Family * Travel * Food

Please share your suggestions!

Hey guys, it's close to that time of year again...the time I dread. Back-to-school means lunch ideas. I start off great and then I get to the point that it feels like the girls take the same thing week after week. I am in search of some good (and frugal) lunchbox ideas. Please share your suggestions in the comments. Thanks in advance!


Shelly, Mom Files
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Flashback Friday

This photo was taken when the girls were 6 & 4. Look at my short hair! Not sure if I could ever pull that off again. I remember these days so well. Great memories :)



Shelly, Mom Files
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William's weight update

I took William to the pediatrician this week for his weight check-in. His physician was concerned that he had not gained any weight for his past few visits so she wanted to monitor him. He has gained 2 pounds since his last visit 4 moths ago so she is pleased with it. She asked me if I wanted to bring him prior to his 3 year well visit to check his weight and I declined. I was not the one worried about it in the first place. Like I told her...come to my house for an hour and you will see why my boy is so lean.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Wordless Wednesday I ♥ these girls!

Look at my teenagers!! They are so sweet and I have thoroughly enjoyed having them home with me this summer. I will be so sad when school starts back in a few weeks. They keep me smiling :)



Shelly, Mom Files
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Chex gluten-free cereal prize pack giveaway

**Contest Closed**


I received a fantastic Chex cereal prize pack to review. The prize pack included a VIP coupon for a free box of Chex cereal, a microwavable bowl, a Chex gluten-free recipe card and measuring spoons and cups.

5 of the Chex cereal varieties (Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Chocolate Chex, and Cinnamon Chex) have been reformulated to be gluten free and offer a great tasting, crunchy morning breakfast option. Aside from breakfast, Chex cereal is great for snacks on the go as well as a part of a yummy recipe. I remember making Chex party mix a lot as a teenager and adding extra chili powder to make it nice and spicy. I have recently sampled a chocolaty snack mix at a holiday get together that was so yummy (and I am not a big chocolate person). It was called Chex Muddy Buddies. I highly recommend it! You can find some awesome gluten-free recipes here.

My friends at Chex and MyBlogSpark are letting me give away one of these prize packs to one lucky Momfiles reader.

Here's how to enter: *Mandatory
~Tell us what your favorite Chex cereal variety is or what recipe you would like to make using Chex cereal. Comments that say "thanks" or "enter me" or the like do not count and will be deleted. Please include your email address if you do not have a Blogger profile.

~You can also gain additional entries by Tweeting or Facebooking this contest (twice daily). Just leave a link to your entry.
Example of a Tweet: Win a Chex gluten-free cereal prize pack @momfiles http://blog.momfiles.com/2010/07/chex-gluten-free-cereal-prize-pack.html #giveaway

~"Like" Chex on Facebook

~Follow me on Twitter (@momfiles) or follow on Networked Blogs on Facebook.

~Follow Momfiles through Google Friend Connect

~Grab the Momfiles button and leave your blog link in a comment.

* Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above Contest ends August 16, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST Good luck!

Disclosure: the VIP coupon, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all given to me from Chex cereal through MyBlogSpark.

Shelly, Mom Files
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Let me tell you about your boy...

Tonight I made some homemade French toast for the kids to have for tomorrow morning. A certain man in our home was lured into the kitchen by the sweet smell of warm cinnamon. I informed him that it was for the next morning and he gave me some kinda look like "woman is you crazay?". The fool then goes on to tell me that he must be making me nervous with all the weight (1 pound) that he lost and some jabber about how fine and sexy he was getting. He thinks I plotted to try to put the weight back on him. All this was being said as syrup dripped down the side of his mouth. That's your boy!



Shelly, Mom Files
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Tax "free" weekend at Chipotle


DON’T PAY TAXES
AND GET A REFUND.


Purchase a burrito, bowl, tacos or salad on
Tuesday August 3rd & Wednesday August 4th-
Then bring your receipt from that day
to any North or South Carolina Chipotle,
during tax free weekend, August 6th – 8th,
and they’ll give you a
FREE BURRITO, BOWL,
SALAD or ORDER OF TACOS.
No charge. No tax. No strings attached.

FIND YOURS @ CHIPOTLE.COM


Whoo hoo! FREE sounds good to me!

Shelly, Mom Files
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And the Mom of the Year Award goes to....

Obviously NOT Shelly Ismail!!!

Look at what her son is doing *sighs*

Let me explain...We had company staying for a couple days and William's little furniture on wheels usually covers this outlet as well as his monitor unit is plugged in this outlet. We did not think to put safety covers on. Obviously this did not hinder two cousins from having some rowdy fun!

Shelly, Mom Files
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Flashback Friday

Look at all this sweetness! William was a chubby 6 month old in this photo. I remember that gummy grin and soft, fluffy chub so well. This has to be one of my top 5 favorite photos of him.
Happy Friday friends!



Shelly, Mom Files
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Teef!

This boy LOVES brushing his teeth. He wants to do it at least 6 times a day. He yells out "Teef, teef!" If only he could learn how to swish and spit. We would be good to go then!



Shelly, Mom Files
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Paperspring Review & Giveaway

**Contest Closed**
Winner #30 pennypincher


I wanted to show you guys the adorable greeting cards I ordered from Paperspring.com. Aren't they the cutest cards you ever saw?! I love them so much and they were so easy to personalize. I was even able to create a personal message to go on the inside of the cards. Paperspring offers all kinds of neat products like thank you cards, invitations, address labels, birth announcements and so much more including FREE shipping! I noticed that you can match up the thank you cards and address labels for a more sophisticated look. In the world of email and text it is very nice to still take the time to send and receive actual paper cards, don't you think?

Now through July 30th Paperspring is offering 20% off all invitations. I received some samples and they are beautiful!

Guess what? The wonderful folks at Paperspring has graciously offered for one Momfiles reader to win a $50 gift certificate to spend on their super cute products!

*Mandatory~To enter go check out the Paperspring site and tell us what you would buy if you won the prize.

*Want additional entries?

~You can Tweet this giveaway (once daily)
Example-- Win a $50 gift certificate for @paperspring products @momfiles http://blog.momfiles.com/2010/07/paperspring-review-giveaway.html #giveaway
~Share this giveaway on Facebook (once daily)
~Follow Paperspring on Twitter
~"like" Paperspring on Facebook
~Grab my button and leave me your blog link

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on August 4, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST. Good luck to all and be sure to leave your email address in comments if you do not have a Blogger account.
Disclosure- I received a $50 gift certificate as well as some sample items for reviewing. All opinions are 100% my own.
Shelly, Mom Files
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WTH? Wednesday

Hey friends! I am really having a WTH kind of week. I need to ask something and I am really embarrassed and don't know how to ask it. Here it goes.... Is it normal for little boys to umm....well.... hump people? I am so grossed out by how my little William presses his little boy parts all up on people!!! Please, I have never seen this. I want your input on any experience you have had with this. I really need to know that other parents have seen this kind of ickyness.

Are you having a WTH moment? Please share it with me!!

Shelly, Mom Files
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Updates/Random

It's Monday!! My favorite day of the week. It has me thinking a lot. Before long school will start back and I am already missing my children. Strangely it seems that the summer has been cheaper than when the girls are in school. I have spent less on food. Can you believe that? I guess with things being so laid back, there was no real need for a whole lot of extras. During the school year I buy breakfast items, snack stuff for before they go to lunch, lunchbox items, volleyball practice drinks and snacks and everything in between. I will have a lit of adjusting to do! Both girls have volleyball tryouts in the upcoming weeks. I have been scheduling a bunch of doctor and dental appointments so we can get the bulk of that stuff taken care of while they are off from school.

I have a bunch of giveaways going on right now. Check them out if you are interested:
Other than those few things I hope everyone has a really great start to their week!


Shelly, Mom Files
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Bummis diaper and baby items giveaway

**Contest Closed**
Winner is #76 SCMOMOF2BOYS

Being a mom blogger, I am very lucky to receive some really nice items in the mail from time to time. FedEx, UPS and USPS, I LOVE YOU! The other day I received a package by surprise from one of the companies I am working with. They sent a nice selection of baby and toddler items. Obviously I no longer have a little baby but boy do I wish I did! I got one of the Bummis Easy Fit cloth diapers in a lemon yellow color (one size fits all). If I had it to do all over again I honestly think I would go with cloth. This diaper is super high quality and comes in some gorgeous colors.

They retail around $18-$20 each and since I don't have a use for it I would love to give it away to someone who can get some use out of it! I am also going to include a few other items like a sippy cup, bottle, a bottle of Harmonic baby Aromatic Massage oil and a couple of other goodies in this giveaway. This all is a retail value of over $45.

How to enter: All you have to do is leave a comment relative to this post, it's that simple!

You can also Tweet or Facebook this giveaway (twice daily), add the Momfiles button to your blog, or follow me on Twitter or through Networked Blogs to gain additional entries. Be sure to leave an individual comment per entry method. Here is an example of a Tweet you are welcome to use: ~Bummis diaper and baby items #giveaway @momfiles http://blog.momfiles.com/2010/07/bummis-diaper-and-baby-items-giveaway.html

This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only and will end on August 2, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST. Winner will be chosen via random.org. I am giving these items away for no compensation from anyone whatsoever. Good luck!
Shelly, Mom Files
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Flashback Friday (sort of)

Check out your boy, old school style. He refuses to live any other way. Remember when all television service went digital? He thinks he can beat the airwaves and catch a local channel. Bless his heart.
This all comes from the man who still listens to cassette tapes. All you younger bloggers must be scratching your head wondering what that is! haha!!!


Shelly, Mom Files
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What to do, what to do?

Most of my regular readers know that I have been trying to decide between twin beds, toddler beds, futons and whatever else for my little tot. I am not sure why I am putting this much pressure on myself since the little guy is still pretty content with his crib and loves to play in it each day. My mother-in-law said that I was dragging out the last bits of baby that is left of him. She said she thought that was a good thing! Maybe I should formulate a poll for readers to vote on what I should do. Potty train begins next month so I have to hurry and make a decision!
Shelly, Mom Files
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WTH? Wednesday

Almost daily there is something that stands out and makes me say WTH??? This would be the winner of the week and that is a Chucky doll sticking out of the back window. Not something you see (or want to see) everyday! Seriously...What the hell??

Another WTH? moment was with my mail carrier. She is nosey as hell. Why does she tell me about my mail? She assumes she knows what my letter is about and tells me what steps to take. Umm, it is not even all that lady. Then she gives me this crazy look if I have too many freebies that can't all fit in the box and she is forced to come to my door. Oh and she called my sweet little dog Milo a "monster" and she says she does not like him. I am still so nice to her even though she is always trippin' about something!!

So what was your WTH? moment of the week?

Shelly, Mom Files
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ABC Genius!

Each and every day our little William is absorbing so much information and is broadening his speech. He has gotten to the point that he can tell you what any letter of the alphabet is without it being in alphabetical order. He loves doing his daily lessons and cheers and claps for himself when he knows he has done a good job. I wish I had a proper video to post but if you have a toddler then you understand how hard it is to get them to sit still for more than 5 seconds. William is thriving and is showing signs of maturity by listening a little better and trying to make better choices. The evil mom "look" is finally working on him. I have to say that he has been really well behaved in the past month and is a lot easier to look after. I know they go through phases so I will enjoy it while I can! Perhaps we are slowly moving out of the terrible two's stage? I guess time will tell.

Shelly, Mom Files
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Monday Randoms

Weekends are really not good for me. I really don't like them. When the husband and kids are home I am miserable. Sounds terrible huh? Well the reason for my miserableness is because I get too damn cozy when they are around. I eat too much foolishness and it goes on from Saturday morning until Sunday midnight. I eat more in those 2 days than I do all week long. It's not right. I need to do better than that. *sighs*

On a better note I have been using regular body products on William. It has been working out really well since he has really good skin to begin with. Now he shares cocoa butter lotion with Papo. Cheaper too. Speaking of William, I found a way to tame him. If he is acting up and needs some distraction to calm down all I have to do is ask him if he wants to brush his teeth. Strange I know. He loves to get his teeth brushed. Lets hope it stays this way.

I am locking myself in the house today to clean. It appears that a small storm blew through while we were sleeping last night. It blew in more dirty laundry too. Well I better get to work. I am sure I will have something more interesting to say tomorrow. Maybe.
Shelly, Mom Files
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Are you prepared for Hurricane Season?

**Contest Closed**
Winner is #41 thatlittlehouse


I was contacted by my friends at Energizer to share some very important news with you about weather safety and preparedness. I know we can all agree that no matter where you live in the world, we are all affected by the weather in some way. It is officially Hurricane season and it is so important to be prepared (just in case). Dwayne and I went through Hurricane Andrew back in 1992 and lost EVERYTHING. The one thing I can say I am so happy about is the fact that we took the time to prepare. Most of the people I knew at that time in Miami laughed it off thinking that the weather stations were exaggerating and trying to scare us. I took the warning to heart. I bought a small radio (with batteries), a flashlight and some candles. Thank goodness I listened to my heart. We were blasted with 100+ mph winds with flooding rain like you have never seen in your lifetime. It was the scariest time of our lives. You did not know if you would make it out alive. I am so thankful we had those few emergency items because living in pitch blackness with no roof over your head and no electricity for 2 weeks is not fun. After going through such devastation we have learned to always be prepared for emergencies. I have even over-purchased items (that we would use anyway) and store them in the event of an emergency. Here is a complete checklist of things you should have to be sure your family is prepared to face Hurricane season and other weather related occurrences.

The Energizer company provided us with an emergency kit that is filled with some very handy and helpful items. The kit includes 1 Weather Ready flashlight with batteries, 1 small battery operated radio with batteries, 1 cellphone charger (charges MP3's and Bluetooth as well), 3 packs of assorted batteries and 1 red cinch bag to keep all your emergency items together. We will choose a specific location in our home that the whole family can access the kit in the event of an emergency. My husband has also included our own personal emergency manual to keep in our bag as well.

How would you like the win one of these emergency kits for your family? Good news, Energizer is providing one extra kit to give away to 1 Momfiles reader!

Here is how to enter:
~*Mandatory- Please leave a comment sharing any tips you may have to help prepare for weather related emergencies or you can check out the Energizer site and tell us what helpful thing you learned.

Extra Entries (must complete first method)
~Tweet this giveaway (once daily) Example of a tweet :

Enter @momfiles to win an emergency kit so you can be prepared http://blog.momfiles.com/2010/07/are-you-prepared-for-hurricane-season.html


~Share this giveaway on Facebook (once daily)
~Add our button to your blog
~Follow Momfiles on Networked Blogs
~Follow Momfiles on Twitter
~Follow the Energizer Bunny on Twitter
Leave an individual comment for each entry to count.

* Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above Contest ends July 27, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST. Be sure to leave a visible email address if you do not have a Blogger profile. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received the same prize sponsored in this giveaway as compensation for this post from the Energizer company.

Shelly, Mom Files
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The little kid's table

Of course the biggest kid of all had to have this seat!

Shelly, Mom Files
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