With the first hurricane of the season hitting Mexico today, here in the Houston Area, we're getting quite a bit of rain. The rest of the week calls for stormy weather, so we decided to make the best of it. There are only so many video games or movies to watch and our Summer reading has been going great. So, I've been digging around my "Review Shelf" searching for something new and fun to do.

The last few days, I've been "babysitting" my cousins. They are all very girly, very giggly, and very TWEEN. What better way to entertain them then by making Friendship Bracelets together!? I'm a little rusty in my jewelry making skills, but the Klutz Fancy Friendship Bracelets craft book, helped me look like a pro in their eyes.

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The year after Kindergarten my children reach a right of passage. They plan a week long trip with their Grandparents. Zach went to the Smokey Mountains on his trip and last week it was Abby's turn. She tubed down the Guadalupe River, splashed at Schlitterbahn, and played Queen for the Day in the Lego Castle. This was the day I told her good-bye, my grown up girl.


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Every once in awhile there's a movie that makes my heart flutter. I felt that way when I watched Hope Floats, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Notebook, and now Dear John. It's a movie all about love and the struggle you face wondering if he's your true soul mate.

I met Brian, my husband of 9 years, in the most simplistic way, through a friend. I can be honest now and say this friend was the only person I saw myself marrying.

We were best friends, still are.

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Momma Findings has partnered with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to bring you a Twitter Party in celebration of it's newest iPhone and iPod Touch Mobile App: Wheel of Fortune Platinum. We want to talk to all of you guys about the game, specifically focusing on simply playing a version of Wheel of Fortune through twitter. This is dedicated to having nothing, but fun and the chance to win the Wheel of Fortune Platinum Mobile Game for your device along with really fun themed swag. Can you solve the puzzle?

Please Join Me

Date: Thursday, July 1st 2010
Time: 8:00-9:00PM CST
Host: @Sarann (Momma Findings)
Sponsor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Location: #WheelofFortuneMobile
Prizes: Wheel of Fortune game downloads and lots of fun swag!

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I'm discovering that raising girls is heartbreaking, yet satisfying and sweet all at the same time. If there's one thing I appreciate about my 6-yr-old daughter Abby, it's her spirit of goodwill and willingness to help others. It melts my heart to see her share her things or give unexpectedly to friends in need. She has a generosity that reaches beyond her immediate ability and, as someone who knows her heart, I believe she'll only become more giving as she matures.

A few weeks ago, I spoke of how sad I was that Abby stopped wearing dresses. She is no longer my preschool aged girl, but an intelligent and intuitive 1st grader learning about the world around her. Some of which she is learning revolves around the charities and how, girls like her, can make a difference. Today, American Girl wants to unite girls, everywhere, to contribute and help give clothes, books, dolls, and money to charitable organizations by launching Shine On Now.

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Today, Momma Findings celebrates a new charitable initiative by American Girl, called Shine On Now. It's a new website, in which, girls can give stars, which are the equivalent to money to charitable organizations. It's a great way to get your daughter involved and show Christ's Love and the generosity He arms all of us with.

Since it IS Monday and I'm always feeling inspired the day after such amazing worship, I've been listening to KLOVE online.

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We're heading into July and the Summer Blues are starting to set in. My children are muttering the words I'm Bored!. When they're not "bored" they've usually got cabin fever and want to get out and have some fun.

As a family of five, it's difficult to go out every week. I'm constantly looking for budget friendly ways to have some Summer Fun. Well, Premiere Cinemas has the answer to the question: Where can I take the family to have a good time without spending a lot of money?

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As a teenager, I had a skincare routine that was not to be wavered by anyone or anything. I had my facial cleansers, creams, and astringents to keep a flawless complexion. I also had an array lotions for my legs, arms, and feet. One day, out of each week, you'd find me on my bed with the latest magazine and a facial mask. It came so easy to take care of my skin. That is, until I hit Motherhood.

With three young children, I'm lucky enough to get a shower each day that I don't even think twice about putting lotion on. In fact, I've neglected it completely for the last 5 years. To be honest, most days it's dry and I feel helpless to the means of getting back to my, once perfected, skin routine. So,today, I'm taking the Eucerin Skin First Pledge to put my skin first and start treating my skincare like healthcare.

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There isn't anything more precious than the first time your child discovers the magic of lightening bugs. I remember going on a family walk, in Memphis, and seeing the face of my children when they, first, saw the flashing, relaxing, lights coming from the bushes.

"What's that Momma? Are there Christmas lights in there?"

They were probably around 2 and 3-yrs-old on that day and I jumped up to take them on their very first Bug Hunt. We caught lightening bugs in jars then awed at their release. We used a magnifying glass to get a close up of beetles. We even dug for worms! Ever since that day, we've loved pretending to be "Bug Hunters" and there is one company that helps us do that, Backyard Safari Outfitters.

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Earlier this month, my family and I had the opportunity to attend a special advanced screening of Universal Pictures new movie Despicable Me in 3D. The movie doesn't hit theaters until July 9th, so this was a treat I was not expecting.

As a family of five, our budget is usually very tight when it comes to going to the movies. My children understand that outings like this are carefully planned in advance and they usually count down the days, however, when we were invited to see Despicable Me I didn't have to worry about "budgeting it in". The kids were over excited and watching the movie trailer over and over on my Palm Pre in the car. We had a great time full of laughs and I've got the skinny for ya!

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We loved Sea World so much over Spring Break, that we decided to take a last minute day trip back there with my niece. To celebrate the good time we KNOW we're going to have, I've decided to reminisce with a few pictures from our Spring trip.

My nephew and I conquered the Great White!

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Every Summer, I write about 50 posts about how much I love 4th of July. It's one of my favorite Holidays because it brings everything I love together for one day: Family, Fun, Fireworks, and Funnel Cakes (not necessarily in that order)!

To add to my excitement, I usually plan out a few 4th of July themed crafts to do with the kids. I have memories of all kinds of face painting when I was younger and I want my children to remember this Summer Holiday as I did. For the next couple of weeks, I'll bring you all kinds of 4th of July Crafts you can enjoy with you family. What kind of fun can you have with confetti? Today, I bring you the Ultimate Confetti Launcher for Patriotic Pizazz!

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Summer is here which means two things: Fun is always to be had and the budget is always tight. Having the kids out of school and, instantly, increases our dollar spent on groceries. There's more snacking and more I'm bored! Let's go have some fun! For a one income family of five, it's hard to stay on budget, yet, build Summer memories they'll remember.

I shop exclusively at one grocery store: H-E-B. For other things I can't buy there, I head over to stores that help me stretch my family dollar and there is no place quite like the Family Dollar store. So, I did a little shopping to kick-off our Summer!

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We are a Webkinz family. Between my 8-yr-old son and 6-yr-old daughter we probably have about 20-30 Webkinz in all. A little overboard? Maybe, but these are, hands down, our family's favorite toy. In an age where most young children can navigate their way through a computer faster than most adults, my 3-yr-old was feeling a little left out that he couldn't take part in playing Webkinz online.

Last Christmas, his Ganee bought him a Webkinz Jr, but he had yet to adopt the pet. I didn't think he was ready to play on the laptop until he could fully understand the keyboard, mouse (or touchpad). He learned quick and we added Webkinz Jr. to our list of family friendly websites. A few weeks ago, my little one serenaded you guys with Twinkle Twinkle Litle Star. Ganz found my musical prodigy and quickly wanted to reward him with another Webkinz Jr. pet after hearing how much we enjoy them.

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On any given Sunday, I find myself in worship at church. I sing songs out loud (off key I might add), raise my arms in praise to my God, and rest in the thought that I'm in His Holy presence. I arrive in my Sunday best ready to offer all I have to Him, but what is it that I have? And, most importantly, does He hear me? ALL of me?

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Summertime means one thing to my children, FUN! They've gotten the idea that Summer means they can stay up all night long, do whatever they want, and I'd just be "cool" with it. For the most part, I want my children to have Summers they can remember, full of memories with family, cookouts, swimming, and relaxing, but I also want them to keep a sense of responsibility and safety.

My children can't get enough of the pool at their Grandparent's house and are constantly begging us to buy a Swing Set. Play sets, jungle gyms and pools offer up hours of fun in the sun, but can turn, potentially, dangerous if you don't know what to look for. This summer, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a leading product safety testing organization, provides useful tips to help keep you and your children safe around play sets and the pool.

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Father's Day is Sunday and I'm sure you guys are thinking of gifts for all those deserving fathers in your life. In fact, my sister and I were JUST talking (well texting) about gift ideas. Of course, there I go perusing through all my photos to look for the perfect picture of Papi, my Dad.

It seems as if Mother's Day always gets more attention. There aren't HUGE displays at stores. There aren't TV commercial after TV commercial, but that doesn't mean Dads aren't important, just means they are simple and laid back. What do you get for a Dad like that? Well, Coty fragrances has the perfect, inexpensive, yet personal, gift you can pick up at almost any drugstore. These limited-edition Father’s Day Fragrance Gift Kit's save time and has that Daddy smelling great!

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Twelve sweet girls, who live in an old house, in Paris stole the hearts of my daughter and 3-year-old son. They were, first, introduced to Madeline in the Madeline Movie: Lost in Paris. They, quickly, added it to their list of favorite movies to watch because of the spirit and creativity of the girls in the movie. Remember my Abby relishing in Madeline's thoughts of Princesses?

As a Mom, I have a soft spot for Madeline because she was a childhood favorite of mine. Books brought to the TV screen give me the chance to show my children all the dreams I had as little girl. This month, Madeline brings all her adventures into one combined DVD in Madeline's Great Adventures.

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Summer is definitely in full swing here in my little town outside of Houston. We've been discovering spray parks, bug hunting, swimming, and looking forward to Baytown's NEW Water Park Pirate's Bay opening next week. I hope to get the skinny on that one for you on opening day. We'll see if the heat allows me.

We've always been big Astros Baseball fans, even when we lived hundreds of miles away in Memphis. So, I'm excited that the Astros and Minute Maid Park have brought back Kids Free All Summer in 2010.


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The last six weeks, I've had the joy of being an Aquafina FlavorSplash Mom. Aquafina packages were sent to us every Monday and it was something we looked forward to. The kids and I, tried to guess the Flavor of the Week discussing our favorite fruit flavors and drinks. My 3-year-old took these days very seriously since his job was to stock the fridge with our the delivered water.

I think that's what I enjoyed, most of all, about being chosen to be an Aquafina Mom, the ability to change our drinking habits and create an open dialog with my children. In just over a month, I've had open discussions with my children about why they don't like water and different ways we can change that.

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Toy Story 3 hits theaters this Friday and we're excited! We've always been Toy Story fans, so I had to dig up some oldies, but goodies in anticipation of the movie.

My Buzz LightYear

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A few months ago, my daughter and I were picking out her outfit for school. She said she wanted to wear something nice because it was a special day. I brought out a few dresses that I knew she loved to wear.

The green one with the pink flowers looks great with her matching bow.
The brown one with multi-colored polka dots is funky and fun.
The black and white one with the big white dots on the bottom is her fave.
The classic white one with embellished pink flowers at the bottom is so sweet.

I turn to her expecting her to pick one and she says, "Ummm, no dress. How about some capris?" That's when I came to a sad realization. My heart sunk as I, slowly, sat on her bed. My eyebrows grew puzzled, then I put my arm around her, and immediately had a flashback of my sweet girl, years ago, in her Easter Dress.

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Do you ever have one of those days where God speaks to you in a clear and confident tone, so clear there is NO mistaking it's Him? Well, on the way to Church Sunday, I prayed asking Him for "direction and provision" for certain areas of my life.

We had a guest speaker at Church today. Some of you might know her and her ministry. Nancy Alcorn, with Mercy Ministries, was incredibly encouraging and opened my eyes to all the young girls who need to hear God's Word, but most importantly how I need to be that light. My fear holds me back from sharing the Gospel, but God gives just enough light to take one step in our walk of faith. When you're ready to walk further, His light will shine your pathway to take the next step.

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As long as my toddler has a severe food allergy, I'll continue my effort to support companies and products who help families like mine stay safe. Last month, I've featured allergy safe food and hip allergy jewelry your kids can wear. Today, however, I've got a method that will really "stick".

I get a little carried away with protecting my little one, but I kind of have to. He's 3-years-old and is severely allergic to peanuts. He's my Epipen carrying little guy, who has now learned which candies he can and cannot have. It's amazing to see him when he's picking out Lunchables, "Uh. I can't get that one, it has a peanut candy." So, while he knows which foods he can have, often times, his caregivers don't. Every little reminder helps, especially on his eating utensils. Name Bubbles has you covered and specializes in Medical and Allergy alerts that stick to just about anything helping my toddler voice his allergy to everyone around him.

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Please welcome my Guest Contributer, Cammie Moise, here to teach us a little more about how we can be a Cyber Safe Family.

One great thing about technology is that information is easily accessible. In this picture, we have the world which represents all the information we now have access to through the internet. When we have a question, we “Google” it to get the answer. All this information comes to our computers, laptops, cell phones and digital devices.

When you reverse it, all the information we put out onto the internet through emails, blogs, social network sites, comments, posts, pictures, videos, etc. is available to the world. Maybe you have put privacy settings on your information, but it could still be exposed and available for all to read or see.

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My life seems normal to many. I'm a Stay-at-Home Mom with three young children. I live in a small house in a small Houston area neighborhood. We go to church on Sundays, say Grace before each meal, and, on most days, you'll hear KSBJ playing in the kitchen. Then you see a snapshot of what I look at every day:

I do this thing that most people don't understand. Blogging. I was asked, by someone, the other day, "What is blogging? How do I get started? How do I do what YOU do?" The first thing I say to them is:

Blogging is and always has been my personal outlet. It's an online journal (or website) you create, complete with YOUR personality, YOUR creativity, YOUR thoughts, YOUR interests, YOUR talents, and most importantly, YOUR passion for the journey of online publication.

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Families and children everywhere have been gearing up for the Shrek Forever After 3D movie. Who doesn't love Shrek, Fiona, and their little babies? For me, it's definitely Puss in Boots mainly because of his dashing Spanish accent. Do you remember me saying how I'm a sucker for Spanish speaking celebrities?

Well, now families can dive right into the Shrek Saga, at home, with the Activision's newest game Shrek Forever After for Nintendo Wii. It's your ultimate adventure with the cast you've grown to love: Shrek, Fiona, Puss in Boots, and, of course, Donkey.

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This family saves money and eats out at home. Thanks to my daughter we have our order taken and drinks brought to the table, all with Momma's help.


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Have you ever been on a flight with a screaming child on a Mother's lap behind you? It almost makes you lose your mind. Well, imagine that YOU are that mother. Changes things doesn't it?

I was "That Mom" a few years ago when I flew alone with my 5-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son (he was almost two). I held him in my lap as thoughts of how unsafe it felt drifted in and out of my head. There had to be a better way to travel with this child. He screamed the entire flight, kicked the guy's seat in front of us over and over, and I, silently, cried into his back.

We are at the peak of Summer Travel and young families are packing their bags and gearing up to fly to their vacation destination. I'm excited to let you guys know about CARES Kids Fly Safe, the innovative and safe way for tots to fly.

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My family is not what you would consider a "Pet Family" in any way, shape, or form. We don't own dogs, cats, fish, or anything that might need extra loving care. Why? Well, one reason is that my oldest son has always been scared of dogs, but another reason is the fact that we just don't have the energy for another living being who eats and poops. A family of five is hard enough.

So, what does a young family do when the children are begging for a pet? Are there hassle free options for a family like mine? Well, thanks to Wild Creations I've discovered we can enjoy African Dwarf Frogs and their easy Eco Aquarium.

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Sunday mornings. It's a time of joy that I can freely worship my God in the presence of other believers, but it's also a time of chaos in the mornings. Getting three kids fed, dressed, and out the door on time is a chore all in itself.

A seasoned Christian woman once told me she had her children sleep in their church clothes on Saturday nights. Who cares about wrinkles, as long as their dressed and THERE? We battle the Sunday morning hokey pokey just as many other families do, so how do I stay calm and get it all done?

I know He's worth it. Oh, and KSBJ plays some awesome music on Sundays. That's how I discovered Ricardo Sanchez and Free Chapel for Music Monday!

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Today, is our first official day of Summer! After school yesterday, we treated ourselves to chocolate ice cream shakes at Sonic (they're buy 1 get 1 free and you know how much I love me some deals) and late last night my son says, "Mom, I wish we could have some ice cream." His eyes were in shock when I said, "Well, it IS Summer, your wish is my command!" I tapped him on his head with my imaginary wand and broke out a tub of Mint Chocolate Chip.

It's Summer and we're extraordinarily excited, but we also know that Summer can be a time of dangerous heat. Before we left our Elementary, for the last time, we wanted to arm our favorite teachers with something they could use, something that would make them smile, and something that would keep them hydrated.

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Too many pictures to choose from for Wordless Wednesday. So, I included all my faves from our Memorial Day Weekend for you guys. You might actually feel like you were there!


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I need to say this first, before I let out all my thoughts about Kindergarten Graduations... I am guilty of gushing over my daughter when she graduated. I love her. I'm proud of her hard work this school year and it meant everything to her that we show our pride publicly for her at her graduation ceremony.

That being said, why do we have graduation ceremonies to celebrate the small feat of finishing Kindergarten? I hear 5th graders AND 8th graders go through this as well. What gives? When did we, as a society, start throwing out celebrations, gifts, and accolades for what should be a given accomplishment for most children to begin with?

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My 3-year-old song sat in the Pediatrician's office, tongue sticking out, and fingers mastering a game on his brother's Nintendo DS. A stranger in the waiting room asked me, "Hold old is he? How long has he been playing?"

Yes, I understand he really young to be playing video games, but he yearns to do everything big sister and brother are doing. I found there is limited Nintendo DS games for young children to help them learn. I often wondered if there would EVER be a toy developed that have some of the same features as the DS, but for younger minds, like my son. I discovered VTech probably felt the same way when they developed their NEW MobiGo game system.

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