Every Day Reviews by Kacy

La Yen Did it Again

2011-02-21T17:29:00.000-08:00

That's right folks--La Yen just won a shirt from Mormon Apparel. And so concludes the Give Away. It was fun while it lasted, wasn't it? If you want a shirt from them bad enough you can always just buy one. That's what I do whenever I don't win a give away. Better luck next time.

Jenny--The Spirit Was Right!

2011-02-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

Jenny (J) is the winner of a hilarious T-shirt from Mormom Apparel! I am happy for her and even though she was randomly selected, she deserves it. AND SO DO YOU! Keep commenting on the original post for a chance to win another shirt tomorrow.

Mormon Apparel Give Aways--Funny T-Shirts Galore

2011-02-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

Something awesome is about to happen. Mormon Apparel is going to give away two shirts this week. I'll pick one winner on Wednesday and another winner on Friday. So start commenting and tweeting and getting extremely psyched in general and maybe you'll win. I hope you do! Check out their site and decide which shirt you will pick if you win. It's truly funny. Comment to win. You'll be glad you did.

Why just today I was thinking the very sentiment expressed on this shirt:

Genealogy. Oh, brother:

You know in your heart of hearts who you would choose if you had to:

Well, they do have their own website so I guess I can't just cut and paste every single one of their shirts here on my blog--but I would. Because it's funny. I support the funny. Win. Win. Win Win. Win. Win. WIN!

Mskaz won $75 From CSN Stores

2011-01-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

In this case, the title of my post says it all. It's true! Mskaz won the Give Away. She's a lucky person. I hope I have another Give Away for you soon--sometimes I get offers for lame ones. But I know you wouldn't want something lame. Stay in touch. Have fun shopping, Mskaz. I sent you an e-mail. Let me know if didn't get it.

$75 Give Away from CSN Stores

2011-01-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a Give Away for $75 from CSN Stores. You can use it in any of their stores but if you are really into design then you will probably want to use it on an Eames lounge chair because Eames is all the rage! And at $3,899.00, why not pick up two? Other options include:

They have all kinds of kitchen stuff, too. Just leave a comment about me or about the bachelor or about what you want to buy to enter the Give Away. I will randomly choose one winner on Friday. Good luck!

KinKast Video Sharing, Storage, and Viewing

2011-01-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

I tried a free video app from KinKast and I really like it. Kinkast is faster and easier to use than the normal video app on my iPhone. (But let's be honest: Both are way faster and easier to use than the $700 video camera Christian and I got after we had Sam. It rested on our shoulder and used cables and wires to "transfer" videos. Those were the days.)

KinKast is fast and downloads (uploads?) your videos in the background while you're doing stuff. It's good and I like it. It saves your videos on the web and backs them up on a server. You know--all that stuff we care about. You save your private video library on KinKast. What I like best about it is how tiny the video tapes are that you use with it. Just checking to see if you are paying attention. What I really like best about it is how quick and easy it is to e-mail the videos to people or post them on Facebook. I sent a bunch of videos of Ellen to Christian, who was in Calgary over the last few days, and it was totally convenient for both of us. KinKast sends a private link for viewing the video with no log in. It's always a turn off when you have to log in to watch a video, isn't it? It's just one more thing you've got to do. Not with KinKast. It basically does whatever you want to do with your funny/cute videos. I think the video-trimming feature is probably where it outshines the iPhone video app the most. You should try it.
&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://kinkast.com/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Click here to go to kinkast.com&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
When I first downloaded this app I thought it didn't work. And I was like, "How embarrassing for KinKast! They want me to try this and it doesn't even work!" I was totally going to blog about it not working because I believe in truth in advertising and there was no way I was going to gloss over it--I have way too much journalistic integrity for that. It was kind of exciting! But only for about a minute. It took me about one minute to figure out that my iPhone had to be set to take video instead of pictures, which makes sense when you think about it (which I did). So if a person like me (techtarded) can trouble shoot in 60 seconds, it's probably entirely intuitive (as they say) for everyone else. It really does work great. Too bad I don't get to write an expose. Even when I thought it wasn't working it was showing me a little button with a play icon on it, politely encouraging me to switch to video mode. It made me feel bad for judging it while it was patiently instructing me. I do that sometimes.

Download KinKast right now. It comes with a free 12 pack of the cutest little video tapes you ever saw! Not really.

Kathleen Won the Last $100!

2010-11-03T10:55:00.001-07:00

Oh, Kelloggs. You are a generous beast. I'm sure you will make Kathleen very, very happy.

Another Person Named Jamie Won!

2010-10-27T08:13:00.001-07:00

Jamie won last week's Give Away. If your name is Jamie and you think you won--easy tiger. You only won if I sent you an e-mail. But there's still one last chance to win this week!

Morning Rituals--Birthday Breakfast

2010-10-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

We have one morning ritual--Birthday Breakfasts. I started it a few years ago so we could celebrate everyone's birthdays in the same way regardless of whether their birthday fell on a school day or in the summer. Birthday Breakfast means that the night before someone's birthday (not mine, of course) I set the table with either nice dishes or Barbie or Toy Story or whatever-the-birthday-person-is-into paper plates. Sometimes I hang crepe paper all twisty-like on on the ceiling. I make orange juice and set out the birthday person's favorite cereal or some over the top crazy-fun cereal like Barbie Flakes or Toy Story Flakes. Or sometimes I make waffles with yeast that sit over night (Mark Bittman's recipe) or--and this is in cases of unpreparedness--pancakes. Which is still a great deal for everyone involved, so we all win.

Presents are wrapped and set out and opened in the morning before school or church or whatever else we have that day. It works really well. Because sometimes when you plan on dinner things come up and then you don't go until the weekend and little kids don't like it if nothing happens on their actual birthday. Oh! I should explain that my kids don't really like birthday parties. I didn't/don't either. Every year they can choose a friend party or something with the family. They almost always choose a family thing so we'll go bowling or go to a movie or whatever they want. But the Birthday Breakfast is consistent and that's when we open presents. If your kids are normal and want birthday parties you probably don't need a Birthday Breakfast on top of everything else you are planning for their party. But it works for us and now everyone expects it and looks forward to it. It is relatively easy so I love it. It's a beautiful life, cereal.

And on that note I'll offer you a FINAL CHANCE TO WIN $100 VISA GIFT CARD. I know. I'm sad too. I bet you wish I would talk about cereal for three more months. Maybe I will. But no more money. Sorry about that. You'll still read what I write about cereal and leave hundreds of comments, right? I knew it! We're real pals, you and me. Thanks for everything. And good luck! Leave a comment to win and do please check out the Legion of Mom's for more chances to win. For a second entry here on my blog Tweet or Blog a link to this post give me the URL.

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Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.loveyourcereal.com.

Nicole Greene--Today is Your Lucky Day

2010-10-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Nicole Greene got really lucky today because Random.org chose her as the winner of last week's $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway. I am so jealous of Nicole Greene. Lucky her.

Best Meal in a Bowl--My Top 10 Cereals

2010-10-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

My favorite one-bowl meal is called orange chili chicken. I love it. It is so good. But it takes a really long time to make. My favorite simple one-bowl meal is cereal. And that is what we are talking about today.

This is what I've been waiting for because I love cereal and rating things. Please tell me your #1 cereal, or Top 10 Favorite Cereals or any other brief or long comment and you will have a chance--your penultimate chance--to win $100 Gift Card from Visa. Please try. Tweet for an extra chance. Here are more rules, et cetera. And without further ado, my top ten cereals.

*10. Coco Puffs (For a treat. Or every day.)

9. Raisin Bran (You may not have heard: Bran is really good for you.)

8. Captain Crunch (I like Cap'n Crunch original. Crunchberries hurt the roof of my mouth.)

7. Rice Crispies/Rice Chex (Tie.) (So what if I sprinkle sugar on them? Your blood needs sugar.)

6. Cinnamon Life

5. Multi-Grain Cheerios/Honey Nut Cheerios (Tie.) (I don't know if you've heard: Multi-grain things are really good for you.)

4. Frosted Flakes (After two bowls my sweet receptors stop working--try it.)

3. Frosted Mini Wheats--Giant (used to be "regular".)

2. Quaker Oatmeal Squares (More than anything, these help me get out of bed in the morning, even though the extremely thick cords from which this cereal is woven sometimes come undone and swell in the milk--which really freaks me out.)

1. Diet Coke

*When I was a kid I would have said Trix, Boo Berry, Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams, Fruit Loops, Sugar Smacks (now "Honey Smacks"), Super Sugar Crisp (now "Golden Crisp"), Cookie Crisp, Kix, and Apple Jacks.

Sugar Bear is way cooler than Dig 'em.

The Secret to a Great Breakfast

2010-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

I think the secret to a great breakfast is to eat breakfast. Before I had kids I used to always skip breakfast. It felt gross to eat early in the morning. But when I was pregnant I had to eat breakfast so I would have something more colorful than bile to throw up. Eating breakfast is good. Now I eat breakfast every day. I think I would faint if I didn't.

The other secret is to always have milk. If you always have milk you're golden. I have accomplished this by using a dairy to deliver my milk every week. If you have milk, life seems bounteous and good. When you're out of milk, the world seems like a desolate and barren place. And then, of course, you need $100 gift card from Visa to buy cereal to pour your milk on. So leave a comment. There are only a few more weeks left to win!

Adele Won $100 Visa Gift Card

2010-10-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

I for one am very happy for Adele because she won $100 gift card from Visa. I really wish everyone could win, but life's hard. Try again.

Kim Allsup won the CSN Give Away

2010-10-09T07:07:00.001-07:00

Kim Allsup, who used to be my neighbor, won $75 to use at CSN stores. I'm very happy for her. I hope it makes her day. $75 would make my day. I love money.

Betty C Won $100 Visa Gift Card

2010-10-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy for Betty C. She won last week's $100 Visa Gift card. That Betty C--she's a lucky one! But you can still win $100 this week. Or $75 dollars. It's a regular Publisher's Clearing House over here! Speaking of publishing, I just saw this thing on Barnes and Noble's website called "PubIt." Hmmmmm. Not interested. Are any of you interested in pubing it? I just don't like to pube things.

Obvious Tips for Not-Very-Good Morning People

2010-10-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

Mornings can be stressful. It's not my best time. Here are a few things that help me.

Go to bed before midnight (way before midnight, if possible).

Don't have too many clothes for your kids. Piles are gross. A little more than a week's worth is all I have.

That said, lower your standards for "clean enough to wear" and you'll be happier.

Try a morning date of a drive-thru breakfast or drink run with your husband. It's better than nothing.

I used to try to shower, read scriptures, and walk the dog in the morning. It made me sad to always fail. Now I only try to get the kids out the door and I am happier. I shower after they leave, we read scriptures at night, and I never walk the dog. The dog pays the price for my happiness. That is why dog is man's best friend.

You might notice that kids have no incentive to get ready on time if you drive them to school every day. That's why I charge a dollar when they miss the bus. Otherwise, they sleep in and I pick up their slack. You might say, "welcome to motherhood." I say "not fair!"

My kids need to be up and ready at different times. Frankly, I don't want them all up with the earliest riser so we can eat together. (Toddlers must sleep as long as possible.) That is why they get their own breakfast and it's usually cereal, bagels, or yogurt--what I like to call continental. It's my way of infusing a little joi de vivre into our mornings.

Today if you want to win $100 Visa Gift Card leave me an obvious tip to make my morning better. Or just leave a comment. I'll pick a random winner next Tuesday, October 12th. May the force be with you. More rules about Give Aways here.

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Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.loveyourcereal.com.

CSN Stores $75 Give Away

2010-10-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know what you like. I don't know what you need. But who doesn't want $75 to spend at a store that has everything. Look. See. Have you drawn names yet for Christmas? Surely $75 would come in handy. You can have it. Just leave a comment and maybe I'll pick you. Then you could buy this:

Or this:

Or this, if that's what you're into:

Seriously. Leave a comment and one lucky winner will get $75 to spend at CSN Stores which will have something you want or need. They even have drills. And rugs. And shoes. Get whatever you want. You have until Friday, October 8th at MIDNIGHT to leave a comment. May the best man win.

Shannon Won the Give Away

2010-09-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

Shannon won the hundred dollars. I'm happy for her. Enjoy spending (or saving) your new money, Shannon.

Make a Weekend Treat Any Day of the Week

2010-09-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

How do your weekend mornings differ from your weekday mornings? Well, on the weekend I get to sleep in while my husband and kids get up and make pancakes or some other yummy breakfast that we simply don't have time for during the hectic week. My kids are so sweet--they try to let me sleep as long as possible! But I can't resist getting up and joining my crew in the bustling kitchen.

Actually, none of that is true. It does truly describe my dearest fantasy, though. Saturdays and Sundays start just like any other day--with an unreasonable request from Ellen. The impossibility of fulfilling her request is met with disappointment and anger. Many Saturdays Sam goes off to some scouting thing and Christian goes off to do something for someone else, it could be anyone, really. I start doing laundry and chores and get mad that no one else is doing anything. Sometimes I'll spend the whole day like that. Maggie cleans the kitchen. Ben cleans out the cat litter. Ellen vacillates between being a nightmare and being so charming that everyone gives her her way. One thing is for sure though: she never does any work. She won't pick things up because it "makes her hands hurt." Usually everyone is on board by lunch time and I cheer up when Christian brings me a picnic lunch of fast food. Food always cheers me up which could be the reason I'm fat. I'm not a scientist! Just kidding. I'm not fat. Because I eat cereal every day and it makes me skinny. Bon appetit!

Leave a comment to win $100 gift card from Visa. Check out the rest of the club for more chances to win. The odds are in your favor.

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Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.loveyourcereal.com.

New Winner

2010-09-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

And the winner of last week's give away is. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . this guy!

That's right, Amazing Spider-Fan, You won. Don't say Visa never gave you anything. Keep trying, everyone else. There are six more chances to win $100 from Visa. That's 600 dollars! Visa must be doing pretty well these days.

Quality Mornings

2010-09-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

I'm told that a quality morning consists of waking up before your kids, exercising, showering and getting dressed, and being ready to make breakfast when the kids wake up. I think that sounds very high quality. I've never tried it because I have a disorder that makes me think--no matter what I have planned the night before--that I need to stay in bed until the very last second or I won't get enough sleep. I wrote about this in one of my first Kelloggs posts because it seemed necessary to address the elephant in the room: That is, Kelloggs is all about happy, healthy mornings and I embody the opposite of that. Someone sent me some very helpful links after that post: How to Get Up Right Away When the Alarm Goes Off and How to Become an Early Riser. These articles have helped me get up a lot better in the morning. I started sleeping with my shutters open so it would be lighter and I try not to think about getting up and let my subconscious get me out of bed without having to rely on willpower. Those of you who arise early naturally are thinking, "Hmmm. Psycho." Oh well. It is, unfortunately, starting to get darker in the mornings now and as a result I fear I will be forever lost to the waking world. Oh well.

That said, I think the best way to have a quality morning would be to win $100 gift card from Visa. Try.

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Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit here.

Susan C won $100 Visa Gift Card

2010-09-14T07:13:00.001-07:00

Isn't that great, Susan C? Congratulations. I hope the gift card finds you well. Keep trying to win, everyone else.

Back to School

2010-09-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

When school started a couple of weeks ago I was so happy. I just don't feel sad when my kids go back to school. Does that make me a bad person? Perhaps. (But faking feelings of sadness would make me a hypocrite and I can't live with that.) At first summer is fun but a person can only take so much. I hate being hot.I hate the bright sun. I hate wearing a swim suit. I find myself feeling so happy as the days get chillier and the nights get darker. I think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder but my symptoms are the opposite of most people's. I am truly fascinated by Tweets and status updates such as, "Crying as my kids go off to school," or "I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer!" I don't feel like that at all. It's weird. Usually I can sort of relate to things. Like, I've never watched any of the Housewives of different counties but I bet if I did, I would like it. And I'm not interested in Justin Bieber but maybe if I heard his music and I were a pedophile I would be very interested. I just can't relate to these summer longings though. Doesn't the sun hurt your eyes?

That said, here's a summer tip for you: Don't buy summer clothes. Summer is not a fashion show. We get swimming suits and flip flops. That's it. I cut off my daughter's jeans for shorts and my boys mostly wear pants because they play in thorns and fall off of things. Pants are protective. Shorts are for sissies. Everything will be worn out and gross by the time school starts. Ben wore floods all summer. It makes back-to-school shopping more fun. There is such a stark difference between my shabby summer kids who look poor and the sharp-dressed fancies who walk out the door the first day. It is so worth it.

When my kids were little I shopped for them year-round at sales. But once they are in grade school, a big back-to-school shopping spree makes more sense to me. It's also more fun. Even then I only get about a week's worth of clothes for them because you can't predict what size they'll be. For example, I bought Sam a suit on sale one summer to put away for Christmas, size 12. By January he was a size 16. I like to cash out my credit card "points" with gift cards in the fall, which I buy school clothes with. Ben actually "shopped" for his school clothes in Sam's hand-me-down box. He found everything he needed and didn't want to go shopping. I wanted to buy him new stuff, but I resisted the urge because I know he'll have an unexpected growth spurt at some point. So I bide my time and he wears very wide, very light jeans. He doesn't care, so why should I?

Summer is also the time to grow out hair. Let boys see how hot, dirty, and shaggy it feels. Longer hair might be in style, but after a summer of stinky hair my boys are ready for their buzzes. I usually pay them 5 dollars to let me buzz their hair at home. Think of the savings! We've had no haircuts all summer and for 10 bucks they end up clean and fresh. With no hair it doesn't matter if they wash it or not--which they don't. I know that the home buzz is not the most in-style hair cut for boys right now, but it is acceptable. And the buzz just keeps on giving because it grows out terribly and the only way to make it better is--you guessed it--another buzz. Salons are for sissies. Of course, I go to an expensive one myself because I save so much on boy's hair cuts through out the year. Motherhood--it's a series of compromises, you know.

Comment to win a $100 Visa Gift Card! You can use it on school clothes. Or an expensive hair cut for yourself.
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Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.loveyourcereal.com.

My Trip for Design Mom: Behind the Scenes

2010-09-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

Gabby of Design Mom is busy with her new baby so she let me go to a Honda blogging event for her in San Diego. It was pretty glamorous. Speaking of glamor, the first night I was instructed to wear "business elegant" to the unveiling of the 2011 Honda Odyssey. I trotted straight over to Mervyns because nothing says "business elegant" quite like Mervyns. Am I right? I used a clutch. Here I am clutching it before the big event.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. My trip was an absolute pleasure. I was kind of scared to go because of how I don't go anywhere or do anything. But frankly, traveling without kids is not scary or hard. It's easy and fun. It took about a day for me to stop straining to hear things in the hotel--like a child crying or falling. Because my kids weren't there! I got just myself ready in the morning. My things were the only things there. I reached a new level of being myself and thinking my thoughts. About a year ago when my baby started sleeping and my kids became old enough to watch themselves I went up a level from the fragmented-out-of-it-sleep-deprived mom of little kids. It was amazing! I thought I was totally "back." But on my trip I realized that I am still in a frazzled-non-relaxed-mother-of-grade-and-preschoolers-state of mind. It's kind of nice to know that I'm still not functioning at 100%. Of course, once I hit 100% I'll probably begin a quick decline into old age.

On my own I was able to pursue my FAVORITE topics for discussion over and over with everyone I met: TLC, Law and Order, Lords of Dogtown, Toyota recalls, Generation X, blogging, Mormons, blogging Mormons, the Duggars, foster dogs, Tivo, vampires, satellite radio, kids, breaking the news to people getting a massage for the first time that they will be pure naked, Masada, and minivans. It was a blast! I actually didn't make too many friends. Don't know why. I did meet a lot of cool people though. Here's Car Seat Dad. He drove me around all day when we were supposed to test drive the vans. I'm not about to drive on a San Deigo freeway--are you kidding me? Car Seat Dad was really nice to me and helped me be less of a loner. He told me his readers think his voice is sexy.

No one really tells me my laugh is sexy.

Check out the Honda Odyssey! It's an awesome car. I want to buy one. They've put a lot of thought into every little thing. I love it. Roomy.

But kind of unreliable. (Not really.)

I really do think Honda is great. They make their production line flexible so they can build any of their cars there. Most car factories can only make one type of car. So when gas prices shot up a few years ago they could make tons of Civics and fewer of the big cars. They haven't had to lay anyone off because of this flexibility. And here's something weird and interesting: They all wear white outfits. All of them. At work. To foster camaraderie among the associates. People who work for Honda love Honda and are very loyal. I love their work culture. I would buy a car from them. And I currently drive a Mercedes. They were pretty persuasive.

So the first night we had dinner and business elegance. The next day we had the presentation about the vans.

I love anything free.

After that we got to have a spa treatment at La Estancia (where we were staying). I opted for a Mani/Pedi. I was glad too because the dressing room for people getting massages was basically a vestibule hung with sheers. I'm not about to change into a robe in a vestibule with other people--are you kidding me?

We had dinner that night with all the Honda people (business casual). I met some cool bloggy moms and talked more about TLC. The next day my driver took me to the airport. I learned a lot about my driver that day. I learned that he married a Peruvian woman who didn't love him but she needed citizenship. They were married on Christmas Eve. They celebrate their anniversary in March, three months later because she did eventually fall in love with him and their anniversary marks the day they first made love. (His words. Not mine.)

It was a wonderful trip. Honda was wonderful. The other bloggers we great. My driver was awesome. I felt like I'd really changed--like I was a new person. But when the plane landed in SLC International, it was like none of it had happened. Was it all a dream? It was like time skipped and settled and I found myself in an alternate time line. It was confusing, but only because I didn't understand it yet.

Summer Recap

2010-09-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

Now that the kids are back in school I'm finally in a place where I can look back over the summer fondly. It wasn't all sticky floors, fighting kids, and unnapping toddlers. We actually had a pretty good summer. We left for a week-long trip to San Diego after the last day of school. If you have more than a couple kids, you can't stay in a hotel anymore. You need to rent a beach house right on the beach with a kitchen so you don't have to eat out for every meal. Just some.

The grandparents made marshmallow shooters this summer! We quit doing our hair!

We did stunt swinging!

We played at the playground!

We rested a lot, too.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a $100 gift card from Visa. Check out Mom's Breakfast Club for more chances to win.
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Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.loveyourcereal.com.

Jamie Won

2010-09-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that my randomly-generated winner is none other than Jamie from Blonde Mom Blog. I recently met her in person at a top-secret blogging event I was covering for Design Mom. It's not that big of a secret, I guess. It was for Honda Minivans. Anyway, good job, Jamie! You met me a week ago and now you have $100. That's the magic of Kacy. Some people who have known me longer keep trying to win and are depressed every Tuesday morning when I announce the winner and it isn't them. That's the affliction of Kacy. You're lucky you got the magic. Most people get the affliction.

The Breakfast Squeeze

2010-08-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

As a member of Mom's Breakfast Club, I get to write about special breakfast-related topics every week and you get to try to win $100 gift card from Visa every week by commenting on this post. It's what people who study science like to call "mutually beneficial." I used to know more people who study science. Now I only know people who are really fast at Googling. (Same dif.)

Do I have go-to breakfasts for those busy school mornings when all 4 of my kids are off in different directions before I have a chance to put my apron on? You bet I do! I don't really like to make breakfast for my kids. They can make their own breakfast. I heard recently that Lance Armstrong's mom told reporters the one thing she did to make him so outstanding was make him a hot breakfast every day. So I'm trying to avoid that because I don't want my kids to get cancer. They can easily get themselves cereal and toast. Ben likes to make his own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when he's in the mood and that is what I make for everyone when we are in a big hurry and are out of everything. I don't mind making the sandwiches for them in that case because I want them to think I'm really nice and great and overlook the fact that I haven't gone to the grocery store and we are out of everything.

Lately my kids are really into bagels and cream cheese or Nutella and bananas. They also like to have granola bars or Nutri-grain bars. My kids go through a box of those in like 5 minutes. The one thing I do like to cook in the morning is oatmeal. I love homemade oatmeal. But my kids don't love it and usually waste it if I make it for them. If I were going to make a hot breakfast, I think I would make eggs. That's my favorite. It would be so great to have tasty eggs for breakfast every day. I wonder what that would be like.

My son requested a bunch of frozen fruit to make smoothies for breakfast. He's really into using the blender right now. I guess it's normal. I keep forgetting because I don't like smoothies in the morning--Brrrr! Too cold. Plus, I'm sick of blueberries. And they seem to be in every combo bag of frozen fruit. I know they are really healthy for you but why eat fruit you don't like? Life's too short. And if you don't eat blueberries--it's even shorter.

In fact, life's too short to make your school-age children breakfast! That's why I spend my mornings in the bed my husband makes for me in our tub so I can talk to him while he gets ready for work. Romantic.

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People Just Keep Winning

2010-08-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

Tamsin, my cereal-loving friend, YOU WON! Use the money for good. I know you will. And by the way, the person next to me in the photo is my sister, Heidi (technically "step"). To everyone else, hang in there. I'm just getting started with these giveaways.

I Like Cereal--It's Grrrreat!

2010-08-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

Much of what moms write about being moms is completely irrelevant to me because they never mention cold cereal. Oh, they talk about breakfast all right–but they talk about it in terms I do not understand, terms such as “steel-cut oats,” or “whole-wheat pancakes.” And they consistently avoid phrases like, “What is considered a decent hour to crack open my first Diet Coke?” or “How many more minutes until bedtime?” which mean something to me, personally.

Oh, I know you see right through me. I act nonchalant in order to seem cool and edgy. Like I just don’t care! But I do. I care so much. I do want my kids to eat healthy food. Newsflash: cold cereal isn’t the devil. It’s good for you! Enjoy it. Appreciate it. Admit it. Embrace it. Revel in it. Flaunt it. Do you want to know how Caroline Ingalls feels about cold cereal? She wishes.

Some of my best and earliest memories are of cold cereal. I loved the commercials. I loved all my little buddies like Tony the Tiger and Lucky the Leprechaun. I was a strict moralist growing up. I felt like Coco Pebbles were bad–junk food, if you will, while Coco Puffs were totally acceptable (even though Sonny the cuckoo bird was an unsavory character, unbalanced and pathetic–to be pitied and avoided). I thought all versions of Pebbles were kind of bad. Like the people who got Happy Meals would also get Pebbles. (We NEVER got Happy Meals.) And who could resist the classic quest of an unlikely hero: Silly anthropomorphic rabbit, even though you walk upright and talk, Trix are for kids. Remember how we got to vote on the box whether he could get some Trix or not? They gave us a voice.

I loved how they said the cereal was part of a complete breakfast including toast, milk and juice. Milk and juice! That was my dream–to say nothing of the dream that one day Snap, Krackle, and Pop would materialize. Dudes! You really can hear the cereal. It’s magical.

Like I always say (seriously I ALWAYS say it), “Cold cereal is good because you just can’t eat an Egg McMuffin with cheese every day–even if you want to.” I hate to sound judgmental (seriously I NEVER judge) but depriving your kids of cold cereal is basically child abuse.

That's me on the left. Any guesses as to the identity of the person on the right?

There is another $100 Visa gift card give away this week! Leave a comment and maybe you will win. I hope you do. Comment on these posts for more chances to win.

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Number 2 Winner

2010-08-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

You're not as flashy as #1--but you still walk away with $100 Visa gift card. Berkeley, you are the number 2 winner. Your passion for give aways and cereal has finally paid off. Don't spend it all in one convenience store, number 2!

Summer Fun

2010-08-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

I have asked each one of my kids, "What is the one thing you want to do before school starts back up?" and they have all said, "Nothing." Done and done. But seriously folks, I'm not telling you this to suggest that we have had such an awesome, event-filled summer that my kids can't even think of one more thing they want to do. It's also not that my kids are boring. They do stuff pretty much all day, every day, outside with their friends. I've been experimenting from year to year with more and less planning over the summer. But I've found that as my kids get older the structure starts getting filled in for you with scouts, lawn-mowing jobs, achievement days, and actual interests that my kids just want to pursue on their own.

So this summer I introduced a minimum of structure. Every Tuesday and Thursday we go to a movie at the Scera. We do "cleaning crew" Wednesday night. We also go to the library every week. I'm not going to lie to you. Sometimes the kids stay in the car while I get books for myself. We have meals together mostly but the kids have had lots of "late nights" with their friends and Sam enjoys riding his bike along the river trail to Macys to get hot wings with his friends. So sometimes he's not hungry.

Here's a sampling of the kinds of things the kids come up with on their own:

One day I went outside and Sam's friend had brought over his riding mower and they were driving it over a dirt hill and down the ravine in the empty lot next to our house. Boys will be boys! (Which is to say, boys will be reckless ding dongs.)

One day Maggie and her friend invented the game, "Here You Go" for Ellen.

And every day Ben comes home soaking wet from head to toe, smelling of pond water.

So, yeah. They stay busy. But not too busy. You have to make sure your kids are bored right before school starts so they are excited to go back. It's not as easy as it sounds. You have to swallow your pride, big time. Every year regardless of what we have done over the summer--camping, trips, museums, once my kids went on a freaking dinosaur dig with archeologists from BYU for pete's sake--they always say that they did "nothing" over their summer break in that essay on the first day of school. Sometimes they do me the ultimate injustice of writing that they "watched TV all summer." That's when I decided Kindermusik probably wasn't worth the hassle.

And so, with one week left before school starts, I feel no pressure to make my kids' dreams come true because all they want to do is nothing. So that's what we're doing. It's going to make getting up and walking to the bus stop so exciting!

PS: Speaking of exciting, the $100 Visa Gift Card Give Away continues this week from 8/17/10 through 8/23/10. There will be another winner this week so leave a comment to enter. Comment on these posts for more chances to win.
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Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.loveyourcereal.com.

Ellie, You Won the Give Away

2010-08-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have randomly selected a winner and it is Ellie. Congratulations, Ellie. You seem like a nice person because you babysit your grandkids every day. I hope you enjoy your $100 dollar gift card. Get something nice for yourself--like a Poptart.

And to everyone else, I know it's hard when you don't win a give away, especially when it's $100. Cheer up--there's another one coming tomorrow. And the next week and the next week and the next week for about three months. You thought this was a one-time thing? It's not! Keep trying. What are the odds that you will win? That was a trick question--I know it's impossible to figure out the odds on something as complex as a give away.

I Hate to Get Up in the Morning

2010-08-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

I hate to get up in the morning. I don't think I've ever awakened naturally and happily. When I was little I had an alarm clock that was shaped like a cartoon lion in a cage, like at a carnival. It seems like a rather charming way to wake up. And yet, some of my earliest memories are of my adversarial relationship with that clock radio. I resented it when it went off in the morning and reasoned that it had a "head start" because I set it before I had gone to bed. I deserved two snoozes, I reasoned.

Not much has changed. Except now it's my kids who wake me up. Every night I go to bed thinking that I'll get up before the kids, exercise, make pancakes and wake them with the smell of maple syrup or bacon. Every morning I change my mind and sleep in until the last minute. I know. It seems really lazy and rude. It just takes me a while to wake up and when I do wake up it takes me a while to snap out of what I guess is my natural negative state. I'm working on it. I think it's called "cheerfulness." Or whatever.

What makes it worse is feeling guilty about it. So I've let it go. I need to focus my efforts. I mean, a delicious home-cooked breakfast every morning would be great for my kids. I'm sure they would like it and I admire people who do it. But is my purpose to make them feel like they live in a fancy hotel where breakfast is provided? No. It is not. So they learn to make cereal. I have milk delivered from the dairy in half-gallons which are easier for my kids to pour when mama's too tired to pour the milk. (Gallons are heavy! A gallon of milk is like 5lbs of something.) They also make toast, smoothies, and orange julius. They appreciate the occasional pancake or egg made by me and I want to keep it that way by not doing it very often.

Having said that, you might be surprised to hear that I am part of the Mom's Breakfast Club. I accept the fact that I'm not your typical mom. You see us how you want to see us, in the simplest terms and most convenient definitions. But what I've found is that each of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal who hates to get up in the morning.

Sincerely,
Mom's Breakfast Club

PS: This is good for you because Kelloggs is giving away $100 Visa Debit Gift Cards every week for like three months. The first weekly sweepstakes will run from 8/11/10 to 8/16/10. You may as well try. $100 dollars is not nothing. Leave a comment to enter.

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Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.loveyourcereal.com.