William update

Well little William is 21 months and is one curious and active toddler! He is always on the go and he loves for you to chase him around the house. He discovered how to hide. I really don't know how he knows but he does and he has specific little places he loves to go. He likes to peek at you and giggles while you are "looking for him". Sneaky fella! He is really starting to grow in ways that he shows he has a good sense of what is going on and is starting to listen. Yes, I did not think it would happen this soon that he will actually listen (sometimes). He has the most scrumptious smile and he knows how to flash em when he's doing naughty things!

William enjoyed Christmas as much as any toddler would. The wrapping paper was the biggest attraction and he really could care less about his new loot. He is finally somewhat starting to show some interest in toys so what we do is keep a few different ones out for several days and then swap them out for new ones to keep things fresh. He still loves books. They are at the top of his list. Dwayne takes him out in the back yard as often as the weather allows so he can run wild. He loves the outdoors. A strange thing about him is he is very good when he has to brush his teeth or get his nails trimmed. He really loves both of those things! I can't believe how still he stays for it. We have been sitting him on the potty seat before bath time...mind you he is in NO WAY ready for it but we are getting him in the practice of sitting on it. I don't like the pee pee shield. They are scrapey!

We are really enjoying watching the little guy grow and develop. He brings our whole family so much joy and we look forward to him getting older and learning all he can. We are still waiting for the talking part but in due time. He is showing signs of wanting to have conversation so that is a step. He's a happy and healthy boy and that is all we can ask for!

Decent photos to come soon!

Eat your breakfast! General Mills Cereal Giveaway

I think it is believed by most parents that if you feed your children cereal for breakfast you are giving them too much sugar and calories. Well guess what?? This is not true!

Did you know that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children’s diets.

Other cereal benefits:

• Ready-to-eat cereals, including pre-sweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children’s diets.


• Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child’s diet today.


• More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy. With 3 kids of my own and a busy schedule cereal is a great option during the school week. As a matter of fact we all love the Oatmeal Crisp in Crunch Almond and an old favorite, Lucky Charms! We sometimes have cereal for dinner!! I also believe that cereal is an economical option as well.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals, while supplies last.
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Giveaway: General Mills and MyBlogSpark have offered one Momfiles reader the chance to win VIP coupons for 4 boxes of General Mills cereal ($24 value) to help your family come together at the breakfast table every morning!
Mandatory- What is your favorite General Mills cereal? Comments that say "thank you" or "count me in" will be deleted. Want an additional entry? (You must complete the above method to qualify for extra entries)

--You can Twitter this giveaway (one per day) and leave me a link to your Tweet.
Example: Enter the General Mills Cereal Giveaway @momfiles http://blog.momfiles.com/2009/12/eat-your-breakfast-general-mills-cereal.html #giveaway

-- Facebook this giveaway, and please leave a separate comment/link for each entry to count. (one per day)

--Follow me on Twitter or "friend me" on Facebook (leave a comment with a link) If you already follow let me know.

--You can also place our button on your blog or follow us (please leave a blog link in your comment or specify if you are a new or current follower).

*Be sure to have a visible email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Deadline to enter is January 8, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST. Good luck!
All information was provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I received 4 free cereal coupons for posting about product.

Putting it all away

I started late last night taking all the ornament off the tree. It was supposed to be just that. Instead the lights made their way off and then eventually the tree itself completely disappeared, tucked away in enormous storage bins. All signs of Christmas have vanished. I am one of those people that just don't like keeping seasonal things up past the time. We really like getting the house cleaned up and organized for the New Year. Dwayne has gotten our bill book made for 2010 and I got a new computer and so we have no excuse to have things get out of control. I even bought a new coupon organizer to help save the family some money. If I don't have a coupon or it is not on sale I generally won't purchase that item. So now that I have completely switched subjects it is time for me to go! I will be back tomorrow :)

I miss my blog

Seriously, I have really missed my blog. I can't believe I have not updated it in days. I last wrote about being sick. Well I went and overdid it and relapsed so I have been really taking it easy. I am feeling up to par now so I will stop being such a slacker. We had a nice quiet Christmas and I am always so amazed by how much planning, preparing, wrapping and cooking you do for it to all be over so quickly. I guess it will be time to get the house all spiffy for the new year. I am not making any resolutions except to keep myself healthy. I feel like that is important and I already do what I can daily to ensure good health. Well I have a lot more interesting things to talk about so I will get back on the ball and blog daily to fill everyone in on all the latest shenanigans and goings on in the Ismail household. I hope everyone had a great time this holiday season!

I've been away

Gosh, it's been a while since I have posted anything or even checked my favorite blogs. I have had so much going on and have been sick with a cold for about 4 days now. With the kids being out of school it seems we have been so much busier. Oh yeah and my computer crashed. I am not happy about that but gladly I backed up most everything that was important so I am grateful for that. For all my friends that celebrate the holiday season I wish you all the happiest of holidays and I will not be absent like this come the end of the week! Have a great day :)

Where is the "physical" in Physical Education?

Before anyone gets all huffy thinking I am about to bash the school system you can chill. I stand by my Public School System 100% by staying involved and encouraging my children to take full advantage of their education. I do however have a bit of an issue with the area of physical education. Remember years ago when we had to go to P.E. we had to dress out and be prepared to do physical activity for a good solid hour? Remember playing kickball, football, basketball, rope climbing, tumbling and all the other great stuff you did? Okay, I admit I have never been the top PE student but I do know that we had to participate in different physical activities.

This school year my high schooler has been telling me how PE has been a joke. I am thinking she is exaggerating and is going off of what all the other students who previously took that class were saying. It turns out that there are several days in the week that they are given free-play time (with lots of limitations), computer time or TV time. This really shocked me! I know that there are bad weather days but come on there are always alternatives of things that can be done. I feel like video games and TV have encouraged our youth to be lazy and physically unproductive. I'm really not sure if it is a high school thing or not. It seems like the girls did so much more in the elementary and middle school years in PE class. I would love to see the physical part of physical education to come back!