New fish, Happy kid and the Pet Store Mafia

For William's 4th birthday we purchased him an aquarium. He has a slight obsession with fish so we figured it would be a great thing for him to have. We kept it simple and went with a 10 gallon tank but opted to get the better filtration and lighting system. When we purchased everything to set the tank up, the customer service people at the pet store were very knowledgeable and willing to answer questions and give advice. We always had an aquarium for the girls when they were younger and had great success with it. As a matter of fact, the fish would sometimes get so big that we would have to donate them to the classrooms at the school. We went ahead and started off with all of what we needed to set the tank up and get the water ready to add fish. Back in the day we added fish within 24 hours. Nowadays they recommend 3 weeks! 3 weeks?? Try telling that to a 4 year old!

How happy does he look? 

We went yesterday to purchase some fish and boy was William excited. He made up his own song about going to the pet store to buy some fish. Too funny! We decided on a few glofish in cool, neon colors, a couple "Mickey Mouse"platys and a couple fancy tetras. When I asked the person in that area for help in purchasing the fish he immediately had that "look" on his face. This is how the interrogation... um conversation went...

Fish guy: Do you have your tank set up?
Me: Yes.
FG: Are you sure it is done properly?
Me: Yes
FG: How many fish do you want?
Me: 6
FG: What size is your tank? (At this point he is in my face looking at me like he is a prosecutor or something)
Me: 10 gallons
FG: Hmm, okay. But remember the rules... 1 inch of fish per gallon. Then he stares at me all scary.
Me: Uh, okay

If you could have seen his body language and heard his tone you would have been afraid of even breathing the wrong way. Like the husband says, they are like undercover PETA representatives or something! DANG! I mean come on, they are just fish. If I choose to buy 50 of them then I should be allowed to do so.

In the end, our boy is completely happy and enjoying his new pets. He is so curious and asks a lot questions about his fish. We look forward to adding some more fun friends as time goes on. We might have to rethink where to buy them from so we don't feel like we might catch a beat-down from the pet store mafia! :)

William is 4!

Our little guy just had a birthday and he is officially 4 years old! William has hit many milestones in the last year and we are so proud of him.

Some facts about William:

• He has gotten over his shyness and loves to be around other people! This is great since we are trying to get him prepped for kindergarten next year.  
• He is a very compassionate boy. If he senses you are in pain he will ask you if you are okay and offer to rub you or kiss it to make it all better. Sweet boy.
• William shows great discipline. I have to credit having a strong father for that one. It is amazing how well he will listen and pay attention. 
• I get told all the time what a mature little boy I have. Most people are amazed that he is his age and behaves the way he does. That makes me proud.
• William wakes up full of joy. He greets you with "good morning" and a lot of times starts the day singing the "good morning song" that his daddy taught him. 
• William shows how much he retains what you teach him. If you are caught doing something wrong he will be the first one to let you know "That's not a good choice". Trust me, I get told about my bad choices all the time!
• He loves animals, trucks, robots, all things Disney, fishing, playing outdoors and hanging out with his daddy. Daddy is his favorite person. I have becomes alright with that. Sort of.
• He is showing so much more independence and I have been working hard on letting him do things for himself. Operation un-spoil the child is progressing well so far. It turns out that he really likes doing things for himself! Again, I credit his father for that. He helps so much with the boy child. 
• William has become very talkative and asks a lot of questions. I love it! I love helping him learn and understand things. He asks some really good questions too! 
• William is into Scooby Doo, Phineas & Ferb and programs on Animal Planet/ NatGeo Wild. It is amazing how he really gets into some of these shows. He loves to go down to the man room and watch with his dad. The part I don't like... he puts his hand in the front of his pants like most men do. Gross. Of course his daddy is proud of that! 

Overall William is a vibrant and loving little boy. We are so excited to see all the new things he learns over the next year. We are so proud of him!

My Very Happy Birthday Review & Giveaway

Today is our little William's 4th birthday. Although he does not fully understand birthdays, it has not dulled his excitement! He is at such a fun and curious age. We were so thrilled to receive a personalized board book from I See Me! in the "My Very Happy Birthday" version... right in time for his birthday! William recognizes his name and squealed in excitement when he saw a book that was made just for him.

This sweet book has cute pictures and personal details throughout. The ordering process is so simple. You can take a virtual tour here. William really enjoyed listening to the whole birthday adventure that was all about himself. I love that he can have this sturdy book for many years as a keepsake that he can show his own children. This is such a neat gift idea for your own children, grandkids, family or friends and also for the kid who has everything. Right now you can sign up for the Refer-a-friend program to get $5 off for each customer you refer. There is no limit to how many people you can refer!

I am so thrilled that my friends at I See Me! are offering one lucky Momfiles reader a chance to win a personalized birthday book. Enter below...

*Mandatory- Let us know who you plan to give this book to if you are selected as the winner. What other I See Me! titles do you like? 

For extra entries please leave a separate comment per entry method:

~ Like I See Me! and Momfiles on Facebook

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#Win a personalized #book from @ISeeMe_Maia and @momfiles  http://tinyurl.com/732d7nr  #giveaway

~ Follow Momfiles via GFC and leave the name you are following as.

~ Subscribe to Momfiles via email (upper right hand side)

This contest is open to US Residents only and will end on April 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM EST. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. One winner will be chosen at random. Failure to follow the rules will disqualify your entries. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I received a book for review purposes. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.

Disney has ruined my kid!

You might recall reading a post about our family going to The Magic Kingdom a few months ago. Well apparently little William has not gotten over it. He is obsessed with all things Disney. He is, as I write this post, singing the "Happy Holidays" song that was being performed at one of the parades. He carries around a map of Disney in the house, the car, the store and asks to go to Disney World... several dozen times a day!

Dwayne recorded video of the parades and William watches them repeatedly. It also doesn't help that Disney commercial come on all day long!! When he meets new people he immediately tells them all about the "castle". SMH, I need to hit the lottery quick so we can take this boy back! I really thought he would have been over it by now. I guess the magic is still in him. I won't lie, I want to go back myself! Looks like it will be on the places to visit list in the next couple years.

They insist on growing up

I love my daughters. They are the most outstanding teenagers I have ever known. I don't say that because they are my girls, I say it because it is the truth! They don't act like the average teenager. They push themselves to be the best they can in school, sports and every other area of their life. They carry themselves like young ladies and are a best friend to each other. I am filled with happiness when I listen to some of the conversations they have with each other. My hope is that they always continue to be close and be there for each other.

The girls will be 16 & 18 later this year and Chardie is already looking into college applications. She informed me the other night that although she is a Junior, she has signed up for early application/early acceptance with the college she has dreamed of going to since she was 5. She will find out in November if she gets accepted. *sigh* Although I am so proud and I know that she will get in, I feel like she is half way out the door already. Did I mention that the college is local? She insists that she will always be around because she will still crave her mom's good cooking. Of course I will be there to indulge her! 

Now Brie has turned into this mini grown-up overnight. She stand about 3 inches taller than me and shows no signs of the looking like a little girl. She has really grown up so much not just physically but emotionally. Brie is our very intelligent, lively and colorful child. She keeps us entertained! She is also William's go-to person when he gets into trouble. He will go to Brie and explain what he did and tell her how much trouble he is in (very dramatically) Of course big sister eats it all up and consoles him. She doesn't like seeing him get into trouble but you better believe that if she catches him doing something naughty, she will correct him immediately. 

Little William is going to be 4 later this month. Although I have not missed a single milestone (being a stay-at-home mom) my heart still breaks a little seeing him grow up so fast. I am proud of that little boy though. He has met many milestones in the last year. It's funny, just when you think your kid will never do certain things they surprise you and do it BIG! I am trying to get him prepared for kindergarten. Some days I feel like I am doing a great job but most days I feel like I am not doing enough. That's another post for another day. 

I am just so proud of all my children. They are so inspiring and full of light. I take as much time as I can to watch them, listen to them and take in all the greatness they put out in the world. They are going to do very big things in their lives. I feel so fortunate to have such amazing children! 

Wordless Wednesday

One perk of being a review blogger... lots of empty boxes to play in!

I love them

This photo warms my heart...

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Some nights aren't always dry ones

Little William has been fully potty trained for a few months now and it has been going really well. He has graduated to underwear and will gladly show them to little babies since he knows they wear diapers. Funny kid. There is still one issue...nighttime. Some mornings he will wake up wet. I got so tired of washing bed sheets and blankets every day so I had to figure out what to do. I was using Huggies Pull-ups but they seemed to leak. I decided to see how GoodNites underwear made for nighttime would work out. It was a smart move. He has an overnight accident maybe a few times a week and thankfully there have been no leaks at all. We ask him each morning if he is wet or dry and he always says "dry". I am thinking the absorption level is higher than a diaper or trainer since they are designed for older kids. Hopefully he will grow out of this stage but for now I will keep a pack of GoodNites on hand for nighttime.

This is an unsponsored post and I am simply just sharing my thoughts on a product that worked well for us. 

The boy knows what he likes {Grits update}

I wrote a post about grits the other day and talked about buying instant grits for my boy. Of course I am the queen of homemade so this was a stretch for me. The majority of comments were against instant. Well I'm sorry but I can't cook grits in a matter of minutes when I have a hungry 3 year old.

We went to Walmart and picked up a box of Quaker butter flavor grits. Honestly, William was thrilled that those were especially for him. As a matter of fact, he bragged to other people in the store that he was getting grits. I don't cook them in the way the box tells you though. What I do is boil water and add it slowly while stirring to prevent lumps. I make it a little on the watery side. I then put it in the microwave on medium power for 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds. In the end I throw a half slice of cheese on top and add a little bit of freshly cracked pepper. After William's first bite he put both hands up to his heart and squealed out loud followed by a BIG "YUMMMMYYY!!" He actually did a grits and cheese dance throughout the time he ate it. After he was finished he asked for another bowl. I think we have a winner here!!

Why didn't I do this sooner?

It just dawned on me a few days ago that William's bedroom is a lot bigger than my office. Both rooms are next to each other and they used to be the girls' rooms before William was born and then they moved into bedrooms downstairs.  He only goes in his bedroom to sleep at night. How did I let a little kid get the bigger space? He doesn't even have that much stuff! It is also the one room in the house that is coldest in the Winter and warmest in the Summer. A light bulb went off in my head. I grabbed the girls and we switched rooms. Yep, I kicked the boy out of the big room with a full-sized closet and put him in a smaller, cozier room. Would you believe that now he wants to hang out and play in his "new room" all day long? It was a very smart move. It took me 3 1/2 years to think of it but at least it's done. I am loving my new office space and William is enjoying his new bedroom. We both win! :)

I'm a mom and I lie

Today I was on the phone chatting with my buddy and of course that gives William the idea that he doesn't need to listen to me. I told him he needed to complete his map puzzle so that we could put it back where it belonged. He decided to stack the pieces and ignore me. I told him I was on the phone with his dad and said that daddy needs him to pack his puzzle away right now. Do you know the boy sprung into action immediately?! I asked him to pack the puzzle up several times with no luck. Here I go and say his dad says to do it and the job was done in a matter of minutes. Hmmph! Oh well, I guess it is good that he fears his dad and knows he better do what is expected of him or else he will have to suffer the consequences. Although I don't make it a habit to lie to my children, I do what I have to when the need comes about. It is so important for dads to discipline their sons. Like I always say, only a man can teach a boy how to be a man. I'm lucky to have such a fantastic husband to do just that with our son.

Do you lie to your kids when you need to?

Tidy Tots Review & Giveaway

I received a box of Tidy Tots disposable potty chair liners to review. Although William is fully potty trained, we still use the potty seat for him to take care of his 'business'. He is still a little leery of sitting on the big toilet so we keep his frog potty handy (yeah we still have it). To get a better understanding of how these potty chair liners work, check out the super quick video below:

   

These potty chair liners will come in very handy for our big road trip we are getting ready to go on over the holiday break. At least William will feel comfortable "going" on his regular potty and we don't have to worry about clean-up.
Each carton contains 16 super absorbent pads and 16 liners. The super-absorbent pad will hold 2-3 urinations. Up to 48 uses per carton! Only $8.99! Purchase them here.

Giveaway: Enter to win a box of Tidy Tots potty chair liners by letting us know why you want to try these out.

For extra entries you can:
~ "like" Tidy Tots and Momfiles on Facebook
~ Follow Tidy Tots and  Momfiles on Twitter
~ Tweet this giveaway and leave a link of your Tweet:

Win a box of @TidyTots1 potty chair liners from @momfiles http://www.momfiles.com/2011/12/tidy-tots-review-giveaway.html #pottytraining #giveaway

~ Follow Momfiles via GFC

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end at 9:00 pm EST on December 23, 2011. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Be sure to leave your email address if you do not have a Blogger profile. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes.

I received a product sample for review purposes. All opinions are completely my own. 

I See Me! Book Review & Giveaway

*Contest Closed*- Winner is #18 JamericanSpice~ Congratulations!

I received the most adorable board book from I See Me! called "William's Very Merry Christmas". This book was made especially for my little guy because I See Me! books are personalized books. All you do is submit some basic information and your child's name gets incorporated throughout the story. What a neat way to make a child feel special! I love the fact that this book is so durable since my 3 year old is still pretty rough on books. I think this would make an excellent gift for little ones and you can choose from different titles for specific occasions. You can take a virtual tour of this book and others on the I See Me! website. You can also check them out on Facebook for exclusive offers and promotions for FB fans.

Little William is thrilled to have a book with his name in it and he loves to point it out each time he sees it! This book makes a wonderful keepsake and is truly a treasure. I enjoy seeing the look on his face each time he hears his name.

We are thrilled to be able to give away one of these cute books ($24.95 value) to one lucky Momfiles reader in the same title as I received. 

To enter: Mandatory- Let us know who you plan to give this book to if you win. What other titles would you love to see that child's name in? 

For additional entries: 

~ "like" I See Me! and Momfiles on Facebook

~ Mention this giveaway on Facebook

~ Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect

~ Follow I See Me! and  Momfiles on Twitter 

~ Tweet this giveaway (once daily) and leave a link to your Tweet 

Enter to win a personalized #Christmas children's book from @ISeeMe_Maia @momfiles http://www.momfiles.com/2011/11/i-see-me-book-review-giveaway.html #giveaway #gift 

Giveaway is open to US & Canada Residents only and will end at 9:00 pm EST on November 26, 2011. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Be sure to leave your email address if you do not have a Blogger profile. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes.

Disclosure: I received a book for review purposes and all opinions are 100% mine

Wordless Wednesday

Halloween 2011

It's that time of year again...the time for silly "holidays" and although I don't believe in the whole Halloween thing, I still let my kid be a kid. Dwayne was in charge of the costume for William and decided on a pirate. Good choice, eh? Good thing Will loves all things pirate so he really enjoyed his costume. I drew on a mustache with eyeliner since I knew there is no way he would keep an eye patch on. Glad I did because the mustache was the hit at the Halloween events we attended!

Check out the mustache! 

One day he will look enthusiastic about getting his photo taken. One day.

He enjoyed yelling out "Trick or treat!" 

The bounce house. He LOVED it! It was so funny how when kids would fall from bouncing too hard William would ask them "Are you okaaay?!" and when William would fall he would yell out "I'm okaaaay!" 

Wordless Wednesday

I posted about Will's pumpkin patch visit the other day and told everyone to tell me what they noticed in the first photo. Nobody got it. Here is the answer:

Finally!

We have been working diligently with William to get him potty trained. It has been a trying task to say the least. I can't even begin to say how ashamed I have been that I have a 3 1/2 year old boy walking around in training pants. Every time I turn around I see one of my Facebook friends posting about their 2 year old being fully potty trained or even worse an 18 month old trying to get into it. I am wondering where I have gone wrong. I have every potty seat, underwear, disposable underwear, books, toys, bribery tools...all of it. What do I get? Nothing. Just a hard-headed boy pooping in his pants and me having to clean it all up. Fed up, irritated, powerless. That is how I felt. Well 2 days ago something changed. I saw William in a distance getting ready to hide so he can do his business in his trainers. I quickly snatched him up and asked him if he needed to go poopoo. He had "the look" that I know very well and he tells me "NO!" I calmly walked him into the bathroom and told him to try to go anyway. He sits on the potty and I close the door partially and told him I would let him have his privacy. I can hear him talking to himself. He then calls me in and tells me to look. Of course, as usual...nothing. I told him to try again. He then sits and says to me "and don't get up until you go poopoo". I smiled and agreed with him. About 45 seconds later he calls me back in and once again tells me to look. This time (for the first time) was different. There it was... He did it! He actually went poopoo in the potty!! I immediately high-fived him and praised him for doing a great thing. He didn't look all that happy but after he got cleaned up and washed his hands, he very proudly yelled through the house to the rest of the family that he poopooed in the potty like a big boy. Everyone was so happy and excited for him but we were still wondering if this was a one-time thing.

Well, the following day he voluntarily told me when he needed to go poopoo in the potty.  As a matter of fact, he went 3 times! I know TMI! We are so thrilled that he has met this milestone. I was beginning to think it would never happen! I guess all the rumors about boys being harder to potty train were very true. Patience and persistence were what was needed. I guess things happen when they are meant to happen. Go William! Another important step to becoming more independent. Now if only I would stop catering to him :)

Look! I have a chest!

Oh the things you hear coming out the mouth of little kids are very entertaining... William has been proving to us that he is full-fledged talker with a whole lot to say. He has been exhibiting curiosity and asks a lot of questions. One of the latest things  is he noticed that he has nipples. You will find him with his shirt hiked up and his finger over his teeny tiny nipple. His dad told him that boys have a chest. Of course Dwayne tries to keep things as manly as possible with his boy. This morning I was in my bedroom getting dressed after taking a shower. I always leave the door open a few inches just in case William needs me. He started yelling out to me "Bawbi, do you have your privacy?!" This is because I always tell him that girls need their privacy and he has to respect it. Well this time he stumbled over his feet and the door flies open. I am half naked and he looks at me in amazement with his bright eyes and says "Look Bawbi, you have TWO chests!" I quickly covered myself up and told him to get out...then I laughed myself silly! That little boy is too funny! At least I know he is listening SMH.