Things I Love Thursday: Big Red Gum

I have a secret for my recently acquired will power (besides all your prayer cover that is). It has enabled me to deny myself WARM Krispy Kreme donuts and sweet treats of all kinds. What is this magic you ask?

It’s Big Red gum!

Seriously!

Have you eaten a piece of Big Red lately? It numbs your taste buds. I can’t even feel my tongue right after I put a piece in my mouth. If I tried to eat a piece of chocolate, I wouldn’t taste it. So, what would be the point I say? Because I usually eat for taste (not for hunger), by numbing my taste buds, I keep myself from eating. Pretty cool huh?

Now, there are ten calories in each piece of Big Red gum. And, I am recording them. However, I figure if ten calories of gum is saving me from a 200 calorie donut, it’s a fair trade.

So, that’s what I love today. Big Red gum.

Tomorrow, we’ll see if this new discovery helped me lose any more weight when I give my weekly Losing It recap. I can say that I am currently wearing my favorite capris that did NOT fit me last fall. Whoop!

For more things people love, visit The Diaper Diaries.

Things I Love Thursday: My Child's Teacher

Do you love your child’s teacher? Perhaps you are your child’s teacher? I We made the decision when the Princess was about three that I couldn’t homeschool her. I’ve got a Masters Degree in Education, and there is NO WAY I could homeschool my own child. She and I are too similar. I would fear for her safety daily. Seriously.

So, when the time came, we sent her off to public school. (Did you see the adorable picture of her first day of Kindergarten?) We considered private, but ended up deciding on public. Long story short, we really felt led to go public. We live in a great school system, and have had amazing teachers all three years.

This year we have Mrs. J. She is AWESOME. She keeps all the kids challenged (no small feat), does great projects that force the kids to think, and does a great deal of hands on learning. She’s somehow made preparing for the yearly tests fun as I’ve heard no complaining from the Princess. And, she has my daughter’s absolute adoration. For that I am so appreciative. (Of course now that what Mrs. J says trumps what I say sometimes, I’m a little frustrated, but since we’re actually saying the same thing… Somehow it means more coming from Mrs. J. **sigh**)

Mrs. J also has an amazing rapport with the parents. I know that if I were teaching in the Princess’s school, Mrs. J and I would be great friends. She teaches in a style VERY similar to the way I taught. That probably endears her to me the most. Knowing that my daughter is getting as good an education as I could give her, but without the relational upheaval we would have if I was the one giving it to her. Talk about the best of both worlds!

Teacher Appreciation week is coming up, and I’m going to spoil Mrs. J. She’s definitely a thing I love. In fact, I think I’ll send her a box of chocolates today! She deserves them. Why wait for teacher appreciation week?!

Do you love your child’s teacher?

To see what others love, visit Things I Love Thursday.

Things I Love Thursday:New Preschool Worship – Giveaway

All kids LOVE music. I mean they get to wiggle and dance and jump and groove. All to the fun sounds of music. At least that’s the kind of music the Princess has always LOVED. One of her favorite things to do is to put her headphones on, clip her iPod shuffle to her shirt and shimmy all over the house. It’s hysterical to watch (not that I ever actually laughed out loud at her – that would be a bad mommy).

You know what’s even better than music? Music that teaches something important. Music that imprints the Word of God on tiny little hearts. I can honestly say there is nothing more beautiful than hearing my child sing “Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me. Ya ya, Ya ya!” in an off key voice at the top of her lungs. Or “I’ve got to R E A D my B I B L E! That’s how God teaches me,” while she lathers up in the shower. It’s pure joy.

There is a new Preschool Worship CD out by the reThink Group called “ONE BIG GULP” It has thirteen amazing, totally preschool friendly songs on it that have the Princess hopping and dancing all over the house. Now, I know she’s not a preschooler anymore, but she still loves them. I mean LOVES them. All of the songs are short, with repetitive verses so your preschooler can be singing along in a heartbeat. All of the songs make a little body want to dance and sing out loud. It’s just a lot of fun!

The reThink Group gave me not ONE but TWO “ONE BIG GULP” CDs to give away to my readers. How is that for some love. I can’t wait to share this music with you!

In order to win a CD:

1. Comment below telling me your preschooler/child’s favorite worship song (or just song in general).

2. Follow me on Twitter be sure to put a separate comment that you follow

3. Subscribe to House of Hills – be sure to put a separate comment that you subscribe.

Contest ends 03.21.10 at Midnight Easter Time.

Disclosure: I was given one copy of this CD to review and two copies to give away. The opinions of the CD are my own (and the Princess’s). I am an employee of the reThink group. However, I’m sharing this with you because I know you’ll love it!

Linked to Things I Love Thursdays.

Things I Love Thursday: Paperbackswap.com

I am an avid reader. Well, I used to be and sometimes still am. I have the unfortunate need to finish whatever book I’ve started – before I go to bed. That’s right, I need to read them in one sitting. I am so jealous of those people who read every night before they go to bed. Can’t do it. Well, I can, but then I don’t sleep well. I think about the plot and how it’s going to end. I need the closure. This is all for fiction of course. Non-fiction, I can put down. Which may be why I don’t read it as much.

I listed my reading goals for the year earlier back in January. I already had several of the books on that list, but I needed to obtain the rest. My favorite way to get books – Paperbackswap.com. If you aren’t using Paperbackswap.com and you read, you are SO missing out. It’s the best place to get books and to get rid of books.

Basically the way it works is that you list the books you want to get rid of and then get credits when people ask for them. Yes, you have to pay shipping to get those books out of your house. However, you can send them media mail and so it’s rarely much over $2. Once the receiver marks your book as received, you get a credit which can be used to order a book from the website. That means you’re getting a book for around $2, which is less than most used book stores. The best part – there are literally millions of books posted so you can search to find that exact book you’re looking for. And, your book will probably be mailed pretty quickly. The exception of course is current best sellers. There is always a waiting list for those. The website explains it even better here.

I put two of the Princess’s books in the mail yesterday. I purchased the postage right on the site so I didn’t have to go to the post office and got instant credit. They went in the mail yesterday, and I can now order two more books if I want to.

Paperbackswap.com has really come in handy as the Princess has begun to devour a book a day. She seems to have the same problem as her mommy and finishes books at an insane rate. She also likes book series. So, it’s great to get a bit ahead of her! She’s got two left in Magic Tree House, is on the last Harry Potter, and is waiting for the next Kingdom Keepers to come out. She’s read every Captain Underpants and almost every Geronimo Stilton. Any other series we should try?

Paperbackswap.com – I love it! And you will too! If you decide to try it out, tell them “kathill” sent you.

For more things folks love, check out Things I Love Thursday over at DiaperDiaries.net.

Disclosure: All opinions above are my own. Nobody asked me to write about Paperbackswap.com. Yes, if you put my name as referrer, I’ll get a book credit. However, that’s not why I’m telling you about it. I just think it’s awesome and wanted to share.

Things I Love Thursday: The Food Loop

You know how you get some things for Christmas and you’re not sure what to do with them, but you think you might need them so you stick them in a drawer? You know those things? Well, I’ve had such a thing sitting in the back of one of my kitchen drawers for YEARS. YEARS,I say. I’m actually kinda embarrassed to be admitting that. It was a gift from my loving step-mother-in-law (how’s that for a mouthful) several Christmases ago. (Hi Dottie!) She knows I love to cook and got me the perfect gift. Except I wasn’t really sure what to do with it and shoved it in a drawer and forgot about it. For YEARS – have I already said that?

Anyway, last Sunday I was making Ina’s delicious GARLIC ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES (divine by the way). It called for the legs to be tied together. One to ALWAYS follow directions, I was scrambling to figure out what to tie them with. Can you tell I haven’t roasted a chicken lately? Looking in the drawers, I found the box labeled THE FOOD LOOP. Thinking that it might help my plight, I opened the box. Yes, I know it is tragic that I hadn’t even opened the box in all these YEARS! This is what I found.

Perfect! I took one of the cute pink “silicone trussing tools” and made a quick loop around the legs of that there bird.

I tweeted the picture of the chicken and got hysterical comments back. One friend wanted to know if there was a pink hair bow to go with it. My mom thought I had used one of the Princess’s hair elastics.

I have found a new friend in the kitchen – THE FOOD LOOP. I love it.

For more things to love, visit Things I Love Thursday at TheDiaperDiaries.net.

Disclaimer: I was not given The Food Loop to review. It was a gift from the aforementioned step-mother-in-law. All opinions are mine and mine alone. I just wanted to share the goodness.

Things I Love Thursday: Princess Swimming Video

My Sweetie was messing around on his computer last night looking at You Tube stuff and all of the sudden I heard my own voice. My head popped up! Apparently I’ve been on You Tube since 2006 and didn’t even know it (or didn’t remember it). He had put some videos of the Princess swimming on there for folks that love us to see. I knew about them at the time (according to him), but had totally forgotten about them. Well, he played them all for me, and I got a little misty eyed. How fun to see our Princess almost four years ago just gaining her confidence in the water. How amazing to watch her and see so many of the mannerisms she still has. They’re just grown up now. How awesome is the wonder of seeing the person you just tucked in, but in miniature and with a higher voice. How annoying to hear my laugh on video – oh that was off point.

So that is the thing I love today. This video. Well, home videos in general. They show us how far we’ve come and reinforce that everything she was when she was little, she still is, just better. They prove that those memories we have really did happen. That they were at one time that small. They are just amazing to watch over and over again and wonder with awe that we were blessed enough to be given this little life to guide. Awww, I’m tearing up.

Anyway – home videos. I’m loving them today. Almost as much as I love the kid that’s in them and the man behind the camera.

Here’s one of the videos. ‘Cause I know you want to see it. Just ignore my laugh.

For other things you might love, visit Diaper Diaries.

Things I Love Thursday: Girls Day

The Princess is out of school this week for Winter Break. That means finding childcare while Mommy and Daddy work. It also means a chance to spend some quality time with the Princess.

I worked from home Wednesday so that the Princess and I could have a House of Hills Girls Day. She was so looking forward to it that when she went to bed Tuesday night, she gave me kisses and said “I can’t wait for Mommy day.” So Sweet.

We did fun girl stuff. We got our nails done. She got the full mani and pedi – as in soaking feet, lotions and all. And she got pretty flowers on her ring finger nails. So fun! Then, we had a quick lunch from McDonalds (her favorite) and headed to a movie. We saw “The Spy Next Door.” It was a cute movie – lots of crazy Jackie Chan stuff, which the Princess loved.

What wasn’t really important was what we did. What was important was that we did it together. Just us girls. As she gets older, I want her to still WANT to hang out with her mom. So, we will continue to do House of Hills Girls Day on a regular basis.

I LOVE THEM…and even better, so does she.

You may find something new to love over at Diaper Diaries.

Things I Love Thursday: Cuddles

Last night was one of those nights. You know the ones where the sweet princess is up and up and up. It was one of those. The poor thing was slightly congested, which was the 3:15 – 3:45 coming in and out of my room and the nose blowing and coughing. We finally got that under control after a few treks up and down the hall and her laying with me for a few minutes.

Then, she woke up at 5 and was just plain excited and giddy about the day. At 5AM! You see, today was Consumer Day at school and she was so full of anticipation. She’d made her sign, made her products, checked off her checklist. She was ready, and she couldn’t wait for the day to come. So, she climbed in my bed chatting about it at 5AM. Seriously, 5AM. I calmed her down, said “Yes, it is exciting. Now get some more sleep!!!” and held her in my arms. She slept for another hour and a half. In my arms. All content and snuggly. Just like she did when she was little bitty.

I was complaining a little this morning about how tired I was today because of our crazy night, but then I got to thinking. Isn’t this what I signed up for when I became a mom. Isn’t this what I wanted. A little person who looks to me to hold her and make it all better. Who thinks that in my arms is the best place in the world. Aren’t the cuddles worth it all. They are. The cuddles are worth every minute of lost sleep. They’re worth the snotty tissues and dirty clothes. They’re worth pretty much everything.

When my “baby” girl curls up in my arms, lets out a tiny little sigh, and falls asleep, I know that she feels loved, safe, and secure. Everything I’ve ever wanted for her.  Today, cuddles are the thing I love the most.

Linked up to Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries.

Things I Love Thursday: Diet Coke

Last week I joked on Twitter (I’m “kathill” by the way – yes I know I need a button on this here blog, but I need help from Chief Geek AKA My Sweetie for that.) What was I saying…

Oh! I was joking on Twitter that I had a new addiction. I was joking. That’s not an addiction – really. It’s a new love, but it’s not an addiction. I can live without the new Bic Mark It! pens, but there is one thing I cannot – and I mean CANNOT – live without.

DIET COKE!!!

Seriously, It’s a true addiction. If I don’t have it, I will suffer greatly and get a headache. You’re saying, “That’s just a need for caffeine.” Part of it is the caffeine addiction – true. However, nothing, NOTHING soothes my nerves like a Diet Coke.

Preferably from a soda fountain.

The best Diet Coke is from a soda fountain – a soda fountain that is properly calibrated to have the perfect balance of syrup and soda water. The best place to find this balance…

THERE IS GOING TO BE A PICTURE OF ONE FROM A QT HERE. I JUST HAVEN’T GOTTEN OUT OF THE HOUSE TO GET IT!

Ahhhh, pure bliss!!!

I’m linked up to Diaper Diaries Things I Love Thursdays. Go check it out!

Things I Love Thursday: Mark It!

I have an addiction. I will admit it. It’s an addiction. I LOVE LOVE LOVE school supplies. Seriously! In August, when all the school supplies are out in those big bins, it’s truly heaven on earth for me. And now that the Princess has a school supply list – OH MY! It’s a wonderful thing. I actually have to hold back and make sure I take her with me when shopping her list.

She gets mad if I leave her out, because…are you ready for this…my addiction is hereditary. It is. The Princess gets the same gleam in her eye when she walks down the school supplies aisle. I think we both just grin from ear to ear. It’s a true bonding experience. It can also be an expensive one.

Last week I had to go to the office supply store before my work retreat and the Princess of course came with me to see what she could throw in the cart unnoticed. There were several things I needed to pick up and all in the color orange. It’s a long story, but let’s just say that my company’s signature color is orange. In a MAJOR way. Now, just to let you know – orange pens are hard to find. In fact, you can’t find an orange ball point pen. But, you can find orange markers. And, you can sometimes find markers available for single unit purchase at the office supply store. We came home with these beauties.

Aren’t they gorgeous. Pardon my photography. I’m not good, but the markers are AMAZING!!!! Seriously, AMAZING! The orange one is mine. The blue one belongs belonged to the Princess. I gave an orange one to everyone on my team, and they were all raving about them. In fact, two gals have told me that they let their kids have the other goodies I gave them, but they won’t let them near the marker. I’ve been walking around with my orange one in my pocket since I got home. I use it for everything. (And now I’ve confiscated the Princess’s blue one  -ha ha ha – evil laughter.)

“What are they?” you ask – since you can’t read the pen on my fabulous photography. They’re the BIC Mark it! Ultra Fine Point Permanent Marker that would be the official name. I went and checked on the BIC website and they come in 36 colors – oh my! That almost makes me tear up with joy. Thirty-six colors!!!!! I see a trip to Staples in my future. That’s where I got the two I already have. They had a fabulous display and everything. It was LOVELY.

**Sigh** I’m in love… with markers….

What do you love? Check out what others love over at Diaper Diaries. You might find something new to adore.

I wasn’t given these markers. I purchased them myself. All opinions are mine and only mine.