Product Review: Canopy Anywhere Console Table, Mahogany Finish

I looked for over a year trying to find an affordable buffet to store my extra kitchen items and more expensive dishes. I had the toughest time finding anything selling for less than $600! I traveled near and far to try to find this piece of furniture but to no avail. Then one day, it occured to me to look on Walmart.com and here I found the best bargain of all! A "buffet" for less than $300, shipped to the store for FREE. Gotta love Walmart for that.

It took a lot longer than expected to put the whole thing together. The instructions are very easy to follow except for the fact that the way it tells you to put it together is NOT the best way to put it together. It says to attach the two main side pieces to the front and back pieces then place the middle pieces into the buffet (the pieces that would hold the drawers in the middle). Well much to my dismay, the pieces didn't go in perfectly, they would attach to the front piece but not to the back. I almost broke the whole thing due to my frustration.

I looked online and found a different instruction manual. If you are thinking of purchasing this item, follow these instructions instead! Trust me, it will make your life a whole lot easier.

Anyway, I waited a whole hour before I went back to putting it back together again. To my amazement, I was able to FINALLY put the console together. Wow, it just looks absolutely beautiful. Just like those $800 pieces I was looking at that! It has a lot of storage and it looks great in my living room! :)

I gave the Canopy Anywhere Console 5 stars out of 5!

Product Review: Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein Powder Chocolate, 2 lbs

As of May 1st, I have been working hard to lose some weight. I was hoping to add some protein shakes to my daily routine to help build some muscle and help me get toned. I purchased the Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein Powder Chocolate online from Walmart.com for $14.98 plus tax with free shipping. As always, I used Shopathome.com to get 2% cash back.

I have never been a huge fan of protein shakes. I always thought that you can still taste the powdery texture and the flavors were never that good. But I have to admit that this one is a lot better than any of the other ones I've tasted. I like the chocolate flavor and the texture isn't gritty like most other protein powders. I have made different kinds of protein shakes with this (1 scoop of powder with frozen or fresh fruit and soy milk w/ ice and/or greek yogurt). I have found that this tasted best with frozen blueberries, soy milk and a banana! I give it 4 out of 5 stars!

My review can be found HERE.

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Stop Putting Down Your Kids

I read this great article today titled "Stop Putting Down Your Kids" and it made me realize just how much I really need to think before I speak. Most of the time I forget that when I'm talking to my husband or other people, that my kids are old enough now to be listening to everything that I'm saying.

I like to vent sometimes, especially when I've been having a rough time (usually at the end of my husband's 4-day work week stretch...a time when I feel like a "single mom"). I talk about how my children are being such pains in the butts and how frustrated and irritated I am with them. Then I notice how quiet the kids are being and realize that they had been listening to me talk the whole time.

My husband and I usually don't spend much time together when he's working (since he's working night shifts and is sleeping during the day) so when we finally do have some time together, we kind of just let it all out on the table. We don't think anything of it, we just sit there and chit chat.

But some days, the kids will ask us questions about things, things we didn't realize they even knew about (since we never talked to them - at least not directly - about them). Then it's like an A-HA moment, like whoa, they really are listening to everything we're saying.

I feel bad, knowing my kids have sat there listening to me bitch about them. They must think horrible things about me. They must feel like I don't really like them and for that, I've got to really make some changes for the better. I don't want them growing up thinking I think so negatively about them. They are the love of my lives and can't even imagine how much that hurts hearing me "vent". Thanks for this article Mrs. Wood. It has helped remind me just how important it is to be good role models for our children!

Nature's Touch

I am so sad that Connor came to me today and started crying because he "hurt nature". I asked what he did and he said that he played with a butterfly today at school w/ his foot and hurt it (by accident) then it couldn't fly anymore. He was so sad by it and he was scared that I wasn't going to love him anymore because he hurt one of God's creatures.

We've had many talks about before but making sure to be careful not to hurt God's creatures. That every living thing has a family, has a home to come home to, has a life that is just as precious as our own. I just told him to pray about it and that he needs to promise to himself that he will never hurt a butterfly ever again. It just makes me feel sad that he would even think I would stop loving him because of this?

Have I done anything to make him think that I would ever stop loving him? Have I become that kind of mother to make their kids think that they have to do "good" things to be able to be loved? I had a long talk with him tonight to reassure him that I will always love him no matter what, that I will always love him for the rest of my life and nothing will ever make me stop loving him. I just don't know how to make him believe and honestly, it hurts my heart to know that he thinks that there is even a POSSIBILITY that I could ever stop loving him. :(