With 2011 coming to a close, it is time to get ready to get real in 2012 starting with your real New Year Resolutions. I know I have several myself!

One of my New Years Resolutions will be to lose weight. Not only do I have my brother in laws wedding in September, but I want to do it for me. Through some networking I’ve done in 2011, I had an opportunity I couldn’t turn down happen to help make this goal happen for me (I know, not a lot of information there, but there will definitely be some blog posts in the future describing exactly what this all means!). I am setting myself up for success this year!

Another resolution we have as a family is to save money. I swear everything broke down in 2011. I had to replace the tires on both our vehicles and my van had several costly repairs. We still don’t have the air working yet in there either. The house also probably needs a new central air unit too. (That money will be coming out of our tax return). We are hoping that all the big expenses are out of the way and we can start saving more. In the fall, we’ll have 2 kids in Catholic school, so we need every cent!

Another resolution will be to travel more! Bill and I are in the process of planning a trip to New York (and yes, we are driving 12 – 14 hours with two kids. Please, remind me why this is a good idea!!!).

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With the holidays right around the corner, I am excited to announce AT&T’s Season of Gifting Sweepstakes! From December 1st through December 20th, AT&T will be featuring a deal of the day every day. For those that enter they will get the chance to win smartphones, tablets and more! Now who can’t use any of that stuff? I personally would love to win a tablet.  I would have bought myself one this year, but Bill had to replace the tires on his car.  You can also ‘nominate a friend’ and share your nomination to have others vote on your story, explaining why you think your friend should win. There will be two lucky winners each day!

As an AT&T customer myself, I am super excited and will be entering every day.  How about you?

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With the holidays upon us, this is a time of year that can be joyous for some and heartbreaking for others. Last year, my cousin’s wife died right after Christmas, so I know this year will be a tough one for him. Some people just don’t like the holiday. Others, well they have to work. With all different people like this in your life, it can be tough keeping everyone’s spirits bright during the holidays.

First, remembering others circumstances at this time of year is very important. Like I said above, remember everyone’s circumstances. You may be celebrating. Others, well, they may be grieving. Do what is comfortable for everyone and that will keep everyone’s spirits bright because they won’t feel uncomfortable. Finding toys like KRE-O Transformers sets can be a conversation starter for adults and kids alike. The third Transformers movie, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, was a smash this past summer and the KRE-O collection is inspired by the Generation 1 Transformers. Kids and adults have something alike that they can talk about (or argue about if they want to get into which generation is the best).

Next, get toys without batteries. There is nothing worse than being at a Christmas gathering when all you hear is a bunch of toys screaming at you. Instead, KRE-O Transformers sets are a great gift for the holidays. They allow your kids to use their imagination to assemble and dissemble them. Plus, it allows them to role play with them which also requires creativity on your kids part. I love watching my kids when they are making up the story as they go. The stories they come up with are sometimes better than anything else out there. Plus, it allows for the adults to keep their sanity.

Another way to keeping everyone’s spirits bright during the holidays is donate your time and your money and maybe even some toys. Not everyone is as fortunate as we are, and this is the perfect time of year to remember that. There are twelve KRE-O Transformers sets available, from Basic sets for beginner builders to deluxe sets for the pros. The sets range in price from $7.99-$59.99 and each set allows kids to construct one of two models: a Transformers character in robot or vehicle mode offering two different builds in one! Most also come with a unique, collectible KREON figure that add another level of play to the sets. This is a great gift to donate to your local Toys for Tots. This keeps your spirits and the lucky kid who is getting it spirits up too!

How do you keep everyone’s spirits bright during the holidays? Do you donate your time, your talent, or your treasure to those you love and care for?

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hasbro blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points and a KRE-O gift. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Hasbro. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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The other post was getting a bit long, and I wanted to let everybody know what is going on with Madison’s teeth now.  Here’s what we are literally looking at:

You can clearly see where she chipped her tooth.  However, if you look, the upper tooth is now filling that area (we figure that’s why the tooth chipped in the first place.).  However, they can’t fix the bottom tooth until we get that top one of the way.  2 dentist/orthodontist appts later, we have a plan.  First, we have to wait till her mouth settles because she has gum trauma.  I guess her mouth can keep shifting until the gum damage fixes itself.  It was decided to wait till after the holidays, and she will be fitted with a retainer.  After that upper tooth gets moved out of that area, they will be fixing the bottom tooth.

I was hoping to get this all fixed before Christmas, but there isn’t much I can do about that.  It could have been so much worse, so I guess I need to be thankful for what we are dealing with.

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Since attending a few shows last year, we are definitely Disney on Ice fans! My kids love it and my husband and I can’t complain either. They are really great shows that keep everyone’s attention. If I take less than 200 pictures while we are there, there is something wrong. That is why I have to let you all know that Disney On Ice presents Princess Classics is coming to Chicago! It’ll be at the United Center September 8 – 12, 2010:

• Wed. Sept. 8– 7:00 PM
• Thurs. Sept. 9– 7:00 PM
• Fri. Sept. 10 – 7:00 PM
• Sat. Sept. 11– 11:30AM, 3:30PM & 7:00PM
• Sun. Sept. 12– 11:30AM, 3:30PM & 7:00PM+

We are heading to the September 8th show ourselves.  However, I wanted to pass along a great deal to get your own tickets — Purchase a 4-pack of tickets for only $44 (Valid Monday-Thursday and Friday Matinees, excluding holidays) and save $4 on all weekend shows by logging onto www.ticketmaster.com and entering the coupon code: MOM* (Enter Code in the “MC Promotions Box” on Ticketmaster).

Hope to see you there!

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