{I am not a hunter..}

Or a fisher for that matter, but I do enjoy it once in a while. So when D said that I just had to see the new Bass Pro Shop in the next town, I was not excited about it. In fact, I told him he was on crack and he could spend as much time there as he pleased but I had no interest. I'd been to one years ago and was not impressed. Honestly at this point I'll take any adventure I can get because my life is that boring.

We walked through the front door of this store and it was like we were going into a friggin' amusement park. They had those turn styles greeting you (I'm guessing to see how many people came in) and then the place was just filled to the ceiling with awesomeness. Even the bathrooms were awesome with a traveling theme (vintage luggage around the ceiling and all). There are video games through (which T loved but since he's grounded again he couldn't play them) and a shooting game where they had animals popping up you could shoot at. It was pretty cool.

They also had a giant fish tank filled with cat fish, gar, and a 'dog fish' which I thought was hilarious. They had this MASSIVE catfish in there though, it was probably heavier than the little boy (who was freaking out the entire time he could see any kind of animal anywhere. He wanted nothing to do with them). There was also a candy store with fudge! OMG! I wanted some SO bad but I knew I shouldn't so I didn't even bother lol. I did find wax lips though which thrilled me because I haven't seen them since I was little (shut up! That wasn't that long ago!), and I immediately thought stocking stuffer when I saw them.

Oh! I got a new candle too! It smells like coffee heaven! I can't wait to burn it! And we have decided what to get some members of our adult family for Christmas. I'm pretty excited about it! :)

They also have this adorable little cabin in the middle of the store that's set up high off the ground so you can't actually go in but there are holes in the floor and they put so much detail into setting that thing up! It's amazing!

I really think if you haven't been to Bass Pro you should go check it out :)

After that we went to dinner at Chilli's (because Uncle Bucks in Bass Pro was packed).

In all, it was an enjoyable night. One that I so desperately needed. I felt like I was going stir crazy!

 

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{Think I'll keep him}

I love D.

I know that should be obvious since we're engaged but seriously, I love him. The gauges in my van haven't worked for a month or more. Ever since he took it on a fishing trip with his bff. So I haven't known how fast I was going or how much gas I really had in a long time. But as of 2 days ago, that's fixed!! I'm so excited! All he had to do was tighten up some wires, so yay!

And as of Monday he hooked up my dryer! Over the summer I hung clothes on the line, and that was fine for me. I have always wanted a clothes line because in the trailer we couldn't have one *eye roll*. But when it started getting cold and rainy (as it does in the fall in IL) doing the laundry started becoming a pain in the ass. I couldn't hang it out if it looked like it might rain and although there were clouds in the sky and I thought it might start soon, I could wait all day to see a drop. Resulting in me not getting any laundry done and then everyone is without jeans or a clean pair of socks. It was seriously annoying. So he finally got it hooked up and I can do laundry regardless of what the weather is like.

Before you ask why he didn't hook it up when we moved in, we have a gas dryer and they had an electric hook up. So he had to drill holes or something, I really don't know. All I know is it was a pain and he didn't want to do it, but he did :).

So yeah, I think I'll keep him for a little while longer ;)

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{Bet You'll Think Twice}

T got grounded last Friday for his usual BS (fit throwing, back talking, ect) and just got his xbox back on Sunday. He would have gotten it back on Saturday but he chose to sit there and argue with me instead of just doing as he was told, and going to his room.

I gave his xbox back and with it, came new rules. Rules that I had thought out and had planned consequences for. Rules that I do not feel are unfair or make me the 'evil step mother'. I think I am being quite lenient when it comes to this issue. My parents wouldn't have been.

Anyway- before I handed him the xbox to plug back in, I laid out the rules.

1. You are not allowed on any video game system (this includes, xbox, wii, and DS) until 3pm. No if, ands, or buts about it.

2. At dinner time (so around 5-6pm) the games go off but he can still use his xbox for netflix. We don't have a cable box for his room and we're not getting one. So that is how he watches tv up there.

For consequences I am taking no prisoners. If I have to remind him of the rules once, that is his warning for the day. End of story. I'm not warning him and then reminding him of the warning just to warn him again 10min. later.

D went and got T's DS from his grandmas house and all of the games that he could salvage (he doens't

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{Already??}

G has started telling me what he wants for Christmas already *sigh*. Is that time of year already?? It doesn't feel like it. I'm excited for Christmas this year though. I get to hang lights outside and make my house all pretty :). Weee! *excited giggle*

On another note, T got his xbox back today.

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{And interview with an Author/mom blogger}

Anna and her girls

Your children's book, The Adventures of Smitty looks magically. Tell us about it.
It's the story of a magical island of little creatures called Smilies and the mischievous little main character, Smitty. He's such a naughty boy. Haha! All the moms and kids I've shared it with have been giving me such a wonderful reaction. I cannot believe it. I have to tell you how excited I am to finally have a life-long dream come true. Writing The Adventures of Smitty was really about finding a story that I would want to read to my children at night. It has to be exciting but not scary so that my two daughters can go to sleep. Basically, I was looking for that perfect blend to read to my kids at night and decided, "Why not try writing my own?"

We've had a lot of changes in our life recently, so I want to make sure that when I put my daughters to sleep that they feel safe. I have short chapters because I know how busy we moms are but if you can just sacrifice 5 minutes at night reading to your kids, it makes a world of difference. Your kids will never forget it. And although we're running around the whirlwind of life, our kids grow up so fast, and that time that we'd rather finish watching what happened in our favorite soap opera instead of reading to our kids will never come again. I hope that The Adventures of Smitty and books like it help moms do exactly that.

And it's only 99 cents this week. That's what I love about it. Now, You are recently divorced. How have you been able to continue writing when going through such a change?
Yes, it is by far one of the most challenging points in my life. To see a marriage you thought would last forever to not last forever was difficult for the two of us. I really learned a lot about myself and most importantly, it's brought me closer to my daughters. I think that's what really motivated me to finish this children's book no matter what. When you're going through changes in your life like this, you need something to hold on to. There's a part of you that wants to prove that you can make it, that you will be a success even if it's not with the partner you originally imagined building a life with. I had to keep writing, for my kids. I want to show them that they have to keep strong, no matter what.

We as women, as moms really need to stick together to support each other and our dreams. We're living in an age when I think we're finally realizing, although we want love, the men in our life aren't the answer to everything. We have to stand up on our own two feet and keep going. True love will happen, but until then, we have to keep moving forward. Our children depend on us and we depend on us.

In addition to being a children's book author, you're also a small business owner. How do you juggle taking care of two daughters and at the same time running a business?
Yes, I am a fashion designer and have a retail store. Any type of creativity is what I'm passionate about. That's why writing The Adventures of Smitty was so important to me. Let me tell you, running a small business in today's economy isn't easy especially when raising two girls at the same time. But somehow, it seems someone's watching over me because my dreams are coming true no matter what. To have that many moms glowing about my children's book, means so much to me. And I know my girls are proud.

When do you ever have time to write?
You mean, in between laundry, running a business, chasing my girls around the house, cleaning the house, and flying back and forth fromMiami to New York? Haha? That's one thing I've learned, when you really want to do something, you find a way. Things fall into place if you just go for it and that's what I want to encourage all the moms who are reading this right now. Whatever your goal is, you can do it. Don't let the challenges in your personal life stop you from going for your dreams. Just go for it and it's almost magical how things fall into place.

Where can we get a copy of "The Adventures of Smitty"?
Right now, it's available online by going to: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94655 You can also visit my website:http://www.AnnaDeskins.com where you can read more about my writing process, my recommendations for other books and my own adventures in Mommyhood.

I'm so grateful for your support and the support I'm getting from so many wonderful moms who dream of writing children's books one day too. Writing The Adventures of Smitty has been such an emotional experience for me, a true journey as I was going through so many changes while writing it. It's truly been a blessing in my life. It, along with my daughters, and that guy upstairs have really pulled me through a challenging time.

Thanks for the interview, Anna. And let's go out and support a fellow mom by getting a copy of The Adventures of Smitty today. I know I will!

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{Why didn’t *I* think of that??}

G is a picky eater. He gets it from the other half of his gene pool. It drives me crazy. Basically the only thing he will eat is tacos (minus the lettuce), pizza (without any veggies), mac&cheese, and spaghetti (unless I put onion in it). *sigh* So naturally school lunches are a problem. I keep the menu on the fridge and he looks every morning to make sure that it’s something he will eat. Usually there is at least 1 thing he likes. Like today, they have a choice between hamburger or BBQ Pork, corn, & peaches. He will eat the hamburger, corn, & peaches…won’t touch the BBQ.

Because he is so picky it’s also really hard to find substitute things to send with him. It has to be something sort of easy and it has to be something he already knows he likes. Nothing new. The kid is impossible.

So what does any mom with internet access and a knowledge of google do? She searches for lunch box ideas. And look at the golden idea I have come across!

Source

Taco cups!! Why didn’t I think of that?? If there is anything my kid will eat, it’s tacos. He loves them! We’re going to try these gems out and see how they work for him. I’m pretty excited about them myself.

I just had to pass this along.

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