlemen this week's giveaway is designed to give you or your loved one a break. Homewatch CareGivers is giving away a great gift to one lucky winner this week. You can read all about their services on their website.
But to some it up, it's an organization that provides a caregiver that comes and help you with your basic needs. A lot of their clients are seniors and the caregiver does it all. From providing transportation to cleaning and cooking Homewatch Caregivers basically gives you an incredible friend. If you have a loved one that suffers from Alzheimer's and needs assistance, this group is trained and ready to help you.
And while it looks like their primary focus is on the older generation they also provide services for MOMS. Yes, imagine someone coming to your house to help you with WHATEVER! I'm bummed because they were going to send someone to my house I could get a hands on testimony for you all, but we've had some things come up personally that forced me to cancel...BOO!
But I was in awe that the caregiver was up to do whatever to help this mommy. Lets face it...I can use all the help I can get.
So, I had it planned that we would organize the girls toy room and then maybe clean a little and work on some meals to freeze for later. Now do you see why I'm bummed I had to cancel :)

Anyway, YOU could be the winner of this awesome giveaway and that's NOT ALL..Homewatch CareGivers is giving away 8 hours of their service (you can do one day or split it in two) PLUS 2 movie passes and a $50 Visa Card to use for dinner out. Can you say DATE NIGHT!!!

So drop what you're doing and go register! I will announce the lucky winner Thursday right here on the blog!

Thanks Mom

If you're lucky like me then honoring your mom is easy. There are so many incredible things I could say about my mom. Now that I'm the mommy of two little ones it deepens my love and appreciation for my mom more than she'll ever know!
Being a mom is definitely not always easy, but it's incredbily rewarding and humbling. So, I know many of you out there have moms you'd like to brag on and now is your chance.

Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas wants to hear and share your stories. Come on ladies and gentlemen...it's time to brag and our moms DESERVE it!

You can go here for all the details!

And the Winner is...

Congratulations Nikki Koon, of Pea Ridge. You are the lucky winner of an hour massage and a $50 gift certificate to use towards a class at Pilates Plus in Johnson!

Tasty Tuesday: Lemonade Cake

It's back by popular demand and in honor of Tom's birthday week I'm sharing his favorite cake recipe once again. It's NOT pretty, but he loves how it tastes. I only make it once a year because it is so ugly  :)
It is tart and has a refreshing taste, but it wont win any rewards in a bake off. I promise it's good. You can check out the recipe here.

And if you know how to make the icing look better, please SHARE!

GIVEAWAY: Massage & Pilates

I'll have to add a picture later because for some reason the site is not letting me upload a picture, BUT you don't need a picture to know you NEED to sign up to win this awesome giveaway!

Pilates Plus in Johnson is giving a lucky winner an hour massage and a gift certificate worth $50 to use towards any of their classes. And trust me they have a lot ot choose from! The place it called Pilates Plus for a reason. Obviously, there are several pilates classes to choose from including a Mommy & Me class tailored towards moms and babies, but they also offer pole dancing (yes, that's right), zumba, hip hop and so on.

There is a little something for everyone! Did I mention on top of the $50 gift certificate you get an hour masasge! HELLO...this giveaway is AWESOME!

Anyway, I wanted to let you know now before we talke about it on the show Wednesday. Go register and get your friends to register. Good luck!

We'll announce the winner Thursday.

Cleaning Day

I was going to spend this afternoon getting down and dirty. It's time to dust, vaccum, tackle the bathrooms, etc, but I can't. Did you know today is No Housework Day!
I now might change April 7th to my favorite day of the year!
So, drop your dust rag, put away your vaccum and join me in celebrating this beautiful NO housework day!
If I'm honest I probably celebrate this day several days a week, but since this is the offical day I'm off to celebrate!

Time to Get Your Grub On

I know I was talking about working out just this morning, but my goodness the food the Naturals are providing this baseball season is worth the mention.

I don't if the meals will do much for the waistline, but they sound yummy.
My toddler will be happy to know that baked Macaroni and Cheese will now be on the menu. A new sandwich signature to the ball park is what they're calling "The Three Little Piggies." It doesn't sound like there is anything little about it. Its a hoagie roll with BBQ pork, applewood smoked bacon, and ham topped with cheese sauce and BBQ sauce. I'm not sure if that sounds good to me, but I'm sure it'll be a fan favorite.

There will be popcorn, but not just any popcorn. This year they're offering gourmet popcorn in three flavors; ranch, cheddar cheese, and bacon/cheese. I guess it never hurt to spice up the traditional popcorn.

There are more treats you can enjoy while cheering on the northwest Arkansas Naturals this baseball season. Never fear all the traditional baseball foods will ALWAYS be available.

So I hope you're excited for opening day! It's tomorrow in case you don't have it marked on your calendar. Or you can always check out their game schedule here.

I hope to see you at some of the games...bring an appetite.

Tasty Tuesday: Mini Pizzas

If you're looking for a quick lunch or meal for the kiddos here is the recipe for you. Plus your little ones can help you make these mini pizzas. I stole this recipe from my sweet friend's blog or you can go here for the ingredients and "how-to."
Who doesn't like pizza...no matter what the size? ENJOY!

If you have a recipe you'd like to share email me at knwablogger.@knwa.com

Mommy Brain is REAL

Have you ever felt like you're losing your mind while pregnant or a new mom? Or have you ever witnessed someone start to lose it?
Well, it's not a myth anymore :)
It's true...I AM a little crazy thanks to the sweet little ones in my life. A friend of mine retweeted this article that Dr.Oz talked about and now my life (and so many other mommys) makes sense.
According to the article, a women's brain shrinks during pregnancy ( I know a lot of husbands are nodding their heads now that the truth is out).
So if you're like me and forget silly things or do random things while carrying a baby...it makes sense. Hallelujah!
If you feel like your losing it or your loves ones losing it you really should check out this article.
I think it is amazing how our body prepares us to care for a little one even before they arrive. To even imagine that the brain shrinks to help us focus on more important things then grows again so we can actually care for the little being is amazing. I know I've said amazing a couple times, but lets face it...it's true. Can I get an AMEN!
There's no doubt that ALL babies are little mircles..and it's neat to see how every detail leading up to their arrival is set to help give them the best care possible!
Check it out.
And now I know I'm not crazy...mommy brain is the real deal!

PS We've got some great giveaways coming this month so stay tuned! Plus you can always follow me on twitter for updates @knwablogger