HEADLINE NEWS: Stay At Home Mom and Blogger Sara Patterson has been missing since March 19th 2009. She was last seen changing her outfit a million times and packing for a weekend at FaithWalk for fellowship with wonderful Christian Women in Memphis, TN.

If you have any information or know the whereabouts of this young Mom, you are asked to leave a comment on this post.

ALL kidding aside, I've been MIA, haven't I? The last time I was able to update my blog was the day I left for FaithWalk. I thought, I'd go, sing some worship songs, meet some amazing women, have prayer time, and enjoy the company of our Lord, BUT................. that was NOT His Will.

Although, I did most of the above, He lifted me into a state of calm, peace, and... well.... a little conviction. During this life changing experience, I realized my priorities were all screwed up and things needed to change. When I got off that bus and stepped onto the ground of THIS world, I was a completely different person.

I had met God face to face and I would NEVER be the same again.

My sweet husband was even amazed when I arrived home to see an upside down house. My usual reaction would be yelling, rolling eyes, disappointment, and finger pointing. Instead I remembered everything I learned about love on this weekend. With kind words and a loving spirit I simply said, "Don't worry, we can clean it up together AFTER I swing with Rudy outside, jump with the kids on the trampoline, and we have dinner together."

Somehow, my kids and husband were lifted into the position on my priority list where they should have been all along. All the things I THOUGHT I knew about Love were replaced with a spirit of unconditional love.

Things aren't the same at the Patterson Home. As Brian described it, "its a peaceful chaos." Let's face it folks, with three children all under the age of 6 it's always going to be a little chaotic.

So in the coming months, you'll discover all the things I've learned about myself, what I've changed, how it's affected our lives, and the importance of it all. Right now, I have Ice Pops to eat and Hopscotch to play.

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I've got Spring Fever! I love seeing the flowers bloom, the weather turn warmer, and the family time it brings. We've played outside more this last week than we have in a long time. Then comes one of the biggest celebrated Holidays at my house: Easter.

Although we are hundreds of miles away from family, we are surrounded with our Church Family and neighbors that make it that much more special. This year, I've discovered a really and helpful website, to help me in preparation:

MakingLifeBetter.com has great holiday and everyday meal ideas. With a combination of trusted brands that offer great quality at affordable prices, as well as plenty of recipes and tips to help make everyday life better. Moms now have an easily available resource to help with meal prep any day of the year.

For a great holiday meal offer, check your April 5th Sunday newspaper! You can get up to $20 back on your ham or turkey purchase by mail when you buy $40 in Unilever products during the month of April. Some of the brands included in this offer are: Bertolli®, Breyers®, Country Crock®, Good Humor®, Hellmann’s®/Best Foods®, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®, Knorr®, Lipton® Recipe Secrets®, Lipton® Tea, Ragú®, and much, much more!

Check out some of these easy and tasty Easter Meal Ideas using Unilever products you probably have in your fridge already:

Easter Dinner




Shedd's Spread Country Crock- Make your Easter main course a D-light, with this super-simple recipe for Country-Style Glazed Ham made with Shedd's Spread Country Crock Calcium plus Vitamin D.

Bertolli Sauce- If you usually dine out for your Easter meal, but are trying to save money this year, serve a restaurant quality feast at your own table with Bertolli Premium Pasta Sauce. A delicious recipe for Lamb Chops a la Pizzaiola from top chef Rocco DiSpirito will have your family wondering if it came from an Italian restaurant.

Recipe Secrets- Creating a Country-Style Pot Roast is as simple as combining a few ingredients in the Dutch oven to roast , including Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix, which provides the perfect blend of seasonings to create delicious, affordable meals and great recipes for every occasion. Yummo! This is my favorite recipe!

Breyers- Bring a sweet ending to your Seder with a classic Hot Fudge Sundae using delicious Breyers All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream - a family-favorite made easily (and more affordably) at home!

Now, that you got a head start on your recipes from MakingLifeBetter.com, you can browse everything else on their site! Not only can you find Food & Recipes, but Beauty & Styling Advice, Home & Family Information, Health Tips, & More!

This post made possible by Mom Central

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Every morning I wake three small children. I feed them, dress them, and make remind them to brush their teeth. They have a special mouthwash they use that's formulated just for kids. It's definitely a big job to make sure they are taking good care of their teeth, but feel I'm "on it" as best I can.

The crazy thing is I sometimes forget to take care of MY teeth! I mean, I brush every day, but the order of the day ahead makes me forget to use my OWN mouthwash. So, I was really excited when Mom Central sent me the New Listerine Total Care Antiseptic Mouthwash!

First things first, Listerine can be super intense. That's probably why I "forget" to use mouthwash. My husband was the first to try it and he said, "It really really burned!" I wasn't sure if I would put my sweet gums through that, but, nevertheless, I tried it. The funny thing is, it didn't burn MY mouth!

Estimated time to rinse is about two minutes and I didn't have any trouble at all! It's perfect because LISTERINE TOTAL CARE, Anti-cavity Fluoride Mouthwash, now available, is the only fluoride mouthwash that contains six benefits in one:

· Helping to prevent cavities
· Restoring enamel
· Strengthening teeth
· Killing bad breath germs
· Freshening breath
· Fighting unsightly plaque above the gum line

With our ever growing to-do lists it can be so easy to neglect our personal oral health, but with 92% of adults ages 20 to 64 experiencing dental decay in our permanent teeth at some point in our lives, proper oral care routines and preventive dental care visits prove more essential than ever for achieving a cleaner, healthier mouth. We need to take notes from what we tell our kids - by doing simple things regularly including brushing, flossing and rinsing twice daily and visiting your dentist twice a year for preventative care, you can avoid bigger problems down the line that require painful oral procedures and may cost thousands of dollars. An alarming recent survey by Cigna indicates that 41 percent of Americans are taking worse care of their health because of the economy.

Eek! I definitely don't want to be part of that 41%! Although, we have definitely been affected by the failing economy, I vow to take better care of my family's teeth!

Buy It

You can purchase Listerine products at major pharmacy and grocery stores nationwide. Don't forget to print out your 2.00 coupon by clicking here.

This post made possible by Mom Central

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As most of you guys know, I'm a Momma to three little ones. The youngest is 2 years old, but I remember the pregnancy and birth like it was yesterday. An amazing time to celebrate bringing a little one into this world, don't you think?

Welcome, Little One is a deluxe interactive novelty book celebrating the magic and joy that come with the arrival of a new baby - an irresistibly sweet gift!

About the book:

In this special interactive gift book, beloved author and artist Sandra Magsamen celebrates the miracle of baby's arrival. With soothing, lulling text and a wide variety of novelty elements, including touch-and-feels, pull-tabs, lift-the-flaps, a musical sound chip, pop-ups and more, readers are invited to remember all of the special moments that are experienced when baby arrives.

I had the opportunity to review Welcome, Little One and was more than impressed. Although, we are not expecting a baby, it definitely speaks loudly to my 2 year old. The front cover has a big puffy heart and is big enough for little hands to help turn the pages. Open it up and you'll find beautifully illustrated pages with pop-ups, lift flaps, touch & feels, and a cool surprise I wasn't expecting... a song! What an amazing gift for expectant mothers!

Want a sneak peek of what's inside?





About the Author:

Sandra Magsamen is an artist, mom, author of Living Artfully and creator of the Messages From The Heart brand. She designs gifts and ideas that encourage us to live with heart. Sandra Magsamen lives artfully with her family in the Maryland town in which she grew up. Visit her Web site at www.sandramagsamen.com.

Welcome, Little One is sold online and bookstores nation wide. For specific locations click here.

Win it!



One (1) Grand Prize winner receives a Grand Prize Pack ($149.88 Value) including:

2 Baby Outfits from Sandra’s clothing line “Messages from the Heart”
1 copy of Welcome, Little One
1 copy of Peek-a-boo, I Love You
1 copy of Baby Love
1 copy of My Blanket
1 copy of Little Blossom
1 copy of Goodnight, Little One
1 copy of Butterfly Kisses
1 copy of Love Bug
1 copy of Bedtime Bunny
1 copy of Little Angel

Four (4) runner-up winners receive a copy of the new book:

Welcome, Little One

How to Enter:

All you have to do is tell me your favorite childhood book. Do you read it to your children now? What do you like about it?

Extra Entries:

1.) Grab up 4 entries if you add our Giveaway button to your sidebar! I've included the html code for easy copy/paste.

2.) Blog about this cool giveaway by linking back to this post.

3.) Tweet, Stumble, Kirtsy, of Facebook this post (1 for each you do).

4.) Follow me on blogger or become an email subscriber.

Contest starts today April 3rd - 24th Midnight Central Time and open to US residents only. You don't have to be a blogger to enter, but please leave a valid email address for contact purposes.

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